moritz abel was saying:

“... there is one perfect story in the world. it will bear the deepest scrutiny of mind or matter or soul. physically it is exact; mentally it balances; spiritually it is the ultimate lesson. you will find in it all that you need to know about christianity, for it is the soul of that; the one thing that was not in the world before the christ came. you will learn in it who is your father; who your brother is, and who your neighbor.

“it will impart to you the clear eye for shams and material offices and for the peril of fancied chosen peoples. from it you will draw the cosmic simplicity of good actions, and a fresh and kindling hatred for the human animal of grotesque desire.

“children grasp it with thrilling comprehension; it silences the critical faculty of the intellectuals and animates the saint to tears of ecstasy, even to martyrdoms. it expresses the dream of peace alike for nations and men. it is a globe. you can go it blind, and win—following the spirit of the good samaritan.”