The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1909. A NEW BIBLE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1909. A NEW BIBLE.

The Bible that emerges from the process of anajysis and inspection implied id Dr. Hastlngs's now "Dictionary of the Bible," is not tho book that Cromwell knew, not that which is associated with; a pretty story of Queen Victoria and England's greatness. For better or for worse, the "higher criticism" has made some drastic alterations in the stories that wo learned in childhood. Bumbles- hold in general respect have decried the higher criticism as "a hass"; it has been said with scorn that confident pronouncements from "internal evidence" on the authorship of documents millenniums old are made by critics who would bo completely posed if they woro aakod to eßtablkh who

wrote the leading article in the morning's paper. However that may be, the critics havo continued their delvings in , antiquity with a good heart, and the average churchgoer, who ,has not been following their operations, will be astonished, if he is not shocked, by many things thoy claim to havo discovered. The Scriptural impressions of most people who have not made a special study of the subject are based upon a fairly literal interpretation of the words of sacred writ, ,and the misleading, theology of Milton, which still unconsciously govorns the religious conceptions of thousands who' would not dream of reading his poetry. The, earliest higher critics wore" regarded as enemies of tho sacred citadel, who sought to effect its overthrow by undermining the foundations. No doubt some of them were actuated by these hostile intentions, but they havo been joined long since by loyal membere of the garrison, who believe that the real; foundations are so strong and deep that they can never bo undermined, and that to demonstrate their invulnerablo stability it is only necessary to remove the accretions which they say have gathered round their base. .In short,, there are higher critics arid higher critics,, and most of those who contribute articles to this dictionary would pride themselves on

their essential orthodoxy. , The distinguished British scholars who havo accepted . the historical method include such men as tho Bishop of Winchester, the Bishop of Moray, the Dean of Westminster, and Professors Sanday, Driver, KIRKPATRICK, PeAKE, /G. A. SMITH, Orr, Dr. Garvie, and Dr. Adeney, with many others of the very front rank. The editor of the dictionary affirms that, though abreast of modern scholarship, the work : does not take up an extreme position on either side. It is interesting. to see what these , views are, .which'are not "extreme." ... ;. . ■ ~-.' :'. ; • ~{'■ The Book of Genesis, writes Dr. Skinner, is a compijation of different documents, and its contents are not historical in the technical, sense, as tho oldest of its documents are far-from being contemporary with the events narrated; The Deluge is traced.back to a simple local flood by the Rev. A. H. M'Neile, a Cambridge scholar. After mentioning some of the

"immense difficulties" in the story as it stands, he affirms that it is similar in character to legends which are found in the. folk-lore of many ■ other peoples. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob disappear as definite persons in the view of Professor G. A., Barton, whose article on "Israel" is unusually "advanced." For him, tho patriarchs are merely tribal names. Referring to the sons of Jacob, he says with shocking candour: "Six are said to be, sons of ( Leah. Leah probably means 'wild cow.' : This apparently meansHhat these tribes were of near kin, and possessed as a common totem the 'wild cow' or , 'bovine antelope.' In' the very early religion of the Hebrews totemism .prevailed, that is, the belief that a natural object; usually ah animal, is'kindred in

blood to the worshipper, and 1 such animals were held :in great veneration." ■From this pre-Jah'wistic religion, Dr. Barton traces the growth of the idea of God from belief in tribal deities,;to the, magnificent conception of the "prophets, which has only been surpassed by the teaching of 'Christ Himself. The Bishop of Moray, ...in his article on "God," travels ov.er. some.-0f,.: the,same, ground, but his treatment is not quite bo "advanced" in some respects'. It is interesting to note thatithe word "Jehovah" is a combination of the name "Jahweh," which was. too. sacred to, be pronounced by. Jews, and Adonai, another name for God, the vowels of which were written above' "Jahweh" in the sacred, texts, .to remind readers that a substitution' was required in reading aloud. By a late confusion the vowels of f"Adonai"'''wero combined with the consonants of "Jahweh" to produce the modern word

"Jehovah." The Mosaic Code, according to the Bishop of Moray, is to bo dated, as a whole, centuries later' than Mobes, and the patriarchal narratives , were written down, as we have them, in the time of the Kings, and are covered by the ideas of that time.' In defiance of Mil;ton, we are told that the Serpent that 'tempted Eve ; is nowhere in the Old ; Testament identified with the; Devil, but typifies man's lower nature, in revolt' against the The.story of Jonah is treated in an open manner. According ■to ond interpretation, which is quoted, the story is an allegory'of the fortunes of. the people. Jonah "the dove" represents Israel, and the.fish Babylon, which swallowed Israel, not. to destroy it, but to give room for repentance. As regards tho New..Testament, Dr. Wi T. Davison .favours the Johannine authorship of the' Fourth Gospeli but the genuineness of tho Second Epistle of St. Peter, which has been doubted by many great Christian scholars from the early centuries, is not accepted by Dr. Falconer, who attributes it to some disciple of St. Peter. Tho Rev. J ; R. Willis believes the weight of evidence to bo against the Pauline authorship of the Epistle bo the Hebrews, but adds that readers "need experience no uneasiness on that head. The authenticity and inspiration of a book are not dependent upon bur knowwho wrote it." It Tyill be. reassuring to many to notice that Dβ. Paterson's article.on Jesus Christ is written in a most reverent, and, on the whole, conservative spirit. The same may be said of the article by Dβ.- Mackintosh on the Ohristology of the New Testament, and of the treatment of the Gospels by the Bishop of Moray. /''■■''

The drastic conclusions of- many of theso scholars will bo received with varying feelings, according to the mental temperament' ■' and religious ; pre-conceptions of • the reader. To somo minds the investigations of the critics will be valuable, as showing Biblical events.and characters in a new and fascinating setting of contem-porary-customs and ideas so far as wo' can resurrect them.' For them the Bible story will, bo invested with a new. life and interest as tho result, of, these, researches, which to other.minds will mean only a mournful desecration and mutilation, of their most precious and inviolable heritage. To the traditionalists and lovers of authority it will seem preferable to accept the sacred literature as we have it, making the least of difficulties, rather than to tamper with a narrative which, from..;'several- most important points of view, it is impossible to improve. ■ It is quite:true that the results of the historical method aro not compatible with tho theory of verbal inspiration; but the Christian Church as a whole, it is contended, has .aavar been officially

committed to this view, and Christian scholars of the modem school,prefer to regard the Bible as the record of a progressive revelation and the literature of ah inspired'people. As Dr. Garvje puts it: "In placo of stress oh the words and the ideas of Scripture, emphasis is now laid on tho moral character and religious disposition of tho agents of revelation." But whether the investigagations of the "higher critics" are applauded or decried, it'is interesting to survey, at times, the progress of their operations, if only that the "modern" spirit may know what to hope for, and the opposite spirit may know what to shun. The publication of a comprehensive dictionary of the Biblo in one volumo gives an unusual opportunity for such a survey.