Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-10

BISHOP J. ". HOOD OF THE A. NJ. Z. ZION CHURCH.
not impose. Some people insist that we shall
their minds are not clear and bid us explain the
great problem Of Jonah and tho whale before
they are willing to believe.
The church welcomes all investigation and
ought to do SO. She has no fear of any serious
or permanent injury from any conflict between
science and religion, but when people have
done their best to solve the great mysteries of
the world they should not ask the believers to
give up their faith and their belief in God as
the frst..cause back of all phenomena.
I'VE cannot do better than initiate the atti-
tude OF the Savior toward the doubling
Thomas" concluded DR.. Terry: "and when we
find a soul with shred Of belief and reverence
we should seek to approach that soul with SO
much OF the love of Christ in our hearts that
we may, if possible win, it back to the fold and
not ALLEVIATE his heart from the love of the true
God"
THE BIBLE AND MODERN CRITICISMS.
The second address on the regular program
was one from the eastern section and Rev. Mr..
Arthur introduced the speaker Rev. Mr.. Davi-
son.
biblical criticism is now SCIENCE" said the
Rev. W. T. Dawson. NJ. A., commencing his
address on 1.-The Bible and Modern Criticism"
MIR. Dawson is tutor in biblical literature and
exegesis at Richmond Wesleyan College and
therefore ought to know q good deal about his
subject He went on to explain the ma
turo and peculiarities of the science and
its many branches. But little or no difficulty
or difference of opinion arose with regard to
the textual biblical criticism. A believer in
the very highest doctrine OF verbal inspiration
could not object to the operations of a science
which determined as accurately possible the
text of Scripture; in fact he should be ANXIOUS
to promote it. Nevertheless" said the
speaker. there have been times when
the idea of SO handling the
haa oh dali
blasphemous; the very versions of Scripture
have been endowed with infalliblity; the vowel
points Of the Hebrew text-a device of the
seventh century, A. D.-have been held to be
part Of the inspired revelation, and it
Is not many years since fierce at
tack was made upon the New Testament
revisers for having ventured to depart from
the traditional text. 1t is, however, not gen.
orally recognized that textual criticism OF the
Old and New Testaments is desirable, inevita-
Bile. The process Of ascertaining accurately
and scientifically the precise original text is
difficult and complex. In the case of the New
Testament, the methods to be adopted and the
results thus reached are accepted by scholars
with fairly general consent. In the case
OF the Old Testament, however much less pro-
gress has been made. Many circumstances re-
tard the investigation and, whether we like it
or not. it must be confessed that at present the
exact critical value Of the Massoretic or tradi-
ional text remains to be determined. The vari-
atoms, however, of readings, both in the Old
and New Testaments, though numerous, are SO
slight and comparatively unimportant Is affects
doctrine that the Christian church is content
for scholars to pursue their laborious work Of
determining these minutia without any claim
or disturbance of mind
OF the higher Notwithstanding espe-
cially the historical and literary criticism of
the Blble-the speaker said it was rapidly adj
vancing toward, if it had not already reached,
the position OF science with conclusions of a
highly important and more or less certain
kind. which all religious teachers were bound
to know, to face and frankly and fairly to
handle.
Some Of the results OF the higher criticism
were stated succinctly, and then the reverend
investigator went on to say: There are SO
many things that mere criticism cannot touch.
II poetry and art resist the violence, the med
dlesomeness of critical methods, and display in
a thousand forms a beauty and q significance
which evades the most subtle analysis of criti-
cism. how much more religionI AS in the case of
physical science SO also with the new science OF
biblical criticism; religious teachers ust not in
terfere with its work on its own plane and within
its own limits. That work must be watched
watched with the jealousy begotten of love
when reverently guarding her most
sacred treasures, but the results reached
within certain definite limits must not
be ignored, still less must they be denied and
mathematical, by those who are unable or I'M
willing to study the evidence in support of
them. 1t is open to the church to admit them
oven to welcome them; for the inner shrine of
religion cannot be invaded by the rude hand of
the most relentless historical and literary
criticism; criticism may NEEDLE with the
casket, il cannot mar nor scatter-it cannot
even reach-the precious prefume within.
The position taken in this paper is that in
the results of u sober and well-balanced criti-