Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-04
WHAT IS THE BIBLE?
Rev. George Hodges Regards 1t Not as
q Book, bat as a Library.
HISTORY, PROPHECY AND POETRY.
Some Of the Mistakes That May Be Made in
Reading Therein.
1T fs,THE SURVIVAL OF THE F1TTEsT
: WRITTEN roR THE D1spArcH.I

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so long and SO many that it would take four
large volumes to contain them; yes, even
four pretty good-sized libraries. ask you
to think of only one of the many answers to
this question. Concerning the profound
subject of revelation and inspiration I have
at present nothing to say. Concerning even
the interesting subject of Biblical criticism,
which DR.. Smith and Dr. Briggs have OF
late come into peril for discussing, have
nothing to say. The one answer to which
desire to call attention is this: The Bible
is library.
Now, the word "Bible means book; anG
the Bible is book in one sense-in the book
sellers sense. In the literary sense the
Bible is a library. It is library inclosed
between two covers, but library for all
that Suppose you were to take from of
your shelves 66 books and get a binder tc
put them all into one; they would be &c
books all the same. The two covers would
make no difference
| The Time of Preparation.
| Between tha first and last books in this
library, the Bible, there passed an interval
of more than 1900 years. That is a space
ns long as from the days of King Alfred to
the days of Queen Victoria Select now,
out of English literature, 66 volumes be-
| ginning with the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle "
by way of history, including portions of the
poetry of Chaucer, Bacon and Shakespeare,
| and closing by way of prophecy or preach
| ing, with the sermons of Frederick Rob-
ertson and Phillips Brooks Bind these all
into one volume and you will have COL
lection of writings corresponding in one
sense to the Bible. The books of this
scripture library were written by very
different writers; one by agreat Statesman;
another by q great General; another by a
great King; another by q poor man who
earned his money by herding cattle; still
another by q poor man who earned his
money by catching FISH; some by priests;
| some BY preachers; one by alsksptic; many
by writer's whose names are altogether un-
known. The books were written in many
different places-one in the far East bes
side the River Chebar; another in the West
beside the River Tiber; many in the little
Province of Palestine; others in the classic
lands of Greece and Rome.
The books were written at many different
times-an interval, as said, of more. than
], 800 years between the first and the last of
them. That is q long space. That is time
IOr STeht cuanSeb VI opluion' 4HaS ~ biiue
enough for men to grow great deal, to
learn great deal.
Written in Different Manners.
The books were written in many different
manners. We are familiar, all of us, with
the great division between them. putting
them into two parts, corresponding to the
two great divisions of history-the birth of
Christ at the center, some before Him, some
after Him-no Had the fvv0 Test mi The
word testament means a covenant, and the
word covenant expresses relatlon-a re-
lation with God Some, OF these books were
written in the old days, when men were
under q certain relation with God, others
in the later days, wherein men are brought
into closer relation with God through the
revelation and ministry of Jesus Christ, His
Son.. Beside these great divisions are
many subdivisions The Old Testament,
for example, falls into three distinct parts.
1t is made up of three distinct kinds of
writings-history, poetry and prophecy.
The record begins with history.
After reeounting of the Hebrew story of
creation and of the great catastrophe of the
deluge, the national history begins with an
account of the emigration of the great fore !
father Abraham, of his settlement in
Canaan, of the going down of his family
into Egypt. The story of their bondage
there is told, and of their deliverance out of
it under the leadership of Moses. 1t is
recorded how they wandered in the wilder
ness until they came to the borders of the
land Of promise. This is the contents of the
first five books of the Old Testament Then
follows the Book Of Joshua, describing
their conquest of the Land of Canaan, and,
in the latter part, the dooms-day book of
Hebrew literature, a description of the dis
tribution of the land among the chiefs of
the conquering tribes. The Book of Judges
follows, recounting the days of anarchy,
which very naturally set in.
From History to Poetry.
In the Books of Samuel and Kings and
Chronicles, we have an account of the rise
of the monarchy; Saul, It's first king; David,
the second, Solomon, the third; then after
Solomon the great civil war, causing a sep
aration of the kingdom into two parts; at
last the coming down of the great powers of
the East, carrying away first the northern
portion and then the southern into cap
tivity.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah recount
the return of these e1iled Hebrews into
their own land again.
Then follows poetry. And this poetry is
just as genuine poetry as the other is his
tory. Hebrew history is just as much his
tory as Macaulay's "History of England"
Hebrew poetry is just as much poetry as
Milton's paradise Lost" 1t is not IN
rhyme, 1t is not in meter, but it is in form |
which was just as poetical to the Hebrews |
as these melodious forms are poetical to us.
The poetry begins with the Book of Job, o |
great drama, just as truly dramatic in its |
feeling and form as the plays of Shakes |
peare, the drama of human destiny, the |
Hebrew answer to the great problem
w has r,arnlayad mon frora ha haoip
ming, the problem of the meaning of pain. |
Next the Book of Psalms, the great hymn |
book of the Hebrew people, and this in |
five volumeA When you read the Psalms |
and come to one which ends with particu- |
lsrly jubilant burst of alleluias, as at the |
end of the 41st and the end of the I'D, you |
may know that you are at the last of one of |
these five volumes. Some of these psalms |
were written by David, some by others |
whose names we know; many by persons |
wholly unknown. After all what differ |
ence does it make about the knowing of the
authors name? What difference does it |
make whether the plays of Shakespeare
were written by Shakespeare or by Bacon? |
The settling of that question one way or
another, or the leaving of it unsettled, has |
no effect whatever upon the value of these |
plays The Book of Proverbs is didactic |
poetry. Ecclesiastes is the solilouuv of a |
sceptic. Canticles is love story In the |
shape of a cantata.
Prophecy and Prediction.
Prophecy follows poetry. Prophecy is
taken to-day in very limited sense to
mean prediction. Prophecy does some-
times mean fore-telling. But more often
in the Holy Scriptures it means for-tell-
ing; prophet is q man who speaks for
God. Or forth-telling; the prophet is the