Future Retribution Viewed in the Light of Reason and Revelation

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887. Excerpt: ... cribed as Hebrew thought expressed in Greek words. The meaning of the words, however, is the same as that which they bear in ordinary vernacular Greek, unless the context shows that the author intended to use them in a special sense, which was also understood in this special sense by those whom he was addressing. Otherwise the writings would have failed to have conveyed to the latter the meaning intended by the writer. The chief characteristic of this form of Greek is its simplicity of construction, which has rendered the New Testament capable of being nearly literally, yet intelligibly, translated into that multitude of languages in which it now exists; whereas a literal translation of the great classical Greek writers would be almost unintelligible to the ordinary English reader. Its language, with the exception of what are called its Hebraisms, is essentially popular. It contains no scientific or technical terms. The members of the Apostolic Churches were composed for the most part of the trading classes and of slaves, and consisted of Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles, whose numbers in some churches were evenly balanced, while in others one or other of these elements formed a considerable majority. The Apostolic writings were intended beyond all question to be intelligible to those to whom they were addressed. Thus St. Paul takes it for granted that his epistles would be read publicly in the churches, and in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, he gives special directions that it should be read "to all the holy brethren." He must, therefore, have assumed that the terminology which he employed would have been thoroughly intelligible to the mem If the reader is curious on this subject, he will find a striking example of what I say in Hobbes's transla...