LIFE consists of more than food and raiment. The richness and sweetness of Life is experienced only when one lives for others, especially when he seeks to be a spiritual help to his fellowman. Should one be in distress and another wish to assist him, the latter must know where the distressed one is and how to reach the place. The same principle obtains in the spiritual and intellectual realms. Should a Gentile wish to assist his Jewish neighbor, he must understand the historical background which lay behind the present generation of Israel, the present environment of the race, Jewish hopes and aspirations, his attitude towards the Gentiles, and the spiritual and intellectual spheres in which he lives and moves. Therefore I shall try, in a brief way, to locate my Jewish neighbor in order that the lover of Israel may intelligently and sympathetically lend a helping hand in this hour of his great inquiry and quest for facts relative to Jesus of Nazareth.

Israel is the nation of destiny. God chose her from among all peoples to be the channel of blessing unto the uttermost parts of the earth. This fact accounts for Satan's special hatred against her, which manifests itself in all ages in the form of persecutions.

In Egypt, according to the account of Exodus, Satan stirred up Pharaoh to persecute Israel. He knows that it is God's plan to use the Hebrew race in the carrying out of His purposes of Grace; hence he stirred up the king to give orders to have all of the male children killed at birth. But the overruling hand of God hindered the carrying out of this diabolical plan. Israel survived that first organized effort at extermination; and has continued to the present time. Today she is one of the most potential of the nations. On the other hand, Egypt gradually declined until she, according to the prophet Ezekiel, has become the "basest of the kingdoms." What is the underlying cause of this unprecedented decline of the most powerful, intellectual, highly organized, and resourceful nation of antiquity? The answer is to be found in the warning given in connection with the call of Abraham--"and him that curseth thee will I curse" Gen. 12:3. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" Isa. 54:17.

In the eighth century before the common era some of the great and powerful Assyrian Monarchs attempted to subjugate Israel and to do her harm. For instance Sennacharib, to whom God spoke "Ho, Assyrian, the rod of mine anger," and whom the Lord used in a mighty way to correct disobedient Israel, desired to extend his boundaries throughout all western Asia, and planned to subject Judah and to incorporate it into his vast empire. He overran the entire country and hurled defiance at Jerusalem, little realizing that the God of Israel is the Lord of all creation. One night the angel of death passed through his vast army and destroyed 185,000 men. After this judgment the boastful monarch retreated to his own country in chagrin. God was constantly mindful of his own chosen people.

In the latter part of the seventh and the early part of the sixth centuries the Chaldeans began to make incursions into the West Land. God permitted Nebuchadnezzar to overrun Judah, because of the latter's unfaithfulness. Finally, the leading citizens of the country were taken into Babylon as captives. Jerusalem went through perilous times in three different sieges. The nation was reduced to very dire extremities and suffered such reverses that it never fully recovered therefrom. After the 70 years of captivity, those of the exile who wished to return were permitted to do so. The Jews have survived this calamity and continue a great and most influential factor in modern life. On the other hand, Babylon sank into oblivion. The monuments of her once renowned but long-since buried glory are seen in the form of desolate bleak sand-mounds in the barren wastes of the lower Tigris-Euphrates valley.

During the first half of the second century before our era, the Greco-Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes, stirred by satanic influence, began his political intrigues to obtain domination over Judah. When he failed in his attempt, he resorted to violence, sending one expedition after another against the little struggling nation. His successors continued his policy and did the Jews no little harm. The Maccabees by their heroic faith and by their fearless exploits barely saved the day. Great and indescribable were their sufferings and humiliations. Where is the Greco-Syrian Empire today? In the grave of the forgotten past. Where is Israel whom she persecuted? Continuing to the present day as monuments of the plans and purposes of her God.

The Romans, in turn, by their merciless barbarian methods persecuted Israel at various times. Let it be said, however, to the credit of the Romans that, as a rule, they were considerate of their subjugated dependants. When, however, these weaker peoples resisted, in the least, the policy of Rome, she treated them without mercy. Thus on various occasions the Romans committed great outrages against the Jews. But where are the ancient glory and prowess of Rome? Faint gleams of them are to be seen in the spared ruins of the past. But the imperishable Jew outlives all persecution and awaits the coming of the time when, in the providence of God, he shall become the channel of world-blessing.

During medieval days Satan and his ally, the demon of jealousy, stirred up the "powers that be" and launched ruthless and merciless persecutions against the Jew. One constant stream of blood flowed from the Ghetto--those unsanitary miserable sections of European cities in which the Jew was segregated and in which he lived in fear of his life constantly. He knew not at what time some irresponsible person might excite the ignorant populace with unfounded and untrue reports which would enrage the multitude to institute another pogrom. Neither did he know at what time some shrewd and conniving politician might with his intrigues and his misrepresentations excite the ruler to enact laws which would discriminate against him and virtually rob him of his hard earned savings or make his lot more miserable and his life more intolerable. In fact on every page of mediaeval history the record of Jewish life is written in blood. The atmosphere was charged with anti-Semitism which, when it did not reach the pitch of pogroms and bloodshed, deprived him largely of his civil rights, circumscribed his social life, curtailed his business activities, deprived him of educational advantages, ostracized him from the best society, censured his literary activities, frequently robbed him of his property by the enactments of unjust and unrighteous legislation--in a word, it exercised its authority over him in body, soul, and spirit by reason of its superiority in brute force.

During the Crusades the Jews suffered the most inhumane and intolerable persecutions. In the Spanish Inquisition thousands of Jews were slaughtered in the most cruel and heartless manner, while multitudes had to flee from the country for their lives. From Portugal they were expelled in a most disgraceful manner. Those who remained had to accept the religion of the state. During those dark days the church and state were inseparably connected. The theory was that the state had to carry out the wishes of the church. The civil rulers sat in conclave with the religious leaders and were largely the willing and obedient vassals of a corrupted priesthood. Frequently, whole villages of Jews were rounded up, dipped in petroleum, and burned at the stake. These massacres not infrequently were led by churchmen who carried banners on which were written the name of Jesus. Thus these brutal diabolical scenes were enacted in the name of the church.

In some countries the condition of the Jews was worse than in others. One historian states that in Russia for eighteen hundred years they were not granted the right of citizenship, had no rights nor privileges in church or state, no rank in the army, and were allowed to trade only in second hand goods and junk. When a Jewish village under these hard and miserable conditions did begin to prosper, their goods were confiscated and the population was driven out.

These injustices have continued to the present day in certain sections of the world. Note the massacres of recent years of Jews in the central European countries. Also remember the Arab massacres of Jews in Palestine last year.

Here in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, under the stars and stripes, the emblem of liberty and justice, Anti-Semitism is found everywhere. Though it has never reached the state of pogroms, it shows its hideous monster head throughout the country. Many respectable, cultured and educated people dislike the Jew. In business life frequently when all things are equal, the Jew is discriminated against by his fellow Gentile neighbor. Even among true Christians who are thoroughly consecrated to the Lord, now and then, traces of Anti-Semitism crop out. They have unconsciously accepted the current estimate of the Jew without question, and have allowed this false idea to determine their attitude toward Israel. Furthermore, many of them have dealt in business with a certain type of Jew who took advantage of them and have come to the conclusion that all Jews are of the same character, thus judging the entire nation by a few unscrupulous individuals. Some writers and poets have poisoned the mind of the Gentiles against the Jew by presenting him as a nation of grafters who are always on the lookout to take advantage of one in every deal. Shakespeare unfortunately did Israel untold damage by characterizing the entire nation by Shylock in the Merchant of Venice as the typical Jew. Occasionally present-day writers throw out insinuations, if not clear statements, that are untrue and that do untold injury to the Jew. Again, some speakers and orators help to continue the false notions regarding Israel. Certain common expressions that are only true of a certain low class of Jews have become the current coin among Gentiles and have moulded the general estimate of the entire race. All of these factors, aided and strengthened by jealousy, constitute the mould in which the average man's conception of the Jew is formed.

For eighteen centuries the Jew has had to struggle against superior odds for his mere existence. He has been surrounded on every side by conniving unprincipled people who have sought to take advantage of him. He has developed the national characteristic of suspicion of all men and feels that each one with whom he deals is endeavoring to take advantage of him. It is not until each individual has proved by his dealings and upright character that these inbred fears and suspicions are allayed. How could it be otherwise since there has flowed from Israel's wounded side a constant stream of blood for nineteen hundred years? The honorable God-fearing Gentiles will have to live down the cumulative results of these nineteen centuries of injustice and cruelty by fair dealings, honorable consistent lives, and a genuine love and consideration for their Jewish neighbors, who are the chosen people of God yet to be used of him in blessing the entire world. (See Gen. 12:1-9.) On the other hand, the honorable God-fearing Jew will have to live down the prejudice created in the Gentile heart by the unscrupulous dealings of a certain type of Jew whose only object in life seems to be to make money.

In this connection it is well to call the Jew's attention to the fact that there is a vast distinction between the terms Gentiles and Christians. The former word denotes all peoples who are not of Jewish extraction. The latter one signifies those Gentiles who in some way acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Jewish Messiah, and Saviour of the world. A further distinction must be made to clear matters. Christianity, according to the predictions of the New Testament, was early corrupted by the introduction into it of many heathen customs and teachings. Thus during the middle ages that type of Christianity which was prevalent in Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa is not a fair representation of Jesus and the teaching of the New Testament. All who claim to be Christians are not genuine followers of Jesus. No true follower of Jesus would persecute the Jew or any one else. The truly regenerated Christian who knows the teaching of the New Testament and is living according to its instructions has the kindliest feelings and consideration for the Jew and will do all in his power to assist him in every way.

Wrongs have been committed by both Jews and Christians in the past. Let us now forget the past and forge forward to better things and cleaner lives. Let the Jew remember that there have been many misunderstandings on the part of all. Let him understand that many of the Christians have misunderstood him and his motives. Also let the Christian realize that the Jew has been misunderstood and that some of the very noblest characters who have ever lived have been of Jewish extraction. Let us now try to understand each other. It is with this idea in view that I, a Gentile Christian, have written this little book. I feel that I am right in the conclusions to which I have come after twenty-five years of hard diligent study and a number of years of close contact with my Jewish neighbors. I appeal to my fellow Gentile to consider the facts which I have presented and to ask the Lord to aid him to a proper understanding of the Jew and to give him a real love for him. On the other hand, I appeal to every Jew who reads this book to lay aside his prejudices and to ask the Lord God to help him to see the truthfulness of the things discussed herein. Also ask Him to give him understanding concerning the teaching and life of Jesus of Nazareth in order that he may know whether Jesus was and is his longed-for Messiah.

It is a well-known fact that the Greeks' contribution to the world lay in the realm of philosophy and abstract thought; that of the Romans was law, order, and jurisprudence, while that of the Hebrew was religion. According to the Scriptures, God called Abraham out of the heathen environment of Chaldea and led him into Palestine where he would be in the kingdom of Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God most high (Gen. 4:10). In this new environment Abraham grew spiritually and became the friend of God. When the call first came to Abraham for him to leave his old pagan environment, God promised that He would bless the world through him and "his seed." Furthermore, he promised to make Abraham's descendants become a mighty and powerful nation in the earth, promising that he would bless those who blessed him and curse those who had cursed him.

When Moses brought Israel to Sinai, the Lord promised that "If ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then ye shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5,6). The Lord always endeavored to maintain separation between Israel and the nations. In their wilderness wanderings, Moses was very strict in maintaining this separation. Just before his death, he delivered his final orations found in the book of Deuteronomy in which he emphasized the thought that Israel was about to enter into the promised land; that she was to drive out the corrupt, wicked Canaanitish nations; that she was not to form any alliances with any peoples whatsoever; and that she should be a nation separated unto God to set forth the excellencies of Him and His worship.

The prophets following Moses constantly dwelt upon Israel's special call of God and of her separation from the nations. Isaiah especially emphasized this unique calling of the Hebrew race. In 46:13, the prophet in beautiful language expresses this thought, "And I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." In 43:1-7, he encourages Israel by promising divine protection and help under all circumstances because they are "Called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea whom I have made." In Psalm 100:3, the writer says that the Jews are God's people and the sheep of his pasture.

From these and innumerable other statements from the prophets and the Psalmists, Israel's unique position in the world is seen. Palestine has been called the Bridge of the nations, because the ancient kingdoms in their commercial relations were compelled to pass through it. Also in their war activities they of necessity passed to and fro through Canaan. On account of Palestine's strategic position, God placed his chosen race therein in order that it might hold forth the torch of the true knowledge of His revelation.

All of her ritualism emphasized the fact that she was a nation separated unto God. The distinctions required by the Mosaic legislation likewise accentuated the thought that there was a distinction between Israel and her neighbors. Balaam, by prophetic vision saw her entire future history and proclaimed that "Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Numbers 23:9).

Attempts at amalgamation of the Jew with the Gentile have at various times been made by certain Gentiles and by Jews who have lost sight of Israel's divine calling and mission in the world. All of these efforts have been futile because a divine providence has been watching over this marvelous people and has preserved them in order that God might carry out His plan of blessing the world through the seed of Abraham.

The facts and teachings set forth in the preceding paragraphs account to a great extent for Jewish exclusiveness and self-isolation through the centuries. The average Gentile, not realizing the plan of God and not knowing the Scriptural teaching has misinterpreted this Jewish exclusiveness and has understood it to be a form of egotism and a feeling of superiority. I admit that in many instances egotism is very manifest and is deplorable, but one should be very careful in branding this misunderstood exclusiveness and separateness as egotism and bigoted ignorance. This characteristic must be taken into consideration by one who wishes to approach, in the most appealing way, his Jewish friend.

It is not sufficient to know the historical background of the modern Jew, which largely determines his thinking, and his God-ordained place in the unfolding of the eternal plans and purpose of the Almighty, in order to present the truth concerning Jesus of Nazareth to him. One must also understand him theologically. In the Tenach (Old Testament) the religious and civil codes were inextricably joined. Israel's calling in life being purely religious, her outlook upon the great world around her was and is largely from that point of view. Therefore one must understand the cardinal principles of her theology in order to present in an appealing and an intelligible manner the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. There are four of these fundamental dogmas of Judaism that must be understood by the one who wishes to approach the Jewish mind. He must also understand the teaching of the Old Testament on these vital doctrines.