Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 529

"

CiiAP. II]

§ 83.

THE FACTOKS OF INSPIRATION

505

however, this latter question as to the special inspiration Holy Scripture may be passed by. It can only be considered when the inspiration of revelation has been explained The thought cannot be entertained that a more fully. ent,

of the

prophet like Amos, as an inspired person, may never have spoken or written anything more than those nine chapters we now have as oracles of God in his name. In length these nine chapters are scarcely equal to one short sermon.

The

asser-

none too strong, that he spoke under tion, prophetic inspiration at least twenty times as much, while whatever has been lost has nothing to do with the inspiration therefore,

of the

Holy

is

Scripture.

With

these nine short chapters onl}^

The two kinds of inspiration, must be kept apart, and we must consider first what came first, viz. inspiration as the means employed of God, by which to cause His revelation-organs to speak, sing, or write what He desired and purposed. It cannot be denied that in the Holy Scripture, even for the greater part, utterances occur from the revelation-organs which make ca7i

there be a question of this.

therefore,

the impression of being the utterance of their subjective consciousness, but back of which a higher motive appears to

have been active, flowing from another consciousness standIn Psalm xxii., for instance, a speaker is ing above them. evidently present who moans from the depths of his own sorrows, but before the song is ended the impression is received that an altogether different " man of sorrows Nothing derogatory is here implied to the addresses you. medium of inspiration treated in the former more objective section, by which foreign words and scenes affected the ear and eye of the men of God. But in the Holy Scripture these objective

means

of revelation are not the rule,

and the

greater part of the content of the Scripture presents itself as having

come forth subjectively from the human author,

while nevertheless in his subjective utterance there worked a higher inspiring irvevjxa and it is properly this action of ;

Holy

which here introduces inspiration as means of revelation in its narrowest sense. For this reason inspiration bears one character in lyric poetry, and another with the

Spirit

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