The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
ANEPIC OFTHE INNER LIFE
DIR. LYMAN ABBOTT CONSIDERS JOBS
STORY a DRAMATIC POEM.
A Truly Wonderful Book, Written for
the Purpose OF Portraying the Act
uaI Experiences of Life.
BROOKLYN Eagle.


Brooklyn Eagle.
At Plymouth Church. last Sunday night.
the Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott continued his
series OF sermons on the Bible as Itera-
ture, taking up the Book OF Job. which he
characterized as an epic of the inner life.
He said:
The Book OF Job has been well called by
Professor Genung. of Amherst College, In
what is one OF the best fruits Of modern
criticism. an epic of the inner life.' He
contrasts IL with the story of UlysSeS-an
epic of the outer life. The Book OF job Is
dramatic poem II undertakes 10 portray
drama of human experience: not an ex-
perience of outward activity an experience
OF the inmost soul. 1t Is the struggle OF
skepticism with faith, In the presence OF
sorrow and without the guidance and the
illumination furnished by Revelation. In
strictness OF speech IL Is not didactic. put
dramatic. That Is, the author of this book
does not write for the purpose OF enforc-
ing a philosophy; indeed, he concludes the
sulf He writes the hook for the purpose
or portraying the actual experience or lie,
and he leaves Us to draw our own conclu-
sions. We are better able TO draw them
now than he was when he wrote this poem.
The story is of the very simplest de-
scription- A man who has always believed
lived an upright life is suddenly subjected
to overwhelming calamities. His friends,
who believe that because God Is just, ca
ward visit him and insist that he must
have sinned and sinned grieVously, or these
great calamities would not have come upon
him. He, on the contrary, insists that ne
has not sinned. He stands for his integrity
and when his friends argue that by so do
ing he reproaches God. sometimes he &C
cepts that issue and does reproach God and
sometimes he repudiates that Issue and de-
ciares himself simply in great mystery
and darkness. Occasionally a CLEAN of fu-
ture light shines in on him out of his de-
spatr. Again and again he cries out for
just such revelation OF God and the mean
Ing OF life and Christianity affords. With
Intensity he protests against the self-satis-
fled theology Of his superficial friends. And
50 the dialogue goes on between JOB and
his three friends until IL comes to the sim
pie conclusion at the end that no man can
understand the problem Of suffering; that
this is one of the mysteries that must be
left to the future. II we look in this book
for a consistent philosophy We shall look
IN vain. Job Is not consistent. Who Is ever
consistent when his heart is rent and his
eyes are blinded, when be is racked with
sorrow and beaten upon by what seems 10
be injustice?
A LITERARY DRAMA.
"The Book of Job ranks with the great
dramas of literature. 1t has been not in
aptly compared with the Prometheus
Bound of Aeschylus. with Goethe's Faust
and with Shakspeares Hamlet; but of all
the great dramas Of literature that deal
with the spiritual life it is certainly safe to
say that this stands among the first. l be-
lieve the judgment of literary scholars con-
versant with comparative literature puts it
in the very first place. 1 think in literary
quality, in profoundness OF insight, in
strength, in grasp and in a certain audacity
of courage in dealing with truth. it sur
passes Shakespeare, Goethe or AeschyluS.
The author Is absolutely unknown The
oider scholar bo reeSsTded il as tbs odest
book In the Bible. Modern scholars think
Il dates from a time subsequent to the days
of Solomon I hesitate very much TO diff
ern scholars whose ability in Judging of
such a question far surpasses my own;
clired to hold TO the older view and TO think
Job the oldest book in the Bible save only
that book OF the Covenant. Of which I
spoke in the second sermon in this course
of Sunday evening lectures. There two
reasons which lead me 10 this Judgment
One. that II Internationally deals with a
period of life long anterior to Moses. 1t
deals with the partiarchal age. As a drama
II concerns an age centuries prior to Solo
mon- Now historic dramas are invariably
full Of anachronisms. Shakspeares plays
do not pretend TO report with accuracy the
historic setting of their time, the times in
which they are placed. Of all modern his
torical novels there are. / think. but two
that Approximate a correct representation
Of times in which their scenes are set. But
this Book OF Job Is almost without any
achronism. If II was written in the time
OF Solomon or subsequently thereto we
extraordinary genius or We must account
Tor the fidelity with which he represents
the patriarchal age by attributing It to in
spiration- The other reason why / believe
II belongs to an earlier age is its simplicity
OF form and structure 1t seems to me in
Its literary elements to be much more like
the age OF Homer than like the later age.
1t Is not. however, important for our pur-
pose tonight TO determine either when it
WAS WAS written or by whom 1t was written
The time which it represents is unques-
tionable: 1t portrays condition OF life in
or about the age of Abraham. OF its pic
torial qualities / shall not speak tonight
Tor my time is quite too brief for my pur-
pose Its moral qualities. however, belong
TO that patriarchal age. We have here four
men discussing the profoundest problem of
religion-How can we reconcile the justice
or God with the existence of sin and suffer-
ing?-and in that discussion they never
once refer to Moses. to the Mosaic law,
or to the ten commandments, or to the Lee
vitical code. or to the temple, or to the tab
s srnaeie., or to ,s any prophet or to any event
the book was written, it describes a mental
condition outside of revelation and anterior
wrote 1t. Is to portray the mental condition
oe souls, deep. earnest. profound. spiritual.
devcut. discussing this great problem of
theology and religion simply in the light of
nature. That fact is to be borne i'm mind
Vin the whole consideration of the book.
THE PROLOGUE.
THE drama opens with a prologue I'm the
celestial sphere. Job is just man. good.
upright. commanded by Jehovah himself.
The sons OF God come on a certain day be-
fore the throne of Jehovah to give account
OF themselves. They are like inspectors.
who have gone out into the various parts
OF the kings domain and come back to re-
port what they have seen. One of them is
cynic- He is called the Adversary. 1t be-
longs to this primitive condition that the
Adversary comes into the court Of heaven
~x~Ist
thinks of objecting. Jehovah says to the
servant, how upright a man he is?' Yes.
replies the adversary, upright! Who would
not be upright If he were paid rs well as
Job2 Doth he serve God for naught? Take
away his prosperity and see how quickly he
will part with his uprightness' Jehovah
accepts the challenge. We will try the ex-
pertinent. He says Take away his prop
erty and We will see what happens only do
not lay finger on him. The permission is
no sooner granted than the Adversary
takes advantage OF lit. The Sabeans come
and carry away part OF Jobs property.
the Chaldeans come and carry away an
other part: firebolt from heaven DESTROYS
another part; a whirlwind from heaven
strikes upon the ten. where Jobs seven
sons and three daughters are Teasing an-
buries them beneath the ruins: and messen-
ger after messenger comes to tell one. disas-
ter after another TO job until he who lust
before was happy and prosperous finds HIM
Septs IA Naked j came into the world.
he says, and naked shall ] go out. the Lord
hath given. the Lord hath taken away.
blessed be the name of the Lord The
cynic goes back to Jehovah TO make his
report. Well. says Jehovah. how did the
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