THE PROBLEM OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST 243 



satisfy others by simply answering, He was not 

 a man, and laws usually applicable to humanity 

 have no relation to Him. He was God. Argu- 

 ment, of course, is of no avail with those who 

 have no difficulties to be removed; but for most 

 of the world such a reply is without value. 



Still another class, of which Ernest Renan is 

 perhaps the most plausible representative, at- 

 tempt to explain the unique personality of Jesus 

 by the environment in which He was placed. His 

 ethical teaching, it is said, was His legacy from 

 the prophets ; with the very air He inhaled lofty 

 spiritual ideals ; He was the consummate flower 

 of Judaism, growing in what was practically the 

 centre of the world and of the ages. The vari- 

 ous influences of intellectual and spiritual atmos- 

 phere, the shining hopes of a people long trained 

 to think divine thoughts, left their impress upon 

 His sensitive spirit, and account for all that was 

 peculiar in His teaching and in Himself, except 

 that impalpable something which we call genius. 

 But this explanation leaves out of account all 

 that was most characteristic of Jesus. 



None of these answers are sufficient. To say 

 that He was only a supreme spiritual genius is 

 to ignore the simplest facts of His life ; while to 

 be content to say that He was singularly sensitive 



