Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868 edition. Excerpt: ... II. CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE. / DEGREESUR last section was on the military metaphors of St Paul, with especial reference to the middle portion of the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians. The present will deal with the architectural metaphors of the same Apostle, with prominent but not by any means exclusive reference to a passage in the third chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The thought which lies at the basis of these essays is this: that in order to understand an ancient writer it is not enough to study his books, but necessary also to know something of the fashion of his times, --not safe simply to work from the Dictionary, without some regard to the records of Monumental History, --without some effort to reproduce and realise manners and customs, and the outward expression of the old social life. Even in order to understand the bare meaning of the words, we must know something of the life. Much more, when we desire to appreciate the nicer shades of meaning, and to enter into the full force of illustrative language. For this purpose we have need of Archaeology as much as of Philology. The two cannot prudently be dissevered. And more than this. Unless our Archaeology is correct, -- our Philology, being connected with anachronisms, will lead us into positive errors. These observations, true of ancient writers in general, are quite as true of Sacred as Profane. Moses and Luke, Ezra and Paul, did not write independently of the circumstances with which they were surrounded, or of the tastes, pursuits, and habits of their time. If they had done so, they would have been unintelligible when they wrote. And they will only be approximately intelligible to us, unless we have the means of re-setting the words in thei