Chapter VII 

 The Lesson of History 



THE history of humanity, scientifically con- 

 sidered, is not of very ancient date. The geolo- 

 gists tell us that the remains of man which have been 

 found take one back very long periods of time ; so 

 long that the generally accepted idea of six thousand 

 years, which had been fixed by the theologians, is dis- 

 credited from the point of view of established scientific 

 data. But this is quite immaterial in so far as the 

 ethical evolution of man is concerned. The Old Testa- 

 ment is a historical account of the Jewish race, which 

 is most valuable from this point of view, and Matthew 

 Arnold deserves especial praise for his elucidation of 

 the lesson it teaches in his work " Literature and 

 Dogma." He shows that there we have the evolution 

 of the idea of God, which will remain to the everlasting 

 credit of the Jewish people. Beginning with a purely 

 anthropomorphic conception, it develops by slow steps 

 and sure until we reach the exalted thought of " the 

 Eternal — not ourselves — that maketh for righteous- 

 ness," which, as a definition of the spiritual idea of God 

 and His relationship to man, has never been surpassed. 

 This concept has been the most potent influence in the 

 history of the Jewish people and of all peoples who have 

 come under the sway of Christian ethics. The same 

 author goes on to elucidate the teaching of the New 

 Testament, and elaborates the idea of the " sweet 

 reasonableness " of Jesus, which has moulded the 

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