CHAPTER XXI SHORT STORIES OF THE BIBLE THE suggestion already made that the statement of Senator Beveridge that the world's greatest orations are the Sermon on the Mount, Saint Paul's address on Mars' Hill, and Lincoln's Gettysburg Address produces something of a shock to our religious sensibilities is further illustrated when we say that a list of the best short stories in the world would doubtless include selections from Mark Twain, O. Henry,' Maupassant, and the English Bible. It should not, however, detract in the least from religious value of the Bible that it contains many masterpieces of this kind of literature. The ancient Hebrews were much given to the telling of stories, and they were frequently used to illustrate points of view. Few stories have a stronger hold upon the affections of children than the stories of Joseph or the story of the slaying of Goliath by David. It is much to the credit of juvenile literary judgment that the Samson stories seem to make a limited appeal. From the literary point of view the story of David and Goliath, 1 Sam. 17. 20-51; the story of the prodigal son, Luke 15. 11-32; and the story of the good Samaritan, Luke 10. 25-37, are suggested as preeminent. The last of these is printed for a study in story-telling. And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he de parted, he took out two pence, and gave them to the. host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. It will be noted that not a superfluous word is used in this narrative and that the story is not dragged in, but comes most naturally from the surrounding situa tion. Jesus was never "reminded of a story." When the lawyer, tempting him, asked a profound and somewhat puzzling question, Who is my neighbor? Jesus might have replied by a philosophical discussion on altruism. He chose, however, to tell a simple straightforward story and that will be remembered as long as literature endures. The following is a list of twenty short stories which are especially noteworthy: 1. Joseph. Gen. 37-48. 2. Balaam and Balak. Num. 22-24. 3. The capture of Jericho. Josh. 6. 4. The wars of Gideon. Judg. 6-8. 5. Jephthah's Daughter. Judg. 11. 6. Samson. Judg. 14-16. 7. Ruth. The entire book. 8. David and Goliath. 1 Sam. 17. 9. David and Jonathan. 1 Sam. 18-20. 10. Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18. 11. Naboth's vineyard. 1 Kings 21. 12. The ascension of Elijah. 2 Kings 2. 13. Esther. The entire book. 14. The three Hebrew children. Dan. 3. 15. Daniel in the lions' den. Dan. 6. 16. Jonah. The entire book. 17. The Good Samaritan. Luke 10. 25-37. 18. The Prodigal Son. Luke 15. 11-32. 19. The healing of the lame man at Bethesda. John 5. 1-9. 20. The shipwreck of Saint Paul. Acts 27. CHAPTER XXII THE LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BIBLE THE student would do well to read the little book by Professor A. S. Cook, of Yale University, on the Bible and English Prose Style, in connection with this chap ter. All writers on the subject are agreed that the chief charm of the literary style of the Bible is its extreme simplicity. If competent judges were asked to write down the most sublime passage of English in existence, there is no doubt, but the first verse of Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," would receive a large number of votes. Every time we read this passage we are impressed with its remarkable dignity and grandeur. A similar passage is found in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." It is interesting to note a method used by great writers in introducing their principal characters. Shakespeare, for ex ample, introduces Hamlet on the seventh page, Julius Cæsar on the fourth, Macbeth on the fifth, Lear on the second, and Othello on the seventh. Goethe brings in Faust after a somewhat lengthy introduction and all of our great writers seem to be obliged to resort to the employment of a certain literary setting before they introduce the chief character. It is interesting to compare this with the method employed by the author of the book of Job. In the first verse of the first chapter we read, "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job." For literary simplicity. and daring this has no equal in literature. It is ap proached, to be sure, by Virgil in the neid, where he tells us in the first line that he sings of arms and the man, meaning Æneas; and by Homer, who an nounces his subject as divine wrath in connection with the son of Peleus, Ruskin (Præterita) tells us that he owes whatever excellence of style he possesses to his familiarity with the Bible. He gives a list of passages which were assigned to him by his mother for memorizing: Exod. 15 and 20; 2 Sam. 1. 17-27; 1 Kings 8; Psa. 23, 32, 90, 91, 103, 112, 119, 139; Prov. 2, 3, 8, 12; Isa. 58; Matt. 5, 6, 7; Acts 26; 1 Cor. 13 and 15; James 4; Rev. 5 and 6. Tributes to the beauty of the literary style of the Bible have been written by many of our masters of English. George Saintsbury tells us that he regards the sixth and seventh verses of the eighth chapter of the Song of Solomon as the best example known of absolutely perfect English prose: Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. Many writers have undertaken to compare the style of the Bible with that of other pieces of literature which were contemporaneous with it. Chateaubriand, for example, compares the sixteenth verse of the first chapter of the book of Ruth with a supposed rendering by Homer. While we may not be ready to concede that Chateaubriand has quite done justice to Homer, it is evident that the biblical narrative does not suffer by comparison. The reader should make a study of the passages in the Bible quoted in this book and other striking passages with reference to their literary char acteristics. In another part of the book is given a list |