Part 24 (1/2)

to his master, and reproved him.

In ancient fables or stories in which animals play prominent parts, each creature is endowed with the power of speech. This idea was common in the whole of Western Asia and Egypt. It is found in various Egyptian and Chaldean stories.[91:3] Homer has recorded that the _horse_ of Achilles spoke to him.[91:4]

We have also a very wonderful story in that of

JOSHUA'S COMMAND TO THE SUN.

This story is related in the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua, and is to the effect that the Israelites, who were at battle with the Amorites, wished the day to be lengthened that they might continue their slaughter, whereupon Joshua said: ”Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. _And the sun stood still_, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. . . . And there was no day like that before it or after it.”

There are many stories similar to this, to be found among other nations of antiquity. We have, as an example, that which is related of Bacchus in the Orphic hymns, wherein it says that this G.o.d-man arrested the course of the sun and the moon.[91:5]

An Indian legend relates that the sun stood still to hear the pious e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns of Arjouan after the death of Crishna.[91:6]

A holy Buddhist by the name of Matanga prevented the sun, at his command, from rising, and bisected the moon.[91:7] Arresting the course of the sun was a common thing among the disciples of Buddha.[91:8]

The _Chinese_ also, had a legend of the sun standing still,[91:9] and a legend was found among the _Ancient Mexicans_ to the effect that one of their holy persons commanded the sun to stand still, which command was obeyed.[91:10]

We shall now endeavor to answer the question which must naturally arise in the minds of all who see, for the first time, the similarity in the legends of the Hebrews and those of other nations, namely: have the Hebrews copied from other nations, or, have other nations copied from the Hebrews? To answer this question we shall; _first_, give a brief account or history of the Pentateuch and other books of the Old Testament from which we have taken legends, and show about what time they were written; and, _second_, show that other nations were possessed of these legends long before that time, _and that the Jews copied from them_.

The Pentateuch is ascribed, in our _modern_ translations, to _Moses_, and he is generally supposed to be the author. This is altogether erroneous, as Moses had _nothing whatever_ to do with these five books.

Bishop Colenso, speaking of this, says:

”The books of the Pentateuch _are never ascribed to Moses in the inscriptions of Hebrew ma.n.u.scripts, or in printed copies of the Hebrew Bible_. Nor are they styled the '_Books of Moses_' in the Septuagint[92:1] or Vulgate,[92:2] _but only in our modern translations_, after the example of many eminent Fathers of the Church, who, with the exception of Jerome, and, perhaps, Origen, were, one and all of them, very little acquainted with the Hebrew language, and still less with its criticism.”[92:3]

The author of ”The Religion of Israel,” referring to this subject, says:

”The Jews who lived _after_ the Babylonish Captivity, and the Christians following their examples, ascribed these books (the Pentateuch) to Moses; and for many centuries the _notion_ was cherished that he had really written them. _But strict and impartial investigation has shown that this opinion must be given up_; and that _nothing_ in the whole Law really comes from Moses himself except the Ten Commandments. _And even these were not delivered by him in the same form as we find them now._ If we still call these books by his name, it is only because the Israelites always thought of him as their first and greatest law-giver, _and the actual authors grouped all their narratives and laws around his figure, and a.s.sociated them with his name_.”[92:4]

As we cannot go into an extended account, and show _how this is known_, we will simply say that it is princ.i.p.ally by _internal_ evidence that these facts are ascertained.[92:5]

Now that we have seen that Moses did not write the books of the Pentateuch, our next endeavor will be to ascertain _when_ they were written, and _by whom_.

We can say that they were not written by any _one_ person, nor were they written _at the same time_.

We can trace _three_ princ.i.p.al redactions of the Pentateuch, that is to say, the material was _worked over_, and _re-edited_, with _modifications_ and _additions_, by _different people_, at _three distinct epochs_.[93:1]

The two princ.i.p.al writers are generally known as the _Jehovistic_ and the _Elohistic_. We have--in speaking of the ”Eden Myth” and the legend of the ”Deluge”--already alluded to this fact, and have ill.u.s.trated how these writers' narratives conflict with each other.

The _Jehovistic_ writer is supposed to have been a prophet, who, it would seem, was anxious to give Israel a history. He begins at Genesis, ii. 4, with a _short_ account, of the ”_Creation_,” and then he carries the story on regularly until the Israelites enter Canaan. It is to him that we are indebted for the _charming_ pictures of the patriarchs. _He took these from other writings, or from the popular legends._[93:2]

About 725 B. C. the Israelites were conquered by Salmana.s.sar, King of a.s.syria, and many of them were carried away captives. _Their place was supplied by a.s.syrian colonists from Babylon, Persia, and other places._[93:3] This fact is of the greatest importance, and should not be forgotten, as we find that the _first_ of the three writers of the Pentateuch, spoken of above, _wrote about this time_, and the Israelites heard, _from the colonists from Babylon, Persia, and other places--for the first time--many of the legends which this writer wove into the fabulous history which he wrote, especially the accounts of the Creation and the Deluge_.

The Pentateuch remained in this, its _first_ form, until the year 620 B.

C. Then a certain _priest_ of marked prophetic sympathies wrote a book of law which has come down to us in Deuteronomy, iv. 44, to xxvi., and xxviii. Here we find the demands which the _Mosaic_ party at _that day_ were making thrown into the form of laws. It was by King Josiah that this book was first introduced and proclaimed as authoritative.[93:4] It was soon afterwards _wove into_ the work of the _first_ Pentateuchian writer, and at the same time ”_a few new pa.s.sages_” were added, some of which related to Joshua, the successor of Moses.[94:1]

At this period in Israel's history, Jehovah had become almost forgotten, and ”other G.o.ds” had taken his place.[94:2] The Mosaic party, so called--who wors.h.i.+ped Jehovah exclusively--were in the minority, but when King Amon--who was a wors.h.i.+per of Moloch--died, and was succeeded by his son Josiah, a change immediately took place. This young prince, who was only eight years old at the death of his father, the Mosaic party succeeded in winning over to their interests. In the year 621 B.

C., Josiah, now in the eighteenth year of his reign, began a thorough reformation which completely answered to the ideas of the Mosaic party.[94:3]

It was during this time that the _second_ Pentateuchian writer wrote, and _he_ makes _Moses_ speak as the law-giver. This writer was probably Hilkiah, _who claimed to have found a book, written by Moses, in the temple,[94:4] although it had only just been drawn up_.[94:5]