The Origin of the Pentateuch in the Light of the Ancient Monuments
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE Gil OF THE PIT IN THE Light of the Ancient Monuments. HENRY ALEXANDER WHITE, M. A., Pli. D., D. D. Professor of History in the Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. RICHMOND, VA.: B. F. Johnson Publishing Company. 1894. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1894, by HENRY ALEXANDER WHITE, In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. This Volume is Dedicated TO My Wife. ;; PREFACE. THE greater part of this volume, in the form of lectures, has been given, during several sessions, to my class in Bible History. The reader of these lectures should keep constantly before his eyes the open pages of the sacred narrative itself. It is hoped that they may be found available in connection with the study of the English Bible as a text- book of history in our colleges and universities. The best literature available on the various subjects has been con- sulted. Reference to some of these authorities has been made in the foot-notes. Special acknowledgment must be rendered, in the line of Egyptian and Babylonian history to Brugsch's Egypt Under the Pharaohs (Scribner's) ; Renouf's Religion of Ancient Egypt; Budge's Dwellers on the Nile ; Rawlinson's Ancient Egypt ; his Great Monarchies, and his Origin of Nations ; Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians ; Kenrick's Egypt the publications of Ebers ; Fergusson on Egyptian Architecture ; Daw- son's Egypt and Syria; Smith's Ancient History of the East; Sayce's Ancient Empires of the East ; his Fresh Light from the Ancient Monu- ments, and his Assyria, its Princes, Priests and People ; Budge's Baby- lonian Life and History ; Layard's Nineveh and Babylon ; Keary's Dawn of History, and the various encyclopedias and publications of the Pales- tine and Egyptian Exploration Funds. In connection with the Babylonian myths and modern critical theo- ries, the following have been chiefly used : Smith's Chaldean Account of Genesis (Scribner's); Lenormant's Beginnings of History; Records of the Past ; Driver's Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament Briggs' The Higher Criticism of the Hexateuch ; The Bible, the Church and the Reason ; Ryle's Early Narratives of Genesis. In the study of the narrative of the Pentateuch, valuable assistance has been found in The Speaker's Commentary; Delitzsch on Genesis; Ewald's History of Israel ; Stanley's History of the Jewish Church, and his Sinai and Palestine ; Oehler's Old Testament Theology. HENRY ALEXANDER WHITE. Washington and Lee University, September, 1894. — — — CONTENTS. PART I. The Witness of the Ancient Monuments. Introductory. Chapter I. TTie Fall of the Ancient Empires of the East. The Tragedy of the Ten Tribes of Israel 14 The Battle of Megiddo 15 The Fall of Nineveh 17 The Captivity of Judah in Babylon 19 The Overthrow of Egypt 20 The Destruction of the Kingdom of Lydia 21 The Fall of Babylon 22 Two Discoveries—The Decree of Cyrus and the Book of the Law of Moses 23 Chapter II. The Civilization of Ancient Egypt. The Land of Egypt 28 The Pyramid Builders 30 The Pharaohs of Thebes 32 The Empire of Thothmes III 36 Pharaoh Rameses II 37 The Sun-gods, Ra and Osiris 39 Chapter 111.— The Civilization of Babylonia. The Land Between the Rivers 45 The Accadians 46 The Moon-god of Ur 48 50 Assyrian and Babylonian Kings • • : Asshur-bani-pal 52 Nebuchadnezzar 54 Merodach, the Sun-god of Babylon • 56 Chapter IV. Discovery and Interpretation of the Ancient Inscriptions. The Library of Asshur-bani-pal 59 The Rosetta Stone 62 The Behistun Inscription 64 — — — —— CONTENTS. PART II. The Beginnings of Divine Revelation Contrasted with Heathen FoLK-LORE. Chapter V. The Creation. The Chaldean Story of Creation 71 The Story of Creation in the Book of Genesis 77 Origin of Inorganic Life 78 Origin of Organic Life 79 The Image of God 80 Jehovah is God 82 The Purpose of the Narrative in Genesis 83 Chapter VL— The Origin and Progress of Evil. The Sacred Tree of Eridu 87 The Babylonian Belief in the Physical Origin of Evil 89 The Fall of Man and His Expulsion from Eden 90 The Cainites and the Sethites 93 The Documentary Theory of the Origin of this History 95 Chapter VIE. The Deluge. The Babylonian Legend 96 The Greek Legend 99 The Story in Genesis 100 The Covenant with Noah 105 The Destiny of the Sons of Noah 106 Chapter VIII. One God and One Race of Men. Heathen Views of the Origin of Man 108 The Dispersion from Babel 109 The Unity of the Human Race 109 The Unity of Human Speech 110 Origin of the Early Genesis Narrative Ill PART 111. Divine Revelation Continued in Opposition to Heathen Nature- Worship. Chapter IX. Ahram Called Out from the Land of the Moon- Worshippers. Ur of the Chaldees 118 Abram's First Call 120 The Second Call 122 The Vision at Sichem 122 Chapter X. Abrarri Tempted by the Sun-Worshippers. The Famine in Palestine 125 Abram Before the Pharaoh 126 —— — — THE ORIGIN OF THE PENTATEUCH. The Altar at Bethel 128 Abram's Separation from Lot 128 The Home at Hebron 130 Chapter XI. Tlie Faith of Abraham Confirmed by the Divine Covenants. War with Babylonia 132 The Sacrificial Covenant 132 The Egyptian Hagar 138 The Covenant of Circumcision 138 Sodomites and Philistines 143 The Covenant of the Oath 143 Chapter XII. The Chosen Race Kept Pure. The Marriage of Isaac 151 The Birth of Esau and Jacob 152 Jacob's Family's Pride 153 The Descent into Egypt 158 Joseph's Governorship 159 Jacob's Dying Blessing 163 PART IV. Divine Revelation in Conflict with Heathenism. Chapter XIII. Israel in Egypt. The Grovi^th of the People 168 The Store-Cities, Pithom and Raamses 168 Moses and the Pharaoh 173 The Royal University at Heliopolis 174 Moses as a Soldier of the Egyptian Empire 177 Moses the Self-Appointed Deliverer 178 Chapter XIV. Jehovah Declares His Name. Moses in Midian 180 The Burning Bush 182 God's Covenant-Name is Jehovah 183 Moses and Aaron in Egypt as the Representatives of Jehovah . 184 Chapter XV. Jehovah's Name Vindicated in the Presence of the Sun-gods of Egypt. Zoan, the Capital of the Delta 188 " Wonders in the Field of Zoan " 189 The Seven Days' Death of the Nile-god 191 The Plague of Frogs 193 The Curse Upon the Soil of the Earth 194 The Atmosphere Breeds a Plague, but Not Upon the Hebrews ... 196 Curses Upon the Cattle and Upon the People 197 The Pharaoh's Heart Hardened 198 — ———— 10 CONTENTS. The Darkness that Could be Felt 203 " Judgment Against all the Gods of Egypt " 204 Chapter XVI. From Heliopolis to Sinai. The Sacrifice of the Passover 207 The Gathering at Succoth 208 The Passage of the Red Sea 209 Bread from Heaven 212 The Rock of Rephidim 215 The Mountain of Fire 216 The Song of Moses 219 PART V. The Divine Charter of Deliverance from Heathen Superstition, Chapter XVII. The National Covenant. The Invisible Redeemer 223 The Sealing of the National Covenant 225 The Tables of the Covenant 229 The Book of the Covenant 232 The Ark of the Covenant. 235 Jehovah the Sovereign King .... 238 Chapter XVIII. The National Administration. The Kingdom Visible .- 246 The National Altar 248 The National Priesthood 253 Ordinances Concerning Holiness 255 The Holy Festivals 267 The Blood of the Atonement 260 Chapter XIX. The National Organization. The National Assembly 266 The Elders of the Congregation 269 The Brazen Serpent 271 The Spirit of God 273 Chapter XX. Jehovah's Ideal for the Nation. The Last Messages of Moses 276 "Jehovah, God of your Fathers" 276 National Ideals . 279 The Everlasting Covenant 284 The Three Legal Codes 287 Chapter XXI. Authorship and Inspiration of the Pentateuch. Moses Wrote the National Constitution 289 The Culmination of Moses' Work as Prophet 293 The Inspiration of the Pentateuch 299 P^RT I. THE WITNESS OF THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER I. The Fall of the Ancient Empires of the East. [621-521 B. C.l SINGLE century, extending from the year 621 B. C. to A 521 B. C, saw the downfall of all the original empires of the East. During this short period the sceptre of the world was transferred from the Hamitic and Semitic to the Aryan races. On the banks of the Tiber the Romans were almoct ready to drive out the line of kings and to organize the re- public; in Athens Solon was laying the foundations of the Democracy; in Miletus Thales was setting forth the princi- ples of that physical philosophy which was destined to sup- plant the myths that had come from Babylon to Greece. At the same time the Aryan races of the East under Cyrus, of Persia, were crushing into dust the last of the Semitic kingdoms, and were also gathering strength for the later struggle between Asia and Europe at Marathon and Salamis, in the reigns of Darius and Xerxes. From the days of Noah until this century of Cyrus and of Solon, five great empires were builded by the sons of Ham and of Shem. First in the order of time, they continued to stand first among organized governments in the order of power. The kingdom of the Egyptian Pharaohs on the river Nile traced its origin back to Mizraim, second son of Ham. Babylon, on the Euphrates, claimed as father Nim- rod, the grandson of Ham. Nineveh, on the river Tigris, worshipped as chief god her original founder, Asshur, sec- ond son of Shem. The kingdom of Lydia, in western Asia Minor, was the last living fragment of the Hittite empire, founded by Heth, grandson of Ham.