Description:
Excerpt from Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 4: A Critical Dictionary of the Literary, Political, and Religious History, the Archeology, Geography, and Natural History of the Bible; Q to Z Such is the history of the genesis of the Encyclopedia Biolica, which is the result primarily of a fusion of two distinct but similar plans - a fusion desired by Prof. Robertson Smith himself, as the only remaining means of realising adequately his own fundamental ideas. With regard to details, he left the editors entirely free, not from decline of physical strength, but from a well-grounded confidence that religion and the Bible were not less clear to them than to himself, and that they fully shared his own uncom promisingly progressive spirit. The Bible Dictionary which he contemplated was no mere collection of useful miscellanea, but a survey of the contents of the Bible, as illuminated by criticism - a criticism which identifies the cause of religion with that of historical truth, and, without neglecting the historical and archaeo logical setting of religion, loves best to trace the growth of high conceptions, the ashing forth of new intuitions, and the development of noble personalities, under local and temporal conditions that may often be, to human eyes, most adverse. The importance of the newer view of the Bible to the Christian com munity, and the fundamental principles of the newer biblical criticism, have been so ably and so persuasively set forth by Prof. Robertson Smith in his Lectures that his fellow-workers may be dispensed from repeating here what he has said so well already. 'there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.' Let us assume, then, that the readers of this Encyclopedia, whatever be their grade of knowledge or sphere of work, are willing to make an effort to take this widely extended land in possession. Every year, in fact, expands the narrow horizons which not so long ago limited the aspirations of the biblical scholar. It is time, as Prof. Robertson Smith thought, to help students to realise this, and to bring the standard books on which they rely'more up to date. It may seem hopeless to attempt this with an alphabetically arranged encyclopaedia, which necessarily involves the treatment of subjects in an isolated way. By an elaborate system of cross references, however, and by interspersing a considerable number of comprehensive articles (such as, in Part I., apocalyptic literature, cainites, dragon), it has been sought to avoid the danger of treating minute details without regard to their wider bearings. Many of the minor articles, too, have been so constructed as to suggest the relation of the details to the larger wholes. Altogether the minor articles have, one ventures to hope, brought many direct gains to biblical study. Often the received view of the subject of a 'minor article' proved to be extremely doubtful, and a better View suggested itself. Every endeavour has been used to put this View forward in a brief and yet convincing manner, without occupying too much space and becoming too academic in style. The more com prehensive articles may here and there be found to clash with the shorter articles. Efforts, however, have been made to mitigate this by editorial notes in both classes of articles. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com"
