Page:Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion volume 2.djvu/354

 theologians; religion does not, so far, take with them a scientific form, the form of theology. Götze, the Lutheran zealot, had a celebrated collection of Bibles; the devil, too, quotes the Bible, but that by no means makes the theologian.

As soon, however, as this ceases to be simply the reading and repetition of passages, as soon as what is called explanation begins, as soon as an attempt is made by reasoning and exegesis to find out the meaning of what is in the Bible, then we pass into the region of inference, reflection, and thought, and then the question comes to be as to whether our thinking is correct or not, and as to how we exercise this power of thought.

It is of no use to say that these particular thoughts or these principles are based on the Bible. As soon as they cease to be anything more than the mere words of the Bible, a definite form is given to what constitutes them, to their content; this content gets a logical form, or, to put it otherwise, certain presuppositions are formed in connection with this content, and we approach the explanation of the passages with these presuppositions which represent the permanent element so far as the explanation is concerned. We bring with us certain ideas which guide us in the explanation given. The explanation of the Bible exhibits the substance or content of the Bible in the form or style of thought belonging to each particular age. The explanation which was first given was wholly different from that given now.

These presuppositions consist, for instance, of such an idea as this, that man is naturally good, or that we cannot know God. Consider how any one with such preconceived ideas in his mind must distort the Bible. Yet people bring such ideas to the interpretation of the Bible, although the Christian religion just means that we know God, and is just the religion in which God has revealed Himself and has shown what He is.

Thus here again the positive element may enter in