New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE AUTHORSHIP OF TIE OLD TESTAMENT

oxford. $40, PIP. xxxi, 90. Charles SchbneTS
Sons.
menarv S"nrccs Of the First Book OF Moses in Ac
cCrdance with the Results Of Critical science, Ils
BENJAMIN Wisner Bacon. with an Introduction by
George f. Moore Professor in Andoyer THEOLOGICAL
student Publishing Company.
Professor Drivers volume is tho first OF a series to
be known as the International Theological Library
which Will be edited by Professor Charles A. bees' Vi
this city, and Professor stewart A. salmond' Oh free
Church College, Aberdeen. Twelve volumes, on such
topics as the Theology Of the Old Testament the
Literature OF the Testament History or CHRISTIAN
Doctrine Comparative Religion, Philosophy OF Religion
Christian Institutions and the Apostolic Church. are
already in OF preparation by some or the most
eminent Biblical scholars in Great Brltah ana inc
United States. such series embracing as it Will the
most approved conclusions of Biblical criticism cannot
fail to be useful and timely and 1t Is high praise 10
say OF DR.. Drivers monograph that II Is worthy
Introduction the series. With the limited space at
his command il impossible for MN 10 treat ue
various books OF the Bible exhSusuvey Ana he mas
therefore contented himself with giving the modern
critical view Of each book conclsey ana In language
which the average reader unacqusnted with the deal
languages can understand. lie docs not hesitate TO
state anv conclusion which he considers true or prOba
BILE simply because IL Is antagOnstc 10 tile ta1loha
view. But. the other hand lie is careful not to
give the authority Of his name 10 theories that are not
established even though ne may personally
10 accept them probably true. He approaches every
question with admirable honesty and candor; and though
he makes no conceaent the fact that he accepts in
the main the conclusions OF modern Biblical criticism,
he does not, on the one hand. try TO minimize the
arguments of the traditional view, nor, on the
other hand does he attempt TO evade the weak points
in the modern critical view. In a word, his work is
not the brief OF special peadcr but the welcon-
sidered jud gmcnt of a judicial expert.
BaCOuS monograph is, r. Its title clearly lndl-
Gates an attempt 10 analyze the various original docu-
ments Of which the book of Genesis well as other
books OF the Bible is a compilation, according 10
modern Biblical critics. lie makes this theory
clearly evident the eye, Well to the understand
Ing. by exhibiting the ok Of Genesis. with the pas aes
attributed 10 various supposed documents printed in diff
erent fonts Of type This is preceded by three chapters
discussing the science OF documentary analysis and MS
toical criticism and the documentary theory held to
day In the third section the narratives Of the various
documents As analysed by the author are grouped TO-
gcthcr. The whole book Is thus popular and inter
esug contribution to one Of the most important and
Lszzline questions raised by modern biblical critics
That question in brief this: Were the books of the
Old Testament. especially the first six. commonly
called the HeXateuch written by the men whom TIA
dpn dec ares to have been the authors, or were they
put into their present shape by exile or post
exile editor from number Of old documents which he
dovetailed together with or less skill This
question has become much part Of The present dis
cuson about the Eble that few words in explanation
OF Is will be timely.
Before considering what the scholars say, 1t may bc
observed that even in the authorized English version
Of Genesis there are suggestions of possible COM
piat on There are for instance two accounts OF the
Creation and of the Deluge. The histories OF Joseph
and Jacob contain inconsistencies that can be most
easily explained by the theory of original documents.
And here and there throughout the book words and
phrases that at least suggest the existence Of earlier
of 1 ho hoo,, tod
But il is TO scholars who study the Hebrew text OF
the book that these phenomena most clearly disclose
themselves Not only do they find material differences
but differences in style and OF representation These
differences are marked that they can only be &C
counted FOR. in the opinion Of Professor Driver, upon
the supposion that the sections n which they occur
by different hand from the rest Of the book 1t
is not possible with the space at command to give the
facts adduced by critics to prove that many BOOKS OF
the Old Testament are composite as to their author
ship But may be said in passing, that this branch
Of Biblical study is snguarly fascinating and through
the labors of such scholars rs Robertson Smith, Pro
fesor Drive Professor Briggs and President Harper,
has been made easily accessible to English readers.
Turning then from tie arguments of the critics to
their conclusions find them 10 be somewhat a. fol
lows First Of all there number OF sections in the
lIeXateuch, which, when disengaged from the rest OF
the narrative ard read consecuvey, found TO
constitute nearly complete whole containing Il sls-
tematc Of the origin OF Israel. and wing par
tuar stress on the Institutions Of the jewish Church,
such As the sabbath, Circumcision the Passover. the
Tabernacle the Priesthood, Fca'ts etc. This source or
document is now generally called the Priests Code
or more simply p because it emphasizes the cere-
monial and piesly conception Of religion The style
Of p, even in a translation, Is marked It's language
saws Professor Driver is that OF ulst rather than
historian. IT is circum,tantal, formal and precise;
subject is developed Systematically, and complete
ness of detail at the cost Of some repetition, Is
oI,s Il
FIRE Iuency into the mould and particular fornu-
lac are constantly repeated, especially such as ar
ticulate the same narrative
The portions Of the Iexaeuch which remain after the
sections attributed TO are eliminated are supposed
10 be a combination Of two originally independent
documents. OF these documents, from It's use OF
the word Jehovah, or more accurately Jahweh, for
tod is called the JehOvstic narrative, and IS dcsS-
mated by the letter J. and the other, in which tie
name Elohlm for God is preferred is denoted by T..
while the combination Of the two is denoted by the
letters JE. The method Of the compiler apparently
was either TO take narrative from the other Of
these documents and add to il few details from the
other, else 20 construct new narrative from the
materials OF both documents When the compiler
redacor thus appears actual writer his work Is
denoted by the letter Il. The style OF JE Is much
more sprghtiy and picturesque than p. and dwells
more on personal than Institutional history. There is
nothing especially noteworthy about Il, except its
tendency to smOothe eliminate difficulties in the
various narratives. This, in very brief compass. is
the documentary theory generally held by Bib
lical critics. How far it is proved by The facts ad
duced. II is not province here to say. But do
LAY that, supported il is by great array Of
profound scholars, it is theory that cannot be dis
missed without a careful and candid examination by
men competent TO speak the subject II is
question that cannot be settled by ad captandum APP
peals 10 tradition prejudice, or by noisy
pulpit fulminaons. 1t can only be settled by evil
dence; and we are bound to say that thus far the
opponents OF the documentary theory have given
10 satisfactory explanation OF the phenomena upon
which that theory rests
One of the obvious and popular objections to the
documentary theory Is that IL destroys the character
of the Bible Us a divine revelation. And IL is inter
profnu.nr iNer fhaf min In,n