The Testimony of the Lord Jesus to the Old Testament Scriptures.
—Last summer, Dr Dick Wilson delivered two lectures under the auspices of the Bible League, which were afterwards published in the “Bible League Quarterly.” Dr Glover, public orator of Cambridge University, was foolish enough to tackle the learned Semitic scholar in one of his contributions to the “Daily News,” under the heading of “Fundamentalism on the Defensive.” It was probably sheer ignorance of the avalanche of learning that might be let loose on him that prompted the Cambridge scholar to challenge the eminent conservative professor. But he did infinitely worse, for he challenged the accuracy of our Lord’s knowledge in His incarnate state, especially in regard to historical incidents and persons of the Old Testament, as well as His knowledge of the authorship of Ps. 110, etc. Dr Dick Wilson gives a list of all the references made by Jesus to Old Testament events and persons, as recorded in the Gospels, and carrying the war into the enemy’s camp, challenges Dr Glover to prove any of them to be untrue. Dr Dick Wilson’s thesis, which is sustained by a wealth of learning and sound reasoning, is that no living man has sufficient knowledge to call in question the genuineness of the matters referred to, and if this be so, then “Even if Jesus had been merely a man, it would be unfair to charge Him with making false statements, if we could not prove it. To charge that the events to which He refers cannot be true and that, therefore, He did not know that they happened, is a ridiculous inconsistency on the part of any one who claims to be a Christian.” And his comment on the daring of men in professing to know more about the authorship of Ps. cx. than the Lord is strong but justifiable—”It is bad enough when a professed infidel assails the trustworthiness of the statements of Jesus; but it makes one’s blood boil to see His clear statements of fact, supported by all the evidence known to history, denied by those who hold positions of trust in the Church of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” One does not need to accept all Dr Dick Wilson says to feel the crushing nature of his reply to Dr Glover. The latter, after reading it, must, we imagine, have feelings akin to a man who walked inadvertently into a lion’s den and found to his dismay that the animal was at home. Prof. Wilson concludes his article with the following words:—”Lastly, those of us who believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God, the prophet that was to come into the world, the Logos, the only-begotten Son of God, will be pardoned for thinking that it is little short of blasphemy for a professing Christian to assert that Jesus did not know. If we believe not Him when He has spoken of earthly things, which we can more or less investigate and test, how can we believe Him when He speaks of heavenly things?”
Adopt or Adapt.
—”The issue between the Bible and the critics,” says Prof. Allis in the ‘Princeton Theological Review,’ “can be summed up in a word, ‘adopt’ or ‘adapt’! Shall we ‘adopt’ the Bible as the standard by which all things, even the conclusions of modern scholarship, are to be tested? Or shall we ‘adapt’ the Bible to what may be to-day ‘the proved facts of modern scholarship,’ but to-morrow may occupy a conspicuous place in the museum of exploded theories? The one will give us the blessed assurance that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone, that we share the faith of Abraham and David, of Isaiah and Ezra, of Paul and John. The other will impress us more and more with the distance which separates us from them, and what is far worse, separates us from Him to whom they bear witness, a distance which tends to become a gulf which the bridge that is called Reinterpretation can never span.”
Still on the Downgrade.
—In the October number of “Princeton Theological Review,” Prof. Allis has a long review of “A New Standard Bible Dictionary,” an American production. From Prof. Allis’s examination it appears to be a dictionary on very advanced higher critical lines. Its main interest to us on this side the Atlantic is due to the fact that it contains articles by two Glasgow professors—Dr Macfadyen and Dr Moffatt, of the United Free Church College—the one entitled “The Approach to the Old Testament” and the other “The Approach to the New Testament.” From their published works it was to be expected that these scholars would be true to the so-called assured results of the new learning. It is not possible to enter fully into the subject here, but we may give Prof. Allis’s criticism of the statements made by the Glasgow professors. Concerning Prof. Macfadyen, he says:—”Macfadyen’s article is a thoroughly characteristic one, and its significance lies in the fact that its author does not hesitate to state boldly and with manifest enthusiasm those conclusions of the critics which it is often the endeavour to tone down and conceal, lest they shock the devout and unsophisticated student. Our author delights in the differences, discrepancies, and contradictions of the Old Testament. . . . ‘The most momentous contradiction in the O.T. occurs in connection with the origin of the Hebrew sacrificial system’ (Macfadyen). These are strong and arrogant words to use regarding the Old Testament Scriptures: ‘most persuasive and fundamental contrast—diametrically opposed—flagrant divergence—most momentous contradiction.'” Dr Moffatt, also, as was to be expected, is far astray, but our space forbids further quotation.
National Bible Society of Scotland.
—At a meeting of the National Bible Society of Scotland, in Glasgow, held at the beginning of January, Mr George Lammond, of the Kaleba Mission, N. Rhodesia, gave an account of extraordinary changes that had taken place in Central Africa through the influence of the Scriptures. Five Chiefs are church leaders. One of them walks every Sabbath 10 miles to church and 10 miles back. Dr. Frank Knight, general secretary, stated that in spite of the civil war raging in China, the demand for the Scriptures continued to be very great. During the last three months 650,000 copies had been distributed, besides 275,000 ordered. Hungary has been profoundly moved by the conversion of Mr Hegedus, a prominent orator, writer, banker, politician, and a prince in commerce and industry. Hegedus has now consecrated his life to telling how he was saved from suicide by reading the Bible.