Richard G. Moulton, professor of Literary Theory and Interpretation in the University of Chicago and the apostle of the literary study of the Bible, author of a valuable work bearing that title, and also of the Modern Reader's Bible, which is the Revised Version, "presented in modern literary form," said in a literary lecture on Deuteronomy, recently delivered in Louisville (in substance): "Considered merely as oratory, the book of Deuteronomy surpasses everything of its kind. About twenty years ago, when I was yet young in this particular work [of literary Bible study], I devoted three successive evenings to a test of this. The first evening I took Demosthenes' famous oration on 'The Crown,' the masterpiece of Greek oratory, and read it through at one sitting; the second evening, Burke's speech on 'American Taxation,' the masterpiece of English oratory; and the third evening I read through the book of Deuteronomy. [282] The effect produced by the latter was incomparably greater than that of either of the others. There was but one passage in Demosthenes that came at all up to the standard and power of Moses' farewell orations." Thus testifies a man who handles the Bible simply as literature, apart from any questions of inspiration or historicity or religious faith; who is peer in his chosen line of scholarship, thoroughly competent to judge in matters of style, literary power and value. In the course of the lecture he simply recited with feeling and expression a goodly portion of the book of Deuteronomy, and, upon myself, at least, the effect was very great. It also revealed to me what power the word of God can have when impressively recited without any comment whatever.

[TAG 282-283]