RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 258, 30 October 1926, Page 22

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

PRESENT DAY OUTLOOK. (Contributed.) THE OLD TESTAMENT AND MODERN CRITICISM. Speaking on the authorship and chronology in the Old Testament at St. David's Church on Sunday evening, the Bey. D. C. Herron said one of the great achievements of modern scholars was the extent to which they had unravelled the tangled skein of chronology in the Old Testament. We are tempted to assume that that which is first in order must also be first in point of time. That is true in most other books containing history, but not in the Bible. He referred to the New Testament. Matthew is not the earliest gospel although it stands first. As evidence on questions like the resurrection the Epistle to the Corinthians ,which is by no means the earliest of the epistles, stands 15 years nearer to the event than Mark, which is the first gospel. In the Old Testament very much the same is true. It is generally believed that not Genesis but some of the prophets, e.g., Amos, Hosea and Isaiah are among the earlist books in it. However, long before there would be songs, and ballads incorporating folklore, primitive legislation and tales of heroes. While still a band of nomads; or struggling for mastery in Canaan, the Israelites would have little opportunity for cultivating literary art. Round the campfire the fathers would recite folklore to their children. There are traces in Genesis of poetry embodying ancient tales. In Gen. 4.23 we have one breathing the fierce implacable revenge of the bedawin. He addressed his wives: Adah and Zillah list to my lav, O wives of Lamek hear what I say. And man who wounds me—him I slay. ■ I slay a boy for a blow. If Cain be avenged seven times, Then seventy and seven times Lamek. War Songs. • We have allusions at several places to "The Book of the Wars of Jehovah," evidently a collection of ancient war songs. The oldest complete piece is the song of Deborah in Judges. But as time went on even the wonderful Oriental mind could not carry the ever-increasing burden. Fortunately in the meantime in Canaan the art of writing had been cultivated. The oldest history preserved end now forming one strand of the Periteteuch is believed to have been the work of a group of prophets in Judca about the ninth century B.C. (Gen. 12.6 reads: "The Canaanitewas then in the ■•■ land." Evidently that was no longer so when the historian wrote. We know that the Ganaahites were still in the land up to the time of Solomon. Thiß verse therefore helps to date the history). A little later another group in Israel did a similar service for their 'people. Later, much as Tatian in the: post-apostolic era formed a continuous' narrative out of the four gospels, some Hebrew editor seems to have woven these, •' two versions together. Once it has been -pointed out; even a person who-has no:, knowledge of Hebrew can recognise the different strands in certain incidents, ;:,e.g. In the story of the flood we read; ef Noah being instructed to take two of] every kind of creature into-the ark, and then a few verses later to take'seven of the clean kinds and two of the unclean.: What Moses Did. . In the legal part much the same development has taken place. The New (Testament again illustrates the univer- - rial fact that broad principles are first [enunciated by a great prophetic Leader' and. that in succeeding centuries these, principles gradually become embodied in detailed laws and ceremonials, Moses? comes before us as a prophet laying down great broad, principles of < human conduct. At first he attempted *to act ... as judge as well, but.acting on the advice of his father-in-law he relegated simple eases to others and himself undertook jthose difficult ones involving new principles It was not fraud but perfectly natural for later legislators to group legislation under the name of Moses. Hewas the father of Hebrew "legislation. As Paul said: "We ' have the ' mind of Christ," so Hebrew lawmakers long after Moses felt that they were legislating in the spirit of Moses... We get into serious difficulties if we insist that all the complex enactments of, the Pentateuch come from the time of Moses. Hue prophets most emphatically say that {sacrifice was neyer an essential part of .worship before entry into Canaan, i and (yet Leviticus lays down most detailed regulations covering sacrifice. The only feasible explanation is that at least that part of Leviticus comes, from a later date than the prophets.. , j The Book of. the Law. , ' / ~ Scholars to-day believe that Deuteronomy dates from, about the. end of the .;'-: Seventh century B.C. Internal evidence , suggests that it is later than the reformation of Hezekiah, who' abolished the "high places," i.e., the local shrines dot- ' ted all over the land where Canaanitish religious practices would more readily -■■'■ creep in and corrupt the worship. Deuteronomy legislates for sacrifice being made at Jerusalem. It was probably the book Of the law found in the temple in Uosiah's time under the guidance of Which he instituted his reformation. It /is written in.the spirit of the prophets land glows with their ethical teaching, tin many ways it is the highwater mark |-f O.T. legislation. , .No Copyrights.' f r" Whin the nation went into exile they ' tjwere cut off from all visible embodii ments of their religion.: The temple was gone. Sacrifice and ceremonial ceased. '.;- [written records were now necessary if 'the ritual was to be preserved against the day of their return. It is generally ' believed/ that most of the ceremonial laws found in the Pentateuch were at this.stage committed to writing. The priests seem also to have written a new history of their race in whicb was incorporated this complete ritual and legislation. About the time of the return this later history had woven into it the ~ jsarlier story .and the whole has come, down to us in what we call the Pentaf tench. The Book of Chronicles, repre- ■'■■ jwnts the later history written at this :. Stage. It really does not matter who were the authors or editors.. There were --' no copyrights in those days I Many. of the most valuable books and writingss in the O.T. are anonymous. Their in_piration does not depend on our knowledge of their authorship, but on their . ievelation of the dealings of God with man in a way that carries its authority "".. £t;«-«vfa-r"n! .-it'--"--.- ■ .■'■•!P-^-L* j^vt ' * m >l eonclndsd next