Editorial January 4, 1908 Issue

"ONE LORD, ONE FAITH."

Annie M. Knott

A most interesting feature of the late Christmas season was a sermon preached here by Rabbi Fleischer on the subject, "What the Jews owe to Christianity," a sermon which was prefaced by the reading of the Beatitudes and the fifth chapter of Mark's Gospel. The rabbi said,—

The cynical Jew might say that Jews owe Christians only forgiveness for all their persecutions in the name of Christ. But that would not be fair either to Christ or to Christianity, which are not responsible for the sins of Christendom. I am trying to estimate the debt of Jews to Christianity rather than to Christians. This debt is two-fold and comprises Christ and his religion—the beautiful, impressive, influential personality of the former, the civilizing, idealizing, spiritualizing teachings of the latter.

The rabbi also said that the ethics and ideals of Christianity had been derived directly from Judaism. There are none more ready than are Christian Scientists to acknowledge the debt which all mankind owes to the Hebrew nation for its religious literature, nor do we ever forget that the wonderful teachings of Christ Jesus and his apostles were but the fuller fruitage of the spiritual ideals which had been expressed through prophet, psalmist, and seer since the days of Abraham. As we study the Bible in the light of Christian Science we think and speak of those ancient worthies not only with reverence and gratitude, but with a new and clearer understanding of their relation to the spiritual unfoldment of universal humanity. Mrs. Eddy's analysis of the characters and experiences of Abraham and of Jacob, as given in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" is indeed wonderful. In the light thus thrown upon the sacred narrative we can readily understand the so-called miracles ascribed to some of the prophets. We see that when the spiritual sense is awakened the narrow limits of materiality vanish, and the power and grandeur of spiritual law come into evidence, as in the case of Elijah and Elisha. Perhaps the most interesting statement of the rabbi's sermon was that which follows:—

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial

UNAUTHORIZED LITERATURE