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 Modern Criticise 
 
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THE BIBLE 
 & MODERN 
 CRITICISM 
 
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 Iettex 
 
The BIBLE & MOD- 
 ERN CRITICISM 
 
 f 
 
 By DR. FRIEDR. BETTEX, Stuttgart, Germany 
 
 Translated from the German original by 
 DAVID H EAGLE, D D. 
 
 Dr. F. Bettex 
 
 Republished from The Fundamentals, by courtesy 
 of the Testimony Publishing Company. 
 
 BURLINGTON, IOWA 
 
 THE GERMAN LITERARY BOARD 
 
 Nineteen Hundred and Eleven 
 
xJ 
 
In thy light shall we see light 
 
 The Bible and Modern 
 Criticism. 
 
 IT is undeniable that the universe, in- 
 cluding ourselves, exists. Whence 
 comes it all? For any clear-thinking 
 mind there are only three possibilities. 
 Either the universe has existed always, it 
 produced itself, or it was created by a Di- 
 vine, a Supreme Being. 
 
 The Universe Not Eternal. 
 
 The eternity of the universe is most 
 clearly disproved by its evolution. From a 
 scientific point of view that hypothesis is 
 now discredited and virtually abandoned. 
 Astronomers, physicists, biologists, philoso- 
 phers, are beginning to recognize more and 
 more, and men like Secchi, Dubois- Rey- 
 mond, Lord Kelvin, Dr. Klein and others, 
 unanimously affirm that creation has had a 
 beginning. It always tends towards an en- 
 tropy, that is, toward a perfect equilibrium 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 of its forces, a complete standstill; and the 
 fact that it has not yet reached such a con- 
 dition is proof that it has not always existed. 
 Should creation, however, ever come to a 
 standstill, it could never again put itself in 
 motion. It has had a beginning, and it will 
 have an end. That is demonstrated most 
 clearly by its still unfinished evolution. 
 Should anyone say to us, of a growing tree 
 or of a young child, that either of these forms 
 of life has existed forever, we would at once 
 reply, Why has it not then long ago, in 
 the past eternity, grown up so as to reach 
 the heaven of heavens ? In like manner, 
 reasons that great astronomer, William Her- 
 schel, with regard to the Milky- Way, that 
 just as its breaking up into different parts 
 shows that it cannot always endure, so we 
 have, in this same fact, proof that it has not 
 eternally existed. 
 
 God the Author of All Things, 
 
 There remains, therefore, only this al- 
 ternative: either the world produced itself, 
 or it was created. That all things came 
 into existence spontaneously, and therefore 
 that we must suppose an origination of im- 
 measurably great effects without any cause, 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 or believe that at some time a nothing, 
 without either willing or knowing it, and 
 
 without the use of means, becomes a some- 
 thing — this is the most unreasonable as- 
 sumption that could possibly be attributed 
 to a human being. How could anything 
 act before it existed? or a thing not yet 
 created produce something? There is noth- 
 ing more unreasonable than the creed of the 
 unbeliever, notwithstanding all his prating 
 about the excellence of reason. 
 
 But if this world did not produce itself, 
 then it must have been created by some 
 Higher Power, some Cause of all causes, 
 such as was that First Principle upon which 
 the dying Cicero called. Or, to use the 
 words of Dr. Klein, that originating cause 
 must have been a "Supreme Intelligence 
 that has at its command unlimited creative 
 power." (Kosmologische Briefe, p. 27.) 
 Hence what that Intelligence does is both 
 illimitable and unfathomable, and it can at 
 any time either change this world or make 
 a new one. It is therefore prima facie silly 
 for us, with our prodigiously narrow ex- 
 perience, to set any kind of bounds to the 
 Supreme Being; and a God who works no 
 miracles and is the slave of his own laws 
 implanted in nature, such a God as the New 
 
 5 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 Theology preaches, is as much lacking in 
 being a true Divinity as is the unconscious, 
 but all-wise "cosmic ether" of Spiller, or 
 the "eternal stuff" of other materialists. 
 
 We conclude, then, that the universe 
 was created, or that God is the author of 
 all things. 
 
 Revelation in Nature. 
 
 But now the question arises whether 
 God, who is both the Creator of all things 
 and the Father of spirits, has revealed Him- 
 self to His creatures, or to His own children, 
 the work of His hands. Such a question 
 might surely provoke one's laughter. For 
 what is the entire universe? what is this 
 created nature of which we form a part? 
 what is air? and water? and fire? what are 
 all organized beings, my body with its many 
 parts put together in such a highly artistic 
 and inscrutable fashion; my soul with its 
 infinite capabilities so little understood by 
 myself? What are all these matters but a 
 progressive revelation of God, given to us, 
 as it were, in a series of concentric circles 
 rising one above another toward their Source? 
 For this purpose it was that God created the 
 visible, so that through it we might perceive 
 
 6 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 the invisible, and for this purpose the whole 
 creation was made, so that through it might 
 be manifested the invisible things of God, 
 even His eternal power and godhead (Rom. 
 1:20.) Creation is only the language of ' ' the 
 Word that was in the beginning, and was 
 with God, and was God, and by Whom all 
 things were made' ' (John 1:1-3.) What does 
 this Word declare? What else but the great 
 infinite name of God the Father, the primal 
 source of all things, the name that must be 
 hallowed? There was a time, however, even 
 before the world was, when there existed 
 nothing but God and His name. All the 
 different works of creation are only letters 
 in this great name. 
 
 Revelation in the Bible. 
 
 But there is another revelation which 
 God has given of Himself to men — a more 
 definite and personal one. Thus, e. g., He 
 declared Himself to Adam, and through 
 Enoch and Xoah to the antediluvians, and 
 again after the flood to other generations 
 through Noah and his sons. But because 
 at the building of the tower of Babel men 
 turned stubbornly away from God, He gave 
 them up to the thoughts of their own heart, 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 and selected one man, Abraham, to go out 
 from his friends and kindred, so that in his 
 s ed all the nations of the world might be 
 blessed. Then, first, out of Abraham came 
 the people of Israel, to whom were com- 
 mitted the oracles of God; and from this 
 period began the history of the written 
 Word. Moses narrates the beginning of 
 things, also records the law, and holy men 
 of God speak and write as they are moved 
 by the Holy Spirit. That is inspiration— a 
 divine in-breathing . 
 
 But here a distinction must be made. 
 The Bible reports matters of history, and in 
 doing so includes many genealogies which 
 were composed, first of all, not for us, but 
 for those most immediately concerned, and 
 for the angels (l Cor. 4:9.) Also it reports 
 many sins and shameful deeds; for just as 
 the sun first illuminates himself and then 
 sheds his radiance upon the ocean and the 
 puddle, the eagle and the worm, so the 
 Bible undertakes to represent to us not only 
 God, but also man just as he is. In giving 
 us these narratives it may be said, more- 
 over, that God, who numbers the very hairs 
 of our head, exercised a providential control, 
 so that what was reported by His chosen 
 men should be the real facts, and nothing 
 
 8 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 else. To what extent He inspired those 
 men with the very words used by them, it 
 is not for us to know, but probably more 
 fully than we suspect. 
 
 But when God, after having communi- 
 cated the law to Moses on Mount Sinai and 
 in the Tabernacle, communes with him as a 
 friend with friend, and Moses writes "all 
 the words of this law T in a book" (Deut. 
 28:58; 31:24,) then Moses really becomes 
 the pen of God. When God speaks to the 
 prophets, "Behold, I put my words in thy 
 mouth," and "all the words that thou 
 hearest thou shalt say to this people," then 
 these prophets become the very mouth of 
 God. When Christ appears to John on 
 Patmos, and says, "To the angel of the 
 church write these things," this is an in- 
 stance of verbal dictation. 
 
 But just here we are amused at these 
 weak-minded critics who, with hackneyed 
 phrases, talk so glibly about "mechanical 
 instruments" and "mere verbal dictation." 
 Does then a self-revelation of the Almighty 
 and a making known of His counsels, a 
 gracious act which exalts the human agent 
 to be a co-worker with Jehovah, annihilate 
 personal freedom? Or does it not rather 
 enlarge that freedom, and lift it up to a 
 
 9 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 higher and more joyous activity? Am I then 
 a "mechanical instrument" when with deep 
 devotion and with enthusiasm I repeat after 
 Christ, word for word, the prayer which He 
 taught his disciples? The Bible is, conse- 
 quently, a book which originated according 
 to the will and with the co-operation of God; 
 and as such it is our guide to eternity, con- 
 ducting man, seemingly without a plan and 
 yet with absolute certainty, all the way from 
 the first creation and from Paradise on to 
 the second or higher creation and to the new 
 Jerusalem (Comp. Gen. 2:8-10 with Rev. 
 21:1, 2.) 
 
 Proof of the Bible's Inspiration. 
 
 How does the Bible prove itself to be a 
 divinely inspired, heaven-given book, a 
 communication from a Father to His child- 
 ren, and thus a revelation? 
 
 First, by the fact that, as does no other 
 sacred book in the world, it condemns man 
 and all his w r orks. It does not praise either 
 his wisdom, his reason, his art, or any pro- 
 gress that he has made; but it represents 
 him as being in the sight of God, a miser- 
 able sinner, incapable of doing anything 
 good, and deserving only death and endless 
 
 10 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 perdition. Truly, a book which is able thus 
 to speak, and in consequence causes millions 
 of men, troubled in conscience, to prostrate 
 themselves in the dust, crying, "God be 
 merciful to me a sinner, ' ' must contain more 
 than mere ordinary truth. 
 
 Secondly, the Bible exalts itself far above 
 all merely human books by its announce- 
 ment of the great incomprehensible mystery 
 that, "God so loved the world that He gave 
 His only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in Him should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life." (John 3:16.) Where is 
 there a god among all heathen nations, be 
 he Osiris, Brahma, Baal, Jupiter or Odin, 
 that would have promised those people 
 that, by taking upon himself the sin of the 
 world and suffering its punishment, he 
 would thus become a savior and redeemer 
 to them? 
 
 Thirdly, the Bible sets the seal of its 
 divine origin upon itself by means of the 
 prophecies. Very appropriately does God 
 inquire, through the prophet Isaiah, "Who, 
 as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set 
 it in order for Me since I established the 
 ancient people? and the things that are 
 coming and shall come to pass, let them 
 declare." (Ch.44:7.) Or again, "I am God, 
 
 11 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 declaring the end from the beginning, and 
 from ancient times, things not yet done, 
 saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will 
 do all My pleasure; calling a ravenous bird 
 from the east, and the man of My counsel 
 from a far country. Yea, I have spoken, I 
 will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, 
 I will also do it." (Ch. 46:10, 11.) Or, 
 addressing Pharaoh, "Where are thy wise 
 men, and let them tell thee, and let them 
 know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed 
 upon Egypt." (Ch. 19:12.) Again we say, 
 where is there a god, or gods, a founder of 
 religion, such as Confucius, Buddha, or 
 Mohammed, who could, with such certain- 
 ty, have predicted the future of even his 
 own people? Or where is there a statesman 
 who in these times can foretell what will be 
 the condition of things in Europe one hun- 
 dred or even ten years from now? Never- 
 theless the prophecies of Moses and his 
 threatened judgments upon the Israelites 
 have been literally fulfilled. Literally also 
 have been fulfilled, (although who at the 
 time would have believed it? ) the prophecies 
 respecting the destruction of those great 
 ancient cities, Babylon, Nineveh and Mem- 
 phis. Who in these times would believe a 
 like prophecy respecting London, Paris, or 
 
 12 
 
Th e B i b le a n d Mo dc r n Cr i I i c i s m 
 
 New York? Moreover, in a literal way has 
 been fulfilled what the prophets David and 
 Isaiah foresaw concerning the last suffer- 
 ings of Christ — His death on the cross, His 
 drinking of vinegar, and the casting of lots 
 for His garments. And there are other 
 prophecies which will still be most literally 
 fulfilled, such as the promises made to 
 Israel, the final judgment, and the end of 
 the world. ' 'For, ' ' as Habakkuk says, ' 'the 
 vision is yet for an appointed time, and will 
 not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it; it will 
 surely come." (Ch. 2:3.) 
 
 Furthermore, the Bible has demonstrated 
 its peculiar power by its influence with the 
 martyrs. Think of the hundreds of thou- 
 sands who, at different times and among 
 different peoples, have sacrificed their all, 
 their wives, their children, all their posses- 
 sions, and finally life ifself, on account of 
 this book. Think of how they have, on the 
 rack and at the stake, confessed the truth 
 of the Bible, and borne testimony to its 
 power. However, O ye critics and despisers 
 of God's Word, if you will only write such 
 a book and then die for it, we will believe 
 you. 
 
 Lastly, the Bible shows itself every day 
 to be a divinely given book by its beneficent 
 
 13 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 influence among all kinds of people. It 
 converts to a better life the ignorant and 
 the learned, the beggar on the street and 
 the king upon his throne, yonder poor 
 woman dwelling in an attic, the greatest 
 poet and the profoundest thinker, civilized 
 Europeans and uncultured savages. De- 
 spite all the scoffing and derision of its 
 enemies, it has been translated into hun- 
 dreds of languages, and has been preached 
 by thousands of missionaries to millions of 
 people. It makes the proud humble and 
 the dissolute virtuous; it consoles the un- 
 fortunate, and teaches man how to live 
 patiently and die triumphantly. No other 
 book or collection of books accomplishes 
 for man the exceeding great benefits ac- 
 complished by this book of truth. 
 
 Modern Criticism and its 
 Rationalistic Method. 
 
 In these times there has appeared a 
 criticism which, constantly growing bolder 
 in its attacks upon this sacred book, now 
 decrees, with all self-assurance and confi- 
 dence, that it is simply a human produc- 
 tion. Besides other faults found with it, it 
 
 14 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 is declared to be full of errors, many of its 
 books to be spurious, written by unknown 
 men at later dates than those assigned, etc., 
 etc. But we ask, upon what fundamental 
 principle, what axiom, is this verdict of the 
 critics based? It is upon the idea that, as 
 Renan expressed it, reason is capable of 
 judging: all things, but is itself judged by 
 nothing. That is surely a proud dictum, 
 but an empty one if its character is really 
 noticed. To be sure, God has given reason 
 to man, so that, in his customary way of 
 planting and building, buying and selling, 
 he may make a practical use of created 
 nature by which he is surrounded. But is 
 reason, even as respects matters of this life, 
 in accord with itself? By no means. For, 
 if that were so, whence comes all the strife 
 and contention of men at home and abroad, 
 in their places of business and their public 
 assemblies, in art and science, in legislation, 
 religion and philosophy ? Does it not all pro- 
 ceed from the conflicts of reason? The en- 
 tire history of our race is the history of 
 millions of men gifted with reason who have 
 been in perpetual conflict one with another. 
 It is with such reason, then, that sentence 
 is to be pronounced upon a divinely given 
 book? A purely rational revelation would 
 
 15 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 certainly be a contradiction of terms; be- 
 sides, it would be wholly superfluous. But 
 when reason undertakes to speak of things 
 entirely supernatural, invisible and eternal, 
 it talks as a blind man does about colors, 
 discoursing of matters concerning which it 
 neither knows nor can know anything; and 
 thus it makes itself ridiculous. It has not 
 ascended up to heaven, neither has it de- 
 scended into the deep; and therefore a 
 purely rational religion is no religion at all. 
 
 Incompetency of Reason for 
 Spiritual Truth. 
 
 Reason alone has never inspired men 
 with great sublime conceptions of spiritual 
 truth, whether in the way of discovery or 
 invention; but usually it has at first rejected 
 and ridiculed such matters. And just so 
 it is with these rationalistic critics, they 
 have no appreciation or understanding of 
 the high and sublime in God's Word. They 
 understand neither the majesty of Isaiah, 
 the pathos of David's repentance, the au- 
 dacity of Moses' prayers, the philosophic 
 depth of Ecclesiastes, nor the wisdom of 
 Solomon which "uttereth her voice in the 
 
 16 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 streets." According to them ambitious 
 priests, at a later date than is commonly as- 
 signed, compiled all those books to which 
 we have alluded; also they wrote the Sinaitic 
 law, and invented the whole stor\ r of 
 Moses' life. ("A magnificent fiction" — so 
 one of the critics calls that story.) But if 
 all this is so, then we must believe that 
 cunning falsifiers, who were, however, so 
 the critics say, devout men, genuine pro- 
 ducts of their day (although it calls for 
 notice that the age in which those devout 
 men lived, should, as was done to Christ, 
 have persecuted and killed them, when 
 usually an age loves its own children;) that 
 is to say, we must believe not only that 
 shallow- minded men have uncovered for us 
 eternal truths and the most distant future, 
 but also that vulgar, interested liars, have 
 declared to us the inexorable righteousness 
 of a holy God ! Of course, all that is non- 
 sense; no one can believe it. 
 
 But if these critics discourse, as some- 
 times they do, with great self-assurance 
 upon topics such as the history of Israel, 
 the peculiar work of the prophets, revela- 
 tion, inspiration, the essence of Christianity, 
 the difference between the teachings of 
 Christ and those of Paul, anyone who in- 
 
 17 
 
The Bible and Modem Criticism 
 
 telligently reads what they say is impressed 
 with the idea that, although they display 
 much ingenuity in their efforts, after all 
 they do not really understand the matters 
 concerning which they speak. In like man- 
 ner they talk with much ingenuity and show 
 of learning about men with whom they have 
 only a far-off acquaintance; and they dis- 
 cuss events in the realm of the Spirit where 
 they have had no personal experience. 
 Thus they both illustrate and prove the 
 truth of the Scripture teaching that "the 
 natural man receiveth not the things of the 
 Spirit of God." These critics say that God, 
 not being a man, cannot speak; consequent- 
 ly there is no word of God ! Also, God can- 
 not manifest Himself in visible form, there- 
 fore all the accounts of such epiphanies are 
 mythical tales! Inspiration, they tell us, is 
 unthinkable; hence all representations of 
 such acts are diseased imagination ! Of 
 prophecy there is none; what purports to be 
 such was written after the events ! Miracles 
 are impossible; therefore all the reports of 
 them, as given in the Bible, are mere fic- 
 tions! Men always seek, thus it is ex- 
 plained, their own advantage and personal 
 glory, and just so it was with those "proph- 
 ets of Israel." 
 
 18 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 Such is what they call "impartial sci- 
 ence," "unprejudiced research," "objective 
 demonstration." 
 
 Nothing New in These 
 
 "New" Views, 
 
 Moreover, these critics claim for their 
 peculiar views that they are ' 'new theology, 
 and the "latest investigation." But that 
 also is untrue. Even in the times of Christ 
 the famous rabbi Hillel and his disciple 
 Gamaliel substituted for the Mosaic law all 
 manner of "traditions." (Matt. 15:2-9; 
 23:16-22.) Since then other learned rabbis, 
 such as Ben Akiba, Maimonides and others, 
 have engaged in Bible criticism, not only 
 casting doubts upon the genuineness of 
 various books of the Old Testament, but 
 also denying the miracles and talking learn- 
 edly about "myths." Even eighteen hun- 
 dred years ago Celsus brought forward the 
 same objections as those now raised by 
 modern criticism; and in his weak and 
 bungling production, the "Life of Jesus," 
 David Strauss has in part repeated them. 
 Also there have been other noted heretics, 
 such as Arius (317 A. D.,) who denied the 
 divinity of Christ, and Pelagius in the fifth 
 
 19 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 century, who rejected the doctrine of orig- 
 inal sin. Indeed this exceedingly new 
 theology adopts even the unbelief of those 
 old Sadducees who said "there is no resur- 
 rection, neither angel nor spirit." (Acts 
 23:8,.) and whom Christ reproved with the 
 words, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scrip- 
 tures nor the power of God." ( Matt. 
 22:29. ) It certainly does not argue for the 
 spiritual progress of our race, that such a 
 threadbare and outworn unbelieving kind 
 of science should again, in these days, de- 
 ceive and even stultify thousands of people. 
 
 No Agreement Among 
 the Critics. 
 
 Do these critics then, to ask the least of 
 them, agree with one another! Far from 
 it. To be sure, they unanimously deny the 
 inspiration of the Bible, the divinity of 
 Christ and of the Holy Spirit, the fall of 
 man and the forgiveness of sins through 
 Christ; also prophecy and miracles, the res- 
 urrection of the dead, the final judgment, 
 heaven and hell. But when it comes to 
 their pretendedly sure results, not any two 
 of them affirm the same things; and their 
 numerous publications create a flood of dis- 
 
 20 
 
Th e B i b 1 e and Mo de r n Cr iticism 
 
 putable, self -contradictor}- and mutually 
 destructive hypotheses. For example, the 
 Jehovah of the Old Testament is made to 
 be some heathen god, either a nomadic or 
 steppe god, the weather-god Jahu, or the 
 god of West-Semitism. It was David who 
 first introduced this divinity; and according 
 to some authors the peculiar worship of this 
 god was, with its human sacrifices (!), only 
 a continuation of the Baal- Moloch worship ! 
 Of Abraham it is sometimes affirmed that 
 he never existed, but at other times that he 
 was a Canaanite chief, dwelling at Hebron. 
 No! he is the myth of the Aurora, and 
 Sarah, or Scharratu, is the wife of the 
 moon-god Sin, and so on. The twelve sons 
 of Jacob are very probably the twelve months 
 of the year. As to Moses, some teach there 
 never was such a man, also that the ten 
 commandments were composed in the time 
 of Manasseh. No ! the more moderate writ- 
 ers say that Moses is a historical character. 
 It was in Midian that he learned about Jah, 
 the tribal god of the Kenites; and he de- 
 termined with this divinity to liberate his 
 people. Elijah is simply a myth; or he 
 was some unfortunate prophet who had per- 
 haps been struck by lightning. And so, 
 too, this modern criticism knows for sure 
 
 21 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 that it was not Solomon, but a wholly un- 
 known king, living after the time of Ezra, 
 who wrote Ecclesiastes; also that there 
 never was a Daniel, but that again some 
 unknown author wrote the book bearing 
 that name. Moreover, Kautsch tells us 
 that this book first made its appearance in 
 January, 164 B. C, while other critics are 
 positive that it was in 165. Query: Why 
 could not that unknown author have been 
 named Daniel? 
 
 So also Wellhausen knows of twenty-two 
 different authors — all of them, to be sure, 
 unknown — for the books of Moses, while 
 Kuenen is satisfied with sixteen. The 
 noted English critic, Canon Cheyne, is said 
 to have taken great pains to tear the book 
 of Isaiah's prophecies into one hundred and 
 sixty pieces, all by unknown writers; which 
 pieces were scattered through ten different 
 epochs including four and a half centuries 
 ("Modern Puritan," 1907, p. 400.) Like- 
 wise this critic knows that the first chapter 
 of 1 Samuel originated with an unknown 
 writer living some five hundred years after 
 the time of that prophet; also that Hannah's 
 glory-song, as found in 2 Kings, was writ- 
 ten by some other "unknown." That Eli 
 ruled over Israel for forty years is, "in all 
 
 22 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 likelihood," the unauthentic statement of a 
 later day (Hastings' Bible Dictionary.) 
 Why so? we may ask. — The book of Deu- 
 teronomy was written, we are told, in 561 
 B. C, and Ecclesiastes in 264 B. C; and a 
 German critic, Budde, is certain that the 
 book of Job has somehow lost its last chap- 
 ter, and that fifty-nine verses of this book 
 should be wholly expunged. 
 
 Such are a few illustrations of the way 
 in which Holy Scripture is treated by the 
 criticism we are considering. 
 
 But, surely, it would not require much 
 sagacity and intelligence for one, by apply- 
 ing such peculiar methods, say, to Goethe's 
 works, to demonstrate critically that a good 
 share of those productions, such as Erlkoe- 
 nig, Iphigenia, Goetz von Berlichingen, 
 the Wahlverwandschaften, Faust, (Part I 
 and II, ) belong, if judged of by their style 
 of composition and their historical and 
 philosophical views, to wholly different 
 epochs, and that they originated with many 
 different authors. Moreover, it could easily 
 be shown that none of those authors lived 
 in the times when Napoleon Bonaparte 
 revolutionized Europe, since his name is 
 not mentioned in any of the productions 
 specified. 
 
 23 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 Criticism as Applied to the 
 New Testament, 
 
 Of course this modern criticism does 
 not stop short of the New Testament. This 
 part of the Bible, Harnack says, narrates 
 for us incredible stories respecting the birth 
 and childhood of Christ. "Nevermore," 
 he goes on to assert, "shall we believe that 
 he walked upon the sea and commanded 
 the storm." It stands to reason that He 
 did not rise from the dead. The Fourth 
 Gospel is spurious, and so also is (accord- 
 ing to late critical authority ) the Epistle to 
 the Romans. The Book of Revelation is 
 only the occasion for derisive laughter on 
 the part of these skeptical critics; and be- 
 cause it is so, the curse mentioned in its last 
 chapter is made applicable to them (vs. 18, 
 19. ) Nevertheless, these men sin most 
 seriously against Christ. In their view the 
 very Son of God, the Word that was in the 
 beginning with God, and that was God, 
 and without Whom nothing exists, is only 
 a fanatical young rabbi; entangled in the 
 peculiar views and superstitions of his peo- 
 ple; and he died upon the cross only be- 
 cause he misconceived of the character of 
 his own mission and the nature of his times. 
 
 24 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 Jesus "is not indispensable to the Gospel," 
 so writes Harnack. 
 
 Now all this is what is denominated Bib- 
 lical criticism. It is a jumble of mere hy- 
 potheses, imaginings and assertions, brought 
 forward often without even the shadow of 
 proof, and with no real certainty. Still, in 
 these times it represents itself to thousands 
 of nominal Christians and to hundreds of 
 miserably deceived theological students who 
 are to become preachers of God's word, as 
 being the "assured results of the latest 
 scientific research." May God have mercy, 
 if such is the case ! 
 
 What Are the Fruits of 
 This Criticism? 
 
 Now, if these people were of the truth, 
 and if they would only believe Him who 
 says, "I am the way, the truth and the 
 life," they would not be under the neces- 
 sity of tediously working their way through 
 the numerous publications (statistics show 
 that there appear in Europe and America 
 annually some eight hundred of these 
 works; ) but they would find in His teach- 
 ing a simple and sure means for testing the 
 character of these critical doctrines. "Ye 
 
 25 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 shall know them by their fruits," is what 
 Christ says of the false teachers who came 
 in His name. ''Do men gather grapes of 
 thorns, or figs of thistles?" 'Matt. 7:16.) 
 Are the fruits of modern criticism good? 
 Where are the grapes or figs that grow on 
 this thornbush? Has not this criticism al- 
 ready robbed, and perhaps forever, thous- 
 ands of people of their first love, their un- 
 doubting faith, and their joyous hope? Has 
 it not sowed dissension, fostered pride and 
 self-conceit, and injured before all the world 
 the authority of both the church and its 
 ministers? Has it not offended Christ's 
 "little ones?" ( Matt. 18:6, 7. ) And does 
 it not every day furnish the enemies of God 
 with opportunities for deriding and scorn- 
 ing the truth? Where are the souls that it 
 has led to God — comforting, strengthening, 
 purifying and sanctifying them? Where 
 are the individuals who even in the hour of 
 death have continued to rejoice in the bene- 
 fits of this criticism? 
 
 In the study-room it ensnares, in lecture- 
 halls it makes great pretenses, for mere 
 popular lectures it is still serviceable; but 
 when the thunders of God's power break in 
 upon the soul, when despair at the loss of 
 all one has loved takes possession of the 
 
 26 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 mind, when remembrance of a miserable lost 
 life or of past misdeeds is felt and realized, 
 when one is on a sick-bed and death ap- 
 proaches, and the soul, appreciating that it 
 is now on the brink of eternity, calls for a Sav- 
 ior — just at this time when its help is most 
 needed, this modern religion utterly fails. 
 In the year 1864, in Geneva, one of those 
 modern theologians was summoned to pre- 
 pare for execution a young man who had 
 committed murder and robbery. But he 
 candidly exclaimed, "Call some one else, I 
 have nothing to say to him. ' ' This incom- 
 petent criticism did not know of any conso- 
 lation for the sin-burdened soul; therefore 
 an orthodox clergyman was obtained, and 
 the wretched man, murderer though he was, 
 died reconciled to God through the blood 
 of Christ. 
 
 But suppose that all the teachings of this 
 criticism were true, what would it avail us? 
 It would put us in a sad condition indeed. 
 For then, sitting beside ruined temples and 
 broken-down altars, with no joy as respects 
 the hereafter, no hope of everlasting life, 
 no God to help us, no forgiveness of sins, 
 feeling miserable, all desolate in our hearts 
 and chaotic in our minds, we should be 
 utterly unable either to know or believe 
 
 27 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 anything more. Can such a view of the 
 world, such a religion, which, as was said 
 of Professor Harnack's lectures in America, 
 only destroys, removes and tears down, be 
 true? No! If this modern criticism is 
 true, then away with all so-called Christian- 
 ity, which only deceives us with idle tales! 
 Away with a religion which has nothing to 
 offer us but the commonplace teachings of 
 morality ! Away with faith ! Away with 
 hope! Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow 
 we die ! 
 
 These Teachings in the 
 Light of Scripture. 
 
 But let us hear what God's word has to 
 say regarding this topic: 
 
 2 Pet. 1:21. — "For no prophecy ever 
 came by the will of man; but holy men of 
 God spake as they were moved by the Holy 
 Ghost." 
 
 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. — "All scripture given 
 by inspiration of God is profitable for doc- 
 trine, for reproof, for correction, for in- 
 struction in righteousness; that the man of 
 God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 
 unto all good works." 
 
 28 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 Gal. 1:11, 12. — "I certify you. brethren, 
 that the Gospel which was preached by me 
 is not after man, neither was I taught it, 
 but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Rom. 1:16. — "I am not ashamed of the 
 Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God 
 unto salvation to every one that believeth." 
 
 Acts 20:30. — But "of our own selves 
 shall men arise, speaking perverse things, 
 to draw away disciples after them." 
 
 2 Pet. 2:1.— "There were false prophets 
 also among the people, * * * w ho privily 
 shall bring in damnable heresies, even de- 
 nying the Lord that bought them." 
 
 1 Cor. 1:20, 21. — "Where is the wise? 
 where is the scribe? where is the disputer 
 of this world? Hath not God made foolish 
 the wisdom of this world? For after that 
 in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom 
 knew not God, it pleased God by the fool- 
 ishness of preaching to save them that 
 believe." 
 
 Col. 2:4-8. — "This I say, lest any man 
 should beguile you with enticing words," 
 or "spoil you through philosophy and vain 
 deceit, after the rudiments of the world, and 
 not after Christ." 
 
 1 Cor. 3:19 -"For the wisdom of this 
 world is foolishness with God." 
 
 29 
 
The Bible and Modem Criticism 
 
 1 Cor. 2:5. — "That your faith should 
 not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the 
 power of God." 
 
 1 Cor. 2:4. — "And my speech and my 
 preaching was not with enticing words of 
 man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the 
 Spirit and of power ' ' 
 
 1 Cor. 2:12, 13.— "Now we have re- 
 ceived, not the spirit of the world, but the 
 spirit which is of God, that we might know 
 the things that are freely given to us of 
 God. Which things also we speak, not in 
 the words which man's wisdom teacheth, 
 but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; com- 
 paring spiritual things with spiritual." 
 
 Col. 1:21 and 2 Cor. 10:5.— Therefore 
 "you that were sometime alienated and 
 enemies in your minds by wicked works," 
 now "bring into captivity every thought to 
 the obedience of Christ." 
 
 Gal. 1:9. — "As we said before, so say I 
 now again, If any man preach any other 
 gospel unto you than that ye have received, 
 let him be accursed." 
 
 1 Cor. 15:17. — "Whosoever says that 
 Christ is not risen, his faith is vain, he is 
 yet in his sins." 
 
 2 John, vs. 7, 9, 10, 11.— "For many 
 deceivers are entered into the world, who 
 
 30 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 confess not that Jesus Christ is come in 
 the flesh. This is a deceiver and an an- 
 tichrist. Whosoever transgresseth 
 and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, 
 hath not God. He that abideth in the doc- 
 trine of Christ, he hath both the Father and 
 the Son. If there come any unto you, and 
 bring not this doctrine, receive him not into 
 your house, neither bid him God speed, for 
 he that biddeth him God speed is partaker 
 of his evil deeds." 
 
 Luke 11:52.— "Woe unto you lawyers! 
 for ye have taken away the key of know- 
 ledge; ye entered not in yourselves and them 
 that were entering in ye hindered." 
 
 Conclusion, 
 
 Let us then, by repudiating this modern 
 criticism, show our condemnation of it. 
 What does it offer us? Nothing. W T hat 
 does it take away? Everything. Do we 
 have any use of it? No! It neither helps 
 us in life nor comforts us in death; it will 
 not judge us in the world to come. For our 
 Biblical faith we do not need either the 
 encomiums of men, nor the approbation of 
 a few poor sinners. We will not attempt 
 to improve the Scriptures and adapt them 
 
 31 
 
The B ib le and Mo dern Cr iticis m 
 
 to our liking, but we will believe them. 
 We will not criticize them, but we will our- 
 selves be directed by them . We will not exer- 
 cise authority over them, but we will obey 
 them. We will trust Him who is the way, 
 the truth, and the life. His word shall 
 make us free. 
 
 Respice jinem, ' 'consider the end' ' — that 
 is what even the old Romans said. True 
 rationalism adjudges all things from the 
 standpoint of eternity; and it asks of every 
 religion, What can you do for me in regard 
 to the great beyond? What does this Bibli- 
 cal criticism offer us here? Only fog and 
 mist, or, at best, an endless state of inde- 
 cision, something impersonal and inactive, 
 just like its god, whose very nature is in- 
 conceivable, "Eternal life," writes one of 
 these modernists, "is only the infinitely 
 weak vestige of the present life." (!) Here 
 also the maxim proves itself true, "By 
 their fruits ye shall know them." Just as 
 for our present life this criticism offers us 
 no consolation, no forgiveness of sins, no 
 deliverance from "the fear of death, through 
 which we are all our lifetime subject to 
 bondage, ' ' so also it knows nothing respect- 
 ing the great beyond — nothing with regard 
 to that new heaven and new earth wherein 
 
 32 
 
The Bible and Modern Criticism 
 
 righteousness shall dwell, nothing: with re- 
 gard to that golden city which shines with 
 eternal light, nothing with regard to a God 
 who wipes away all tears from our eyes. It 
 is utterty ignorant of the glory of God, and 
 on that account it stands condemned. 
 
 "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou 
 hast the words of eternal life. And we be- 
 lieve and are sure that Thou art that Christ, 
 the Son of the living God." (John 6:68, 
 69.) And He answered, "Behold, I come 
 quickly: hold that fast which thou hast; that 
 no man take thy crown." (Rev. 3:11.) 
 
 33 
 
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 The Bible & modern criticism 
 
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 1