The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament
Excerpt
During the past generation the Old Testament has commanded
equally with
the New the enthusiastic and devoted study of the great body of
biblical
scholars throughout the world. Two out of every three
graduate students
in our universities who specialize in the general field of
biblical
literature choose the Old as the special centre of their
work. At the
same time the tendency of the rank and file of the Christian
church
within the past decade has undoubtedly been to neglect the
older
Testament. Preachers as a rule select less than a fourth of
their texts
from it; the prevailing courses of Bible study devote
proportionately
less time to it; and teachers and scholars in the great majority
of
cases turn to the Old Testament with much less enthusiasm than
they
do to the New. Why are these two great currents setting in
opposite
directions, and what are the causes of the present popular neglect
of
the Old Testament? If the Old Testament should be relegated
to a second
place in our working canon of the Bible, let us frankly and
carefully
define our reasons. If, on the other hand, the prevailing
apathy and
neglect are due to ignorance of the real character and value of the
Old
Testament, let as lose no time in setting ourselves right.
