INTRODUCTION.

The culminating point in the religious history of humanity was reached when Jesus, the son of Joseph, appeared on earth. Our great Exemplar and Teacher, however, did not leave his doctrine to the world in a comprehensive and absolutely authentic form, dictated by himself and bearing the stamp of his authority. Or, if he did, that record has been lost over the centuries original: "perished in the lapse of ages". His views and his precepts must be gathered from imperfect narratives put together long after the events they describe original: "recite" had occurred. These were written by men who often clearly gave their own interpretation original: "colouring" to the matters recorded, and who at times seem not to have understood their Teacher well.

Christ, in fact, shared original: "scattered" his sayings among curious or careless crowds. His precepts often fell upon ears that did not understand their meaning. This led to early disagreements original: "dissidence" regarding the world's estimate of the entire scope of Christian doctrine, and to the differences in specific ideas that began to take hold original: "obtain" soon after Christ’s death. This assures us that his simple moral doctrine quickly faded original: "waned" from its original original: "pristine" brightness and became mixed and corrupted by the rituals and notions of the pagan systems with which it inevitably came into such close contact.

Many of these ideas and rituals actually belonged to the Jews, just as they did to all the civilized original: "policied" nations of antiquity; they were therefore familiar to the early Christians as the children of Hebrew parents. One of the most widely spread of all the religious ideas of antiquity was that of winning God's favor original: "propitiation" through sacrifice. An animal—or, tragically, sometimes even a human being—was slaughtered upon the altar of the deity being addressed. In its death, the victim was believed to appease original: "propitiate" the God original: "Deity" and to atone for original: "expiate" the sins of the people.

Christianity should have escaped this barbarous idea, and it was undoubtedly free from it at first, though this certainly did not last for long. The savior original: "deliverer" whom the Jews had anticipated during their misfortunes was, beyond all question, a political original: "temporal" leader or ruler. Jerusalem was to become the center of a world empire, and all the nations of the earth were to bow down there before Jehovah and serve the chosen people, led by—