Evening star., 1934-03-28
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

"The Romance of Palestine" etc.
With an introduction by DR.. Harry
Levi. rabbi of Temple Israel.
Brookline, Mass: Brookline Chron-
icle Publishing Co.
This is the first volume OF a series
OF books in which 1t will be the pur-
pose of the author to present the
story of the greatest literary classic
in a style hitherto neglected by the
numberless commentators and schol-
ars who have undertaken the stupen-
dous task of making more understand
able and readable the Book of Life.
No other literary work in the his
tory of the world has received so much
attention and been SO universally read
as the Bible. For many years 1t has
headed the list of best sellers, and yet
despite it's enormous circulation 1t has
been so hedged about by doctrine and
dogma that 1t is little understood by
the masses Of its readers.
The actual survival of the Bible Is
romance in itself, and the fact that
in the manuscripts still in existence
only some trifing and grammatical
differences in the text appear Is an
other extraordinary circumstance
Scores Of translations and versions
have been produced through the CEN
turies, but efforts to make radical
changes have met with little success.
In this day, when it is possible to
obtain Bible anywhere, it seems
strange that there was time when
possession of the book was an offense
punishable by death. When in 1880
Wycliffe, after years Of arduous labor,
produced the first English Bible his
work was destroyed and so incenSed
were the authorities that after his
death and burial his bones were dug
up and thrown into the river. Mod
ern education and thought finds it
difficult to comprehend the motives
back of so gross crime, yet the def
mite determination of the educated
aristocracy of Wyclife's day to keep
the Scriptures out of the hands of the
common people Is undoubtedly the
cause of much of the lack of an ade-
quate understanding of the Bible
today.
The Old Testament was written in
the fifteen hundred years preceding
the birth of Christ. and it is today
| the oldest and most reliable book of
ancient history. The originals were
kept by the priests in the temple, and
only those delegated to teach were
furnished with copies. That custom
prevailed throughout the world until
years after Wycliffe's untimely end
because of the persistent belief that
the common people must not be edu-
Gated or be free TO do their own
reading.
So it is no wonder that the one
book which Mr.. Lowe styles as a
mirror OF life" has been the object
| of so much debate and discussion and
is at the same time so little under
stood. Theorists of all schools have
undertaken to expound upon its
origin, its authenticity and its mean
ing. There have been those of the
| rationalistic type who claim that the
inspiration of the Bible is but high
degree of poetic or religious feryor
consistent with error in fact or in
doctrine, and there have been others
who have held to the limited belief
that its inspiration is restricted to
purely religious truth of doctrine or
practice, and that all other parts of
it are merely human. There have
been those so-called higher critics
who point out errancy in the Scrip
lures and claim that they need to be
tested and amended by modern
scientific study and made to meet
the needs of a modern world.
Further discussions have brought to
| tho front thOca of hOdny nnjninr
who contend that the writers of the
sacred books were supernaturally in
spired upon all of the subjects of
which they wrote, but were given
entire freedom as TO their forms of
expression, and in opposition to that
theory there have been the verbalists
who claim that the writings were in
spired word for word and 50 written
down.
A great confusion of facts and ira
ditions, theories and fancies confronts
every student who undertakes an
analysis of the Holy Scriptures. More
has been written about them, both
separately and collectively, than Of
any other work of literature or his
tory. The books, their writer's and
when and why they were written
have been unQueStionably verified.
The claims Of genuineneSS, credibility
and inspiration have also been amply
attested. But the path of the begin
ner in the matter of adequate under
standing is still hard, despite all of
the available material at hand.
1t has not been the intention of
the author of The Romance of the
Bible" to furnish a series of actual
text books, but to any student seri-
| ouSly undertaking the subject the
work of Mr.. Lowe will be an invalu-
able asset. He has approached the
matter from an entirely unbiased and
unincumbered viewpoint, and has
culled from the scholars of the world
the tributes and comments of these
masters of literature
Mr.. Lowe is a lawyer and a man of
scholarly attainments, whose ambition
it is to give to the people background
of knowledge which will bring a more
sympathetic and comprehensive under
standing of the book which, if properly
adopted as a daily guide. will bring
spiritual and moral happiness to hui
manity. The great Hebrew scholars
and sages so little known to the
Christian readers of the Bible have
been brought forth in this work, as
well as other intellectual giants of a
bygone age. A boundless storehouse
of knowledge has been tapped, PROM
ising the most enlightening informa-
ton and exposition Of the Bible that
has been produced
Only two books have been covered
in this first volume, Genesis and Ex-
odus. AS the others come along they
will be warmly welcomed as rich
assets to the vast libraries of biblical