The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-12
BIBLICAL CRITICISM.
The Rev, c. H. Vail Says the
Scriptures Should Be Read
AS Any Other Book.

no my OeASi DoOh'
3, -
TIL Rev. Charles H. Vail, at the First
Universalist Church, last night, preached
on 1.-The Results of Modern Biblical
Criticism"
He said. in part:-"Before the time Of
Erasmus there was but little that We
can call criticism today. Before his
time doubts did not arise in the church,;
the doctrine was that doubt was q sin.
Before the time of the Reformation
there was no room for questioning;
everything was Dramatically decided by
the church, and all doubts were readily
suppressed by the threat of ex-com-
m~unication. The term criticism is
properly applied to the study Of all sub
jects, but it has come to be used with
special reference to the study of the
origin of books. their date, authorship,
etc. The books of ancient times grew
up like the strata of the earth's crust,
| and it is the duty of scientific criticism
to penetrate beneath the surface and
tell the history of their growth. Within
the last century an enormous amount
of work has been lone on the ancient
literatures of the world. OF this great
movement Biblical criticism has it's part.
1t consists of the application of scientific
and critical methods to the Old and New
Testament writings. The critics are not
enemies of God. They are only engaged
in finding out the truth; they destroy
only in the sense that error must be
| destroyed before truth can take its place,
The process of distinction is only in the
interest of ruth. All the good in the
-, Ia1 hAAD nrnSAr1rnd. it dnGfrnUC
old beliefs only for the sake of replacing
them with better ones. The method of
criticism is simply one of scientific re-
search, in which all things are reduced
to orderliness and reality.
CRITICISM REVOLUTION.
1.-THE result of Biblical criticism has
been revolutionary. 1t has enlarged our
knowledge of history and introduces
chaotic. The u~tterances of prophets
were often not committed to. writing
until after their death, and histories
anonymously, or names of others were
attached to give. them prestige. Editors
made additions to manuscripts to suit
their purpose, and scrlpes combined
literary productions and filed out manu-
scripts from oral traditions. Literary
ownership was practically unknown, and
Isaiah, Proverbs and the Psalms are com
binations of writings belonging to differ
ent times. The New Testament criti-
cism has pointed out to US the Pauline
from the Jewish Christian and the
J~ohannian. 1t shows Us the various
conceptions of the nature and work of
Jesus as recorded in the Synoptics,
PauPs epistles and the fourth Gospel. 1t
has called our attention to the Gnostic
element latter. and showed conclusively
John. The true epistles of Paul have
been separated from the spurious, and
the Apocalypse is seen TO be a revision
of an ancient Jewish book with a Chris
han introduction and conclusion.
1.-THE Jewish layer in the New Tesla
ment has been noted. and the Jewish
coloring of the reported sayings of Jesus
is unquestionable. Criticism has shown
conclusively that the writers of the New
Testament used the categorical method
of Interpretation common in that day,
plantations, both fanciful and irrational,
the Messiahship of Jesus. But this
method of an uncritical age, which
allowed them to take d passage out of
whatever their fancy might dictate, can
not stand in the light of modern scien-
ti1c exegesis. The result of all this has
been to give us a history of an attempt
Of former generations to interpret and
perfect human life, and it leaves us
free to choose from the Bible what can
help us. 1t separates the transltory from
the permanent, and enables us to dis
tinguish between the spiritual and moral
essence of the Bible and the imperfect
forms in which it clothes itself.
when the vindictive spirit of some of
the Psalms is defended. and the whole
sale slaughter of the people of Canaan
is attributed to GOD, people will pres
erve their moral judgment unimpaired,
but the alleged word of God will cease
to be of value. Modern criticism has
helped US to the understanding of the
Bible. 1t is no longer all the Bible or
none That we must accept it all or
throw it all ~away-such an alternative
seems strange and unreasonable today,
and yet how often we hear it? In
criminate-why not here? 1t is strange
that men. in studying the Bible, should
adopt a canon of judgment, the folly of
which they see in everything else. But
when men are not in bondage to a theo-
logical system, they never accept it.
READ THE BIBLE.
"Read the Bible as you would read
any other book. make the deductions
of errors eliminate the legendary ele-
e and imperfect. moral conceptions,
and there still remains a vast residuum
the light of criticism that the Bible is
not all true, We also see that it is not
all false. We cannot accept it at all
unless we shut our eyes, set aside all
scholarship, and trample on reason and
intelligence. The alternative all or none
has driven thousands into inidelity;
they cannot accept, all. and so have
thrown all away, and of those who have
accepted many have become hypocrites.
The dogma of Bible infallibility tends
to kill thought and inquiry, and to pro-
duce utter rejectors of religion. for PEG.
pie will not fetter their intellects and
believe black is white. Let US thank
God that the old Bible of infallibility
and miracles is passing away-science
criticism and modern knowledge have
banished it. But in its place is a new
Bible-a new one reconstructed out OF
the old; the old interpreted in the light
of modern knowledge, (which will stand
as long as the world will stand, and to
which all the nations will go for in
spiration and a sense of righteousness
We are the real friends of the. Bible,
If the Bible is to be saved to the more
intelligent class. we must let the truth
be known. The enemies Of the Bible are
those who try and keep it standing upon
a fictitious basis, and who say accept II
all or throw it all away" We all have
within US the same spirit which created
the Bible, and it never fails us in deter
mining the morally good from the morally
bad. The great spiritual teachings ot
the Bible carry their W credentials
and authority"
ST. TRINITATIS NEW WINDOWS.