The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-15
BOOK OF JONAH A SATIRE
MIR. DICEERMIN DISCUSSES LYMAN
ABBOTT And HIS CRITICS.


Satire Against Bigotry-W Would Have
Everyone Study Higher Crltioism-ob-
lection to DIR. Abbott Mainly Based on
False Reports of His Words and Attitude.
Yesterday morning Rev. w. F. Dick
erman discussed DR.. Abbott and his
critics, He said in part:
A sermon has a two-fold object; TO
bring sweetness and grace to men, and
to disseminate light. 1t is very strange
that many church people know almost
nothing of religious problems. For eX-
ample, how few knew why the Bible
was revised. Hence when the revised
version appeared, with all its eXcellen-
cies over the old, it was not generally
read. 1t is too bad that religious prob
lens should be so left out of the pull
pit, for busy people certainly nave no
time to investigate for themselves. The
pulpit should present the current PROB
lens of the higher and lower criticism,
as it is called. DR.. Lyman ABBOTT III
a series of evening sermons on the Bible
as literature has been trying to do this.
He has treated the Bible in purely
scientific way, as literature, studying II
as one would study Shakespeare search
ing for the facts, the dates, OF authof-
ship, it's literary and historic setting.
DIR. Abbott thought his people should
know all the facts in the case-hence
the SERIES After the sermons, gen.
eral meeting is held in the chapel, DR..
Abbott presiding, when any may come
and ask questions, and have chance
at the preacher" All went merry as
a wedding bell until DR.. Abbott came
to Jonah. Then the Brooklyn clergy
men took exceptions
The press, too, sent out false reports.
The Rev. Mr.. Dickerman then read a
report from one of the prominent me-
tropolitan papers:
Rev DR.. Lyman Abbott has been
delivering a series of Sunday evening
lectures on the Bible at Plymouth
church, where Beecher once held sway.
Jonah and the whale was his subject
tonight, and there was as much laugh
ter and amusement over his remarks as
If variety performance was in prog
ress. He started off by saying that the
story Of Jonah and the whale was fic-
tion, that there was no obligation
on any one to believe. 1t was parable
OH the SdIHG line DIS IlldI VI IlIt L ioulSoi
Son.
'Dr. Abbott had no doubt that such
person as Jonah had once existed, but
his adventures after being thrown
overheard had come to be regarded as
the "Pickwick Papers" of the Bible.
Unrestrained laughter followed this and
some other humorous references
This, Mr.. Dickerman claimed on the
personal authority of Dr. Abbott, is an
entire Misrepresentation. What was
said was that Esther was drama of
court life and that the book of Jonah
was similar. 1t was treated in broad,
calm. reverential manner. DR.. Abbott
did nothing to provoke laughter Moth
ing was said about the Pickwick pa
pers.
In Dr. Abbott's efforts to bring the
facts concerning Jonah before his peo-
pie he has not appealed to men of the
rationalistic school, as well Lousen and
Kuenen Nor has he quoted Unitarian
or Universalist critics. But he has ap-
pealed to purely evangelical scholars.
See what an array of men he has for
his authorities Ladd, Por-
ter, Bacon of Yale, DR.. Harper of Chi
cago, Driver, Ewald Davidson, Cheyne,
/ Briggs, Washington, GLADDEN., and a
1 score of others might be mentioned
All of these scholars claim that the
book is a satire and should be treated
as such Jonah is mentioned in II
Kings Some writer, living 500 years
4 before Christ, in the time of Ezra, when
1 bigotry and ritualism were prevalent
takes Jonah as means of satirizins
Z the spirit of his time. God tells Jonah
& to go to Ninevah and preach, but
u Jonah does not believe in preaching to
a heathen so he tries to run away from
God. whom he believes is everywhere
This is the first point of satire. A bgot
preacher runs fifteen miles away from
God to Jappa. Here he takes passage
on a boat and storm comes up. Jonah
s is called on to pray, and We find this
anti-pagan prophet mingling his pray
Il ers with pagans Another satire
II John concludes he is the cause of the
IS storm, and asks to be thrown over
a board. But these pagans are too mer-
IS ciful. More satire. Finally they dc
throw him overheard, and Jonah is
81 thankful to be delivered, for hypocrisy
is too much, even for a fish. Another
4 point of satire. So Jonah goes to Nine
vah, and he is found outside waiting
for the destruction of the city. An6
when it does not come he is heard say
81 ing: ooh, Lord, it is just as I said. The
city would not be destroyed" He eX-
n pected to see Ninevah destroyed
Is whether they repented or not He gets
s. angry. Here again is satire, a prophet
4 angry at God because He is merciful
& Hence to catch the true meaning of the
g book this vein of satire running
8 through the whole story must be recog-
y riZed.
DR.. Dickerman then discussed the ac-
# ton taken by the Manhattan associa-
e ton. He said DIR. Abbott was not q
Nmember of that body,
Concluding, he urged upon the mem.
bers of his congregation to make 8
= Athorough study of the subject and men.
sstioned some books on the subject, which
Eve give by request: ''Sanderlin's
@"Higher Criticism and the Bible,
s2sWashington Gladden's who Wrote the
ABible?" Drivers Introduction to the
Old Testament"
d The sermon was a lucid presentation
51of DR.. Abbott's position, and furnished
"a valuable contribution on the subject