Single Idea 7216

[catalogued under 29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity]

Full Idea

To extract from the Gospel a body of ethical doctrine, has never been possible withouth eking it out from the Old Testament, that is, from a system elaborate indeed, but in many respects barbarous, and intended only for a barbarous people.

Gist of Idea

The ethics of the Gospel has been supplemented by barbarous Old Testament values

Source

John Stuart Mill (On Liberty [1857], Ch.2)

Book Reference

Mill,John Stuart: 'Utilitarianism (including On Liberty etc)', ed/tr. Warnock,Mary [Fontana 1962], p.176


A Reaction

'Barbarous' has a quaint Victorian ring to it, but his point is that the surviving teachings of Jesus are very thin and generalised. Christians would do better to expand their implications, than to borrow from the Old Testament.