author of these books, have derived his materials? Is it to be thought that he wrote by inspiration? S.-There is ample ground for concluding that he wrote as any other may have written, from ancient records and legends, assisted by tradition, and probably also by his imagination. There are in these books evident marks of compilation. (1.) Through the Pentateuch there run numerous passages, interwoven with one another, some where God is referred to by the term "Elohim," and others where he is styled "Jehovah." These indicate separate narratives combined together, and frequently very inartificially.1 (2.) There are two accounts of the creation, one reaching from the first chapter of Genesis to the third verse of the second chapter, and the other from that point to the end of the chapter. These would seem to have been in like manner drawn from different records. (3.) Chapter iv. ends with the birth of Seth and his son. Enos. Chapter v. opens with apparently a fresh narrative, "This is the book of the generations of Adam ;" and then there is an account of the creation of Adam and Eve, and of the birth of Seth and Enos, as if these facts were then stated for the first time. (4.) In chapter vi. is the command to Noah to build the ark, and to enter it together with two of each kind of animals; and it concludes by saying, "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." After this, the seventh chapter opens with an order to Noah to go into the ark, and to take with him the animals, as if no such order had been before given. (5.) There was ten years' difference between the ages of Abraham and Sarah (Gen. xvii. 17). Abraham was seventyfive when he left Haran (xii. 4), and Sarah consequently was sixty-five. At this age she attracted the admiration of the king of Egypt, before whom Abraham, to avoid risks to himself, passed her off as his sister. The king of Egypt fell into the snare, and suffered accordingly at the hand of God (Gen. xii. 11-20). After she was ninety (xvii. 17), Abimelech, king of Gerar, took a fancy to her, Abraham having on this occasion also passed her off for his sister; and again she is 1 Bishop Colenso, II., 175-185; IV., 19-79; V., 12-68. protected by the interposition of God (Gen. xx. 2-13). Isaac, to save himself from peril, says that Rebekah is his sister, and Abimelech of Gerar, here called king of the Philistines, finding her to be his wife, upbraids him for the risk of incurring guilt, into which, by his misrepresentation, he had brought his people (Gen. xxvi. 1, 6-11). The circumstances are all so correspondent, that these narratives look like a multiplication of the same incident, appearing in different documents, of which a compiler made use. The introduction of the same personage Abimelech, as associated with Abraham and Isaac at an interval of nearly a hundred years, is a feature bespeaking such confusion. (6.) Abraham was a hundred years old when a son was promised him, to the wonderment of Sarah (Gen. xvii. 17). Accordingly, Isaac is born to him in his "old age" (Gen. xxi. 2, 3). Therefore, sprang there," it is said of this miraculous birth, even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude" (Heb. xi. 12). Sarah dies when she was a hundred and twenty-seven years old (Gen. xxiii. 1). This brings Abraham up to a hundred and thirty-seven. After which we are told, "Then again Abraham. took a wife," and by her had six sons (Gen. xxv. 1, 2). Here, also, there has probably been a misplacement of independent documents introduced by the compiler. (7.) Exodus xix. ends with Moses going down from Mount Sinai to speak to the people. The next chapter begins with God addressing him as still on the Mount: "And God spake all these words, saying, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt." After which follow the Ten Commandments. Here there must have been a transposition of materials. And then the commandments are again given forth (Deut. v. 6-21) as if they had not already been published. (8.) "Wherefore, they that speak in proverbs, say, Come into Heshbon," &c. (Num. xxi. 27-30). This, then, is a manifest quotation from some other record; and we find its matter, given almost in the same words, in Jer. xlviii. 45, 46. Both passages may come from some common document, or else Numbers quotes from Jeremiah, which makes a palpable anachronism. (9.) The Lord tells Samuel of Saul, and says that he is to anoint him "to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me." God accordingly points out Saul, and Samuel anoints him king (1 Sam. ix. 15-17; x. 1). 1). But further on, Samuel says to the people, "Ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us;" after which he proceeds to ascertain who is to be the king by casting lots, and the lot indicates Saul (1 Sam. x. 19-21). These inconsistent accounts, and double action, come apparently from different sources. (10.) "The Spirit of the Lord," we are told, "departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." His servants recommend him to employ a harpist to allay this spirit; and they name as one a son of Jesse. Saul, thereupon, sends to Jesse, saying, "Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep." David, accordingly, is brought to him, and Saul "loved him greatly, and he became his armour-bearer ; and at the same time David habitually played before him on the harp, and drove away the evil spirit when it came upon him (1 Sam. xvi. 14-23): After this is David's combat with Goliath. We are then introduced to him as one we had not before heard of. Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah, whose name was Jesse." He is at this time not with Saul, but tending his father's sheep. Saul seeing him go forth to the fight, asks Abner, "Whose son is this youth?" and Abner cannot tell him. And when he returns from the slaughter of the Philistine, Saul asks him, Whose son art thou, young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite" (1 Sam. xvii. 12, 55-58). It is evident that the compiler had before him two accounts of the manner in which David came to be brought to the notice of Saul, and must have misarranged his materials. (11.) "And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it" (1 Sam. xviii. 11). "And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin' 1 Sam. xix. 10). It is, of course, quite possible that there may have been two such occurrences; but seeing what has been done elsewhere, the similarity of the two statements raises the suspicion that here also there has been a reduplication of event. (12.) The thirty-first chapter of the 1st of Samuel, and 1 Chron. x. 1-12, containing an account of the circumstances of Saul's death, agree so closely in facts, arrangement, and language, that it is obvious they have been copied, the one from the other, or else taken from a common document. The same is true of Gen. xxxvi. 31-43, and 1 Chron. i. 43-54, giving the genealogy of the descendants of Esau; of 2 Kings, from the 13th verse of chapter xviii., through chapter xix., to the 19th verse of chapter xx., and the thirty-sixth, thirtyseventh, thirty-eighth, and thirty-ninth chapters of Isaiah, relating to passages in the life of Hezekiah; and of Ezra ii. and Neh. vii. 6-73, respecting those who came out of the Babylonish captivity. (13.) The Book of Kings gives the history of the rulers of Judah and Israel. The Book of Chronicles goes over the same ground as respects the rulers of Judah, and being thus superadded, affords in itself evidence of composition, with use of prior materials. That in the preparation of these records older documents were made use of, is rendered quite apparent by the citation of numerous such writings on which the compiler depends. The older works so cited are; Num, xxi. 14. The Book of the Wars of the Lord. The Book of Jasher. Josh. x. 13; 2 Sam. i. 18. The Book of the Acts of Solomon. 1 Kings xi. 41. The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 1 Kings xiv. 19, and eighteen other places in the books of Kings; also 2 Chron. xx. 34, and xxxiii. 18. 1 Kings xiv. 29, The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. The Book of Gad the Seer. 1 Chron. xxix. 29. The Visions of Iddo the Seer against Jeroboam the son of Nabat. 2 Chron. ix. 29. The Book of Shemaiah the Prophet. 2 Chron. xii. 15. The Book of Iddo the Seer concerning genealogies. Chron. xii. 15. 2 The story of the Prophet Iddo. 2 Chron. xiii. 22. The Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 2 Chron. xvi. 11, and six other places in the same book. The Book of Jehu. 2 Chron. xx. 34. P.—Where are these ancient Writings? Have they been preserved ? S. They have not. P.-Were they inspired? S. No one alleges this. P.-How could inspired records have to depend on such as were not inspired? P. Thank you. I will not trouble you farther on the present occasion. I feel how dangerous it is to take things. for granted, on the faith of others, and without examination. I am certain that those who put this book into my hands as inspired by God, and safely conveyed to us from remote times, under his superintending care, cannot themselves have an idea how the evidence of its authorship, of its safe custody, and of its transmission, disappears at every turn, as we inquire for its existence. At a future day I will ask you to enable me to judge of the pretensions of the remaining portion of the Bible, which is called the New Testament, to be a divine record. |