New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-16

PROFESSOR TOYS LECTURE ON WHAT
HAS RESULTED FROM IT.

the DEVELOPMENT OF HEBREW LITERATURE IN
THE LIGHT OF MODERN INVESTIGATION
HERO OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL. NEVER
EXISTED IN THE FLESH.
Professor Crawford Howell Toy. OF Harvard, de-
lvered the second OF a course Of lectures on THE
Latest Results Of the Higher Biblical Criticism" last
evening at the Lenox Avenue Unitarian Church.
Lenox-ave. and One-hundred-a nd-twenty -nrst-st.
The first lecture Of the course. which occurred on
April s. dealt entirely with Israetish history. and
the professor pointed out those portions OF the Old
Testament which he considered history and those
which he regarded mere legends. Last night he
confined his disclosure Israelitsh literature,
erng the subject from the rise OF simple fok-songs
10 what he called the religious romances and angel
oogy.
Professor Toy spoke In part as follows:
The laws OF evolution apply to the development of
literature as well as to TIE growth and expansion
Of animal life All lteratures begin with simple,
fes Th a By sof nc s
ysops into history oratory and philosophy keeping
Of each particular nation To this law Hebrew lit
erSiure forms no exception .,.. 49,
mesh song OF vengeance Z as GOOD an example nron
ana s S smps Or
saarsster 70 the Canaanite days, The earliest DAYS
any considerable national traits.
DEvELOPMENT OF HEBREW LITERATURE.
Then come such rude stories those of the Book
81 Judges. with more elaborate poems. such as
%r ans wss aardy Used for S"
1yS, y the Israees long before the time 81
that not we ha ine the fshin st Attempts at
nss'oy Those attempts concerned themselves with
h1ss 6ne es Of hese Histories called
tie he ssaovlstc Cor Yahwestc) because u employs
si dsisEtuy s" tOid Stories plssurssaae naive.
sas .r H0st q the familiar stories Of A5Tsha ;R
eeens as the dn sns sAs oh ns
Advanced Goo Is more restrained In tone and more ore
mythical nsrrations Of n Genesis TO" to 1 which are
BOOKS ~ whSy borrowed from The Babyonian The
ss sS wee ssn.ur.: later Chronicles Ezra and Nehs
srG Is. 'ss sSH. q T ssndy Ss
s3ry IN the classic period Except oontemporaneous
but aa as tts Is picture Of things not as they were
nach Of and myth Ts were q into
old erat Ui, the propsee The
for,pas. wee incorporating moralrellgous re-
Sovah ALONE insisting ting on the ethical worship Of Je
Eae tney he'd aloof from the sacrincal cultus but
Here to a ns
la ri ., the exile (whose words contained in
!ss @;sss g ss 81 ss
O,s Anc inc prophets are comparatively feeble.
1su.l MAY. law was completed and became the basis OF
p0etry y"gos' organization Of the people The later
tho U Se second and Fn@pe
IVA was WRIT m. most Of It, after the exile and COM
Sxseu w the second century The gnomic literature
Ssupied Itself with the practical problems of the
cS:ses , the earthly lot OF the. righteous and the
Kicked. and the main poem Of the book finds no
ssSluuon OF the problem. Ecclesiastes IL calm,
INCA. ,pessm.stic. Proverbs and Ben-sira (he
,ssnsble maxims. with the affirmation that true
sSsdom is found In the fear OF God. None Of these
ooxs recognizes an ethical immortality. Az soon
s. this conception appeared las In the wisdom Of
solomon. first century. u. c.. II gave new color
y the Question of the fate Of good and bad men,
tne poetry of Job and Psalms Is Of a high order
S Saa the same thing Is true of the Canticles. He
metre
The romances. Ruth. Jonah and the others. are
1nsnnrews are the inventors Of the short story
tnnmsiiy the Apocalypse is q striking Hebrew crea-
nsrs,-t IS story OF the past and the present Ora.
- 0SSsly put as a predctive vision. The hero OF
XII ustons are predictions; but its pictures are
classic e anu A"0'e"e"'' anu " "
.ns audience to whom Professor Toy spoke was
s'oeraoly larger than the one that heard his
10y lecture Wednesday evening Of last week.
9. ms close Of his address. the Rev. NJ ST. c.
t.'~nI the pastor of the church. announced that
tcn.p professor wished those present to ask cues.
t1Sco.s Incn they differed with him. Inc informai
( m ~ q that followed showed that many mem
No. x me audience were already well INFORMED
- ~ seo1ect OF Hebrew literature ~,
81 ~ ~ Monday evening upon The New Tesla
!1e 4fq Of Jesus, His teaching and His own
g Hh mission.