, 1879-01-26
THE BIBLE QUESTION.

| ENGLET00D, dan. 32.-Slnce am reader O
/ THE TRIBUNE it is to besupposed that I, Will
many others, have been greatly amused b,
! Nathaniel's ttComedy OF Errors" in which ht
succeeds in proving to the public his own lack o
| Biblical learning, but not single contradiction
I Of the Scriptures.
It is but courtesy to assume that n. WAS sin
ccrc in making his weak objections to the Bible
and vet neither truth nor courtesy will alIos u:
to assume that he has an independent krowl
edge Of the subject with which he has attempted
to amlise the great world that looked INTO TIL
TRIBUNE this morning. It might be rejecting
on the literary honor, and personal, intellectual
independence OF N.to hint that the objections ht
offers have not sprung from hin own iDyestiga
tions.. They favor Of Tom Paine, who wrote
the first part Of 'sAgc OF Reason" without
having Bible 1t hand to study. Why does n
ASSERT that contradictions occur and vet fail tl
point out the books, chapters, and verses, where
they may be found! If be borrowed his pbjec-
tions he is excusable for this omission: but hc
can have no excuse for appearing as d critic
against the Bible unless it be to amase rather
than instruct mea. / venture that n. neye1
found Que OF these 6o-cal1cd contradictions him
self, since he has not put his finger oa one chan-
ter in lFhich contradiction appears, although
he has the presumption to assert that there are
more contradictions in the Bible than there are
chapters. To say nothing about Ms inconsist-
eucy in assailing the person who counted the
verses, etc, OF tie great Book because it was a
useless and unimpoltans thing, let us look into
his first great and startling contradiction. The
robe placed slpon Jesus at Pilates hall is de-
scrbed as ''scarlctn by one writer, while an
other says 1t was "purplc-" Ergo, contradic-
tion.
There is no doubt that 1t was royal robe,
and as such might have been scarlet or purple.
Nora hnr, frunt hp Of krPh a tint that
one would cali il scarlet. or crimson, while
another would call it purple. Doubtless it Is
known to n. that the purple Of the ancients
included many different ttnts- Moreover, the
Hebrews were acquainted with wbat was called
"A.earnon.'' reddish purple, and also
"Tccheleth," Blush or ccrulean purple. II
one Of the Apostles calls the robe s'scarlct"
and another ':purple," then instead of a contra
diction we have two truths united, viz. that
the robe was purple and that it was OF that tint
which is called reddish purple, as distinguished
from blush purple. Let us say in reference to
the second so-cailed contradiction, that the
words, ''He assembled from Bethany. and
"sun,mit OF Mount 0liyet," do not appear In
sion OF Christ. This coming OF sentences and
words to suit the purpose will not do. But per-
haps n. is not sufficiently up" i'll the language
OF Scripture to be precise In his quotations ~.
On this point, if any contradiction occurs, st.
Luke contralicts himself, and the contradiction
lies between Luke, xiv, 5o-51, and Acts, l.. II.
The first statement Of the APOSTLE is this, land
lie led them out us far as Bethany" etc. then
follows the ascension. Ihisis the second state
mcnt, which refers to what took place after the
from the mount called Oliyct.'' Now for the
wonderful contradiction. Bethany was On the
eastern slope Of Mt. OliVet. So that the Snvior
could be in both OF these places at the same
time, just as easily rs n. can live in Chicago
and on the shore of Lake Michigan at the
ear1t finn Tins the ascension fDnE