ABSTRACT
Persecution, hostility from without, has undoubtedly had a certain determining influence on Jewish life. On a considerable number of Jews the physically unequal struggle between Judaism and Christianity has had a disastrous effect. In the mighty contest between Judaism, supported solely by the spirit of its inner consciousness, and Christianity, commanding and utilizing to an enormous extent all the forces of social life, Judaism has come forth triumphant. Various hypotheses have been unsuccessfully advanced as to the origin of ethical Monotheism in Israel, but equally important and more profitable is the consideration how this fundamental basis of Judaism has been maintained in its pristine purity, and unpolluted amidst unclean surroundings. But Judaism, by duly recognizing the human element in religion, and by adapting every manifestation of social life to the service of God and man, created a source of power which continually guarded its purity and replenished its strength.
