The Christian Commandment of Love Is a “New” Commandment: Introductory Remarks

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bronzov

The Christian Commandment of Love Is a “New” Commandment: 

(Againse Haeckel, Saladin, etc.)

By Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bronzov (1858—1919/1937)

Content

Introductory Remarks 

I. Comparison with the Christian Commandment of "Love" in the Teachings of 1) Confucius, 2) Pittacus, Solon, Thales, 3) Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, 4) Sextus the Pythagorean, 5) Aristippus of Cyrene, 6) Isocrates.

II. Comparison with the Christian Commandment of "Love" in the Teachings of 1) a) Buddhism, b) Vedaism, c) Brahmanism, 2) Peripatetics, 3) Stoics, 4) Essenes-Therapeutae, 5) Hillel

III. “Babylon” and the Christian Commandment About “Love”

IV. Moses and Christianity on the Question of "Love" - The Christian Commandment of "Love" is a "New" Commandment, "Practically Feasible," "Reasonable, True"

Concluding Words

Introductory Remarks

The commandment of Christ regarding love, referred to as "new" in the Gospel (John 13:34), is indeed such. The pre-Christian world truly did not know it. This is what I will reply to my correspondents who ask me about this point, and I hope to support my response with concise but documentary evidence.

It is true that Ernst Haeckel, to whom correspondents refer, considers this commandment to be pre-Christian, calling its proponents "Confucius, Thales, Pittacus, Solon, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Isocrates, Aristippus, Sextus"1 – but it is also true that this professor is grossly mistaken in this case (as well as in many others). The "merit of Christ"2 thus remains undeniable, even after Haeckel's assertions. It will undoubtedly remain so in the future – always.

Haeckel is not independent. He refers to the well-known "most frivolous" work of Saladin (= William Stewart Ross), Jehova's gesammelte Werke (Jehovah's Collected Works),3 the extreme lack of scientific rigor of which has already been sufficiently established in science by such authoritative figures as Dr. Friedrich Loofs,4 Dr. E. Dennert,5 Dr. Vitus Biander,6 Dr. Jos Engeit,7 and many others.8 However, since Haeckel's ideas are quickly spreading, including among us in Russia through Russian translations of his works (between 1906 and 1908), and since they confuse, as mentioned above, some, and perhaps even a very large number of individuals, the exposure of the falsity of these ideas is undoubtedly an important and urgent task.

Of the ten sages listed above, indicated by Haeckel, Confucius stands out, three (from among the famous “seven”) sages Pittacus, Solon and Thales stand out, Socrates, his student Plato and the latter’s student Aristotle stand out, and Sextus the Pythagorean, Aristotle and Isocrates stand out each.

Notes:

 

1. E. Haeckel "World Riddles". St. Petersburg. 1906, p. 184.

 

2. Ibid. 

 

3.  We have in our hands 2 Auflage, Zürich (year of publication not indicated).

 

4. In his work "Anti-Haeckel" (5th Aufl Halle, 1906), see especially pp. 27–39, etc.

 

5.  In his book, Die Wahrheit uber Ernst Haeckel und seine Welt rátsel (Halle, 1908), see pp. 149 et seq.

 

6.  In his research "The Naturalistic Monism of Neutrality or Haeckel's Weltanschauung". Paderborn, 1907, pp. 334–335.

 

7.  In his works: "The Naturalistic Monism of Haeckels". Vienna, 1907, pp. 314, 316, 317.

 

8.  Read, for example, Prof. T.I. Butkevich’s “Philosophy of Monism” (Kharkov 1900), pp. 64, 63.

 

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