New-York tribune., 1891-05-24


"a. =, conrse IN the original manuscripts but wero
affixed by some compiler. The Jews did not lo' -"
stance know the first book OF the Scriptures rs ''
first book of Moses, called Gcness,' but AZ p
shlth' that being the first word OF the book III
Neither Moses nor the ancient Jews ever heard Oh 0
names Genesis. Exodus, etc. They are La'm WIZ,
and there was no Latin language until hundreds Oh
wears after the death OF Moses. Then, as To tne i
t.rra evidence Of the books Moses died before tne
r.roe,,tos reached the Promised Land, before tne
conaanites were driven ont and the land was olVuou
among the tribes and yet the writer OF these DooN'
refers TO these events as past events ino pit",
a And the Canaanitc was then in the land'" "mch
occurs IN Genesis xii. @, and similar phrases wmcn
ccc,r repeatedy in these books, prove conclusiVey
that the writer was relating past events anu wac
ing at fine when the cshaanitc was no longer III 'nc
,ond So the account in Deuteronomy OF the deatr
and buria OF Moses is an argument against the osaio
authorship OF that book. Some of the laws also lhui
cate q later origin than the era OF Moses as io' III
stance that forbidding the removal OF ianainarhs'
There aro repititions Of law which forDio e s"ppo
tion that one man wrote all these BOOKS ana WHICH
can only be explained on the theory tnat they were
compiIed from number Of ancient documents. For
~, Instance ~ this Exodus xiii and Exodus xxxv,
~ oe NAV be consulted. Another instance may Do
,ound in Ieviticus xviii and XXX. There are many
ottr internal evidences going TO prove that Moses do
not write the Pentateuch, as IL STANDS and on '4c
other hand there no evidences either hterlla' OF
external indicating, much less proving, their MOSAIC
authorship.
The onf6Ion now held by the best Biblical scholars
is that the books put In their present snaps py
some person. perhaps Ezra. who used number OF od
rrtncs and current traditions. II Is pretty certain
that one Of these writings Mosaic and embodied
tho .o-called Mosaic legislation No one but Moses
eouh have written certain parts Of the Pentateuch'
While n f. lust as certain that other portions OF IL are
nrcb older than Noses and still other portions uch
Iater The Jehovistlc and Elohisic accounts OF the
Creation and the Flood are now acknowledged 10 po
tro documents dovetaed together by some writer who
tailed 70 notice that they did not always
arree one of these accounts OF the Flood for III
stance saws that one pair Of every kind OF living creE
rs shoud be taken into the ark, while the oher say
that pair of unclean beasts only should be ae' anu
of clean beasts seven pairs should be reccNed ''
We not suppose" asks that very conservative 'o"'
mentator Dr. Perowne in "Smitlrs Blbe Dicuoh"i!,
that we have here traces of separate document,
,,oovon nv later writer with the former history y
We NAV cer4ainly make such supposition WITH per
fect safety The analysis of the Hexatench, says
Professor Briggs "into several distinct orlsnai
ments is purely literary question: In wmch 10 arucie
of faith Is involved Whoever in these unles iu the
discussion of the literary phenomena OF the heAa'eucn
appeals TO the ignorance and pre]udices oi 'o niu
tdes ne ~ there we're any peril 10 the faith IN these
oossos NJ the Higher Criticism, risks his reputation
tor scholarship by so doing. There are no Hebrew
nrotassors on the continent OF Europe, so far as
know who would deny the literary analysis Vi uho
pentateuch into tie four great documents Inc pro
tessors of Hebrew In the Universities OF oXiofu'
cambridge and Edinburgh and tutors in large num-
5r ~ theological colleges hold 10 the same opinion
worry considerable number Of the Hebrew professors
~ America are in accord with them" But 1t VIII DO
os,ed What does all this Pfove To which it may be
nl,ed II proves the theory Of verbal Inspiration 10
No rrtenolie "To mako this claim" says Professor
Ladd "and yet accept the best ascertained reSulUs
NJ criticism would compel us TO take such poSohs az
the foowing The original authors OF each one OF the
,.rs which enter into the composite structure we're
infolliblv inspired every who made any changes IN
opv one of these fundamental writings was nialloy III
snlred every compiler who put together two OF ore
of these writings was lnfably inspired, Do'h as "
hs selections and omissions and as to any connecting
or exnanatory words which he might himself wr1tc
every redactor was nallby inspired to correct ana
srnnler,ent and omit that which the product OF
nreyIous infallble inspirations. Or perhaps IL migh
seon more convenient to attach tho claim OF penary
;,.rraton 70 the last redactor Of all; but then we
ehouh nro,abIy have selected OF all Others the one
least able 10 bear the weight Of such claim THINK
OF making the claim for penary Inspiration OF 'he
Pentateuch in its present form, ON the ground OF inc
infaIblty OF that one Of the Scrbes who gave IL us
last touches some time subsequent to the date OF Ezra
1t will not be possible for us to consider in detail
the authorship of all the books OF the Blbc NOT Is 1t
necessary for the principles Of criticism that apply
~ one hook amply to ALL But it may be well to say
few words about the two other divisions Of The old
Testament before considering briefly the New Testament
As We have said the prophetic books were not so highly
regarded by the Jews as the Law This was natural
for the prophets not only not priests Dut 'hey
hurled some Of their ercest denunclaons against thc
Church and tho priests. Undoubtedly the Snug
Churchmen Of their time looked on them as low heretcal
persons who par0ok of the sin OF korah Dathan ana
Abiram But as a matter Of fact the prophetic writ
ings represent distinctly higher type of morality than
that represented in some Of the earlier books. The
earliest prophet was probably Joel, and next came
Amos Hosea Micah and Isaiah the greatest OF all INC
Hebrew prophets. The last twenty-seven chap-
ters of Isaiah are, however, generally Thought
to be the work OF q later writer. "Tne BOOK OF
isaiah. saws that very conservative critic, Professor
Delitzsch. "may have been anthology Of prophetic
discourses by different authors that is 1t may have
been composed partly and directly by Isaiah, and
partlv by other later prophets whose uerances cons
fute a really homogeneous and simultaneous combina
ton of Isaiah prophecy These later prophets closely
resemble Isaiah in prophetic vision that posterty might
on that account well Identify them with him, his
being the correct denominator for this collection Of
prophecies"
These words OF the distinguished critic show. says
DR.. GLADDEN., now unlike our own were te prih'iVc
ideas of authorship and how the Pentateuch. for ex
ample drawn from many sources, and revised by many
editors, could be called the law Of Moses. how his
name might have been the common dcnomlnator Of
all that collection Of laws" This in truth is an
entirely adequate answer to those who assert that
Christ declared Moses TO be the author Of the Penta
teuch.
After the book Of the Law had been revised by Ezra
and the book Of the Prophets had been revised By Nehe
niah there stin remained a number OF miscellaneous
writings, some OF which the Jews for long time es-
teemed very lightly. The book OF Psalms, the most IA
nous of these writings, Of course not wholly writ
ten By David as even English Bibles show Eccesi
astes though purporting to be written by Solomon was
certainly not written by him, but by some unknown
writer who lived long after the age Of Solomon The
two books Of the Chronicles Ezra and Nehemiah were
originally one book, but for some reasons not now
known were divided. That the division the work OF
an unintegent scribe Is made curiousy evident even In
nfN f1.. will tnrn "a hA