96 



THE EEV. A. H. FINN ON 



I think we can easily trace in the strange and contradictory 

 character of Rehoboam the influence of the Ammonite and Davidic 

 strains. 



There is a class of " silences " upon which I do not think Mr. Finn 

 has touched. For instance, the use of the blessing appointed for 

 Aaron in Num. vi and of the form of words apparently assigned 

 to Moses in chapter x, 35 -36, is not once mentioned in the subsequent 

 history. Are we to conclude that Aaron never blessed the people 

 or that Moses never invoked the presence of Jehovah ? Certainly 

 not, but rather that they always did so at the right moment, other- 

 wise we should have heard of the omission. The same conclusion 

 is correct as regards the baptismal formula of Matt, xxviii. Much 

 has been built on the fact that this is never once mentioned in the 

 Acts. An attempt has even been made to foist another use. The 

 attempt is based, I submit, on a false inference. How is it possible 

 to suppose the formula of Matt, xxviii was not used at Pentecost ? 

 What could have happened in a few days' interval to displace 

 it ? I believe it was used then and at every other baptism in the 

 Acts, otherwise comment would be made. It is very important 

 not to fill in the silences of Scripture with human tradition, but 

 rather with that which is logically and historically consistent with 

 the framework of the truth. 



Mr. E. J. G. TiTTERiNGTON writcs : — During the discussion that 

 took place on Monday evening, reference was made to certain 

 omissions in the genealogy of our Lord as recorded by St. Matthew. 

 May I call attention to an explanation of these omissions suggested by 

 Mrs. A. S. Lewis in a paper read before the Institute a few years ago, in 

 which she showed that the names omitted were those of persons whose 

 family lay under a curse, extending to the third or fourth generation ? 



That the curse was considered to be thus limited is illustrated 

 also by a comparison of Jer. xxii, 24, with Hag. ii, 23. Zerubbabel 

 was apparently the great-grandson of Jeconiah ; though it may be 

 noted in this case that only one name was omitted in the genealogy. 



An interesting example of the purposeful omission of names 

 is contained in the first verse of Hosea. Though this prophet was 

 contemporary with four kings of Judah and seven kings of Israel, 

 only one of the latter was named, whilst all the kings of Judah 

 are mentioned. As Hosea was distinctly a prophet of the Northern 



