Israel and Humanity - Messianic Hopes and modern criticism

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IV.

Messianic Hopes and modern criticism.

The presence of the doctrine of progress in Judaism is also undeniable that if critical independent thinkers do not belong to any church are quick to recognize it. "The whole life of the Jewish people," said one of them is an aspiration, preparation, and without attributing to Persia to Judea and thoughtful design of progress, can we not say that they have approached and made possible the advent in the world with their indestructible faith in a better future [1] "?

A distinguished author that we have already quoted several times, Mr. Lawrence, says that faith in progress was lacking in antiquity: "The philosophers, even those that dealt with the Utopians, the poets, the prophets of the future could not imagine a better world where violence gave way to the right, where fraternity reigned instead of separating hostile nations, they had no faith in the perfectibility that inspires us and comforts us. They believed that the major historical events were made without purpose, without morality, that men were still running in the same circle, the same evils still waiting. An ancient doctrine applies this idea to the entire creation distressing. The design of the great year is the negation of progress and perfectibility. After a number of years everything had to recommence the same existence [2] ". It is easy to establish that the Hebrew conception is precisely the antithesis of these pagan ideas. All the voices of Judaism agree to predict the future perfection that the philosophers of paganism could not imagine. In addition, the dogma of Divine Providence, which for Israel is the pivot of history, is the opposite of the principle of a pagan story with no morals. The great year Heidenweg well apparent resemblance with those periods cosmogonic that Kabbalah calls schemitot , septenaries or yobelim , anniversaries and whose idea, we believe, is found in the Bible itself, but there is between the two concepts that vital difference that cycles [3] pagans do as it is a repetition of the same things, while the Hebrew cycles are returns, but in conditions still best, and that therefore they affirmed the idea of development and progress.

The writer we have quoted the testimony regarding the pessimism of the ancient pagan has grasped this difference and he formally recognized the principle of progress among the Jews in the messianic expectations, while distinguishing them in these two elements: one that looks to the future religious and moral which is a product fundamentally Hebrew, and one which concerns the material transformations, the progress of our world and who, he said, would be borrowed from Zoroastrianism. Just remember all the promises of the Mosaic material, which, to the Messianic era, take such great proportions, to persuade the religious and moral regeneration of man could not be separated from the regeneration of the planet itself even in the design of messianism. The hope of material happiness, in its original form and in the posterior belief of millenarianism, seems to be primarily Jewish origin, as well as that of the moral perfection of humanity. And that is what Mr. Lawrence guess when he adds this important admission: "There is in opposition of the Jews against Jesus Christ and their belief in another Messiah a keen sense of the real needs of humanity , needs that must find satisfaction in this world. The messianic era is purely Christian mysticism, Christianity has never thought to make this land of brotherhood, equality, peace it promises to believers. All these hopes are for the Sky! The protest against the Jewish mysticism was like a call to the future. The appeal was heard. Christian dogmas are beginning to penetrate civil society, but somehow in spite of Christianity, despite the Church at least that is the body. He took to it influences and elements that are hostile to the religion of Christianity. This is proof that Jews were in certain respects reason not to agree with the Gospel. They remained faithful, even in this struggle, for their prophetic mission "[4] Listen now tells us that brings Hartmann, too, his testimony to the Jewish idea of progress: "The believers [5] pantheistic religions of India and sank annihilated in the darkness for a quietism which history did not exist. Judaico Christian theism instead redeemed its other defects by the intelligence of the historical evolution of things. By subjecting the world to the sovereign action of a providential wisdom, he associated the development of nature historical progress of mankind from a predetermined plan to an end last supremely wise. Belief increasingly clear that European nations have taken the evolution intelligible history has provided the strength to devote to the cause of progress "[6]. These beautiful words are also an indirect lesson at this school who believes antipathetic to Jewish monotheism Aryan genius. We responded to this objection by showing how Judaism, Orthodox theology, is able to satisfy the various religious trends. We would simply like to add here, relying on the confession not suspect, certainly Hartmann, how it would be unfortunate if the alleged Aryan arrivât tend to remove any distinction between the finite and the infinite. With any religion would disappear along with the possibility of progress. There is indeed progress as possible on one condition: that is beside the point that progresses, there is a goal towards which he tends, he contemplates an ideal, a perfection that drives him, attracts and regulates its march forward. If the ideal does not exist outside of the saint himself, in addition it would be absurd to suppose the simultaneous coexistence of perfection and imperfection in the same subject, the movement that made progress becomes impossible. The necessary between the present and the future state a distance, otherwise there would be no delivery or development conceivable. Unity, Perfection ideal can not be absolutely identical with what is in itself diverse and perfectible, that is to say that although the multiple is created in connection with the Divine Unity, he not however be confused with it, because if this were so, we repeat, progress would only be a meaningless word.

Maybe will believe we escape this difficulty in distinguishing the single subject in the universe, the act and power. Vain illusion! The power is nothing if not an ideal, a [7] Law, what do I say? a force that acts and struggle continuously to replace the present state that it must succeed. And we should not look at this antagonism passenger conflicts raised passions in human consciousness and that made the poet say, I feel two men in me! because they involve internal struggles outside the topic of foreign causes. But when he is not the individual but of the universe, of being beyond which there is nothing that can explain the cause of antagonism, we must admit that without distinction fundamental difference between the Perfect and be improved, no movement is possible.

The pantheistic unity whatsoever, can not change point; doomed to indefinite immobility, she knows in the future or regeneration, or messianism, and therefore can not ever be inspiring progress.


References

  1. TILE, Revue des Deux Mondes , 1875, p. 570
  2. Loc. cit. Volume I, 75.
  3. Page 331
  4. Loc. cit. Volume, p. 420.
  5. Page 332
  6. Philosophy of the Unconscious , Volume II, p. 241.
  7. Page 333