HERESY TRIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 15 November 1929, Page 2

HERESY TRIAL

JONAH AND THE WHALE AS A “MYTH.”

LONDON, October 1

The recent controversy over the authenticity or otherwise of such Bible stories as ‘ these of Jonah and the Whale, Noah’s Ark, and the Tower of Babel is revived by a “heresy trial” which has just ended in Cape Colony. It will be recalled that in. ft remarkable volume of criticism published last November, Bishop Gore, the famous English theologian, who was its editor-in-chief, and the' writers who assisted him declared that such stories were without historical foundation and impossible of credence/

CHURCH SHOCKED. STELLENBSCH, Cape Colony, Sept. 30. The Stellenbosch Ring of the Dutch Reformed Church, after a trial lasting 14 days, has by 14 votes to 4 found Professor Duplessis, of the Stellenbosch Theological College, not guilty of the charges of heresy brought against him. The Ring, however, noted that the professor had used expressions capable of being misunderstood and found that his controversial methods were such that the minds of many faithful members of the Church were, without justification, shocked and grieved.

The Ring therefore exhorted Dr Duplessis henceforth to state his views on delicate theological points more circumspectly. Dr Duplessis promised to take the Ring’s exhortation deeply to heart.

Professor Duplessis was accused by the Fundamentalists of teaching that the Bible is inspired in it main purpose, but not in details. The principal accuser stated that, according to the professor, the historv of Jonah and the Whale might bo regarded as a child’s story merely illustrating the divine truth. “If you call these things children’s stories,’ you at once conflict with the whole creed of the Church,” this accuser declared.

Professor Duplessis, in his defence, which he conducted with great vigour, declared that the Reformer'-' themselves, with Calvin at their head, had all admitted that errors in the Bible must be recognised. Even St. Paul, he said, had admitted tha‘ many “facts” connected with Christ were merely a. matter of oral tiadition which lie passed on ns such. To insist on the infallibility of the Bible was the best wav to breed sceptics, the professor said, and to demand the sacrifice of reason in the approach to religion was to reduce religion to fetisliisvn. The trial was instituted by the Cura torium, the governing body oi the Stellenbosch Presbytery.