Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Long since has the theory that Genesis is composed of distinguishable fragments been exploded (!) The test of Elohim and Jehovah has been, by the Germans themselves, given up (!)

It cannot for a moment be believed that the writer has intentionally misrepresented the true state of the case, or that he would wish to mislead the young students of the University of Oxford, to whom he addresses himself, by representing that the entire theory of 'distinguishable fragments' is exploded, because critics are not unanimous in their judgments as to the composition of some particular passages. The only inference which can be drawn from such a statement as the above is, that he cannot have had any direct personal acquaintance with the subject, with reference to which he writes so positively, and passes such severe judgment upon others. He must have taken his opinions upon trust, and from writers of a bygone age, as is indicated by his supporting the above assertion by reference to the Rev. H. J. Rose's Hulsean Lectures for 1833, written thirty years ago! Yet this is the same writer, who has allowed himself to say of Prof. JOWETT (p.clxxxvii):

Common regard for the facts of the case ought to have preserved him from putting forth so monstrous a falsehood as the following: 'Among German commentators there is, for the first time in the history of the world, an approach to agreement and certainty.'

When the quotations, which we have made in this work from German critics of our own age and of very different schools, such as the admissions of KURTZ and BLEEK, are weighed, it is evident that there is, at least, more truth in Prof. JOWETT'S statement of an approach to agreement and certainty' among them, than in BURGON's own assertion above considered.

372

CHAPTER XXII.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

505. THE preceding investigations have led us to the conclusion that the Pentateuch most probably originated in a noble effort of one illustrious man, in an early age of the Hebrew history, to train his people in the fear and faith of the Living God. For this purpose he appears to have adopted the form of a history, based upon the floating legends and traditions of the time, filling up the narrative, we may believe,—perhaps, to a large extent, out of his own imagination, where those traditions failed him. In a yet later day, though still, probably, in the same age, and within the same circle of writers, the work thus begun, which was, perhaps, left in a very unfinished state, was taken up, as we suppose, and carried on in a similar spirit, by other prophetical or priestly writers. To SAMUEL, however, we ascribe the Elohistic story, which forms the groundwork of the whole, though comprising, as we shall show hereafter, but a small portion of the present Pentateuch and book of Joshuain fact, little besides about half of the book of Genesis and a small part of Exodus.

506. But, in order to realise to ourselves in some measure the nature of such a work, as that which we here ascribe to Samuel, we may imagine such a man as Asser, in the time of King Alfred, sitting down to write an accurate account of events, which had happened four centuries before, when different tribes of Saxons, under Hengist and Horsa, and other famous leaders,

-the Old Saxons, Angles, Jutes, &c., all kindred tribes,-came over the sea at different times, in larger or smaller bodies, and took possession of the land of Britain. Yet Samuel's sources of information, for the composition of such a history, must have been far less complete than those which the Anglo-Saxon author would have had before him, when writing was so common, and, midway between the times of Hengist and Alfred, Venerable Bede had composed his history. The Saxon Chronicler, however, has no difficulty in filling up a genealogy, and traces up that of Alfred through Odin and his progenitors to 'Bedwig, who was the son of Sceaf, who was the son of Noah; he was born in Noah's Ark!' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Bohn's Ed. p.350.

507. In short, the same must be said of these old Hebrew annals as has been so justly observed of the records of our Anglo-Saxon times, (PEARSON, Early and Middle Ages of England, p.52):—

These narratives, even stripped of palpable additions, are clearly not quite historical . . .*. The three hundred thousand Saxons of the British account are like the three keels of the Saxon narrative, a mythical number, underlying, perhaps, a real national division. Moreover, the dates assigned to the battles occur suspiciously at regular intervals of eight years. Now eight was a sacred number among the Saxons. It is probable, therefore, that the whole chronology of the war was constructed in the ninth century, or whenever the Saxon Chronicle was written. But this uncertainty as to details, and numbers, and dates, throws an air of doubt over the whole history.

508. It would seem that large additions were made to this unfinished historical sketch of Samuel by his disciples, NATHAN and GAD, or by some other prophetical or priestly writers of that and the following age; and these included the principal Jehovistic portions of Genesis, as well as the greater part of the present books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. But though, as we believe, these portions of the Pentateuch were written, the history, when carefully examined, gives no sign of the Pentateuch itself being in existence in the age of Samuel, David, or Solomon, much less of the Levitical laws being in

full operation, known, honoured, revered, obeyed, even quoted or referred to,-as the contents of a book, believed to be Mosaic and Divine, would certainly have been, at least, by the most pious persons of the day. We shall have occasion hereafter fully to discuss this question, and see how far the actual historical facts, which may be gathered from the books of Samuel and Kings, and the writings of the Prophets, tend to we confirm the above conclusions. The book of Deuteronomy have partly shown (494, &c.), and shall show more fully, as has been said, in Part III, to have been written in a still later age.

509. I must now, in conclusion, take account of two classes of objections, which will undoubtedly be made to the above results. First, it will be said, 'You will have us then believe that Samuel, Nathan, &c., were after all deceivers, who palmed upon their own countrymen, in the first instance, a gross fraud, which from that time to this has been believed to be the true Word of the living God.' As one of my own friends has observed, 'I would rather believe that two and two make five, than that such a man as SAMUEL could possibly have been guilty of so foul an offence against the laws of religious truth and common morality.'

510. I answer, in the first place, that for anyone, who is ready to believe that two and two make five,' if he finds it written down in the Bible, there is, as it seems to me, no alternative but to comply with this demand of a merely superstitious reverence for the outward letter, the husk, of the Bible, and abrogate the rights and duties of a reasoning being. For, undoubtedly, as I have shown, I believe, sufficiently in Part I, an unquestioning, implicit faith in all the details of the story of the Exodus, as recorded in the Pentateuch, involves, again and again, assent to propositions as monstrous and absurd as the above statement would be in arithmetic.

511. But, leaving such persons, I address myself to others, who believe that they are bound to use their faculties of mind, as

well as of body, in the service of the God who gave them, and that they cannot truly glorify God by setting up a falsehood, and bowing down and worshipping an idol of their own making, though it be in the form of a Book, the best of books, which they believe to reflect the very image of the Divine Mind. And to such as these I reply, 'It is not I, who require you to abandon the ordinary notion of the Mosaic authorship and antiquity of the Pentateuch. It is the TRUTH itself which does so.' It is impossible, as it appears to me, after the evidence brought forward in these pages,-independently of that which will be set before the reader hereafter, if God spare me strength for the work,-to maintain any longer that notion, with any due regard to Truth, and any sincere desire to please Him who is the God of Truth, and who requires us to receive and confess the Truth, whenever and however He is pleased to make it known to us, at any cost or sacrifice of our own present ease and comfort.

512. I believe that He calls upon us now in this age, in His Providence, as He did in the days of the Reformation, or of the first publication of Christianity, to make a complete revision of our religious views in this respect; and I believe that we shall best serve Him by giving ourselves reverently and devoutly, but piously and faithfully,—with a humble dependence on His help, and a calm and fearless trust in His guidance,―to the consideration of this great question of our day. It was said to them of old, Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,' D.vi.5. It is Christianity which adds, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself,' Lu.x.27, and which teaches us that from the Father of Lights' cometh every good and perfect gift,' Ja.i.17, and that He holds us responsible for using them all.

6

513. A true Christian, then, is not at liberty to lay aside, as inconvenient or discomforting, any single fact of science, whether of critical or historical research, or of any other kind

« ZurückWeiter »