THE TRUTH OF THE BIBLE [To the Editor of the
SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I suppose that no one has thought it worth while to answer your correspondent's letter in the Spectator of September 7th. But his outrageous assertion that " Dr. Gore's New Commentary seems to give up all belief in the historic witness of either Testament," should not be allowed to pass without a protest. How can he be trusted to deal with facts, on which he lays so much stress, when he is capable of so widely travestying them ?
" The Church of to-day," your correspondent concludes, " if it wants a hearing, must, get back to the facts of history and drop ' experience ' for truth." But surely it is only through experience, which involves patient, thoughtful, unbiassed study of the Bible, that we are able to grasp its truth ; otherwise its facts are lifeless and, therefore (practically) useless to us.
Nowadays, it is only the hopelessly obstinate " funda- mentalist " who clings to the historic and scientific infalli- bility of the Bible. Bible truth must be found in the appeal that it makes to our reason and heart and conscience, not in facts which have little or no bearing on our moral and spiritual life. The date of Noah's Flood, for instance, which Professor Langdon claims to have discovered, does not vitally concern the Christian's belief.
Scoffing at modern Biblical critics is a very cheap form of criticism. Of course these Biblical critics make mistakes ; but the very fact that they make them leads on to their correction, and the further elucidation of truth.—I am,
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