The Bible in modern light; a course of lectures before the Bible department of the Woman's club, Omaha

Preface

The Bible Department, in the Omaha Woman's Club, was a new departure last year. It attracted the attention of many other clubs and letters of inquiry were received from many quarters. Appendix A gives a good idea of the plan of work, while Appendix B shows the spirit which has prevailed. One of the first questions to be settled at the beginning of the work, was whether to take up the study of the Bible direct, or to begin with a course about the Bible. The latter was decided upon, and the lectures which follow are the result. They are here given in the form in which they were originally presented. One important feature, however, is lacking, that is the discussion and the questions which followed the lecture.

Of course there has been no attempt at an exhaustive treatment of the subjects considered. Those wanting this will seek it in more pretentious volumes. But there has been an effort to set forth clearly, con-

V

I>reface

cisely, and comprehensively matters of great moment to every one interested in the Bible. The author hopes that many who have no time for extended study will find this book of real help to them, and that it will prove of value in awakening interest in, and promoting the study of, the Bible and all that relates to this wonderful book.

John Wesley Conley.

Omaha, Neb., Jan. i, 1904.

VI

Contents

LECTURES PAGE

i. introductory 9

ii. right attitude of mind toward the bible 13

II Cbc JBible in modern Xigbt

place whatever in the studies of the department. To enter upon these would be simply to stir up strife and defeat the purpose for which we come together. But when we come to the great questions of God, revelation, sin, and immortality, we are still dealing with subjects upon which men differ and which to some extent divide the denominations. And yet if we study religion at all we must discuss these great vital, central problems. It is not worth while to study Hamlet with Hamlet left out. Very much depends upon the spirit in which we engage in this work. We come together as learners and should seek to be faithful students of the greatest topics that can possibly engage the human mind. The very largeness of the questions should preserve us from the dogmatic spirit and should beget in us a true charity for those who entertain views differing from our own. Like Newton we are simply gathering a few pebbles on the shore of the great ocean of truth, and it would be worse than a waste of time to throw these pebbles at each other. In view of all this we cannot be too careful in the use of terms that imply a judgment upon another, or at least may be readily misunderstood.

•Rlgbt Bttitu^c of minO XTowarD tbe miblc

I am confident that you will most cordially co-operate with me in keeping all of our discussions upon a high plane of genuine courtesy and of sincere respect for each other's opinions, beliefs, and feelings. You have decided that for this year you will pursue a course of study about the Bible as preparatory to a direct study of the Bible next year. At each meeting there will be a brief review of the preceding lecture, followed by the lecture for the day. Opportunity will then be given for questions and discussion, but of course all controversy will be avoided. Believing that increasing acquaintance with each other in this work will strengthen our mutual confidence, and trusting in God for guidance and illumination, we will look forward to an enjoyable and profitable season together.

II Vigbt Bttitude of mtnD toward tbe mDlc

HERE is little use in entering upon a course of Bible study unless there is a right attitude of mind. In fact, in any line of investigation the matter of paramount importance is the state of mind

XLbc :fiSible in modern Xidbt

in which the subject is approached. It is not an easy matter to secure a right attitude of mind toward the Bible. We shall be helped in this by a careful study of those factors which belong to this most desirable state of mind :

1. First of all, there should be openmindedness toward the Bible. This is an attitude of receptivity toward the truth, no matter where it may be found. It is a position, if not of friendliness toward the Bible, at least not of hostility.

Some specifications will make the thought clearer :

I. It is an unprejudiced attitude. Prejudice is a prejudgment. If one has decided beforehand what the Bible is and what it must teach, he cannot expect to profit by its study. A juror who has already formed a fixed opinion upon a case is not regarded as competent to pass fairly upon the evidence.

(i) Prejudice may be against the whole idea of special revelation. One may make up his mind that there is no place for any special inspiration or revelation and so come to the Bible with the mind absolutely closed against all the claims of the book respecting revelation and against all evidences in con-

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firmation of these claims. When any one says that a miracle or special revelation is impossible, it is simply prejudging the case, and such an attitude of mind utterly unfits him to deal fairly with the Bible.

(2) Again, prejudice may relate to the teachings, or the supposed teachings, of the Bible. One may believe in the possibility of special revelation and have his mind fully open to evidences, and yet he may have decided that the Bible teaches certain things which he believes are untrue. Or he may have positively decided beforehand certain matters upon which the Bible speaks and so come to its study incapable of appreciating some of its teachings because of having his mind closed upon the subject. For instance, one may believe that a miracle is impossible, and so when he comes to the record of a miracle in the Bible he at once rejects it without examining the evidence, for he has decided that no amount of evidence can establish the fact of a miracle. His mind is not open upon that subject.

(3) But prejudice may take the form of an extravagant exaltation of the Bible. One may adopt a most thorough-going theory of verbal or mechanical inspiration. He may believe that every date, as we now

XLbc Mblc in modern Xfdbt

have it, every historic statement, every number, is inspired. He may come to the Bible with such a conception as this, and of course his mind is closed to all critical questions, to all ideas of progressive revelation, to all proper estimates of the human element in revelation, and to many other vital questions. These are a few of the more prominent forms which prejudice takes in closing the mind in coming to the Bible.

Of course no one is free from prejudice. A thousand influences have been at work upon our minds from our earliest childhood. It is impossible for any one of us to come to the Bible with a mind fully open. But something is gained by seeing where the danger especially lies and by making earnest effort to give due weight to all evidence, and to be ready to receive the truth wherever found.

2. Another characteristic of open-mindedness is freedom from the dogmatic spirit.

Prejudice and dogmatism are closely related. Prejudice bolts the door against newcomers and dogmatism insists that nothing further is needed. Prejudice is opposed to what lies beyond ; dogmatism is satisfied with what is already possessed. Prejudice wants no additional proof ; dogmatism de-

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IRigbt BttituDe ot (llinD (Towacd tbe JSible

dares there is none. Dogmatism is unwarranted confidence. It asserts rather than proves. It is positive without adequate evidence. It never sees but one side of the question. It belongs to no particular school of thought. There is a dogmatism of unbelief as well as a dogmatism of faith ; a dogmatism of science as well as that of religion.

This state of mind stands in the way of a proper approach to the Bible. The Bible is an appeal to the reason. It claims to bring to man a great body of truth of the highest importance. The mind that dogmatizes and asserts and believes without evidence cannot deal satisfactorily with such a book. The central Personage in the book said to his followers, *' Go ye into all the world, and make disciples" — make learners, for so the word means — " of all nations." A dogmatist is not a learner ; his mind is closed to the truth. The spirit of dogmatism is utterly foreign to that openmindedness with which the true learner comes to the study of the Bible.

II. But the second factor in the right

attitude of mind toward the Bible may be

expressed in the single word, expectant.

We come to the study of every subject in

ZTbe fusible in moDetn Xigbt

one of three attitudes of mind as to what the result will be : First, there may be entire uncertainty ; we may or we may not be benefited ; we may or we may not find helpful truth. We have no conviction or clear expectation as to the result. A second attitude is that of positive non-expectancy. The subject has little or no promise of good in it. In fact, we see no grounds whatever for expecting any beneficial results.

The third is the expectant attitude. We approach the subject not only with an open mind, but believing that we shall find helpful truth. I urge that this expectant attitude is the one that we should have in our Bible study. Evidently we must come in one of these three states of mind. Why should it be the last named ? Because of the position and history of the Bible. It is often said that we ought to come to the study of the Bible exactly as we do to that of any other book. But this is impossible. In fact we do not, and cannot, treat all other books alike. Here, for example, are two books, one you have never heard anything about, the other has had extended notice and extravagant commendations in all the papers. You cannot possibly approach those two books with the same state

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IRiabt attitude of mind tTowatd tbe JSible

of mind. You will have a feeling of expectancy in the case of the one which you cannot possibly have in reference to the other.

The Bible is the most remarkable book that has found place in human history. It deals with the most vital themes of human thought and experience. No other book has approached it in profound influence upon the thought and conduct of men. These are simple historical facts. However they may be accounted for, they are universally admitted. Hundreds of thousands among the most cultured and noble of earth have borne cheerful and positive testimony to the comfort in sorrow, the strength in temptation, and the inspiration to holy living which this book has been to them. All this and much more being true, we must approach the Bible in an expectant state of mind. Of course, one may look for too much and may allow his expectancy to blind him in some measure to the essential character of the book. This must be guarded against. I do not mean that we are to come to the Bible expecting to find all that everybody has claimed for it. Unquestionably, some have claimed too much for the Bible and have thought they have

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found in it what in reality is not there. And yet we must believe that a book which has exerted such a tremendous influence upon human life will abundantly repay our most careful study, whether we find in it all that others have claimed to find or not.

III. A third factor in the right attitude of mind toward the Bible may be expressed by the word judicial. There are three features of the judicial mind that are of special value to the Bible student. These are discrimination, impartiality, and thoroughness. We may well spend a little time upon each of these.

I. The one who would do satisfactory work in Bible study must be able to make wise discriminations. There are great differences in the present day value of different portions of the Bible. The value of some parts was purely local and temporary ; other portions were written for all time and for all men. All sorts of absurd teachings have been deduced from the Scriptures by giving a universal or general application to passages which were written for specific conditions and needs. The discriminating mind will give due consideration to historical conditions, to the progressive element in revelation, and also to the essential limi-

tations to revelation growing out of the existing state of human development and thought.

2. But the judicial mind is also impartial. It is free from bias. It does not decide the case before hearing the evidence. A vast amount of Bible study has been for the purpose of bolstering up an opinion, a sect, or a party. Men have searched the Bible to find what they wanted rather than to ascertain what it teaches. This has been done both by the friends and by the enemies of the book. It has been urged that it must be a strange book that can be appealed to for the support of the teachings of nearly one hundred and fifty different religious bodies. The trouble is not so much in the book as in the biased and partisan attitude of mind with which men come to its study.

3. Still further, the judicial mind is characterized by painstaking thoroughness. It is patient and persevering. A boy was asked what the text of the morning sermon was. He replied, *' I don't exactly remember, but it was something like this : ' Go into my barnyard and go to work, and if you don't get tired out you'll get your pay for it.* " The richest truths in any field of investigation are not found by the one who is easily

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tired out. In Bible study there is a special demand for unwearied perseverance. This is evident from several considerations.

(i) The character of the subject-matter. The Bible deals with subjects of far-reaching import. They are the great themes of human thought. God, immortality, personal responsibility, sin,forgiveness,prayer, miracles, prophecy, inspiration, revelation — these are some of the subjects dealt with. And these are discussed, not by one writer merely but by many, and these widely separated from each other. And, further, these great themes are not set forth categorically and systematically, but are inwrought into symbolism, ceremonial observances, poetry, prophecy, parable, narrative, biography, and history. To deal satisfactorily with such themes in such a setting requires great patience and persevering effort.

(2) This same need is emphasized when the literary character of the Bible is considered. It is an ancient book, or, better, a collection of ancient books. Its poetry is entirely different in structure from that with which we are familiar. Oriental imagery and figures of speech based often upon customs and conditions with which we are entirely unacquainted are found

IRidbt Bttitu^e of (Hind ^owarD tbe Mblc

throughout the Scriptures. Nothing short of protracted and painstaking study can bring one into sympathy with the habits of thought and the forms of expression of the biblical writers.

(3) Still one thing more must be mentioned while considering this need of patience and perseverance in our attitude toward the Bible : the historical factor is a very pronounced one. The messages of the prophets were primarily for the people of their own times and were delivered to meet existing conditions, and, to be understood, the people and the conditions of those times must in some fair degree be considered. There is progress, a development, running through the Scripture narrative, and to appreciate this one needs to be familiar with the unfoldings of history. Moreover, the Israelites were not an isolated people. They dwelt in the center of an ancient civilization and through their little country ran the highway of mighty nations. Assyria, Syria, Egypt, Greece, and Rome all contributed something to the life and thought of the Jewish people. The one who would know the Bible thoroughly must know of the surrounding nations whose influence had much to do with the men who

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wrote the Bible. The historical method in biblical interpretation has added immeasurably to the interest and profit of scriptural study, but at the same time has greatly emphasized the need of judicial thoroughness in our work.

IV. One more factor in the right attitude of mind toward the Bible may be mentioned. It is the responsive attitude. All moral truth involves duty. No matter where it is found, it always comes with an appeal to the conscience. What I suggest here is not so much an attitude toward the Bible as it is toward moral truth. It is that state of mind which is ready to yield to the requirements of such truth whenever and wherever it may be found. All truth — scientific, moral, religious — is learned largely by the practical application of it. The inductive method is little other than using the truth we have to find that which lies a little further on. It is this spirit I plead for in coming to the Bible. Whenever a truth is found, something that appeals to conscience and the moral judgment responds to it; accept it, not merely as a truth but as a part of your own inner life. Where the miner finds gold near the surface he appropriates it and it supplies the means and the

Zbc Bdaential Cbatactci: ot tbe SSible

incentive to follow the vein deeper into the mountain-side.

I have now said that the attitude of the mind toward the Bible should be open, expectant, judicial, and responsive. Other factors might be noted, but these are the most important. Each one of us will fail in fully securing this state of mind, but much will be accomplished in keeping this ideal before us and in faithfully endeavoring to attain it. Thus seeking to approach the Bible, we shall not all find the same things nor be equally profited in our study, but all will come closer to the Source of all truth and will find helpful precepts and moral and spiritual impulse for the earnest and worthy work of life.

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HIS is the age of the inductive method in study. Time was when men decided beforehand what the Bible as a revelation from God must be and then forced it into harmony with their preconceived ideas. But now an entirely different method of procedure

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is being insisted upon. We must determine what the Bible is, not by a priori arguments .but by a careful study of the book itself. This method may overthrow some traditional views, but it adds immeasurably to the real value and power of the Bible.

In a single lecture it will be impossible to go into an extended and detailed study of the contents of the Bible, but what I shall attempt to do will be to set forth its great outlines, its salient controlling features. It is evident that the essential character of the book depends upon these rather than upon the less important features. The course of a river is determined by the larger view of its currents and valleys rather than by its bends and eddies. Two inquiries will naturally determine the course of our investigation : What does the Bible claim for itself ? and, Is this claim substantiated by its teachings and character }

I. First, then, let us see what the Bible claims for itself. In endeavoring to do this it must be borne in mind that the Bible was not originally one book but many, and that it is only in comparatively recent years that these different books have been brought together into a single volume. Hence a complete study of the question proposed

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would call for an examination of all the parts and an ascertaining, if possible, of the claims of each of the writers. But for our present purpose this will be unnecessary. It is a fact that at the beginning of the Christian era the books of the Old Testament,substantially as we have them, were regarded as sacred, and all we need to do is to ascertain the claims made by the more important of these. If we turn to the Pentateuch — the first five books — we meet with frequent references like the following : *' And God said " (Gen. i : 29), " And the Lord said" (Gen. 7 : i), **And God said unto Abraham " (Gen. 21 : 12), '* And God said unto Jacob " (Gen. 35 : i), ** And the Lord spake unto Moses" (Exod. 25 : i), "And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron " (Num. 19 : i), ** Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them" (Deut. i : 3).

When we leave these five books and come to the book of Joshua the opening statement is, ** Now after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun " (Josh, i : i). All through the book of Judges the communications tibe Sible in fnloDern Xigbt

calling and directing tlie work of tiie deliverers of Israel are said to be direct from Jehovah.

The prophets claimed to speak to the people the messages which they had received from the Lord, and over and over again they insist that God had laid a burden upon them and that they were giving warnings and encouragements from him. Jesus claimed to have a special revelation from the Father (John 17 : 8), and insisted that the Holy Spirit would be given to lead his followers into all truth (John 14 : 26). And Paul wrote, '* Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness : that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work " (2 Tim. 3 : 16, 17). And Peter declares, *' But men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter i : 21). And in the Epistle to the Hebrews there is a very interesting summary of the whole matter, " God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son " (Heb. i : i). But I need not for our present purpose bring

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forward any more of these claims. I am not now asking whether the Bible claims infallibility nor whether every writer makes a distinct claim to inspiration, but am simply seeking to ascertain what the great central claims are of the leading biblical writers. It is perfectly evident from the quotations given — and these might be indefinitely increased — that these writers and teachers claimed to give a revelation from God. They believed that they had received from the Lord truth which was of vital importance to the people. We may say, then, that the Bible claims to furnish a revelation from God. Some believe that this claim is false, some are in doubt, and others accept it. If it is true it is the most important truth this world knows anything about. If it is false it is the worst falsehood ever perpetrated upon the race.

II. We come now to an examination of the Bible in the light of this claim. It has been customary for writers to state at this point certain essential features of a revelation from God and then proceed to compel the Bible to conform to these supposed essentials. But this is manifestly not the proper way to proceed. Here is a book which claims to be a revelation from God.

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The first inquiry is, What are the essential characteristics of this book ? and as we ascertain these we may ask, Do these characteristics seem to be in harmony with those high claims ?

I. The first thing which impresses the student of the Bible is what may be called the God-consciousness of its writers. As on a beautiful day in spring hills and valleys, fields and forests all lie bathed in the sunshine, so all parts of the Bible are bathed in this sense of the divine presence. On that beautiful spring day there may be a few places where shadows fall, so there may be places in the Bible where this divine presence may seem to be wanting. But this consciousness of the divine is certainly one of the dominant characteristics of the Bible. It opens with the significant words, **In the beginning, God,'* and it closes with an eager, expectant, upward look, coupled with a gracious benediction. Its historical portions are the record, mainly, of a people who believed that they were under the peculiar care of Jehovah and that he was working out his will through them. Its poetry breathes a lofty spirit of reverence and worship, and is charged with a profound sense of the overshadow-

ings of the Almighty. Its prophets came to the people burdened with the awful sense of a message from Jehovah, and their utterances abound with expressions showing their sense of responsibility as bearers of such messages. The law, moral and ceremonial, rests upon a ** Thus saith the Lord," and every ministration of priest and Levite was calculated to direct the thought of the people to God.

We are not now asking after their conception of God, but simply directing attention to the fact that one of the leading characteristics of the Bible is this all-pervasive recognition of the divine presence. This certainly is in harmony with the claim of revelation. If God has revealed himself through the history of a people and by means also of a special religious ceremonial, we should expect that a prominent feature in all this would be the consciousness and recognition of the divine personality. God is a person, and the vital thing in revelation is, first of all, not the perception of some abstract truth, but the recognition of the divine personality. And this to a remarkable degree characterized the biblical writers.

2. Another characteristic of the Bible is tlbe JBiblc in flloDecn %iQbt

the nature of the themes with which it chiefly deals. I do not for a moment forget that there are wearisome details in many parts of the Bible, particularly in the historical books of the Old Testament, and that, not infrequently, matters are dealt with which appear to have no value for us and which seem trifling and unimportant. And yet, after all is said that can be said at this point, it still remains true that the Bible is a book of great subjects. It has to do with the most important themes that can possibly engage human thought and that relate intimately to the most vital of human needs.

It is no difficult task for a Bible student to state at once what these dominant Bible themes are : God, duty, judgment, mercy, brotherhood, death, future life, sin, salvation — these are the great subjects that engaged the thought of those who wrote the Bible.

It is evident that here again there is harmony with the claims of the Bible to be a revelation from God. Not all books that discuss great themes are a revelation from God, but it is certain that no book can be such a revelation that does not deal mainly with such themes. The puerility of many

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professed revelations and spiritual communications is at once a refutation of their claims. The Bible certainly deals with themes worthy of a revelation from God, and further, it may be well to note here that these themes are the ones concerning which man seems to be unable, of himself, to reach any satisfactory conclusion, but concerning which the truth is of very great practical value.

Take, for example, the question of God. Perhaps nothing has had more to do in the formation of character and in molding society than the prevailing views of God. At the same time, where the Bible has not been accepted hopeless contradiction and confusion have prevailed.

Science and enlightenment, aside from revelation, do not seem to relieve the situation materially, and we have cultivated people advocating pantheism, theosophy, atheism, and agnosticism. If there is one fact that is made clear by all this, it is that man needs a revelation in reference to the person and character of Deity.

The same is true in relation to all the

other great themes with which the Bible

deals. They have great practical value,

and at the same time they are matters con-

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cerning which man, unaided by revelation, seems to be in hopeless uncertainty and confusion.

3. Another feature of the Bible is very noticeable : there is progress or development in its teachings. We do not find the same fullness and clearness in the earlier books that we do in the later. Let us take the idea of God and trace it in the most general way. In Gen. i : i is the first great thought, that of Creator. He is the Source and Sustainer of all things. Exod. 3 : 14 presents him as self-existent, ** I am that I am.'* The margin in the Revised version reads, '* I am, because I am.'* Here is an added thought. It may have been in the minds of others before this, but it is here given a new emphasis. Now turn to Deut. 6 : 4, ** The Lord our God is one Lord." The whole ancient world believed in a plurality of deities, and Israel was in constant danger of yielding to this seductive influence. They were being taught that God was one and that besides him there was no other God. But this truth took root slowly, and not till after the Babylonian captivity do we find it fully established.