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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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as that <strong>the</strong> salvation <strong>of</strong> Israel depended on ' ■ ' <strong>the</strong><br />

merits <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> patriarchs, or on that <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m,<br />

cannot help • Buih.N« OS to a solution ; <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

long discussion in <strong>the</strong> Talmud* leaves no V doubt,<br />

that <strong>the</strong> final <strong>and</strong> most sober opinion was, that <strong>the</strong><br />

time <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Messiah</strong>'s coming depended not on repentance, nor<br />

any o<strong>the</strong>r condition, but on <strong>the</strong> mercy <strong>of</strong> Grod,<br />

when <strong>the</strong> time fixed had arrived. But even so, we<br />

are again thrown into doubt by <strong>the</strong> statement, that it<br />

might be ei<strong>the</strong>r hastened or retarded by Israel's<br />

bearing!»<br />

In <strong>the</strong>se circumstances, any attempt at determining<br />

<strong>the</strong> date <strong>of</strong> <strong>Messiah</strong>'s coming would be even more<br />

hypo<strong>the</strong>tical than such calculations generally are.'<br />

Guesses on <strong>the</strong> subject could only be grounded on<br />

imaginary symboliflms. Of such we have examples<br />

in <strong>the</strong> Talmud.* Thus, some fixed <strong>the</strong> date at 4000<br />

years after <strong>the</strong> Creation—curiously enough, about<br />

<strong>the</strong> era <strong>of</strong> Christ—^though Israel's sin had blotted<br />

out <strong>the</strong> whole past from <strong>the</strong> reckoning; o<strong>the</strong>rs at

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