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attempt to give feminine interest to the story; remove Duncan and his thanes as 'mere interpolations' only
provided in order to give Macbeth somebody to murder, and conclude by saying that A certain
verisimilitude hints, and common sense declares, that Shakespeare was an eyewitness of the scenes which
he describes.
The Peculiar Theology of Jesus
There is little to say on this section, which deals principally with the attitude of Jesus, though Mr. Shaw
might have gone much further in emphasizing the constant quotation of the mystic commonplaces of that
and every other period, which punctuate the reiterated claims of Jesus to be the Christ, the avatar of
Vishnu, or whatever else you like to call the Father.{73}
But there is one astonishing statement. John has no grip of the significance of these scraps which he has
picked up; he is far more interested in a notion of his own that man can escape death and do even more
extraordinary things than Christ himself; in fact he actually represents Jesus as promising this explicitly,
and is finally let into the audacious hint that he, John, is himself immortal in the flesh. Still, he does not
miss the significant sayings altogether. The overwhelming audacity of this statement makes one gasp for
breath. John fills chapter after chapter with these sayings. He even interpolates them in the most
unexpected places. Between the exit of Judas, for example, and the end of the Supper we have no less
than four chapters, totalling 117 verses. Something like 20% of the whole gospel! And John has 'no grip
of the significance of these scraps which he has picked up'. One stands stupended.
It is perfectly true that these mystic passages are totally incompatible with the other ideas mentioned to
such minds as Mr. Shaw's. But that is merely an argument for the composite nature of the gospel. There is
a somewhat similar case however, observable today. We have the Tao Teh King, a mystical treatise at
once abstruse and simple, the most admirable of all the ancient classics of mysticism. But in practise the
Taoists of to-day are mere fetichists. It might be argued that John was such a person, that he quoted his
classic as a matter of form without understanding it. But the document still remains in every reasonable
sense of the word composite.{74}
John Agreed as to the Trial and Crucifixion
The substance of this section hardly justifies the title. Mr. Shaw is mostly concerned to ask why Jesus did
not defend himself, and gives the evident reply that Jesus believed himself to be John Barleycorn. Mr.
Shaw points out that all the gospels agree on this point. The consensus on this point is important, because
it proves the absolute sincerity of Jesus's declaration that he was a god. No impostor would have accepted
such dreadful consequences without an effort to save himself. No impostor would have been nerved to
endure them by the conviction that he would rise from the grave and live again after three days.
Fortunately he saves himself by continuing If we accept the story at all we must believe this.
But why should we accept the story at all? What is unnatural in a man, especially a militant man who
drives money changers out of temples, is natural enough if applied to the Sun or to the Seed. If the words
and deeds of Jesus are simply those of the principal actor in the drama of John Barleycorn, we need be no
more surprised than we are when we hear a lady of doubtful reputation (and it is said there were no less
than four such on the stage in the bad old days about one hundred years ago) explain to the villain that she
prefers death to dishonour.
Mr. Shaw reiterates his view with regard to the date, and I think it unreasonable to doubt that all four
wrote their narratives in full faith that the other promise would be fulfilled too, and that they themselves
might live to witness the Second Coming. But all four are by no means agreed about the Second Coming.
Matthew (chapter XXIV) gives all sorts of premonitory symptoms, {75} evidently expanded from the
account in Mark, and both say that this generation shall not pass until all these things be done. But Luke's
wording differs considerably. The word 'generation' could, moreover be taken to mean 'race' John omits
this passage altogether. In any case it seems quite clear that if the church could accept the gospels despite
this alleged difficulty, the evangelists, who are far less critical and sophisticated than those Fathers of the
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