Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 58:229 (Jan 1901)
Article: The Book, The Land, The People; Or, Divine Revelations Through Ancient Israel
Author: Samuel Ives Curtiss

BSac 58:229 (Jan 1901) p. 103

The Book, The Land, The People; Or, Divine Revelations Through Ancient Israel1

Prof. Samuel Ives Curtiss

The student of the Bible may take either of two main attitudes with respect to it; one of loyal acceptance of the views of past generations with regard to its origin and composition, and of loving reception of its teachings as they have been interpreted by our fathers; the other of critical study of the book, not only of its contents, but also of the claim that it has upon us as an authority over our hopes and our lives. The theological student is called upon to attempt the latter, both for his own sake and that of others. By virtue of the themes which will be more or less the subjects of his thinking in his ministry he will be summoned, whether he will or not, to examine the foundations of his faith; and he will be sure to find some in his congregation who will question him regarding the current criticism of the Scriptures.

The theological seminary offers the safest place for the examination of these subjects. In this field the student needs the sympathetic instruction of those who have long been engaged in a critical study of the Scriptures. Specialists in any department of knowledge should be far more familiar with it than those who merely have a general acquaintance with the subject. The church should not

BSac 58:229 (Jan 1901) p. 104

doubt the sincerity of her scholars, simply because the views they present are not those of the traditional school. None who in their thinking, or the result of their investigations, have deviated from the old lines have ever been able to escape the charge of heterodoxy.2 Taylor, Stuart, Park, in their day were denounced by some as unsound in the faith.3 The church has indeed a right to be sensitive regarding the instruction of those who are to be her ministers, but she should not be unreasonable.

Nor should the student in the delicate and difficult work in which he is to engage be too free in charging any of his professors with undermining his faith. During all the history of seminary instruction there have been men who have believed they were in peril from the teaching of some professor. This has been especially true in those departments where the current views about the Bible have been shown to be erroneous. There was a time when some of the most learned believed that the Hebrew vowel-points were a part of the original revelation to Moses. It was demonstrated that certain combinations of the Hebrew consonants could be read in many ways, and from this it was argued a priori that the vowel-points must...