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4 THE PRESBYTERIA
WHAT IS THE HIGHER CRITICISM?
A correspondent asks us to define for him what is
meant by the "higher criticism." The term is somewhat
vague, and capable of various definitions. But
there are some clear characters that may be noted.
There arc three forms of criticism, the lower, the
higher, and the radical. The two latter are often
confused.
The lower criticism has to do with the exact text
of the Bible. In early centuries the Scripture was preserved
through copies made with the pen. Not all the
copyists were perfect. Special efforts were made to
secure me greatest accuracy, yet some minor variations
crept into the manuscript copies of the Bible. Most
of them are as slight as would be the spelling in
English of the word honor with or without the letter
"u." A few are more important. The lower criticism
undertakes to compare the various manuscripts and
take notice of any various readings that may be found.
The higher criticism proper undertakes to consider
questions of authorship, of date, etc. To illustrate:
At the close of each one of the Epistles of Paul, in
the ordinary copies of the Testament, we find a subscription,
which reads, "Written from" such a place.
These subscriptions were not written by Paul, but by
some copyist. Not all of them correspond to the contents
of the epistle. The first epistle to the Corinthians
is marked as "written from Philippi." But the contents
of I Corinthian* rtS* irk and -? C~ -
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12 and 13, intimate that the first epistle was written
weeks before Paul came to Philippi. Of such a fact
as this the higher criticism wotild take notice. So also
the higher critic considers the testimony of the ancient
fathers as to the fact that this hook or that one was
accepted by the early Church as inspired. Such is the
sphere of the higher criticism.
Over and beyond this is another which we call the
radical criticism, which some men mean when they
sav higher criticism. Tt pndpavnre
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Scriptures to the test of our rationalistic conclusions.
We have seen that the real higher criticism brings them
to the test of historical facts; the radical criticism to
the test of human opinions, as to what is probable concerning
the origin of this or that book.
The radical criticism questions whether there was
ever such a person as Noah on earth. It doubts
whether Abraham ever lived. It hesitates about accepting
the Pentateuch as the work of Moses, and
holds that it was written about the time of the Babylonian
captivity. It opens the inquiry whether the
narrative of the Garden of Eden and of Adam's sin and
of the covenant of redemption (found in the third
chapter of Genesis) is anything more than a myth or
a legend. Nay, it goes so far as to deny that Jesus was
born of a virgin, or that he was more than a mere man,
and reduces his precious teachings and miracles to the
regions of doubt.
It bases these questionings not on historical facts
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.v?w.wwi?va, uul amipi^ uii uic iancies 01 tne critic.
It finds in the first chapter of Genesis that God is
described by the Hebrew word Elohim, and in the
second thapter by the Hebrew word Jehovah, and at
once avers that the two chapters could not both have
proceeded from the pen of Moses. (A conclusion that
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is foolish indeed, as soon as one considers the difference
in the theme of the two chapters, for the first
chapter tells of creation and the second of God's
covenant.) And it proceeds to split up the sacred narratives
into innumerable fanciful sections, till the patience
of the pious reader of the Bible is exhausted.
An example of its teachings is found in a sermon
of Rev. Prof. Wenley, of the University of Michigan,
in which he said:
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which have been proven thoroughly false, others absurd,
and still more may be exploded any day? . . .
For religion we must apply to our religious consciousness
even if, in the process, we lose Christianity."
The effect of the radical criticism is to destroy all
reverence for the Bible and by denying its inspiration
. to leave us without any infallible guide for our lives.
Its highest conclusion is that the Bible is not the Word
of God, but only that it contains the Word of God,
leaving the poor bewildered reader to discover what
parts arc inspired and safe for him to follow and what
are not. It is to undermine our faith in the Word of
God and to leave us at sea as to vital matters respecting
salvation. It is one of the worst foes with which
vital piety has to meet. In some parts of this country
it has found many followers and has marred the use
luiutss ui many a pasiur.
In one of our exchanges last week we saw two articles.
One urged the conclusion that Abraham was
only a myth; the other informed us that the membership
of Christian Endeavor in New England is on the
decline. While yet another article in a New Yorkpaper
tells us that the number of candidates for the
ministry is woefully low. No wonder! This decay
in church life i= the natural fruitage of the radical
criticism.
T. E. C.
A MULTITUDE A SAD SIGHT.
It is an old story of the classics that Xerxes was
happy when first he looked upon his great army. His*
ships covered and hid the waters of the Hellespont,
and a vast multitude of men crowded the coast of Abydos.
He was happy in the sense of power, and in the
hope of conquest, and glory. But a moment after he
burst into tears. When asked by his uncle, Artabanus,
why he wept, he said that it was because all of this
multitude would so soon die, and not one be living in
a hundred years. But Artabanus said it was not human
mortality that moved him, but the sadness of human
life; not that all of these men would die, but that
all would be pressed by care and sorrow.
Matthew tells that when our Lord saw the multitude
that followed him, having nothing to eat for three days,
lie had compassion 011 them. And Mark gives the great
reason, "they were as sheep not having a shepherd."
They were ignorant and wandering, with no one to
guide and protect them and bring them to a safe fold.
They were soon tq die and knew nothing of an unwasting
and everlasting hope. They were burdened
with want and cares, and sorrows, and knew not where
to go for comfort. And beneath all this they were sinful,
and had no one to point them to the only Savior of
sinhers. It was not the shortness of life, nor the hun%