Companion to the Bible | Page 9

"Catholic"--1. _Epistle of James_--2. Question respecting the Person of James--3. Place of Writing this Epistle--Persons addressed--4. Question of its Date--5. Its Genuineness and Canonical Authority--6. Its Practical Character--Alleged Disagreement between Paul and James without Foundation--II. _Epistles of Peter_--_First Epistle_--7. Its Canonical Authority always acknowledged--8. Persons addressed--9. Place of its Composition--Its Occasion and Date--Traditions respecting Peter--10. Outline of the Epistle--_Second Epistle_--11. Persons addressed--Time of Writing--12. Question respecting the Genuineness of this Epistle--External Testimonies--Internal Evidence--General Result--13. Object of the Present Epistle--Peculiar Character of the Second Chapter--Its Agreement with the Epistle of Jude--III. _Epistles of John_--_First Epistle of John_--14. Its Acknowledged Canonicity--Time and Place of its Composition--Persons addressed--15. General View of its Contents--_Second and Third Epistles_--16. Their Common Authorship--Their Genuineness--17. The Occasion and Office of Each--IV. _Epistle of Jude_--18. Question respecting Jude's Person--Time of the Epistle, and Persons addressed--19. Its Canonical Authority--Its Design

CHAPTER XXXII.
THE APOCALYPSE--1. Meaning of the Word "Apocalypse"--Abundance of External Testimonies to this Book--2. Internal Arguments considered--Use of the Apostle's Name, Devotional Views, Spirit of the Writer, Style and Diction--Here must be taken into Account the Difference between this Book and John's other Writings in Subject-Matter, in the Mode of Divine Revelation, in the Writer's Mental State and Circumstances; also its Poetic Diction--General Results--3. Date of the Apocalypse and Place of Writing--4. Different Schemes of Interpretation--The Generic--The Historic--5. Symbolic Import of the Numbers in this Book--The number Seven, Half of Seven, Six; The Number Four, a Third and Fourth Part; the Number Twelve; the Number Ten--6. Office of the Apocalypse in the System of Revelation
APPENDIX TO

PART III.
WRITINGS OF THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS, WITH SOME NOTICES OF THE APOCRYPHAL NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS--1. The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers distinguished from the Proper New Testament Apocrypha--Some Remarks on the Character of these Writings
I. _Writings of Clement of Rome_--2. His Epistle to the Romans--Its Genuineness Character, and Age--3. Its Occasion, with a Notice of its Contents--4. The so-called Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians--Its Genuineness not admitted--Vague and General Character of its Contents--5. Notice of some Other Writings falsely ascribed to Clement--Recognitions of Clement, and the Clementines, with their Plan and Contents; Constitutions of Clement, and their Contents; Apostolic Canons
II. _Epistles of Ignatius_--6. Notices of Ignatius--The Seven Genuine Epistles that bear his Name--Unsatisfactory State of the Text--Syriac and Armenian Versions--Enumeration of these Epistles--Their Character--Strong Ecclesiastical Spirit that pervades them--His Letter to the Romans--The Undue Desire of Martyrdom which it manifests--His Letter to Polycarp--7. Spurious Epistles ascribed to Ignatius, and their Character
III. _Epistle of Polycarp_--8. Notices of Polycarp--His Epistle to the Philippians--Its Character and Contents--Time and Occasion of its Composition
IV. _Writings of Barnabas and Hermas_--9. Their Doubtful Authority--10. The So-called Epistle of Barnabas--Tischendorf's Discovery of the Original Greek Text--The Author and Date of the Work--Notice of its Contents--Its Fanciful Method of Interpretation--11. The Shepherd of Hernias--Outward Form of the Work--Its Internal Character--Its Author and Age
V. _The Apostle's Creed_--12. In what Sense it belongs to the Apostolic Fathers--Apostolic Character of its Contents
VI. _Apocryphal Gospels and Acts--13._ Their Number--Their Worthless Character in Contrast with that of the Canonical Gospels and Acts
* * * * *


PART IV.
A DISCUSSION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION.

CHAPTER XXXIII.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS--1. Definition of Certain Terms--Hermeneutics, Exegesis, Epexegesis--2. The Expositor's Office--Parallel between his Work and that of the Textual Critic--3. Qualifications of the Biblical Interpreter--A Supreme Regard for Truth--4. A Sound Judgment with the Power of Vivid Conception--Office of Each of these Qualities and their Relation to Each Other--5. Sympathy with Divine Truth--6. Extensive and Varied Acquirements--The Original Languages of the Bible; Sacred Geography and Natural History; Biblical Antiquities; Ancient History and Chronology--7. General Remarks on the above Qualifications--8. The Human and Divine Side to Biblical Interpretation--The Importance of observing Both
FIRST DIVISION--INTERPRETATION VIEWED ON THE HUMAN SIDE.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION--1. Signification of the Terms employed how ascertained, with some Superadded Remarks--2. On Ascertaining the Sense of Scripture--3. The Scope General and Special--Its Supreme Importance illustrated--How the Scope is to be ascertained--The Author's Statements; Inferential Remarks; Historical Circumstances--Important Help derived from the Repeated and Careful Perusal of a Work--4. The Context defined and distinguished from the Scope--Indispensable Necessity of attending to it--This illustrated by Examples--Question respecting the Limits of the Context--In some Cases no Context exists--On the Use of Biblical Texts as Mottoes--Various Applications of the Principle contained in a Given Passage a Legitimate Mode of Exposition--5. Parallelisms Verbal and Real--Help derived from the Former--Subdivision of Real Parallelisms into Doctrinal and Historic--Importance of Doctrinal Parallelisms with Illustrations--Value of Historic Parallelisms illustrated--Difficulties arising from them, and the Principle of their Adjustment--Illustration--6. External Acquirements--Various Illustrations of the Importance of these--7. Sound Judgment--Office of this Quality illustrated--Inept Interpretations: Interpretations Contrary to the Nature of the Subject; Necessary Limitations of an Author's Meaning; Reconciliation of Apparent Contradictions; Forced and Unnatural Explanations and the Rejection of Well-established Facts--8. Remarks on the Proper Office of Reason in Interpretation

CHAPTER XXXV.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE