The Articles of Faith Part 29

=Article 8.=--We believe the Bible to be the word of G.o.d, as far as it is translated correctly....

=1. Our Acceptance of the Bible.=--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts the Bible as the first and foremost of her standard works, chief among the books which have been proclaimed as her written guides in faith and doctrine. In the respect and sanct.i.ty with which the Latter-day Saints regard the Bible, they are of like profession with Christian denominations in general, but differ from them in the additional acknowledgment of certain other scriptures as authentic and holy, which others are in harmony with the Bible, and serve to support and emphasize its facts and doctrines. There is, therefore, no specifically "Mormon" treatment of the Bible to be presented. The historical and other data, upon which is based the current Christian faith as to the genuineness of the biblical record, are accepted as unreservedly by the Latter-day Saints as by the members of any sect; and in literalness of interpretation this Church probably excels.

=2.= Nevertheless, the Church announces a reservation in the case of erroneous translation, which may occur as a result of human incapacity; and even in this measure of caution we are not alone, for biblical scholars generally admit the presence of errors of the kind, many of them self-apparent. The Latter-day Saints believe the original records to be the word of G.o.d unto man, and, as far as these records have been translated correctly, the translations are regarded as equally authentic. The English Bible professes to be a translation made through the wisdom of man; in its preparation the most scholarly men have been enlisted; yet not a version has been published in which even the unlearned cannot perceive errors. However, an impartial investigator has cause to wonder more at the paucity of errors than that errors are to be found at all.

=3.= There will be, there can be, no absolutely reliable translation of these or other scriptures, unless it be effected through the gift of translation, as one of the endowments of the Holy Ghost. The translator must have the spirit of the prophet if he would render in another tongue the prophet's words; and human wisdom leads not to that possession. Let the Bible then be read reverently, and with prayerful care, the reader ever seeking the light of the Spirit that he may discern between truth and the mistakes of men.

=4. The Name "Bible."=--In present usage, the term _Holy Bible_ designates the collection of sacred writings otherwise known as the Jewish scriptures, containing an account of the dealings of G.o.d with the human family; which account is confined wholly, except in the record of ante-diluvian events, to the eastern hemisphere. The word _Bible_, though singular in form, is the English representative of a Greek plural, _Biblia_, signifying literally _the books_. The use of the word probably dates from the fourth century, at which time we find Chrysostom[732] employing the term to designate the scriptural books then accepted as canonical by the Greek Christians. It is to be noted, that the idea of a collection of books predominates in all early usages of the word _Bible_; the scriptures were, as they are, composed of the special writings of many authors, widely separated in time; and, from the striking harmony and unity prevailing throughout these diverse productions, strong evidence of their authenticity may be adduced.

[732] See Note 1.

=5.= The word _Biblia_ was thus endowed with a special meaning in the Greek, signifying _the books_, that is to say the holy books as distinguis.h.i.+ng the sacred scriptures from all other writings; and the term soon became current in the Latin, in which tongue it was used from the first in its special sense. Through Latin usage, perhaps during the thirteenth century, the word came to be regarded as a singular noun signifying _the book_; this departure from the plural meaning, invariably a.s.sociated with the term in the Greek original, led up to the popular error of regarding the Bible as having been a unified volume from the first. Hence we meet with the reputed derivation of the word from the Greek singular noun _Biblos_ meaning _the book_, but this is declared by a preponderance of good authority to be founded on a traditional misconception. It may appear that the derivation of a word is of trifling importance; yet in this case, the original form and first use of the t.i.tle now current as that of the sacred volume must be of instructive interest, as throwing some light upon the compilation of the book in its present form.

=6.= It is evident that the name _Bible_ is not of itself a biblical term; its use as a designation of the Jewish scriptures is wholly external to those scriptures themselves. In its earliest application, which dates from post-apostolic times, it was made to embrace most if not all the books of the Old and the New Testament. Prior to the time of Christ, the books of the Old Testament were known by no single collective name, but were designated in groups as (1) the Pentateuch, or five books of the Law; (2) the Prophets; and (3) the Hagiographa, comprising all sacred records not included in the other divisions. But we may the better consider the parts of the Bible by taking the main divisions separately. A very natural division of the biblical record is effected by the earthly work of the Savior; the written productions of pre-Christian times came to be known as the Old Covenant; those of the days of the Savior and the years immediately following, as the New Covenant.[733] The term _testament_ gradually grew in favor until the designations Old and New Testaments became common.

[733] I Cor. xi, 25; see also Jer. x.x.xi, 31.

THE OLD TESTAMENT.

=7. Its Origin and Growth.=--At the time of our Lord's ministry in the flesh, the Jews were in possession of certain scriptures which they regarded as canonical or authoritative. There can be little doubt as to the authenticity of those works, for they were frequently quoted by both Christ and the apostles, by whom they were designated as "the scriptures."[734] The Savior specifically refers to them under their accepted terms of cla.s.sification as "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms."[735] The books thus accepted by the people in the time of Christ are sometimes spoken of as the Jewish canon of scripture. The term _canon_, now generally current, suggests not books that are merely credible, authentic, or even inspired, but such books as are recognized as authoritative guides in profession and practice.

The term is instructive in its derivation. Its Greek original, _kanon_, signified a straight measuring rod, and hence it came to mean an authoritative standard of comparison, a rule, or test, as applied to moral subjects as well as to material objects.

[734] John v, 39; Acts xvii, 11.

[735] Luke xxiv, 44.

=8.= As to the formation of the Jewish canon, or the Old Testament, we read that Moses wrote the first part of it, viz. the Law; and that he committed it to the care of the priests, or Levites, with a command that they preserve it in the ark of the covenant,[736] to be a witness against Israel in their transgressions. Fore-seeing that a king would some day govern Israel, Moses commanded that the monarch should make a copy of the Law for his guidance.[737] Joshua, successor of Moses, as leader and law-giver of Israel, wrote further of the dealings of G.o.d with the people, and of the Divine precepts; and this writing he evidently appended to the Law as recorded by Moses.[738] Three centuries and a half after the time of Moses, when the theocracy had been replaced by a monarchy, Samuel, the approved prophet of the Lord, wrote of the change "in a book, and laid it up before the Lord."[739]

And thus we see the law of Moses was augmented by later authoritative records. From the writings of Isaiah, we learn that the people had access to the "Book of the Lord;" for the prophet admonished them to seek it out, and read it.[740] It is evident, then, that in the time of Isaiah the people had a written authority in doctrine and practice.

[736] Deut. x.x.xi, 9, 24-26.

[737] Deut. xvii, 18.

[738] Joshua xxiv, 26.

[739] I Sam. x, 25.

[740] Isaiah x.x.xiv, 16.

=9.= Nearly four centuries later (640-630 B. C.), while the righteous king Josiah occupied the throne of Judah as a part of divided Israel, Hilkiah the high priest and father of the prophet Jeremiah found in the temple "a book of the law of the Lord,"[741] which was read before the kings.[742] Then, during the fifth century B. C., in the days of Ezra, the edict of Cyrus permitted the captive people of Judah, a remnant of once united Israel, to return to Jerusalem,[743] there to rebuild the temple of the Lord, according to the law[744] of G.o.d then in the hand of Ezra. From this we may infer that the written law was then known; and to Ezra is usually attributed the credit of compiling the books of the Old Testament as far as completed in his day, to which he added his own writings.[745] In this work of compilation he was probably a.s.sisted by Nehemiah and the members of the Great Synagogue,--a Jewish college of a hundred and twenty scholars.[746]

The book of Nehemiah, which gives a continuation of the historical story as recorded by Ezra, is supposed to have been written by the prophet whose name it bears, in part at least during the life of Ezra.

Then, a century later, Malachi,[747] the last of the prophets of note who flourished before the opening of the dispensation of Christ, added his record, completing, and virtually closing the pre-Christian canon, with a prophetic promise of the Messiah and of the messenger whose commission would be to prepare the way of the Lord.

[741] II Chron. x.x.xiv, 14-15; see also Deut. x.x.xi, 26.

[742] II Kings xxii.

[743] Ezra i, 1-3.

[744] See Ezra vii, 12-14.

[745] The Book of Ezra.

[746] This historical information is given in certain of the apocryphal works; see II Esdras.

[747] Mal. iii, iv.

=10.= Thus, it is evident that the Old Testament grew with the successive writings of authorized and inspired scribes from Moses to Malachi, and that its compilation was a natural and gradual process, each addition being deposited, or, as the sacred record gives it, "laid up before the Lord," in connection with the previous writings.

Undoubtedly there were known to the Jews many other books, not included in our present Old Testament; references to such are abundant in the scriptures themselves, which references prove that many of those extra-canonical records were regarded as of great authority. But concerning this we will enquire further in connection with the Apocrypha. The recognized canonicity of the Old Testament books is attested by the numerous references in the latter to the earlier books, and by the many quotations from the Old Testament occurring in the New. About two hundred and thirty quotations or direct references have been listed; and in addition to these, hundreds of less direct allusions occur.

=11. Language of the Old Testament.=--It is highly probable, almost certain indeed, that nearly all the books of the Old Testament were originally written in Hebrew. Scholars profess to have found evidence that small portions of the books of Ezra, Daniel, and Jeremiah were written in the Chaldee language; but the prevalence of Hebrew as the language of the original scriptures has given to the Old Testament the common appellation, Hebrew or Jewish canon. Of the Pentateuch, two versions have been recognized,--the Hebrew proper and the Samaritan,[748] the latter of which was preserved in the most ancient of Hebrew characters by the Samaritans, between whom and the Jews there was lasting enmity.

[748] See Note 2.

=12. The Septuagint.=--Pa.s.sing over the Pes.h.i.+to or early Syriac version of the Old Testament as of minor significance, we recognize as the first important translation of the Hebrew canon that known as the _Septuagint_.[749] This was a Greek version of the Old Testament, translated from the Hebrew at the instance of an Egyptian monarch, probably Ptolemy Philadelphus, about 286 B. C. The name _Septuagint_ suggests the number seventy, and is said to have been given because the translation was made by a body of seventy-two elders (in round numbers seventy); or, as other traditions say, because the work was accomplished in seventy, or seventy-two days; or, according to yet other stories, because the version received the sanction of the Jewish ecclesiastical council, the Sanhedrin, which comprised seventy-two members. Certain it is that the Septuagint (sometimes indicated by the numerals LXX) was the current version among the Jews in the days of Christ's ministry, and was quoted by the Savior and the apostles in their references to the old canon. It is regarded as the most authentic of the ancient versions, and is accepted at the present time by the Greek Christians and other eastern churches. It is evident, then, that from a time nearly three hundred years before Christ, the Old Testament has been current in both Hebrew and Greek: this duplication has been an effective means of protection against alterations.

[749] See Note 3.

=13. The Present Compilation= recognizes thirty-nine books in the Old Testament: these were originally combined as twenty-two books, corresponding to the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The thirty-nine books as at present const.i.tuted may be conveniently cla.s.sified as follows:

(1.) The Pentateuch or Books of the Law 5 (2.) The Historical Books 12 (3.) The Poetical Books 5 (4.) The Books of the Prophets 17

=14.= (1.) =The Books of the Law.=--The first five books in the Bible are collectively designated as the _Pentateuch_ (_pente_--five, _teuxos_--volume); and were known among the early Jews as the _Torah_, or the law. Their authors.h.i.+p is traditionally ascribed to Moses,[750]

and in consequence the "Five Books of Moses" is another commonly used designation. They give the history, brief though it be, of the human race from the creation to the flood, and from Noah to Israel; then a more particular account of the chosen people through their period of Egyptian bondage; thence during the journey of four decades in the wilderness to the encampment on the farther side of Jordan.

[750] Ezra vi, 18; vii, 6; Neh. viii, 1; John vii, 19.

=15.= (2.) =The Historical Books=, twelve in number, comprise the following: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. They tell the story of the Israelites entering the land of promise, and their subsequent career through three distinct periods of their existence as a people:--(1) as a theocratic nation, with a tribal organization, all parts cemented by ties of religion and kins.h.i.+p; (2) as a monarchy, at first a united kingdom, later a nation divided against itself; (3) as a partly conquered people, their independence curtailed by the hand of their victors.

=16.= (3.) =The Poetical Books= number five: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They are frequently spoken of as the doctrinal or didactic works, and the Greek designation Hagiographa (_hagios_--holy, and _graphe_--a writing) is still applied.[751] These are of widely different ages, and their close a.s.sociation in the Bible is probably due to their common use as guides in devotion amongst the Jewish churches.

[751] As stated, the Hagiographa, or "sacred writings," are generally understood to include the five poetical works of the Old Testament. By some authorities, the list is extended to include all the books mentioned in the Talmud as hagiographa; viz., Ruth, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Daniel.

=17.= (4.) =The Books of the Prophets= comprise the five larger works of Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, commonly known as the works of the _Major Prophets_; and the twelve shorter books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, known to Bible scholars as the books of the _Minor Prophets_. These give the burden of the Lord's word to His people, encouragement, warning and reproof, as suited their condition, before, during, and after their captivity.[752]

[752] See Note 4.

=18. The Apocrypha= comprise a number of books of doubtful authenticity, though such have been at times highly esteemed. Thus, they were added to the Septuagint, and for a time were accorded recognition among the Alexandrine Jews. However, they have never been generally admitted, being of uncertain origin. They are not quoted in the New Testament. The designation apocryphal (meaning hidden, or secret) was first applied to the books by Jerome, because, said he, "the church doth read [them] for example of life and instruction of manners, but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine."

The Roman church professes to acknowledge them as scripture, action to this end having been taken by the council of Trent (1546); though the doubt of the authenticity of the works seems still to exist even among the Roman Catholic authorities. The sixth article in the Liturgy of the Church of England defines the orthodox views of the church as to the meaning and intent of Holy Scripture; and, after specifying the books of the Old Testament which are regarded as canonical, proceeds in this wise:--"And the other books (as Hierome [Jerome]

saith) the church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine; such are these following:--The Third Book of Esdras; The Fourth Book of Esdras; The Book of Tobias; The Book of Judith; The rest of the Book of Esther; The Book of Wisdom; Jesus, the Son of Sirach; Baruch the Prophet; The Song of the Three Children; The Story of Susanna; Of Bel and the Dragon; The Prayer of Mana.s.ses; The First Book of Maccabees; The Second Book of Maccabees."

THE NEW TESTAMENT.

=19. Its Origin and Authenticity.=--Since the latter part of the fourth century of our present era, there has arisen scarcely a single question of importance regarding the authenticity of the books of the New Testament as at present const.i.tuted. From that time until the present, the New Testament has been accepted as an unquestioned canon of scriptures by all professed Christians.[753] In the fourth century, there were generally current several lists of the books of the New Testament as we now have them; of these may be mentioned the catalogues of Athanasius, Epiphanius, Jerome, Rufinus, and Augustine of Hippo, and the list announced by the third Council of Carthage. To these may be added four others, which differ from the foregoing in omitting the Revelation of John in three cases, and the same with the Epistle to the Hebrews in one.