CHURCHGOING AND CHRISTIANITY [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —The
evidence adduced by the Rev. Charles King in support of the orthodox view of the personality of Jesus only strengthens my case against it.
The appointment of the Twelve has an intelligible connexion with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, but none at all with any known feature of Christian organisation. In Acts i the survivors attach importance to the election of a colleague to keep up the original number, but as Christianity dissociates itself from Judaism the Twelve disappear as an institution.
Many eastern rulers were ex officio " sons " of the national deities. A pretender to the throne of David as the repre- sentative of his line would automatically make some such claim (see Ps. ii and lxxxix, II Sam. vii, 14, &c.). This is emin- ently consistent with the charge of assuming the title of " anointed king."
Paul apparently had ample reason to be alarmed at the behaviour of some of the Saints. His admonitions, however, contain nothing which can be identified with any recorded sayings of Jesus. If such teachings were in circulation it is incredible that they should not be referred to.
As Mr. King agrees, Jesus had no intention of destroying the Law. Yet the Christians very early repudiated the Mosaic Law in their own Church, and it was no fault of theirs that the Jewish faith continued to exist outside it.
The question of tribute to Caesar depends on the relative credibility of two contradictory statements. On the one hand a charge made in open court is implicitly admitted by the accused. Against this is a pronouncement alleged to have been made to some obscure spies after he had " perceived their craftiness." Even if this story is not an ad hoc fabrication, it is absurd to describe an assertion made in such circumstances as " teaching."
The career of Jesus presents two other formidable objections to accepting him as an inspired teacher. The earlier events show the typical characteristics of a political conspiracy : the exhortations to secrecy, the speaking in parables which the uninitiated could not understand, the hiding in the mountains, the indignation of many listeners, the expulsion or flight from cities he could not enter openly, the despatch of emissaries in the guise of itinerant beggars, secret gatherings in the desert. Why all this mystery about teaching people to lead a better life ?
The course of events at Jerusalem is a second stumbling- block. At one moment Jesus is hailed with enthusiasm by the populace rejoicing in " the kingdom of our father David."
A few days later he is a fugitive and " numbered among the transgressors " with a price on his head. What had hap- pened ? Mark accidentally lets slip a remark about an insur- rection or riot in which lives were lost, but the later writers omit this indiscretion. Then there are references to the breaking up of families, " not peace but division," the order to buy swords, and the fact that the party was actually under arms when finally cornered.
All this is in the New Testament which the Rev. Charles
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