The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-03-15
THE APOCRYPHA.
An Advocate of the Old
Books.
SOME OF TOBITs' BEAUTIES.
A Review of the History and Compo-
sition of These Ancient Vol
uInes of Sacred Writ.

by the Roman Catholic church, as
canonical. The exceptions are the
two books of "Esdras" and the Prayer
of Manassas" The other books were
adiudged canonical by the council of
Carthage, in A. D. 397, and again on
April Sth, 1916, by the Council OF Trent.
They are not considered canonical by
the Anglican and Lutheran churches
yet they permit them to be printed
witch the books of the Old and
New Testament, and read for instruc-
ton" Other branches of the Christian
church have deemed them apocryphal-
that is, from the Greek apocryto, to hide,
to conceal Ga hidden meaning being
ascribod to it). In consequence of this
view, no other Bible society than the
Anglican and Lutheran has printed it.
The books of the Apocrypha were
never admitted into the Jewish canon,
for it is supposed that the destruction of
the Jewish state which had occurred,
A. ID. 70, naturally made them
accept with exclusive admiration
those works which were received
as canonical before that event. Already
they had been asking for admission in
the Jewish canon, and would, no doubt.
have been'admitted but for the destrue-
ton of the great city. They were adj
mltted by the Alexandrian Jews, as the
calamity did not seriously affect them.
From them it passed over to the Chris
tan church. By the early scholars OF
that church they were often quoted as
of equal authority with the Old Tesla
ment. and their influence in the doc
trines of the church is unmistak-
able. The Council of Carthage,
which decided on the canonicity
OF 1.-The New Testament, confirmed by
that of Trent, as before stated, also
declared the books of the Apocrypha
true and worthy. There are no good
reasons why these books should not be
received as well as those of the Old
Testament, for the argument of our
Protestant divines against their recep-
ton are for the greater part illogical.
The peurility of certain portions Of the
writings are charged upon the whole
work. They say that the books are
not written in Hebrew but neither
were those of the New Tesla
ment for the same good reasons.
Hebrew was not the language of
the times and places where they were
written, and some of the later books of
the Old Testament are written in a
different Hebrew from the earlier ones;
and whatever initiates against their
intrinsic worth could be as fairly made
against the old book. The most doubt
full history of the Apocrypha is not
more questionable than those of the
"Ghronicles" and is less misrepresented.
The angel that visits and accompanies
Tobit is no more to be doubted than
the angel that guided Jacob, which re-
deemed him from all evil. The general
spirit of the Book of Judith
| is not SO vengeful or bitter as the book
of Esther. in which the name of God is
not mentioned. In the Old Testament
the books differ among themselves in
significance and value. In the Apoc-
rypha there are books which, if not
equal to some in the Old Testament,
are surely superior to others. We
could spare "Ecclesiastes" and'' Esther"
much better than the Wisdom of Sol
onion" and "Eccleslasticus." The first
book of "Maccabees" is chapter
could lily spare, while "Chron-
Il
contribution to The history of opinions
has no such moral energy, or recites no
such unyarnished tale of heroism aud
constant faithfulness. Handel's genins
discovered its own when Judas Mac
cabaeus' was made one OF his most
glorious oratoros. High art is meyer
sectarian or narrow, and hence it has
found a never-failIng fountain of inspir-
/ ing suggestionin the Apocrypha. Poetry,
painting and music have found in it
some of their grandest themes and their
deepest inspiration. The artist is
more susceptible TO what is in
spring, and hence is more inspired than
the narrow theologian whose feelings
are prescribed to an unyielding creed.
1t is not, however, my purpose at
present, to give review of the Apo
crypha. Opportunity and space will
| barely permit me to give an outline of
the Book of Tobit. This book has
fallen into undeserved contempt in.
England and America, but it is to be
hoped that attention having been
drawn to its beauty, it may be read and
studied with new emotion and interest.
tits the story of q faithful Jew of the
! Assyrian captivity, whose prayers and
kind deeds are not forgotten, but Sc
cure him ample blessings after q
period OF sad misfortune. The book is
similar to Job" at various points, and
it seems very probable that the author
had that very venerable patriarch in his
mind, and felt he was improving on its
treatment of the new universal problem:
Why is the good person made to sui
fer2" The book is remarkable for its
union of the most natural and human
elements with the baldest supernatural
traits. In many parts of it there is n
charming simplicity No other book in
| the Bible has such n warm, domestic
coIoring, the home life of the Cohens
in Daniel Deronda is hardly made more
real than that of Tobit and his wife and
their sons Tobias. On the other hand,
the supernatural element is omnipres-
ent.
The book presents the most beautiful
memorial of the far east, the scene
being laid about the time of the great
Assyrian captivity of the Jews, its
object 10 fan the flame OF national
piety under peculiar trials existing at
the time of the author, giving COM
! piete picture Cf their domestic life be-
meath the harrow of persecution
Almost every relation is touched with
peculiar grace, and an exquisite tender.
ness is thrown around the sorrows OF
l thR Hind ~ father the