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The Christian Citizen

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A Calvinist Answers the Critics

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E.J. Young

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THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES, A Re examination of the Theory that the Pentateuch is a Late Compilation from Diverse and Conflicting Sources By Authors and Editors Whose Identity is Completely Unknown. By Oswald T. Allis. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, Philadelphia, 1943, $3.

READERS of THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN well know that the Old Testament has been under severe attack by men who are often referred to as "higher critics". Briefly stated, this attack consists of a denial of the claims which the Old Testament makes for itself. Instead of regarding the Old Testament as a direct revelation from God, many critics consider it to be a purely human composition. Particularly manifest among certain scholars is a desire to discard traditional views of the date and authorship of the individual books of the Old Testament.

Possibly one may ask whether it matters what view is adopted as to the date and authorship of a book. Is this matter of faith? The answer is that it makes a great amount of difference what viewpoint one holds on such subjects. For example, Christ said, "Moses wrote of me". If, however, we believe that Moses did not write, we are setting ourselves up as wiser than Christ. It is impossible to divorce these questions from one's attitude toward Jesus Christ. The phenomenon which is popularly known as higher criticism is in its very genus hostile to the orthodox Christian faith.

Nor is such criticism an isolated phenomenon. Rather, critical tenets are being inculcated in many of the colleges and universities and most of the theological seminaries of the land. Doubtless we all know young people whose faith has been shaken or whose minds have been upset because of the severe mental struggles which they have undergone due to contact with critical views of the Old Testament.

Has the Christian an answer to criticism? There are some who say, "Read your Bible and never mind what the higher critics say". But such a solution will not satisfy those who take their Christian profession seriously. They will want to understand the nature of criticism, so that they can meet it face to face. Are there, however, books which will enable them to do this? Most of such books are today antiquated, but at last there has appeared a work which deals with the critical problem from the only legitimate standpoint, that of the historic Reformed Faith.

The work of which we speak is called The Five Books of Moses, and has just been written by Dr. Oswald T. Allis, who is probably the greatest living conservative Old Testament scholar. Dr. Allis has produced a book which treats the subject in a thorough manner. At the same time it is clearly written, and no technical knowledge is necessary in order to follow the argument. Material of a particularly technical nature is presented in smaller type. The work is divided into sections and paragraphs which greatly facilitate the progress of the reader. It is, therefore, a book which is well adapted to the average reader.

Dr. Allis subjects the claims of the destructive critics to a thorough scrutiny and examination. He first deals with the theory, so widely prevalent, that the Pentateuch is a compilation of diverse documents, produced during various periods of Israel's history. Next he discusses the position that the institutions of ancient Israel were the result of an evolutionary development. Lastly, he considers the findings of archeology and the present status of Old Testament studies. The reader who is interested in archeology cannot do better than to purchase this book.

It remains to be seen whether the critics will give serious consideration to Dr. Allis' arguments. To many critics, the issue is a closed one—they believe that the tenets of criticism are settled facts. But dogmatism will not overcome truth. In the end truth will prevail. The arguments which Dr. Allis has presented ultimately will compel a hearing. Here is a veritable arsenal of defense for the Bible-believer. This book should be in the hands of every college student, of every ministerial student, of every minister and of every thoughtful Christian. To readers of THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN who wish to be informed, we sincerely commend it.

‍

Notes

E.J. Young

Professor of Old Testament from 1936 until his death in 1968. He served as the moderator of the OPC general assembly in 1956 and was also a member of the American Oriental Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis.

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