The present controversy on the Gospel miracles

F. R. Montgomery (Francis Ryan Montgomery) Hitchcock

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THEOH ECO ; iHIITGOMERY ^ THE PRESENT CONTROVERSY ON THE GOSPEL MIRACLES BY F. R. MONTGOMERY D.D.HITCHCOCK, Donnellan in theLecturer(Formerly University toof Dublin, Examining Chaplain the Bishop of Killaloe) AUTHOR OF "ATONEMENT AMD MODERN FRESHNT CONTROVERSY OK PRAYERTHOUGHT," THK PRESENT AHD THE FUTURE CHRIST," "A FRESH STUDY OF THE "FOURTH HEBREW ETC.GOSPEL," TYPES," LONDON : SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE NORTHUMBERLAND W.C. ; VICTORIAAVENUE, 43, QUEEN B.C.ST., BRIGHTON : NORTH STREET129, NBW : E.YORK S. GORHAM I9IS AUTHOR S PREFACE THE of miracles is theproblem undoubtedly problem of the last two theto-day. During years question has reached an acute in the Church ofstage England. To with the Middlesbro ofbegin Congress 1912. There the two in the recentprotagonists controversy, Gore and Professor readBishop Sanday, papers in which their to somesubsequent were,positions foreshadowed. The laidextent, stressBishop upon the fact that the one obstacle to the recongreat ciliation of withintellect the faith wascontemporary miracles. The intellectual motive for the widespread, disbelief in miracle he found in thepresent-day dominance of a certain or scientificphilosophical of the world. That of aconception is,conception closed of not to be invadedsystem physical sequences event the cannot But evenby any system explain.

Sujets

• Miracle

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• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 5
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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THEOH
ECO
;
iHIITGOMERY^THE
PRESENT CONTROVERSY
ON THE
GOSPEL MIRACLES
BY
F. R. MONTGOMERY D.D.HITCHCOCK,
Donnellan in theLecturer(Formerly University
toof Dublin, Examining Chaplain
the Bishop of Killaloe)
AUTHOR OF
"ATONEMENT AMD MODERN FRESHNT CONTROVERSY OK PRAYERTHOUGHT,"
THK PRESENT AHD THE FUTURE CHRIST," "A FRESH STUDY OF THE
"FOURTH HEBREW ETC.GOSPEL," TYPES,"
LONDON :
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
NORTHUMBERLAND W.C.
; VICTORIAAVENUE, 43, QUEEN B.C.ST.,
BRIGHTON : NORTH STREET129,
NBW : E.YORK S. GORHAM
I9ISAUTHOR S PREFACE
THE of miracles is theproblem undoubtedly problem
of the last two theto-day. During years question
has reached an acute in the Church ofstage England.
To with the Middlesbro ofbegin Congress 1912.
There the two in the recentprotagonists controversy,
Gore and Professor readBishop Sanday, papers
in which their to somesubsequent were,positions
foreshadowed. The laidextent, stressBishop upon
the fact that the one obstacle to the recongreat
ciliation of withintellect the faith wascontemporary
miracles. The intellectual motive for the widespread,
disbelief in miracle he found in thepresent-day
dominance of a certain or scientificphilosophical
of the world. That of aconception is,conception
closed of not to be invadedsystem physical sequences
event the cannot But evenby any system explain.
scientific as themen, out,Bishop pointed regard
that of nature as "an abstractionconception
valid for of butscience, neverpractically purposes
valid if it claims to be
intellectually complete."
He held it to be for the Christian beliefquite possible
to be at home with this ofperfectly conception
it be not as exclusivenature, provided regarded
or Theexhaustive. of the address waspurport
an to men of science to over theirappeal get pre
their andsuppositions, prejudices against miracle,
to their views of the order of nature soenlarge
as to allow room for our Lord s of theconception
Father. He asked in to use Sir Oliverthem, short,
s to believe inLodge distinction, Spiritual guidancePREFACE11
1
. We remarkin lawas well as irrefragable may
whomore difficult for one believesthat it is far any
Histhe New Testament toin the God of regard
or exhausted the orderas restrained bypower
than it is for the scientific mindnatureof physical
of the order of life. Theitsto enlarge conception
mechanical or material.is more thanlatter surely
and andinvolve consciousnessIt must will,thought
much less known.it could not beotherwise directed,
to beaxioms whichThe scientific appear opposed
the law of the conservation ofto miracle are energy
of natural law. The former ofand the uniformity
has is not contraas Sir Oliver shown,these, Lodge
influence such as that of theavened directingby
"
the ofor will which affectsmind quantity energy
2 alsos creative consciousnessno whit." Bergson
mentalmatter. The latter is acontrols purely
aand therefore an inabstraction, impossibility
or movementworld of ;energypurely physical
the inwhile it is called in catastrophesquestion by
3
of the atom.nature and the complexities
Dr. in the same disOn the other hand, Sanday
historical evidence forseemed to thecussion regard
ofthe weak The wholemiracle as point. problem
"
itself tohe seems to me to reducesaid,miracle,"
find the exact at which thethis : To point super
and the abnormal tonatural ends ;beginsreally
case whatdetermine in exactlyany particular
has to be made and to reamount of allowance
we and as farthe narrative as best can,construct
What we are calledas we can uponaccordingly."
the record isthen is this : How much ofto settle
1 the 62.Men and Universe, p.
66.2 Ibid, p.
Planck s address as Rector of Berlin UniverSee Prof.8
and Canon McClure intranslated1913, quoted bysity,
Modern Substitutes, p. 146.PREFACE iii
and how much is how much istrue, ;symbolical
due to the observation of the andfaulty observer,
how much to the fervid of the scribe,imagination
and to the Old Testament moulds and oftypes
The of miracle is,thought. problem accordingly,
" "
one of evidence. After the he theCongress," says,
of was I soon realizedprogress my thought rapid.
that it was once more a the balancequestion of of
"
evidence In his last in whichutterance,(p. 24).
he to Gore s to Criticism,replied Bishop Challenge
and in which his to the Modernisttendency position
is somewhat and we buthope temporarily pro
he insists that it is a matter ofnounced, again
"
"
evidence. I was not he towrites,disposed,"
limit to the Divine or to ascribeput any power
to natural law as such. I did notany necessity
for a moment doubt the of God to makepower
what He / asked betterexceptions pleased, only for
"
evidence His will to make them He thenof (p. 22).
"
to remark that there was a certainproceeds
"
amount of ostensible in theevidence," but, light
of historical criticism this evidence seemed little
little to fall to It was firstby pieces." given up
over the whole field of Thereprofane history.
is also a that it has also forstrong feeling given way
the Old Testament. There was abundant evidence
for the of butcauses,operation higher spiritual
when it came ato breach of the theorder,physical
evidence was to bealways found insufficient 23).(p.
to this of evidence for whatOwing insufficiency
"
he terms a breach of the heorder,"physical
draws a distinction which has sincebeen challenged
Dean and Mr.by many, Inge Lacey particularly,
as a return to an obsolete Dualism between events
that are naturam and those that are contrasupra
"
naturam. The latter he involve someclass, says,
definite reversal of the natural whileorder,"physicalPREFACEiv
"
of eventsthe former class consists extraordinary,
to the ofand testifying presence higherexceptional
latter he forforces." These admits,spiritual
"
in the ofinvolvedno real breach order nature,"they
" theaccounted forand were abundantly by pre
world of an andsence in the unique Personality,
of new force which flowedthat wave spiritualby
"
volumefrom it in an ever-increasing (p. 24).
of events contraWith to his naturam,regard group
be naturamwhich moremight correctly styled
"
The of suchnobis henotam, says conceptionquoad
of the Old Testamiracles took its rise in the region
" "
attributed to Himment came to be26), they(p.
this the of the Church,"in form imagination earlyby
most of these casesand in something happened
rise to the Therewhich story" (p. 19).gave
"
twoin this class theremain, onlyaccordingly,
theandevents thegreat Supernatural beginning
the Lord s career."of earthlyendingSupernatural
"
would be human ifHe remarks that it (!)only
down to usthe records that have come presented
"
He affirmssome in detail (p. 26).exaggerations
thehis belief in the central ofentire reality Super
birth and the Resurrection.natural Supernatural
the isHis belief in former, however, byqualified
"
I cannot sothe statement, easily bring myself
Birth was I shouldto think that His (as regard it)
" hewith to the latterunnatural and; regard
"
Lord as stillasserts that the Risen Spirit governed
but that the accountsand His Church,"inspired
"
us seem to be too conthat have come down to
resuscitationand confused to the actualproveflicting
"
the tombof the dead of the Lord frombody
"
it is said thatHe concludes Ifby saying,(p. 20).
I wouldI have written iswhat Modernism, reply
believeI I andthat believe hopefullyemphatically
and Modernism isthat a sound reallyright