JOURNAL. OF THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE VOL. LXIII. JOURNAL OF THE TRANSACTIONS OF OR, VOL. LXIII. LONDON: :l\lublisl)c'tl uu tl)c 'l!nstttutr, 1, (!!;rntrar :1Suiloi11gs, ~cstmi11~trr, j,.i!:'~U. A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. 1931 L()NDON: HA.BRISON A.ND SONS, LTD,, PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO BIS MAJESTY, ST. MARTIN'S LA.NE, PREFACE. -----+-- HE present volume, the sixty-third in series, is given to the T world at a time when such organizations as the Victoria Institute are encountering peculiar difficulty by reason of financial stringency and the call for public economy. In a day when unbelieving materialism abounds, and the fundamental facts and principles of the Christian faith are widely ignored, it is of deep importance that the work of the Institute should be steadily maintained ; and, with the help of God, the Council contemplate plans which, it is hoped, will yield stabilizing results. The contents of the volume speak for themselves. The greatly valued work of the President occupies the opening and concluding sections-the former with a paper on "Adaptation in Nature as Evidence of Purposive Thought," and the latter with an Essay on " Light." With excellent reason, and to the manifest advantage of the Institute, these papers were accorded a warm greeting in the daily press at the time of their delivery. The Schofield Memorial Paper, by Dr. James Knight, entitled '· Demon-Possession, Scriptural and Modern," was a contribution of outstanding significance, being on all hands welcomed as an important study of a subject of pressing interest at the present time. Subjects of a well-defined topical value included" The Renaissance of Hebrew," by Rev. Dr. W. M. Christie, of Haifa, Palestine; and " The Influence of Christianity on Indian Politics," by Mr. W. N. Delevingne. Both of these papers were by Lecturers of large experience and keen observation in Oriental Lands .. Vl PREFACE. Scientific investigation was represented by " The History of Practical Astronomy," by Col. F. C. Molesworth, F.R.A.S. ; and by " Climatic Changes since the Ice Age," by Dr. C. E.· T. Brooks ; while Biblical Chronology was explored in a paper by Lt.-Col. A. G. Shortt, on " The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius"; and Bible Biography as surveyed by Rev. A. H. Finn, in a Lecture on " Types in Scripture." Dr. D. M. McIntyre's paper, "The Jewish Apocalyptic and its Bearing on the New Testament," traversed ground that was largely unfamiliar, and on that account, among others, it will prove specially attractive to many readers. In some cases the attendances upon the Lectures were exceptionally large, thus furnishing evidence of the confidence of the public in the important work which the Institute has in hand. In going forward for another year, the Council reckon on the support which its great cause demandR, and demands in ever-expanding degree. Jn particular, there is call for sustained effort on the part of the supporters of the Institute in regard to the introduction of new Members and Associates, to the end that the work may go forward" to the Greater Glory of God." JAMES W. THIRTLE, Chairman of Council. CONTENTS. --- PAGE PREFACE V REPORT OF COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1930 1 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, JUNE 15TH, 1931 9 ADAPTATION IN NATURE AS EVIDENCE OF PURPOSIVE THOUGHT. BY Sm AMBROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. (President) .. 11 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Lieut.-Col. F. A. Molony, O.B.E., Mr. Avary H. Forbes, M.A., Mr. G. Wilson Heath, Mr. W. R. Rowlatt-Jones and the Rev. J. J. B. Coles, M.A. 31 THE FIFTEENTH YEAR OF TIBERIUS. BY LIEUT.-COL. A. G. SHORTT, BA ~ Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Sir Ambrose Fleming, D.Sc., F.R.S., Dr. J. K. Fotheringham, Dr. Norman S. Denham, Mr. G. Wilson Heath, Mr. Sidney Collett, Lieut.-Col. L. M. Davies, R.A., F.G.S. and Mr. W.R. Rowlatt-Jones 55 THE RENAISSANCE OF HEBREW. BY THE REV. w. M. CHRISTIE, D.D. 67 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Mr. Percy 0. Ruoff, Mr. Sidney Collett, Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner, Mr. William C. Edwards, and Brig.-General Harry Biddulph, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. 80 THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY ON INDIAN POLITICS, BY W. N. DELEVINGNE, EsQ. 88 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. E. A. Molony, C.B.E., the Rev. Alfred Body, M.A., Lieut.-Col. F. A. Molony, O.B.E. and Mr. William C. Edwards .. 109 DEMON-POSSESSION: SCRIPTURAL AND MODERN. BY JAMES KNIGHT, EsQ., J.P., M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S.E. (Being the Dr. A. T. SCHOFIELD MEMORIAL PAPER) 114 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Mr. Sidney Collett, Mr. Percy 0. Ruoff, Mr. W. E. Leslie, the Rev. Alfred Body, M.A., Mr. George Brewer, Mr. F. C. Wood and Prof. W. Macneile Dixon, M.A., Litt.D. 144 vm CONTENTS OF VOL. LXIII. PAGE HISTORY OF PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY. BY COLONEL F. C. MoLES- WORTH, LATE R.E., F.R.A.S. 153 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner, F.R.Met.Soc., Dr. Norman S. Denham, and Mr. G. Wilson Heath 165 THE JEWISH APOCALYPTIC IN RELATION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. BY THE REV. D. M. McINTYRE, D.D. 172 Disciission.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Mr. G. Wilson Heath and Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt... 191 TYPES IN SCRIPTURE. BY THE REV. A. H. J<'INN 199 Discussion.-Remarks bv the Chairman, Mr. A. W. Oke, LL.M., F.G.S., Mr .• Percy 0. Ruoff, Mr. G. Wilson Heath, Lieut.-Col. F. A. Molony, Mr. W. Hoste, B.A., Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt, Mr. George Brewer and the Rev. J. J. B. Coles, M.A. 2_13 CLIMATIC CHANGES SINCE THE lcE AGE. BY C. E. P. BROOKS, EsQ., D.Sc., Hon. Sec., R.Met.Soc. 222 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. R. G. K. Lempfert, C.B.E., Lieut.-Col. F. A. Molony, Mrs. Walter Maunder, the Rev. C. W. Cooper, F.G.S., Mr. E. C. Barton, Mr. W. Hoste, Mr. Avary H. Forbes, Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner, Mr. George Brewer and Mr. G. Wilson Heath 237 LIGHT. BY SIR AMBROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. (President). BEING THE ANNUAL ADDRESS 245 LIST OF MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES, ETC. 261 OBJECTS, CONSTITUTION AND BY -LAWS 293 VIC'fORIA INSTITUTE. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1930. TO BE READ AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, JUNE 15TH, 1931. 1. Progress of the Institute. 'rhe Council beg herewith to present to Members and Assvciates the Report of the Annual Proceedings of the Society, in which is included the usual Balance Sheet, duly audited. Of th~ papers read before the Society, the President has once more contributed the first-the fruit of a recent visit to the Holy Land-on a possible site of the Resurrection, and the last, on " Creation and Modern Cosmogony." Both papers aroused general interest, as also did that by Dr. Christie on the present-day relation of Arabs and Jews in Palestine. We were also favoured by a visit from Professor J. Garstang, fresh from his excavations in Bible lands, with the financial backing of Sir Charles Marston-a Member of the Council. The professor told us he began with an open mind, feeling that the Bible narrative in general could not be dismissed as devoid of historical foundation. But repeated visits to various sites "impressed him deeply with a sense of material reality underlying the historical narrative in Joshua and Judges." Later, selecting Jericho, Ai and Hazor as test sites, " these were examined more deeply with the spade, and the impression became positive. No radical flaw was found in all the topography and archreology of those documents." They were all found to have been destroyed about 14-00 n.c.-i.e. the time of Joshua's entrance into the land. The two latter sites were aban­ doned; Jericho was only rebuilt some centuries later, as we also know was the case from the Bible history, A 2 ANNUAL REPORT. 2. Meetings. Twelve ordinary Meetings were held during the Session 1929-30. The papers published were :- " The Garden Tomb at Jerusalem: A Possible Site of the Resurrection," by Sir A1rnROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. " Christ and the Scriptures. The Old Testament : The Impli­ cations," by the Rev. F. W. PITT. (Being the Second Prize Essay for the Gunning Prize Competition, 1927.) Benjamin I. Greenwood, Esq., in the Chair. " Scientific Discoveries and their Bearing on the Biblical Account of the Noachian Deluge," by Lieut.-Col. L. M. DAVIES, R.A., F.G.S. (Being the Langhorne Orchard Prize Essay, 1929.) Alfred W. Oke, Esq., LL.M., F.G.S., in the Chair. "Arabs and Jews in Palestine," by the Rev. W. M. CHRISTIE, D.D. The Rev. A. H. Finn in the Chair. "The Date of Ecclesiasticus," by Brig.-General H. BIDDULPH, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. " The Significance of the Old Testament Scriptures to Our Lord Jesus Christ," by Lieut.-Col. T. C. SKINNER, F.R.Met.Soc. Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair.