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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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imposition on <strong>the</strong> readers; or, secondly, a<br />

rationalistic explanation may be sought <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m,<br />

showing how what originally had been quite<br />

simple <strong>and</strong> natural was misunderstood by<br />

ignorance, or perverted by superstition; or, thirdly,<br />

<strong>the</strong>y may be represented as <strong>the</strong> outcome <strong>of</strong> ideas<br />

<strong>and</strong> expectations at <strong>the</strong> time, which ga<strong>the</strong>red<br />

around <strong>the</strong> beloved Teacher <strong>of</strong> Nazareth, <strong>and</strong>, so to<br />

speak, found body in legends that clustered around<br />

<strong>the</strong> Person <strong>and</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> Him Who was regarded as<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>Messiah</strong>. . . . And this is supposed to account<br />

for <strong>the</strong> preaching <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Apostles, for <strong>the</strong>ir lifewitness,<br />

for <strong>the</strong>ir martyr-death, for <strong>the</strong> Church, for<br />

<strong>the</strong> course which history has taken, as well as for<br />

<strong>the</strong> dearest hopes <strong>and</strong> experiences <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Christian<br />

life!<br />

Of <strong>the</strong> three modes <strong>of</strong> criticism just indicated,<br />

importance attaches only to <strong>the</strong> third, which has<br />

been broadly designated as <strong>the</strong> mythical <strong>the</strong>ory.<br />

<strong>The</strong> fraud-<strong>the</strong>ory seems—as even Strauss admits<br />

—psychologically so incompatible with admitted<br />

^im^ as regards <strong>the</strong>

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