The age-herald., 1899-05-16
RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF
 REV. DR. BRIGGS
From the New work Journal.

the consent or the author ana or MeSSrSs Seribner & Sons. the publishers
 Scholars differ very greatly in their views as to the mythical element in Holy Scripture. There is a general tendency on the part of most critics to avoid the term But, in fact the term myth" means nothing more than a primitive religious story as to the origin of the nation of race, or the association of its ancestors with the deity. There is nothing essentially poly theistic in the term If therefore, we dis tinguish between polytheistic mythology and monotheistic myths, ther is no valid objection to the use of the term myth in connection with those stories of the origin of Israel, and the communion of the ancient heroes with the heavenly world, which are so primitive that they are be- yond the reach of external history and criticism.
 Take. for example, the story of the inter- marriage of the daughters of men with the angels, in Gen, vs., IA. If this story were found in any other sacred book but the Bible, on one would hesitate to regard it as a myth. Vain efforts have been made in recent times to explain away the angels in various ways, but no respectable commen- tator would countenance such a thing in our days There can be no doubt whatever that the passage refers to angels. Why, then, should we hestitate to regard is as a myth? myth is not necessarily untrue to fact; it is rather popular, imaginative coloring of conception of fact, or of real fact. It is not necessary to deny that there was such a real union of angels with mankind even if one hints that the form of the story is mythical.
 The book of Jonah is inserted in both the Hellenistc and Rabbnical canons among the minor prophets, and yet the book does not contain discourses of prophecy do the other minor prophets. If the book of Jonah were history, its place ought to have been among the historical books. It is among the prophetical writings with pro- priety only so far as the story which is contained in it was pointed with prophetic lessons. For this prophetic purpose it is immaterial whether the story is real his- tory or an ideal of the imagination, or whether it is history idealized and embel- lished by the imagination.
 1. It was not the aim of the writer to write history. The story is given only so far as It is important to set forth the pro- phetie lessons of the book. There are two scenes-the one on the sea, the other at Nineveh. The story begins abruptly; it closes abruptly after giving the lessons. The transitions in the story are the rap.u flight of the imagination, and not the steady flow of historical narrative.
 2. The prophet Jonah is mentioned in the history of the book of Kings, and a pre- diction of minor importance is mentioned as given by him. It seems very remarka- bie, on the one hand, that the book of Jonah should omit his ministry in the land of Israel; on the other hand that the author of the book of Kings should mention such comparatively unimportant ministry, and yet pass over such important phophetic ministry as that given in the book of Jonah.
 3. The two miracles reported in Jonah are marvels rather than miracles. There is nothing at all resembling them in the mira cle-workings of the Old Testament or the New Testament. They are more like the wonders of tke Arabian Nights than the miracles of Moses, of Elijah, or of Jesus or His apostles. It is true that there are great sharkes in the Mediterranean sea which are said to have swallowed men and horses and afterward to have cast them up. But this being so, the chief difficulty remains. How can we explain the suspen- ded digestion of the fish and the self-con- sciousness of Jonah as indicated by his prayer? And even if we could overcome this difficulty by an unfinching confidence in the power of God to work any and every kind of miracle, the most serious objection would still confront us. It is not so much the supernatural power in the miracle that troubles us as the character of the miracle. There is in 1t, whatever way we interpret 1t, an element of the eXtravagant and the groteSque The divine simplicity, the holy sublimfty, and the overpowering grace which characterize the miracles of biblical history are conspicuously absent
 We feel that there is no sufficient reason for such a miracle, and we instinetiYely shrink from it, not because of a lack of faith in the divine power of working mir acles, but because We have such a faith in His grace and holiness, and majesty that We find it difficult to believe that God could work such a grotesque and extravagant miracle that described in the story of the great fish. So the story of the wonder ful growth and whitening of the tree is more like the magic of the Oriental tales than any of the biblical miracles. It seems to be brought into the scene as an embel- lishment rather than for any real purpose of grace. careful study of all the mira cles of Holy Scripture excludes this magic tree from their categores, and to say the least, puts it in a category by itself.
 4. The repentance of Nineveh from the king on his throne to the humblest citizen, the extent of it, the sincerity of it, the Qepln or II, IS Stlll more mdfNel0uS. Nine veh was at that time the capital of the greatest empire in the world It was a proud and conquering nation, least likely of all to repent. The history of the times is quite well known, and this history seems to make such an event incredible. Some have endeavored to minimize the repent ance as mere official one, such as were ordered by monarchs during the Middle Ages. But these apologists of traditional theory forget that according to the story God recognizes the sincerity and the ex-, traordinary character of the repentance God granted His mercy, and recalled His decree of destruction on that account This repentance is a marvellous event. Nothing like it meets us in the history of Israel or in the history of the church. It is an ideal of the imagination Our Saviour uses the story of the repentance of Nineveh to shame the unrepenting cities of His time. There was no historical re- pentance so well suited to His purpose
 5. The prayer given in the book is not suited to 1t if the story be historical but if is entirely appropriate if it be regarded ideal and sym, n,ha1io