primarily dealt with the conditions and needs of their own day. The
vital relation and at the same time the infinite superiority of the
religious teachings of the Old Testament to those of earlier ages and
peoples are clearly revealed.

[Sidenote: _Modern aids in interpreting the Old Testament_]

Interpreted in the light of contemporary literature and language, most
of the obscurities of the Old Testament melt away. Modern research in
the fields of Semitic philology and syntax and the discovery of older
texts and versions have put into the hands of translators new and
valuable tools for making clear to all the thoughts in the minds of the
original writers of the Old Testament. Studies in comparative religion,
geography, and modern Oriental life and customs have illuminated and
illustrated at every point the pages of the ancient writings. To utilize
all these requires time and devotion, but he who is willing to study may
know his Old Testament to-day as well as he does the New.

[Sidenote: _Rejection of rabinical traditions_]

Fully commensurate with the great light that has been shed upon it from
without, is that which has come from a careful study of the testimony of
the Old Testament itself. Until recent times the Church has been content
to accept blindly the traditions of the late Jewish rabbis regarding the
origin, history, and interpretation of their scriptures. Handed down
through the Church Fathers and interwoven with creeds and popular
beliefs, they have been identified in many minds with the teaching of
the Bible itself. Yet, when we analyze their origin and true character,
we find that many of them have absolutely no support in the Scriptures,
and in many cases are directly contradictory to the plain biblical