Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-17

Of the effect than for the
sake Of truth. For the theologians
themselves di,Cays insist on
the very letter OF the text. The little
words ''this Il" were sufficient In the
bubble between Luther and Calvin
20 cut the Protestantic body in two
halves, each wishing to roast the
other in hell. Yes, the tbeOlogiaus
build doctrines not only on words
but on forms Of words, discriminate
Ing between the meaning Of the
same words when used i'm this form
or the other. In text where words
are 80 important, 1t Is ridiculous TO
say that many thousand varia-
tons are OF no Importance. Aud
besides, since we know there afe
many thousand variations, how DO
We know that there are not many
thousand more which have not vet
been detected?
This question must be solved be-
fore we are prepared 20 admit that
the Bible Is sufficient guide, and
has done away with the necessity Of
further revelation.
But we will pass by the difficulties
thus far pointed out. We win sup
/ pose that we have settled BEYOND
doubt the number OF books to % &C.
cepted as canOnical. Wewill suppose
that the original text has been pre-
served, and that the TRANSACTIONS
thereof in our vernacular tongues
are correct. All this we suppose,
and yet We viii find the greatest diff.
] nculty eNi>ts-that OF Understanding
the sacred volume correctly. In
deed, this difficulty Is so great that
probably not one single man now
living can understand Il all, and
those that understand Part OF IL
Alright dose by the aid Of the Spirit Of
/ God.
Some Of the difficulties I'm under
I standing even the translations Of
the Bible may now be pointed out.
IL is admitted that the words used
in the Scriptures are sometimes TO
be used in a figuntive sense and
sometimes in literal sense. What
wOris are, In each case, TO be under
stood strictly and what fgurativeiy
must he left 10 the Judgment Of the
reader. And from this n, { uumer-
Gus errors have arisen.
People have sometimes allegorized
where no alIeeOTy was intended, rs
Origen in reading THAT Abraham in
his old age married keturah. Now,
he says, the word ke,uTah means
Sweet Oi0T," and sweet udor'; re-
fens to the fragrance Of righteous
mess. Hence he concludes that
Abraham in HE old age hecame
very piOus or righteous, and that
this fact is meant when Moses states
that The Patriarch married Keturah.
Equally absurd j. the following q Ia
Swedenb0rg: 'sAdam represeuts
the intelleC; and Eve the feeling.
That Adam and Eve begat SONS and
daughters means, therefore, that the
union between intellect and feeling
Is what produces knowledge i'm
man. These Instances are cx-
tremely absurd and the errors OF
this kind Of Interpretation are easily
perceived. But sometimes the
errors are not so psllable, although
equally absurd. As for instance.
when u is C0utcuied that the king
DOM Of Christ means a religion
and not a real kingdom, or that "the
mt resurrection" means revival
Of the principles for which the mar
tyrs were killed. In such cases the
errors are great, and hundreds II
Bibie-reaters commit just such
errOrs, in many instances without
even knowing it.
Then, sometimes words that are
really used figurativeiy are under
stood literally. lou will see paint-
ings, occasionally, where Lazarus Is
enjoying his heavenly bliss by sit
ting in the lap ,''the hosom''l II
Father Abraham, the artist having
misunderstood the figuiatigc ex-
preston used by our Lord.
This Kind Of error j. more easily
committed in reading the prophcti-
cal portions Of the Bible. The
Prophets borrow wupis dcunting
natural objects in Orier TO represent
what is spiritual and abstract.
Their books are, 50 10 speak. higro-
glyphicai, although they 10 not
draw theiE hierogiyphic pictures, Is
lid the Egyptian priests, but they
desenbe them in words. Hence the
great difficulty ia interpreting
prophecy. IL Is not less diflicult
than 20 interpret many ancient
Egyptian records. The Prophets.
for instance, talk Of n ''horu'' and
mean crown; or 4 ''kingdom. -
BEAST is a usurping tyTannical
power. key stands for lawful
authority. "Nirgins" are faithful!
worshippCrs, not Ceflled by idolatry.
Generally it must be borne in I
mind that every word should lie .
understood rs 10 was commonly IN /
derstoOd At The tinla The Bible was I
written. Much minute INJURY. in /
fact more than most people are pre- /
pared 30 give, is needed in order 20 |
avoid errors arising from a violation |
OF this rule.
Sometimes a knowledge Of He |
brew and Greek Is absolutely neces- |
saTy for the right understanding ola |
passage. In Kings lis. Q David Is 4
made 10 say concerning Simei: /
"HCld him not guililcss, but I
his huary head Bring down with |
blood 10 tine grave" But David |
had sworn not TO kill S.mei. I'll
seems therefore rs If one OF the last /
acts OF David Was 10 break his oath
and his royal word. Bot n know
ledge Of Hebrew idiom clears this I
up; for the word mot" refers 10
both clauses: "Hold him not guilt
less, but bring not his hoary
head down with blood That i the
and Solomon understood
It 50. "ihe end OF the world;
'pOkeu Of in Matt. xNiv:3 a Greek
scholar viii discover to be not the
end OF the physical world 'te,os tor
.OsBiou). but the termination OF the
hen existing economy; for the
words are gyHtsiciO tJg Gi0a0s. The
u the whole prophecy
4 our Loni hangs upon this one
yord. Matthew ,Nii:l0) makes Christ
ay: ''FOr as Jonah was three DAYS
,nd three nights in The whales bel
y" whereas the fact is, that there
: NOT, anu probably never was, n
yEale in the Mediterranean. The
Hebrew has "a great fish, Jonah
III, which the translators Of the
made into a whale, and
he misleading quotation slipred
nto the New Testament from the
Sometimes people put a mystical
ense into the most plain expression.
'hrist s7ys: But one thing is need
al" Luke N:32), and many an edi-
yiug sermon mas been preached
Ipon this one '.neodful thing.''
nd much curiosity has been
iee'ilessiy excited 20 know what
hat one ncedful thing is that Ia
.self Is necessary aud sufficient to
aviation. People have been so
ager b make a mystery that they
ave forgotten the fact that Christ
u the time does not refer TO saliva
ion ut all, Tut isspeaking 81 n much ,
more trivial subject, yet not less in
. #ama.