The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-06
ON THE NEW TESTAMENT.
REV. DR. >. G. HIDDEN ON ITS ORIGIN
AND HISTORY.
A Most Interesting Lecture - he Y. NJ, e.
A. Hall Last Nigbt-Openins OF
the Bible Glass.

One OF the most helpful ana interesting
features of this seasons work at the
Young Mems Christian Association will
be the Bible class. conducted by Rev. DR..
J. c. Hiden, pastor Of Groye-Avenue Bap-
fist church. This class opened last even
ing at o'clock in the association parlor
with a good attendance. and those who
were present were richly repaid by the
able and most helpful lecture delivered
on the "OrigIn and History Of the New
Testament" the following text OF which
is given herewith.
DR.. Hiden said: The New Testament,
in a single volume as we now have II, Is
not much more than 1900 years old. Dur
ing all those years II has been publicly
read in Christian assemblies for worship.
and has been privately read in the closets
and studies Of individual Christians. Dur
| ing this whole period it has been the au-
thority to which Christians Of every name
have appealed in the various c0ntrover-
sizes which have arisen among the churcnes
controversies as 10 doctrines and
practices. Any investigation Of its origin,
and OF the order In which the several
hooks we're written and collected must,
therefore be confined 10 the first three
! centuries OF our era.
The New Testament was quite widely
| extended hundreds OF years before print
ing WAS known. IL existed In the form
| OF manuscripts for many centuries before
the English language was born. THESE
manuscripts were written in Greek ana
were quite numerous. The Tanscrioefs
were not always we'll equipped for their
Il faflpd IN take
in the meaning Of OF what they copied
| FINDER such circumstances 1t was inevita-
| ble that errors should now and then
| Green into the text and as the TRANSCRIPT
| ers copiod one from another. and for a
| long series of generations, II Is evident
! that the later copies would naturally con
| tain more OF these errors than would the
! earlier ones, for each transcriber would
| be likely TO copy the errors OF his pre-
| decessor. and TO add some Of his OWL
| This is the reason why scholars, In their
| attempts 10 settle the true reading OF
| disnuted passages in the New Testament.
| attach the greatest importance TO the
| most ancient of the extant manuscripts
| Tho EFFORTS of modern scholarship 10 set
| tle the true and original reading nave
| given rise TO the strictly modern science OF
| "Text Criticism"
CAUSE OF AMBIGUITY.
| There Is no question that I'm some pass
| ages of doubtful meaning the ambiguity
| ie IN he ascribed TO the transcribers OF the
! Crees text and not 20 the translators OF
| that text. The vast multitude of manu-
| scrint comics. which were scattered over
| various countries, makes II remarkable
! that there are so few, rather than so
| ,,anv serious differences of reading IN
| .ha various comics which have been exam
| ,red and compared. We are TO remem-
| her that the New Testament was more
| frequently transcribed than all other
| books together; and this remarkable TACT
| sbould impress MS with the wonderful
| provision which has been MADE ior per
| netuating the volume in form suDstah-
| TALLY correct
| Even n all the copies Of the New Ies'a-
ment I'm one country had been destroyer
| by some terrible commoion' sun =,
| NIGHT have been Immediately introduced
| from some neighboring country. VI any
| e,ch wholesale destruction, however
| ,hore &c no instance on record. Even IN
| the ETHIOPIAN church. which was for cen
| tur,es lost TO the rest OF Christendom' the
| New, Testament still retained its piaceand
| ,yben this Church was rediscovered nj
| comma ratiyelv recent date they were sun
| a., nossession of tOerably correct copies
| ~ the New Testament In manuscript
| II he said that the Emperor Julian. COM
| ,,,o,l,, called Julian the Apostate,' once
| o,,tnrtained the purpose Of destroying ap
| ~ oories 81 the New Testament then IN
o,ts,once Some scholars were once as
| creeing this matter at an entertainments
| l., r,~c,ord when one OF them raised the
| Interesting question: suppose 'hdt -
| liam had carried out his purpose Sou''
| the New Testament have been reprouuVsu
| 80, tho ouotations made from IL py
| l'y - - ,ived before this neriod?'
| ~. ,,,ostion was curious enough 10 ex-
| o,to the ANTIQUARIAN disposition OF one
| -, ,be CHESTS. who. having access 10 eA-
| .e,sive libraries. determined TO inVesu-
| -. tho matter: and. after consideranle
| sosoorch ne succeeded In reproducing
| fror, the gathers" and other carry
u,riters the whole Of the New Testaineh,
J except about eleven verses
THE AUTHENTICITY
| All tho hooks Of the New Testament
| ho,e not always been regarded rs pos
| sossirg equal authority. Even before 'ney
| ,.oro collected into a single volume some
| ovceuent Christian writers and preachers
| o,,tortained more or less serious doubts
| 80 20 The renuineness and the authorliy
~ narticular books. During t"e
| so.v,at iop, the claims OF the several BOOKS
| 80, carvassed quite freely and Luther
| himself led the van IN this inVes,isa.io''.
| Luther settled down upon the psns' 80
| nearly all the books now recorueo WIZ
| ., unouestionable authority; put ne re-
| iecte5 the Fpistle Of James ana the pooN
| ~ pa,alation Notwithstanding MS I'M
,,erse influence. his error did little harm;
| - .t,aso two hooks are now as nrmly
astatIished as any in the canon-that IS.
| the collection which now mas inc se"e'"'
assent OF Christendom'
| WHY Luther should have rejected JAMES
| and Revelations. is question "hicn
seems not especially difficult to answer;
Inther was the grea, modern Apostle oi
| The doctrine OF justification by faith,
| and he enormously supposed that james
+, earnest plea for the necessity OF chr's'
| Ran works was In conflict with the ooc-
| ,r,nes ~ paul. as set forth In his Epstles
| 10 the Romans and Galatians. In DOM Oh
which letters the Apostle earnestly i"s'S
| upon "the doctrines OF grace.
rhe book OF Revelations was re)ec,eu
nrohably because the great reformer lulleo
| 10 eco that Il consisted largely or uhfu'-
| nlled nrophecies. which were not ihtehuea
~ be understood until after their fuihi-
| ment. ~,,oo.. 10
| fore Us fuidlnent. the enemies OF The pro.
| nhecv would naturally strive against ana
| me friends in favor OF its fulhiment THIS
| xvouid defeat the ends OF prophecy, for
| L. N mi n .u0uld