A change in the attitude of what is termed the “closed mind” of Jews toward Christianity and its founder is the subject of the new book, “The Jew and Christianity” by Dr Herbert Danby, D.D. Residentiary Canon of St. George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem, published by the Maemillan Company.
While the book is written from a devout Christian point of view, Dr. Danby takes an impartial attitude in his review of Christian Jewish relations during the past 1900 years. In reviewing the volume of articulate Jewish opinion concerning Christiantry and its founder, Dr. Danby places the responsibility for the Jewish attitnde on the anti-Jewish persecutions by Christians.
“If one may be allowed to give the moral of the story before the story itself,” Dr. Danby writes, “it is this: relatively, the judgment of Judaism is just: the Jewish attinde to Christianity, veering as it does from the one extreme point of utter loathing and detestation. through phases of more or less cold neutrality and defensive hostility, to a phase approaching appreciation of certain Christians and of reverence for Jesus their Master–this Jewish auitude has varied with almost mathematical certainty according to the precise degree in which Christians have shown themselves real followers, in spirit and deed, of their Saviour.
“The more Christians have conformed to the spirit of Christ, the more has Jewish respert been drawn to Christianity and to Christ. The farther Christians have drawn back from following after Jesus in spirit and in truth, so have Christians brought into discredit Christianity and Christ himself.
“It is the veriest truism: those outside the Christian fold judge Christianity and our Lord Himself, not primarily from the Gospel records, not primarily from the official teaching of the Church: but, first and foremost, from the living witness of Christians — average professing Christians.”
Dr. Danby establishes in his book, through a Christian review of Jewish sources that at all times even in the time of bitter persecutions, the sttitude of the Jewish mind toward Christianity was that of neutral tolerunce and often of appreciation. Reviewing Jewish opinion in modern times on the subject, Dr. Danby observes a considerable change of what be teams the “closed mind.” The impewaaiona of this change he sees in (1) the colitionl euitmral and economic change in the situation of the Jewish population at the beginning of the nineteenth century: (2) the acquisition by Jews in Western Europe of political rights and (3) in the Reform Jewish movement. The articulate Jewish opinion of various s##des on the question of Christiantry were expressed by six prominent Jews. Joseph Salvador, a French Jew in his book on the subject published in 1838. by Ahraham Geiger, one of the leaders of the Reform movement in Germany; Heinrich Graetz-author of the History of Jews. Joseph Jacobs. Clacde Montefiore and Achnd Halam.
Dr. Danby, who translated Dr. Joseph Klausner’s “Jesus of Nerare## into English, also devotes much apace to the Wise controversy of last year and to the reperoussions of this incident in American Jewish life. The another quotes the “Jewish Daily Bullettin” on the subject and several other American Jewish publications.
BREVITY
The Hospital for Joint Diseases gave a total of 59.272 days’ care during the year an a cost to the institution of $5.42 a patient for each day, the twentieth annual report of the Hospital made public yesterday, st?tes.
The everage income from hospital operations for such partient per day was $4, 22.
Expenditures for the year amounted to $636,23## Of this sum. $292,164.73 came from private and semi-private borted by the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies.
The hospital dispensary, the report shows treated ## new patients during the year and subsequently made $3.662 visits.
The statement issued by the hospital includes the first report of the Hospital for Joint Diseases Country Home at Breecy Point, Far ## vay the ## of Alfred H. Heinshelmer-Fifty patients 25 #####################################################################Where writing to Advertister, please mention the Bulletin.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
