--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Lund, E. H. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 21 number: 9 published: 1918-07 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Lund, E. H., "The Return of the Jews—I," *Improvement Era* 21, no. 9 (July 1918): 773–778.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2109unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2109unse start_page: 773 end_page: 778 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1918-07) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2109unse publication_year: 1918 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1918, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Return of the Jews—I ! THE RETURN OF THE JEWS 775 minated, in the meridian of time, in that most stupendous of national errors, their rejection of the Messiah, and finally, sealing upon their heads the condemnation of an outraged God, in the iniquity of their souls, capped the climax by crucifying their Lord, the Redeemer of the world In all history we find no extenuating or mitigating circumstance for the egregious act. But from a psychological point of view, it appears that the Jews were the only nation under heaven possessing the peculiar characteristics and necessary mental qualities which placed them pre-eminently before all other peoples as being specially "fitted" for, or capable of lending themselves to, the accomplishment of that part of the program in the great foreordained plan of salvation which was to be the central fact of paramount importance in all history, past, present and future, the pivotal point on which was to hang the eternal des- — tiny of man the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ. The mental calibre of the Hebrew has ever been a problem with psychologists. While we may not delve too deeply into the preexistent reasons for things, it is within the bounds of possibility that by a process of elimination and selection there were chosen, out of the hosts of heaven, the very spirits that were best adapted — — "mentally qualified" for just such a "mission" as the Jews in mortality were so ready to accept and carry out. As a nation, they were a people of uncertain moods and contradictory impulses, easily led and susceptible of varied influences, at times indecisive and vacilating, and again stubborn and wilful, for such is the reading of their character as revealed in the history of their past. Without the guiding mind, a Moses or a Joshua to lead them, they were "as sheep without a shepherd." And the Lord knew the hearts of his "chosen" people in their mortal sphere, understood perfectly their nature, character and disposition, just as he had known the character of their individual spirits before they were tabernacled in the flesh; knew what their future fleshly tendencies would be; knew their temperament, and that as a class their peculiar mentality demanded that specially qualified individuals be sent among them to be their teachers and prophets. Therefore, an All-wise Providence made yet other selection of choice spirits from among the hosts of heaven, who were sent at stated times from the very first to instruct, direct and guide the people of the Lord in all ages. Wise men, teachers and prophets, inspired of God to fill certain missions in the earth, were without doubt foreordained to their special calling. A number of scriptural passages bearing on the point, and confirming this view, might also be here cited. The Prophet Jeremiah was such a chosen spirit, whose intellectual qualifications fitted him, both as to time and place, for the accomplishment of the work of his ministry in mortality. We ask 776 l\IN«>\ I Ml. VI BR \ the reader to note particularly tin- wording in the two quotations that follow. This from Jer. I : I. 5: "Then the word of tin- Lord came unto me, saying. Before I formed thee in the belly knew thee; and before thou earnest I forth <>i't of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nation.-"" i Compare Isaiah 49:1,5; the case of John the Baptist, l.uke 1:13-17; of Paul, Acts 9:15; Eph. 1:4). Another passage is from the revelation of God to Abraham: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that wire organized before the world was; and among all these were many of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that the\ were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he -aid. These will make my rulers; for he stood among those I that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he -aid unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born" (Book of Abraham, 3:22,23. Compare 1 Nephi 12:7, 8; P. of G. P., Book of Moses 4:2; Matt. 1:20,21). The language in the above quotations is very clear and needs no comment. Thus are we given to know how the house of l-rael. from time to time, witnessed the advent in their midst of nu n of God, inspired to lead, teach and direct, or to reprove, preserving universal respect for law and order, good government and equity among the Jews. We believe the same principle is operative today as it was anciently and in all ages; that God sends to every nation and people certain of his most noble and most intellectual sons and daughters to be guides and teachers in the earth. But especially were the chosen people like unto children, ever requiring stern leadership and supervision, for they wore marvelously inconstant and rebellious. During the long cycles of time the Lord had been extremely patient with their wavering and almost incorrigible spirits, forgiving them of their malpractices and their ill-treatment and rejection of many of the prophets whom he had sent among them, till finally the accumulation of iniquities and their persistent disobedience to his commandments brought upon them the inevitable displeasure of God, and he withdrew his Spirit from them; so that at about the beginning of the fourth century before the birth of Christ there came a cessation of prophets and seers in Israel. We can find no indication that there were any further direct dealings of the Lord with his people or any people after the time of Malachi, the "last of the prophets," who is supposed to have written his prophecy between the years 400 and 420 B. C. hence, it ; appears that the delegated viceregency of God among the Jews ended with the passing of Malachi. Down through the centuries unto the meridian of time, by their own perverseness, the Jewish nation had become well THE RETURN OF THE JEWS 777 schooled and prepared to perform their destined part. Their purblind souls prevented them from recognizing in the lowly Nazarene the mighty Jehovah of their fathers. Such are the facts, and, bearing in mind the "pre-eminent fitness" mentioned in the foregoing, we will now cite the reader to a remarkable statement by another of the Lord's servants who lived on the American continent several centuries before the Savior's birth. The quotation is from Jacob, an ancient Nephite prophet— himself a Jew—whose words are recorded in the Book of Mormon. By the inspiration of the Holy Grost, this man of God also understood the spirit, the heart and mind tendencies that would actuate the people of his own race as touching the Son of God when he should appear among them in the flesh. Nearly six hundred years before this event the Prophet Jacob, addressing the Nephites, said: "Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ (for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name) should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him: For thus it behooveth our God; and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God. For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations, they would repent, and know that he be their God; but because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified" (2 Nephi 10:3, 5). We recall the circumstances attending the haling of Christ before Pilate. The vehemently voiced accusations of the chief priests and scribes, mid the cries of the rabble, ail thirsting for the blood of Jesus, convinced Pilate of the folly of further withstanding the clamorous demand of the populace. Against his own better judgment (for he had "found in him no fault at all"), perhaps partly actuated by a superstitious fear because of his wife's dream, he gave way to their desire. He called for water and washed his hands before the multitude, an act symbolizing nonresponsibility, the while proclaiming: "I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people and said, His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt. 27:24,25). Words of dread portent; and little did the Jews sense the awfulness of the situation, much less foresee that future history would bear lurid testimony to the gruesome fulfilment of that fateful invocation! Thus Edersheim (Vol. 2, p. 578), in forceful and incisive language, comments on the above acknowledgment of responsibility for the death of Christ: "The Mishna tells us that, after the solemn washing of hands of the elders and their disclaimer of guilt, priests responded with — 778 IMPROVEMENT ERA this prayer: 'Forgive it to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, and lay not innocent blood upon thy people Israel.' But here, in answer to Pilate's words, came back that — deep, hoarse cry: 'His blood be upon us, and' God help us! 'on our children.' Some thirty years later, and on that very spot, was judgment pronounced against some of the best in Jerusalem; and among the 3,600 victims of the governor's fury, of whom not a few were scourged and crucified right over against the Pretorium, were many of the noblest of the citizens of Jerusalem (Josephus, Wars, xiv, chap. 8:9). A few years more, and hundreds of crosses bore Jewish mangled bodies within sight of Jerusalem. And still have these wanderers seemed to bear, from century to century, and from land to land, that burden of blood ; and still does it seem to weigh 'on us and on our children'." And yet we read of the sublime condescension of God. Even while undergoing extreme physical and mental agony on the cross, the dear Lord bore in his heart naught but good will and charity toward his evil-minded murderers. None but a very God could possess qualities such as dictated the words of Jesus, as he prayed the Father to "forgive them, for they know not what they do." This was the same Holy Being who spake by the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet to the future generations of the house of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, saying: "Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God" (Jer. 3:12-13). What surpassing, what infinite love! His bowels are filled with mercy and compassion for his erring people. It was because of their persistent disregard of the heavenly commands that the word of the Lord to Moses came to be fulfilled, saying: "The Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you" (Deut. 4:27). While in Amos 9:8, 9, we read that "I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord; for, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve." They were not to go altogether unpunished, but neither were the enemies of Israel to be permitted to utterly destroy the house of Jacob, for as a remnant they should still be found among the nations of the earth, though "few" in number. And surely the Lord has "drawn out a sword after them; and their land has become desolate and their cities waste" (Lev. 26:33; see also Deut. 28:64 and Neh. 1:8, 9). Great afflictions came upon them, in captivities, drivings and all manner of persecutions; and so — —— THE RETURN OF THE JEWS 779 was Israel verily "rooted out of the land given to their fathers" (I Kings 14:15; see also Deut. 29:25,28). All these recorded evils have come upon Israel largely in the way of disciplinary punishments, and form a sad commentary on the constitutional infirmity of the Hebrew race as a whole. (To be concluded in the August number) Lucy Mack Smith (Born July 8, 1776.) The bearer of an honored name, The sharer of dear Joseph's fame, Oh, fondly, freely may we love her, Our gifted, true, boy prophet's mother. There shines upon her mother face A calm and sweetly earnest grace, Heroic as her whole life's story Of toil and pain, yet more of glory. Oh, sweeter than the lovely rose, When spring-time's southern zephyr blows, Her cherished sympathy attended Her sons with heaven's blessings blended. Celestial truths enriched her mind, So fair, so constant, and refined, Effulgent joy — ah who can measure The peace crown of this holy treasure! Weep tears of pity on her pain With Joseph dear and Hyrum slain Yet this her soul-light doth not smother, She trusted still,-— their sainted mother. With soul erect as one who knows, Serene her earth life found its close, We sing her praise, for oh, we love her, With growing love, our Prophet's Mother. Minnie Iverson Hodapp Huntington, Utah The Makers of Science By Dr. John A. Widtsoe, President of the University of Utah VIII —Joseph Priestley The study of the process of combustion led to discoveries upon which modern chemistry is founded. Many brilliant minds of various nationalities took part in these studies during the latter half of the eighteenth century. It was reserved for the Frenchman Lavoisier to establish that when a thing burns it unites with something found in the air, but it was left for Joseph Priestley to determine the substance in the air which makes burning possible. In that way Priestley became one of the founders of modern chemistry. Joseph Priestley was born near Leeds, Yorkshire, March 13, 1733. He became a poor country preacher, of an indifferent eloquence, but possessed of one of the most remarkable intellects of which the world has record. Priestley made his livelihood as a non-conformist preacher, and indeed he gave much deep study to theology. He published numerous books and treatises upon theological questions, and at no time lost interest in theological matters. He was a devout believer in God and a daily reader of the scriptures. During his last days he frequently spoke of the comfort and strength that had come to him because of his habit of reading the Bible daily, and advised his family and friends to follow his example. The marvelously receptive and flexible mind of Priestley touched on all matters of human interest. In theology, history, politics and science he was active. It is a marvel to think that one man could accomplish all that this man did in one lifetime. Science always attracted Priestley. In 1761, when twentyeight years of age, he was given a tutorship in a small church academy, and here for six years he pursued with such meagre apparatus as was at his command the study of chemistry and electricity. In 1766, while on a visit to London, he had the good fortune to meet Benjamin Franklin. This great American quickly perceived the greatness of Priestley's scientific promise. As a result of Franklin's encouragement, Priestley soon thereafter wrote a History of Electricity. This brought him fame