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[Jan.

Notes and Criticisms.

AR'fICLE IX.

NOTES AND CRITICISMS.
I.
MR. HUXLEY AND THE HEALING OF THE GADARENE, OR THE"SWINE MIRACLE."WE read that Jesus and his disciples in one of their journeys crossed the
Sea of Galilee, and that, near where they landed, was a man with an unclean
spirit, or, as in another verse, possessed with the devil. And when theman saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him. Then ensued a mostremarkable colloquy.
Jesus said, "Come out of him. thou unclean spirit."
The man cried with a loud voice, .. What have I to do with thee, Jesus.
thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee that thou torment me not."Jesus asked, "What is thy name?"
He answered, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
And he besought him much, not to send them away out of the country.
(Now there was, a good way off, near the mountains, a herd of about two
thousand swine feeding.)
And all the devils entreated him, saying, "Send us into the swine."
And Jesus gave them leave. And they went out of the man, and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place into thesea, and were drowned.
And they that fed the swine fled, and told in the city and in the country, what had occurred. When the people went to see what had been done.
they saw him that had been possessed with the devil, and had the Legion.
sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind.
This is what Mr. Huxley somewhat coarsely calls, "The Swine Miracle.'"He says he does not believe a word of it, but that" all he knows of law andequity teaches him, that the wanton destruction of other people's property is.
a misdemeanor of evil example." By which, if he intends anything morethan a meaningless, malicious Ilur, which I should hate to believe him capable of uttering, he asserts that, if the account is true, Jesus was gUilty of
a wicked and objectless destruction of other people's property.
The truth seems to me to be directly the opposite, and I hope to show,
that, .. if the account is true," the destruction of the swine, so far from being
a wanton act, i. e. objectless, or as children say, just for fun, was justified byreasons of ample importance.

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I

Jesus professed to have come into the world on a mission to redeem thehuman race, and to raise it to n higher and nobler life. He claimed for himself the highest possible authority, saying that he was the Son of God. He
offered two lines of proof, one founded on the exalted character of his tench·
ing,-with this 1fe have now nothing to do,-the other on his lordship over
tbe world of matter, and the invisible worl~ of spirits. He healed diseases,
opened the eyes of tbe blind, and tbe: ears of the denf, restored witheredlimbs, and raised the dead. Even the winds and wnves obeyed him, and became suddenly calm, as if at his word inertia and momentum had ceased.
By walking on the water, he caused gravitation to recognize in him itl master.
As tohis power over tbe invisible world demonstrative proof was moredifficult. We read, it is true, that he cast out devils many other times, but
those acts lacked that completeness of proof, which ,o",p~U~d llu o"look~rl
to admit the reality of the miracle. When a blind man had been healed,
his friends could see what had been done. When the child of Jairus wasrestored to life, her parents and others could see her, talk with her, walkwith her, and be sure that she was alive. But when devils were cast out,
there was no evidence that the persons from whom they were said to be expelled, were aft\icted with anything worse than a more or less acute mania,
complicated with epilepsy. An important link was lacking in the chain of
proof. This omission was supplied by the occurrences on the shores of theLake of Galilee. As in other cases of demoniacal possession, it might bepossible to explain the man's part in the transaction as due to one of thosehallucinations, common even now among the insane, in which the unhappy
suifrer regards himself as possessed bodily with a host of evil spirits.
There would be nothing remarkable in a lunatic's addressing Jesus as he did,Dor in his asking permission for the sllpposed spirits to enter into the swine.
And, reducing it all to the plane of an ordinary transaction, and, regarding
Jesus as only a man, it wOllld not be strange tha~ he shollid humor thepoor creatllre, and give the permission sought. Bllt here explanation on
sllch a theory, comes to a dead stop. For as soon as Jeslls gave leave to go
into the swine, something went from the· man, and left him .. sitting, and in
his right mind." A fit of insanity, it is quite conceivable, might sllddenly
cease. But no hallucination, no insanity, no form of mental disorder, nobodily disease, cOllld go hllrtling throllgh the air to the herd of swine which
up to this moment had been quietly feeding" a good way off." Whatever it
was, it had power to make them leave their feeding-place, break away fromtheir keepers, and, contrary to the instincts of their race, run violently into
the sea. What went from the man to the swine was invisible and incorpureal.
It had power to move from place to place. It asked for, and waited for, permission. It had exercised its faculties in wrecking the unfortunate man who
had been possessed, and it desired to destroy the swine. In short, it was acompany of evil spirits. No other explanation is possible; in no other way
can the fact be accounted for, that, when Jesus gave leave to whatever it wasin the man, the swine at once ceased feeding and ran violently into the sea.

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Notes mzd Crr:tt'cis11ls.

co If the account is true," it follows, thel'efore, not, as Mr. Huxley
charges, that Jesus was guilty of a wanton destruction of other people's.
property-a wicked and unreasonable act,-but that, in order to demonstrate
a truth of value infinitely transcending the value of any number of herds ofswine, he saw lit to give those spirits license to show their power and malevolence;. I do not know of any way In which the same result could have beenas satisfactorily attained with less injury. "If the account is true," it seenlS
unm!cessary to discuss the ownership of the swine, in the presence of him
who was the Son of God and who gave such proof of his divinity. If all
governments have the right of eminent domain, how much higher was his.
right who, "if the account be true," was Creator of both the swine andthei r owners!
As to the importance of this act, it seems to me that none of Christ's.
miracles, except his resurrection, was equal to it. They served to demonstrate
his power over the visible world only. Even raising the dead did no more,for, in all of those cases, there was no evidence that anything was done morethan to set again in motion the bodily mechanism which had stopped. But
this miracle would prove the existence of an invisible, incorporeal, spirit
world, of living sentient beings, powers of evil, whose chosen work was to.
do injury. It would prove, too, their inferiority in power to Christ, and thatthey were held in check by him.
To me the truth of this narrative is not a mere hypothesis, made for thesake of determining whether Christ did right or wrong; as, in a play we decide upon the character of the actors and their deeds as if it were nil true.
To me it is all real, and I am glad to believe that Christ actually did allow
this manifestation of power and malevolence. It lifts, the curtain, and by a
glimpse of what is beyond, proves so much.
It is wOI·thy of notice, as illustrating Christ's character, that by no otheract did he inflict suffering on any sentient creature. One act of this kind
was needed to demonstrate the reality of demoniacal possession. One in-stance did it. A repetition could do no more.
Christ's object in permitting the devils to destroy the swine is so patent,
that I am surprised that Mr. Huxley should speak of it as a wanton act.
Perhaps, however, this is no more remarkable than that he, who in aU
other matters is so keen to question, and so ready to reject any and everything which rests on tradition, should base attack after attack on the Bible
story of creation, on no better foundation than an unexamined tradi tional
exposition of its teachings. It proves that the weaknesses-1lhall I say the
prejudices ?-of human nature are not confined to theologians, nor even tothe" Interpreters of Genesis," of whom Mr. Huxley entertains so Iowan
opinion.
CHARLES B. WARRING.
Pougltkupsil!, NI!W York.

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II.
OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS.
THE past year has bro.ught to Bible students who are not specialists in
Assyriology, continuations in two series of translations of texts. A fifth volume of the" Records of the Past" has appeared, 1I0t confined as were thevolumes of the old series to inscriptions of a single land, but containing a
selection of .. recol'ds .. of various lands. Another part of the" KeilinschriftIiche Bihliothek" under Schrader's care has appeared, viz., the first half of thethird volume_ It contains inscriptions of the Old Babylonian rulers. A
fourth volume, complt'ting the series as contemplated, will contain religious
and poetical inscriptions. There will follow an extra volume giving the Tel
el-Amurna tablets. It is a pleasure to reflect now a.nd then that it is not necessary for every student to do all the wOlk that is to be done. Professor
Sayee especially may be relied upon to keep us posted through the Academy
and other pa.pers, as well as in his own publications, of important discovedes\n his line. In view of the intense interest with which all Bible students arewatching the excavators, the criticism passed upon him and others that they
are sensational in their reports, seems unwarranted. The results of recent
work of the Exploration Fund in Palestine has been to renew our confidence
that the Holy Land has secrets which it can and will reveal abollt itself, andwe shall by-and-by not be shut up to records of foreign countries to learn
what experiences that land passed through. It is deservedly a popular theme
for writers and for speakers to show the relation of these discovel'ies to the
Old Testament. Numerous publications have appeared during the year thatplace before lay readers the important results.
English students wait with great anticipation for the completion of the various series of commentaries appearing in England. In the" Expositor's Bible"
most of the volumes of the year are upon the New Testament, but McLaren
has published the first volume of the Psalms. In the "Cambridge Bible" Professor Davidson's" Ezekiel" has been well received. His work upon Job was
one of the best of the earlier volumes, and this last volume finds a hearty reception. It is profound and clear, with fine appreciation of the theologicalrelations of the prophecy. The New Testament section of the series has been
completed the last year. Parker's" People's Bible" is complete with the seventeenth volume, as for the Old Testament, and lacks two volumes upon theNew_
Of interest to the Bible student are the views expressed by Ex-President
Fairchild of Oberlin in his newly published" Elements of Theology," as tothe nature of inspiration_ The chapter treating of the subject has been printed
in this periodical, and the "Theology" has been reviewed; but coming as
they do from one who is nearing the end of a long career, and especially because that career has been a theologian'S, it is well to draw attention to themagain. The truth of Chri&tianity turns, he believes, not on the inspiration of the
Scriptures, but on their truthfulness. Investigation of inspiration way bealong two lines. First, if inspired the writings will show it; they do show it,

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not in that they are true, but because-he is speaking especially of the Gospel
narratives-they are free from speculations and admixture of human elements
and comments. The wisdom involved in the records as written and preserved
is more than human wisdom. Second, Do the sacred writers claim inspiration? They are truthful, snd, if they claim it, it must be conceded. They doclaim it, but it is noticeable that they do not appeal to it for credence. Deciding between absolute and essential inspiration, he remarks that the former,
securing as it would absolute accuracy in detail, must be absolutely proven,in order to be of value. From the nature of things it cannot be proven. Absolute inspiration must be supplemented by infallible accuracy in the present
text, by the same quality in the Cllnon, by the same quality in translator
and in interpreter. The two theories then, as a matter of fact, lead practically to the lame result: we must use our own judgment in the application of
the Scriptures, and this involves of course an element of uncertainty. The
mode of inspiration i. dynamic, not verbal. The value of inspiration is tosecure for us the Bible as we have it. We prove inspiration by the excellence of the Bible, not via V~"S/J. The exc.ellence comes from the inspiration, not from the proof of it. The Scriptures will not fiy into fragmentswith every slight scratch, as does a Prince Rupert's drop.
These views, long held and taught by a theologian now seventy-fiveyears of age, are worthy of attention.
There has been unusual activity in work upon the Apocryphal books of
the Old Testament and upon the Septuagint.· The first part, covering thefirst two letters, of a .. Concordance to the Septuagint lind the other Greek
versions of the Old Testament" has appeared, edited by Hatch and Redpath.
This work has open field, its only competitor, if such it can be named, being
Trommius published in [7[8. A perfect concordance is impossible. Thismight have been bettered, the reviewers think, by including Lagarde's" Septuagint" and Fritzsche's" Apocrypha," by introducing pronouns and particles.
Having done their duty and found something to criticise, said reviewers will
doubtless find the Concordance a very convenient lind useful help to the studyof the Septuagint.
One of the most convenient English texts of the Apocrypha is edited by
C. J. Ball, author of the volume upon Jeremiah in the" Expositor's Bible." It
is the" Variorum Apocrypha," upon the plan of the" Variorum Bible," whichhas proven itself so excellent for English readers. The more unfamiliar lind inaccessible the material introduced in the work, the more valuable it will be; so
we may expect great things from this new aid. The" Variorum Bibl!' " isworthy of more general use in Sabbath-schools and Bible classes.
The work just mentioned is one of the signs of the times. The recent
intensified study of the Old Testament as literature has led to the thought,discovery shall we say?-that if we are investigating literature as it exhibits
mental traits and acquirements, we are bound to study also the extra-canonical books of the Old Testament. In addition to various works upon individual writings, there is gradually forming a literature upon the Apocrypha

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177

as a whole. John E. H. Thomson'. "Books which Influenced our Lord and
His Apostles," is held not to have justified its title by tracing out unmistakably any noticeable inflnence of apocryphal theology upon the teachings or
JesUB, but it does contain an excellent account of the book. themselves.
More recent is William J. Deane's "Psendepigrapha," and "Psalms of the
Ph:uisees," by Ryle and James.
Kautzsch and Socin's original method of exhibiting the sources of thePentateuch has given rise to quite a literature upon the same general plan.
Bacon's" Genesis of Genesis," in which, by the way, the translation forms
but a small part of the work contained in the book, has received very favorable notice in this country and in Germany. Budde points to it as another indication that American scholarship i. advancing. Then there is Bissell's"Genesis Printed in Colors," Fripp's "Composition of the Book of Gene,is:with English Text and Analysis," and while writing this paragraph the daily
paper announces" The Documents of the Hexateuch Translated and Arranged," by W. E. Addis.
.
Apropos of the advance of American scholarship mentioned by Budde,
we may point with pride to the evident success of the "International Theo·
logical Library," in which the work is evenly divided between Great Britain
and this country. Driver's Introduction is in its fourth edition, and Smyth's
Ethics i. finding its way already into the colleges as a text· book. We remember also the Hebrew Lexicon from which we expect so much. The past year
has witnessed no further publication, to be sure, but in the face of exasperating interruptions the work is going forward.
In spite of these truly great undertakings, we have to confess that we are
far behind Great Britain in the matter of Theological literature. Our contributions to the development of the church of Christ is just now along the'line of heresy trials.
Ryle's .. Canon of the Old Testament" is an important work of the year,
to which may be added for English readers the translation of Buhl's work
upon the Canon and Text.
Germany is showing that the Dillmann type of commentary is not the only
one t,hat it can produce. The Strack and Z6ckler series is continued by theappearance of part of the vl)lume by Strack upon the first books of the Pentateuch. Strack has the faculty of condensation in an eminent degree and heis moreover one of the most conservative of German scholars-to the detriment of his IC holarship some of the Germans think-and for both of thesereasons his work appeals to us Americans. There has just come to hand, toolate for even a cursory examination, Duhm's "Jesaiao" This is a volume in
Nowack's" Handkommentar," and gives promise of attracting wide attention.
The Expontory Times starts upon its fourth volume with the best wishesof its readers. It is bright, though not flashy, popular without being unlearned, and is a valuable addition to our periodical literature. The Ht6raica
and Old and Nt1IJ Ttslammt Sludmt, judging from appearances-and non-VOL. L. NO. 197.

12

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appearances,-are in an uncertain state. Could the Ih"ra;~a give less space
to Syriac literature, and could the St"dent be a little more studious, they
'Would suit at least one reader better.
We must here close this sketch, leaving it rambling and imperfect; it ishoped that future numbers with a more definite terminus a f"O as to literature
noticed, and a less imminent and imperative terminfls ad pem as to the no·tice of the literature, the field of Old Testament books may be better covered
and the New Testament may be noticed in a similar way.

Ill.
MORE BOOKS ON THE SUNDAY QUESTION.
THE note entitled" New Books on the Sunday Question" which was
published in the October number of the Bj"liDtlu~a Sa~ra was received witha degree of interest which, together with some requests for further information, warrants our referring to several other works, most of them less recent,but all worthy of notice.
One of the ablest of recent contributions to the literature of this subject
is .. Eight Studies of the Lord's Day." 1 It is a defence of the Christian
Sabbath against the views of Hessey, and has 'attracted unusual attention. It
is published anonymously, and was intended at first for private circulation,
but is now placed on the market.
Another work defenuing the Christian Sabbath is Stacey's "Day ofRest." Its arguments are those usually adduced in favor of the aacrednessof the Lord's Day, and it contains some ingenious diagrams which have been
copied into other books on the subject.The Fletcher Prize Essay for 1884 is "The Abiding Sabbath," by Rev.
George Elliott. It supports with ability the perpetual obligation of the
Lord's Day.'.. The Sabbath: Its Defense," by W. W. Everts, D.D., holds that the
Sabbath was instituted in Eden, enforced by Moses, reaffirmed by Christ, observed by the Church, and is perpetuated in the Lord's Day.'"The Sabbath of the Bible," by S. H. Nesbit, D.O., begins with thecontemplation of God as a Sabbath-keeper, and enforces the duty of the ob·
I Eight Studies of the Lord's Day. Boston and New York: Houghton,
Mifflin & Company. (Pp. 292. 3}(x5~.) 184 $1.50.
I Day of Rest: Its Obligations and Advantages. By James Stacey, D.O.
Richmond, Va.: Whittet & Shepperson. 1885. (Pp. 318. 3}(x5~.) $1.00.

'The Abidinlt Sabbath. By Rev. George Elliott. New York: American Tract Society. 1884- (Pp. 280. 3}(X5~.) $1.00.
'The Sabbath: Its Permanence, Promise, and Defense. By W. W. Everts, D.O. New York and Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Co. 1885. (Pp.
278. 3J4x5~.) $1.00.

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179

servance of the day whose ~pirit remains unchanged though the time has beenaltered, as, he holds, might have been expected. 1" Prize Essays" I treats of the temporal advantages of the Sabbath considered in relation to the laboring classes. It does not go into clitical questions, its merit being that the essays are by English working·men, and wereselected, in 1848, from more than II thousand such, as best setting forth thesubject from the working-men's point of view.
Two, concise and inexpensive works are those by Agnew and Dabney.
Both are practical rather than theological, though the latter treats the question somewhat from the point of view of the theological professor, and theintroductory essay in the former gives some attention to critical questions.'
Two \'ery able works supporting the Saturday Sabbath by A. H. Lewis,
D. D., and from the point of view of the Seventh-Day Baptists, are" Biblical
Teachings Concerning the Sabbath and the Sunday," and "A Critical Historyof Sunday Legislation." The latter clllims tbat the day and the spirit of legislation in favor of its observance have always been essentially heathen.'"The Two Republics of Rome and the United States" displays a iooddeal of historical research, and suggests important comparisons and contrasts
between the two republics. The Sunday question is treated among others andfrom the Seventh-Day Adventist position. Its best argument is that against
Sunday legislation, as set forth in the appendix, which gives an account of
the persecution of Adventists in Arkansas under a statute of whose injusticethere Clln be no question.'
Rev. D. M. Canright, for twenty·eight years a minister of the SeventhDay Adventist faith, writes a trenchant work entitled" Seventh-Day Adventism Renounced," which will be of interest to those who wish to study thequestion in all its phasea. 8
1 The Sabbath of the Bible. By S. H. Nesbit, D.D. Brighton, Pa.
For sale by the widow of the author. 1890. IPp. 216. 3J'x6.) 7S cents.
S Prize Essays on the Temporal Advantages of the Sabbath. Philadelphia:
Presbyterian Board of Publication. 1848. (Pp. 72. 3J(xSH.) 80 cents.
'A Manual on the Christian Sabbath. By John Holmes Agnew. With
Introductory Essny by Rev. S. Miller, D. D. 18S2. (Pp. 198. 2Hxs.) 40
cents;-The Christian Sabbnth: Its Nature, Design, and Proper Observance.
By R. L. Dabney, D.D., LL.D. 1882. (Pp.93. 3x5J'.) So cents. Bothpublished by the Presbyterian Board of Publication.
, Biblical Teaching Concerning the Sabbath and the Sunday. By A. H.
Lewis, D. D. Second Edition, Revised. Alfred Center, New York: American Sabbath Tract Society. 1888. (Pp. 144. 3](,xSJ(.) 60 cents;-Critical History of Sunday Legislation fr~m 321 to 1888 A. D. By A. H. Lewis,
D. D. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 1888. (Pp. 279. 3J(xSJ(.) $1.2S.
6 The Two Republics of Rome and tbe United States.
By Alonzo T.
Jones, D. D. Battle Creek, Mich.: Review and Herald Pub. Co. 1891.
(Pp. 895. 3~x6~.)
e Seventh-Day Adventism Renounced. By Rev. D. M. Canright. New
York nnd Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Co. 1889. (Pp. 412. 3~x6.)
Cloth, $1.S0; paper, 60 cents.

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Notes and Criticisms.

" The Sabbath in History," by Dr ..Isaac Schwab, Rabbi of St. Joseph,Mo., treatl the question from the Jewish standpoint, regards Jesus as a Sabbath·breaker, and holds rigidly to the day commanded by the Mosaic law, andto its appropriate observance as the author regards it. This will be, whencompleted, a work of no little importance to Christian as well as Jewish
scholars. 1
A very instructive pamphlet, and one that may be had for the asking, isthe" Sunday Rest Bill" hearing, before the Senate Committee in 1888. It
indicates, not only what men of different minds are thinking and saying on
this question, but also how well they are able to maintain their positions
when brought face to face.We give these references, in order that this note, with that which it isintended to supplement, may indicate to our readers the best of recent litera·ture on this important question, from all points of view, so far as it has
been brought to the attention of the reviewer. For the most recent books
we refer again to our October (1892) number, pages 681-68+
1 The Sabbath in History. By Rabbi Isaac Schwab. Part I. The Old
Testament Sabbath. Part II. The Sabbath in Primitive Christianity. Published for the author. St. Joseph, 'do. 1889. (Pp. 320. 4X6~.) A Third
Part is promised.
I Miscellaneous Document No. 43, Soth Congress, 2d Session.
Wash·
ington, D. C.: Government Printing Office. (Pp. ISO. 4~x7~.) It may
be obtained free through your member of Congress.

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