Show LATEST REV SION Of TilE BIBLE A Syrian Minister m Michigan Undertakes the Task and i j Explains the Principles on Which His Revision is Founded J I j C F I S AtFil iI 2 I rI i 1 1 1 Cc Lo 4w k l I > p ii t I t1 4fl I IIf44 > St Popular Syrian Minister Rev A 31 Hihbany of Michigan i I Morcncl lich Aug 29Thc task of Biblical theologians has been to determine de-termine when and where the several books of the scriptures were written und to inquire into the authenticity of the ascription of these books to the authors to whom they are popularly ascribed Worthy as this tusk is i It would seem inexpedient when compared com-pared with what seems to me the positive posi-tive and urgent need of the Christian I cause namely the separation of the truth of the Bible from Its error and the essential teachings contained In1L fromthe nonessential l I say this Is the urgent ncd of the Christian cause because I consider the Bible In its present form as its own worst enemy There are no lessons In such Immoral tales as the one recorded In Gen xxxviii for example valuable enough to atone for the Impurity of such tales Neither Is there accuracy enough in the Jewish history contained I in the Bible to compensate for at least the time required for Its reading to say nothing about the risk assumed in believing that such records are correct The miraculous side of the Bible has long ceased to he considered the mighty bulwark of Christianity It Is not the I blossoming of Aarons rod nor the feeding feed-ing of 7000 persons with five loaves and two fishes which constitute the defenses de-fenses of the cl HI roll 01 provide it with the sap of life The ingredients of the life of the church are purity and helpfulness help-fulness love to God and love lo man Christianity as love cannot be shaken by the attacks of its enemies ami I I very much doubt win her any nmn in his right mind would ever think of directing an assault against a religion of love And wfiert the l Bible i ispurlfleil of immoral and erroneous tales and becomes a book of life and love I doubt very muih whether It could thud In all the world an honest unfriendly critic Its obvidUH and indefensible Infirm In-firm Ies cause the millions of un Ihurchpd people to throw the whole book overboard especially when the fanatical friends 01 the Bible claim lhat every word of it is inspired My aim in rearranging the Bible Is 13 redeem It from the contempt heaped = upon It because of the unprofitable record It contains and to make It I reach find redeem more souls I believe that the truth contained in the Bible is i the power of God unto Salvation not because it is recorded In the Bible and propped up and supported by the signature of this or that theologian but liecausc It Is the truth whose seed is in Itself It fls a great Injustice to the human mind and a decided injury to Christianity Chris-tianity to teach that the account of creation In Genesis the ages of the patriarchs and such stories as that of the Tower of Babel are inspired truths Such teaching has bled almost all the Infidelity and nearly emptied the churches Why we should endeavor to defend such legends and abuse reason with them I cannot understand Every part of the Bible which cannot bo IranfJlatcd to life pure and helpful should be left out of it 11 does not seem expedient for one lo believe the story of Jonah In order to bo a Christian Chris-tian If that story could be proven true it woull bo simply a reflection upon the character of God who through torture compelled a man to oas o-as a missionary and through fear of IminecUale destruction drove a city like Nineveh to the bcliof in him My plan in rearranging the Bible was not laid in reference to historic sequence se-quence or the finding out of a better consecutive order in placing the dlf ferent books ro Illustrate this I will l state briefly the way in which I considered con-sidered Pauls wrjtljigs What threat th-reat Upostlc wrote abcut his controversy contro-versy with the Jews on circumcision the law and the Messlubshlp of Jesus hclonga to church history and not to the wo < Tihlper of today But those beautiful gems of spiritual truth which lIe left us in ItL Cor xiji and other like passages arc Indisputably the food of lie soul consequently I retained of Pauls writings all parts portalniuig to practical Christian life and removed the rest to the sphere of history If in the future it could be proven that it was not Paul who wrote the letters ascribed fo that name but some one else that someone else would be to the followers of the truth contained in those pritlngs as good as Paul It is of little importance to a mother who wee the actual writer of Ihe story of Ruth or iho aclual singer of the twentythird Psalm What concerns her Is that tho story of ttuth is not fit for her daughter to lead and that beautiful psalm is S For the welfare of the church Und for the sake of hu munlly the wheat of the BIble should be separated from the chaff and In my humble judgment now is the accepted limo for that separation This Is till that I feel permitted to write about my plans with regard to this work and r consider it the greatest great-est service I can render mankind My edition of the Bible Is not quite ready yet but will be before very long I am endeavoring at present to secure funds for the publication of the work and hope that by the time the rearrangement rearrange-ment of the book is completed the funds will be ready A M RIKBANY |