New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-04
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

TIE AUTHORS OF TIE BBLE.-Sermons
on and about the Bible are now being preached
all over the country. Some OF these avg
merely angry TeiteratiOns OF tradltionai anu
uDtenable positions 10y sincere but lil-lnlorIhCu
men, and may he passed 10y with lhdlileieI.o.
Others ably marshal all the arguments I'd IaNoi
of the traditional view of the Bible, Win can,
dor and honesty, and deserve respect. stu
Others embody the results of the latest ahu
best scholarship, and attempt TO pftselNe an
that is really inspired and true III inc Dloie'
free from the mistakes and accretohs oI Via
ditiOn. The Rev. DR.. +. J.. llOsmer, ot CleNe-
land, in sermon last Sunday spoke wisely
and revcrenty about this venerable pooh'
" What does it signify" he asked, II NOSES
did not write the Pentatcuch; II inc buok Oh
Deuteronomy does belong to an authorship
seven centuries later than was once supposed
if very few If the Psalms ascrlDed 10 DNIu
were written by him; II the age OF tiia' mon
arch was far less advanced really tthall Iaier
generations as they looked backward lhlaE
med it, and if our whole review OF ancient
Jewish civilization and the growth OF Its rellg-
ion from low and savage forms INTO IT'S luil
ethical and hobly thelstlc towering at lasi
must be largely modified by new ana more
thorough Investigation and research INC
same vehemencc of feeling Is not wont 10 oe
aroused elsewhere in such doubtful qucsti"hs'
There is the Imitation of Christ a lltte WORK
of dtv1ut Inedltai ms upon the lnWara anu
outward life which, as have read, mas oeen
SURPASSED
and the number of copies printed 10y ohlV one
book, and that is our Bible. 1t has become
manual of devotion. There has always peeh
some doubt az to it's authorship, though as
crlbed to Thomas kempls. But theories vi
some other authorship sometimes advanced
have not awakened any strong feeling, or leu
men to say that the va ue OF the oooh was
gone if Thomas 4 kemrls dld not Wilte IT,
Again, as you all know, Their" are some persons
who argle with much pauSlbllly tna' the pays
-. 4. ~ item
but by Lord Bacon, and while we would AL Oe
loath to take such ii crown from the OrOWs"l the
man to whom II really belonged anu set 1t
upOn anOthcrs, yet we should not Iccl tiaV the
q eat value of these works was essentially I'M
ualrcd tO us if il should sometime DC
proven that we had all along been mistaken Ill
their authorship. Again, we have many Dcai,
tifu hymns. mrtrical psalms we may can
them to be found in nearly all church collec-
tons Suppose it shOud I've discovered that
one hitherto ascTihcd 10 Charles W eSley VAS
not written by him, but 10y some unknown man
or woman living a little before or alter. Shuuld
we feel that the hymn was henctloith value
less or that the man discovering the tact was
undermining our faith ? NY then snouI1
we be much disturbed 10y theory that DAVID
did not write this or thar psalm or hymn III the
ancient Jewish collection ny dIStdI bcd ny
theories of non Mosaic authorship 81 Druiei-
uuomy, or greatly troubled IN our religious DC
lief at the pTuhaMlity revealed To ms now tha'
]
advanced beyond It's civilization IN Moses
timrl How can il touch or faith deeply to-
uay to know that EcclcsiastcS was not written
low Solomon bat many centuries later or thdt
the Book of Daniel Is nearly three centuries
later than the scenes II describes ana Is more
like n religious story. written Tor ltS moral,
than a record of actual historical events
Why are people 80 tenacious ol once accepted
views and hostile 10 al CRITICISMS, however
scholarly and rcVcrcut, which disturb item
rfr min q
that ha, come down to II, when they 30 not
mind similar changes oi view III all other his
tory and literature, including Their own
BrAr,uyI,u AND EuDDm~N-Broad Church
men are much more radical III LnEIand
than they are in this county. The Rev. Mr.
llawciS. clergyman of the English hutch,
recently preached on Brahminlsm ana juddl.
ism" IN the CuuHe Of lis sermon ne sdld
that every religion WAS IN It's essence sacred, rs
the secret warnings OF tie soul after the | IL
movable Sod. There was no cutiiely ne"
religion, as there was no new iahSnagr. lh9
same radical ideas REQUIRED. hc INTUITION 81
cod sense of human weakness, perception oil
Divine ORDER mystery of suffering, law oil
.arrliicc hope oi immortality these radicals
told of the unity and solidarity oil u religious
conscience IN the human race. Bfhlim'hlsm
WAS the ancient faith of India. The Brahmins
e.. 700 year. ago conquered the aboriglncS' ana
imposcd upon them their farm a1d rule, As IN
later DAYS the English have subau,h thc
IIndu Some centuries before Christ Buddh-
ism Auppantcd BIahmauism, aud relgncd
for 600 wears. At the present date about
5000, 900, or ouc-thrd OF the human race
alr B1ddMst, The Bmhmins have left no
monuments, only the NcdJs-thcir sacred
books. These records 80 back TO loo or
800 b. c. They give M ellmnstS OF Tie OLD
life of the peninsula. The Wild beasts are
now come to drink at the river; the elephant
roams through irc-scorchcd woods; the
troops of cattle are driven down 70 the sacr-
flee We see the hurdlc-surruundcd villages,
fine goldsmith, the carpenter, the king III his
-Ilvcr-drr kcd chariot, the priest on his gold
themsclyc, Grst Indispensable, and at last
Ike the Jewish on Catholic prcHts-intoltr-
alb burdcE-Omc TO the people. ht 80 are
sidc-lIghts from the We las. The old Brah-
mauism was folytheisuc, with SENSE OF a
Central Divine Essence or source, from
whence Agui, the fire or light god India, the
earth; the water, the wind gods, etc, derived
Vrda, there arose the source OF golden
light
Who il the God 10 whom we -hnl. -aciiicet
lie who brigntcfs The -Ay,
lie who make ntn the earth,
lie WHO assures inc air
lie who looks over the water Clouds
lie Is the God 90 whom. ctc'-
,rotds which remind Us Of other scriptures
= God is ueht.n our God Is q consuming hIc.
. O0rr sacrifices unto the LOrd,' etc. The
RrahI,ius taught that man was brought
tIrnu,,h sin into collision with the BrHhnls-
tl,c source of tnought-wh0 was also spoken OF
as Agui, the purifier. though at other tlmcs
Ami assumes Il minor personality near inc
Iiianv a thousand Yeas before Chrlst, rising
by the shores Oi the Gangc5:
May our rim be rcpcntcd OF. ... .,,,.,,,,
l.. al linz tl.u "a tttIl