a study of bible-第23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！


　the　trench　also　with　water。　And　it　came　to　pass　at　the　time　of　the　offering　of　the　evening　sacrifice；　that　Elijah　the　prophet　came　near；　and　said；　Lord　God　of　Abraham；　Isaac；　and　of　Israel；　let　it　be　known　this　day　that　thou　art　God　in　Israel；　and　that　I　am　thy　servant；　and　that　I　have　done　all　these　things　at　thy　word。　Hear　me；　O　Lord；　hear　me；　that　this　people　may　know　that　thou　art　the　Lord　God；　and　that　thou　hast　turned　their　heart　back　again。　Then　the　fire　of　the　Lord　fell；　and　consumed　the　burnt　sacrifice；　and　the　wood；　and　the　stones；　and　the　dust；　and　licked　up　the　water　that　was　in　the　trench。　And　when　all　the　people　saw　it；　they　fell　on　their　faces：　and　they　said；　The　Lord；　he　is　the　God；　the　Lord；　he　is　the　God。〃


That　is　not　simply　a　dramatic　event；　that　is　a　striking　telling　of　it。　It　is　more　than　a　narrative。　In　narrative　literature　the　scene　is　accepted　as　already　constructed。　In　dramatic　literature　such　appeal　is　made　to　the　imagination　that　the　reader　reconstructs　the　scene　for　himself。　We　are　not　told　in　this　how　Elijah　felt；　or　how　he　acted；　nor　how　the　people　as　a　whole　looked；　nor　the　setting　of　the　scene；　but　if　one　reads　it　with　care　it　makes　its　own　setting。　The　scene　constructs　itself。

The　dramatic　style　does　not　prevail　at　most　important　points　of　the　Scripture；　because　it　is　a　fictitious　style　for　the　presenting　of　truth。　It　inevitably　suggests　superficiality。　Things　actually　do　not　happen　in　life　as　they　do　in　drama。

One　of　our　latest　biographers　says　that　a　scientific　historian　is　always　suspicious　of　dramatic　events。＇1＇　They　may　be　true；　but　they　are　more　liable　to　be　afterthoughts；　like　the　bright　answers　we　could　have　made　to　our　opponents　if　we　had　only　thought　of　them　at　the　time。　You　never　lose　the　sense　of　unreality　in　the　very　construction　of　a　drama。　Life　cannot　be　crowded　into　two　or　three　hours；　and　justice　does　not　come　out　as　the　drama　makes　it　do。　So　that　at　most　important　points　of　the　Scripture　dramatic　writing　does　not　appear。　The　account　of　the　carrying　away　into　captivity　of　the　children　of　Israel　is　at　no　point　dramatic；　though　you　can　see　instantly　what　a　great　opportunity　there　was　for　it。　It　is　simply　narrative。　It　is　noticeable　that　none　of　the　accounts　of　the　crucifixion　is　at　all　dramatic。　They　are　all　simply　narrative。　The　imagination　does　not　immediately　conjure　up　the　scene。　There　may　be　two　reasons　for　that。　One　is　that　there　are　involved　several　hours　in　which　there　is　no　action　recorded。　The　other　is　that　by　the　time　the　accounts　were　written　the　actual　events　were　submerged　in　importance　by　their　unworded　meaning。　The　account　of　the　conversion　of　Paul；　on　the　other　hand；　brief　as　it　is；　has　at　least　minor　dramatic　elements　in　it。　On　the　whole；　the　Old　Testament　is　far　more　dramatic　than　the　New。


＇1＇　McGiffert；　Life　of　Martin　Luther。


There　is　even　less　of　the　oratorical　element　in　the　Scripture。　There　is；　to　be　sure；　a　considerable　amount　of　quotation；　and　men　do　speak　at　some　length；　but　seldom　oratorically。　The　prophetical　writings　are　generally　too　fragmentary　to　suggest　oratory；　and　the　quotations　in　the　New　Testament；　especially　from　the　preaching　of　our　Lord；　are　evidently　for　the　most　part　excerpts　from　longer　addresses　than　are　given。　There　are　few　of　the　statements　of　Paul；　as　in　the　26th　chapter　of　Acts；　which　could　be　delivered　oratorically；　but　here　again　the　Old　Testament　is　more　marked　than　the　New。　The　earliest　specimen　of　oratory　is　also　one　of　the　finest　specimens。　It　is　in　the　44th　chapter　of　Genesis；　and　is　the　account　of　Judah's　reply　to　his　unrecognized　brother　Joseph：


〃Then　Judah　came　near　unto　him；　and　said；　O　my　lord；　let　thy　servant；　I　pray　thee；　speak　a　word　in　my　lord's　ears；　and　let　not　thine　anger　burn　against　thy　servant：　for　thou　art　even　as　Pharoah。　My　lord　asked　his　servants；　saying；　Have　ye　a　father；　or　a　brother？　And　we　said　unto　my　lord；　We　have　a　father；　an　old　man；　and　a　child　of　his　old　age；　a　little　one；　and　his　brother　is　dead；　and　he　alone　is　left　of　his　mother；　and　his　father　loveth　him。　And　thou　saidst　unto　thy　servants；　Bring　him　down　unto　me；　that　I　may　set　mine　eyes　upon　him。　And　we　said　unto　my　lord；　The　lad　cannot　leave　his　father：　for　if　he　should　leave　his　father；　his　father　would　die。　And　thou　saidst　unto　thy　servant；　Except　your　youngest　brother　come　down　with　you；　ye　shall　see　my　face　no　more。　And　it　came　to　pass　when　we　came　up　unto　thy　servant　my　father；　we　told　him　the　words　of　my　lord。　And　our　father　said；　Go　again　and　buy　us　a　little　food。　And　we　said；　We　cannot　go　down；　if　our　youngest　brother　be　with　us；　then　we　will　go　down：　for　we　may　not　see　the　man's　face；　except　our　youngest　brother　be　with　us。　And　thy　servant　my　father　said　unto　us；　Ye　know　that　my　wife　bare　me　two　sons：　and　the　one　went　out　from　me；　and　I　said；　Surely　he　is　torn　in　pieces；　and　I　saw　him　not　since：　and　if　ye　take　this　also　from　me；　and　mischief　befall　him；　ye　shall　bring　down　my　gray　hairs　with　sorrow　to　the　grave。　Now　therefore　when　I　come　to　thy　servant　my　father；　and　the　lad　be　not　with　us；　seeing　that　his　life　is　bound　up　in　the　lad's　life；　it　shall　come　to　pass；　when　he　seeth　that　the　lad　is　not　with　us；　that　he　will　die：　and　thy　servants　shall　bring　down　the　gray　hairs　of　thy　servant　our　father　with　sorrow　to　the　grave。　For　thy　servant　became　surety　for　the　lad　unto　my　father；　saying；　If　I　bring　him　not　unto　thee；　then　I　shall　bear　the　blame　to　my　father　for　ever。　Now　therefore；　I　pray　thee；　let　thy　servant　abide　instead　of　the　lad　a　bondman　to　my　lord；　and　let　the　lad　go　up　with　his　brethren。　For　how　shall　I　go　up　to　my　father；　and　the　lad　be　not　with　me？　lest　peradventure　I　see　the　evil　that　shall　come　on　my　father。〃


That　is　pure　oratory；　and　it　is　greatly　helped　by　the　English　expression　of　it。　Here　our　King　James　version　is　finer　than　either　of　the　other　later　versions；　as　indeed　it　is　in　almost　all　these　sections　where　the　phraseology　is　important　for　the　ear。

We　need　not　go　farther。　Part　of　these　outstanding　characteristics　come　to　our　version　from　the　original；　and　might　appear　in　any　version　of　the　Bible。　Yet　nowhere　do　even　these　original　characteristics　come　to　such　prominence　as　in　the　King　James　translation；　and　it　adds　to　them　those　that　are　peculiar　to　itself。



LECTURE　IV

THE　INFLUENCE　OF　THE　KING　JAMES　VERSION　ON　ENGLISH　LITERATURE

THE　Bible　is　a　book…making　book。　It　is　literature　which　provokes　literature。

It　would　be　a　pleasure　to　survey　the　whole　field　of　literature　in　the　broadest　sense　and　to　note　the　creative　power　of　the　King　James　version；　but　that　is　manifestly　impossible　here。　Certain　limitations　must　be　frankly　made。　Leave　on　one　side；　therefore；　the　immense　body　of　purely　religious　literature；　sermons；　expositions；　commentaries；　which；　of　course；　are　the　direct　product　of　the　Bible。　No　book　ever　caused　so　much　discussion　about　itself　and　its　teaching。　That　is　because　it　deals　with　the　fundamental　human　interest；　religion。　It　still　remains　true　that　the　largest　single　department　of　substantial　books　from　our　English　presses　is　in　the　realm　of　religion；　and　after　the　purely　recreative　literature　they　are　probably　most　widely　read。　Yet；　they　are　not　what　we　mea