New-York tribune., 1899-12-11
CONSTRUCTIVE BIBLICAL CRITICISM

Most Christians not blinded by partisan pre1u-
dice admit that modern Biblical criticism ana
study have in many ways modihed the average
Protestant conception of the Bible. ms Oh
course. does not mean that the radical theories
Of some German critics are coming to be recog
nized or that Sunday school scholars are now
taught TO distinguish between the narratives
of the Jehovist and the Elohist The merely
speculative and scholastic side of Biblical study
will never become popular. and any attempt TO
burden the minds Of ordinary Christians Win
this side of Biblical science would be serious
mistake But without knowing it, nearly all
orthodox church members do accept some of the
results of Biblical scholarship. Verbal in
spration and inerrancy find to-day few de-
tenders In the pulpit or believers In the pew.
The science Of teXtual criticism has disposed
of that theory, and it is only maintained now
that the original autographs were verbally
inspired and inerrant. belief which has
merely speculative interest for the man VINO
has access only TO his English Bibe. 80
also the attempts TO reconcile the BiDle Win
geology have almost ceased. MultitudeS OF loyal
Christians in the pews now hold that III mat
ters of science o. history there may he inaccn-
racies in the Bible. and yet they do not cease
10 find i'm the sacred Scriptures all the spiritual
comfort and hope that their forefathcrs found
in Them In spite of all assertions TO the con
trarv il does not necessarily unsettle the faith
| of Christians to modify some Of their old con
| ceptions Of the Bible. There are good christians
| today who believe that the Book OF Jonah Is a
! bit of religious fiction. written with moral
| purpose longer than the parallels of Christ. bur
! like them not TO he takeI for an historical mar
| ratvc.
Nevertheless. there are some good people who
fear that Biblical criticism Is purely destructive
and that when its work Is completed there Will
I he practically no Bible left. We think II would
reassure such people 10 read without prejudice
the series of articles in "Thc Independent by
Professor Briggs on "Thc Scientific Study OF
| Holy Scripture" He makes II evident In
these articles that when the Higher Criticism
has said It's last word the Bible as a Divine
| revelation will still remain TO the Church. Only
| il will be freed from the incrusatiOn OF er
! roneous tradition which in the course of cen
turies has largely obscurcd the real Word of
God Indeed. no maintains. as do all the rep
rpsentative Biblical scholars OF the Protestant
| churches that revprent and open minded
study of the Bible reveals new and unexpected
beauties and truths in the sacred volume. anC
that. in point of fact. Biblical criticism is doing
more than the traditional view 10 con
firm faith in the Bible as Divine rev
! clation In other words the progressive
scholars Of the Bible maintain that their worf
is constructive even more than It Is destructive
Unfortunately the destructive part Of the
work had to come first. ard il aroused so grea
a popular clamor that their positive assertions
concerning the Bible nave largely escaped no
tice That this popular clamor is often unrea
sonablc further complcaies the situation Th'
man who declares. The whole of Christianity
rests on the truth of the story of Jonah an'
"the whale" s hardly In condition To es
timate fairly the arguments against his view.
That the advanced Biblical critic may hole
strong positive views concerning the Divine
character of the Bible is admirably shown ~
President Henry Morton. Of the Stevens In
stltutc OF Technology. in fIoboken. in an ar
tcle. rcpubllshed in pamphlet form. entitled
The Cosmogony Of Genesis" which he wrote
some time ago for THE Bibliotheca Sacra.