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OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM Its Rise and Progress

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OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM Its Rise and Progress OLD TESTAMENT CRITICISM Its Rise and Progress From the Second Crnrury to the End of the Eighteenth A HISTORICAL SKETCH BY E DWARD MCQUEEN GRAY To THE MOST REVEREND DANIEL SYLVESTER TUTTLE, D.D. Presiding Bishop of the PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH OLD TEfTAMENT CRITICISM of the UNITED STATES OF AMEXZCA Copyright, 1923 By Harper & Brothera THE WRITER Printed in the U.S.A. RESPECTFULLY DEDICATE) Firat Edition THIS VOLUME 1-x t On August 7th, 1922, Bishop Tuttle wrote: “As Presiding Bishop I accept in humility and with thanks the honor which you propose to do me in dedicating your forthcoming book on the ‘History of Old Testament Criticism’ to me. “Faithfully and gratefully, DANIEL S. TUTTLE,” On April 17th, 1923, the Presiding Bishop passed onward to the world to come, and this book is now inscribed to the blessed memory of that good and faithful servant of his Lord. E. McQUEEN GRAY. May 14, 1923. CONTENTS C%APTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION *...*.,* . ...” . “...... r-..*...u.: . 1 II. TrrCK&n=mw SCRIPTURES IN THE E ARLY C HRISTIAN . “” 13 The position of the Jewish canon in the early Church: the attacks of Porphyry and Celsus : St. Jerome’s attitude in the matter: Origen on Celsus : the Nazarite heresy : Clement of Alex- andria misquoted : the Clementine Homilies : the burning of the Pentateuch. III. T HE STORY OF E ZRA, THE R EPRODUCER OF THE L AW 26 The Jewish tradition of the rewriting of the Pentateuch: its acceptance by the Christian Church : various forms of the legend : Irenreus on the miraculous origin of the Septuagint: Jerome’s noncommittal attitude : Photius : the Amphilochia concerning the Ezra tradition : general acceptance throughout the Middle Ages : Humphrey Prideaux regards Ezra as corrector and editor: the Buxtorfs definitely oppose the Ezra tradition. T EXTUAL C RITICISM IN P ATRISTIC L ITERATURE............ 34 St. Jerome and St. Augustine in textual diver- gence : “Until this day”: Andreas van Maes on “Divus Augustinus”: Theodoret on the titles of Samuel and Kings: Procopius of Gaza to similar effect: Theodore of Mopsuestia: the anathema of the Fifth (Ecumenical Council : extracts from the proceedings: criticism of the book of Job: Theodore’s blunder regarding Keren Happuch : criticism of the Song of Solomon: Junilius the Qumstor concerning the titles and writers of the sacred books : Leontius of Byzantium upholds Mosaic authorship : Anastasius the Sinaite reports “difficultres” i;;;;ht to his notrce rn regard to the Penta- ,V, FR;!Z~Z;Z~DAYS OF THE F ATHERS TO THE S IXTEENTH . , . , . .., . 50 The secondary position of the Old Testament in the Church Catholic : Andreas Bodenstein the first literary critic : his views on the evidence of style : Calvin’s exposition on Joshua: hrs view that Eleazar was the compiler thereof : Andreas van Maes,_first Roman Catholic critic : offense given by hrs preface : his book on Joshua placed CONTENTS CONTENTS CHAPTEri PAGE CikAPlltlZ PAGE on the Index : Benedict Pereira’s commentary on opinion a common right : the fate of the Tracta- Genesis: the “Great Glosses on Genesis” of tus: treatment of the Hebrew text: the com- Ascanio Martinengo : Bonfrere’s single criti- ments of Ibn Ezra: contents of Pentateuch cism. material for history rather than history: Spinoza’s declaration of faith. VI. THE THEORY OF THE VERBAL INSPIRATION OF THE OLD T ESTAMENT ,....,............ ...” 61 IX.. RICHARD SIMON . I. ...” . I..” . * . ...” .,.... 101 The Rabbinical legends concerning the origin Richard Simon, priest, scholar, and critic: his of the sacred writings: divine origin includes differences with Port Royal: publication of the the vowel points and accents: “every jot and “H&ire Critique” forbidden : Simon expelled tittle of the Law”: Natronai of opinion these from the Congregation of the Oratory : Preface were added by the Massoretes: the Massoreth to the “Critical History”: Moses cannot be the Hamassoreth : general acceptance of Levita’s author of the books attributed to him: variety subsequent reaction in Protestant of style a convincing argument : the State Reg- ZZZ :’ William Fulke’s “Defense”: John istries: his remarks on St. Augustine. Piscator takes the same stand: Lightfoot re- gards belief in the Jewish tradition a test of X. T HE E ND OF TBE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY . 116 piety: Brian Walton adopts Levita’s view: Jean Ie Clerc, opponent of Simon, is himself Protestant belief in the divine origin of the a critic : Episcopius, Remonstrant Theologian, vowel points cannot be shaken: the two Bux- criticizes the Book of Joshua: Vitringa’s “Ob- torfs firmly uphold the orthodox view: Jean servationes Sacrae”: Antony van Dale discusses Morin of the Oratory challenges the integrity the origin of the Pentateuch. of the Hebrew text: Louis Cappcl discovers the Aramaic origin of the Hebrew script: his Ar- XI. THE FIRST HALF OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY . 124 canum published anonymously at Leyden: Biblical Criticism almost at a standstill for fifty Cappel’s Critica Sacra: the attack upon the years: Etienne Fourmont’s “Lettre a Monsieur integrity of the Hebrew text: the Protestants -.,, defend the theory of verbal inspiration: the consensus of scholarly opinion on the Continent XII. THE S ECOND H ALF OF THE E IGHTEENTH C ENTURY supports Cappel’s views: the Protestant party -JEAN ASTRUC . ...* . * . 129 maintains the theory of literal inspiration. The “Conjectures” of Astruc : his misgivings : The “Preliminary Reflections” : The Elohim, VII. THE L ATTER H ALF OF THE S EVENTEENTH C ENTURY. Jehovah, and Jehovah Elohim narratives: The JOHN HOBBES . 75 partition of Genesis on that basis : fundam;;mzl John Hobbes’s Leviutlzalz: the first English importance of Astruc’s discovery : literary criticism of the Bible : his rationalistic Brouwer’s dissertation on Genesis. attitude includes all the books of the old Testa- ment in his criticism: the most advanced criti- XIII, THE E MERGENCE OF G ERMAN C RITICISM. MICHAELIS. cism up to that time: the orthodox attack him EICHHORN . 148 violently: his opinions carry no weight in Eng- Michaelis of Giittingen, the first of the poly- land : the Preadamite hypothesis : Peyrere’s historians: his comments on the “Rejlexions criticism of the Pentateuch. Preliminaires” : his Introduction to the Old Testament, 1787: Eichhorn, so-called “Founder VIII. BENEDICT SPINOZA .,............(I...................... * . * . 86 of Biblical Criticism”: his Introduction to the Baruch Spinoza : his attitude toward the religion Old Testament rapidly becomes popular : Eich- of his fathers: his expulsion from the Jewish horn much indebted to previous critics : birth of community: characteristics of the writer of the the new movement in Biblical criticism: the Tractatus : object of the treatise: freedom of moment propitious : Herder, poet, philosopher, CONTENTS and divine : his influence on Eichhorn: his Adrastea: the Pentateuch “highly epic” : the “Fragments of an Unknown”: Nachtigal’s “Fragments” : Buttmann and the Myths of Mosaic History. XIV. THE L AST D ECADE. JOHANN JAHN . * . * . 159 Jahn publishes his “Introduction” to the Old Testament, 1792 : censured by his ecclesiastical superiors : his book placed on the Index: his “Definition of the Limits of Inspiration.” XV. CARL D AVID ILGEN . * . * . *..*.. * . “.“I 169 Ilgen, Eichhorn’s successor at Jena: publishes DIVUS HIERONYMUS LOQUITUR: the “Documents of the Archives,” 1798: a fresh partition of Genesis: the two Elohists U TERQUE ENIM ADVERSARIUS APUD SE IESTIMAT and the Jehovist: Ilgen’s critical faculty often OPTIMA&I ESSE DOCTRINAM. subject to preconceptions: lasting effect of his criticism. &CUT ENIM MATUTINA LUX SOLVIT TENEBRAS, XVI. ALEXANDER GEDDES . ...” . .*.a ,........,....,,..... * . I . 173 ITA LUMEN sCIENTIa% ET VERITATIS OMNES ER- Alexander Geddes, _ Scottish Roman Catholic Priest: his difficulties with his superiors: his RORES FUGAT. impatience of official authority: first British Biblical critic in the modern sense: his SI EX VERITATE NASCITUR SCANDALUM, MELIUS Translation of the Bible, 1792: his views on the Pentateuch: Critical Remarks on the Holy EST NASCI SCANDALUM QUAM UT VERITAS OC- Scriptures, 1800: his defense against his critics. CULTETUR. XVII. SUMMARY . * . * . 184 Endeavor of the writer to present an accurate report: the “ipsissima verba” of the critics sub- mitted: nothing quoted that does not bear upon the question: the Fathers aware of the early criticism: reverence for the books of the Jewish Canon gradually increases: the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church after the Reformation : the story of the theory of verbal inspiration: the volte-face of both Churches in regard to in- spiration : a reason for the ecclesiastical attitude. CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY . , . 189 BIBLIOGRAPHY . ...,. ..I...,........... * . 193 APPENDICES . 209 INDEX .. .. ...” . ...” . 251 PUBLISHERS’ NOTE This book, the result of an enquiry begun in the early eighties, and continued more or less fitfully as opportunity offered, was brought into its present form in the summer of 1914; the author’s intention being to return to Germany in the autumn for the purpdse of dealing with the history of the nineteenth century. The war made this plan impossible: and after the manuscript had been offered to and refused by several publishers it was laid aside. In September, 1921, the author received an invi- tation from an American publishing firm to send over the manuscript for examination. The offer made by this firm was not acceptable; but the manuscript was finally placed in the hands of Mr. Francis Arthur Jones, New York. Should the reception of this
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