COMMENTARIES
Ideally, we will have formed for ourselves a clear picture of the main teaching of the Bible before we turn elsewhere. Only thus shall we prevent ourselves from becoming slaves of other men's opinions; only thus shall we retain a proper balance which can distinguish between matters essential and matters incidental, between a broad certain truth, and a small problematical question. Here once again, we have to distinguish between older and more recent works. The older commentaries on the Bible took its authority as final, though they were frequently far from taking it for granted, and rallied valiantly to its defense. That being so, their space was free for trying to discover what the records meant, and their place in the scheme of God's revelation. The newer ones have been more concerned to impose certain views of the text of the Bible upon its pages, to dissect into warring fragments its records, and they have frequently, therefore, been little interested in finding what the record as it stands has to say. This is, of course, far too much of a generalization to be altogether true, and there have been many men of critical outlook who have written very usefully upon certain aspects of Bible exposition. It remains true, in general, however, that the older Commentaries, such as Ellicott's and The Speaker's, are most useful to us in our reading, without being in the least lacking in scholarly treatment. Many of the works in such series as the Expositor's Bible and the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (A.V. text) come intermediate between traditional and critical learning without undue bias for the latter, and do much to supply our need.