1,99 €
Niedrigster Preis in 30 Tagen: 1,99 €
Niedrigster Preis in 30 Tagen: 1,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
- Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
- Sprache: Englisch
In "About The Holy Bible: A Lecture," Robert Green Ingersoll presents a compelling critique of biblical texts, asserting their historical and philosophical merits while simultaneously challenging the doctrines surrounding them. Ingersoll employs a rhetorical style that blends eloquence with incisive analysis, effectively engaging readers in a dialogue about the implications of faith, reason, and morality. Positioned within the broader context of 19th-century American skepticism, the lecture reflects the Enlightenment's rationalist ideals, questioning the unquestioned and inviting critical discourse on religious beliefs that have shaped society. Robert Green Ingersoll, often hailed as the 'Great Agnostic,' was a prominent orator and political figure known for his advocacy of free thought and secularism. His personal experience growing up in a devoutly religious environment, coupled with his exposure to the changing social landscape of the era, undoubtedly influenced his views on religion and his commitment to promoting rational discourse. Ingersoll's background as a lawyer and politician also equipped him with the skills to present complex ideas in a persuasive and accessible manner. This lecture is highly recommended for readers seeking to grapple with the intersections of religion, reason, and societal norms. Ingersoll's articulate dissection of biblical narratives is not only intellectually stimulating but also encourages an openness to questioning established beliefs. His work invites readers to reflect on their own perceptions of faith and the role of scripture in contemporary society. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019
Ähnliche
About The Holy Bible: A Lecture
Table of Contents
Introduction
This lecture confronts the authority of scripture with the claims of reason and moral experience. About The Holy Bible: A Lecture is a non-fiction work by Robert Green Ingersoll, the American orator and lawyer known for his outspoken defense of free thought. Originally presented to public audiences in the United States and subsequently published in print during the late nineteenth century, it belongs to a tradition of lectures that examined religion through the lens of history, ethics, and common sense. Ingersoll’s address invites readers to consider the Bible as a human document, exploring what follows when sacred texts are approached critically and empathetically.
Situated in an era shaped by industrial expansion, scientific discovery, and rising biblical scholarship, the lecture engages a public conversation already in motion. Rather than offering theology, Ingersoll adopts the role of a civic critic speaking in plain language to a mixed audience. He treats the Bible as part of the cultural inheritance of the West, asking what we know about its origins, how it has been read, and what claims it makes on conscience and law. The setting is not a church or seminary debate, but the open forum of the lecture hall and the printed page.
Ingersoll’s premise is straightforward: if the Bible shapes lives and laws, it should withstand the same scrutiny applied to other influential books. The lecture proceeds by raising questions about authorship, translation, consistency, and moral teaching, not to ridicule believers, but to test authoritative claims. Readers encounter a voice that is energetic, often humorous, and pointed, yet intent on clarity. The mood alternates between provocative challenge and humane appeal, producing an experience that is both combative and candid. As an essay in public reasoning, it models how argument can be forceful without abandoning attention to everyday fairness and feeling.
Key themes include the relationship between faith and evidence, the responsibilities of interpretation, and the difference between reverence and obedience. Ingersoll underscores the power of stories to inspire while also insisting that inspiration does not exempt texts from evaluation. He presses the ethical question of how to judge passages that seem to endorse practices now widely rejected, and he explores what history and philology can—and cannot—tell us about ancient writings. Running through the lecture is a concern for individual conscience: the right of every person to read, accept, question, or reject, without coercion from custom or authority.
Stylistically, the lecture is brisk and rhythmic, shaped by the cadence of an experienced platform speaker and the precision of a lawyer. Ingersoll builds his case through analogies, contrasts, and carefully staged questions, inviting listeners to reach conclusions rather than dictating a dogma of unbelief. He balances skepticism with appeals to kindness and practical wisdom, presenting secular morality as a lived, everyday ethic. The result is a reading experience that feels immediate despite its nineteenth-century origin—lucid enough for general readers, yet provocative enough to engage students of history, religion, and rhetoric who wish to test their assumptions.
For contemporary readers, the lecture matters because it asks how plural societies should treat sacred authority in law, education, and public life. It speaks to continuing debates over literalism, tradition, and the place of doubt, and it encourages religious literacy without requiring allegiance. Whether one approaches the Bible devotionally or critically, Ingersoll’s method foregrounds questions about evidence, interpretation, and harm, and suggests that intellectual honesty can coexist with sympathy for believers. In this sense, the work offers a framework for civil disagreement: principles for discussing profound convictions while protecting freedom of conscience and the dignity of dissent.
Reading About The Holy Bible: A Lecture today offers a chance to revisit foundational questions with fresh attention: What gives a text authority, and what do we owe to truth when authority and evidence diverge? Without prescribing conclusions, Ingersoll charts a path for readers to examine their commitments and to separate admiration of literary beauty from assent to doctrine. The lecture stands as a document of its time and a provocation for ours, urging attentive reading, historical awareness, and moral courage. Entering it with an open mind can sharpen judgment and deepen respect for the complexities of belief.
Synopsis
Ingersoll opens the lecture by stating his purpose: to examine the Bible’s origin, authority, and influence using ordinary standards of evidence. He presents the question of whether the book is infallible revelation or a human compilation, and asserts that the answer bears on liberty, morality, and progress. He announces a method grounded in history, language, and ethics, distinguishing appreciation of literary beauty from acceptance of supernatural claims. Without appealing to malice or ridicule, he proposes to test statements as one would any other record. This framing sets a tone of inquiry and prepares the audience for a systematic review of contents and claims.
He begins with the Old Testament’s formation. Ingersoll surveys the traditional attribution of the Pentateuch to Moses and presents reasons scholars question it, including references to events after Moses, double narratives, and stylistic seams. He notes the absence of original manuscripts, the long oral and scribal transmission, and the late compilation of the Hebrew canon. He mentions apocryphal and deuterocanonical writings, showing that different communities recognized different books. He underscores the role of translation, such as the Septuagint and Vulgate, and argues that anonymity, edits, and losses undermine certainty about authorship and date, affecting claims of precise, unified, divine authorship.
Turning to inspiration, Ingersoll considers the assertion of verbal or plenary infallibility. He asks how such a claim can be verified, warning against circular reasoning that uses the text to prove itself. He observes that believers and sects disagree on which passages are literal, figurative, or binding, implying the need for human judgment. He proposes evaluating statements by their agreement with known facts and moral sense, rather than granting exemption from scrutiny. This leads to a broader point: if the book contains errors or contradictions, inspiration must be redefined, and authority becomes proportional to demonstrated truth, not asserted sanctity.
He then reviews narratives and laws of the Old Testament. Ingersoll contrasts multiple creation accounts, comments on the global flood story, and notes miracles that suspend ordinary causation. He emphasizes depictions of a personal, jealous deity commanding wars and punishments, alongside ethical injunctions and poetry. He points to statutes involving slavery, polygamy, and severe penalties as consistent with ancient customs rather than universal justice. He argues that mercy and cruelty appear side by side, and that prophetic denunciations coexist with ceremonial rigor. The section’s thrust is that the text reflects evolving, human conditions more than a single, immutable moral code.
Addressing the New Testament, Ingersoll surveys the Gospels’ composition and differences. He notes varying genealogies, infancy narratives, and resurrection accounts, and the absence of originals. He distinguishes between the synoptics and John, and comments on attributions formed after the texts circulated. He discusses Paul’s letters, their doctrinal emphasis on faith and atonement, and the development of creeds. Alongside praise for certain ethical teachings, he questions eternal punishment and substitutionary sacrifice. He argues that reported sayings and events display later theological shaping. The aim is to show that, like the older scriptures, these writings are composite, debated, and historically situated.
