“Criticism has reached certain conclusions regarding various Books of Scripture. The older narratives are declared to be mere legends, and the history generally is described as tradition tinctured by the time when it was put into writing. Certain Books of the Old Testament are said to fall below even this low level. They are declared to be fictions, the soothing epithet ‘pious’ being generally added, the representation being that evil was done by the writers that good might come! All these conclusions are placed before the public as genuine scientific discoveries.”

“How did inspired men regard the words which they and others have handed on to us, and… how did our Lord receive them?… — John Urquhart, from the Preface.

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate: Some subject matter knowledge helpful.

Book Contents

• Preface.
• Book I: The Scripture Doctrine of Inspiration
  • 1 The Customary View of the Bible.
  • 2 The Views of the Apostolic Churches Regarding Inspiration.
  • 3 What the Scriptures Claim for Themselves: I. The Witness of the Old Testament.
  • 4 What the Scriptures Claim for Themselves: II. The Witness of the New Testament.
  • 5 What the Scriptures Claim for Themselves: III. The Witness of the New Testament (Continued)
  • 6 Our Lord’s Endorsement of the Old Testament Scriptures.
• Book II. The Genesis of Rationalism
  • 1 The Pre-Reformation Period.
  • 2 The Pre-Reformation Period (Continued).
  • 3 The Reformation.
  • 4 Decay and Doubt.
  • 5 The Beginnings of English Rationalism.
  • 6 Continental Preparations for the Rationalistic Harvest.
  • 7 Rally and Defeat.
  • 8 The Rise of German Rationalism.
  • 9 Blighted Hopes.
  • 10 Deepening Decay. — The Rise of the Higher Criticism: Eichhorn and Paulus.
  • 11 Deeper Depths: Astruc, De Wette, and Strauss.
  • 12 The Last State Worse than the First: Vatke, Graf, Kayser, Kuenen.
  • 13 Present Position Of Rationalism: Wellhausen, Reuss, Ritschl, English Criticism.
• Book III. Critical Results Tested By Modern Discovery.
  • 1 The Test Of Criticism: Champollion; Grotefend; Sayce On The Minute Accuracy Of Scripture.
  • 2 The Book Of Esther: Absence Of The Name Of God. — Who Was Ahasuerus? — Xerxes’ Feast.
  • 3 Xerxes And Esther.
  • 4 The Book Of Esther: Further Confirmations.
  • 5 The Book of Daniel.
  • 6 Allusions To Babylonian Court Officials And Court Customs.
  • 7 Babylonian Names — Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream — The Two Languages of the Book — A Sevenfold Test.
  • 8 The Wise Men of Babylon.
  • 9 Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Statue.
  • 10 The Musical Instruments Mentioned In Daniel.
  • 11 Babylonian Traits in Daniel.
  • 12 Nebuchadnezzar’s Madness.
  • 13 Who was Belshazzar?
  • 14 Belshazzar’s Feast.
  • 15 Darius the Median.
  • 16 The Visions of Daniel.
• Appendix. Archdeacon Farrar On Daniel.

Publication Information

• Lutheran Library edition first published: 2020
• Copyright: CC BY 4.0