The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-24
THI NEW TESTAMENT.
DIR. Hiden's Eighth Lecture on Its Origin
and History.

In his eighth lecture on the origin
and History of the New Testament az
the Y NJ. &. A. Tuesday nlghl last, u
J. c. Hiden said: Ii is generally conced-
cd that a deep. broad, sound culture is
needed by those who are called TO discern
and TO combat the sDeciOus forms OF Ct
ror which prevail in our day. 1t Is true
that a knowledge OF the science OF cheih-
istry Is not necessary TO success IN COOK
Ing food, but such knowledge becomes
Immensely important when the FOOD Is
suspected of being poisoned. The !lNes oil
thousands may depend upon Il.
But the world was full Of errors when
Christ came: and why did he select IL
literatc men as his hrst ministers! HOW
do you know that no didt lrue, We hhu
In Acts w. 49, that the authOrl-
ties wondered Al the Doldness OF Peter
and John. perccving that they were un-
learned and ignorant men; but Is II not
also true that "aGfammatol tunledrned)
has reference simply 20 RaDbnical lore
and not To general knowledge; and That
'idiotai" ugnOranp means men who were
not in professional Nte-nOt In public po-
sition-nOt of the teaching class Ac-
cOrdiug 10 the usage OF the language.
these words might have been fairy APP
piled to what we should now call men or
very respectable mental culture. FUR
thor; 1t IL, perhaps. to be doubted whcth-
held responsible for the opinion mat Pc
ter and John were unlcarned and igno-
rant. even in this qualified sense. for ne
may mean only that they appeared so 10
Moreover. it is probable that some of
those Apostles spoke ana Wrote AT least
two languages. They possessed pro-
found and accurate knowledge Of the
Did Testament scriptures. ana especial
~ OF the Mosaic law, or system OF educa-
ton In itself From their occupation We
can learn nothing decisive; Tor the most
learned natives Of Palestine had trades
ana the scholarly Paul himself was a
tent-makcr
altogether unacQuainted with current
theories OF speculative philosophy foi
We nnd some illusions 10 these in the
New Testament, and the curious question
IN John tx. 2-"Master. who did sin, this
man OF his parents. that he was born
blind naturally connects itself with
the MetempsyChOsis. or with some form
Of the PvthaSorcan doctrine Of the trans
migration Of souls. or with PlatO's idea
81 a pre-cXistent state, for how could q
man be born blind as "a punishment foi
his own sins. unless he had existed as
a moral agent before his birth?
The Rhetoric. as well as the Logic OF
the letter to the Hebrews. whose pauline
authorship Is by no means settled. mark
It as the production OF an admirably
trained mind possessing. a conscious
mastery OF his grand subject. and dis
playing "A marvellous combination o
judgment reasoning, Imagination, anC
The Acts OF the Apostles" is one OF
the best MANAGED stories e~tant IN,
style Of the Epistle of James gives un-
mistakable evidence that he was q mar
OF point, fine sense, uncommon knowl.
edge OF human nature, ard of SOUND
practical judgment. II Is what John NJ
Daniel used TO call "incisive." And
strange TO say the Greek Of this Eps
tie IL the purest In the New Testament
Jude's letter Is one OF our finest mod
els OF the graphic and picturesque style
Mark gives us n rare specimen OF con
densation and minuteness-a combination
especially indicative Of mental training
The profoundly ideal tone OF the open
and the deep spirituality of his style
points 20 the man Of thought and STUDY
He Is probably. the most contempiauv'
writer In the New Testament.
These facts, taken together. seem u
1oru . conclusive sSgumsnt a9onSt ~