probably, however, chiefly as speculative views, introduced from foreign, non-Judaean

But all these are preliminary and outside questions, which only indirectly touch the

great problems of the human soul concerning sin and salvation. And here we can, in this

place, only state that the deeper and stronger our conviction that the language,

surroundings, and whole atmosphere of the New Testament were those of Palestine at

the time when our Lord trod its soil, the more startling appears the contrast between the

doctrinal teaching of Christ and His apostles and that of the Rabbis. In general, it may

be said that the New Testament teaching concerning original sin and its consequences

finds no analogy in the Rabbinical writings of that period. As to the mode of salvation,

their doctrine may be broadly summed up under the designation of work-righteousness.

In view of this there is, strictly speaking, logical inconsistency in the earnestness with

which the Rabbis insist on universal and immediate repentance, and the need of

confession of sin, and of preparation for another world. For, a paradise which might be

entered by all on their own merits, and which yet is to be sought by all through

repentance and similar means, or else can only be obtained after passing through a kind

of purgatory, constitutes no mean moral charge against the religion of Rabbinism. Yet

such inconsistencies may be hailed as bringing the synagogue, in another direction,

nearer to biblical truth. Indeed, we come occasionally upon much that also appears, only

in quite another setting, in the New Testament. Thus the teaching of our Lord about the

immortality of the righteous was, of course, quite consonant with that of the Pharisees.

In fact, their contention also was, that the departed saints were in Scripture called

"living" (Ber. 18 a). Similarly, it was their doctrine (Ber. 17 a, and in several other

passages)--though not quite consistently held --as it was that of our Lord (Matt 22:30),

that "in the world to come there is neither eating nor drinking, neither fruitfulness nor

increase, neither trade nor business, neither envy, hatred, nor strife; but the righteous

sit with their crowns on their heads, and feast themselves on the splendour of the

Shechinah, as it is written, 'They saw God, and did eat and drink'" (Exo 24:11). The

following is so similar in form and yet so different in spirit to the parable of the invited

guests and him without the wedding garment (Matt 22:1-14), that we give it in full. "R.

Jochanan, son of Saccai, propounded a parable. A certain king prepared a banquet, to

which he invited his servants, without however having fixed the time for it. Those

among them who were wise adorned themselves, and sat down at the door of the king's

palace, reasoning thus: Can there be anything awanting in the palace of a king? But

those of them who were foolish went away to their work, saying: Is there ever a feast

without labour? Suddenly the king called his servants to the banquet. The wise

appeared adorned, but the foolish squalid. Then the king rejoiced over the wise, but was

very wroth with the foolish, and said: Those who have adorned themselves shall sit

down, eat, drink, and be merry; but those who have not adorned themselves shall stand

by and see it, as it is written in Isaiah 65:13." A somewhat similar parable, but even more

Jewish in its dogmatic cast, is the following: "The matter (of the world to come) is like an

earthly king who committed to his servants the royal robes. They who were wise folded

and laid them up in the wardrobes, but they who were careless put them on, and did in

them their work. After some days the king asked back his robes. Those who were wise

restored them as they were, that is, still clean; those who were foolish also restored them

as they were, that is, soiled. Then the king rejoiced over the wise, but was very wroth

with the careless servants, and he said to the wise: Lay up the robes in the treasury, and

go home in peace. But to the careless he commanded the robes to be given, that they

might wash them, and that they themselves should be cast into prison, as it is written of

the bodies of the just in Isaiah 57:2; 1 Samuel 25:29, but of the bodies of the unjust in

Isaiah 48:22, 57:21 and in 1 Samuel 25:29." From the same tractate (Shab. 152 a), we may,

in conclusion, quote the following: "R. Eliezer said, Repent on the day before thou diest.

His disciples asked him: Can a man know the hour of his death? He replied: Therefore let

him repent to-day, lest haply he die on the morrow."