The Fundamentals - 1917: Vol.1

Old Testament Criticism and New Testament Christianity 137 e v v in o e lu i t n io te n r a v r e y n t t h io e n or i y n o t f he al a l ff hi a s i t r o s r o y f w t h h i e ch pe te o n p d le s o to f m Is i r n a i e m l. ize I D t i i s e ce n r t t - a d i a n y ly cr c i o t r ic r a e l ct re to as s o a n y ing tha is t a th d e e p n r ia es l u o p f po th si e tio su n p o e f rn m at u u c r h al, pr a e n s d especially of the predictive element in prophecy. terr A up s t t e o d th d e iff th er e e o n ry tia o t f io e n vo o l f uti e o x n is r t e e g n a c r e d s e , d u a n s de a r pr p o u c r e e s l s y o n f a u t n u i r n a l laws, and without any Divine intervention, it will suffice to say that it is "not proven" in the sphere of natural science, while in the realms of history and literature it is palpably false. The records of history and of literature reveal from time to time the great fact and factor of personality, the reality of personal power, and this determinative element has a peculiar way of setting at naught all idealistic theories of a purely natural and uniform progress in history and letters. The l d it u e c r e a d tu i r n e th o e f p t a o s d t a ; y the is hi n s o to t ry ne o c f es th sa e r l i a ly st h c i e g n h tu er ry th is an not th in at ev p e r r o y way and always superior to that of its predecessors. Even a "naturalistic" writer like Professor Percy Gardner testifies to the fact and force of personality in the following remarkable term "T s: here is, in fact, a great force in history which is not, so far as we can judge, evolutional, and the law of which is very hard to trace-the force of personality and character." And quite apart from such instances of personality as have arisen f it r y o wm h t o im h e as to n t o i t m y e et th b r e o e u n gh ac t c h o e un c t e e n d tu f r o i r es b , y th a e n r y e t is he o o n r e y P of er e s v o o n l a u l • tion-the Person of Jesus of Nazareth. There are sufficient data in current Old Testament criticism to warrant the statement that it proceeds from presuppositions concerning the origins of history, religion, and the Bible, which, in their essence, are subversive of belief in a Divine revelation. And such being the case, we naturally look with g so r p a h v i e ca s l us b p a i s c i i s o . n on results derived from so unsound a philo­

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