And again, as one part of their scientific Bible-criticism, so the rest. We have seen in the Bible-writers themselves a quite uncritical use of the Old Testament and of prophecy. Now, does this become less in the authors of our dogmatic theology,—a far more pretentious effort of criticism than the Bible-writers ever made,—or does it become greater? It becomes a thousand times greater. Not only are definite predictions found where they do not exist, as, for example, in Isaiah's I will restore thy judges as at the first,[1] is found a definite foretelling of the Apostles,—but in the whole Bible a secret allegorical sense is supposed, higher than the natural sense; so that Jerome calls tracing the natural sense an eating dust like the serpent, in modum serpentis terram comedere. Therefore, for one expounder, Isaiah's prophecy against Egypt: The Eternal rideth upon a light cloud, and shall come into Egypt,[2] is the flight into Egypt of the Holy Family, and the light cloud is the virgin-born body of Jesus; for another, The government shall be upon his shoulder,[3] is Christ's carrying upon his shoulder the cross; for another, The lion shall eat straw like the ox,[4] is the faithful and the wicked alike receiving the body of Christ in the Eucharist.
These are the men, this is the critical faculty, from which our so-called orthodox dogma proceeded. The worth of all the productions of such a critical faculty is easy to estimate, for the worth is nearly uniform. When the Rabbinical expounders interpret: Woe unto them that lay field to field![5] as a prophetic curse on the accumulation of Church property, or: Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink![6] as a prediction of the profligacy of the Church clergy, or: Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity![7] as God's malediction on
- ↑ Is., i, 26.
- ↑ Is., xix, 1.
- ↑ Is., ix, 6.
- ↑ Is., lxv, 25.
- ↑ Is., v, 8.
- ↑ Is., v, 11.
- ↑ Is., v, 18.
