April, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• ? למה זה אנכי (Why am I thus?)
• Some Jewish Thoughts on Preaching by the Rev. H. Friedlaender
• What Will Our Future Be?
• How May the Gospel Reach the Jews? by the Rev. H. Friedlaender
• Our Platform
• News
  (Jewish Mission House; A Jerusalem Railway; The Maimonides Library; The Montefiore Home; Jewish Schools in Poland; A Bit of Old News; A New Society)
• Gleanings from the Jewish and Christian Press (The Cost of Making Converts)
• Hakol (The Call)
• A Legend of the Talmud (Poem concerning Rabbi Johannan)
• The Harp of Faith (Poem)

May, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• The Vexed Jewish Question
• The Leipzig Seminary
• News
  (Misc.; An Ancient Jewish Cemetery; The Jewish Publication Society; Three-Score Years and Ten)
• Gleanings from the Jewish and Christian Press
  (Be Fair; A Family Quarrel About ?; How Christians Are Misled)
• A Correction
• Jewish Missionary Periodicals
• David's Harp
• Book Review
• Correspondence

June, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• Pentecost
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• A Brief Notice of a Brief Life
• May Liberation Arise.
• News
• Gleanings from the Jewish and Christian Press
  (An Old Story; A Great Need)
• Jewish Missionary Periodicals
• Correspondence

July, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• Robert Elsmere
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• The Jews by the Rev. G. M. Cottrell
• Voices from Abroad
• News
• Gleanings from the Jewish and Christian Press
  (Christian Courtesy; As Others See Us; A Slight Error)
• Correspondence

August, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• Weeping Jerusalem by Rev. A. Bernstein
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• A Jewish View
• Correspondence

August, 1889 [Supplement] (pdf file)

• Open Letter to the Rev. Rabbi L. Weiss, Columbus, GA

September, 1889 (pdf file)

• For Palestine! For Palestine! Poem by Mark Levy
• The Month of Repentance
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• A Voice From Home
• The Nemesis of Nations by Joseph Hirsch
• Good Resolutions
• News
• Gleaning from the Jewish and Christian Press
  (The Convert as Renegade)
• Weiss Correspondence
• Book Reviews
  (Talmudic and Other Legends, Rabbi L. Weiss; Scriptures, Hebrew and Christian, Edward Bartlett & John Peters; To the Jews and Christians of America, Mark Levy)
• Twelve Golden Rules

October, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• The Restoration of Israel
• News
• The Educational Status of the Jews
• Weiss Correspondence

November, 1889 (pdf file)

• The Banner of the Jew, Poem by Emma Lazarus
• Editorials
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• The Everlasting Nation by the Rev. Adolph Saphir
• The Jews of Jerusalem
• Weiss Correspondence

December, 1889 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• The Future of the Jewish Race by the Rev. L. C. Rogers
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• News
• The Duty of the Jews
• An Ancient Landmark
• A Jewish Christian Creed
• Book Reviews
  (The Lily Among Thorns, A Study of the Biblical Drama Entitled the Song of Songs, W. E. Griffi; A Defense of Judaism versus Proselytizing Christianity, Isaac Wise)

January, 1890 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• Solemn Questions Addressed to Hebrews of Culture by Franz Delitzsch
• The Jews in Europe by Dr. Johann Joseph Dollinger
• News
• A Jewish Christian Confession of Faith
• Recent Changes in Israel by Dr. Adolph Saphir
• Psalm 30:5

February, 1890 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• The Revised Old Testament
• The Jews in Europe by Dr. Johann Joseph Dollinger
• News
• Gleanings from the Jewish Press
  (Be Charitable; The Baptized Jew)
• Honor Israel
• The New Year
• Correspondence

March, 1890 (pdf file)

• Editorials
• The Jews in Europe by Dr. Johann Joseph Dollinger
• News
• Gleanings from the Jewish and Christian Press
  (Is There Salvation for the Jews?; Not All Of Us)
• Which is Right?

 

? למה זה אנכי
(Why am I thus?)

Two great thoughts have struggled within me. The elder is that I am wholly incompetent to the task which is before me in the work of editing this paper. The younger is the thought of the great need of a message of peace to Zion, and no one is ready to bear it. The struggle in my heart is intense, and I cry with Rebekah, "Why am I thus?" But I feel that the elder must serve the younger. While I have always had an absorbing interest in the message this paper was proclaiming, it never took hold of me personally to enter the labor while the Rev. Mr. Friedlaender was amongst us. But when the lamented Zebi Israel went from this world, and the place of his labor knew him no more, then the editor of the Eduth le Israel besought me to continue his work.

The first thought was, "Who is sufficient for these things? I cannot do it. How can a youth do the deeds of a giant? How can a Gentile speak to the sons of Abraham?" Then came the other thought: "Though not a child of Abraham after the flesh, I am yet a son of Abraham by the spirit. I love the nation. I would speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and bring a message of peace to Israel." The latter thought has prevailed, and I bring this to the hearts of the readers of THE PECULIAR PEOPLE, both Jew and Gentile.

I would take up this burden as a memorial to the late founder of this paper. The best memorial is to perpetuate his word. This shall be my aim.

There is bewteen the Jews and the Christian nations a misunderstanding centuries old. They have ever mutually hated and despised each other. This must cease. Peace is what I would cry. The causes of this misunderstanding are manifold. They will be mentioned in this paper again and again, that they may be taken away. THE PECULIAR PEOPLE will strive to show the Jews that Christians are not all Jew-haters, that many Christians have sincere regard and a great care for the true welfare of Israel, that some Jews at least have become Christians without bribery or inducements of any kind but the conviction of truth, and that some Jewish Christians are still Jews in the highest, purest sense, and that they in poverty, without pay, and solely for their love to Israel, preach the Messiah, Jesus. THE PECULIAR PEOPLE will strive to show to Gentile Christians that they have totally misconceived the Jewish spirit, that they have undertaken by a wrong method to win the Jewish nation; namely, by Gentilizing the Jews instead of giving them the pure gospel and leaving them to become Christian Jews, that they have therefore won for the most part an unworthy portion of Israel, and that consequently they have a wrong estimate of the Jewish temper.

If these two aims can be followed, and the message of peace shall reach the real heart of Israel and the true part of Gentile Christendom, the heart of the editor will be made glad; and to the question:

? למה זה אנכי
(Why am I thus?)

will come the answer:

אשמעה מה-ידבר האל יהוה כי ידבר שלום אל-עמו ואל-חסידיו
(I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints.)

The Editor

 

Our Platform

We herewith present, as appropriate to the beginning of the second volume of THE PECULIAR PEOPLE, essentially the statement of the supplement to the last few numbers of the former volume, as "our platform."

THE PECULIAR PEOPLE is to serve Jewish national interests by advocating the adoption, by the Jewish people, of the following:

1. Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah promised to our fathers.
2. Palestine as the country in which to re-establish a Jewish commonwealth.
3. Hebrew as the language to re-unite the different portions of the Jewish people, now estranged from one another through their different tongues.

THE PECULIAR PEOPLE will discuss all current events which bear upon Jewish national interests from a Biblical stand-point. Its contents will, therefore, be of equal interest to members of the Synagogue as to members of the Church.

The former—the members of the Synagogue—will have an opportunity of making public, in our columns, their views about the New Testament.

The latter—the members of the Christian churches—will learn what is the real state of the Jewish mind, and they will be able to correct many erroneous notions rife on the subject.

We strive fully to realize the difficulties of this Jewish-Christian position we desire to occupy.

In the Synagogue as in the Church, prejudice is very easily aroused against it.

We desire, however, to show to the members of the Synagogue that there are Christians who have a sincere and tender regard for the best interests of Jews. And it is our wish also to show to the members of Christian churches that Jews have been too long misunderstood—if not misrepresented.

Having, after mature deliberation, undertaken the proclamation of this message of peace, we appeal confidently to the thinking members of Synagogue and Church to help us by their early subscriptions to THE PECULIAR PEOPLE.