Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-15
REV. ABBOTT ON THE BIBLE.

hENs hbDUtl bN IA Dbl
Christian ministers at the prei unt
time seem to be under the necessity Of
resOrting to all Finds ct eccentricities
In order to draw audiences anu gain
popularity. Is /. 40 effort to conceal
by attractive display the Intrinsic
worthlessness Of the goods? oae min
isteF is reported rs advocating the in.
PRODUCTION OF seventeenth century
costumes; another illustrates his
sermons on tho deadly effects Of
nicotine by killing cats in full view
Of the worshipperi; others Introduce
equally startling features In the pull.
pit Among clergymen who have
succeeded in bringing the public
eye on them is Rsv. Lyman All.
bolt, but his SUCCESS is mRinly
due to his views OF the
authorship OF the Biblical books. He
commenced by announcing that the
BOOK OF Jonah is TO be understood as
sallrical fiction and, when taken TO
task by the religious press, followed
this statement up by others equally
"solentiiie" regarding other portions
OF the Bible.
Among the dispatches appears
synoFsls OF u recent sermon preached
by Mr.. Abbott aud giving his views on
this subject. One point he makes "a
THE, that much Of the Oh Testament
is nothing but a collection Of traditions
ana paFables, somewhat on the lines
OF IL ops fabies. His argument lie
tina, when we find in Genesis some
accounts Of the creation, Of the
NOD, OF tho tower OF Babsl,
anu % on, ana then discover
Assyrian tables older than
Genesis; when we further know that
the Hebrews at one time lived in
Assyria, the conclusion Is logical that
the Hebrew account Of these events is
borrowed from the Assyrian traditions,
and consequently no more authentic.
Now, whether this reasoning ls
'sblShhhG VI nus II rs OSIthluly hpA
convincing. 1t begs the whole ques.
ton by presupposlng tina. Genesis was
written alter the captivity. a more
probable view is that the history OF the
events referred to had been hauded
down from the progeni,ors OF our race
70 the various branches Of the human
family, and that the discrepancies in
the accounts depend on the changes
made by the oral Transmission, some
truth being pregerved Ia each OF the
different versions, and Muses. recording
only that which he knew to be
absolutely true. The Assyrlau tablets
furnish one Of the strongest proof, of
the authenticity Of Genesis.
MIR. Abbotrs treatment OF his subj oct
ia well illustrated In the argument he
builds ON Tho history OF Samuel. He
Gays according to the law only priest
had access to the part Of the Temple
known as the holy Ot HOLES, but Sam.
uel used this part as bedroom.
Hence the law Is plainly dlsregarded,
no says. Now this is subject anyone
eau investigate. la the third chapter
Of Samuel the place will be found
where this matter is mentioned. But
1t Is not stated that yeuIg Samuel slept
in this holy OF holles. AS an attendant
upon Ell he repOsec somewhere near
him in the Temple. WHAT 10 told
in the book OF Samuel is this that the
voice oil the Lord came to him "ere
the lamp OF God wont out in the tenn
pie OF the Lord, where the ark OF God
was, and Larel samuel was laid down
10 sleep" But how can that be con-
stTued into The statement that the
holy Of holes was Slmue.'I bed
room?
Another Of jlc,iOn ia made to tae
Prophet Isalan, because this seer pre-.
diets (ohsp, i5) the delverancs OF the
people through the hands u Cyrus.
This, the reverend gentleman thinks,
could not be done by anyone q hun.
drod years before that ruler was born.
TO which it is sufficient reply, that
there are many predictions Ia
these ancient writings almost
equally plain as this one, some
OF which are being fulfilled in our
very day. II lie true enough that 10
this instance even the name OF the
deliyerer is being mentioned, bui sup
pose thar this was necessary for Che
accomplishment Of the plans Of u
Almighty. There arc historical
grounds for the statement that the
Prophets OF God in the captivity
showed this very PropheIioal statement