The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-18
THE HIGHER CRITICISM.
Some Divergent Views ON the Authori-
ty of the Scriptures.

Mr.. f. D. Cummings in support of DR..
Blanchard
10 the Editor Of the Press:
In a recent mum bersof the PRESS ).
Blancha-d's idea of inspiration" and adj
vises him to read "Uheyne" ct al. won
DER why he wants him to read Cheyne!
Is it because this learned interpreter OF
the Holy Scriptures at Oxford Univer-
sity rejects Isaiah" as unreliable, or as
what 1t has been held to be? Is 1t
because this learned man who has made
a study of this book Isaiah for thirty
years has decided that 1t was not written
by one man but that much of IL IS pktcn
work, made up by additions made from
time to time and that the last twenty SIX
chapters were written at the close Oh tne
Baby lonian exile? Also that the prophe-
cy regarding Cyrus was made when Cy-
rus was already invading Babylon. Is IL
because he believes that the famous pas
sage in Isaiah tChap. Ky was an inter
polation made after the exile? / s is be-
cause the passage: "For unto us child
is born, unto us son is given; and bne
government shall be upon the shouldefs;
an HE Bdluc SuHll U6 Cdllcu NohoSAA NAs
Counsellor. The mighty God, the ever
lasting Father, The Prince OF Peace" is
spurious (Cheyne so regards itlI Ie!i US
y friendl is this why you condemn Doc-
tor Blanchard's idea of Inspiration ana
request him to Tread CheyneY Lltera-
ture and broad sense I believe embraces
all compositions in writing or print which
preserve the results of observations,
thought, or fancy; but those upon the
ocyif colo, 1, \ 20
usually excluded" Is it an error then
to presume that if the Bible is the Word
OF Cod that it would not he ciassed as
'literatureY If those things that are of
undoubted exactness are to DE exempt
from being classified as literature"
surely If you have work of literal God
given truth you will not reckon that IA
literature? AS for MIR. Whites notion
that "The gradual Development to per-
is clearly admitted by the higher cIitios
in their theory that inspiration at some
Period in the history of man, terminated
and grew in tie life OF the Hebrsw race
until 1t eliminated in the prominently
inspired personalities, among whom, of
course, were the writer's of the Old Test
ment it 1.-THE idea that the books OF the
Bible are prominently inspired pro-
phesies) is purely a fiction OF the mind,
ing the formation of the Hible as we
now have it must know. He must know
that the New Testament books were not
held to be inspired Until long years after
the day of the Apostles, and that such
noticn was of gradual growth and
snl,ject of much disagreement in the
early church. Davidson says: "Ths in
fancy of the canon was Graded in an un-
critical age, and rocked with traditional
ease Conscientious care was not
directed from the first to the we'll
authenticated Testimony of eye-witnesses.
Or the THREE Fathers who contributed
most to it's early growth. Irenaeus was
credulous and laundering, Tertullian
passionate and one-sided. and Clement of
Alexandria, imbued with the treasures
of Greek wisdom, was mainly occupied
with ecclesiastical ethics.
(Their) assertions show both ignorance
and exaggeration. Are men of today
less competent than they? Truth needs
not be called inspired, and falsehood or
pretenee is not made truth by claims
of inspiration which rest upon the
shadows of ancient fables which shine
dimly through the beolouded brains of
superstitious men. More light! give us
more light Yours truly,
+. D. CUMMINGS.