The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-04-24

adverse crltlc1Sm. In Jno Time OF Jn6
Apostolic Fathers there were men
just as shrewd and able as those of
today, and their zeal was governed
by an intelligent conception of the
laws of criticism.
If the integrity of the Gospel of st.
John is assailed today, we must not
forget that it has been defended by
such eminent Biblical scholars as
Abbott, Bleek, Meyer, Bruchner,
Schneider. Ewald, Ebrard, Mayer;
and its external evidences attested to
by Jerome, Eusebius, Tertullian,
Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Iren-
eus, the Canon of Muratori, the
Peshito, Polycrates, Tatian, Theoph-
illus of Antioch, Athenogoras, Apolli-
naris, Justin Martyr, &c. America
has produced no greater Biblical
scholar than DR.. Ezra Abbott. His
external Evidences of the Author
ship of the Fourth Gospel is emf
nently scholarly and mastery. Rev.
DIR. A. P. Peabody, in his internal
Tokens of Authorship in the Fourth
Gospel" assures us that DIR. Abbott
informed him short time before his
death, "that it had been his purpose
and hope to write treatise on the
internal evidence of the Johannean
authorship of the Fourth Gospel"
DR.. Peabody opens the discussion in
the following forcible language: ct
is little singular that, while the
Fourth Gospel is of late so largely
the subject of controversy, there is
no book of the New Testament as to
the authorship Of which there is
more absolute unanimity among early
Christian writers, and, l might say,
almost down to our own time; and 80
far as extreme evidence is concerned,
while a penumbra necessarily rests
on the records of what seemed at the
outset an obscure provincial sect,
that penumbra is, on the whole, less
dense on the Fourth Gospel than on
the Synoptic Gospels"
If it be true that the high water
mark of the Higher Criticism has been
reached and reaction has set in, then
the Bible with its various interpreta-
tions must remain substantially the
same. 1t is not difficult to foresee
other ways by which il may be criti-
cised. There is every reason to be-
lieve that the Old Testament contains
the remains of not less than six ex-
tinct religions. This phase of Bibli-
cal study has not been developed. In
short, it has only been limited at. In
due time it must be developed in the
light of ethnic religions. In the fu-
ture archaeology and linguistics must
play as important role as geology
and astronomy have in the past. While
the criticisms already put forth have
measurably changed the views of the
best thinkers, yet, as has already
been observed, the Bible has not been
loosened from its mornings.
am not favorably impressed with
the terms and definitions used in
Biblical criticism. The term "Higher
Criticism" is misnomer and too fire.
quently used to cover covert attack
upon the credibility of the Scriptures.
All actual criticism on the Bible must
essentially be the same. 1t must be
actuated by the desire to give the
true origin, the authenticity and
purity of the text, its object and
meaning, and authorship of the var
ious books composing the Bible.
These things must be deemed neces-
sary in order to establish mans relig-
ious convictions and thoroughly
ground him in the permanent.
This criticism his been arbitrarily
divided in two classes, called the
lower and the higher, the former deal
ing with the Interpretation of the
text, and the latter with the authen-
ITCHY. One is just as necessary as
the other. Primarily, it must be ad-
mitted that the authenticity must be
established in order to proceed with
its meaning. But again, having been
bestowed by the hands of the author.
the Interpretation commenced as an
act of faith rests upon the belief of
apostolic authorship.
The purity of the text is equally
essential. We know that there is a
mighty verbal difference in the read
ings as has been given to us by the
various critics, In short, so great has
been the difference that the Bagsters
have issued supplement to their
Greek concordance, containing II
double column pages of these various
readings. Even in producing our
revised version of the New Testament,
it was deemed necessary to recon
struct the Greek text.