1938-11-11 — Page 13

THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 11, 1938;ty

HALL CAINE'S LIFE OF CHRIST': BELIEF IN VIRGIN BIRTH REJECTED

More than 45 years ago the late, er that ever existed on the earth.” Sir Hall Caine, who died in 1981, He adds; "He is still the purest and conceived the idea of writing in most sublime expression of the soul narrative form a Life of Christ. of God as it has moved with many Intermittently the work occupied falterings in the hearts of men the rest of his life, and when he throughout all ages, and of God's died he left behind him more than wish and will for the eternal wel- three million words of text and fare of His children.". notes, all in his own minute and dif- PERPLEXITIES OF GOSPELS ficult handwriting.

Despite 'continuous study of the subject, five visits to Palestine, the searching of museums and libraries, Sir. Hall Caine never reached the stage when he felt that his labours were complete. Accordingly, he would not permit of the publication of his "Life of Christ" while he was alive.

His two sons, who now present the complete work to the public (Collins, 10s 6d), state that it is im the form which their father ori- ginally intended it. Seven years of study and collation have been spent on its preparation for the press.

Though written from an avowed- ly Christian standpoint, this "Life" is severely critical of the Gospel and Christian tradition. Sir Hall Caine rejects belief in the Virgin Birth of our Lord, His bodily Re- surrection and some, though not all, miracles.

1.

The Gospel narratives on which our knowledge of the life of Christ depends caused Sir Hall Caine many perplexities, into which he enters with abundant detail and argument.

"Having read the four, Gospels very carefully," he writes, "not less than 100 times, and having copied them out with my own hand at least four or five times, and hav- ing read many scores of commen- taries upon them by writers in many countries and many he came to the following, among other, conclusions:

1.

2t.

3.

a8

"PROPHET TAUGHT BY GOD"

The principle of his book is, he says in a foreword, "to tell, simply as I can, and in the order I think best, the true story, as far as my knowledge goes, of the life of a Jewish working man, who lived in Palestine, under the rule of the Roman Empire. early 2,000 years -ago."

ages,

"

They were not, as they have come down to us, written un- der the inspiration of God.. At every point, on nearly every page, they betray the hand of mam, very fallible man, liable to errors and making very palpable. mis- takes as to time geography, customs, motive and pro- phecy.

Never in the world of letters have there been books which could be more properly de- scribed as man-made books. An instance of the author's cri tical point of view is afforded by his consideration of the accounts of the Resurrection, in which, he lists to rise to the highest pitch says, one would expect the evange-

He sums up the life and teaching of Jesus Christ in the following of emotion, the greatest tensity.

sentences:

"He was born p

"Yet how do they describe it? Is poor, lived poor, and died penniless. Like all great

there any good reason why I should not say what I deeply and men he loved humanity with a

most deep love: Especially, he loved the

painfully feel that they describle it poor, the weak, the oppressed and

in a series of passages so remote the sinful and he passed the few tory, so confused, so pitifully puerile from reality, so crude so contradic- years of his life among them with a that it is difficult or impossible to tenderness of sympathy for their sufferings which it is often difficult accept the story as it has come down to think of without tears.

to us?"

a

While he denies the bodily Re- "He became a man of great wis- dom, perhaps of great learning, not deny that Jesus appeared to the surrection of Jesus, the author does certainly of great genius. As far as we can see; he was a

disciples after prophet

His death, "and taught by God, yet he preached no

thereby revived their fallen faith." doctrine that was new to the world; the multitude be interprets as

The miracle of the feeding of he promulgated no new creed; he "far greater and founded no new faith; he establish-miracle (than multiplication of pre- more spiritual ed no new Church; he make no re- ligious organisation; he authorised

pared food) of so filling vast no sacraments or sacred writings, spiritual rapture that the

numbers of persons with he recognised no mysteries; and he their animal nature were utterly alls of ordered no rites or ceremonies. On the contrary he potested from first to last against most or all of these:" *While not admitting the Godhead of Jesus, Sir Hall Caine, describes Him as the highest spiritual pow

"NIKS

forgotten."

The book carries, the story into ends with the last years of St. Pe the early years of the Church and ter. Throughout it is manifestly the work of a sincere but greatly perplexed student of the Bible. De- structive as it is in many of its aspects, it is none the less devout. It contains 1,270 pages.

J

Mr. Leslie Ross LR.I.B.A. well- known local Architect, is returning to Hong Kong, with Mrs. Ross, in the "Glenapp" on Nov. 28rd: Mr. Rosa was the victim of a motor accident: in London in 1986, but he has now. entirely recovered and intends to resume Practice, on arrival in the Colony,

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