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CHAPTER III.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE CLAIMS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TO BE A DIVINE, MIRACULOUS, OR INFALLIBLE COMPOSITION.
Let us look the facts of the New Testament also in the face. Some men are glad to abandon the Old Testament to the Jews, but fear to look into the foundation of the Christian Scriptures, lest it also be found sandy. Does much depend on the New Testament? Then the more carefully must its claims be examined. Truth courts the light, its deeds never evil. Are the writings of the New Testament divine, miraculous, and infallible compositions; if the Old Testament fail—the only infallible rule of religious faith and practice? Such is the prevalent opinion with us.[1] After what was said above respecting the points to be proved before such a conclusion could be admitted, it becomes less difficult to decide this question. The general remarks respecting the inspiration of the Old Testament apply also to the New,[2] and need not be repeated. Bearing these in mind, let us subject these writings to the same test. To do this we must examine the works themselves. This general thesis may be affirmed: All the writings in the New Testament, as well as the Old, contain marks of their human origin, of human weakness and imperfection.
Now in the New Testament, as in the Old, we have spurious works mixed with the genuine. To separate the former from the latter, is not an easy work, perhaps not possible, at this day. However there are some books of
- ↑ See Faustus Socinus, De Auctoritate Sac. Script., Ch. I. where he defends the Scripture against Christians; and Ch. II. against the not Christians.
- ↑ See above, B. IV. ch. i. and ii.
250, et seq. See also Ewald, Gesch. des Volkes Israel, &c., Gött. 1843, et seq.; B. I. Vorbereitung: all the six laborious volumes are rich in historical results.
