The logical results of the aliandonment of an external authority in religious knowledge have been recently exliibited in the new theological school which follows the method of Comparative Religion. For if Christ is only human, and the Christian revelation not supernatural, it will be impossible to maintain the absoluteness of Chris- tianity as the Ritschlians sought to do. It will be impossible to maintain that Christianity consists in Christ and not merely in a principle of wliicli He is the illustration. We thus have the distinc- tion between the 'Christian jirinciple' and the person of Christ. It is the distinction of the old rationalism, only mjw in ([uite a ilitterent form, since this school' insisis that pi iiici[iles can never be separated from tlieii liistoiiral embodiment. Tiierefore the distinction bi'tween the 'kernel' and the 'husk' must be given up, since the kernel is always inseparable from its historical manifesta- tion. All history is relative, yet not at all unim- portant, for we cannot liave religious truth except in a historically conditioncil form. Tlius, while a greater signiticance attaches to ('ll^i^l than in the old rationalism, the great facts and tin' dogmatic content of Christianity have only a reh'tive value, and are frankly given up at tl'ie demands of an avowedly naturalistic philosoi)hy. This can be .seen in Troeltsch, the dogmatician of the school (cf. his art. 'Geschiclite u. .Metaphysik ' in ZoV.scAc, f.
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view of the power of development in Christianity, he holds that it is not possible to limit God's reve- lation to one person at the beginning of Christian history. Therefore the lirst form of Christianity, as connected witli Jesus, is to be regarded along with later forms simply as illustrations of the Cliristian principle. Thus we have again the entire suliordination of the facts and doctrines of Christianity to the theory of the naturalistic evo- lution of religious ideas.
We conclude, then, that Christianity consists in a series of supernatural facts together with their meaning ; that their true meaning is their mean- ing for God, and that therefore He innst tell it to us ; that the noetic etiects of sin mak(^ it necessary that this be in a special .and su|ieriiatuial inaiiner. The abandonment of the autliority of Sciijiinre for the interpretation of the facts leads logically to the abandonment of the facts Iheinselves, i.e. to their subordination to a theory whicli distinguishes their accidental Scriptural tV>rm from their abid- ing philosophical content. The Kitschlian endeav- our to stem the tide of this logic is umsuccessfnl, and the ncwi-st de\ i-l(.|iiiieiit in theology has east aside the liitsdilian claim as to the absoluteness of Christiaiiily an.l lie- llivinity of Christ, and has snlijeeted Scn|.(iirc fad .iiid doctrine to an avowedly naturalistic |.hilu.n|,]iy. If, therefore, we an- not to lose the siipcni.iUiral facts and their authoritative interiirelalion. i.f. if we are not to lose Christianity, we must abide by the Scripture as an external authority.
Modem Religious Thoui/hi, Essays by Camp- bell, Farrar, Adeney, Horton ; Forrest, The Christ of Uisluri/ and of Experience, Leet. viii. ; H. Bois, Le Dot/me Grec ; War- field, The Might of Sj/stematic Theology ; Dcnney, The Death of C'hnst, Introd.; Griffin, ' Facts, Doctrines, and Ideals' in Pres. and Ref. ifei)., July 1901 ; R. A. Lipsius, 'Die Bedeutunt; des Historischen ini Ciiristentume,' pub. in Glauheii xt. Wissen. p. Ill ; A. Sabatier, The Vitality of Christian Dowtas and their Power of Evolution, ef. also Part 3 of his Outlines of the Phil, of Relig. ; Dreyer, Undogmatisches Christentum ; Harnacli, Das Christentum u. die Geschichte ; Herrmann, Warum hrdar,t nnser Glaube geschichtlicher Thatsachen ? ; Kaftan, Glaube u. Dogma; Kirn, Glaube u. Geschichte; Kahler, Der sogenannte historische Jesus u. der gcsch. biblische Chri^liis; Troeltsch, ' Geschichte u. Metaphysik' in Zeitschr. f. Th<-'J ii Kl'-rhi',
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Zeitschr. 1896, p. 349; Seeljerg, 'Brauch.n uir in n irs Dogma?' ib. 1891; W. A. Picl<ard-Cambridgc, ' Tliu cliii.-.l, of Dogma and the Christ of Experience ' in Hibbert Journal, Jan. 1906 ; 'Romanus,' art. 'The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Experience,' ib. Apr. 1905 ; Schanz, ' Geschichte u. Dogma ' in Theol. Quartalschr., 1 Quartalheft 1905.
Compare also — Kant, Die Relig. innerhalb d. Grenzen d. blossen Vermmft ; Fichte, Anweis. zuni seligen Leben ; Ile-iel, Lectt. on Phil, of Relig.; T. H. Green, Miscell. Works, iii. pp. 160-186, 230-276 ; Pflei'derer, Glaubens- u. Silteniehre, §S on Christ ; Biedermann, Chr. Dogmatik, ii. § 815 ; A. .Sai!.itier, £sr,w,.!.w d'vnr fhil. de la Relig. etc., also Lrs Relniinns d'Aiitnrit'' rt (a lu'litj. de VEsprit ; Harnaclt, Wcsen des Chris-
Gntl..n]'^..'ii,,l:''ir,'ir'd. Ojlenbar'uwi ; Kaftan, Dus ilVs.n d. Chr. Ji'ii,,.. Al,s, h. -2. Kap. 3; Reischle, ' Uer Streit uber die Begruiiduiig des Claubens auf detn gesch. Christus ' in Zeitsch. ,f. Theol. u. Eirche, 1S97 ; Troeltsch, Die Absolutheit des Chris- tentxtms u. die Religionsgesch. C. W. HODGE.
FAITH (Heb. .ijio??, Or. ir(,rT»).—
1. Introductory.
2. The idea of ' faith ' in tlie OT.
3. Later Jewish idea of 'faitli.'
4. 'Faith' in the Gospels: (1) in the Synoptics; (2) in the
Fourth Gospel. 6. Some characteristics of the Johannine conception of ' faith.'
6. The Johannine and Pauline conceptions of 'faith' con- I trasted.