THE Bible in recent times has passed through two dis-
tinct phases and is entering upon a third. There was
a period when it was regarded as an infallible author-
ity, the divine element was emphasized and the hu-
man overlooked; then came the age of the critic with
his eager search for authors, dates, and documents;
his main contentions having been established, his
battle is losing its heat and absorbing interest. Now
we are entering upon the era of appreciation. Edu-
cators are beginning to realize that Hebrew literature
is not inferior to Greek and Roman in cultural value.
One can here study the best of a racial literature, uni-
fied by a developing thought and a continuous quest
into an epic, the world's noblest epic. With the
'Iliad' it shares the very distinct advantage of coming
from a comparatively simple society where the impor-
tant issues of life are seen in their fundamental prin-
ciples and may be stated with clarity and simplicity.

Many of the books published to promote the appre-
ciation of the Scriptures classify their contents accord-
ing to literary types. The disadvantage of this method
is apparent. It is analytical and fails to communicate
the total effect of the writings. The power of all great
literature lies in the impression which the drama or the
story as a whole makes upon the mind. The compel-
ling magic of any one of Shakespeare's tragedies is not
in the artistry and insight of isolated passages, but in
the atmosphere and spirit of the whole. The sub-

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