Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-15
A HIGHER CRITICISM.
The Bible a Collection Of Traditions
and PARALLELS.
REV. ABBOTT on THE WORD OF GOD
The Foundations of Christianity AS
sailed by Christian Minister
In the Pulpit.

,huTch, Brooklyn, last night prehcheu
a sermon summarizing his recent lee
lures on the Bible, in which he stated
that many Of the books 10 the Old Tet-
lament were collectiona of traditions
and psrHbles.
biblical scholars, "shid DR.. Abbott,
''msy be divided into two classes, au II
they approach the Bible from widely
differed directions. First, there Is the
or historical school OF crit
les whom 1 will call the traditionalists.
Second, there Ia the literary school,
whom / shall call scientists.
"The traditionaiist says Christ and
His disciples did not set the Old Tesla.
ment aside.' No, he did not undertake
to do 60. That was not His mission.
He refers to the books u the Old Tes-
lament, but pnssee ny the question OF
the authorship. II cops Fables give
you such and such u story. All sohol-
ars hold that IL Up did not write the
fables but collected them. So Christ,
In quoting from or referring TO tho
books If the Oid Testament, merely
used the names given to them by
tradition.
"Wben the scientist finds in the
Bible story which, " he found 1t In
Greek literature he would unheeitat-
Bible story folklore. IL he finds In the
Bible u tale of wondrous adventure
Jonah aud the whale) which seems
plainly to be simply saurical and Inn
aginRtive, he caIls IL "a satirical and an
imagi alive tale. In Genesis the
scieDtiet finds certain tales respecting
the flood, the fall of man and tho
Creator. Then the scientist gees to
the AssyrtAn tablets written thou
sand years beiore the time OF Moses
and he finds analogous stories OF the
iali, the filod and the creation. Then
he goes to history md tnds that the
Hebrew once dwelt in Assyria. Hence
he draws the logical conclusion that
Hebrews borrowed th0ee stories from
the AssyriRne.
zine scientist turns to the book OF
The Law-Lsviticus---an tiuds signs
and evidence that the lave were not
all promulgated in one epocb, but
represent steady growth.
"rhe old laws required sacrifices.
But the prophets uecried sacrifices,
aud the best men are living in open
disregard OF the old law. The old law
| was that only the priest could go into
| the holy OF holiss n the temple, nut In
another place the young Samuel was
| described as making his bsu IL tine
| holy OF HOLES. God himself appeared
10 be disregaIdlng his own commands.
The scientist comes TO Isaiah. 1t is q
vexed question NJ Isaiah was written
by one or two or more persons. In
the second Isaiah 10 reference 10
Cyrus the Great and hence the scien-
let concludes this part OF Isaiah could
not have been written 100 years before
Cyrus the Great was born.
"Spiritual contradictions also throw
doubt on the OLD Testament author.
ships. Now in the Nth chapter of
Isaiah-Ihe first lspiah-he calls Israel
u vine that has brought forth no frnis
and is doomed. The language 10 easy
10 understand If judah 10 sIill IN the
holy land, but 10 10 be conquered anu
carried into Babylon in captivity. In
the fourth chapter OF Isaiah he says to
Judat: "COmtort ye, your iniquities
ale patdoned." We can understand
this ii JUDAH is actually in captivity
In Babylon.
"And SO Isaiah Is spiritually inc0n-
sistent at gleaet to the acientific
student OF the Bible.
"rnree is nothing striking and revo-
IutionsTy In these results OF scientific
Bible criticisms. Some scholars have
been too little bound by the traditions,
anu some have been too much bound.
"My own position Is that OF eonser-
vatism among the scientific or liter
AIRY students.
"The method OF scientific criticism
| have described to you 10 now pur.
sused at Cambridge University, Eng,
| aud al Oxford and In This country at
Union Theological seminary, Yale
Theological school, the Theological
Ia sab IA
| Episcopal Divinity school az Philadel-
phia at Cambridge, Mass; at Auburn
Presbyterian seminary and at the
Chicago Presbyterian seminary.
BY this method OF Biblical criticism
| 1t has been found that there are In the
Old Testament thirty.nine separate
| books, divided into three general
| clRsset:
"History, Bellies letters, prophecy or
preaching. The historical buoks num-
| bar seventeen and run from Genesis TO
Esther, inclusive. They were oom-
posed out of pre.exls,iug material.
| There are two histories in the same
| eveuls-Chronicles ami Kings-the
| first giving history enthusiastically, the
second pr0phetically. In the list are
two Historical romances, set OF by
| themselve, Ruth and Esther. They
are based on historic foundation, but
are written with free imaginary
| pen. There are TWO books Of the GOV.
| ensnt, Exodu ,Rnd Deuteronomy.
| SIN those historical books are quota.
tIons from at least twelve still more
ancient books, Of which no other
traces now remain. In these historical
BOOKS there Is folklore, as, Tor instance.
the stories Of Samson.
| "rhis modern scientific investiga-
ton ana criticism OF the Bible" he
| said, "teaches US all the better the why
! OF God. We have hesTd, all OF us,
many sermons on the text, Search
the Ssriptutes.'
Here DR.. Abbott stopped, and there
was an interval OF profound silence,
during which the preacher loOkeu
straight at the congregation and all
| eyes Were bent upon HIN.
"But Christ" lie resumed 10 low,
clear toner, "uiL not say search tie
Scriptures"