New-York tribune., 1891-04-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE WRITER'S OF GENESIS and Related TOPICS,
Illustrating Divine Revelation; By =. Oowiey' DID,
12mo, pp v, 1884, Thomas Whitaker
The ground traversed by this book is old and IA
mar 10 all students of the Bible. and 1t cannot be
said that the learned and painstaking author has
really added anything the OF knowledge on the
subject II is only fair to add however that ne does
not aim to do this, but TO put the average reader Ia
possession Of the facts and methods whereby ne can
determine who the probable writer's OF the hiso
book OF the Bible 1t is unnecessary to so lhto 1io
question Of authorship at any length here, except 10
raw that there is no probability Of Its ever being se
tied and that IL IL were settled ii would result IN no
practical gain 10 Christianity The real interest III 'lo
question is almost entirely literary ana as such IL WI"
always have an attraction for scholars III Is hoV
so many years since learned theoogans were passion
ately maintaining that Moses wrote every word Oh 'e
pentateuch as IL now stands with the possible excep-
on OF the last few verses describing his DEATH some
OF them indeed mantained that he could have been
inspired by God TO describe his death ana burial
AT any rate Christians told that to doubt or deny
the Mosaic authorship Of these books was deadly
blow at the very foundations Of Christianity which was
fnseparably bound up TO a belief In his authorship
But such position is no longer maintained COM
mentators OF the highest repue in the Christian Church
admit either that the Pentateuch as it now stands
WAS compilation by Noses from earlier records or
oral traditions, or that 1t gathered together Dy
some later writer from writings supposed TO have been
is gradually adjusting Itself to these conclusions
Of modern scholarship DR.. Cowley inchnes TO
the theory that Moses edited certain early records OF
whose existence We have now no knowledge. "OuI
investigation proposes to show" he says that there
was primer, which Abraham learned, and later pre-
fixed TO his Memoirs, and that these Memoirs were
continued by Isaac Jacob and Judah. From them we
obtain the substance Of Genesis; so, even after
the revision by Moses, may be discovered differences
of style in those early writer's"
To the objection that this theory OF author
ship overthrows the doctrine Of Biblical in
spira.ion there Is ready answer. 1t need
not necessarily do So II is open to the believer in
inspiration TO assume that the unknown author Of the
primer which Abraham prefxed TO his Memoirs was
inspired; that Abraham, Isaac Jacob and judah were
inspired in writing their Memoirs; that Moses was
inspired In revising them and calling them Genesis;
and that finally the Church was inspired in deciding
that this book was inspired. 1t might be objected that
such a series of assumptions cannot be proved; but
the reply to that is that they cannot be dsproved.
They appeal to faith, and faith cannot be made TO
dcpend on the mere accidents Of historical evidence
II is outside the plane OF things TO be proved Never
'theless Dr. Cowley does bring together many facts
and suggestions both external and internal, which in
their cumulative effect almost the weight Of evil
dence going to show that the book Of Genesis is
composite work AND he strongly maintains that this
theory of authorship il extended TO other DOCKS
NJ The Bibe need not interfere and IN fact does not
interfere with the belief in their Divine inspiration
and authority.