“THE BIBLE AS A BOOK.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2278, 19 May 1921, Page 1

“THE BIBLE AS A BOOK.”

CHIEF RABBI’S ADDRESS

“THE EPIC OF THE WORLD.”

Dr. J. H, Hertz, Chief Jewish Rabbi in the British Empire, delivered a most interesting and informative lecture at the Town Hall, Wellington, on Monday night, to a crowded audience.

The name “Bible,” stated Dr. Hertz, came from the Latin “biblia,” which meant “the book.” So, that “Bible” was a very appropriate name for this “Book of Books.” No other name could, possibly bring in in the same way the uniqueness of the Bible. It was the book of the

ancient, times, the book of the mediaeval ages, the book of the modern world. It was, as a well-known sceptic had stated—be did not care to go to “pious parsons” for opinions as to the Bible—“the epic of the world.” Even the bare, brutal statistics showed the uniqueness of the Bible. Shakespeare had been translated into TO languages, Tolstoy into 55, but the Bible into 425; and nearly 200 million copies of the English Bible alone had been distributed during the 'past 100 years. (Applause.) In many eases, in that of the Schavonic, alphabets had been specially provided for languages so that they could be written and the Bible might be translated into them. The Bible, alone amongst books, had created languages and produced literatures.

The Greek word “biblia,” from which the Latin word was derived, meant not ‘•book," but ‘‘books"; not "sacred writings.” And tlie Bilikwas not only a book, but a collection of books, a whole library ui. books, a literature. (Applause.) In the Ill’st part of the Bible were 2-1 books, according to the Hebrew reckoning; 3!) according to the Bril - ish reckoning, which made two books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, “to. In the ancient Hebrew literature the Bilde was called “the book of the 21 books." The Greekspeaking dews had, in addition, the 14 books of the Apocrypha; and in the English Bible were also the 27 books of the New Testament. But dial would not form part of his lec.ture that night. His Jewish friends would not expect him to give them an addrss on the New .testament, and bis uon-Jewish friends present would be far greater experts on the New Testament than any Jewish i alibi could possibly be ( Laughter and applause). UNITY IN INFINITE VARIETY.

In support of lii> claim that I lie Bible was not only a hook Iml a literature. Dr. Hertz pointed out that it contained history, constitutional hiw, ecclesiastical law, epic and lyric poetry, biography, memoir, drama, and so on. And yet, with all the infinite variety of its content-; there was a greater unity found in the Bible than in any other literature under the sun. I here was in the Bible only one answer to the question, “What is God? “I.lm eternal power that makes for righteousness, the eternal aqd everlasting Father.” There was only one answer to the question, “What is Man?” The Bible all along upheld the value of human life, the dignity of man as man. If did not say that man was created in the image of the crocodile or of the ape; but “In the image iif God, who created He him. (Applause.). Again throughout, the great, tiling In tlm Hebrew Bible was iße reality of sin. The Bible was not written by jesters for jesters.

The Hebrew Scriptures brought out seriously and plainly the infinite abyss between righteousness and unrighteousness. There was only one answer in the Scriptures to the question as to wlmt constituted man’s cardinal sin. According to the Hebrew Bible, man’s cardinal sin was “man’s inhumanity to man.” And man’s cardinal duty was “to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.” Underlying all the hooks was the democratic spirit. The Bible, he declared, was the most, democratic book in the world. Four hundred years before Abraham Lincoln, John - Wyeliffo "had said that the Bible stood for “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” (Applause.) It had been down the ages the Magna Clmrta of the poor and

the oppressed, the instigator of revolution against tyranny and wrong. (Applause.) Many hundreds of years ago Isaiah had prophesied that a. time would come when “Nation shall not, lift up the sword lignins t nation. Neither shall they learn war any more.” As General Smuts had declared, “The father of (he League of Nations was Isaiah, of Jerusalem." (Loud applause.)