[5] The belief in a dim, shadowy existence in Sheol, the Semitic Hades; and the belief in exact retribution for sin and reward for virtue in the present life. [6] Religion of Egyptians, etc., p. 296. In the Expositor's Bible both the old and the new schools of criticism are represented. Thus a great opportunity was offered to critics; and a crucial experiment was tried which was of the utmost importance to all Christian Churches. When the books of the Old Testament were read in the light of the new criticism, would it still be possible to derive from them a consistent and reasonable account of the history and religion of Israel; would they still stimulate and nourish Christians' faith, piety, and devotion, and minister to the needs of the spiritual life? The volumes of this series written by representatives of the new school of criticism have enabled us, it is claimed, to answer this question with an emphatic affirmative. For the general public the first volume of Prof. Geo. Adam Smith's _Isaiah_ was an epoch-making book, revealing undreamed-of possibilities in the way of fresh light breaking forth from the ancient Scriptures. _The British Weekly_ wrote of this work, "Isaiah is for the first time made perfectly intelligible to the people.... Mr. Smith has opened out a new line of work ... which will do more than many arguments to reconcile a timorous and misguided public to scientific scholarship and the newer criticism." Another modern tendency which influences the interpretation of the Old Testament is the decay of ecclesiastical authority. There are still, and always will be, those who are willing to believe anything on the bare word of their favorite preacher. But in the long run this kind of faith does not count. On the other hand there are many, religious or capable of religion, to whom it would seem absurd to suggest that the decrees of Churches had any great value in matters of faith. As regards the Old Testament, for instance, neither the creeds of ancient councils nor the resolutions of modern synods, neither papal bulls nor episcopal edicts could seriously affect the attitude of such men to, say, _Canticles_, _Ecclesiastes_ and _Esther_. The testimony of the Church Universal--of which creeds, confessions, and other standards are the least important part--induces inquirers to read the Bible. But in religion, an authority is only effective by its own inherent force; it must be able to assert itself so as to win sympathy, to produce conviction, and to secure obedience. A distinguished Cambridge scholar is in the habit of saying, when he is asked how he "takes" a passage, that he does not take the passage, but the passage takes him. So the great sayings, discourses, and narratives of the Old Testament take hold of their readers and compel acknowledgment of the authority of Revelation. The best we can do for the Bible is to let it speak for itself; the only essential