MODERN CRITICISM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 5

MODERN CRITICISM.

PROBLEM OF THE GOSPEL NARRATIVES. ■ THE CHRISTIAN ETHIC AND ■ MODERN SOCIETY. In discussing "the Problem of the Gospel Narratives" tho Bishop said:— As the opening of tho annual session of Synod is the only opportunity the Bishop has of addressing, through its representatives, the Dioccso as a whole, I think I may venture to speak of important subjects which, though not perhaps relevant to the business of the Synod, are yet of general interest, and on which tho members of the Church may wish for such help as 1 may be able to give. Tor thoughtful Churchmen 110 subject oan bo of more absorbing interest than that Criticism of the Gospel Narrative which has been in progress for the past one hundred and fifty years. It is, I think; the more opportune to speak 011 that subject because that criticism has quite recently, at least in English-speaking lands, entered upon a new stage which possibly may prove to be the final stage. . . . The aim and purpose of the chief Lives of Christ written during the nineteenth century may be said, in the words of the Bamptou Lecturer for 1007, to have been "to make Christianity a possible religion for the intelligent man of the world."

The Miraculous and the Supernatural. As "tho intelligent man of tho world" was supposed to have lost faith in tho miraculous and the supernatural, Christ, it was thought, could only bo made acceptable to iiim by the elimination, or at least tho attenuation, of the miraculous elements in the Gospel narratives, leaving perhaps a few remarkable cures of neurotic diseases. In particular, the "Messianic regalia," in which the Evangelists had dressed the Prophet of Nozareth, must bo stripped off.. . . 'It is evident that such n view of Christ necessitated tho discarding as unhistorical of large parts of the Gospel narrative, and vast learning and ncuteness were expended in justifying this wholesale rejection 011 critical grounds.. Yet these writers did not succeed in commending Christianity to "the intelligent man of the world." That pcrsomige still holds aloof from Christianity, .is in tho days when Christianity was frankly miraculous and supernaturalistic. Perhaps, more aloof. Nor is it difficult to find the reason. Tho presentation of Christ as being simply a great ethical Teacher naturally and necessarily concentrated attention upon tho substance of His ethical teaching. This indeed will probably provo to be the enduring contribution of nineteenth century criticism, that it rescued from neglect the ethical teaching of Christ, and luminously expounded- it. But tho result was unexpected. The intelligent man of the world, face to face .with Christ's ethical teaching, discovered that he did not liko it j that it seemed at variance not only with what he admitted were his moral failures, but also with what ho and everybody had been wont to regard as selfevident maxims of individual; social ond political life—maxims essential to the healthy progress of civilisation.

A Note of Sclf-Sacrifice. . There was a note of self-sacrifice in. that teaching, of self-denial, of austerity, of iinworldlincss, which did not seem quite to harmonise with the competitive principle, with the , eager pursuit of wealth, with' the unrestrained play of all natural powers, with international rivalry, with huge armaments. It seemed to him that if he should order his personal life upon Christ's ethical principles, it would becomo a straitened and impoverished life; if he applied them lo his business it would mean bankruptcy; while, if a nation attempted to cany them out, it uould speedily lose its independence and bccomo the vassal of its' more sensible neighbours; that, in short, tho whole system was unpractical. The intelligent man of the world had boeii accustomed b take for gr.inl.ed that tho dominant cthic of his age was Christian; criticism seemed (0 show- that it was not; that Christianity was but one of Us sources, and not the most copious. Being honest, and desiring to remain so, ho felt, if that be Christianity, ho 11111 st persist in his aloofness. This thou is the reason why tho elimination - of the miraculous and supernatural from Christianity failed (0 conciliate the modern world. The miraculous and supernatural were never really the great stumbling-block, save to a. comparatively few severely trained scientific minds. The mass of men were always able to acquifsco in those characteristics. They could always admit that, upon any theory, there is much that is mysterious in the universe—'"omnia exeunt in mysterium"—that there are more things in heaven and earth than aro explained in any science of philosophy—

"A deep Ix'lou* the deep, And a height beyond the height; Our hearing is not- hearing, And our seeing is not sight. But towards ethical teaching this passive acquiescence U impossible. The Middle Course. Ethical teaching has to do -with conduct, and you must oitli3r actively conform to it*or actively reject it. There is no middle course. This then was the unexpected i?>ue of nineteenth ccntury criticism. "111 clearing awav rightly or wrongly," >avs the Bninpton Lecturer for IM7, "'lite intellectual difficulties, it has brought men face to face with the real ond fundii men till contradict ion between Christianity and the world, which is the Ethical." Hut though niuetecntn century criticism did great service in the cMiical sphere, its total orosentation of Gliri»t is now declared to Ije largely unhistorical. Wo havo seen that to reach it, largn parts of the Gospel narrative had to be treated as unhistorical. Hut the Gospels nre our only sources of knowledge regarding Christ. Jf wo-may not rsffivd them, at least in their common natter, as beincr acewave. we nre left to our own imagination in reconstructing the T>ifc of f!hn>t; nor havo we any means of discovering whether our imaginative at. pll cor-iT-p"nds in (lie ieali!y. J'hi? (110 vice ot nineteenth oehturv criticism. . [t is now h'-ir.-,' increa.-iiiKiv acknov.-lodrr-ed. and with !!"(id re:wm. thai the Gospel narrative-at leasl that of the three fir?.-: (io-m-U-niust. he regarded as substantially accurate; that lliev Rive n trustworthy iires-'ii'Mtion of C'hri-t- and ITis aims: ami in particular, that they truly repi* font Ifiin as rojiardi-.i;,' Himself as the Mr,.«iah: 'that this conception was central to Itis consciousness and not a mere expedient accommodation to contemporary prejudice: that the Kingdom which lie proclaimed was 110 mere synonym for the, iinpi-jvetneut of society, but. was in substance the Kingdom of ancient prophel ie hope —the X f, w Ago which (io't lliio-.elf would -upernatiirally bring in; that the.-e conception--of the llesjianic vocation and the

Divine Kingdom "wore no mere embroidery of bill the liearl of; its enthusiasm"; that, this view of the Gospels is that which alone tin course of events in the first ami second centuries, and Hint, therefore, _it is the truo view. So far, .so good. \\o seem to ]>;. hack again in the old traditional iaitli of the Church, alter the critical aberrations of the nineteenth century. But let us not be too exultant.

"Interim Ethics." The advocates of the substantial accuracy of tlio Gospel Narrative, and in especial Schweitzor, procecd to make two further assertions. They assert (1) that Christ expected the Kingdom to be consumnmtert in His own lifetime; Uuil Jloconfidently predicted the end of the then world-order within the then existing generation; Wl that lie was mistaken; the predicted end did not arrive, nor has it arrived vet, after the lapse of two thousand years. They assert (2) that inasmuch'as Christ did not anticipate a continuance of human history, inasmuch as l!o confidently expected a winding-up of human alVairs within i tew mouth-, or even weeks, it follow* that His ethical teaching, which wo tiucl so unsuited to the twentieth century, was never intended for the twentieth century, or indeed lor any cenhirv. I was an "interim Ethic,' intended for the guidance of tlio disciples during the brief interval before the end -the "Ethic of a crisis"-ol' tlio sinking ship, when men are no longer thinking of buying and soiling, and deeds of heroic self-abnegation and self-sacrifico are in place; but not tlio Ethic of a stable world—the world of industry and commerce, of complicated political and social life, in which we, and, as wc confidently expect, our children's children must mako our way. We J havo now reached what is undoubtedly the burning question for the Christian Church to-day. You perceive that it is not a mere acndcmic question; its view of the provisional character of the Christian Ethic makes it intensely practical. Already much has been ably written on the subject by leading scholars. I wish lo recommend to you the book which I myself have found most helpful, and which, if it docs not solve all difficulties, perhaps suggests the true lines along which tlio solution is to be sought. Tlio title of the book is "Christ's ilessago of the Kingdom." Its author is Professor A. C! Hogg, Professor of Mental and Moral Science in Madras Christian College. Tlio Bishop here gave a luminous outline of Professor Hogg's argument, and went on to say.—

it will appear that in Professor Hogg's view thero is no date arbitrarily fixed in the Divine counsels for the consummation of tho Kingdom. God has always wen ready to bring in the new age, when all 11 is resources shall freely operate on tile stdo of what is good for man and good lu man. Christ did not predict' the date its .consummation though he countel it hxed. But He did at times, only at times, confidently anticipate its speedy approach, and expressed His anticipations in glowing words of hope. These anticipations were not realised. But the mis-

take implied in them was not a mistake regarding the Divine will and purpose. ■It was the pathetic mistake of a too great trust in human nature's readiness to respond to the eternal readiness of God. It was His mighty trust m our poor human naturo that was put to shame, not His apprehension of the purposes of God. I ho true view of the nature of the Kingdom leads us to the trite place of the miraculous and the supernatural in the liospel Narrative. As we have ssoa nineteenth century criticism sought to elimmate this element from the Gospels, and to offer for our acceptance u non-miracu-piV s - i'. hn ?hanity; and no doubt such a Christianity hud great attractions for many of us. Trofessor Hogg convincinglyshows that had Christ's message cf the Kingdom not been accompanied by such y.crks as He is alleged,to have wrought, it would have remained a mere theory— u speculative Utopia without substance' or «ality. ~ , The miracles were foretastes of what would be the effect of the universal introduction of God's unhineercd rule amongst, men on tho side of on,' external ills; that it would mean the alleviation of these evils and their ulti mate extinction. . . ,

New-Found Liberty. Such then is very briefly Professor Hogg's exposition of the Christ's message of the Kingdom. I believe it to be faithful to the Gospel Narrative. The question is, Is it truo to fact? Can wo aceept it? Well, it is easier to accept it to-day than it was in tiho latter half of tho nineteenth century. That era was dominated by a conception of the rigid uniformity oi Nature, which made a free operation of God, bringing new and greater things to pass in rosponso to human faith and obedience, incredible. The universe was conceived as a closed system of mechanical' forces, whoso operations were so uniform that an adequate intellect, knowing all the past and nil tho present, could infallibly predict oil tho future. In our day that conception is fast losing its hold upon human thought. This is one of tho ways in which the twentieth century is showing itself, "the rebellious child of tlio-nineteenth century," to use the Dean of St. Paul's phrase in his recent lectures on "Tho Church and tho Age." Dr. Inge indeed thinks that, while tho twentieth century can give a good account of itself in rejecting tlio older mechanical theory, vet thero aro -such evidences of tho nowfound liberty leading to wild and chaotic theorisings, that wo might well wish back n"ain "the iron hand of Victorian naturalism." I canuot myself sharo that wish. Tlio mechanical theory,was so morally and spiritually deadening that wo may welt enduro a little wildness and extravagance in tin-owing it off. After all, thero is a j good deal of truth in Tennyson s suggestion—

" and may be wildest dreams Are but tho needful preludes of the truth." , God is adequate to the needs of all' His creatures, and the universe winch lib has built for our homo "is not a fixed mechanical system, but a Messianic order, in which the unlimited resources ol God are freely available to us for all good onds"—freelv available on condition of trust and obedicnce, and m proportion to our trust and obedience. A Vast Unrest.

\s to tlio second factor in our problem, t!ho alleged provisional character ot tlio Christian Lthic, I y have not time for any elaborate* discussion. 1101 do I think great elaboration necessarj. I think wo have -.it. hand a sufficient answer. It cannot indeed bo denied that .thci p in a provisional clement 111 tlio bthic. of the New Testament. Such an clement is pro >- nblv to bo found in the ethical tracliinu of St. Paul. But this is by no means tho dominant nolo in h>t. " lc i still less does it dominate the■ Lthicvot Christ'. It is, not the Christian Ethic which is showing itself impracticablo and unsuitcd to the modern world. On the contrarv, it is precisely the hitherto (lornilimit Bthic that is proving itself impracticable. For what do we see:- Uqi see tho Society, which litis moulded ltsci in. accordance with thu princip es ot tins dominant Ethic, everywhere the victim ot a vast unrest. Internally, the States of tho modern world are vent by class hatreds and antagonisms, wlueh threaten rovohition. Externally, they arc hjled with mutual suspicions ond jealousies, that nocessitate the wasting expenditure ot vast resources upon huge and e\er-gioi\ ing armaments, to tho impoverishing ot masses of their citizens. \ erilj, it- is the dominant Ethic that is unsuitcd to this ace. It is revealing its.impracticability before onr frightened eyes. What if the alleged "inierim Ethic of Jesus be tho verv Ethic which society neecl:-, it it i* to bo saved alive! 1 believe that it i>. If I am told that modern society will not and cannot adopt the Christian as its rule of life, my reply is that of .1 phvsician who should be told that some fever-stricken patient cannot and will not nonform to the laws of health; the patient must die; society must be cd. One final word: If the exposition of the Kingdom of Ood and the conditions 0" its full operation in tho world here given be sound, and I am conunced that it is, then we receive a call of appealing power to throw ourselves, as lve hove never dor.e, into the missionary work of tlio Church. The good powers of tho a"e lo come—of the Divine. Kingdom —are'available for (he redemption of man from sin and suffering and death. That we have seen is tho Christian (iOSpel'. Already indeed they are partially at work, but Oh! how partially. Tor their free, unfettered exercise they await mankind's response of trust and obedience. But how can t.hey (rust. and obo.y except they first, hear the good news? And" how eon (hey hear without a nreneher? IVrc is. as we have seen. 110 bivinel.v fixed date for the limil coiinncst of Hin evils which plague mankind. It is within our power, as Second Petei sajsi.

In hasten (lie coining of the day of God ami of (hat new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Ami if io hasten, then lo retard. 'J'Jii l ? is I!h----(remcnduiis alternative jiut. beforo this (.'huri'li to-day. "Behold," says the Church's living Head, "I liavo sot before 1 hoc- an open clour which no man can shut." Verily the door is wide open in Chimi, in Japan, in India, in Africa, in I lie islands of Ihp Sea. Shall we rise to our opportunity, or -shall we weakly nuail before the grandeur of our cull?

After disposing of various preliminaries —constitution of committees, receiving of notices of motion, etc.—tlio Synod adjourned (ill (his afternoon. In Iho evening members of tlm Synod Attended evensong at St. Paul's I'roCathedral, when t.lic Kev. J. H. Sykes, of Upper Unit, preached tlio sermon.