"An Impossibility" William Robertson Smith. III.
Last time we saw how it was that William Robertson Smith came to be the Free Church of Scotland's youngest professor and how, despite his teaching on Biblical criticism, he was regarded as an ornament to the Church. All that changed with the appearance of the Encyclopaedia Britannica article 'Bible'.
Robertson Smith expounded his critical views with the freedom that was natural to him. If he was a flawed man (as he undoubtedly was), he was not a dishonest man. He stated as facts opinions about the dates and compositions of Biblical books which were quite shocking in the Scotland of 1875. Isaiah and some of the other prophetic books were, in fact, composite works written by a number of people over a long period of time, he said, Deuteronomy was not written by Moses at all, but by a later writer who used Moses' name as a literary device. The newspapers had a field day. Many of them had supported the Church of Scotland in the Disruption, and such a glaring case of 'apostasy' in the Free Church was wonderful copy to them. Something, the Free Church leaders felt, had to be done about Robertson Smith.
The first man to make a move was Rev. James Begg, redoubtable leader of the 'Constitutionalist' or conservative wing of the Free Church. Begg was 'very jealous for the LORD God of hosts' (I Kings 19.10), and for the Free Church of Scotland and the Westminster Confession. The thought of a man teaching what Robertson Smith taught about the Bible with impunity in the Free Church was anathema to Begg. He made it known that, unless the General Assembly of the Church did something about Robertson Smith, he would personally charge Smith with heresy before the Assembly.
The matter was immedately passed to the proper authorities, the College Committee, who had responsibility for the Free Church colleges. Among the twenty members of the committee were some of the most distinguished and learned Free Churchmen. The three principals, Rainy of Edinburgh, the uncrowned leader of the Free Church, Douglas of Glasgow, and David Brown of Aberdeen, one of the authors of the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Bible commentary, led the committee. Other members included George Smeaton, author of standard works on the Holy Spirit and on the Atonement, Dr. Goold, the editor of the Works of John Owen, Professor James S. Candlish, and Mr. (later Dr.) Alexander Whyte.
Yet Robertson Smith's biographers would later complain that Robertson Smith's judges were intellectually incompetent to try him. Robertson Smith, they say effectively, was so brilliant that no-one could understand his thought. The result is a biography that actually does Robertson Smith no favours. He comes across as an arrogant young man who deserved far worse than he got.
But what did he get? We shall see, God willing, in the next few posts.
Robertson Smith expounded his critical views with the freedom that was natural to him. If he was a flawed man (as he undoubtedly was), he was not a dishonest man. He stated as facts opinions about the dates and compositions of Biblical books which were quite shocking in the Scotland of 1875. Isaiah and some of the other prophetic books were, in fact, composite works written by a number of people over a long period of time, he said, Deuteronomy was not written by Moses at all, but by a later writer who used Moses' name as a literary device. The newspapers had a field day. Many of them had supported the Church of Scotland in the Disruption, and such a glaring case of 'apostasy' in the Free Church was wonderful copy to them. Something, the Free Church leaders felt, had to be done about Robertson Smith.
The first man to make a move was Rev. James Begg, redoubtable leader of the 'Constitutionalist' or conservative wing of the Free Church. Begg was 'very jealous for the LORD God of hosts' (I Kings 19.10), and for the Free Church of Scotland and the Westminster Confession. The thought of a man teaching what Robertson Smith taught about the Bible with impunity in the Free Church was anathema to Begg. He made it known that, unless the General Assembly of the Church did something about Robertson Smith, he would personally charge Smith with heresy before the Assembly.
The matter was immedately passed to the proper authorities, the College Committee, who had responsibility for the Free Church colleges. Among the twenty members of the committee were some of the most distinguished and learned Free Churchmen. The three principals, Rainy of Edinburgh, the uncrowned leader of the Free Church, Douglas of Glasgow, and David Brown of Aberdeen, one of the authors of the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Bible commentary, led the committee. Other members included George Smeaton, author of standard works on the Holy Spirit and on the Atonement, Dr. Goold, the editor of the Works of John Owen, Professor James S. Candlish, and Mr. (later Dr.) Alexander Whyte.
Yet Robertson Smith's biographers would later complain that Robertson Smith's judges were intellectually incompetent to try him. Robertson Smith, they say effectively, was so brilliant that no-one could understand his thought. The result is a biography that actually does Robertson Smith no favours. He comes across as an arrogant young man who deserved far worse than he got.
But what did he get? We shall see, God willing, in the next few posts.
Labels: Robertson Smith
posted by Highland Host at 2:00 pm
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