a study of bible-第15章

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　the　trench　also　with　water。　And　it　came　to　pass　at　the　time　of　the　offering　of　the　evening　sacrifice；　that　Elijah　the　prophet　came　near；　and　said；　Lord　God　of　Abraham；　Isaac；　and　of　Israel；　let　it　be　known　this　day　that　thou　art　God　in　Israel；　and　that　I　am　thy　servant；　and　that　I　have　done　all　these　things　at　thy　word。　Hear　me；　O　Lord；　hear　me；　that　this　people　may　know　that　thou　art　the　Lord　God；　and　that　thou　hast　turned　their　heart　back　again。　Then　the　fire　of　the　Lord　fell；　and　consumed　the　burnt　sacrifice；　and　the　wood；　and　the　stones；　and　the　dust；　and　licked　up　the　water　that　was　in　the　trench。　And　when　all　the　people　saw　it；　they　fell　on　their　faces：　and　they　said；　The　Lord；　he　is　the　God；　the　Lord；　he　is　the　God。〃


That　is　not　simply　a　dramatic　event；　that　is　a　striking　telling　of　it。　It　is　more　than　a　narrative。　In　narrative　literature　the　scene　is　accepted　as　already　constructed。　In　dramatic　literature　such　appeal　is　made　to　the　imagination　that　the　reader　reconstructs　the　scene　for　himself。　We　are　not　told　in　this　how　Elijah　felt；　or　how　he　acted；　nor　how　the　people　as　a　whole　looked；　nor　the　setting　of　the　scene；　but　if　one　reads　it　with　care　it　makes　its　own　setting。　The　scene　constructs　itself。

The　dramatic　style　does　not　prevail　at　most　important　points　of　the　Scripture；　because　it　is　a　fictitious　style　for　the　presenting　of　truth。　It　inevitably　suggests　superficiality。　Things　actually　do　not　happen　in　life　as　they　do　in　drama。

One　of　our　latest　biographers　says　that　a　scientific　historian　is　always　suspicious　of　dramatic　events。＇1＇　They　may　be　true；　but　they　are　more　liable　to　be　afterthoughts；　like　the　bright　answers　we　could　have　made　to　our　opponents　if　we　had　only　thought　of　them　at　the　time。　You　never　lose　the　sense　of　unreality　in　the　very　construction　of　a　drama。　Life　cannot　be　crowded　into　two　or　three　hours；　and　justice　does　not　come　out　as　the　drama　makes　it　do。　So　that　at　most　important　points　of　the　Scripture　dramatic　writing　does　not　appear。　The　account　of　the　carrying　away　into　captivity　of　the　children　of　Israel　is　at　no　point　dramatic；　though　you　can　see　instantly　what　a　great　opportunity　there　was　for　it。　It　is　simply　narrative。　It　is　noticeable　that　none　of　the　accounts　of　the　crucifixion　is　at　all　dramatic。　They　are　all　simply　narrative。　The　imagination　does　not　immediately　conjure　up　the　scene。　There　may　be　two　reasons　for　that。　One　is　that　there　are　involved　several　hours　in　which　there　is　no　action　recorded。　The　other　is　that　by　the　time　the　accounts　were　written　the　actual　events　were　submerged　in　importance　by　their　unworded　meaning。　The　account　of　the　conversion　of　Paul；　on　the　other　hand；　brief　as　it　is；　has　at　least　minor　dramatic　elements　in　it。　On　the　whole；　the　Old　Testament　is　far　more　dramatic　than　the　New。


＇1＇　McGiffert；　Life　of　Martin　Luther。


There　is　even　less　of　the　oratorical　element　in　the　Scripture。　There　is；　to　be　sure；　a　considerable　amount　of　quotation；　and　men　do　speak　at　some　length；　but　seldom　oratorically。　The　prophetical　writings　are　generally　too　fragmentary　to　suggest　oratory；　and　the　quotations　in　the　New　Testament；　especially　from　the　preaching　of　our　Lord；　are　evidently　for　the　most　part　excerpts　from　longer　addresses　than　are　given。　There　are　few　of　the　statements　of　Paul；　as　in　the　26th　chapter　of　Acts；　which　could　be　delivered　oratorically；　but　here　again　the　Old　Testament　is　more　marked　than　the　New。　The　earliest　specimen　of　oratory　is　also　one　of　the　finest　specimens。　It　is　in　the　44th　chapter　of　Genesis；　and　is　the　account　of　Judah's　reply　to　his　unrecognized　brother　Joseph：


〃Then　Judah　came　near　unto　him；　and　said；　O　my　lord；　let　thy　servant；　I　pray　thee；　speak　a　word　in　my　lord's　ears；　and　let　not　thine　anger　burn　against　thy　servant：　for　thou　art　even　as　Pharoah。　My　lord　asked　his　servants；　saying；　Have　ye　a　father；　or　a　brother？　And　we　said　unto　my　lord；　We　have　a　father；　an　old　man；　and　a　child　of　his　old　age；　a　little　one；　and　his　brother　is　dead；　and　he　alone　is　left　of　his　mother；　and　his　father　loveth　him。　And　thou　saidst　unto　thy　servants；　Bring　him　down　unto　me；　that　I　may　set　mine　eyes　upon　him。　And　we　said　unto　my　lord；　The　lad　cannot　leave　his　father：　for　if　he　should　leave　his　father；　his　father　would　die。　And　thou　saidst　unto　thy　servant；　Except　your　youngest　brother　come　down　with　you；　ye　shall　see　my　face　no　more。　And　it　came　to　pass　when　we　came　up　unto　thy　servant　my　father；　we　told　him　the　words　of　my　lord。　And　our　father　said；　Go　again　and　buy　us　a　little　food。　And　we　said；　We　cannot　go　down；　if　our　youngest　brother　be　with　us；　then　we　will　go　down：　for　we　may　not　see　the　man's　face；　except　our　youngest　brother　be　with　us。　And　thy　servant　my　father　said　unto　us；　Ye　know　that　my　wife　bare　me　two　sons：　and　the　one　went　out　from　me；　and　I　said；　Surely　he　is　torn　in　pieces；　and　I　saw　him　not　since：　and　if　ye　take　this　also　from　me；　and　mischief　befall　him；　ye　shall　bring　down　my　gray　hairs　with　sorrow　to　the　grave。　Now　therefore　when　I　come　to　thy　servant　my　father；　and　the　lad　be　not　with　us；　seeing　that　his　life　is　bound　up　in　the　lad's　life；　it　shall　come　to　pass；　when　he　seeth　that　the　lad　is　not　with　us；　that　he　will　die：　and　thy　servants　shall　bring　down　the　gray　hairs　of　thy　servant　our　father　with　sorrow　to　the　grave。　For　thy　servant　became　surety　for　the　lad　unto　my　father；　saying；　If　I　bring　him　not　unto　thee；　then　I　shall　bear　the　blame　to　my　father　for　ever。　Now　therefore；　I　pray　thee；　let　thy　servant　abide　instead　of　the　lad　a　bondman　to　my　lord；　and　let　the　lad　go　up　with　his　brethren。　For　how　shall　I　go　up　to　my　father；　and　the　lad　be　not　with　me？　lest　peradventure　I　see　the　evil　that　shall　come　on　my　father。〃


That　is　pure　oratory；　and　it　is　greatly　helped　by　the　English　expression　of　it。　Here　our　King　James　version　is　finer　than　either　of　the　other　later　versions；　as　indeed　it　is　in　almost　all　these　sections　where　the　phraseology　is　important　for　the　ear。

We　need　not　go　farther。　Part　of　these　outstanding　characteristics　come　to　our　version　from　the　original；　and　might　appear　in　any　version　of　the　Bible。　Yet　nowhere　do　even　these　original　characteristics　come　to　such　prominence　as　in　the　King　James　translation；　and　it　adds　to　them　those　that　are　peculiar　to　itself。



LECTURE　IV

THE　INFLUENCE　OF　THE　KING　JAMES　VERSION　ON　ENGLISH　LITERATURE

THE　Bible　is　a　book…making　book。　It　is　literature　which　provokes　literature。

It　would　be　a　pleasure　to　survey　the　whole　field　of　literature　in　the　broadest　sense　and　to　note　the　creative　power　of　the　King　James　version；　but　that　is　manifestly　impossible　here。　Certain　limitations　must　be　frankly　made。　Leave　on　one　side；　therefore；　the　immense　body　of　purely　religious　literature；　sermons；　expositions；　commentaries；　which；　of　course；　are　the　direct　product　of　the　Bible。　No　book　ever　caused　so　much　discussion　about　itself　and　its　teaching。　That　is　because　it　deals　with　the　fundamental　human　interest；　religion。　It　still　remains　true　that　the　largest　single　department　of　substantial　books　from　our　English　presses　is　in　the　realm　of　religion；　and　after　the　purely　recreative　literature　they　are　probably　most　widely　read。　Yet；　they　are　not　what　we　mean　at　this　time　by　the　literary　result　of　the　English　Bible。

Leave　on　one　side　also　the　very　large　body　of　political　and　historical　writing。　Much　of　it　shows　Bible　influence。　In　the　nature　of　the　case；　any　historian　of　the　past　three　hundred　years　must　often　refer　to　and　quote　from　the　English　Bible；　and　must　note　its　influence。　An　entire　study　could　be　devoted　to　the　influence　of　the　English　Bible　on　Green　or　Bancroft　or　Freeman　or　Prescottits　influence　on　their　matter　and　their　manner。　Another　could　be　given　to　its　influence　on　political　writing　and　speaking。　No　great　orator　of　the　day　would　fail　us　of　material；　and　the　great　political　papers　and　orations　of　the　past　would　only　widen　the　field。　Yet　while　some　of　this　political　and　historical　writing　is　recognized　as　literature；　most　of　it　can　be　left　out　of　our　thought　just　now。

It　may　aid　in　the　limiting　of　the　field　to　accept　what　Dean　Stanley　said　in　another　connection：　〃By　literature；　I　mean　those　great　works　that　rise　above　professional　or　commonplace　uses　and　take　possession　of　the　mind　of　a　whole　nation　or　a　whole　age。〃＇1＇　This　is　one　of　the　matters　which　we　all　understand　until　we　begin　to　define　it；　we　know　what　we　mean　until　some　one　asks　us。


＇1＇　Thoughts　that　Breathe。


The　literature　of　which　we　are　thinking　in　this　narrower　sense　is　in　the　sphere　of　art　rather　than　in　the　sphere　of　distinct　achievement。　De　Quincey's　division　is　familiar：　the　literature　of　knowledge；　and　the　literature　of　power。　The　function　of　the　first　is　to　teach；　the　function　of　the　second　is　to　move。　Professor　Dowden　points　out　that　between　the　two　lies　a　third　field；　the　literature　of　criticism。　It　seeks　both　to　teach　and　to　move。　Our　concern　is　chiefly　with　De　Quincey's　second　fieldthe　literature　of　power。　In　the　first　field；　the　literature　of　knowledge；　must　lie　all　history；　with　Hume　and　Gibbon；　all　science；　with　Darwin　and　Fiske；　all　philosophy；　with　Spencer　and　William　James；　all　political　writing；　with　Voltaire　and　Webster。　Near　that　same　field　must　lie　many　of　those　essays　in　criticism　of　which　Professor　Dowden　speaks。　This　which　we　omit；　this　literature　of　knowledge；　is　powerful　literature；　though　its　main　purpose　is　not　to　move；　but　to　teach。　We　are　only　reducing　our　field　so　that　we　can　survey　it。　For　our　uses　just　now　we　shall　find　pure　literature　taking　the　three　standard　forms：　the　poem；　the　essay；　and　the　story。　It　is　the　influence　of　the　English　Bible　on　this　large　field　of　literature　which　we　are　to　observe。

Just　for　safety's　sake；　accept　another　narrowing　of　the　field。　The　effect　of　the　Bible　and　its　religious　teaching；　on　the　writer　himself　is　a　separate　study；　and　is　for　the　most　part　left　out　of　consideration。　It　sounds　correct　when　Milton　says：　〃He　who　would　not　be　frustrate　of　his　Power　to　write　well　ought　himself　to　be　a　true　poem。〃　But　there　is　Milton　himself　to　deal　with；　irreproachable　in　morals；　there　are　yet　the　unhappy　years　of　his　young　wife　to　trouble　us；　and　there　were　his　daughters；　who　were　not　at　peace　with　him；　and　whom　after　their　service　in　his　blindness　he　yet　stigmatizes　in　his　will　as　〃undutiful　children。〃　Then；　if　you　think　of　Shelley　or　Byron；　you　are　troubled　by　their　lives；　or　even　Carlyle；　the　very　master　of　the　Victorian　eraone　would　not　like　to　scan　his　life　according　to　the　laws　of　true　poetry。　Then　there　is　Coleridge；　falling　a　prey　to　opium　until；　as　years　came；　conscience　and　will　seemed　to　go。　Only　a　very　ardent　Scot　will　feel　that　he　can　defend　Robert　Burns　at　all　points；　and　we　would　be　strange　Americans　if　we　felt　that　Edgar　Allen　Poe　was　a　model　of　propriety。　That　is　a　large　and　interesting　field；　but　the　Bible　seems　even　to　gain　power　as　a　book…making　book　when　it　lays　hold　on　the　book…making　proclivities　of　men　who　are　not　prepared　to　yield　to　its　personal　power。　They　may　get　away　from　it　as　religion；　they　do　not　get　away　from　it　as　literature。

The　first　and　most　notable　fact　regarding　the　influence　of　the　Bible　on　English　literature　is　the　remarkable　extent　of　that　influence。　It　is　literally　everywhere。　If