a study of bible-第11章

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t　a　short　step；　for　〃we　are　in　a　realm　where　the　only　ultimate　explanation　is　the　fact　of　inspiration；　and　that　is　only　another　way　of　saying　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　forces　above　and　beyond　our　present　human　understanding。〃＇2＇


＇1＇　Preface；　p。　vii。

＇2＇　Page　124。


However；　we　may　fairly　make　distinction　between　the　Bible　as　an　original　work　and　the　Bible　as　a　work　of　English　literature。　For　the　Bible　as　an　original　work　is　not　so　much　a　book　as　a　series　of　books；　the　work　of　many　men　working　separately　over　a　period　of　at　least　fifteen　hundred　years；　and　these　men　unconscious　for　the　most　part　of　any　purpose　of　agreement。　This　series　of　books　is　made　one　book　in　the　original　by　the　unity　of　its　general　purpose　and　the　agreement　of　its　parts。　The　Bible　in　English　is；　however；　not　a　series　of　books；　but　properly　one　book；　the　work　of　six　small　groups　of　men　working　in　conscious　unity　through　a　short　period　of　years。　And　while　there　is　variation　in　style；　while　there　are　inequalities　in　result；　yet　it　stands　as　a　single　piece　of　English　literature。　It　has　a　literary　style　of　its　own；　even　though　it　feels　powerfully　the　Hebrew　influence　throughout。　And　while　it　would　not　be　a　condemnation　of　the　Bible　if　it　were　not　great　literature　in　English　or　elsewhere；　it　is　still　part　of　its　power　that　by　literary　standards　alone　it　measures　large。

It　is　so　that　men　of　letters　have　rated　it　since　it　came　into　existence。　〃It　holds　a　place　of　pre…eminence　in　the　republic　of　letters。〃　When　John　Richard　Green　comes　to　deal　with　it；　he　says：　〃As　a　mere　literary　monument　the　English　version　of　the　Bible　remains　the　noblest　language　of　the　English　tongue；　while　its　perpetual　use　made　of　it　from　the　instant　of　its　appearance　the　standard　of　our　language。〃＇1＇　And　in　Macaulay's　essay　on　Dryden；　while　he　is　deploring　the　deterioration　of　English　style；　he　yet　says　that　in　the　period　when　the　English　language　was　imperiled　there　appeared　〃the　English　Bible；　a　book　which　if　everything　else　in　our　language　should　perish　would　alone　suffice　to　show　the　extent　of　its　beauty　and　power。〃


＇1＇　Short　History　of　the　English　People；　Book　vii；　chap。　i。


The　mere　fact　that　the　English　Bible　contains　a　religion　does　not　affect　its　standing　as　literature。　Homer　and　Virgil　are　Greek　and　Roman　classics；　yet　each　of　them　contains　a　definite　religion。　You　can　build　up　the　religious　faith　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans　out　of　their　great　literature。　So　you　can　build　up　the　religious　faith　of　the　Hebrews　and　the　early　Christians　from　the　Old　and　New　Testaments。　〃For　fifteen　centuries　a　Hebrew　Book；　the　Bible；　contained　almost　the　whole　literature　and　learning　of　a　whole　nation；〃　while　it　was　also　the　book　of　their　religion。

As　literature；　however；　apart　from　its　religious　connection；　it　is　subject　to　any　of　the　criteria　of　literature。　In　so　far　it　is　the　fair　subject　of　criticism。　It　must　stand　or　fall　when　it　enters　the　realm　of　literature　by　the　standards　of　other　books。　Indeed；　many　questions　regarding　its　dates；　the　authorship　of　unassigned　portions；　the　meaning　of　its　disputed　passages　may　be　answered　most　fairly　by　literary　tests。　That　is　always　liable　to　abuse；　but　literary　tests　are　always　liable　to　that。　There　have　been　enough　blunders　made　in　the　knowledge　of　us　all　to　require　us　to　go　carefully　in　such　a　matter。　The　Waverley　Novels　were　published　anonymously；　and；　while　some　suspected　Scott　at　once；　others　were　entirely　clear　that　on　the　ground　of　literary　style　his　authorship　was　entirely　impossible！　Let　a　magazine　publish　an　anonymous　serial；　and　readers　everywhere　are　quick　to　recognize　the　writer　from　his　literary　style　and　his　general　ideas；　but　each　group　〃recognizes〃　a　different　writer。　Arguments　based　chiefly　on　style　overlook　the　large　personal　equation　in　all　writing。　The　same　writer　has　more　than　one　natural　style。　It　is　not　until　he　becomes　in　a　certain　sense　affectedgrows　proud　of　his　peculiaritiesthat　he　settles　down　to　one　form。　And　it　is　quite　impossible　to　assign　a　book　to　any　narrow　historical　period　on　the　ground　of　its　style　alone。　But　though　large　emphasis　could　be　laid　upon　the　literary　merits　of　the　Bible　to　the　obscuring　of　its　other　more　important　merits；　it　is　yet　true　that　from　the　literary　point　of　view　the　Bible　stands　as　an　English　classic；　indeed；　as　the　outstanding　English　classic。　To　acknowledge　ignorance　of　it　is　to　confess　one's　self　ignorant　of　our　greatest　literary　possession。

A　moment　ago　it　was　said　that　as　a　piece　of　literature　the　Bible　must　accept　the　standards　of　other　literary　books。　For　all　present　purposes　we　can　define　great　literature　as　worthy　written　expression　of　great　ideas。　If　we　may　take　the　word　〃written〃　for　granted；　the　rough　definition　becomes　this：　that　great　literature　is　the　worthy　expression　of　great　ideas。　Works　which　claim　to　be　great　in　literature　may　fail　of　greatness　in　either　half　of　that　test。　Petty；　local；　unimportant　ideas　may　be　well　clothed；　or　great　ideas　may　be　unworthily　expressed；　in　either　case　the　literature　is　poor。　It　is　not　until　great　ideas　are　wedded　to　worthy　expression　that　literature　becomes　great。　Failure　at　one　end　or　the　other　will　explain　the　failure　of　most　of　the　work　that　seeks　to　be　accounted　literature。　The　literary　value　of　a　book　cannot　be　determined　by　its　style　alone。　It　is　possible　to　say　nothing　gracefully；　even　with　dignity；　symmetry；　rhythm；　but　it　is　not　possible　to　make　literature　without　ideas。　Abiding　literature　demands　large　ideas　worthily　expressed。　Now；　of　course；　〃large〃　and　〃small〃　are　not　words　that　are　usually　applied　to　the　measurement　of　ideas；　but　we　can　make　them　seem　appropriate　here。　Let　us　mean　that　an　idea　is　large　or　small　according　to　its　breadth　of　interest　to　the　race　and　its　length　of　interest　to　the　race。　If　there　is　an　idea　which　is　of　value　to　all　the　members　of　the　human　race　to…day；　and　which　does　not　lose　its　value　as　the　generations　come　and　go；　that　is　the　largest　possible　idea　within　human　thought。　Transient　literature　may　do　without　those　large　ideas。　A　gifted　young　reporter　may　describe　a　dog　fight　or　a　presidential　nominating　convention　in　such　terms　as　lift　his　article　out　of　carelessness　and　hasty　newspaper　writing　into　the　realm　of　real　literature；　but　it　cannot　become　abiding　literature。　It　has　not　a　large　enough　idea　to　keep　it　alive。　And　to　any　one　who　loves　worthy　expression　there　is　a　sense　of　degradation　in　the　use　of　fine　literary　powers　for　the　description　of　purely　transient　local　events。　It　is　always　regrettable　when　men　with　literary　skill　are　available　for　the　description　of　a　ball　game；　or　are　exploited　as　worthy　writers　about　a　prize…fight。　If　a　man　has　power　to　express　ideas　well；　he　ought　to　use　that　power　for　the　expression　of　great　ideas。

Many　of　us　have　seen　a　dozen　books　hailed　as　classic　novels　sure　to　live；　each　of　them　the　great　American　novel　at　last；　the　author　to　be　compared　with　Dickens　and　Thackeray　and　George　Eliot。　And　the　books　have　gone　the　way　of　all　the　earth。　With　some；　the　trouble　is　a　weak；　involved；　or　otherwise　poor　style。　With　most　the　trouble　is　lack　of　real　ideas。　Charles　Dickens；　to　be　sure；　does　deal　with　boarding…schools　in　England；　with　conditions　which　in　their　local　form　do　not　recur　and　are　not　familiar　to　us；　but　he　deals　with　them　as　involving　a　great　principle　of　the　relation　of　society　to　youth；　and　so　David　Copperfield　or　Oliver　Twist　becomes　a　book　for　the　life　of　all　of　us；　and　for　all　time。　And　even　here　it　is　evident　that　not　all　of　Dickens's　work　will　live；　but　only　that　which　is　least　narrowly　local　and　is　most　broadly　human。

There　is　a　further　striking　illustration　in　a　familiar　event　in　American　history。　Most　young　people　are　required　to　study　Webster's　speech　in　reply　to　Robert　Hayne　in　the　United　States　Senate；　using　it　as　a　model　in　literary　construction。　The　speech　of　Hayne　is　lost　to　our　interest；　yet　the　fact　is　that　Hayne　himself　was　gifted　in　expression；　that　by　the　standards　of　simple　style　his　speech　compares　favorably　with　that　of　Webster。　Yet　reading　Webster's　reply　takes　one　not　to　the　local　condition　which　was　concerning　Hayne；　but　to　a　great　principle　of　liberty　and　union。　He　shows　that　principle　emerging　in　history；　the　local　touches　are　lost　to　thought　as　he　goes　on；　and　a　truth　is　expressed　in　terms　of　history　which　will　be　valid　until　history　is　ended。　It　is　not　simply　Webster's　style；　it　is　that　with　his　great　idea　which　made　his　reply　memorable。

That　neither　ideas　nor　style　alone　can　keep　literature　alive　is　shown　by　literary　history　after　Shakespeare。　Just　after　him　you　have　the　〃mellifluous　poets〃　of　the　next　period　on　the　one　hand；　with　style　enough；　but　with　such　attenuated　ideas　that　their　work　has　died。　Who　knows　Drayton　or　Brown　or　Wither？　On　the　other　hand；　there　came　the　metaphysicians　with　ideas　in　abundance；　but　not　style；　and　their　works　have　died。

Here；　then；　is　the　English　Bible　becoming　the　chief　English　classic　by　the　wedding　of　great　ideas　to　worthy　expression。　From　one　point　of　view　this　early　seventeenth　century　was　an　opportune　time　for　making　such　a　classic。　Theology　was　a　popular　subject。　Men's　minds　had　found　a　new　freedom；　and　they　used　it　to　discuss　great　themes。　They　even　began　to　sing。　The　reign　of　Elizabeth　had　prepared　the　way。　The　English　scholar　Hoare　traces　this　new　liberty　to　the　sailing　away　of　the　Armada　and　the　releasing　of　England　from　the　perpetual　dread　of　Spanish　invasion。　He　says　that　the　birds　felt　the　free　air；　and　sang　as　they　had　never　sung　before　and　as　they　have　not　often　sung　since。　But　this　was　not　restricted　to　the　birds　of　English　song。　It　was　a　period　of　remarkable　awakening　in　the　whole　intellectual　life　of　England；　and　that　intellectual　life　was　directing　itself　among　the　common　people　to　religion。　Another　English　writer；　Eaton；　says　a　profounder　word　in　tracing　the　awakening　to　the　reformation；　saying　that　it　〃could　not　fail；　from　the　very　nature　of　it；　to　tinge　the　literature　of　the　Elizabethan　era。　It　gave　a　logical　and　disputatious　character　to　the　age　and　produced　men　mighty　in　the　Scriptures。〃＇1＇　A　French　visitor　went　home　disgusted　because　people　talked　of　nothing　but　theology　in　England。　Grotius　thought　all　the　people　of　England　were　theologians。　James's　chief　pride　was　his　theological　learning。　It　did　not　prove　difficult　to　find　half　a　hundred　men　in　small　England　instantly　recognized　as　experts　in　Scripture　study。　The　people　were　ready　to　welcome　a　book　of　great　ideas。　Let　us　pass　by　those　ideas　a　moment；　remembering　that　they　are　not　enough　in　them…　selves　to　give　the　work　literary　value；　and　turn　our　minds　to　the　style　of　the　English　Bible。


＇1＇　T。　R。　Eaton；　Shakespeare　and　the　Bible；　p。　2。


From　this　point　of　view　the　times　were　not　perfectly　opportune　for　a　piece　of　pure　English　literature；　though　it　was　the　time　which　produced　Shakespeare。　A　definite　movement　was　on　to　refine　the　language　by　foreign　decorations。　Not　even　Shakespeare　avoids　it　always。　No　writer　of　the　time　avoids　it　wholly。　The　dedication　of　the　King　James　version　shows　that　these　scholars　themselves　did　not　avoid　it。　In　that　dedication；　and　their　preface；　they　give　us　fine　writing；　striving　for　effect；　ornamental　phrases　characteristic　of　the　time。　Men　were　feeling　that　this　Eng