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The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Vol 1 - Predestination

The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Vol 1 - Predestination

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equired opportunity, both for carrying fur<strong>the</strong>r truth<br />

to her mind, by proving to her that He Who spake<br />

to her was a Prophet, <strong>and</strong> at <strong>the</strong> same time for<br />

reaching her heart.<br />

But whe<strong>the</strong>r or not this view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> history be<br />

taken, it is difficult to underst<strong>and</strong>, how any sober<br />

interpreter could see in <strong>the</strong> five husb<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

woman ei<strong>the</strong>r a symbolical, or a mythical,<br />

reference to <strong>the</strong> five deities whom <strong>the</strong> ancestors <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Samaritans worshipped,* ^i?*"^. <strong>the</strong> spurious<br />

service <strong>of</strong> Jehovah representing <strong>the</strong> husb<strong>and</strong>, yet<br />

no husb<strong>and</strong>, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> woman. It is not worth while<br />

discussing this strange suggestion from any o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

than <strong>the</strong> mythical st<strong>and</strong>point. Those who regard <strong>the</strong><br />

incidents <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gospel-narratives as myths, having<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir origin in Jewish ideas, are put to even greater<br />

straits by <strong>the</strong> whole <strong>of</strong> this narrative than <strong>the</strong>y who<br />

regard this Gospel as <strong>of</strong> Ephesian authorship. We<br />

may put aside <strong>the</strong> general objections raised by<br />

Strauss, since none <strong>of</strong> his successors has ventured<br />

seriously to ui^e <strong>the</strong>m. It is more important to<br />

notice, how signally <strong>the</strong> author <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mythical

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