The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11

! struct. 10 more complete. There is no serious
objection to this provided we understand. and
also try to make those whom We guide and
teach understand what they mem now and to
us Under such conditions their retention iS
allowable. and perhaps indispensable. until
such time as the full meaning OF theological
truth shall have been unveiled"
When did the notion OF infallbility first Mt
tach itself to tho Bible? The answers given TO
this and many another interesting question
by the representatives Of the higher criticism
will be found set forth on pages 172-l"2 OF
Renascent Christianity" As regards the Old
Testament. the idea OF iniallibilty was first
associated with the Pentateuch: that is to say.
the fvo books attributed to Moses. or the Law.
as II was called. For a long time the infallibil-
ity even Of the Pentateuch seems to have been
something very intangible and shndowy.
Those parts Of the Old Testament which were
called by the Jews The Prophets" came
next TO be so looked upon. while the parts
then known as 1lagOgrapha. or Chetubm.
and including such books as tho Psalms. the
Proverbs and job. which to-day are generally
held in higher esteem than any other OF the Old
Testament hooks. did not como to be regarded
as really sacred much before the time OF
Christ. Even at tho time OF Christ all this
section Of the Old Testament was ranked
much lower In authority or sncrednesS than
the rest As to the New Testament writings
the Epistles seem to have come to DO deemed
authoritative considerably earlier than the
Gospels or the Acts. For long time. at the
very least two centuries, none OF the New
Testament writings was looked upon by the
Christian Church as being equally sacred with
the books OF the Old Testament. Three or four
centuries passed away before it was decided
which particular compositions. out Of large
number OF writings produced within century
or two after the death Of Jesus. should be in
cluded in the Now Testament canon.
As matter of fact. the doctrine OF the Bibles
infallbility in the rigid sense now widely
known and taught. was unknown to the early
Christian Church. Indeed. It did not come
into existence until the middle OF the sixteenth
century. not having been held originally by the
earliest and greatest OF the reformers. The
Catholic Church has never adopted it. Even il
we grant that the Bible was orig nally infallibe.
or. in other words that the books were written
in such marvellous way as to insure their
infalliba correctness at the time OF the writ
Ing II we grant. also that all the books which
have been excluded from the canon OF
the Old Testament and OF the New are
Just the ones that ought to be excluded.
and that all which have been included are Just
the ones that ought to be included. and that
all which have been lost we're spurious. so that
the loss does not affect all the perfection OF the
canon-though we should grant all this how far
should we have got to the certainty that the
Bible which we hold in our hands TO-DAY Is in
faible-is that Is to say infalible az il comes
10 MS? In other words grant that the stream
as it began its course far back in Palestine
twenty-five. or twenty, or eighteen or sixteen
centuries ago was intaIible at its outset. what
assurance have we TINT now. after a wandering
and winding down through the dark maze
OF the ages. 1t 10 still intallible? After wc
have got the writings all infallibly written. and
after we have got them all gathered together.
Just as they should be- into canon or infalli-
bic collection we have still got to devise n way
to gather them together in modern times with
out error or change. It is certain that at the