a study of bible-第16节

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　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　to　make　great　literature　or　literature　that　will　live　long。

It　is　that　earnestness　and　greatness　of　theme　which　puts　the　tang　into　the　English　of　the　Bible。　Coleridge　says　that　〃after　reading　Isaiah　or　the　Epistle　to　the　Hebrews；　Homer　and　Virgil　are　disgustingly　tame；　Milton　himself　barely　tolerable。〃　It　need　not　be　put　quite　so　strongly　as　that；　but　there　is　large　warrant　of　fact　in　that　expression。

Go　a　little　farther　in　thought　of　the　literary　characteristics　of　the　Bible。　Notice　the　variety　of　the　forms　involved。　Recall　Professor　Moulton's　four　cardinal　points　in　literature；　all　of　it　taking　one　of　these　forms：　either　description；　when　a　scene　is　given　in　the　words　of　the　author；　as　when　Milton　and　Homer　describe　scenes　without　pretending　to　give　the　words　of　the　actors　throughout；　or；　secondly；　presentation；　when　a　scene　is　given　in　the　words　of　those　who　took　part　in　it；　and　the　author　does　not　appear；　as；　of　course；　in　the　plays　of　Shakespeare；　when　he　never　appears；　but　where　all　his　sentiments　are　put　in　the　words　of　others。　As　between　those　two；　the　Bible　is　predominantly　a　book　of　description；　the　authors　for　the　most　part　doing　the　speaking；　though　there　is；　of　course；　an　element　of　presentation。　Professor　Moulton　goes　on　with　the　two　other　phases　of　literary　form：　prose；　moving　in　the　region　limited　by　facts；　as　history　and　philosophy　deal　only　with　what　actually　has　existence；　and　poetry；　which　by　its　Greek　origin　means　creative　literature。　He　reminds　us　that；　however　literature　starts；　these　are　the　points　toward　which　it　moves；　the　paths　it　takes。　All　four　of　them　appear　in　the　literature　of　the　English　Bible。　You　have　more　of　prose　and　less　of　poetry；　but　the　poetry　is　there；　not　in　the　sense　of　rhyme；　but　in　the　sense　of　real　creative　literature。

A　more　natural　way　of　considering　the　literature　has　been　followed　by　Professor　Gardiner。　He　finds　four　elements　in　the　literature　of　the　Bible：　its　narrative；　its　poetry；　its　philosophizing；　and　its　prophecy。　It　is　not　necessary　for　our　purpose　to　go　into　details　about　that。　We　shall　have　all　we　need　when　we　realize　that；　small　as　the　volume　of　the　book　is；　it　yet　does　cover　all　these　types　of　literature。　Its　difference　from　other　books　is　that　it　deals　with　all　of　its　subjects　so　compactly。

It　will　accent　this　fact　of　its　variety　if　we　note　the　musical　element　in　the　literature　of　the　Bible。　It　comes　in　part　from　the　form　which　marks　the　original　Hebrew　poetry。　It　has　become　familiar　to　say　that　it　is　not　of　the　rhyming　kind。　Rather　it　is　marked　by　the　balancing　of　phrases　or　of　ideas；　so　that　it　runs　in　couplets　or　in　triplets　throughout。　In　the　Psalms　there　is　always　a　balance　of　clauses。　They　are　sometimes　adversative；　sometimes　they　are　simply　cumulative。　Take　several　instances　from　the　119th　Psalm；　each　a　complete　stanza　of　Hebrew　poetry；　（verse　15）　〃I　will　meditate　in　thy　precepts；　and　have　respect　unto　thy　ways〃；　or　this　（verse　23）；　〃Princes　also　did　sit　and　speak　against　me：　but　thy　servant　did　meditate　in　thy　statutes〃；　or　this　（verse　45）；　〃And　I　will　walk　at　liberty：　for　I　seek　thy　precepts〃；　（verse　51；）　〃The　proud　have　had　me　greatly　in　derision：　yet　have　I　not　inclined　from　thy　law。〃　Each　presents　a　parallel　or　a　contrast　of　ideas。　That　is　the　characteristic　mark　of　Hebrew　poetry。　It　results　in　a　kind　of　rhythm　of　the　English　which　makes　it　very　easy　to　set　to　music。　Some　of　it　can　be　sung；　though　for　some　of　it　only　the　thunder　is　the　right　accompaniment。　But　it　is　not　simply　in　the　balance　of　phrases　that　the　musical　element　appears。　Sometimes　it　is　in　a　natural　but　rhythmic　consecution　of　ideas。　The　35th　chapter　of　Isaiah；　for　example；　is　not　poetic　in　the　Hebrew；　yet　it　is　remarkably　musical　in　the　English。　Read　it　aloud　from　our　familiar　version：


〃The　wilderness　and　the　solitary　place　shall　be　glad　for　them；　and　the　desert　shall　rejoice；　and　blossom　as　the　rose。　It　shall　blossom　abundantly；　and　rejoice　even　with　joy　and　singing；　the　glory　of　Lebanon　shall　be　given　unto　it；　the　excellency　of　Carmel　and　Sharon；　they　shall　see