The Book of Daniel by F. W. Farrar, D.D. &C. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 27 Paternoster Row, 1895
This volume of the Expositor's Bible can surprise no considerate reader of the author's previous writings. It is the fruit of extreme rationalism put forth by a special pleader of no little skill, whose kind feelings are on the side of heterodoxy, with unscrupulous dislike of all faith in plenary inspiration and in the truth itself.
The first chapter insinuates throughout doubts of the historic existence of the prophet Daniel! The decisive testimony of our Lord in Matt. 24:15 is only noticed in the text to be strangled if possible in a note which says, “There can he of course no certainty that the spoken of by Daniel the prophet is not the comment of the Evangelist.” Supposing it were, has not inspiration divine authority? Evidently not in the writer's eyes. But it is contrary to all the usage of the First Gospel so to interlard our Lord's discourses; and therefore it is against evidence to question that our Lord here puts His seal on “Daniel the prophet,” as well as on this particular prophecy in chap. 12:11. The kindred one in chap. 11:31 had been already fulfilled, to say nothing of the difference of form which distinguishes what is past from what is future. But this is lost on Dr. F., who believes in real prophecy nowhere, because he excludes God in any real way from it all.
The reader will gather the state of this school from what is said at the start of the first half of the book. “I believe that its six magnificent opening chapters were never meant to be regarded in any ether light than of moral and religious Haggadoth, yet no words of mine can exaggerate the value which I attach to this part of our Canonical Scripture Finally unfavorable to the authenticity, they (critics) are yet in no way derogatory to the preciousness of this Old Testament Apocalyptic” (pp. 3, 4). Our readers will require no words to prove that such language is the self-deceived and shameless mania of skepticism. As the throne of wickedness has no fellowship with Jehovah, neither has the Spirit of truth with fables or frauds, pious or impious.
As the first half is a conglomerate of infidel doubts and misrepresentations, the comment that follows is its suited companion and worthless for spiritual intelligence and edification.
FROM 29th Sept. 1895 Mr. T. F. SHORTO will D.V. receive orders for approved books, pamphlets, tracts, and periodicals, at the Depot, 53 Paternoster Row, E.C.