the unseen world and other essays-第11章

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heses　by　which　to　account　for　the　supply　of　solar　radiance。　One　of　the　most　ingenious　and　probable　of　these　hypotheses　is　that　of　Helmholtz；　according　to　which　the　solar　radiance　is　due　to　the　arrested　motion　of　the　sun's　constituent　particles　toward　their　common　centre　of　gravity。　But　this　is　too　fanciful　to　satisfy　M。　Figuier。　The　speculations　of　Helmholtz　〃have　the　disadvantage　of　resting　on　the　idea　of　the　sun's　nebulosity；an　hypothesis　which　would　need　to　be　more　closely　examined　before　serving　as　a　basis　for　so　important　a　deduction。〃　Accordingly；　M。　Figuier　propounds　an　explanation　which　possesses　the　signal　advantage　that　there　is　nothing　hypothetical　in　it。　〃In　our　opinion；　the　solar　radiation　is　sustained　by　the　continual　influx　of　souls　into　the　sun。〃　This；　as　the　reader　will　perceive；　is　the　well…known　theory　of　Mayer；　that　the　solar　heat　is　due　to　a　perennial　bombardment　of　the　sun　by　meteors；　save　that；　in　place　of　gross　materialistic　meteors；　M。　Figuier　puts　ethereal　souls。　The　ether…folk　are　daily　raining　into　the　solar　orb　in　untold　millions；　and　to　the　unceasing　concussion　is　due　the　radiation　which　maintains　life　in　the　planets；　and　thus　the　circle　is　complete。

In　spite　of　their　exalted　position；　the　ether…folk　do　not　disdain　to　mingle　with　the　affairs　of　terrestrial　mortals。　They　give　us　counsel　in　dreams；　and　it　is　from　this　source；　we　presume；　that　our　author　has　derived　his　rigid　notions　as　to　scientific　method。　In　evidence　of　this　dream…theory　we　have　the　usual　array　of　cases；　〃a　celebrated　journalist；　M。　R；〃　〃M。　L；　a　lawyer；〃　etc。；　etc。；　as　in　most　books　of　this　kind。

M。　Figuier　is　not　a　Darwinian：　the　derivation　of　our　bodies　from　the　bodies　of　apes　is　a　conception　too　grossly　materialistic　for　him。　Our　souls；　however；　he　is　quite　willing　to　derive　from　the　souls　of　lower　animals。　Obviously　we　have　pre…existed；　how　are　we　to　account　for　Mozart's　precocity　save　by　supposing　his　pre…existence？　He　brought　with　him　the　musical　skill　acquired　in　a　previous　life。　In　general；　the　souls　of　musical　children　come　from　nightingales；　while　the　souls　of　great　architects　have　passed　into　them　from　beavers　（p。　247）。　We　do　not　remember　these　past　existences；　it　is　true；　but　when　we　become　ether…folk；　we　shall　be　able　to　look　back　in　recollection　over　the　whole　series。

Amid　these　sublime　inquiries；　M。　Figuier　is　sometimes　notably　oblivious　of　humbler　truths；　as　might　indeed　be　expected。　Thus　he　repeatedly　alludes　to　Locke　as　the　author　of　the　doctrine　of　innate　ideas　（！！）；＇14＇　and　he　informs　us　that　Kepler　never　quitted　Protestant　England　（p。　336）；　though　we　believe　that　the　nearest　Kepler　ever　came　to　living　in　England　was　the　refusing　of　Sir　Henry　Wotton's　request　that　he　should　move　thither。

＇14＇　Pages　251；　252；　287。　So　in　the　twenty…first　century　some　avatar　of　M。　Figuier　will　perhaps　describe　the　late　professor　Agassiz　as　the　author　of　the　Darwinian　theory。


And　lastly；　we　are　treated　to　a　real　dialogue；　with　quite　a　dramatic　mise　en　scene。　The　author's　imaginary　friend；　Theophilus；　enters；　〃seats　himself　in　a　comfortable　chair；　places　an　ottoman　under　his　feet；　a　book　under　his　elbow　to　support　it；　and　a　cigarette　of　Turkish　tobacco　between　his　lips；　and　sets　himself　to　the　task　of　listening　with　a　grave　air　of　collectedness；　relieved　by　a　certain　touch　of　suspicious　severity；　as　becomes　the　arbiter　in　a　literary　and　philosophic　matter。〃　〃And　so；〃　begins　our　author；　〃you　wish　to　know；　my　dear　Theophilus；　WHERE　I　LOCATE　GOD？　I　locate　him　in　the　centre　of　the　universe；　or；　in　better　phrase；　at　the　central　focus；　which　must　exist　somewhere；　of　all　the　stars　that　make　the　universe；　and　which；　borne　onward　in　a　common　movement；　gravitate　together　around　this　focus。〃

Much　more；　of　an　equally　scientific　character；　follows；　but　in　fairness　to　the　reader；　who　is　already　blaming　us　for　wasting　the　precious　moments　over　such　sorry　trash；　we　may　as　well　conclude　our　sketch　of　this　new　line　of　speculation。

　　　　　May；　1872。



III。　THE　JESUS　OF　HISTORY。＇15＇

＇15＇　The　Jesus　of　History。　Anonymous。　8vo。　pp。　426。　London：　Williams　&　Norgate；　1869。

Vie　de　Jesus；　par　Ernest　Renan。　Paris；　1867。　（Thirteenth　edition；　revised　and　partly　rewritten。）

In　republishing　this　and　the　following　article　on　〃The　Christ　of　Dogma；〃　I　am　aware　that　they　do　but　scanty　justice　to　their　very　interesting　subjects。　So　much　ground　is　covered　that　it　would　be　impossible　to　treat　it　satisfactorily　in　a　pair　of　review…articles；　and　in　particular　the　views　adopted　with　regard　to　the　New　Testament　literature　are　rather　indicated　than　justified。　These　defects　I　hope　to　remedy　in　a　future　work　on　〃Jesus　of　Nazareth；　and　the　Founding　of　Christianity；〃　for　which　the　present　articles　must　be　regarded　as　furnishing　only　a　few　introductory　hints。　This　work　has　been　for　several　years　on　my　mind；　but　as　it　may　still　be　long　before　I　can　find　the　leisure　needful　for　writing　it　out；　it　seemed　best　to　republish　these　preliminary　sketches　which　have　been　some　time　out　of　print。　The　projected　work；　however；　while　covering　all　the　points　here　treated；　will　have　a　much　wider　scope；　dealing　on　the　one　hand　with　the　natural　genesis　of　the　complex　aggregate　of　beliefs　and　aspirations　known　as　Christianity；　and　on　the　other　hand　with　the　metamorphoses　which　are　being　wrought　in　this　aggregate　by　modern　knowledge　and　modern　theories　of　the　world。

The　views　adopted　in　the　present　essay　as　to　the　date　of　the　Synoptic　Gospels　may　seem　over…conservative　to　those　who　accept　the　ably…argued　conclusions　of　〃Supernatural　Religion。〃　Quite　possibly　in　a　more　detailed　discussion　these　briefly…indicated　data　may　require　revision；　but　for　the　present　it　seems　best　to　let　the　article　stand　as　it　was　written。　The　author　of　〃Supernatural　Religion〃　would　no　doubt　admit　that；　even　if　the　synoptic　gospels　had　not　assumed　their　present　form　before　the　end　of　the　second　century；　nevertheless　the　body　of　tradition　contained　in　them　had　been　committed　to　writing　very　early　in　that　century。　So　much　appears　to　be　proved　by　the　very　variations　of　text　upon　which　his　argument　relies。　And　if　this　be　granted；　the　value　of　the　synoptics　as　HISTORICAL　evidence　is　not　materially　altered。　With　their　value　as　testimony　to　so…called　SUPERNATURAL　events；　the　present　essay　is　in　no　way　concerned。


Of　all　the　great　founders　of　religions；　Jesus　is　at　once　the　best　known　and　the　least　known　to　the　modern　scholar。　From　the　dogmatic　point　of　view　he　is　the　best　known；　from　the　historic　point　of　view　he　is　the　least　known。　The　Christ　of　dogma　is　in　every　lineament　familiar　to　us　from　early　childhood；　but　concerning　the　Jesus　of　history　we　possess　but　few　facts　resting　upon　trustworthy　evidence；　and　in　order　to　form　a　picture　of　him　at　once　consistent；　probable；　and　distinct　in　its　outlines；　it　is　necessary　to　enter　upon　a　long　and　difficult　investigation；　in　the　course　of　which　some　of　the　most　delicate　apparatus　of　modern　criticism　is　required。　This　circumstance　is　sufficiently　singular　to　require　especial　explanation。　The　case　of　Sakyamuni；　the　founder　of　Buddhism；　which　may　perhaps　be　cited　as　parallel；　is　in　reality　wholly　different。　Not　only　did　Sakyamuni　live　five　centuries　earlier　than　Jesus；　among　a　people　that　have　at　no　time　possessed　the　art　of　insuring　authenticity　in　their　records　of　events；　and　at　an　era　which　is　at　best　but　dimly　discerned　through　the　mists　of　fable　and　legend；　but　the　work　which　he　achieved　lies　wholly　out　of　the　course　of　European　history；　and　it　is　only　in　recent　times　that　his　career　has　presented　itself　to　us　as　a　problem　needing　to　be　solved。　Jesus；　on　the　other　hand；　appeared　in　an　age　which　is　familiarly　and　in　many　respects　minutely　known　to　us；　and　among　a　people　whose　fortunes　we　can　trace　with　historic　certainty　for　at　least　seven　centuries　previous　to　his　birth；　while　his　life　and　achievements　have　probably　had　a　larger　share　in　directing　the　entire　subsequent　intellectual　and　moral　development　of　Europe　than　those　of　any　other　man　who　has　ever　lived。　Nevertheless；　the　details　of　his　personal　career　are　shrouded　in　an　obscurity　almost　as　dense　as　that　which　envelops　the　life　of　the　remote　founder　of　Buddhism。

This　phenomenon；　however；　appears　less　strange　and　paradoxical　when　we　come　to　examine　it　more　closely。　A　little　reflection　will　disclose　to　us　several　good　reasons　why　the　historical　records　of　the　life　of　Jesus　should　be　so　scanty　as　they　are。　In　the　first　place；　the　activity　of　Jesus　was　private　rather　than　public。　Confined　within　exceedingly　narrow　limits；　both　of　space　and　of　duration；　it　made　no　impression　whatever　upon　the　politics　or　the　literature　of　the　time。　His　name　does　not　occur　in　the　pages　of　any　contemporary　writer；　Roman；　Greek；　or　Jewish。　Doubtless　the　case　would　have　been　wholly　different；　had　he；　like　Mohammed；　lived　to　a　ripe　age；　and　had　the　exigencies　of　his　peculiar　position　as　the　Messiah　of　the　Jewish　people　brought　him　into　relations　with　the　Empire；　though　whether；　in　such　case；　the　success　of　his　grand　undertaking　would　have　been　as　complete　as　it　has　actually　been；　may　well　be　doubted。

Secondly；　Jesus　did　not；　like　Mohammed　and　Paul；　leave　behind　him　authentic　writings　which　might　serve　to　throw　light　upon　his　mental　development　as　well　as　upon　the　external　facts　of　his　career。　Without　the　Koran　and　the　four　genuine　Epistles　of　Paul；　we　should　be　nearly　as　much　in　the　dark　concerning　these　great　men　as　we　now　are　concerning　the　historical　Jesus。　We　should　be　compelled　to　rely；　in　the　one　case；　upon　the　untrustworthy　gossip　of　Mussulman　chroniclers；　and　in　the　other　case　upon　the　garbled　statements　of　the　〃Acts　of　the　Apostles；〃　a　book　written　with　a　distinct　dogmatic　purpose；　sixty　or　seventy　years　after　the　occurrence　of　the　events　which　it　professes　to　record。

It　is　true；　many　of　the　words　of　Jesus；　preserved　by　hearsay　tradition　through　the　generation　immediately　succeeding　his　death；　have　come　down　to　us；　probably　with　little　alteration；　in　the　pages　of　the　three　earlier　evangelists。　These　are　priceless　data；　since；　as　we　shall　see；　they　are　almost　the　only　materials　at　our　command　for　forming　even　a　partial　conception　of　the　character　of　Jesus'　work。　Nevertheless；　even　here　the　cautious　inquirer　has　only　too　often　to　pause　in　face　of　the　difficulty　of　distinguishing　the　authentic　utterances　of　the　great　teacher　from　the　later　interpolations　suggested　by　the　dogmatic　necessities　of　the　narrators。　Bitterly　must　the　historian　regret　that　Jesus　had　no　philosophic　disciple；　like　Xenophon；　to　record　his　Memorabilia。　Of　the　various　writings　included　in　the　New　Testament；　the　Apocalypse　alone　（and　possibly　the　Epistle　of　Jude）　is　from　the　pen　of　a　personal　acquaintance　of　Jesus；　and　besides　this；　the　four　epistles　of　Paul；　to　the　Galatians；　Corinthians；　and　Romans；　make　up　the　sum　of　the　writings　from　which　we　may　expect　contemporary　testimony。　Yet　from　these　we　obtain　absolutely　nothing　of　that　for　which　we　are　seeking。　The　brief　writings　of　Paul　are　occupied　exclusively　with　the　internal　significance　of　Jesus'　work。　The　epistle　of　Judeif　it　be　really　written　by　Jesus'　brother　of　that　name；　which　is　doubtfulis　solely　a　polemic　directed　against　the　innovations　of　Paul。　And　the　Apocalypse；　the　work　of　the　fiery　and　ima