many different writers, patched together by a variety of editors! As
regards the Pentateuch, they are not ashamed to attribute fraud, and even
conspiracy, to its authors, who sought to find acceptance to their work
which was composed partly in the age of Josiah, and partly in that of Ezra
and Nehemiah, by giving it out to be the work of Moses! This is not the
place to enter into the details of this controversy. We may say frankly,
however, that we have no faith in this “higher criticism.” It degrades the
books of the Old Testament below the level of fallible human writings, and
the arguments on which its speculations are built are altogether untenable.
The evidences in favour of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch are
conclusive. We may thus state some of them briefly:
(1.) These books profess to have been written by Moses in the name of
God (Exodus 17:14; 24:3, 4, 7; 32:7-10, 30-34; 34:27; Leviticus 26:46;
27:34; Deuteronomy 31:9, 24, 25).
(2.) This also is the uniform and persistent testimony of the Jews of all
sects in all ages and countries (comp. Joshua 8:31, 32; 1 Kings 2:3;
Jeremiah 7:22; Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 8:1; Malachi 4:4; Matthew 22:24;
Acts 15:21).
(3.) Our Lord plainly taught the Mosaic authorship of these books
(Matthew 5:17, 18; 19:8; 22:31, 32; 23:2; Mark 10:9; 12:26; Luke 16:31;
20:37; 24:26, 27, 44; John 3:14; 5:45, 46, 47; 6:32, 49; 7:19, 22). In the
face of this fact, will any one venture to allege either that Christ was
ignorant of the composition of the Bible, or that, knowing the true state of
the case, he yet encouraged the people in the delusion they clung to?
(4.) From the time of Joshua down to the time of Ezra there is, in the
intermediate historical books, a constant reference to the Pentateuch as the
“Book of the Law of Moses.” This is a point of much importance,
inasmuch as the critics deny that there is any such reference; and hence
they deny the historical character of the Pentateuch. As regards the
Passover, e.g., we find it frequently spoken of or alluded to in the
historical books following the Pentateuch, showing that the “Law of
Moses” was then certainly known. It was celebrated in the time of Joshua
(Joshua 5:10, cf. 4:19), Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30), Josiah (2 Kings 23; 2
Chronicles 35), and Zerubbabel (Ezra 6:19-22), and is referred to in such
passages as 2 Kings 23:22; 2 Chronicles 35:18; 1 Kings 9:25 (“three times
in a year”); 2 Chronicles 8:13. Similarly we might show frequent references