BIBLICAL CRITICISM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2330, 27 October 1898, Page 19

BIBLICAL CRITICISM.

" The Higher Criticism and Its Results as Respects the Old Testament" was the subject of a discourse by Dean Fitchett at All Saints' Church onj Sunday evening. He said that, ordinarily, preaching needed to concern itself little with questions of Biblical criticism. The preacher's work lay with conscience and the conduct of life. For the purposes of awakening conscience, educating the moral natura, and guiding conduct towards good ends, the Bible, as commonly received and commonly understood, had proved itself an efficient instrument. Traditional views respecting the Old Testament seemed authenticated by their spiritual utility ; there was a natural wish to retain them, and the preacher's temptation was to leave unnoticed the disturbing results of modern Biblical research. This was to assume a serious responsibility. It was not well to leave their young people to discover, as sooner or later they must, that many things asserted by their religious instructor, or tacitly assumed in his teaching, were contrary to fact. There were some results — very startling results— of Biblical science which they no longer seemed at liberty to doubt, and about which there could be no advantage in keeping silence. In the English universities these results were taught to theological students — their future clergy — from the chairs of Hebrew and cognate subjects. Amongst the teachers ho referred particularly to the Rev. Dr Cheyne, Canon of Rochester, and Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at Oxford ; and to the Rev. Dr Driver, Canon of Christchurch, Oxford, and Regius Profespor of Hebrew (in succession to Dr Pusey) ; there were also many others. He would summarise briefly the view of the Old Testament, to which they seemed to be committed. First, *ifi Mosaic. a.uihorshirj of tha Pentateuch, could

not be sustained. The Pentateuch was a composite w|6rk, made up of three or more documents embodying a Mosaic tradition, but by different hands and of different dates. One important part of it — distinguished as the "Priest's Code,". and containing the whole of the Levitical legislation — did not come into existence till after the Captivity, 1000 years later than Moses. The historical books of Judges, Samuel, Icings are a collection of annals and traditions put into their present form probably about the time of Jeremiah. On the other hand, the Books of Chronicles, which are a sermon rather than a history, must be dated not earlier than the third century before Christ. Passing to the Prophets, the last third of the Book of Jonah is by another hand ; iiie Book of Jonah is probably an allegory. The Book of Daniel cannot be placed earlier than 300 B.C. — that is, three centuries

later than the events it relates. The Bookof Ecclesiates is not by Solomon, nor theBook of Proverbs. The Psalter is a growth of several centuries ; only a few of the Psalms can be attributed to David — many belong to the period after the Captivity. After explaining the methods by which these results were reached, the Dean stated that he would discuss "in subsequent lectures Iheir bearing upon the New Testament and the Christian faith. Smoking was not permitted in English rail* way carriages until 1846. On many foreign lines smoking is so general that carriages are set apart for non-smokers and so labelled. Two ceremonies in Burmah mark the period when childhood ends and manhood or womanhood begins. The boys have their legs tattooed in brilliant blue-and-red pattern, and the girls their ears bored.