The Fundamentals - 1917: Vol.1

. The History of the Higher Criticism. 19 the Pentateuch, as he confesses, under the guidance chiefly of Ewald. (Hexateuch, page 63.) Of course, this list is a very partial one, but it gives most of the names that have become famous in connection with the movement, and the reader who desires more will find a complete summary of the literature of the Higher Criticism in Professor Bissell's work on the Pentateuch (Scribner's, 1892). Bri gg s, in his "Higher Criticism of the Hexateuch" (Scribner's, 1897) , gives an historical summary also. We must now investigate another question, and that is the religious views of the men most influential in this movement. In making the statement that we are about to make, we desire i t t o ab d l e e p , r u ec n a f t a e ir e , n o t r ire u l n y k t i h n e d, id i e n a s o ta f ti t n h g er w e h b a e t ing is a s n im yt p h l i y ng a u m nc a h tt a e r r of fact. THE VIEWS OF THE CONTINENTAL CRITICS. Regarding the views of the Continental Critics, three things can be confidently asserted of nearly all, if not all, of the real leaders. 1. They were men who denied the validity of miracle, a ti n a d ns th co e n v si a d l e id r it t y o o b f e a m n i y rac m u i l r o a u c s ul t o h u e s y n c a o r n r s a id ti e v r e e . d W leg h e a n t da C r h y ri o s r mythical ; "l eg endary exaggeration of events that are entirely explicable from natural causes." 2. They were men who denied the reality of prophecy a ti n a d ns t h h a e ve va b l e id e i n ty ac o c f us a t n o y me p d ro t p o h c e o t n ic s a i l de s r ta p te ro m p e h n e t t . ica W l, t h h a e t y C ca h l r l i e s d dexterous conjectures, coincidences, fiction, or imposture. 3. They were men who denied the reality of revelation, in the sense in which it has ever been held by the universal C na h t r u i r s a ti l a . n C T h h u ei r r ch t . heo T r h ie e s y w w e e r r e e e a x vo co w g e i d ta u te n d be o li n ev p e u r r s e o g f r t o h u e n s d u s pe o r f human reasoning. Their hypotheses were constructed on the assumption of the falsity of Scripture. As to the inspira-

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