BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 29 November 1933, Page 10

BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY

“WHERE DO WE STAND NOW?” In a speech at the annual meeting oi the„ British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, held in London, Dr. if. 0. Burkett, professor of divinity at Cambridge University, said the’ Churches had turned away from tile past to the present. Tile past did not now speak to them with the same kind of authority as heretofore, and they were losing vital interest in it. The Christian religion used to be a comparatively simple tiling to define. It was then agreed that it had reached a high degree oi perfection in the past, and that the authorities of the past were authorities for us. Among tne most trusted authorities, for most Protestants, the only real authority, was the Bible. “Where do we stand now?” Tile answer is, in a totally different world. On all sides we hear that the Bible is not studied as it used to be. Can we really wonder? Not that it is all loss —far from it. The Infallible Boole lias gone. In its place we have the wonderful and fascinating pictures of Palestine and JlO ancient world generally that is slowly being built up by archaeology and criticism, a work in which the British School at Jerusalem and the Palestine Exploration Fund are taking their share. And those who are actually engaged in this work know bow interesting it and the kindred work of literary criticism is. But to the public behind ami outside, the work has become less interesting. When the Book ceased to be infallible it became less interesting, lc.,s iiiir.initant. That is the real cause of the decay of Bible reading, so universally deplored. And it is tile real cause why excellent institutions like our British bcliool at Jerusalem are not better supported. The historical interest of the Bible remains, indeed, has-in creased But the English, as a people, take but a languid interest in history. They are occupied with the present and liie future, with science, with what is called ‘development.’ ”