Description
WHEN THE miner finds the gold he throws away his tools." interjected by This remark, a young American in a student debate in which I took part many years ago, on the value of scientific study of the Bible, has stuck in my mind and seems to me to have become more and more relevant as time has gone past. Obviously the use of scientific methods by biblical scholars over the last century and more has paid handsome dividends. Literary criticism, textual study, historical inquiry, archaeological and anthropological investigation have enhanced our understanding of the Bible beyond all recognition.
No praise can be too high for the patience and reverence of scholars of all branches of the Church who have been concerned to illuminate by their efforts some aspect or other of the record of "the faith which God entrusted to his people once and for all". A veritable host of modern "books about the Bible" testifies to the eagerness of those who have tried to translate into ordinary language the conclusions of these experts in their various specialisms.
However, as one of these writers of "books about the Bible" I have been disturbed from time to time by the comments of readers that they find themselves more interested in "books about the Bible" than in the Bible itself. This is obviously a major failure on the part of "popularisers" of the Bible. Unless all that is written about the Bible is an inducement to the reader to turn to the Bible itself it is largely misdirected effort.
