HISTORY OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 56, 23 May 1874, Page 13

HISTORY OF OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

By the Abbe" J. E. Damus. (Translated from the French for the ' New Zealand Tablet') § VI. — Jesos in the midst op the Doctoks. 30 — The Child Jesus Lost and Found. The Education op Jesits According to the Rationalists. " Now, says the Gospel, the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom : and the grace of Gcd was in him. And his parents went even year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch And when he was twelve years old, they went up into Jer^alein according to the custom of the feasi. And having fulfilled the dajs, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem ; and nia parents knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, the\ came a. day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaint ani-o. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it caMe to puss, that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? bultold thy father and I have sought thee borrowing. And he said to them : how is it that you sought me? did you not know that I must be about my Father's business ? — And they understood not the word that he .spoke unto them. .And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth : and whs subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and grace with God and men" (1). These are the only details transmitted to us by the Gospels. To make up for the silence of the sacred text, Rationalism has had the hardihood to invent an entire chapter, entitled " Education of Jews," containing assertions like these: "He learnt to read and write, doubtless, according to the Eastern method, which consisted in putting in the hands of the child a book, which he repeated in cadence with his little comrades, until he knew it by heart" (2). To support this gratuitous supposition, they plac« at the foot of the page a note running thus: "John, viii, 6," and the reader is astonished that no one had hitherto been able to discover, in the Gospel of St John, the proof that Jesus had learnt to read and write, like nil other children. Now in chapter viii, verse 6, of his Gospel, St. John relates the touching episode of the woman taken in adultery. The Pharisees bring this unhappy one to the feet ot the Saviour, and say to him : " Master, this woman is guilty. The law of Moses commands us to stone such a one. But what gayest thou ? And this they said tempting him, that they might accuse him. But Jesus bowing himself down, wrote with his finger on the pavement of the temple." This is the text of St. John which proves that Jesus learned to read and write ! Never has anyone, in the name of science, more grossly outraged self-respect, or displayed more utter contempt of the public, and of truth. In the preceeding page of St. Luke this siguificant verse occurred : " And the Jews wondered, saying : How doth this man know letters, having never learned?" (3). Whom then did the new exegetUt hope to deceive, by so derisive a proceeding ? We will not take the trouble of noticing each one ot his voluntary errors. Whoever has the patience to compare his assertions with the text of the Gospel, will soon share with us the sentiment of profound pity this new work inspires us with. Such mere puerilities are beneath our serious discussion. We would wish, however, to call attention to another class of ideas, borrowed by the Rationalists and Protestants of the chiy, from the obsolete heresy of Helvidius.

(1.) Luc, li, 40-52. (2.) Vie de Jesub, pag. 80. (3 ) Jolui, vii, 15