Matthew Arnold's Literature and Dogma [pp. 86-100]

MATTHEW AIRNOLD' S
dangerous book, they said, and could not let it alone. Humanity must be freed from the spell of this book, they said, and
yet their hate cleaved to it as closely as others' love." (Kritik
des 7mode,rate, a inbe Z:,t'sstei~s, p. 116, 117.)
The Bible is then simply one among the world's literary productions that lhave to do distinctively with conduct. This makes
it valuable, for, as we are incessantly told, conduct is approximately three-fourthis of life, art and science claiming one-eighth
each, more or less. Whenr the Scriptures have seenmed to men
to speak of God in connection with conduct, they have meant
mierely a "not ourselves," an influence, a tendency, "that makes
for righteousness," connecting lhappiness as a witness and sanction with righteousr.ess. ITeig,htened emotion quickens imaagination, prompts to personification, borrows manifold forms of
expression easily mnisleadirg emipty, in,tne, technical minds, so
that they begin to think of cause, of personal cause, of purpose
and law. of admiinistrative and judicial functions in this mnere
drift of things. We are iThited to return to the simplicities of
right coneeption, and try this literary substitution, and see
how smoothly and agreeabl'y Old Testa,ment and -New willread.
God is an inl/u,nce, and those who would serve him (the author should have said "it ") mulst serve him (it) not by any
form of w-ordcs or rites, but by inward motion and in reality
(p. 199). Christ came "to restore thle intuition." Thiis we are
told is "a short expression whi]ch may give the clearest view"
of the wNork of ClIh-st (p. 19(0). This intuition which had been
lost. altlhouglh in it Israel's great ness b egan, is that "the Eternal
loveth righteou,sness; to himi that orderetl his conversation
ari,,t shlall be shown the saloation of God " (p. 185). This is
of course a lte,rary expre7sioni of thle intuition. If we would
state the exf-t facts, tlese words mst be stripped of all emotional, poetieal lcents and a(jutlicts, and t,lie. case put very
baldly.
Tihe aut,ihor cu.not, so conjure with ancient Jewish literature
as to make it appear that h'is views were to any conr-iderable extent tle -views of te Jewish people. He is, th,erefore, rea, dy with
invasions ax d reinv'4,ns of Aberi, i-le, of (excessive, unaauthorized beliefs, no,t (ony reaching beoind the bounds of legitimnate
beliefs, but perverting and opposing these. The authors or cornmpilers of tlhee;, "sacr.ed " books being merely of the people with
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[JanIuary,