a study of bible-第20部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


h　none　longer。　In　the　Sermon　on　the　Mount　eighty　two　per　cent。　of　the　words　in　our　English　version　are　words　of　one　syllable。

The　only　point　urged　now　is　that　this　kind　of　thing　makes　for　strength　in　literature。　Short　words　are　strong　words。　They　have　a　snap　and　a　grip　to　them　that　long　words　have　not。　Very　few　men　would　grow　angry　over　having　a　statement　called　a　〃prevarication〃　or　〃a　disingenuous　entanglement　of　ideas；〃　but　there　is　something　about　the　word　〃lie〃　that　snaps　in　a　man's　face。　〃Unjustifiable　hypothecation〃　may　be　the　same　as　stealing；　but　it　would　never　excite　one　to　be　called　〃an　unjustifiable　hypothecator〃　as　it　does　to　be　called　a　thief。　At　the　very　foundation　of　the　strength　of　the　literature　of　the　English　Bible　there　lies　this　tendency　to　short；　clear…cut　words。

Rising　now　from　this　basal　element　in　the　literature　of　the　version；　we　come　to　the　place　where　its　style　and　its　ideas　blend　in　what　we　may　call　its　earnestness。　That　is　itself　a　literary　characteristic。　There　is　not　a　line　of　trifling　in　the　book。　No　man　would　ever　learn　trifling　from　it。　It　takes　itself　with　tremendous　seriousness。　Here　are　earnest　men　at　work；　to　them　life　is　joyous；　but　it　is　no　joke。　That　is　why　the　element　of　humor　in　it　is　such　a　small　one。　It　is　there；　to　be　sure。　Many　of　its　similes　are　intended　to　be　humorous。　A　few　of　its　incidents　are　humorous；　but　it　has　little　of　that　element　in　it；　as　indeed　little　of　our　literature　has　that　element　markedly　in　it。　We　have　a　few　exceptions。　But　what　George　Eliot　says　in　Adam　Bede　is　true；　that　wit　is　of　a　temporary　nature；　and　does　not　deal　with　the　deep　and　more　lasting　elements　in　life。　The　Bible　is　not　a　sad　book。　There　are　children　at　play　in　it；　there　are　feasts　and　buoyant　gatherings　fully　recounted。　But　it　never　trifles　nor　jests。

So　it　has　given　us　a　language　of　great　dignity。　Let　Addison　speak　again：　〃How　cold　and　dead　does　a　prayer　appear　that　is　composed　in　the　most　elegant　and　polite　forms　of　speech；　which　are　natural　to　our　tongue；　when　it　is　not　heightened　by　that　solemnity　of　phrase　which　may　be　drawn　from　the　sacred　writings。　It　has　been　said　by　some　of　the　ancients　that　if　the　gods　were　to　talk　with　men；　they　would　certainly　speak　in　Plato's　style；　but　I　think　we　may　say；　with　justice；　that　when　mortals　converse　with　their　Creator　they　cannot　do　it　in　so　proper　a　style　as　in　that　of　the　Holy　Scriptures。〃

As　that　earnestness　of　the　literature　of　the　original　precluded　any　great　amount　of　humor　in　the　wide　range　of　its　literary　forms；　so　in　the　King　James　version　it　precluded　any　trifling　expressions；　any　plays　on　words；　even　the　duplication　of　such　plays　as　can　be　found　in　the　Hebrew　or　the　Greek。　You　seldom　find　any　turn　of　a　word　in　the　King　James　version；　though　you　do　occasionally　find　it　in　the　Hebrew。　One　such　punning　expression　occurs　in　the　story　of　Samson　（Judges　xv：16）；　where　our　version　reads：　〃With　the　jawbone　of　an　ass；　heaps　upon　heaps；　with　the　jawbone　of　an　ass　have　I　slain　a　thousand　men。〃　In　the　Hebrew　the　words　translated　〃ass〃　and　〃heaps〃　are　variants　of　the　same　word。　It　comes　near　the　Hebrew　to　say：　〃With　the　jawbone　of　an　ass；　masses　upon　masses；〃　and　so　on。　These　translators　would　not　risk　reproducing　such　puns　for　fear　of　lowering　the　dignity　of　their　results。　There　is　a　deadly　seriousness　about　their　work　and　so　they　never　lose　strength　as　they　go　on。

That　earnestness　grows　out　of　a　second　fact　which　may　be　emphasizednamely；　the　greatness　of　the　themes　of　Bible　literature。　Here　is　history；　but　it　is　not　cast　into　fiction　form。　History　always　becomes　more　interesting　for　a　first　reading　when　it　is　in　the　form　of　fiction；　but　it　always　loses　greatness　in　that　form。　Test　it　by　turning　from　a　history　of　the　American　revolutionary　or　civil　war　to　an　historical　novel　that　deals　with　the　same　period；　or　from　a　history　of　Scotland　to　the　Waverly　novels。　In　some　degree　the　earnestness　of　the　time　is　lost；　the　same　facts　are　there；　but　they　do　not　loom　so　large；　nor　do　they　seem　so　great。　So　there　is　power　in　the　fact　that　the　historical　elements　of　the　version　are　in　stately　form　and　are　never　sacrificed　to　the　fictional　form。

These　great　themes　save　the　work　from　being　local。　It　issues　from　life；　but　from　life　considered　in　the　large。　The　themes　of　great　literature　are　great　enough　to　make　their　immediate　surroundings　forgotten。　〃The　English　Bible　deals　with　the　great　facts　and　the　great　problems。　It　is　from　the　point　of　view　of　those　great　facts　that　it　handles　even　commonplace　things；　and　you　forget　the　commonplaceness　of　the　things　in　the　greatness　of　the　dealing。　Take　its　attitude　toward　God。　One　needs　the　sense　of　that　great　theme　to　read　it　fairly。　It　quietly　overlooks　secondary　causes；　goes　back　of　them　to　God。　Partly　that　was　because　the　original　writers　were　ignorant　of　some　of　those　secondary　causes；　partly　that　they　knew　them；　but　wanted　to　go　farther　back。　Take　the　most　outstanding　instance；　that　of　the　Book　of　Jonah。　All　its　facts；　without　exception；　can　be　told　without　mention　of　God；　if　one　cared　to　do　it。　But　there　could　not　be　anything　like　so　great　a　story　if　it　is　told　that　way。　One　of　his　biographers　says　of　Lincoln　that　there　is　nothing　in　his　whole　career　which　calls　for　explanation　in　other　than　a　purely　natural　and　human　way。　That　is　true；　if　one　does　not　care　to　go　any　farther　back　than　that。　But　the　greatest　story　cannot　be　made　out　of　Lincoln's　life　on　those　terms。　There　is　not　material　enough；　the　life　must　be　delocalized。　It　can　be　told　without　that　larger　view；　so　that　it　will　be　of　interest　to　America　and　American　children；　but　not　so　that　it　will　be　of　value　to　generations　of　men　in　all　countries　and　under　all　circumstances　if　it　is　told　on　those　terms。　Part　of　the　greatness　of　Scripture；　from　a　literary　point　of　view；　is　that　it　has　such　a　tremendous　range　of　theme；　and　is　saved　from　a　mere　narration　of　local　events　by　seeing　those　events　in　the　light　of　larger　considerations。

Let　that　stand　for　one　of　the　great　facts。　Now　take　one　of　the　great　problems。　The　thing　that　makes　Job　so　great　a　classic　is　the　fact　that；　while　it　is　dealing　with　a　character；　he　is　standing　for　the　problem　of　undeserved　suffering。　A　man　who　has　that　before　him；　if　he　has　at　all　the　gift　of　imagination；　is　sure　to　write　in　a　far　larger　way　than　when　he　is　dealing　with　a　man　with　boils　as　though　he　were　finally　important。　One　could　deal　with　Job　as　a　character；　and　do　a　small　piece　of　work。　But　when　you　deal　with　Job　as　a　type；　a　much　larger　opportunity　offers。

It　is　these　great　ideas；　as　to　either　facts　or　problems；　that　give　the　seriousness；　the　earnestness　to　the　literature　of　the　Bible。　Men　who　express　great　ideas　in　literary　form　are　not　dilettante　about　them。　One　of　the　English　writers　just　now　prominent　as　an　essayist　is　often　counted　whimsical；　trifling。　One　of　his　near　friends　keenly　resents　that　opinion；　insists　instead　that　he　is　dead　in　earnest；　serious　to　the　last　degree；　purposeful　in　all　his　work。　What　makes　that　so　difficult　to　believe　is　that　there　is　always　a　tone　of　chaffing　in　his　essays。　He　seems　always　to　be　making　fun　of　himself　or　of　other　people；　and　if　he　is　dead　in　earnest　he　has　the　wrong　style