,,the ,,bible ,i4 ,,authenticity ,,ii4 ,,credibility ,,iii4 ,,morality ,by ,,john ,e4 ,,remsburg ,somebody ought to tell the truth about the ,bible4 --,ingersoll4 ,new ,york ,,the ,,truth ,,seeker ,,company #fb ,vesey ,street #aijg ,in memory of my mother1 ,sarah ,a4 ,bruner4 ,,preface4 ,in ,january1 #aija1 the following announcement appeared in ,the ,truth ,seeker1 of ,new ,york3 ,to the ,readers of ,the ,truth ,seeker3 ,two years ago that able and sagacious ,liberal leader1 ,l4 ,k4 ,washburn1 wrote3 ,the next great moral revolution of the world will be a crusade against the ,christian ,bible4 ,the church expects this and is preparing for it4 ,in an address before the ,methodist ministers of ,chicago1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,curry1 a distinguished ,methodist divine1 said3 ,we are standing on the eve of the most stupendous revolution in reference to the doctrines of the ,bible that the church has ever known4 ,in this long war with bibliolaters the younger readers of ,the ,truth ,seeker will take a prominent part4 ,to call their attention to the impending struggle1 and to aid in a small way in fitting them for it1 the editor of ,the ,truth ,seeker has invited me to open a sort of ,bible school in his paper4 ,for nearly a quarter of a century ,i have been writing and lecturing and debating against the divinity of the ,bible4 ,my opposition from the trained defenders of the book has been at times both keen and bitter4 ,i was compelled to become and remain a diligent student of the ,bible and of ,biblical criticism4 ,as far as possible ,i collected all of the damaging facts obtainable4 ,i digested and classified them and filed them away in the labeled pigeon-holes of my brain for use when needed4 ,i am growing old4 ,my hair which was black when ,i began my work will soon be white4 ,i have at the most but a few more years to labor4 ,this arsenal of facts which ,i have gathered and the arguments that ,i have formulated from them ,i wish to place within the reach of others4 ,whether the thought be a ,spiritualistic assurance or an ,irish bull1 it will be a pleasure to me when ,i am dead to know that ,i am still of some service to the cause4 ,in the next issue of ,the ,truth ,seeker ,i shall begin a series of some thirty lessons or chapters on ,the ,bible4 ,the chief purpose of the work will be to combat the dogmas of the divine origin and infallibility of the ,christian ,bible4 ,the points of attack will be three3 #a4 ,its ,authenticity2 #b4 ,its ,credibility2 #c4 ,its ,morality4 ,i shall endeavor to disprove in a large degree the authenticity of its books1 the credibility of its statements1 and the morality of its teachings4 ,john ,e4 ,remsburg4 ,these chapters were published in weekly installments in ,the ,truth ,seeker1 their publication extending through a period of twenty months4 ,the matter was electrotyped as published and the work will now be given to the public in book form4 ,to those interested in ,biblical criticism1 and especially to the ,freethought propagandist and to the ,christian investigator1 it is hoped that its contents may be useful4 ,the facts presented in this volume1 while known to many ,christian scholars1 are1 as far as possible1 kept from the lower orders of the clergy and from the laity4 ,divines enjoying high honors and large salaries may be cognizant of them without endangering their faith2 but the humbler ministers who receive small pay1 and the laity who support the church1 are liable to have their faith impaired by a knowledge of them4 ,in ,part ,,ii41 devoted to the ,credibility of the ,bible1 less space is given to the errors of the ,new ,testament than to those of the ,old ,testament4 ,this is not because the ,new contains less errors than the ,old1 but because the author has prepared another volume on this subject4 ,in ,the ,christ1 a sequel to ,the ,bible1 a more exhaustive exposition of the errors of the ,new ,testament1 particularly of the ,four ,gospels1 is given4 ,while denying the infallibility of the writers of the ,bible the author is not unconscious of his own fallibility4 ,,contents4 ,,part ,i4 ,,authenticity4 ,chapter ,i4 ,sacred ,books of the ,world1 #e ,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,christian ,bible1 #ab ,chapter ,,iii4 ,formation of the ,canon1 #ba ,chapter ,,iv4 ,different ,versions of the ,bible1 #ci ,chapter ,v4 ,authorship and ,dates1 #de ,chapter ,,vi4 ,the ,pentateuch1 #ej ,chapter ,,vii4 ,the ,prophets1 #gf ,chapter ,,viii4 ,the ,hagiographa1 #id ,chapter ,,ix4 ,the ,four ,gospels1 #ajh ,chapter ,x4 ,acts1 ,catholic ,epistles1 and ,revelation1 #adj ,chapter ,,xi4 ,pauline ,epistles1 #aeb ,,part ,,ii4 ,,credibility4 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,textual ,errors1 #afc ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,two ,cosmogonies of ,genesis1 #aha ,chapter ,,xiv4 ,the ,patriarchal ,age1 #ahh ,chapter ,,xv4 ,the ,jewish ,kings1 #aih ,chapter ,,xvi4 ,when ,did ,jehoshaphat ,die8 #baj ,chapter ,,xvii4 ,inspired ,numbers1 #bca ,chapter ,,xviii4 ,harmony of the ,gospels1 #bch ,chapter ,,xix4 ,paul and the ,apostles1 #bdg ,chapter ,,xx4 ,the ,bible and ,history1 #bfj ,chapter ,,xxi4 ,the ,bible and ,science1 #bga ,chapter ,,xxii4 ,prophecies1 #bic ,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,miracles1 #cjf ,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,the ,bible ,god1 #cag ,,part ,,iii4 ,,morality4 ,chapter ,,xxv4 ,the ,bible ,not a ,moral ,guide1 #cbi ,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,lying--,cheating--,stealing1 #cci ,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,murder--,war1 #cea ,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,human ,sacrifices--,cannibalism--,witchcraft #cfa ,chapter ,,xxix4 ,slavery--,polygamy1 #cgd ,chapter ,,xxx4 ,adultery--,obscenity #chh ,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,intemperance--,vagrancy--,ignorance1 #cid ,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,injustice to ,women--,unkindness to ,children--,cruelty to ,animals1 #djd ,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,tyranny--,intolerance1 #dae ,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,conclusion1 #dbc ,,appendix4 ,arguments ,against the ,divine ,origin and in ,support of the ,human ,origin of the ,bible1 #dcc ,index1 #dfc ,,the ,,bible4 ,,part ,i4--,,authenticity4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,sacred ,,books ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,asia has been the fruitful source of religions and ,bibles4 ,the seven great religions of the world1 ,brahmanism1 ,buddhism1 ,confucianism1 ,zoroastrianism1 ,mohammedanism1 ,judaism1 and ,christianity--all had their birth in ,asia2 and the so-called sacred books which are used to uphold and propagate these faiths were nearly all written by ,asiatic priests and prophets4 ,a brief description of the most important of these books will be presented in this chapter4 ,sacred ,books of ,india4 ,vedas4--,the ,vedas are the oldest ,bibles in the world4 ,there are four of them1 the ,rigveda1 the ,yajurveda1 the ,samaveda1 and the ,atharvaveda4 ,devout ,hindoos believe that these books have always existed--that they are co-eternal with ,god4 ,scholars agree that they are very old1 that the ,rigveda1 the oldest of the four1 and one of the oldest books extant1 was composed between #c1jjj and #d1jjj years ago4 ,each ,veda is complete in itself1 and consists of religious teachings1 prayers1 and hymns4 ,puranas4--,the ,vedas and ,puranas are the most important of the sacred books of the ,hindoos4 ,the ,puranas1 more than any other works1 have contributed to mould the doctrines of the popular ,brahmanical religion of ,india4 ,they are eighteen in number1 of which the ,bhagavata1 containing a history of ,chrisna1 is the one best known4 ,tripitaka4--,this is the ,buddhist ,bible4 ,it was compiled #cjj years before the ,christian era4 ,self conquest and universal charity are its fundamental teachings4 ,upanishads4--,these are sacred books which treat of the ,creation1 of the ,supreme ,being or ,spirit1 ,brahma1 and of the nature of the human soul and its relation to ,brahma4 ,tantras4--,the ,tantras are sacred books relating chiefly to the ,god ,siva4 ,ramayana4--,the ,ramayana is one of the great epic poems of the world4 ,it gives the history of ,rama1 one of the incarnations of the ,god ,vishnu4 ,mahabharata4--,this is another epic poem1 a larger one1 containing more than #ajj1jjj verses4 ,like the ,ramayana1 it is believed to be of divine origin4 ,it has been described as the great manual of all that is moral1 useful1 and agreeable4 ,institutes of ,menu4--,menu is regarded as the law-giver of the ,hindoos1 as ,moses is of the ,jews4 ,the ,institutes of ,menu are in many respects similar to the so-called laws of ,moses4 ,sacred ,books of ,china4 ,yih ,king4--,this book contains a cosmological treatise and a compendium on morals4 ,it was written #aadc ,b4,c4 ,shu ,king4--,this contains the teachings and maxims of certain ancient ,chinese kings4 ,there are documents in it over #d1jjj years old4 ,shi ,king4--,this is the ,chinese hymn book4 ,it contains three hundred sacred songs and poems1 some of which are very old4 ,le ,king4--,the ,le ,king is a text book on manners1 customs1 and ceremonies4 ,it has been one of the chief agents in moulding the social and religious life of ,china4 ,chun ,tsien4--,the ,chun ,tsien is a historical work compiled by ,confucius4 ,it gives a record of his own times and those immediately preceding him4 ,the above books1 called the ,five ,kings1 are the canonical books of ,confucianism1 the religion of the educated classes of ,china4 ,with the exceptions noted1 they were mostly written or compiled about #ejj ,b4,c4 ,they are considered sacred by the ,chinese1 but not1 like other sacred books1 a revelation from ,god4 ,confucius recognized no ,god4 ,his religion is preeminently the religion of this world1 and is thus summed up by him3 ,the observance of the three fundamental laws of relation between sovereign and subject1 father and child1 husband and wife1 and the five capital virtues--universal charity1 impartial justice1 conformity to ceremonies and established usages1 rectitude of heart and mind1 and pure sincerity4 ,sacred ,books of ,persia4 ,zend ,avesta4--,this is one of the most important of all the ,bibles of the world1 although the religion which it teaches numbers but a few adherents4 ,it was written by ,zoroaster and his disciples about #c1jjj years ago4 ,it was an enormous work in size1 covering1 it is said1 #ab1jjj parchments4 ,the ,zend ,avesta proper consisted of twenty-one books4 ,all of these1 save one and some fragments of the others1 have perished4 ,they dealt chiefly with religion1 but touched upon almost every subject of interest to mankind4 ,they were believed to be a faithful record of the words spoken to the great prophet by ,god himself4 ,both ,jews and ,christians borrowed much from the ,zend ,avesta4 ,sadder4--,the ,sadder is the ,bible of the modern ,parsees1 and contains1 in an abridged form1 the religious teachings of ,zoroaster4 ,sacred ,books of ,islam4 ,koran4--,the ,mohammedans believe that divine revelations were given to ,adam1 ,seth1 ,enoch1 ,abraham1 ,moses1 ,david1 ,jesus1 and ,mohammed1 and that each successive revelation in a measure superseded the preceding one4 ,the books given to ,adam1 ,seth1 ,enoch1 and ,abraham have been lost4 ,the ,pentateuch1 the ,psalms1 and the ,four ,gospels are accepted by them1 but the interpolations and corruptions of ,jews and ,christians1 they claim1 have greatly impaired their value4 ,the ,koran is with them the book of books--,god's last and best revelation to man4 ,it was written in rays of light on a tablet before the throne of ,god4 ,a copy bound in white silk and bedecked with gems was carried by ,gabriel to the lowest heaven1 where from time to time1 during a period of twenty years1 portions of it were transmitted to ,mohammed until the whole was given to the world4 ,the book is divided into #aad chapters4 ,it is elegant in style1 and1 like most other ,bibles1 contains1 along with a great deal that is fabulous and puerile1 some admirable moral teachings4 ,sunna4--,the ,sunna is a large work containing many thousand legends of ,mohammed4 ,it is a sacred book1 but of less authority than the ,koran4 ,sacred ,books of the ,jews4 ,torah4--,the ,book of the ,law1 now commonly called the ,pentateuch1 is the most sacred of all ,jewish books4 ,jews as well as ,christians believe that it was written by ,moses and dictated by ,god4 ,it was not divided into five books as we have it4 ,in the oldest ,hebrew manuscripts the entire work forms but one book4 ,it was subsequently divided into parshiyoth1 or chapters1 and these into sedarim1 or sections4 ,nebiim4--,the ,law and the ,prophets were the chief authorities of the ,jews4 ,the books of the ,prophets1 called ,nebiim1 were believed by the orthodox ,jews to be divinely inspired1 but were esteemed of less importance than the ,torah4 ,cethubim4--,this collection of writings comprised the hymns1 poems1 and other books now known as the ,hagiographa4 ,talmud4--,the ,talmud1 while not regarded as a divine revelation1 like the ,law and the ,prophets1 is in some respects the most important of ,jewish works4 ,it is almost a library in itself1 and constitutes a vast storehouse of information pertaining to ,jewish history and theology4 ,sacred ,book of ,christians4 ,holy ,bible4--,the ,christian ,bible consists of two collections of small books1 one called the ,old ,testament1 the other the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,old ,testament comprises the ,torah1 ,nebiim1 and ,cethubim of the ,jews4 ,it is divided into #ci books 7including the ,apocryphal books accepted by the ,greek and ,roman ,catholic churches1 about #ej74 ,the ,new ,testament is a collection of #bg early ,christian writings1 which originally appeared in the various churches of ,asia1 ,africa and ,europe4 ,the ,bible is but one of many books for which divinity is claimed4 ,christians deny the divinity of the other books1 however1 and affirm that they are of human origin--that their book is ,god's only revelation to mankind4 ,the orthodox claim respecting its divinity is expressed in the following words3 ,behind the human authors stood the divine ,spirit1 controlling1 guiding1 and suggesting every part of their different messages 7,birks74 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,christian ,,bible4 ,the title ,bible1 from ,ta ,biblia1 meaning ,the ,book1 or more properly ,the ,books1 was given to the sacred book of ,christians1 it is claimed1 by ,chrysostom in the fifth century4 ,for a period of one hundred and fifty years the sacred books of the ,jews alone constituted the ,christian ,bible4 ,they consisted of the following three collections of books which form the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,law4 ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 ,deuteronomy4 ,the ,prophets4 ,joshua1 ,judges1 #a ,samuel1 #b ,samuel1 #a ,kings1 #b ,kings1 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 ,hosea1 ,joel1 ,amos1 ,obadiah1 ,jonah1 ,micah1 ,nahum1 ,habakkuk1 ,zephaniah1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 ,malachi4 ,hagiographa4 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 ,job1 ,song of ,solomon1 ,ruth1 ,lamentations1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,esther1 ,daniel1 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 #a ,chronicles1 #b ,chronicles4 ,to the above thirty-nine books of the ,old ,testament were subsequently added the following twenty-seven books of the ,new ,testament4 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 ,john1 ,acts1 ,romans1 #a ,corinthians1 #b ,corinthians1 ,galatians1 ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 #a ,thessalonians1 #b ,thessalonians1 #a ,timothy1 #b ,timothy1 ,titus1 ,philemon1 ,hebrews1 ,james1 #a ,peter1 #b ,peter1 #a ,john1 #b ,john1 #c ,john1 ,jude1 ,revelation4 ,the books of the ,old ,testament were called ,the ,scripture1 or ,scriptures1 by early ,christians4 ,after the books of the ,new ,testament were recognized as canonical and inspired1 the terms ,old and ,new ,testaments were employed to distinguish the two divisions4 ,tertullian1 at the beginning of the third century1 was the first to use the term ,new ,testament4 ,the proper arrangement of the books of the ,old ,testament is in the order named in the foregoing list4 ,both ,jews and ,christians1 however1 have varied the order4 ,the books of the ,hagiographa1 with the exceptions of ,ruth which follows ,judges1 ,lamentations which follows ,jeremiah1 and ,daniel which appears among the ,prophets1 have been placed between the ,earlier and ,later ,prophets4 ,in later ,jewish versions the ,song of ,solomon1 ,ruth1 ,lamentations1 ,ecclesiastes1 and ,esther1 called the five rolls1 come immediately after the ,pentateuch4 ,in the ,christian ,bibles of the ,eastern churches1 including the two most noted ancient manuscripts1 the ,vatican and ,alexandrian1 the seven ,catholic ,epistles1 ,james1 #a ,peter1 #b ,peter1 #a ,john1 #b ,john1 #c ,john1 and ,jude1 follow ,acts and precede the ,pauline ,epistles4 ,in the accepted ,hebrew the thirty-nine books of the ,old ,testament formed but twenty-two1 corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the ,hebrew alphabet4 ,judges and ,ruth formed one book1 ,first and ,second ,samuel one1 ,first and ,second ,kings one1 ,first and ,second ,chronicles one1 ,ezra and ,nehemiah one1 ,jeremiah and ,lamentations one1 and the twelve ,minor ,prophets one4 ,the books of the ,pentateuch 7,pente1 five2 teuchos1 volume7 now bear the ,greek names given them by the ,septuagint translators1 with the exception of the fourth1 ,arithmoi1 which is called by the ,english name1 ,numbers4 ,the ,hebrew names for these1 as well as many other books of the ,old ,testament1 are the initial words of the books4 ,the name of ,genesis1 as translated1 is ,in the ,beginning2 ,exodus1 ,these ,are the ,words2 ,leviticus1 ,and ,he ,called2 ,numbers1 ,and ,he ,spake2 ,deuteronomy1 ,these ,are the ,words4 ,joshua originally belonged to this collection1 and to the six books modern scholars have given the name ,hexateuch4 ,about one-half of the books of the ,bible1 ,joshua1 ,isaiah1 ,matthew1 etc41 are named after their alleged authors4 ,a few1 like ,ruth and ,esther1 take their names from the leading characters of the books4 ,the ,pauline ,epistles bear the names of the churches1 people1 or persons to whom they are addressed4 ,the titles of ,judges1 ,kings1 ,chronicles1 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 and a few others1 indicate the subjects of the books4 ,the division of the books of the ,bible into chapters was made in the thirteenth century2 the division into verses1 in the sixteenth century4 ,these divisions are to a great extent mechanical rather than logical4 ,paragraphs are frequently divided in the formation of chapters1 and sentences in the formation of verses4 ,canonical and ,apocryphal ,books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,in addition to the canonical books of the ,bible1 there are many ,jewish and ,christian books known as the ,apocryphal books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,a critical review of the ,bible demands a consideration of the apocryphal as well as the canonical books1 and the subject will be made more intelligible to the reader by giving a list of both4 ,in making a classification of them they will be divided into ten groups1 as follows3 #a4 ,books accepted as canonical and divine by all ,jews and ,christians4 ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 ,deuteronomy4 #b4 ,books accepted as canonical and divine by a part of the ,jews and by all ,christians4 ,joshua1 ,judges1 #a ,samuel1 #b ,samuel1 #a ,kings1 #b ,kings1 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel1 ,hosea1 ,joel1 ,amos1 ,obadiah1 ,jonah1 ,micah1 ,nahum1 ,habakkuk1 ,zephaniah1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 ,malachi4 #c4 ,books accepted by a part of the ,jews as canonical1 but not divine2 by most ,christians as canonical and divine4 ,ruth1 #a ,chronicles1 #b ,chronicles1 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,esther1 ,job1 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,song of ,solomon1 ,lamentations1 ,daniel4 #d4 ,books accepted as canonical by some ,jews1 and for most part by the ,greek and ,roman ,catholic churches1 but rejected by the ,protestants4 ,baruch1 ,tobit1 ,judith1 ,book of ,wisdom1 ,song of the ,three ,children1 ,history of ,susanna1 ,bel and the ,dragon1 ,prayer of ,manasseh1 ,ecclesiasticus1 #a ,esdras1 #b ,esdras1 #a ,maccabees1 #b ,maccabees1 #c ,maccabees1 #d ,maccabees1 #e ,maccabees4 #e4 ,lost books cited by writers of the ,bible4 ,book of the ,wars of the ,lord1 ,book of ,jasher1 ,book of the ,covenant1 ,book of ,nathan1 ,book of ,gad1 ,book of ,samuel1 ,prophecy of ,ahijah1 ,visions of ,iddo1 ,acts of ,uzziah1 ,acts of ,solomon1 ,three ,thousand ,proverbs of ,solomon1 ,a ,thousand and ,five ,songs of ,solomon1 ,chronicles of the ,kings of ,judah1 ,chronicles of the ,kings of ,israel1 ,book of ,jehu1 ,book of ,enoch4 #f4 ,books which formed the original canon of the ,new ,testament and which have always been accepted by ,christians4 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 ,john1 ,acts1 ,romans1 #a ,corinthians1 #b ,corinthians1 ,galatians1 ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 #a ,thessalonians1 #b ,thessalonians1 #a ,timothy1 #b ,timothy1 ,titus1 ,philemon1 #a ,john4 #g4 ,books which are now generally accepted by ,christians1 but which were for a time rejected4 ,hebrews1 ,james1 #a ,peter1 #b ,peter1 #b ,john1 #c ,john1 ,jude1 ,revelation4 #h4 ,books now excluded from the canon1 but which are found in some of the older manuscripts of the ,new ,testament4 ,shepherd of ,hermas1 ,epistle of ,barnabas1 #a ,clement1 #b ,clement1 ,paul's ,epistle to ,laodiceans1 ,apostolic ,constitutions4 #i4 ,other ,apocryphal books of the ,new ,testament which are extant4 ,gospel of the ,infancy1 ,protevangelion of ,james1 ,acts of ,pilate1 ,nativity of ,mary1 ,fifteen ,epistles of ,ignatius1 ,epistle of ,polycarp1 ,gospel of ,marcion 7in part71 ,clementine ,recognitions1 ,clementine ,homilies4 #aj4 ,apocryphal books of the ,new ,testament which are lost4 ,oracles of ,christ1 ,gospel ,according to the ,hebrews1 ,gospel ,according to the ,egyptians1 ,gospel of ,peter1 ,gospel of ,paul1 ,gospel of ,philip1 ,gospel of ,matthias1 ,gospel of ,andrew1 ,gospel of ,perfection1 ,gospel of ,tatian1 ,gospel of ,basilides1 ,gospel of ,apelles1 ,gospel of ,cerinthus1 ,gospel of ,bartholomew1 ,acts of ,paul1 ,acts of ,peter1 ,revelation of ,paul1 ,revelation of ,peter1 ,preaching of ,peter1 ,memoirs of the ,apostles4 ,here is a list of one hundred and fifty books4 ,in the apocryphal groups have been included only the most important of this class4 ,to these might be added at least one hundred other apocryphal books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,of these two hundred and fifty ,jewish and ,christian writings1 sixty-six--about one-fourth--have been declared canonical and divine by ,protestants4 ,in the mind of the devout ,protestant there is as great a difference between the canonical and apocryphal books of the ,old and ,new ,testaments as there is between light and darkness4 ,the former he regards as the work of a wise and good ,god1 the latter1 with a few exceptions1 as the work of ignorant and wicked men4 ,and yet there is no such difference4 ,the two classes are of much the same character4 ,the worst canonical books are1 perhaps1 better than the worst apocryphal books2 while1 on the other hand1 the best apocryphal books1 if not equal to the best canonical books1 are far superior to a majority of them4 ,circumstances rather than merit determined the fate of these books4 ,books of real merit and of high authority in some of the early churches were cast aside because these churches either ceased to exist or changed their creeds2 while books of little merit survived as authorities because their teachings supported the doctrines which survived4 ,the religion of the primitive churches underwent many radical changes4 ,the ,christianity of the second century was not the ,christianity of the first4 ,books teaching the new theology superseded those which taught the old2 and thus the earlier writings became obsolete4 ,of all the ,christian books written prior to the middle of the second century only a few epistles have been retained as authorities4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,formation ,,of ,,the ,,canon4 ,second in interest and importance only to the origin of the individual books composing the ,bible are the facts relating to the manner in which these books were collected into one great volume and declared canonical or authoritative4 ,the formation of the canon required centuries of time to complete4 ,the ,jewish ,canon4 ,the ,jewish canon1 it is claimed1 was chiefly the work of ,ezra1 completed by ,nehemiah4 ,all antiquity1 says ,dr4 ,adam ,clarke1 is nearly unanimous in giving ,ezra the honor of collecting the different writings of ,moses and the prophets and reducing them into the form in which they are now found in the ,bible4 ,this opinion1 shared alike by ,jews and ,christians1 is simply a tradition4 ,there is no conclusive evidence that ,ezra founded the canon of the ,old ,testament4 ,nehemiah could not have completed it1 because a part of the books were written after his time4 ,there is no proof that all the books of the ,old ,testament existed in a collected form before the beginning of the ,christian era4 ,there is no proof that even the ,law and the ,prophets existed in such a form before the ,maccabean period4 ,the ,rev4 ,frederick ,myers1 an able authority on the ,bible1 makes this candid admission3 ,by whom the books of the ,old ,testament were collected into one volume1 and by what authority made canonical1 we do not know 7,catholic ,thoughts on the ,bible1 p4 #ef74 ,another prevalent belief is that all of the ,jewish scriptures were lost during the captivity1 and that ,ezra was divinely inspired to rewrite them4 ,irenus says3 ,god 444 inspired ,esdras1 the priest of the tribe of ,levi1 to compose anew all the discourses of the ancient prophets1 and to restore to the people the laws given them by ,moses 7,ecclesiastical ,history1 ,book ,v41 chap4 viii74 ,this is a myth4 ,the books of the ,old ,testament which were written before the captivity were not lost4 ,many books1 it is true1 were written after the captivity1 but these books were not reproductions of lost writings4 ,they were original compositions1 or compilations of documents which had not been lost4 ,if ,ezra was inspired1 as claimed1 to rewrite the ,hebrew scriptures1 he did not complete his task1 for the books that were really lost have never been restored1 and the ,old ,testament is but a part of the ,hebrew scriptures that once existed4 ,st4 ,chrysostom says3 ,the ,jews having been at some time careless1 and at others profane1 they suffered some of the sacred books to be lost through their carelessness1 and have burnt and destroyed others4 ,the list of books given in the preceding chapter1 under the head of ,lost ,books cited by writers of the ,bible1 would nearly all be deemed canonical were they extant4 ,referring to these books1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,campbell1 in his ,introduction to ,matthew1 says3 ,the ,book of the ,wars of the ,lord1 the ,book of ,jasher1 the ,book of ,nathan the ,prophet1 the ,book of ,gad the ,seer1 and several others1 are referred to in the ,old ,testament1 manifestly as of equal authority with the book which refers to them1 and as fuller in point of information4 ,yet these are to all appearances irrecoverably lost4 ,god's revelation in its entirety1 then1 no longer exists4 ,the ten ,hebrew tribes which formed the kingdom of ,israel1 and whose remnants were afterwards called ,samaritans1 accepted only the first six books of the ,old ,testament4 ,the other ,jews generally accepted the ,pentateuch and the ,prophets1 and1 in a less degree1 the ,hagiographa as canonical4 ,some of them also attached more or less importance to the ,apocryphal books4 ,the ,christian ,canon4 ,respecting the formation of the ,new ,testament canon1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,roswell ,d4 ,hitchcock says3 ,the new book of records was1 like the old1 set down by eye-witnesses of and actors in its scenes1 closely after their occurrence2 its successive portions were cautiously scrutinized and clearly distinguished as entitled to reception2 when the record1 properly so-called1 was completed1 the new canon was closed 7,analysis of the ,bible1 p4 #aadi74 ,this process was rapid and decisive2 it had in all probability become substantially complete before the death of ,john1 the last of the apostles 7,ibid1 p4 #aaeh74 ,that these statements1 popularly supposed to be true1 are wholly untrue will be demonstrated by the facts presented in this and succeeding chapters4 ,the ,christian canon was not completed before the death of the last apostle4 ,the ,new ,testament did not exist in the time of the apostles4 ,it did not exist in the time of the ,apostolic ,fathers4 ,it was not in existence in the middle of the second century4 ,there was no ,new ,testament in the time of ,papias4 ,dr4 ,samuel ,davidson1 the highest ,christian authority on the canon1 says3 ,papias 7#aej ,a4,d47 knew nothing1 so far as we can learn1 of a ,new ,testament canon 7,canon of the ,bible1 p4 #abc74 ,justin ,martyr knew nothing of a ,new ,testament canon4 ,i quote again from ,dr4 ,davidson3 ,justin ,martyr's canon 7#aej ,a4,d471 so far as divine authority and inspiration are concerned1 was the ,old ,testament 7,ibid1 p4 #abi74 ,for nearly two centuries after the beginning of the ,christian era1 the ,old ,testament--the ,old ,testament alone--constituted the ,christian canon4 ,no other books were called scripture2 no other books were considered inspired2 no other books were deemed canonical4 ,founding of the ,canon4 ,to ,irenus1 more than to any other man1 belongs the credit of founding the ,roman ,catholic church2 and to him also belongs the credit of founding the ,new ,testament canon1 which is a ,roman ,catholic work4 ,no collection of books corresponding to our ,new ,testament existed before the time of ,irenus4 ,he was the first to make such a collection1 and he was the first to claim inspiration and divine authority for its books4 ,dr4 ,davidson says3 ,the conception of canonicity and inspiration attaching to ,new ,testament books did not exist till the time of ,irenus 7,canon1 p4 #afc74 ,at the close of the second century the ,christian world was divided into a hundred different sects4 ,irenus and others conceived the plan of uniting these sects1 or the more orthodox of them1 into one great ,catholic church1 with ,rome at the head2 for ,rome was at this time the largest and most influential of all the ,christian churches4 ,it is a matter of necessity1 says ,irenus1 that every church should agree with this church on account of its preeminent authority 7,heresies1 ,book #c74 ,in connection with this work ,irenus made a collection of books for use in the church4 ,his collection comprised the following3 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 ,john1 ,acts1 ,romans1 ,first ,corinthians1 ,second ,corinthians1 ,galatians1 ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 ,second ,thessalonians1 ,first ,timothy1 ,second ,timothy1 ,titus1 ,philemon1 ,first ,john1 and ,revelation--twenty books in all4 ,in the work of establishing the ,roman ,catholic church and the ,new ,testament canon ,irenus was succeeded1 early in the third century1 by ,tertullian and ,clement of ,alexandria4 ,they adopted the list of books made by him4 ,the books adopted by these ,fathers were selected from a large number of ,christian writings then extant--forty or more gospels1 nearly as many ,acts of ,apostles1 a score of ,revelations1 and a hundred epistles4 ,each church had one or more books which were used in that church4 ,no divine authority1 however1 was ascribed to any of them4 ,why did the ,fathers choose these particular books8 ,above all1 why did they choose four gospels instead of one8 ,we never see four biographies of ,washington1 of ,cromwell1 or of ,napoleon1 bound in one volume2 yet here we have four different biographies of ,jesus in one book4 ,irenus says it is because there are four quarters of the earth in which we live1 and four universal winds4 ,instead of this artificial reason he could have given a natural1 a rational1 and a truthful reason4 ,while primitive ,christians1 as we have seen1 were divided into many sects1 the principal sects may be grouped into three divisions3 #a4 ,the ,petrine churches1 comprising the church of ,rome and other churches which recognized ,peter as the chief of the apostles and the visible head of the church on earth2 #b4 ,the ,pauline sects1 which accepted ,paul as the true exponent of ,christianity2 #c4 ,the ,johannine or ,eastern churches1 which regarded ,john as their founder4 ,a collection of books to be acceptable to all of these churches must contain the favorite books of each4 ,the ,first ,gospel1 written about the time this church union movement was inaugurated1 was adopted by the ,petrine churches4 ,the ,second ,gospel was also highly valued by the church of ,rome4 ,the ,third ,gospel1 a revised and enlarged edition of the ,pauline ,gospel of ,marcion1 had become the standard authority of ,pauline ,christians4 ,the ,fourth ,gospel1 which had superseded other and older gospels1 was generally read in the ,johannine churches4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles1 written for the purpose of healing the dissensions that had arisen between the followers of ,peter and ,paul1 was acceptable to both ,petrines and ,paulines4 ,the ,epistles of ,paul were of course received by the ,pauline churches1 while the ,first ,epistle of ,john was generally received by the ,eastern churches4 ,the collection would not be complete without a ,revelation1 and the ,revelation of ,john was selected4 ,the work instituted by ,irenus was successful4 ,the three divisions of ,christendom were united1 and the ,catholic church was established4 ,but this cementing1 although it held for centuries1 did not last1 as was hoped1 for all time4 ,the seams gave way1 the divisions separated1 and to-day stand out as distinctly as they did in the second century2 the ,roman ,catholic church representing the ,petrine1 the ,greek church the ,johannine1 and the ,protestant churches to a great extent the ,pauline ,christians of that early age4 ,but while the church separated1 each retained all of the sixty-six canonical books1 save ,revelation1 which for a time was rejected by the ,greek church4 ,the ,new ,testament originally contained but twenty books4 ,to ,first ,peter1 ,second ,john1 and the ,shepherd of ,hermas ,irenus attached some importance1 but did not place them in his canon4 ,hebrews1 ,james1 ,second ,peter1 ,third ,john1 and ,jude he ignored4 ,tertullian placed in an appendix ,hebrews1 ,first ,peter1 ,second ,john1 ,jude1 and the ,shepherd of ,hermas4 ,clement of ,alexandria classed as having inferior authority1 ,hebrews1 ,second ,john1 ,jude1 ,first and ,second ,epistles of ,clement 7of ,rome71 ,epistle of ,barnabas1 ,shepherd of ,hermas1 and ,revelation of ,peter4 ,regarding the competency of the founders of the ,new ,testament canon1 ,davidson says3 ,of the three fathers who contributed most to its early growth1 ,irenus was credulous and blundering1 ,tertullian passionate and one-sided1 and ,clement of ,alexandria1 imbued with the treasures of ,greek wisdom1 was mainly occupied with ecclesiastical ethics 7,canon1 p4 #aee74 ,the three ,fathers of whom we are speaking had neither the ability nor the inclination to examine the genesis of documents surrounded with an apostolic halo4 ,no analysis of their authenticity was seriously contemplated 7,ibid1 p4 #aef74 ,completion of the ,canon4 ,the ,christian canon1 including the ,new ,testament canon1 assumed something like its present form under the labors of ,augustine and ,jerome toward the close of the fourth century4 ,st4 ,augustine's canon contained all of the books now contained in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 excepting ,lamentations1 which was excluded4 ,it contained1 in addition to these1 the apocryphal pieces belonging to ,daniel1 and the books of ,tobit1 ,judith1 ,wisdom1 ,ecclesiasticus1 and ,first and ,second ,maccabees4 ,st4 ,jerome's canon contained ,lamentations1 which ,augustine's canon excluded1 and omitted ,tobit1 ,judith1 ,wisdom1 ,ecclesiasticus1 and ,first and ,second ,maccabees1 which ,augustine's included4 ,roman ,catholics accept the canon of ,augustine1 including ,lamentations2 ,protestants1 generally1 accept the canon of ,jerome4 ,while ,jerome included in his canon all the books of the ,new ,testament1 he admitted that ,philemon1 ,hebrews1 ,second ,peter1 ,second and ,third ,john1 ,jude1 and ,revelation were of doubtful authority4 ,referring to the work of ,augustine and ,jerome1 ,davidson1 says3 ,both were unfitted for the critical examination of such a topic 7,canon1 p4 #bjj74 ,christian ,councils4 ,many believe that the ,council of ,nice1 held in #cbe ,a4,d41 determined what books should constitute the ,bible4 ,this council did not determine the canon4 ,so far as is known1 the first church council which acted upon this question was the ,synod of ,laodicea which met in #cfe4 ,this council rejected the ,apocryphal books contained in ,augustine's list1 but admitted ,baruch and the ,epistle of ,jeremiah4 ,it excluded ,revelation4 ,various councils1 following this1 adopted canonical lists4 ,one council would admit certain books and the next council would reject them4 ,the third council of ,carthage in #cig adopted the list of ,augustine which admitted the ,apocryphal books and ,revelation and rejected ,lamentations4 ,the actions of none of these councils were unanimous or decisive4 ,the list of books adopted was adopted simply by a majority vote4 ,a large minority of every council refused to accept the list of the majority4 ,some advocated the admission of books that were rejected2 others opposed the admission of books that were accepted4 ,as late as the seventh century 7#fbi71 at the sixth ,council of ,constantinople1 many different canonical lists were presented for ratification4 ,the damaging facts that ,i have adduced concerning the formation of the ,christian canon are admitted in a large degree by one of the most orthodox of authorities1 ,mc,clintock and ,strong's ,cyclopedia of ,biblical and ,ecclesiastical ,literature4 ,dr4 ,mc,clintock says3 ,the ,new ,testament canon presents a remarkable analogy to the canon of the ,old ,testament4 ,the beginnings of both are obscure4444 ,the history of the canon may be divided into three periods4 ,the first1 extending to #agj1 includes the era of circulation and gradual collection of the apostolic writings4 ,the second is closed in #cjc1 separating the sacred from other ecclesiastical writings4 ,the third may be defined by the third ,council of ,carthage1 #cig ,a4,d41 in which a catalogue of the books of the ,scriptures was formally ratified by conciliar authority4 ,the first is characteristically a period of tradition1 the second of speculation1 and the third of authority1 and we may trace the features of the successive ages in the course of the history of the canon4 ,but however all this may have been1 the complete canon of the ,new ,testament1 as we now have it1 was ratified by the third ,council of ,carthage1 #cig ,a4,d41 from which time it was generally accepted by the ,latin church1 some of the books remaining in doubt and disputed4 ,concerning the work of these councils1 ,william ,penn writes as follows3 ,i say how do they know that these men discerned true from spurious8 ,now1 sure it is1 that some of the ,scriptures taken in by one council were rejected by another for apocryphal1 and that which was left out by the former for apocryphal was taken in by the latter for canonical 7,penn's ,works1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #cjb74 ,in regard to the character of these councils1 ,dean ,milman writes3 ,it might have been supposed that nowhere would ,christianity appear in such commanding majesty as in a council4444 ,history shows the melancholy reverse4 ,nowhere is ,christianity less attractive1 and if we look to the ordinary tone and character of the proceedings1 less authoritative1 than in the councils of the church4 ,it is in general a fierce collision of two rival factions1 neither of which will yield1 each of which is solemnly pledged against conviction 7,history of ,latin ,christianity1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #bbf74 ,the ,roman ,catholic1 ,greek ,catholic1 and ,protestant canons1 no two of which are alike1 were fixed by modern councils4 ,the ,council of ,trent 7#aede-aefc7 determined the ,roman ,catholic canon4 ,while a majority were in favor of the canon of ,augustine they were not agreed in regard to the character and classification of the books4 ,there were four parties4 ,the first advocated two divisions of the books1 one to comprise the acknowledged books1 the other the disputed books4 ,the second party proposed three divisions--the acknowledged books1 the disputed books of the ,new ,testament1 and the ,apocryphal books of the ,old ,testament4 ,the third party desired the list of books to be named without determining their authority4 ,the fourth party demanded that all the books1 acknowledged1 disputed1 and apocryphal1 be declared canonical4 ,this party triumphed4 ,at a council of the ,greek church held in ,jerusalem in #afgb1 this church1 which had always refused to accept ,revelation1 finally placed it in the canon4 ,the ,greek canon contains several apocryphal books not contained in the ,roman ,catholic canon4 ,both divisions of the ,protestant church1 ,german and ,english1 declared against the authority of the ,apocryphal books4 ,the ,westminster ,assembly 7#afdg7 formally adopted the list of books contained in our ,authorized ,version of the ,bible4 ,ancient ,christian ,scholars4 ,most ,christians believe that all of the books of the ,bible1 and only the books of the ,bible1 have been accepted as canonical by all ,christians4 ,and yet1 how far from this is the truth6 ,in every age of the church there have been ,christians1 eminent for their piety and learning1 who either rejected some of these books1 or who accepted as canonical books not contained in the ,bible4 ,not one of the five men who contributed most to form the canon1 ,irenus1 ,tertullian1 ,clement1 ,jerome1 and ,augustine1 accepted all of these books4 ,late in the second century ,melito1 ,bishop of ,sardis1 a contemporary of ,irenus1 was deputed to make a list of the books belonging to the ,old ,testament4 ,his list omitted ,esther and ,lamentations4 ,the ,muratori canon1 which is supposed to belong to the third century1 omitted ,hebrews1 ,james1 ,first and ,second ,peter1 and ,third ,john4 ,the ,apostolic canon omitted ,revelation1 and included ,first and ,second ,clement and the ,apostolic ,constitutions4 ,of ,origen1 the great ,christian ,father of the third century1 ,chambers' ,encyclopedia says3 ,origen doubted the authority of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 of the ,epistle of ,james1 of ,jude1 of the ,second of ,peter1 and the ,second and ,third of ,john2 while1 at the same time1 he was disposed to recognize as canonical certain apocryphal scriptures1 such as those of ,hermas and ,barnabas4 ,in addition to the apocryphal books named1 ,origen also accepted as authoritative the ,gospel of the ,hebrews1 ,gospel of the ,egyptians1 ,acts of ,paul1 and ,preaching of ,peter4 ,the ,rev4 ,jeremiah ,jones1 a leading authority on the canon1 says3 ,justin ,martyr1 ,clemens ,alexandrinus1 ,tertullian1 and the rest of the primitive writers were wont to approve and cite books which now all men know to be apocryphal 7,canon1 p4 #d74 ,theodoret says that as late as the fifth century many churches used the ,gospel of ,tatian instead of the canonical ,gospels4 ,gregory the ,great1 at the beginning of the seventh1 and ,alfric1 at the close of the tenth century1 accepted as canonical ,paul's ,epistle to the ,laodiceans4 ,early in the fourth century the celebrated church historian1 ,eusebius1 gave a list of the acknowledged and disputed books of the ,new ,testament4 ,the disputed books--books which some accepted and others rejected--were ,hebrews1 ,james1 ,second and ,third ,john1 ,jude1 ,revelation1 ,shepherd of ,hermas1 ,epistle of ,barnabas1 ,acts of ,paul1 and ,revelation of ,peter4 ,athanasius rejected ,esther1 and ,epiphanius accepted the ,epistle of ,jeremiah4 ,cyril1 ,bishop of ,jerusalem1 and ,gregory1 ,bishop of ,constantinople1 both rejected ,revelation4 ,chrysostom1 one of the greatest of church divines1 and1 who gave to the sacred book of ,christians its name1 omitted ten books from his canon--,first and ,second ,chronicles1 ,esther1 ,job1 and ,lamentations1 five books in the ,old ,testament2 and ,second ,peter1 ,second and ,third ,john1 ,jude1 and ,revelation1 five books in the ,new ,testament4 ,protestant ,scholars4 ,many ,protestant scholars have questioned or denied the correctness of the ,protestant canon4 ,calvin doubted ,second and ,third ,john and ,revelation4 ,erasmus doubted ,hebrews1 ,second and ,third ,john1 and ,revelation4 ,zwingle and ,beza rejected ,revelation4 ,dr4 ,lardner questioned the authority of ,hebrews1 ,james1 ,second ,peter1 ,second and ,third ,john1 ,jude and ,revelation4 ,evanson rejected ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and nearly half of the ,epistles4 ,schleiermacher rejected ,first ,timothy4 ,scaliger rejected ,second ,peter4 ,davidson thinks that ,esther should be excluded from the canon4 ,eichorn rejected ,daniel and ,jonah in the ,old ,testament1 and ,second ,timothy and ,titus in the ,new4 ,dr4 ,whiston excluded the ,song of ,solomon1 and accepted as canonical more than twenty books not found in the ,bible4 ,he says3 ,can anyone be so weak as to imagine ,mark1 and ,luke1 and ,james1 and ,jude1 who were none of them more than companions of the ,apostles1 to be our sacred and unerring guides1 while ,barnabas1 ,thaddeus1 ,clement1 ,timothy1 ,hermas1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp1 who were equally companions of the same ,apostles1 to be of no authority at all8 7,exact ,time1 p4 #bh74 ,the ,rev4 ,james ,martineau1 of ,england1 says3 ,if we could recover the ,gospel of the ,hebrews1 and that of the ,egyptians1 it would be difficult to give a reason why they should not form a part of the ,new ,testament2 and an epistle by ,clement1 the fellow laborer of ,paul1 which has as good a claim to stand there as the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 or the ,gospel of ,luke 7,rationale of ,religious ,enquiry74 ,archbishop ,wake pronounces the writings of the ,apostolic ,fathers inspired1 and says that they contain an authoritative declaration of the ,gospel of ,christ 7,apostolic ,fathers74 ,the church of ,latter ,day ,saints1 numbering one half million adherents1 and including some able ,bible scholars1 believe that the modern ,book of ,mormon is a part of ,god's ,word1 equal in authority and importance to the ,pentateuch or the ,four ,gospels4 ,martin ,luther4 ,the greatest name in the records of the ,protestant church is ,martin ,luther4 ,he is generally recognized as its founder2 he is considered one of the highest authorities on the ,bible2 he devoted a large portion of his life to its study2 he made a translation of it for his people1 a work which is accepted as one of the classics of ,german literature4 ,with ,luther the ,bible superseded the church as a divine authority4 ,and yet this greatest of ,protestants rejected no less than six of the sixty-six books composing the ,protestant ,bible4 ,luther rejected the book of ,esther4 ,he says3 ,i am such an enemy to the book of ,esther that ,i wish it did not exist4 ,in his ,bondage of the ,will1 he severely criticises the book4 ,he rejected the book of ,jonah4 ,he says3 ,the history of ,jonah is so monstrous as to be absolutely incredible 7,colloquia1 ,chap4 ,,lx41 ,sec4 #aj74 ,he rejected ,hebrews3 ,the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is not by ,st4 ,paul2 nor1 indeed1 by any apostle 7,standing ,preface to ,luther's ,new ,testament74 ,he rejected the ,epistle of ,james3 ,st4 ,james' ,epistle is truly an epistle of straw 7,preface to ,edition of #aebd74 ,he rejected ,jude4 ,the ,epistle of ,jude1 he says1 allegeth stories and sayings which have no place in ,scripture 7,standing ,preface74 ,he rejected ,revelation4 ,he says3 ,i can discover no trace that it is established by the ,holy ,spirit 7,preface to ,edition of #aebb74 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,different ,,versions ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 ,the following is a brief description of the principal versions1 translations1 and manuscripts of the ,bible3 ,versions of the ,jewish ,scriptures4 ,hebrew4--,the greater portion of the ,jewish ,scriptures was written in the ancient ,hebrew language1 while a smaller portion was written in the ,aramaic or ,chaldaic dialect of this language4 ,the written language of the ,hebrew contained no vowels4 ,the meaning of many words was mere conjecture4 ,about one thousand years ago ,jewish scholars developed a system of vowel points and made a revision of the ,hebrew ,scriptures in what is known as the ,masoretic text4 ,the early ,christian versions of the ,old ,testament1 including that of the ,roman ,catholic church1 are based upon the earlier or consonantal text2 the ,protestant versions are based upon the later or ,masoretic text4 ,the accepted ,hebrew versions generally omitted the ,apocryphal books4 ,samaritan4--,the ,samaritan ,bible1 the canonical ,scriptures of the ,samaritan ,israelites1 contained but six books--the ,pentateuch and what is styled a corrupt version of ,joshua4 ,some scholars believe that the ,samaritan ,pentateuch is the most correct version we have of this work4 ,septuagint4--,the ,septuagint was a ,greek translation of the ,jewish ,scriptures1 including the ,apocryphal books4 ,we are told that about #bhe b4 c4 seventy scholars1 each in a separate cell1 translated all of these books4 ,the translations1 it is stated1 were exactly alike1 a proof of divine supervision4 ,this story is a fiction4 ,instead of seventy translations of fifty books1 there was one translation of five books4 ,the ,pentateuch alone was translated at this time4 ,the ,prophets1 the ,hagiographa1 and the ,apocrypha were translated at various times during the succeeding three hundred years4 ,the ,septuagint was the version used by the ,hellenistic ,jews and by the primitive ,christians4 ,ancient ,christian ,versions4 ,peshito4--,the ,peshito is probably the oldest version of the ,christian ,bible4 ,it is in ,aramaic1 and is the ,bible of ,syrian ,christians4 ,it omits ,second ,peter1 ,second and ,third ,john1 ,jude1 and ,revelation4 ,egyptian4--,there were two versions of the ,egyptian ,bible1 the ,thebaic1 written in the language of ,upper ,egypt1 and the ,memphitic or ,coptic1 written in the language of ,lower ,egypt4 ,these versions included the ,apocrypha and excluded ,revelation4 ,ethiopic4--,this was the ,bible of ,ethiopian ,christians4 ,the ,old ,testament contained four divisions3 #a4 ,the ,law2 #b4 ,kings2 #c4 ,solomon2 #d4 ,the ,prophets4 ,it also contained the ,book of ,enoch1 a book found in no other version4 ,the ,new ,testament omitted ,revelation and included the ,apostolic ,constitutions4 ,gothic4--,this version was made by a ,gothic bishop in the fourth century4 ,it omitted four of the principal books of the ,old ,testament1 ,first and ,second ,samuel1 and ,first and ,second ,kings4 ,italic4--,the ,italic version was one of the earliest ,latin versions of the ,bible4 ,the ,new ,testament contained but twenty-four books4 ,it omitted ,hebrews1 ,james1 and ,second ,peter4 ,vulgate4--,the ,vulgate1 one of the most important versions of the ,bible1 is the ,latin version made by ,jerome about the beginning of the fifth century4 ,it is the standard version of the ,roman ,catholic church4 ,it has undergone many revisions and consequently many changes4 ,it now includes the ,apocryphal books which ,jerome did not accept as canonical4 ,ancient ,manuscripts4 ,the three most important ,greek manuscripts1 those which are recognized as the highest authorities in determining the text of the ,bible1 are the ,sinaitic1 the ,vatican1 and the ,alexandrian4 ,sinaitic4--,the ,sinaitic ,manuscript1 now preserved in ,st4 ,petersburg1 was discovered by ,dr4 ,tischendorf at a convent near ,mount ,sinai4 ,it is believed by many to be the oldest manuscript of the ,new ,testament extant1 dating back1 it is supposed by some1 to the fourth century4 ,it contains twenty-nine books--the twenty-seven canonical books1 the ,epistle of ,barnabas1 and the ,shepherd of ,hermas4 ,vatican4--,this manuscript1 now in the ,vatican library at ,rome1 belongs1 it is claimed1 to the fourth century4 ,the ,old ,testament contains the ,apocrypha4 ,the ,new ,testament is a mutilated copy1 containing only the ,four ,gospels1 ,acts1 and a part of the ,epistles4 ,alexandrian4--,the ,alexandrian ,manuscript1 now in the ,british ,museum1 belongs1 it is said1 to the fifth or sixth century4 ,the ,old ,testament includes the ,apocryphal books4 ,the ,new ,testament includes the canonical books1 and in addition to these the ,first and ,second ,epistles of ,clement4 ,modern ,versions4 ,luther's4--,the principal ,german version of the ,bible was made by the leader of the ,protestant ,reformation4 ,on account of its superior literary merits and its large circulation it is1 next to our ,authorized ,version1 the most important of the ,protestant versions4 ,luther placed the ,apocryphal books in an appendix at the end of the ,old ,testament1 and the books of the ,new ,testament which he rejected in an appendix at the end of the ,new4 ,wicliffe's4--,the translation of ,wicliffe1 which appeared in the latter part of the fourteenth century1 was the first ,english translation of the ,bible4 ,tyndale's4--,tyndale commenced his ,english translation of the ,bible about the same time that ,luther commenced his ,german translation4 ,he did not live to complete it1 and a portion of the ,old ,testament was translated by others4 ,king ,james4--,the ,authorized ,english ,version1 commonly called the ,king ,james ,bible1 was published in #afaa4 ,it was made by forty-seven ,english scholars1 working in six companies--two at ,oxford1 two at ,cambridge1 and two at ,westminster4 ,the basis of this version is ,tyndale's translation4 ,the ,apocryphal books1 which were not accepted as canonical by the ,english church1 were placed in an appendix4 ,they are now generally omitted4 ,the ,king ,james ,bible is admittedly one of the most incorrect versions2 but dressed in the strong1 quaint ,english of ,shakespeare's time it possesses considerable literary merit4 ,it has been translated into nearly every tongue1 and has had a larger circulation than all others combined4 ,new ,version4--,the new or ,revised ,version of the ,bible is a revision of the ,king ,james version4 ,the revision was made by a ,committee of twenty-seven ,english scholars1 whose work was revised by an ,american committee4 ,it was begun in #ahgj and finished in #ahhb4 ,in this version the matter is divided into paragraphs instead of chapters and verses4 ,douay4--,the ,douay ,bible is an ,english translation of the ,vulgate4 ,it is the standard ,english version of the ,roman ,catholic church4 ,the foregoing are but a few of the numerous versions of the ,bible1 ancient and modern1 that have appeared4 ,nearly every nation of ,europe has from one to a score4 ,luther's version is nearly #djj years old1 and yet ,germany had seventeen translations1 and consequently seventeen versions1 before ,luther's was published4 ,england had many versions besides those named4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,authorship ,,and ,,dates4 ,upon the authenticity of the books of the ,bible depends in a large measure their value as authorities4 ,these books are filled with strange and marvelous stories4 ,are these stories true or false8 ,if true1 we should accept them2 if false1 reject them4 ,from whence do these writings come8 ,if you hear a startling statement on the street your disposition to accept or reject it will depend largely upon the character of its author4 ,if he is a reputable person you will be disposed to accept it2 if it does not come from a reputable person1 or if you are unable to discover its author1 you will be disposed to reject it4 ,christian priests demand the acceptance of these books as infallible truth4 ,what evidence do they adduce to justify this demand8 ,where did they obtain these books8 ,when were they written8 ,who wrote them8 ,what is the reputation of their authors for intelligence and veracity8 ,were they learned and astute men1 or were they weak and credulous men8 ,were they good men1 or were they bad men8 ,if able men wrote them1 may they not have been impostors8 ,if good men wrote them1 may they not have been mistaken8 ,these priests claim to have a knowledge of the authorship of all1 or nearly all1 the books of the ,bible4 ,with one or two exceptions1 they have assigned authors to all the books of the ,old ,testament1 and to these exceptions they have even assigned probable authors4 ,they also claim a great antiquity for them--claim that they were written from four hundred to fifteen hundred years before the ,christian era4 ,the books of the ,new ,testament1 they affirm1 were all written in the first century1 and by those whose names they bear4 ,the following table gives the authorship and date of composition1 according to orthodox authorities1 of the books composing the ,protestant canon4 ,it is not claimed that every book was written in the year assigned for its composition1 but that it was written in or prior to the year assigned4 ,old ,testament4 ,,book ,,author ,,date ,genesis ,moses ,b4,c4 #adea ,exodus 11 11 11 ,leviticus 11 11 11 ,numbers 11 11 11 ,deuteronomy 11 11 11 ,joshua ,joshua 11 #adbf ,judges ,samuel 11 #ajdi ,ruth 11 787 11 11 #a ,samuel 11 11 11 #b ,samuel ,gad ,nathan ,b4,c4 #ajaf #a ,kings ,jeremiah 11 #fjj #b ,kings 11 11 11 #a ,chronicles ,ezra 11 #def #b ,chronicles 11 11 11 ,ezra 11 11 11 ,nehemiah ,nehemiah 11 #dcc ,esther ,mordecai 787 11 #ddj ,job ,job 11 #aebj ,psalms ,david 11 #ajbj ,proverbs ,solomon 11 #ihj ,ecclesiastes 11 11 11 ,s4 of ,solomon 11 11 #ajaf ,isaiah ,isaiah 11 #gjj ,jeremiah ,jeremiah 11 #ehe ,lamentations 11 11 11 ,ezekiel ,ezekiel 11 #ege ,daniel ,daniel 11 #ecd ,hosea ,hosea 11 #ghj ,joel ,joel 11 #hjj ,amos ,amos 11 #ghe ,obadiah ,obadiah 11 #ehh ,jonah ,jonah 11 #hef ,micah ,micah 11 #gjj ,nahum ,nahum 11 #fih ,habakkuk ,habakkuk 11 #fjj ,zephaniah ,zephaniah 11 #fji ,haggai ,haggai 11 #ehc ,zechariah ,zechariah 11 #ebj ,malachi ,malachi 11 #dbj ,new ,testament4 ,,book ,,author ,,date ,matthew ,matthew ,a4,d4 #dj ,mark ,mark 11 #fc ,luke ,luke 11 11 ,john ,john ,a4,d4 #ig ,acts ,luke 11 #fc ,romans ,paul 11 #eg #a ,corinthians 11 11 11 #b ,corinthians 11 11 11 ,galatians 11 11 #ee ,ephesians 11 11 #fb ,philippians 11 11 11 ,colossians 11 11 #fa #a ,thessalonians 11 11 #eb #b ,thessalonians 11 11 11 #a ,timothy 11 11 #fd #b ,timothy 11 11 #fe ,titus 11 11 11 ,philemon 11 11 #fa ,hebrews 11 11 #fb ,james ,james 11 11 #a ,peter ,peter 11 #fd #b ,peter 11 11 11 #a ,john ,john 11 #fh #b ,john 11 11 11 #c ,john 11 11 #fi ,jude ,jude 11 #fd ,revelation ,john 11 #if ,the names and dates given in the foregoing table are1 with a few exceptions1 paraded as established facts4 ,and yet the greater portion of them are mere assumptions1 without even the shadow of proof upon which to base them4 ,many of them are self-evidently false--are contradicted by the contents of the books themselves4 ,the authorship of at least fifty books of the ,bible--thirty in the ,old ,testament and twenty in the ,new--is unknown4 ,these books are not as old as claimed4 ,the books of the ,old ,testament1 instead of having been written from #aebj to #dbj ,b4,c41 were probably written from #ajjj to #ajj ,b4,c4 ,the books of the ,new ,testament1 instead of having all been written in the first century1 were1 many of them1 not written until the second century4 ,in regard to this subject1 ,prof4 ,george ,t4 ,ladd of ,yale ,college writes3 ,the authorship and date of most of the ,old ,testament writings1 and of some of the ,new ,testament1 will never be known with certainty 7,what ,is the ,bible8 p4 #bid74 ,the following six chapters will be devoted to an examination of the question of the authenticity of the books of the ,bible4 ,i shall attempt to show that the greater portion of these books1 including the most important ones1 are not authentic--were not written by the authors claimed1 nor at the time claimed2 that they are anonymous documents1 written or compiled for the most part at a later age than that in which their reputed authors are supposed to have lived4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,pentateuch4 ,the first five books of the ,bible1 ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy--collectively called the ,pentateuch--are the most important books of the ,old ,testament4 ,the three great ,semitic religions1 ,judaism1 ,christianity1 and ,mohammedanism1 are all1 to a great extent1 based upon them4 ,these books1 orthodox ,christians affirm1 were written by ,moses at least #a1dej years before the ,christian era4 ,this sacred code1 says ,dr4 ,adam ,clarke1 ,moses delivered complete to the ,hebrews sometime before his death4 ,in modern versions of the ,bible1 ,genesis is styled the ,first ,book of ,moses2 ,exodus1 the ,second ,book of ,moses2 ,leviticus1 the ,third ,book of ,moses2 ,numbers1 the ,fourth ,book of ,moses1 and ,deuteronomy1 the ,fifth ,book of ,moses4 ,their very high authority rests upon the supposed fact of their ,mosaic authorship and great antiquity4 ,to disprove these--to show that the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses1 nor at this early age1 but centuries later by unknown writers--is to largely impair1 if not entirely destroy1 its authority as a religious oracle4 ,and this is what modern criticism has done4 ,arguments for ,mosaic ,authorship4 ,the following passage is the chief argument relied upon to prove the ,mosaic authorship of the ,pentateuch3 ,and it came to pass1 that when ,moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book1 until they were finished1 that ,moses commanded the ,levites1 which bore the ark of the covenant of the ,lord1 saying1 ,take this book of the law1 and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the ,lord your ,god1 that it may be there for a witness against thee 7,deut4 xxxi1 #bd-bf74 ,this was written for a purpose4 ,its sequel appears in #b ,kings4 ,during the reign of ,josiah1 ,hilkiah the high priest discovered a book of the law in the temple4 ,and ,hilkiah the high priest said unto ,shaphan the scribe1 ,i have found the book of the law in the house of the ,lord 7#b ,kings xxii1 #h74 ,this book was the book of ,deuteronomy1 written1 not in the time of ,moses1 but in the time of ,josiah1 more than eight centuries later4 ,hilkiah needed the book and he found it4 ,it was written by him or for him4 ,holland's great critic1 ,dr4 ,kuenen1 says3 ,there is no room to doubt that the book was written with a view to the use that ,hilkiah made of it 7,kuenen's ,hexateuch1 p4 #bae74 ,dr4 ,oort1 another able ,dutch scholar1 professor of ,oriental languages at ,amsterdam1 says3 ,the book was certainly written about the time of its discovery4 ,it is true that it introduces ,moses as uttering the precepts and exhortations of which it consists1 just before the people enter ,canaan4 ,but this is no more than a literary fiction4 ,the position of affairs assumed throughout the book is that of ,judah in the time of ,josiah 7,bible for ,learners1 vol4 ii1 p4 #cca74 ,in support of this unanimous conclusion of the critics1 ,dr4 ,briggs presents the following long array of irrefutable arguments3 ,the reasons for the composition of ,deuteronomy in the time of ,josiah according to the later hypothesis are3 7#a7 ,expressions which indicate a period subsequent to the ,conquest 7ii1 #ab2 xix1 #ad72 7#b7 the law of the king1 which implies the reign of ,solomon 7xvii1 #ad-bj72 7#c7 the one supreme judicatory of the time of ,jehoshaphat 7xvii1 #h72 7#d7 the one central altar of the times of ,hezekiah 7xii1 #e seq472 7#e7 the return to ,egypt in ships not conceivable before the time of ,manasseh 7xxviii1 #fh72 7#f7 the forms of idolatry of the middle period of the monarchy 7iv1 #ai2 xvii1 #c72 7#g7 no trace of ,deuteronomy in writings prior to ,jeremiah2 7#h7 the point of view indicates an advanced style of theological reflection2 7#i7 the prohibition of ,mazzebah 7xvi1 #bb7 regarded as lawful in ,isaiah 7xix1 #ai72 7#aj7 the style implies a long development of the art of ,hebrew oratory1 and the language is free from archaism1 and suits the times preceding ,jeremiah2 7#aa7 the doctrine of the love of ,god and his faithfulness with the term ',yahweh thy ,god' presuppose the experience of the prophet ,hosea2 7#ab7 the humanitarianism of ,deuteronomy shows an ethical advance beyond ,amos and ,isaiah and prepares the way for ,jeremiah and ,ezekiel2 7#ac7 ancient laws embedded in the code account for the penalties for their infraction in #b ,kings xxii2 7#ad7 ancient laws of war are associated with laws which imply the wars of the monarchy1 and have been influenced by ,amos 7,the ,hexateuch1 p4 #bfa74 ,no book had been deposited in the ark as the writer stated4 ,at the dedication of ,solomon's temple the ark was opened1 but it contained no book4 ,there was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone1 which ,moses put there at ,horeb 7#a ,kings viii1 #e-i74 ,in the ,pentateuch it is also stated that ,moses1 at the command of ,god1 wrote certain covenants 7,ex4 xxxiv1 #bg71 recorded the curse of ,amalek 7,ex4 xvii1 #ad71 and made a list of the stations between the ,red ,sea and the ,jordan 7,num4 xxxiii72 likewise that he wrote a song 7,deut4 xxxi1 #bb74 ,the absurdity of adducing these to prove that ,moses wrote the ,pentateuch is thus exposed by ,briggs3 ,when the author of the ,pentateuch says that ,moses wrote one or more codes of law1 that he wrote a song1 that he recorded a certain memorandum1 it would appear that having specified such of his materials as were written by ,moses1 he would have us infer that the other materials came from other sources of information4 ,but it has been urged the other way2 namely1 that1 because it is said that ,moses wrote the codes of the covenant and the ,deuteronomic code1 he also wrote all the laws of the ,pentateuch2 that because he wrote the song ,deut4 xxxii1 he wrote all the other pieces of poetry in the ,pentateuch1 that because he recorded the list of stations and the memorial against ,amalek1 he recorded all the other historical events of the ,pentateuch4 ,it is probable that no one would so argue did he not suppose it was necessary to maintain the ,mosaic authorship of the ,pentateuch at every cost 7,hexateuch1 pp4 #aj1 #aa74 ,again1 it has been argued that ,christ and some of the writers of the ,new ,testament recognize ,moses as the author of the ,pentateuch4 ,such expressions as the law of ,moses1 the book of ,moses1 ,moses said1 etc41 occur a few times4 ,these expressions are explained and this argument answered by the following3 #a4 ,it is not denied by critics that ,moses was the legislator of the ,jews and promulgated certain laws4 #b4 ,an anonymous book is usually called after the leading character of the book4 #c4 ,at this time the traditional theory of the ,mosaic authorship was generally accepted4 ,of ,christ's mention of ,moses1 ,dr4 ,davidson says3 ,the venerable authority of ,christ himself has no proper bearing on the question4 ,arguments ,against ,mosaic ,authorship4 ,that the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses1 that it is an anonymous work belonging to a later age1 is clearly proven by the following3 #a4 ,there is no proof that ,moses ever claimed to be the author of the ,pentateuch4 ,there is nothing in the work1 neither is there anything outside of it1 to indicate that he was its author4 #b4 ,the ancient ,hebrews did not believe that he wrote it4 ,renan says3 ,the opinion which attributes the composition of the ,pentateuch to ,moses seems quite modern2 it is very certain that the ancient ,hebrews never dreamed of regarding their legislator as their historian4 ,the ancient documents appeared to them absolutely impersonal1 and they attached to them no author's name 7,history of ,semitic ,languages1 ,book ,,ii41 chapter i74 #c4 ,the ,pentateuch was written in the ,hebrew language4 ,the ,hebrew of the ,bible did not exist in the time of ,moses4 ,language is a growth4 ,it takes centuries to develop it4 ,it took a thousand years to develop the ,english language4 ,the ,hebrew of the ,bible was not brought from ,egypt1 but grew in ,palestine4 ,referring to this language1 ,de ,wette says3 ,without doubt it originated in the land ,canaan or was still further developed therein after the ,hebrew and other ,canaanitish people had migrated thither from the ,northern country 7,old ,testament1 ,part ,,ii474 ,gesenius says that the ,hebrew language scarcely antedates the time of ,david4 #d4 ,not only is it true that the ,hebrew language did not exist1 but it is urged by critics that no written language1 as we understand it1 existed in ,western ,asia in the time of ,moses4 ,prof4 ,andrew ,norton says3 ,for a long time after the supposed date of the ,pentateuch we find no proof of the existence of a book or even an inscription in proper alphabetical characters among the nations by whom the ,hebrews were surrounded 7,the ,pentateuch1 p4 #dd74 ,hieroglyphics were then in use1 and it is not to be supposed that a work as large as the ,pentateuch was written or engraved in hieroglyphics and carried about by this wandering tribe of ignorant ,israelites4 #e4 ,much of the ,pentateuch is devoted to the history of ,moses2 but excepting a few brief compositions attributed to him and quoted by the author he is always referred to in the third person4 ,the ,pentateuch contains a biography1 not an autobiography of ,moses4 #f4 ,it contains an account of the death and burial of ,moses which he could not have written3 ,so ,moses1 the servant of the ,lord1 died there in the land of ,moab4444 ,and he buried him in a valley of the land of ,moab 7,deut4 xxxiv1 #e1 #f74 ,and the children of ,israel wept for ,moses in the plains of ,moab thirty days 7#h74 ,orthodox commentators attempt to remove this difficulty by supposing that the last chapter of ,deuteronomy belongs to the book of ,joshua1 and that ,joshua recorded the death of ,moses4 ,the same writer1 referring to the appointment of ,joshua as the successor of ,moses1 says3 ,and ,joshua the son of ,nun was full of the spirit of wisdom 7,deut4 xxxiv1 #i74 ,if ,joshua wrote this1 however full of the spirit of wisdom he may have been1 he certainly was not full of the spirit of modesty4 ,joshua did not write this chapter4 #g4 ,no man knoweth of his ,moses' sepulchre unto this day 7,deut4 xxxiv1 #f74 ,that the authorship of this chapter should ever have been attributed to either ,moses or ,joshua is incomprehensible4 ,the language plainly shows that not merely one but many generations had elapsed between the time of ,moses and the time that it was written4 #h4 ,while the advocates of the ,mosaic authorship have1 without proof1 asserted that ,joshua wrote the book of ,joshua and the conclusion of ,deuteronomy1 the ,higher ,critics have demonstrated the common authorship of ,deuteronomy and a large portion of ,joshua4 ,as all the events recorded in ,joshua occurred after the death of ,moses1 he could not have been the author of ,deuteronomy4 #i4 ,they the ,israelites did eat manna until they came unto the borders of ,canaan 7,ex4 xvi1 #ce74 ,this passage was written after the ,israelites settled in ,canaan and ceased to subsist on manna4 ,and this was not until after the death of ,moses4 #aj4 ,the ,horims also dwelt in ,seir beforetime2 but the children of ,esau succeeded them1 when they had destroyed them from before them1 and dwelt in their stead2 as ,israel did unto the land of his possession1 which the ,lord gave unto them 7,deut4 ii1 #ab74 ,this refers to the conquest of ,canaan and was written after that event4 #aa4 ,and while the children of ,israel were in the wilderness they found a man that gathered sticks upon the ,sabbath day 7,num4 xv1 #cb74 ,when this was written the children of ,israel were no longer in the wilderness4 ,their sojourn there is referred to as a past event4 ,as ,moses died while they were still in the wilderness--that is1 before they had entered the promised land--it could not have been written by him4 #ab4 ,thou shalt eat it within thy gates 7,deut4 xv1 #bb74 ,the phrase1 within thy gates1 occurs in the ,pentateuch about twenty-five times4 ,it refers to the gates of the cities of the ,israelites1 which they did not inhabit until after the death of ,moses4 #ac4 ,ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments1 444 that the land spew not you out also1 when ye defile it1 as it spewed out the nations that were before you 7,lev4 xviii1 #bf1 #bh74 ,when ,moses died the nations alluded to still occupied the land and had not been expelled4 #ad4 ,and ,abraham called the name of the place ,jehovah-jireh3 as it is said to this day1 ,in the mount of the ,lord it shall be seen 7,gen4 xxii1 #ad74 ,this is one of the passages adduced by the critics of the seventeenth century against the ,mosaic authorship of these books4 ,it implies the conquest and a long occupancy of the land by the ,israelites4 #ae4 ,and ,sarah died in ,kirjath-arba2 the same is ,hebron in the land of ,canaan 7,gen4 xxiii1 #b74 ,and ,jacob came 444 unto the city of ,arbah1 which is ,hebron 7xxxv1 #bg74 ,moses' uncle was named ,hebron1 and from him the ,hebronites were descended4 ,after the ,conquest this family settled in ,kirjath-arba and changed the name of the city to ,hebron4 #af4 ,and ,rachel died and was buried in the way to ,ephrath1 which is ,bethlehem 7,gen4 xxxv1 #ai74 ,the ,hebrew name of ,bethlehem was not given to this city until after the ,israelites had conquered and occupied it4 #ag4 ,for only ,og1 king of ,bashan1 remained of the remnant of giants2 behold1 his bedstead was a bedstead of iron2 is it not in ,rabbath of the children of ,ammon8 7,deut4 iii1 #aa47 ,this is another passage relied upon by the early critics to disprove the ,mosaic authorship of the ,pentateuch4 ,the writer's reference to the bedstead of ,og1 which was still preserved as a relic at ,rabbath1 indicates a time long subsequent to the conquest of ,bashan4 #ah4 ,thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark1 which they of old time have set in thine inheritance 7,deut4 xix1 #ad74 ,this refers to the ancient landmarks set by the ,israelites when they obtained possession of ,canaan1 and was written centuries after that time4 #ai4 ,and ,jair the son of ,manasseh went and took the small towns thereof1 and called them ,havoth-jair 7,num4 xxxii1 #da74 ,the above is evidently a misstatement of an event recorded in ,judges3 ,and after him ,tola arose ,jair1 a ,gileadite1 and judged ,israel twenty and two years4 ,and he had thirty sons1 444 and they had thirty cities1 which are called ,havoth-jair unto this day 7,jud4 x1 #c1 #d74 ,jair was judge of ,israel from #abaj to #aahh b4c41 or from #bda to #bfc years after the date assigned for the writing of the ,pentateuch4 #bj4 ,and ,nobah went and took ,kenath1 and the villages thereof1 and called it ,nobah1 after his own name 7,num4 xxxii1 #db74 ,referring to this and the preceding passage1 ,dr4 ,oort says3 ,it is certain that ,jair1 the ,gileadite1 the conqueror of ,bashan1 after whom thirty places were called ,jair's villages1 lived in the time of the ,judges1 and that a part of ,bashan was conquered at a still later period by a certain ,nobah 7,bible for ,learners1 vol4 i1 p4 #cbi74 #ba4 ,jair the son of ,manasseh took all the country of ,argob unto the coasts of ,geshuri and ,maachathi2 and called them after his own name1 ,bashan-havoth-jair1 unto this day 7,deut4 iii1 #ad74 ,even if ,jair had lived in the time of ,moses1 the phrase unto this day shows that it was written long after the event described4 #bb4 ,and when ,abram heard that his brother was taken captive1 he armed his trained servants1 born in his own house1 three hundred and eighteen1 and pursued them unto ,dan 7,gen4 xiv1 #ad74 ,this passage could not have been written before ,dan existed4 ,in ,judges 7xviii1 #bf-bi7 the following account of the origin of this place is given3 ,and the children of ,dan went their way2 444 and came unto ,laish1 unto a people that were at quiet and secure2 and they smote them with the edge of the sword1 and burnt the city with fire4444 ,and they built a city1 and dwelt therein4 ,and they called the name of the city ,dan4 ,this is placed after the death of ,samson1 and ,samson died1 according to ,bible chronology1 #aabj ,b4,c4--#cca years after ,moses died4 #bc4 ,and these are the kings that reigned in the land of ,edom before there reigned any king over the children of ,israel 7,gen4 xxxvi1 #ca74 ,this could not have been written before the kingdom of ,israel was established2 for the writer is familiar with the fact that kings have reigned in ,israel4 ,saul1 the first king of ,israel1 began to reign #cef years after ,moses4 #bd4 ,and his ,israel's king shall be higher than ,agag 7,num4 xxiv1 #g74 ,this refers to ,saul's defeat of ,agag4 ,and he ,saul took ,agag the king of the ,amalekites alive1 and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword 7#a ,sam4 xv1 #h74 ,the defeat of ,agag is placed in #ajfg ,b4,c41 #chd years after ,moses4 #be4 ,the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah1 444 until ,shiloh come 7,gen4 xlix1 #aj74 ,these words are ascribed to ,jacob2 but they could not have been written before ,judah received the sceptre1 which was not until ,david ascended the throne1 #cif years after the death of ,moses4 #bf4 ,and the ,canaanite was then in the land 7,gen4 xii1 #f74 ,when this was written the ,canaanite had ceased to be an inhabitant of ,palestine4 ,as a remnant of the ,canaanites inhabited this country up to the time of ,david1 it could not have been written prior to his time4 #bg4 ,the ,canaanite and the ,perizzite dwelt then in the land 7,gen4 xiii1 #g74 ,this1 like the preceding passage1 could not have been written before the time of ,david4 ,the ,perizzites1 also1 inhabited ,palestine for a long period after the conquest4 ,in the time of the ,judges the children of ,israel dwelt among the 444 ,perizzites 7,jud4 iii1 #e74 #bh4 ,the first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the ,lord thy ,god 7,ex4 xxiii1 #ai74 ,this was not written before the time of ,solomon2 for ,god had no house prior to the erection of the temple1 #ajjd ,b4,c41 #ddg years after ,moses4 ,when ,david proposed to build him a house1 he forbade it and said3 ,i have not dwelt in any house since the time that ,i brought up the children of ,israel out of ,egypt1 even to this day1 but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle 7#b ,sam4 vii1 #f74 ,the tabernacle itself was a tent 7,tent of ,meeting74 ,during all this time no house was ever used as a sanctuary4 #bi4 ,one from among the brethren shalt thou set king over thee4444 ,but he shall not multiply horses to himself1 nor cause the people to return to ,egypt1 to the end that he should multiply horses4444 ,neither shall he multiply wives to himself1 that his heart turn not away2 neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold 7,deut4 xvii1 #ae-ag74 ,and ,solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses 7#a ,kings iv1 #bf74 ,and ,solomon had horses brought out of ,egypt 7x1 #bh74 ,and he had seven hundred wives1 princesses1 and three hundred concubines3 and his wives turned away his heart 7xi1 #c74 ,the weight of gold that came to ,solomon in one year was six hundred three score and six talents of gold 7x1 #ad74 ,and the king made silver to be in ,jerusalem as stones 7#bg74 ,nothing can be plainer than that this statute in ,deuteronomy was written after ,solomon's reign4 ,the extravagance and debaucheries of this monarch had greatly impoverished and corrupted the kingdom1 and to prevent a recurrence of such excesses this law was enacted4 #cj4 ,if there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment1 444 thou shalt come unto the priests the ,levites1 and unto the judge that shall be in those days1 and enquire2 and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment 7,deut4 xvii1 #h1 #i74 ,this court was established by ,jehoshaphat 7#b ,chron4 xix1 #h-aa74 ,jehoshaphat commenced his reign #iad ,b4,c41 #ecg years after ,moses4 #ca4 ,but in the place which the ,lord shall choose in one of thy tribes1 there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings1 and there shalt thou do all that ,i command thee 7,deut4 xii1 #ad74 ,is it not he the ,lord whose high places and whose altars ,hezekiah hath taken away1 and said to ,judah and ,jerusalem1 ,ye shall worship before this altar8 7,is4 xxxvi1 #g74 ,up to the time of ,hezekiah the ,hebrews worshiped at many altars4 ,hezekiah removed these altars and established the one central altar at ,jerusalem4 ,this was in #gbf ,b4,c4--#gbe years after ,moses4 #cb4 ,and the ,lord shall bring thee into ,egypt again with ships 7,deut4 xxviii1 #fh74 ,this1 critics affirm1 was written when ,psameticus was king of ,egypt4 ,he reigned from #ffc to #fji ,b4,c4 #cc4 ,neither shalt thou set thee up any image pillar 7,deut4 xvi1 #bb74 ,this proves the late origin of the ,pentateuch1 or at least of ,deuteronomy4 ,isaiah 7xix1 #ai7 instructs them to do the very thing which they are here forbidden to do1 and as he would not have advised a violation of the law it is evident that this statute could not have existed in his time4 ,isaiah died about #gej years after ,moses died4 #cd4 ,the worship of the sun1 moon1 and stars by the ,jews1 is mentioned and condemned 7,deut4 iv1 #ai2 xvii1 #c74 ,this nature worship was adopted by them in the reign of ,manasseh1 #hjj years after ,moses4 #ce4 ,wherefore it is said in the book of the ,wars of the ,lord1 what he did in the ,red ,sea1 and in the brooks of ,arnon 7,num4 xxi1 #ad74 ,the author of the ,pentateuch here cites a book older than the ,pentateuch1 which gives an account of the journeyings of the ,israelites from ,egypt to ,moab--from the ,exodus to the end of ,moses' career4 #cf4 ,and thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly 7,deut4 xxvii1 #h74 ,and he ,joshua wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of ,moses 7,josh4 viii1 #cb74 ,christians affirm that the ,law of ,moses and the ,pentateuch are one4 ,that this ,law of ,moses was not the one hundred and fifty thousand words of the ,pentateuch is shown by the fact that after the death of ,moses it was all engraved upon a stone altar4 #cg4 ,now the man ,moses was very meek1 above all the men which were upon the face of the earth 7,num4 xii1 #c74 ,no writer would bestow such fulsome praise upon himself4 ,this was written by a devout admirer of ,moses1 but it was not written by ,moses4 #ch4 ,and this is the blessing wherewith ,moses the man of ,god blessed the children of ,israel before his death 7,deut4 xxxiii1 #a74 ,there are three reasons for rejecting the ,mosaic authorship of this3 ,moses is spoken of in laudatory terms2 he is spoken of in the third person2 his death is referred to as an event that is already past4 #ci4 ,and there arose not a prophet since in ,israel like unto ,moses 7,deut4 xxxiv1 #aj74 ,not only is the highest praise bestowed upon ,moses1 a thing which he would not have done1 but the language clearly shows that it was written centuries after the time he lived4 #dj4 ,the religious history of the ,hebrews embraces three periods of time1 each covering centuries4 ,during the first period the worship of ,jehovah was confined to no particular place2 during the second it was confined to the holy city1 ,jerusalem2 during the third it was confined1 not merely to ,jerusalem1 but to the temple itself4 ,there are writings in the ,pentateuch belonging to each of these periods4 ,the ,encyclopedia ,britannica declares that this fact alone affords overwhelming disproof of ,mosaic authorship4 #da4 ,the religion of the ,pentateuch was not a revelation1 but an evolution4 ,the priestly offices1 the feasts1 the sacrifices1 and other religious observances underwent many changes1 these changes representing different stages of development in ,israel's religion and requiring centuries of time to effect4 #db4 ,the legislation of the ,pentateuch was also the growth of centuries4 ,some of the minor codes are much older than the documents containing them4 ,there is legislation older than ,david1 #ajee ,b4,c4--probably as old as ,moses1 #adea ,b4,c4 ,there is legislation belonging to the time of ,josiah1 #fbf ,b4,c41 of ,ezekiel1 #ege ,b4,c41 of ,ezra1 #def ,b4,c4 ,would it not be absurd to claim that all the laws of ,england from ,alfred to ,victoria were the work of one mind1 ,alfred8 ,and is it less absurd to claim that all the laws of the ,jews from ,moses to ,ezra were instituted by ,moses8 #dc4 ,the ,pentateuch abounds with repetitions and contradictions4 ,the first two chapters of ,genesis contain two accounts of the ,creation differing in every important particular4 ,in the sixth1 seventh1 and eighth chapters of ,genesis two different and contradictory accounts of the ,deluge are intermingled4 ,exodus and ,deuteronomy each contain a copy of the ,decalogue1 the two differing as to the reason assigned for the institution of the ,sabbath4 ,there are several different versions of the call of ,abraham2 different and conflicting stories of the ,egyptian plagues2 contradictory accounts of the conquest of ,canaan4 ,the ,work of ,various ,authors and ,compilers4 #dd4 ,the four preceding arguments suggest the concluding and most important one4 ,the character of the writings of the ,pentateuch preclude the possibility of unity of authorship1 and consequently the ,mosaic authorship of the work as a whole4 ,the books of the ,pentateuch were not all composed by one author4 ,the book of ,genesis is not the work of one author4 ,the first two chapters of ,genesis were not written by the same writer4 ,the ,pentateuch was written by various writers and at various times4 ,the ,pentateuch comprises four large documents known as the ,elohistic and ,jehovistic documents1 and the ,deuteronomic and ,priestly ,codes4 ,they are distinguished by the initial letters ,e1 ,j1 ,d1 and ,p4 ,e and ,j include the greater portion of ,genesis and extend through the other books of the ,pentateuch1 as well as through ,joshua1 ,judges1 ,samuel1 and ,kings4 ,d includes the greater portion of ,deuteronomy1 fragments of the preceding books1 and a large portion of ,joshua4 ,p includes the greater portion of the middle books of the ,pentateuch and smaller portions of the other books4 ,the author of each of these documents incorporated into his work one or more older documents4 ,these four works were afterwards united by successive editors or redactors4 ,e and ,j were first fused into one4 ,a subsequent redactor united ,d with this1 and still later another united this compilation with ,p4 ,in addition to these principal documents there are several minor codes1 chief of which is the ,holiness ,code comprising ten chapters of ,leviticus1 xvii-xxvi4 ,there are also several poems written by various authors4 ,thus the ,pentateuch instead of being the product of one mind is the work of many writers and compilers1 probably twenty or more4 ,these documents1 especially the principal ones1 notwithstanding the intermingling of their contents1 are easily distinguished and separated from each other by ,bible critics4 ,the thoughts of the human mind1 like the features of the human face1 controlled by the law of variation1 assume different forms4 ,we who are familiar with faces have no difficulty in distinguishing one face from another4 ,no two faces are alike4 ,critics who have devoted their lives to literature can distinguish the writings of individuals almost as readily as we distinguish the faces of individuals4 ,there are certain idioms of language1 certain peculiarities of style1 belonging to each writer4 ,the language and style of these documents are quite dissimilar4 ,to quote ,dr4 ,briggs3 ,there is as great a difference in style between the documents of the ,hexateuch as there is between the ,four ,gospels4 ,the principal documents are thus described by this critic3 ,e is brief1 terse1 and archaic2 graphic1 plastic1 and realistic2 written in the theocratic interest of the kingdom of ,god4 ,j is poetical and descriptive1 the best narrative in the ,bible1 giving us the history of the kingdom of redemption4 ,d is rhetorical and hortatory1 practical and earnest1 written in the more theological interest of the training of the nation in the fatherly instruction of ,god4 ,p is annalistic and diffuse1 fond of names and dates1 written in the interest of the priestly order1 and emphasizing the sovereignty of the ,holy ,god and the sanctity of the divine institutions 7,hexateuch1 p4 #bfe74 ,each document abounds with characteristic words and phrases peculiar to that document4 ,holzinger notes #ajh belonging to ,e and #abe belonging to ,j4 ,canon ,driver gives #da belonging to ,d and #ej belonging to ,p4 ,one of the chief distinguishing marks is the term used to designate the ,deity4 ,in ,e it is ,elohim1 translated ,god2 in ,j1 ,jehovah 7,yahveh7 ,elohim1 translated ,lord ,god4 ,in ,d the writer continually uses the phrase ,the ,lord thy ,god1 this phrase occurring more than #bjj times4 ,i am ,jehovah is a phrase used by ,p1 including the ,holiness ,code1 #gj times4 ,it is never used by ,e or ,d4 ,god of the ,fathers is frequently used by ,e and ,d2 never by ,p4 ,bishop ,colenso's analysis of ,genesis is as follows3 ,elohist1 #ccf verses2 ,jehovist1 #a1jeb verses2 ,deuteronomist1 #ci verses2 ,priestly writer1 #ajf verses4 ,the ,pentateuch was chiefly written and compiled from seven to ten centuries after the time claimed4 ,the ,elohistic and ,jehovistic documents1 the oldest of the four1 were written at least #cjj years after the time of ,david and #gjj years after the time of ,moses4 ,they were probably written at about the same time4 ,e belongs to the ,northern ,kingdom of ,israel1 ,j to the ,southern ,kingdom of ,judah4 ,the unanimous verdict of critics is that ,deuteronomy was written during the reign of ,josiah1 about #fbf ,b4,c41 #hbe years after ,moses died4 ,the ,holiness ,code belongs to the age of ,ezekiel1 about fifty years later4 ,the ,priestly ,code was written after the ,exile1 in the time of ,ezra1 #a1jjj years after ,moses4 ,important changes and additions were made as late as the third century ,b4,c41 so that1 excepting the variations and interpolations of later times1 the ,pentateuch in something like its present form appeared about #a1bjj years after the time of ,moses4 ,the higher ,criticism--,its ,triumph and ,its ,consequences4 ,the certainty and the consequences of the ,higher ,criticism of the ,pentateuch are thus expressed by ,hupfeld3 ,the discovery that the ,pentateuch is put together out of various sources1 or original documents1 is beyond all doubt not only one of the most important and most pregnant with consequences for the interpretation of the historical books of the ,old ,testament1 or rather for the whole of theology and history1 but it is also one of the most certain discoveries which have been made in the domain of criticism and the history of literature4 ,whatever the anti-critical party may bring forward to the contrary1 it will maintain itself1 and not retrograde again through anything1 so long as there exists such a thing as criticism1 and it will not be easy for a reader upon the stage of culture on which we stand in the present day1 if he goes to the examination unprejudiced1 and with an uncorrupted power of appreciating the truth1 to be able to ward off its influence4 ,the critical labors of ,hobbes1 ,spinoza1 ,peyrerius1 ,simon1 ,astruc1 ,eichorn1 ,paine1 ,bauer1 7,g4 ,l47 ,de ,wette1 ,ewald1 ,geddes1 ,vater1 ,reuss1 ,graf1 ,davidson1 ,colenso1 ,hupfeld1 ,wellhausen1 ,kuenen1 ,briggs1 and others1 have overthrown the old notions concerning the authenticity of the ,pentateuch4 ,there is not one eminent ,bible scholar in ,europe1 and scarcely one in ,america1 who any longer contends that ,moses wrote this work4 ,the pioneers in the field of the ,higher ,criticism were the ,rationalists ,hobbes and ,spinoza and the ,catholics ,peyrerius1 ,simon1 and ,astruc4 ,more than two hundred years ago ,benedict ,spinoza1 the greatest of modern ,jews1 with his own race and the entire ,christian church against him1 made this declaration1 which the scholarship of the whole world now accepts3 ,it is as clear as the noonday light that the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses 7,tractatus ,theologico-,politicus1 ,chap1 viii1 ,sec4 #bj74 ,a century passed1 and ,thomas ,paine in ,france1 in the most potent volume of ,higher ,criticism ever penned1 exposed in all their nakedness the wretched claims of the traditionalists4 ,he read the ,pentateuch and wrote3 ,those books are spurious4 ,moses is not the author of them4 ,the style and manner in which those books are written give no room to believe1 or even to suppose1 they were written by ,moses4 ,they were not written in the time of ,moses1 nor till several hundred years afterwards 7,age of ,reason74 ,about the same time ,german scholars1 ever foremost in the domain of critical analysis1 took up the work4 ,the writings of ,eichorn1 ,bauer1 ,vater1 and ,de ,wette1 swept the field in ,germany4 ,de ,wette1 one of her greatest theologians1 thus presents the conclusion of ,german critics3 ,the opinion that ,moses composed these books is not only opposed by all the signs of a later date which occur in the work itself1 but also by the entire analogy of the history of ,hebrew literature and language 7,books of ,moses1 ,sec4 #afc74 ,fifty years or more elapsed and ,davidson and ,colenso studied and wrote1 and ,british scholarship was soon arrayed against the old in favor of the new4 ,dr4 ,davidson1 in the following words1 voices the opinion of ,england's learned3 ,there is little external evidence for the ,mosaic authorship1 and what little there is does not stand the test of criticism4 ,the succeeding writers of the ,old ,testament do not confirm it4444 ,the objections derived from internal structure are conclusive against the ,mosaic authorship 7,introduction to the ,old ,testament74 ,at last1 in our own land and in our own time1 ,dr4 ,briggs and others attack the ,mosaic theories1 and1 in spite of the efforts of ,princeton's fossils1 the intelligence of ,america acknowledges the force of their reasoning and accepts their conclusions4 ,the ,higher ,criticism has triumphed4 ,spinoza's judgment is confirmed1 and the ,american critic pronounces the verdict of the intellectual world3 ,in the field of scholarship the question is settled4 ,it only remains for the ministry and people to accept it and adapt themselves to it 7,hexateuch1 p4 #add74 ,but this is not the end4 ,a victory has been achieved1 but its full results remain to be realized4 ,the clergy1 against their will1 and the laity1 who are subservient to the clergy's will1 are yet to be enlightened and convinced4 ,even then1 when the facts disclosed by the ,higher ,criticism have gained popular acceptance1 another task remains--the task of showing men the real significance of these facts4 ,the critics themselves1 many of them1 do not seem to realize the consequences of their work4 ,the ,rationalistic critics1 like ,hobbes1 ,spinoza1 ,paine1 ,reuss1 ,wellhausen1 ,kuenen and others1 have measured the consequences of their criticisms and accepted them4 ,the orthodox critics have not4 ,some of them1 like ,dr4 ,briggs1 while denying the ,mosaic authorship and great antiquity of the ,pentateuch1 while maintaining its anonymous and fragmentary character1 and conceding its contradictions and errors1 are yet loath to reject its divinity and authority4 ,but these also must be given up4 ,this work as a divine revelation and authentic record must go4 ,its chief theological doctrine1 the ,fall of ,man1 is a myth4 ,with this doctrine falls the ,atonement1 and with the ,atonement orthodox ,christianity4 ,this is the logical sequence of the ,higher ,criticism of the ,pentateuch4 ,to these critics1 and to all who are intelligent enough to discern the truth and courageous enough to meet it1 ,i would repeat and press home the admonition of our critic1 to accept it and adapt themselves to it4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,prophets4 ,next to the ,pentateuch1 the most important books of the ,old ,testament are the ,prophets4 ,they are divided into two divisions1 ,earlier and ,later4 ,the ,earlier prophets comprise ,joshua1 ,judges1 ,first ,samuel1 ,second ,samuel1 ,first ,kings1 and ,second ,kings4 ,the ,later ,prophets are divided into ,greater and ,minor4 ,the ,greater ,prophets are ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 and ,ezekiel2 the ,minor ,prophets1 ,hosea1 ,joel1 ,amos1 ,obadiah1 ,jonah1 ,micah1 ,nahum1 ,habakkuk1 ,zephaniah1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi4 ,joshua4 ,the book of ,joshua1 it is claimed1 was written by ,joshua just before his death1 which occurred1 according to the accepted chronology1 in #adbf ,b4,c4 ,this book for a time formed a part of the ,pentateuch 7or ,hexateuch74 ,in later times1 to increase its authority1 the ,pentateuch was ascribed to ,moses4 ,a recognition of the fact that ,moses could not have written a history of the events that happened after his death caused that portion now known as ,joshua to be detached and credited to ,joshua4 ,many of the arguments adduced against the ,mosaic authorship of the preceding books apply with equal force against the claim that ,joshua wrote the book which bears his name4 ,the book contains no internal evidence of his authorship2 he does not claim to be its author2 the other writers of the ,old ,testament do not ascribe its authorship to him2 he is spoken of in the third person2 it is clearly the work of more than one writer2 the language in which it was written was not in existence when he lived2 much of it relates to events that occurred after his death4 ,and it came to pass after these things1 that ,joshua1 the son of ,nun1 the servant of the ,lord1 died1 being a hundred and ten years old4 ,and they buried him in the border of his inheritance in ,timnath-serah4444 ,and ,israel served the ,lord all the days of ,joshua1 and all the days of the elders that overlived ,joshua 7,josh4 xxiv1 #bi-ca74 ,as the ,pentateuch gives an account of the death and burial of ,moses1 so the book of ,joshua gives an account of the death and burial of ,joshua4 ,and ,eleazer the son of ,aaron died 7xxiv1 #cc74 ,the death of ,eleazer occurred six years after the death of ,joshua4 ,but the ,jebusites dwell with the children of ,judah at ,jerusalem unto this day 7xv1 #fc74 ,the children of ,judah did not dwell in ,jerusalem until nearly #djj years after ,joshua4 ,the phrase unto this day is frequently used in the book1 and this shows that it was written long after the events it describes4 ,in his account of the miracle of ,joshua causing the sun to stand still1 the writer appeals to the book of ,jasher in support of his statement3 ,is not this written in the book of ,jasher8 7x1 #ac47 ,this could not have been written until after the book of ,jasher was written or compiled4 ,when was ,jasher written8 ,we do not know1 but in his history of ,david the author of ,samuel thus refers to it3 ,he ,david bade them teach the children of ,judah the use of the bow2 behold1 it is written in the book of ,jasher 7#b ,sam4 i1 #ah74 ,this proves that the book of ,jasher was not written before the time of ,david4 ,if the book of ,joshua was not written until after the book of ,jasher was written1 then it could not have been written until the time of ,david or later4 ,the book of ,joshua consists of two parts4 ,the first1 which originally formed a part of1 or sequel to1 ,deuteronomy1 was probably written before the ,captivity2 the latter part was written after the captivity--#ijj years after the time of ,joshua4 ,judges4 ,the authorship of this book has been ascribed to ,samuel4 ,in disproof of this ,i quote the following3 ,now the children of ,judah had fought against ,jerusalem and taken it 7i1 #h74 ,jerusalem was taken by ,judah #ajdh ,b4,c42 ,samuel died #ajfj ,b4,c41 twelve years before it was taken4 ,in those days there was no king in ,israel 7xviii1 #a2 xix1 #a2 xxi1 #be74 ,this passage1 which is repeated several times1 was written after ,israel had become a kingdom1 and evidently long subsequent to the time of ,saul and ,samuel4 ,and they forsook the ,lord1 and served ,baal and ,ashtaroth 7ii1 #ac74 ,this was probably written as late as the reign of ,hoshea1 #gcj ,b4,c4 ,the chapters relating to ,samson indicate a date as late as ,manasseh1 #fih to #fdc ,b4,c4 ,during the reign of this king the ,hebrews became sun-worshipers4 ,samson was a sun-god--the name signifies sun-god4 ,all the stories related of him in ,judges are solar myths4 ,he and his sons were priests to the tribe of ,dan until the day of the captivity of the land 7xviii1 #cj74 ,the above passage denotes a date as late as the ,captivity4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,it is probable that the books of ,judges1 ,ruth1 ,samuel1 and ,kings originally formed one work 7art4 ,ruth74 ,if these books originally formed one work1 ,samuel was not the author of any of them1 for ,kings1 it is admitted1 was written as late as the time of ,jeremiah1 and possibly as late as the time of ,ezra1 from #dej to #fjj years after ,samuel4 ,judges1 like the ,pentateuch and ,joshua1 is the work of several writers4 ,it can scarcely be called even a compilation4 ,it is a mere collection of historical and mythological fragments1 thrown together without any regard to logical arrangement or chronological order4 ,first and ,second ,samuel4 ,it is popularly supposed1 and many ,christian teachers affirm1 that ,samuel wrote the books which bear his name4 ,and yet the writer says1 ,samuel died1 and seven chapters of the first book follow this announcement4 ,the second book in no way pertains to him2 his name is not once mentioned2 the events narrated occurred from four to forty-four years after his death4 ,others claim that the books were written by ,samuel1 ,nathan1 and ,gad1 basing their claim on a passage in ,chronicles1 which says that the acts of ,david are written in the book of ,samuel the seer1 and in the book of ,nathan the prophet1 and in the book of ,gad the seer 7#a ,chron4 xxix1 #bi74 ,as ,samuel died while ,david was yet a young man--four years before he became king--he did not record the acts of ,david4 ,nathan and ,gad are referred to in the books1 but in a manner that forbids the supposition of their authorship4 ,these books were not written by ,samuel2 neither were they written by ,samuel1 ,nathan1 and ,gad4 ,their authorship is unknown4 ,concerning the books of ,samuel1 ,dr4 ,oort writes3 ,there is no book in the ,bible which shows so clearly that its contents are not all derived from the same source4444 ,two conflicting traditions relating to the same subject are constantly placed side by side in perfect simplicity1 and apparently with no idea that the one contradicts the other 7,bible for ,learners1 vol4 i1 pp4 #dcc1 #dcd74 ,first and ,second ,kings4 ,in the ,catholic version1 and in the subtitles of our versions of the ,bible1 ,first and ,second ,samuel and ,first and ,second ,kings are called the ,first1 ,second1 ,third1 and ,fourth books of ,kings4 ,they are properly one book4 ,the division of the work into four books is not only artificial1 but illogical4 ,regarding the authorship of the last two1 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,as regards the authorship of the books1 but little difficulty presents itself4 ,the ,jewish tradition1 which ascribes them to ,jeremiah1 is borne out by the strongest internal evidence 7,kings74 ,is this true8 ,the date assigned for ,jeremiah's composition of the books is #fjj ,b4,c4 ,and yet a considerable portion of the work is devoted to a presentation of the forty years of ,jewish history subsequent to this date4 ,it records the death of ,jehoiakim1 the first siege and taking of ,jerusalem by ,nebuchadnezzar1 the elevation of ,zedekiah to the throne1 his eleven years' reign1 the second siege and capture of ,jerusalem1 and a long list of events that followed4 ,it records the reign of the ,babylonian king1 ,evil-,merodach4 ,this1 according to the popular chronology1 and according to the ,bible ,dictionary1 was from #efa to #eei ,b4,c4--forty years after the date assigned1 and long after the time of ,jeremiah4 ,these books are a mixture of history and fiction4 ,they profess to be a history of the ,hebrew kings2 and yet a dozen chapters are devoted to a fabulous account of the sayings and doings of two ,hebrew prophets1 ,elijah and ,elisha4 ,first and ,second ,chronicles1 which give a history of the same kings1 refer to ,elijah but once1 and make no mention of ,elisha4 ,the confused character of their contents1 especially their chronology1 has often been referred to4 ,they are simply a compilation of ancient documents1 written at various times1 and by various authors4 ,the ,encyclopedia ,britannica expresses the almost unanimous verdict of critics respecting the authorship of the four principal historical books of the ,old ,testament3 ,we cannot speak of the author of ,kings or ,samuel1 but only of an editor or successive editors whose main work was to arrange in a continuous form extracts or abstracts from earlier books4 ,isaiah4 ,isaiah1 the chief of the prophetic books1 and1 next to the ,pentateuch and the ,four ,gospels1 the most important book of the ,bible1 purports to be a series of prophecies uttered during the reigns of ,uzziah1 ,jotham1 ,ahaz1 and ,hezekiah4 ,uzziah's reign began ,b4,c4 #haj1 and ended ,b4,c4 #geh2 ,hezekiah's reign began ,b4,c4 #gbf and ended ,b4,c4 #fih4 ,isaiah's ministry is supposed to have extended from about #gfj to #gjj ,b4,c41 and toward the close of this period1 the book of ,isaiah1 as it now appears1 is said to have been written4 ,in support of ,isaiah's authorship of the entire work the following arguments have been advanced3 #a4 ,its various prophecies exhibit a unity of design4 #b4 ,the style is the same throughout the work4 #c4 ,messianic prophecies abound in both its parts4 #d4 ,no other writer claimed its authorship4 #e4 ,the ancient ,jews all ascribe it to him4 ,the above arguments for the authenticity of the work are partly true and partly untrue4 ,so far as they conflict with the following arguments against its authenticity as a whole they are untrue3 #a4 ,the work is fragmentary in character4 #b4 ,the style of its several parts is quite unlike4 #c4 ,many of its events occurred after ,isaiah's death4 #d4 ,much of it relates to the ,babylonian captivity4 #e4 ,it records both the name and the deeds of ,cyrus4 ,isaiah might very properly be divided into two books1 the first comprising the first thirty-nine chapters2 the second1 the concluding twenty-seven chapters4 ,impartial critics agree that while ,isaiah may have written a portion of the first part he could not have written all of it nor any of the second4 ,this is the conclusion of ,cheyne1 ,davidson1 ,de ,wette1 ,eichorn1 ,ewald1 ,gesenius1 and others4 ,that he wrote neither the first nor the second part of the book1 as it now exists1 is proven by the following passages taken from both3 ,babylon is fallen1 is fallen 7xxi1 #i74 ,sennacherib king of ,assyria came up against all the defensed cities of ,judah1 and took them 7xxxvi1 #a74 ,so ,sennacherib king of ,assyria departed1 and went and returned and dwelt in ,nineveh4 ,and it came to pass1 as he was worshiping in the house of ,nishrock his god1 that ,addrammelech and ,sharezer his sons smote him with the sword2 and they escaped into the land of ,armenia2 and ,esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead 7xxxvii1 #cg1 #ch74 ,sennacherib ascended the throne #gjb ,b4,c4 and died #fhj ,b4,c4 ,isaiah lived in the preceding century4 ,that saith of ,cyrus1 ,he is my shepherd1 and shall perform all my pleasure2 even saying to ,jerusalem1 ,thou shalt be built1 and to the temple1 ,thy foundation shall be laid 7xliv1 #bh74 ,thus saith the ,lord to his anointed1 to ,cyrus 7xlv1 #a74 ,he shall build my city1 and he shall let go my captives 7xlv1 #ac74 ,cyrus conquered ,babylon ,b4,c4 #ech1 and released the ,jews from captivity and permitted them to return and rebuild ,jerusalem and the temple ,b4,c4 #ecf1 nearly two centuries after the time of ,isaiah4 ,regarding these passages1 ,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott1 in a sermon on ,the ,scientific ,conception of ,revelation1 says3 ,if you take up a history and it refers to ,abraham ,lincoln1 you are perfectly sure that it was not written in the time of ,george ,washington4 ,now1 if you take up the book of ,isaiah and read in it about ,cyrus the ,great1 you are satisfied that the book was not written by ,isaiah one hundred years before ,cyrus was born4 ,prof4 ,t4 ,k4 ,cheyne of ,oxford ,university1 the leading modern authority on ,isaiah1 says3 ,that portion of the ,old ,testament which is known as the book of ,isaiah was1 in fact1 written by at least three writers--and possibly many more--who lived at different times and in different places4 ,nearly all of the ninth chapter1 which1 on account of its supposed ,messianic prophecies1 is1 with ,christians1 one of the most valued chapters of the ,bible1 ,professor ,cheyne declares to be an interpolation4 ,that four of the middle chapters1 the thirty-sixth1 thirty-seventh1 thirty-eighth1 and thirty-ninth1 originally formed a separate document is evident4 ,concerning these four chapters1 ,paine truthfully observes3 ,this fragment of history begins and ends abruptly2 it has not the least connection with the chapter that precedes it1 nor with that which follows it1 nor with any other in the book 7,age of ,reason1 p4 #abi74 ,if ,isaiah wrote this book1 and ,jeremiah wrote the books of ,kings1 as claimed2 then either ,isaiah or ,jeremiah was a plagiarist2 for the language of the four chapters just mentioned is1 with a few slight alterations1 identical with that of a portion of the second book of ,kings4 ,the integrity of this book cannot be maintained4 ,it is not the product of one writer1 but of many4 ,how many1 critics may never be able to determine2 certainly not less than five1 probably more than ten4 ,jeremiah4 ,the prophecies of ,jeremiah1 it is affirmed1 were delivered at various times between #fbe and #ehe ,b4,c41 and a final redaction of them was made by him about the latter date4 ,the book1 as it now appears1 is in such a disordered condition that ,christian scholars have to separate it into numerous parts and rearrange them in order to make a consecutive and intelligible narrative4 ,dr4 ,hitchcock1 in his ,analysis of the ,bible 7p #a1add71 says3 ,so many changes have taken place1 or else so many irregularities were originally admitted in the arrangement of the book1 that ,dr4 ,blayney1 whose exposition we chiefly follow1 was obliged to make fourteen different portions of the whole before he could throw it into consecutive order4 ,the following is ,dr4 ,blayney's arrangement of the book3 ,chapters i-xii2 xiii-xx2 xxii1 xxiii2 xxv1 xxvi2 xxxv1 xxxvi2 xlv-xlviii2 xlix 7#a-cc72 xxi2 xxiv2 xxvii-xxxiv2 xxxvii-xxxix2 xlix 7#cd-ci72 l1 li2 xl-xliv4 ,this disordered condition of ,jeremiah indicates one of two things3 a plurality of authors1 or a negligence1 if nothing worse1 on the part of the ,bible's custodians that ,christians will be loath to acknowledge4 ,the book1 as a whole1 was not written by ,jeremiah4 ,he did not write the following3 ,and it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of ,jehoiachin king of ,judah1 in the twelfth month1 in the five and twentieth day of the month1 that ,evil-,merodach king of ,babylon1 in the first year of his reign1 lifted up the head of ,jehoiachin king of ,judah1 and brought him forth out of prison 7lii1 #ca74 ,the release of ,jehoiachin by ,evil-,merodach occurred #efb or #efa ,b4,c4 ,jeremiah had then been dead twenty years4 ,this book is not the work of one author4 ,the thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth chapters were not written by the same person4 ,much of the thirty-eighth is a mere repetition of the thirty-seventh2 and yet the two are so filled with discrepancies that it is impossible to accept both as the writings of the same author4 ,jeremiah1 it is declared1 wrote both ,kings and ,jeremiah4 ,he could not have written the concluding portion of either4 ,the last chapter of #b ,kings and the last chapter of ,jeremiah are the same1 and were written after the time of ,jeremiah4 ,ezekiel4 ,the period assigned for ,ezekiel's prophecies is that beginning ,b4,c4 #eie and ending ,b4,c4 #egc4 ,christians assert that the first twenty-four chapters of the work were written before the destruction of ,jerusalem by ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,the whole work was undoubtedly written after this event4 ,the ,talmud credits its authorship to the ,great ,synagogue4 ,if this be correct1 ,ezekiel had nothing to do with its composition2 for he was not a member of the ,great ,synagogue4 ,ewald1 while claiming for him the utterance of its several prophecies1 believes that the book in its present form is not his work1 but that of a later author4 ,referring to ,ezekiel1 ,dr4 ,oort says3 ,in his case1 far more than in ,jeremiah's even1 we must be on our guard against accepting the written account of his prophecies as a simple record of what he actually said 7,bible for ,learners1 vol4 ii1 p4 #djg74 ,zunz1 a ,german critic1 not only contends that the book is not authentic1 but declares that no such prophet as ,ezekiel ever existed4 ,while it must be admitted that the internal evidence against the integrity and authenticity of ,ezekiel is weaker than that of the other books thus far examined1 it can be confidently asserted that ,bible apologists have been unable to establish either4 ,one damaging fact they concede3 no other writer of the ,bible ever mentions the book or its alleged author4 ,minor ,prophets4 ,the twelve ,minor ,prophets1 ,hosea1 ,joel1 ,amos1 ,obadiah1 ,jonah1 ,micah1 ,nahum1 ,habakkuk1 ,zephaniah1 ,haggai1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi1 require but a passing notice4 ,compared with the other ,prophets1 or even with the principal books of the ,hagiographa1 they are of little importance4 ,a part of them may be genuine--the writings of those to whom their authorship has been ascribed--but there is no external evidence1 either in the ,bible or elsewhere1 to support the claim1 while the internal evidence of the books themselves is not convincing4 ,the date assigned for the composition of ,jonah1 the oldest of the ,later ,prophets1 is #hef--;according to some1 #hfb ,b4,c4 ,he is said to have prophesied during the reign of one ,pul1 king of ,assyria4 ,but unfortunately ,pul's reign is placed in #ggj ,b4,c41 ninety years after the date assigned for the book4 ,jonah is named in the ,four ,gospels1 named by ,christ himself4 ,this is adduced as proof of its authenticity and in support of a literal instead of an allegorical interpretation of its language4 ,but ,christ's language1 even if his divinity be admitted1 proves neither the authenticity nor the historical character of the book4 ,he taught in parables1 and certainly would have no hesitancy in using an allegorical figure as a symbol4 ,no scholar now contends for its authenticity1 and no sane person believes its stories to be historical4 ,luther rejected the book4 ,four other books1 ,hosea1 ,micah1 ,zechariah1 and ,malachi1 are quoted or supposed to be quoted1 by the ,evangelists1 and two1 ,joel and ,amos1 are mentioned in ,acts4 ,this proves no more than that these books were in existence when the ,new ,testament was written--a fact which none disputes4 ,matthew 7ii1 #f7 cites ,micah 7v1 ii7 as a ,messianic prophecy4 ,micah lived during the reign of ,hezekiah and wrote1 not of an event #gjj years in the future1 but of one near at hand1 the expected invasions of the ,assyrians4 ,the passage quoted by ,matthew 7ii1 #ae7 from ,hosea 7xi1 #a7 refers to the exodus of the ,israelites which took place #gjj years before the time of ,hosea4 ,zechariah is the work of at least three writers4 ,davidson says3 ,to ,zechariah's authentic oracles were attached chapters ix-xiv1 themselves made up of two parts 7ix-xi1 xii-xiv7 belonging to different times and authors 7,canon1 p4 #cc74 ,the passage quoted by ,matthew 7xxi1 #e7 is not from the authentic portion of ,zechariah1 but from one of the spurious chapters1 ix1 #i4 ,mark 7#a1 #b1 #c7 quotes a prophecy which he applies to ,john the ,baptist4 ,the passage quoted contains two sentences1 one of which is found in ,malachi 7iii1 #a71 the other in ,isaiah 7xl1 #c74 ,whiston declares that both sentences originally belonged to ,isaiah4 ,if ,whiston is correct the ,evangelist has not quoted ,malachi4 ,this1 the last book of the ,old ,testament1 is an anonymous work1 ,malachi being the name of the book and not of the author4 ,the period assigned for the prophecies of ,amos is from #hjh to #ghe ,b4,c4 ,the book contains the following3 ,in that day will ,i raise up the tabernacle of ,david that is fallen1 and close up the breaches thereof2 and ,i will raise up his ruins1 and ,i will build it as in the days of old 7ix1 #aa74 ,and ,i will bring again the captivity of my people of ,israel1 and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them 7#ad74 ,amos was not written until after the captivity4 ,this commenced #ehh ,b4,c4 and continued fifty years4 ,joel1 it is asserted1 was written #hjj ,b4,c4 ,that this writer also lived after the captivity is shown by the following3 ,i shall bring again the captivity of ,judah and ,jerusalem 7iii1 #a74 ,this passage1 it is claimed1 was a prediction made centuries before the event occurred4 ,joel's ability to predict future events1 however1 is negatived by his next effort3 ,but ,judah shall dwell forever1 and ,jerusalem from generation to generation 7#bj74 ,nineveh is laid waste3 who shall bemoan her8 7,nahum iii1 #g74 ,the composition of ,nahum is placed between #gbj and #fih ,b4,c4 ,nineveh was destroyed #fjf ,b4,c41 a century later4 ,the first verse of ,zephaniah declares that the book was written in the days of ,josiah1 in the seventh century ,b4,c42 the last verse shows that it was written in the days of ,cyrus1 in the sixth century ,b4,c4 ,every chapter of ,habakkuk and ,obadiah's single chapter show that these books were written after the dates assigned4 ,the book of ,haggai is ascribed to ,haggai1 the last person in the world to whom it can reasonably be ascribed4 ,it is not a book of ,haggai1 but about ,haggai4 ,excepting a few brief exhortations1 of which it gives an account1 it does not purport to contain a word from his tongue or pen4 ,this argument applies with still greater force to ,jonah4 ,the greater portion of the ,minor ,prophets are probably forgeries4 ,the names of their alleged authors are attached to them1 but in most cases in the form of a superscription only4 ,each book opens with a brief introduction announcing the author4 ,these introductions were not written by the authors themselves1 but by others4 ,the only authority for pronouncing the books authentic1 then1 is the assurance of some unknown ,jewish scribe or editor4 ,a damaging argument against the authority1 if not against the authenticity1 of the ,prophets is the fact that while the historical records of the ,old ,testament cover the time during which all of them are said to have flourished1 only a few of them are deemed worthy of mention4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,hagiographa4 ,the ,hagiographa comprises the remaining thirteen books of the ,old ,testament4 ,it was divided into three divisions3 #a4 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 ,job4 #b4 ,song of ,solomon1 ,ruth1 ,lamentations1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,esther4 #c4 ,daniel1 ,ezra and ,nehemiah1 ,first and ,second ,chronicles4 ,the ,jews considered these books of less value than those of the ,law and the ,prophets4 ,the books belonging to the third division possess little merit2 but the first two divisions1 omitting ,esther1 together with a few poems in the ,pentateuch and the ,prophets1 contain the cream of ,hebrew literature4 ,psalms4 ,the collection of hymns and prayers used in public worship by ,jews and ,christians1 and called the ,psalms1 stands first in importance as a religious book in the ,hagiographa4 ,christians accept it not only as a book of praise1 but as a prophetic revelation and doctrinal authority4 ,it is popularly supposed that ,david wrote all1 or nearly all1 of the ,psalms4 ,many commentators attribute to him the authorship of one hundred or more4 ,he wrote1 at the most1 but a few of them4 ,the ,jews divided them into five books3 #a4 ,chapters i-xli2 #b4 xlii-lxii2 #c4 lxiii-lxxxix2 #d4 xc-cvi2 #e4 cvii-cl4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary1 a standard orthodox authority1 claims for ,david the authorship of the first book only4 ,the second book1 while including a few of his psalms1 was not compiled1 it says1 until the time of ,hezekiah1 three hundred years after his reign4 ,the psalms of the third book1 it states1 were composed during ,hezekiah's reign2 those of the fourth book following these1 and prior to the ,captivity2 and those of the fifth book after the return from ,babylon1 four hundred years after ,david's time4 ,there are psalms in the third1 fourth1 and fifth books ascribed to ,david1 but they are clearly of much later origin4 ,the ,bible ,dictionary admits that they were not composed by him1 and attempts to account for the ,davidic superscription by assuming that they were written by ,hezekiah1 ,josiah1 and others who were lineal descendants and belonged to the house of ,david4 ,but there is nothing to warrant the assumption that they were written by these ,jewish kings4 ,they were anonymous pieces to which the name of ,david was affixed to add to their authority4 ,the second book concludes with these words3 ,the prayers of ,david1 the son of ,jesse1 are ended4 ,this is accepted to mean that none of the psalms following this book belong to ,david4 ,the ,korahite psalms1 assigned to ,david's reign1 belong to a later age4 ,twelve psalms are ascribed to ,asaph1 who lived in ,david's reign4 ,this passage from one of them was written at least #dcj years after ,david's death3 ,o ,god1 the heathen are come into thine inheritance2 thy holy temple have they defiled3 they have laid ,jerusalem on heaps 7lxxix1 #a74 ,in the second and third books the word ,god occurs #bjf times1 while ,jehovah1 translated ,lord ,god1 occurs but #dd times2 in the remaining three books1 ,god occurs but #bc times1 while ,jehovah occurs #fdj times4 ,psalms xlii and xliii are merely parts of the same psalm4 ,psalm xix consists of two distinct psalms1 the first eleven verses constituting one1 the last three another4 ,psalms xiv and liii are the same2 lx and cviii1 omitting the first four or five verses1 are also the same4 ,the ,septuagint version and the ,alexandrian manuscript contain #aea psalms1 the last one being omitted from other versions4 ,some of the more conservative ,german critics credit ,david with as many as thirty psalms4 ,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott contends that he did not write more than fifteen4 ,the ,dutch scholars1 ,kuenen and ,oort1 believe that he wrote none4 ,and this is probably the truth4 ,while collections of these psalms doubtless existed at an earlier period1 the book1 in its present form1 was compiled during the ,maccabean age1 about one hundred and fifty years before the ,christian era4 ,many of these psalms are fine poetical compositions2 but the greater portion of them are crude in construction1 and some of them fiendish in sentiment4 ,proverbs4 ,the authorship of ,proverbs has been ascribed to ,solomon4 ,he could have written but few of these proverbs1 and probably wrote none4 ,it is a compilation of maxims made many centuries after his time4 ,tradition represented ,solomon as the wisest of men1 and every wise saying whose origin was unknown was credited to him4 ,dr4 ,oort says3 ,the history of ,solomon's wisdom resembles that of ,david's music4 ,in either case the imagination of posterity has given a thoroughly religious character to what was in reality purely secular2 and just as ,david was made the author of a number of psalms1 so various works of the so-called sages1 or proverb-makers1 were ascribed to ,solomon 7,bible for ,learners1 vol4 ii1 p4 #ge74 ,the book consists of seven different collections of proverbs1 as follows3 #a4 i1 #g-;ix2 #b4 x-xxii1 #af2 #c4 xxii1 #ag-xxiv2 #d4 xxv-xxix2 #e4 xxx2 #f4 xxxi1 #a-i2 #g4 xxxi1 #aj-ca4 ,the first six verses are a preface4 ,the first collection1 it is admitted1 was not the work of ,solomon4 ,these proverbs were composed as late as #fjj ,b4,c4 ,the second collection is presented as ,the ,proverbs of ,solomon4 ,if any of ,solomon's proverbs exist they are contained in this collection4 ,the third collection is anonymous4 ,the fourth begins as follows3 ,these are also proverbs of ,solomon1 which the men of ,hezekiah1 king of ,judah1 copied out 7#gjj ,b4,c474 ,the fifth contains ,the words of ,agur the son of ,jakeh4 ,the sixth1 comprising the first nine verses of the last chapter1 are ,the words of ,king ,lemuel4 ,the seventh1 comprising the remainder of the chapter1 is a poem1 written after the ,captivity4 ,job4 ,it is remarkable that the book which1 from a literary point of view1 occupies the first place among the books of the ,bible1 should be the only one in the collection that was not written by a believer in the religion of the ,bible4 ,it is almost universally conceded that the book of ,job was not written by a ,jew1 but by a ,gentile4 ,most ,christians ascribe its authorship to ,job himself2 but there is no more authority for ascribing it to ,job than there is for ascribing the ,pentateuch to ,moses4 ,job is the name of the leading character of the book1 not the name of its author4 ,its authorship is unknown4 ,the ,talmud asserts1 and probably correctly1 that ,job was not a real personage--that the book is an allegory4 ,luther says1 ,it is merely the argument of a fable4 ,regarding its antiquity1 ,dr4 ,hitchcock says3 ,the first written of all the books in the ,bible1 and the oldest literary production in the world1 is the book of ,job4 ,the date assigned for its composition is #aebj ,b4,c4 ,had ,job been written a thousand years before the time claimed1 it would not be the oldest literary production in the world4 ,but it was probably written a thousand years after the time claimed4 ,luther places its composition #ejj years after this time2 ,renan says that it was written #hjj years later1 ,ewald and ,davidson #ijj years later4 ,grotius and ,de ,wette believe that it was written #ajjj years after the date assigned1 while ,hartmann and others contend that it was written still later4 ,while its exact date cannot be determined1 there is internal evidence pointing to a much later age than that named4 ,which maketh ,arcturus1 ,orion1 and ,pleiades1 and the chambers of the south 7ix1 #i74 ,the use of these ,greek astronomical names proves a later origin4 ,so1 too1 does the following passage3 ,the ,chaldeans made out three bands 7i1 #ag74 ,of this people ,chambers' ,encyclopedia says3 ,the ,chaldeans are first heard of in the ninth century before ,christ as a small ,accadian tribe on the ,persian ,gulf4 ,this was seven centuries after the date assigned for ,job1 while the same authority states that ,chaldea did not exist until a still later period4 ,the poem of ,job1 as originally composed1 comprised the following3 ,chapters i-xxvii1 #aj2 xxviii-xxxi2 xxviii-xli1 #ab2 xlii1 #a-f4 ,all the rest of the book1 about eight chapters--nearly one fifth of it--consists of clumsy forgeries4 ,the poet is a radical thinker who boldly questions the wisdom and justice of ,god4 ,to counteract the influence of his work these interpolations which controvert its teachings were inserted4 ,nor is this all4 ,our translators have still further mutilated the work4 ,its most damaging lines they have mistranslated or glossed over4 ,thus ,job 7xiii1 #ae7 says3 ,he ,god will slay me2 ,i have no hope4 ,yet they make him say the very reverse of this3 ,though he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in him4 ,the ,five ,rolls4 ,the second division of the ,hagiographa1 known as the ,five ,rolls1 or ,megilloth1 contains five small books--,the ,song of ,solomon1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,lamentations1 ,ruth1 and ,esther4 ,the ,song of ,solomon1 ,song of ,songs1 or ,canticles1 as it is variously called1 and ,ecclesiastes1 or ,the ,preacher1 are said to be the works of ,solomon--the former a product of his youth1 the latter of his old age4 ,it is quite certain that the same author did not write both1 and equally certain that ,solomon wrote neither4 ,the ,song of ,solomon1 ,ewald affirms1 is an anonymous poem1 written about the middle of the tenth century ,b4,c44--after ,solomon's time4 ,it is doubtless of much later origin4 ,it belongs to ,northern1 and not to ,southern ,palestine4 ,this alone proves that ,solomon did not write it4 ,the ,talmud says1 ,hezekiah and his company wrote ,isaiah1 ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiastes1 and ,song of ,songs4 ,hengstenberg1 one of the most orthodox of commentators1 says that ,ecclesiastes was written centuries after the time of ,solomon4 ,davidson believes that it was written as late as #cej ,b4,c42 while ,hartmann and ,hitzig1 ,german critics1 contend that it was written still later4 ,solomon's ,song is an amorous poem1 beautiful in its way4 ,but when we turn to it in the ,christian ,bible and find the running titles of every page and the table of contents of every chapter filled with sanctimonious drivel about ,christ and his bride1 the ,church1 we are reminded of a lecherous parson masquerading under the cloak of piety among his female parishioners4 ,the ,preacher of ,ecclesiastes is something of a ,freethought preacher4 ,he is a skeptic and a philosopher4 ,lamentations1 it is claimed1 was composed by ,jeremiah4 ,there is little evidence either for or against this claim4 ,oort affirms that its ascription to ,jeremiah is a mistaken tradition1 that its five poems were written by five different authors and at different times4 ,the habit of ascribing anonymous writings to eminent men was prevalent among the ,jews4 ,moses1 ,joshua1 ,samuel1 ,david1 ,solomon1 ,daniel1 and probably ,jeremiah1 have been declared the authors of books of which they never heard4 ,ruth is the only book of the ,bible whose authorship is generally conceded by ,christians to be unknown4 ,dr4 ,hitchcock says3 ,there is nothing whatever by which the authorship of it can be determined4 ,many orthodox scholars admit that ,esther's authorship1 like that of ,ruth1 is unknown4 ,some credit it to ,mordecai4 ,it was written as late as #cjj ,b4,c41 #aej years after ,mordecai's time4 ,the ,vulgate and modern ,catholic versions include six chapters not found in our authorized version4 ,there are many books in the ,bible devoid of truth1 but probably none so self-evidently false as ,esther4 ,it has been described as a tissue of glaring impossibilities from beginning to end4 ,luther pronounces it a heathenish extravagance4 ,daniel4 ,christians class ,daniel with the ,greater ,prophets1 and assign its authorship to the sixth century ,b4,c4 ,it belongs to the ,hagiographa and was one of the last books of the ,old ,testament to be written4 ,a considerable portion of the book relates to ,belshazzar4 ,twenty times in one chapter is he referred to as the king of ,babylon1 and five times is he called the son of ,nebuchadnezzar4 ,yet ,belshazzar was not the son of ,nebuchadnezzar1 neither was he king of ,babylon4 ,again the author devotes several chapters to ,darius the ,median1 who1 he says1 defeated the ,chaldeans and conquered ,babylon4 ,now1 nearly everybody1 excepting this writer1 supposed that it was ,cyrus the ,persian who conquered ,babylon4 ,darius the ,median was never king of ,babylon4 ,this book was written by one ignorant of ,babylonian history1 and not by ,daniel1 who lived in ,babylon1 and who is said to have been next to the king in authority4 ,prof4 ,a4 ,h4 ,sayce1 ,professor of ,assyriology in ,oxford ,university1 considered by many the greatest of archologists1 a believer in the divinity of the ,bible and an opponent of ,higher ,criticism1 is compelled to reject ,daniel4 ,in a recent article1 he says3 ,the old view of the old ,book is correct excepting the book of ,daniel1 which is composed of legends4444 ,the historical facts as we know them from the contemporaneous records are irreconcilable with the statements found in the historical portions of ,daniel4 ,this statement1 aside from its rejection of ,daniel1 is significant4 ,here is a man whose life-long study and researches make him preeminently qualified to judge of one book's authenticity and credibility4 ,this book he rejects4 ,the books he accepts are those concerning which he is not specially qualified to judge4 ,dr4 ,arnold says3 ,i have long thought that the greater part of the book of ,daniel is most certainly a very late work1 of the time of the ,maccabees 7,life and ,correspondence1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #ahh74 ,this conclusion of ,dr4 ,arnold's1 made seventy years ago1 is confirmed by the later critics who place its composition in the reign of ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 about #afe ,b4,c4 ,a part1 if not all of the book1 was written in ,aramaic4 ,in the ,greek version the three small ,apocryphal books1 ,history of ,susannah1 ,song of the ,three ,holy ,children1 and ,bel and the ,dragon1 are included in it4 ,the fact that the ,jews placed ,daniel in the ,hagiographa1 instead of the ,prophets1 is fatal to the claims regarding its authorship and date4 ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,ezra and ,nehemiah for a time constituted one book1 ,ezra4 ,this was afterwards divided into two books and called ,the ,first and ,second books of ,ezra4 ,both were ascribed to ,ezra4 ,subsequently the names were changed to those by which they are now known1 and the authorship assigned respectively to ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,that both were not composed by the same author is shown by the fact that each contains a copy of the register of the ,jews that returned from ,babylon4 ,critics agree that ,ezra did not write all of the book which now bears his name--that it is the work of various authors and was written1 for the most part1 long after ,ezra's time4 ,a portion of it was written in ,hebrew and the remainder in ,aramaic4 ,nehemiah wrote1 at the most1 but a part of the book ascribed to him4 ,he did not write the following3 ,the ,levites in the days of ,eliashib1 ,joiada1 and ,johanan1 and ,jaddua1 were recorded chief of the fathers2 also the priests to the reign of ,darius the ,persian 7xii1 #bb74 ,darius the ,persian began to reign #ccf ,b4,c42 ,nehemiah wrote #dcc ,b4,c4 ,there were in the days of 444 ,nehemiah the governor 7xii1 #bf74 ,in the days of ,nehemiah 7#dg74 ,these passages show that the book1 as a whole1 was not only not written by ,nehemiah1 but not until long after the time of ,nehemiah4 ,spinoza says that both ,ezra and ,nehemiah were written two or three hundred years after the time claimed4 ,the later critics are generally agreed that neither ,ezra nor ,nehemiah had anything to do with the composition of these books4 ,first and ,second ,chronicles4 ,the concluding books of the ,hagiographa1 and of the ,old ,testament1 if arranged in their proper order1 are ,first and ,second ,chronicles4 ,theologians tell us that they were written or compiled by ,ezra #def ,b4,c4 ,by carefully comparing the genealogy given in the third chapter of #a ,chronicles with that given in the first chapter of ,matthew1 it will be seen that the records of ,chronicles are brought down to within a few generations of ,jesus4 ,these books are a compilation of documents made centuries after the time that ,ezra and ,nehemiah are supposed to have completed the canon of the ,old ,testament1 and a hundred years after the date assigned for the ,septuagint translation4 ,the fragmentary character of many of the books of the ,bible1 and particularly of ,chronicles1 is shown in the conclusion of the second book4 ,it closes with an unfinished sentence1 as follows3 ,the ,lord his ,god is with him and let him go up--4 ,the concluding words may be found in another book of the ,bible--,ezra 7i1 #c73 ,to ,jerusalem1 which is in ,judah1 and build the house of the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 etc4 ,the first verses of ,ezra are identical with the last verses of ,chronicles4 ,the compiler of ,chronicles had seemingly begun to copy the document which now forms a part of the book of ,ezra1 and in the middle of a sentence was suddenly called away from his work1 never to resume and complete it4 ,we have now reviewed the books of the ,old ,testament4 ,we have seen that the claims made in support of their authenticity are1 for the most part1 either untrue or incapable of proof4 ,when and by whom ,genesis1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus1 ,numbers1 ,deuteronomy1 ,joshua1 ,judges1 ,ruth1 ,first and ,second ,samuel1 ,first and ,second ,kings1 ,first and ,second ,chronicles1 ,ezra1 ,nehemiah1 ,esther1 ,job1 ,psalms1 ,proverbs1 ,ecclesiastes1 ,song of ,solomon1 ,lamentations1 ,daniel1 ,jonah1 ,haggai1 and ,malachi were written is unknown4 ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 ,amos1 and ,zechariah wrote1 at the most1 but portions of the books ascribed to them4 ,the few remaining books may have been written by those whose names they bear1 though even these are veiled in doubt4 ,there is not one book in the ,old ,testament whose authenticity1 like that of many ancient ,greek and ,roman books1 is fully established4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,the ,,four ,,gospels4 ,the lesser in size but the greater in importance of the two divisions of the ,bible is the ,new ,testament4 ,the principal books of the ,new ,testament1 and the most highly valued by ,christians of all the books of the ,bible1 are the ,four ,gospels4 ,these books1 it is affirmed1 were written by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 in the first century2 ,matthew between #cg and #ej1 ,mark and ,luke between #ef and #fc1 and ,john between #gh and #ig ,a4,d4 ,the orthodox claims regarding the origin of these books are thus expressed by ,dr4 ,hitchcock3 ,the ,four ,gospels are the best authenticated ancient writings in the world2 so clear1 weighty1 and extensive is the mass of testimony in favor of them 7,analysis of the ,bible1 p4 #aadi74 ,these four books1 together constituting the best attested piece of history in the world1 were written by four eye-witnesses of the facts narrated 7,ibid1 p4 #aaea74 ,matthew and ,john were ,apostles and ,mark and ,luke were companions and disciples of ,apostles 7,ibid74 ,if these books are authentic and divinely inspired1 as claimed1 ,christianity is built upon a rock1 and the floods and winds of adverse criticism will beat against it in vain2 but if they are not authentic--if they were not written by the ,evangelists named--if they are merely anonymous books1 written one hundred and fifty years after the events they purport to record1 as many contend1 then it is built upon the sand and must fall4 ,the ,apostles4 ,christians claim to have an unbroken chain of testimony to the genuineness and credibility of the ,four ,gospels from the alleged dates of their composition down to the present time4 ,i shall endeavor to show that they have no such chain of testimony--that the most important part of it is wanting4 ,twenty books--all of the remaining books of the ,new ,testament but three--are ascribed to the ,apostles ,paul1 ,peter1 and ,john4 ,all of these books1 it is affirmed1 were written after ,matthew was written1 and about one-half of them after ,mark and ,luke were written4 ,if this be true1 some proofs of the existence of the ,synoptic ,gospels ought to be found in these books4 ,of the fourteen ,epistles credited to ,paul all have been assigned later dates than ,matthew1 and a portion of them later dates than ,mark and ,luke4 ,but there is not a word to indicate that any one of these ,gospels was in existence when ,paul wrote4 ,the two ,epistles of ,peter1 it is claimed1 were written after ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke were written4 ,but these ,epistles contain no mention of them4 ,the four remaining books1 ,first1 ,second1 and ,third ,john and ,revelation1 are said to have been written after these ,gospels were composed4 ,their reputed author1 however1 knows nothing of these gospels4 ,the three great ,apostles are silent--three links at the very beginning of this chain are missing4 ,the ,apostolic ,fathers4 ,after the ,apostles1 and contemporary with the oldest of them1 come the ,apostolic ,fathers1 ,clement of ,rome1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp4 ,clement wrote about the close of the first century4 ,there are two ,epistles credited to him1 but in these ,epistles are to be found no evidences of the existence of the ,four ,gospels4 ,ignatius is said to have suffered martyrdom in the year #aaf4 ,there are fifteen ,epistles which bear his name4 ,a few of these are believed to be genuine1 while the remainder are conceded to be forgeries4 ,but in none of them1 neither in the genuine nor in the spurious1 is there any evidence that the ,gospels had appeared when they were written4 ,polycarp1 ,bishop of ,smyrna1 who is said to have been the companion of ,john1 died at a very advanced age1 about the year #afg4 ,his ,epistle to the ,philippians is extant1 but it contains no reference to the ,gospels4 ,hermas and ,barnabas are usually classed with the ,apostolic ,fathers4 ,the ,shepherd of ,hermas and the ,epistle of ,barnabas make no mention of the ,evangelists4 ,that the writings of the ,apostolic ,fathers contain no proofs of the existence of the ,four ,gospels is admitted even by ,christian writers4 ,dr4 ,westcott admits it3 ,reference in the sub-apostolic age to the discourses or actions of our ,lord1 as we find them recorded in the ,gospels1 show1 as far as they go1 that what the ,gospels relate was then held to be true2 but it does not necessarily follow that they were already in use1 and were the actual source of the passages in question4 ,on the contrary1 the mode in which ,clement refers to our ,lord's teaching--'the ,lord said1' not 'saith'--seems to imply that he was indebted to tradition1 and not to any written accounts1 for words most closely resembling those which are still found in our ,gospels4 ,the main testimony of the ,apostolic ,fathers is1 therefore1 to the substance1 and not to the authenticity of the ,gospels 7,on the ,canon of the ,new ,testament1 p4 #eb74 ,bishop ,marsh makes the following admission3 ,from the ,epistle of ,barnabas1 no inference can be deduced that he had read any part of the ,new ,testament4 ,from the genuine ,epistle1 as it is called1 of ,clement of ,rome1 it may be inferred that ,clement had read the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,from the ,shepherd of ,hermas no inference whatsoever can be drawn4 ,from the ,epistles of ,ignatius it may be concluded that he had read ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 and that there existed in his time evangelical writings1 though it cannot be shown that he has quoted them4 ,from ,polycarp's ,epistle to the ,philippians it appears that he had heard of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to that community1 and he quotes a passage which is in the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians and another which is in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians2 but no positive conclusion can be drawn with respect to any other epistle1 or any of the ,four ,gospels 7,michaelis1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ced74 ,dr4 ,dodwell says3 ,we have at this day certain most authentic ecclesiastical writers of the times1 as ,clemens ,romanus1 ,barnabas1 ,hermas1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp1 who wrote in the order wherein ,i have named them1 and after all the writers of the ,new ,testament4 ,but in ,hermas you will not find one passage or any mention of the ,new ,testament1 nor in all the rest is any one of the ,evangelists named 7,dissertations upon ,irenus74 ,professor ,norton says3 ,when we endeavor to strengthen this evidence by appealing to the writings ascribed to ,apostolic ,fathers we1 in fact1 weaken its force4 ,at the very extremity of the chain of evidence1 where it ought to be strongest1 we are attaching defective links which will bear no weight 7,genuineness of the ,gospels1 ,vol ,i41 p4 #ceg74 ,clement1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp1 all refer to the ,epistles of ,paul1 showing that they were in existence when they wrote and that they were acquainted with them4 ,but they never mention the ,four ,gospels1 and this silence affords conclusive evidence that these books as authoritative documents did not exist in their time2 for it is unreasonable to suppose that they would use the least important and make no use of the most important books of the ,new ,testament4 ,three additional and three of the principal links in this unbroken chain of testimony are wanting1 and must be supplied before the authenticity of the ,four ,gospels can be established4 ,the ,christian ,fathers4 ,the early ,christian ,fathers had no knowledge of the existence of the ,four ,gospels4 ,one of the earliest and one of the most eminent of the ,christian ,fathers was ,justin ,martyr4 ,he lived and wrote about the middle of the second century4 ,his writings are rather voluminous1 and are devoted to the task of proving to both ,jews and ,gentiles the divinity of ,christ and the divine origin of ,christianity4 ,if a ,christian writer were to attempt to demonstrate this now1 where would he go for his authority8 ,to the ,four ,gospels4 ,these would constitute his chief--almost his entire authority4 ,now1 had these books been extant when ,justin wrote1 and valued as they are by ,christians to-day1 he would have used them1 he would have quoted from them1 he would have named them4 ,but he makes no use of them1 he never mentions them4 ,he makes more than three hundred quotations from the ,old ,testament--,messianic prophecies1 etc4--and in nearly two hundred instances he names the books from which he quotes4 ,he makes nearly one hundred quotations from ,christian writings that are now considered apocryphal1 but he makes none from the ,four ,gospels4 ,this silence of ,justin is the most damaging argument that has been adduced against the authenticity of the ,gospels4 ,this demonstrates one of two things3 that these books were not in existence when ,justin ,martyr wrote1 were not in existence at the middle of the second century1 or if they were1 the foremost ,christian scholar of his age rejected them4 ,recognizing the significance of this damaging fact1 ,christian apologists have attempted to show that ,justin was acquainted with our ,gospels by citing extracts from his writings similar to passages found in them4 ,westcott adduces seven passages1 but admits that two only are wholly identical4 ,he says3 ,of the seven1 five agree verbally with the text of ,st4 ,matthew or ,st4 ,luke1 exhibiting1 indeed1 three slight various readings not elsewhere found1 but such as are easily explicable4 ,the sixth is a condensed summary of words related by ,st4 ,matthew2 the seventh alone presents an important variation in the text of a verse1 which is1 however1 otherwise very uncertain 7,canon of the ,new ,testament1 p4 #aca74 ,think of this renowned defender of ,christianity1 ,justin ,martyr1 attempting to establish the divinity of ,christ by citing four hundred texts from the ,old ,testament and apocryphal books and two only from the ,evangelists6 ,there is really but one passage in the ,gospels to be found in ,justin4 ,but if it could be shown that they contain many passages similar to1 or even identical with1 passages found in his writings1 this would not prove that he has quoted from them4 ,it is not claimed that these ,gospels are mere fabrications of their authors1 or that they are composed entirely of original matter4 ,they consist largely of traditions1 and these traditions1 many of them1 were embodied in other and older books which were used by the early ,fathers4 ,while the ,four ,gospels were not extant in ,justin's time1 some of the documents of which they are composed1 particularly those containing the reputed sayings of ,jesus1 had already appeared and were frequently cited by the ,fathers4 ,these citations1 ,paley1 ,lardner1 ,westcott1 and others1 in their evidences of ,christianity1 have adduced as proofs of the early origin of the ,four ,gospels4 ,justin's quotations are chiefly from what he calls the ,memoirs of the ,apostles4 ,these1 it is claimed1 were the ,four ,gospels4 ,if so1 then the gospels we have are not genuine1 for the quotations from the ,memoirs are not to be found in our ,gospels4 ,justin says that ,mary 7not ,joseph7 was descended from ,david2 that ,jesus was born in a cave2 that the ,magi came from ,arabia2 that ,jesus made ploughs and yokes2 that a fire was kindled in the ,jordan at his baptism2 that he was called a magician4 ,the ,memoirs1 or ,gospels1 from which ,justin quotes are not our ,gospels4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,giles repudiates the claim that ,justin ,martyr recognized the ,gospels4 ,he says3 ,the very names of the ,evangelists1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john1 are never mentioned by him--do not occur once in all his works4 ,it is1 therefore1 childish to say that he has quoted from our existing ,gospels 7,christian ,records1 p4 #ga74 ,papias1 a ,christian bishop and a contemporary of ,justin ,martyr1 is cited as a witness for the ,gospels4 ,he is quoted by ,eusebius as referring to writings of ,matthew and ,mark4 ,but the books he mentions are plainly not the gospels of ,matthew and ,mark4 ,of ,matthew he says3 ,matthew composed the oracles in the ,hebrew dialect1 and every one interpreted them as he was able 7,eusebius' ,ecclesiastical ,history1 book iii1 p4 #ci74 ,this was not the biographical narrative known as ,matthew1 but probably an apocryphal book called the ,oracles of ,christ1 which some ascribed to ,matthew4 ,mark is referred to as follows3 ,mark having become the interpreter of ,peter1 wrote accurately whatever he remembered1 though he did not arrange in order the things which were either said or done by ,christ4 ,for he neither heard the ,lord1 nor followed him2 but afterwards1 as ,i said1 accompanied ,peter1 who adapted his teaching to the occasion1 and not as making a consecutive record of the ,lord's discourses 7,ecclesiastical ,history1 book iii1 p4 #ci74 ,this does not describe our ,gospel of ,mark1 which1 although a compilation1 is a consecutive narrative of events1 and not a collection of isolated fragments4 ,but even if ,papias was acquainted with the ,gospels1 he is a poor witness to their credibility1 for he accepted the teachings of tradition in preference to the books which he knew3 ,i held that what was to be derived from books did not profit me as that from the living and abiding voice tradition 7,ecclesiastical ,history1 iii1 #ci74 ,dr4 ,davidson admits that the books mentioned by ,papias were not our ,gospels4 ,he says3 ,papias speaks of ,matthew and ,mark1 but it is most probable that he had documents which either formed the basis of our present ,matthew and ,mark or were taken into them and written over 7,canon of the ,bible1 p4 #abd74 ,he neither felt the want nor knew the existence of inspired ,gospels 7,ibid1 p4 #abc74 ,the writings of thirty ,christian authors who wrote prior to #agj are still extant4 ,in all these writings there is to be found no mention of the ,four ,gospels4 ,in the writings of ,theophilus1 bishop of ,antioch1 occurs the following3 ,john says3 ',in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was ,god4' ,this was written in #ahj1 after the middle of the latter half of the second century1 and is the earliest proof of the existence of any one of the ,four ,gospels4 ,irenus1 bishop of ,lyons1 who wrote about #aij1 is the earliest writer who mentions all of the ,four ,gospels4 ,he names them2 he declares them to be inspired2 he makes four hundred quotations from them4 ,the ,four ,gospels were in existence when ,irenus wrote1 and they were undoubtedly composed between the time of ,justin ,martyr and the time of ,irenus--that is1 some time during the latter half of the second century4 ,writers on the evidences of ,christianity endeavor to establish the genuineness of the ,four ,gospels by showing that the ,fathers who lived and wrote during the two centuries following the ministry and death of ,jesus accepted and quoted them as authorities4 ,they credit these ,fathers with more than four thousand evangelical quotations4 ,but where are these quotations to be found8 ,nearly all of them in ,irenus1 ,clemens of ,alexandria1 ,tertullian1 and ,origen1 while in ,clement of ,rome1 ,ignatius1 ,polycarp1 and ,justin ,martyr few or none are claimed4 ,the fact that the writings of the ,fathers which appeared immediately after #ahj contain thousands of evangelical references1 while in all the writings which appeared before #agj the evangelists are not even named1 affords conclusive evidence that the ,four ,gospels were composed during or near the decade that elapsed between #agj and #ahj ,a4,d4 ,internal ,evidence4 ,the ,four ,gospels do not claim to have been composed by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 ,the titles are not ,the ,gospel of ,matthew1 ,the ,gospel of ,mark1 ,the ,gospel of ,luke1 and ,the ,gospel of ,john1 but ,the ,gospel ,according to ,matthew1 ,the ,gospel ,according to ,mark1 ,the ,gospel ,according to ,luke1 and ,the ,gospel ,according to ,john4 ,the titles simply imply that they are according to the real or traditional teachings of these ,evangelists4 ,so far as the textual authorship is concerned1 they are1 and do not purport to be other than1 anonymous books4 ,omit these titles1 and not one word remains to indicate their authorship4 ,now1 it is admitted that these books did not originally bear these titles4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who believes that they are genuine1 says 7,homilies i7 that the authors did not place their names at the head of their ,gospels1 but that this was afterward done by the church4 ,there is nothing in them to support the claim that they were written by those whose names have been prefixed4 ,on the contrary1 their contents furnish conclusive proofs that they were not written by these supposed authors1 nor in the apostolic age4 ,matthew4 ,christians believe that ,matthew's ,gospel was written in ,hebrew4 ,our ,matthew was written in ,greek4 ,an attempt has been made to explain the discrepancy by assuming that ,matthew wrote his book in ,hebrew1 and subsequently rewrote it in ,greek1 or translated it into this language4 ,but another difficulty remains4 ,the quotations from the ,old ,testament in ,matthew1 and there are many1 are taken1 not from the ,hebrew1 but from the ,septuagint 7,greek7 version4 ,this proves that it was originally written in ,greek and not in ,hebrew4 ,the ,gospel ,according to the ,hebrews1 it is affirmed1 was the ,hebrew form of ,matthew4 ,if this be true1 then our ,greek ,matthew cannot be a correct translation1 for the passages from the ,gospel of the ,hebrews which have been preserved are not to be found in ,matthew4 ,the following quotations are from the ,gospel of the ,hebrews1 this supposed original ,gospel of ,matthew3 ,he who wonders shall reign1 and he who reigns shall rest4 ,then the rich man began to smite his head1 and it pleased him not4 ,the ,holy ,ghost1 my mother1 lately took me by one of my hairs1 and bore me to the great mountain ,tabor4 ,i am a mason1 who get my livelihood by my hands2 ,i beseech thee1 ,jesus1 that thou wouldst restore to me my strength1 that ,i may no longer thus scandalously beg my bread4 ,if these passages are from the original ,gospel of ,matthew1 then the accepted ,gospel of ,matthew is spurious4 ,this ,hebrew ,gospel was the ,gospel of the ,ebionites and ,nazarenes4 ,eusebius says3 ,they the ,ebionites made use only of that which is called the ,gospel ,according to the ,hebrews4 ,epiphanius says3 ,they the ,nazarenes have the ,gospel of ,matthew most entire in the ,hebrew language4 ,st4 ,jerome refers to it as the ,gospel which the ,nazarenes and ,ebionites use4 ,referring to these sects1 ,dr4 ,hug1 the eminent ,catholic critic1 says3 ,the ,ebionites denied the miraculous conception of ,christ1 and1 with the ,nazarenes1 looked upon him only as an ordinary man4 ,the ,gospel which these sects accepted as their authority could not have been our ,gospel of ,matthew1 because the most important part of this ,gospel is the story of the miraculous conception4 ,while the claim that ,matthew wrote his ,gospel in ,hebrew is vigorously maintained1 the claim that he afterwards translated it into ,greek himself is so manifestly untenable that many have conceded its improbability4 ,jerome says3 ,who afterwards translated it ,matthew into ,greek is not sufficiently certain4 ,the consequences of this admission are thus reluctantly expressed by ,michaelis3 ,if the original text of ,matthew is lost1 and we have nothing but a ,greek translation3 then1 frankly1 we cannot ascribe any divine inspiration to the words4 ,two texts may be cited from ,matthew which prove a later date for the ,gospel than that claimed4 ,jesus1 in upbraiding the ,jews1 is reported to have used the following language3 ,upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth1 from the blood of righteous ,abel unto the blood of ,zacharias1 son of ,barachias1 whom ye slew between the temple and the altar 7xxiii1 #ce74 ,zacharias1 the son of ,baruch 7,barouchos71 who is undoubtedly meant1 was slain in the temple about #fi ,a4,d4 ,thus ,matthew makes ,jesus refer to an event that occurred forty years after his death and twenty or thirty years after the ,gospel of ,matthew is said to have been written4 ,dr4 ,hug admits that this is the ,zacharias referred to4 ,he says3 ,there cannot be a doubt1 if we attend to the name1 the fact and its circumstances1 and the object of ,jesus in citing it1 that it was the same ,zacharias ,barouchos1 who1 according to ,josephus1 a short time before the destruction of ,jerusalem1 was unjustly slain in the temple4 ,regarding this passage in ,matthew1 ,professor ,newman1 of ,university ,college1 ,london1 says3 ,there is no other man known in history to whom this verse can allude4 ,if so1 it shows how late1 how ignorant1 how rash1 is the composer of a text passed off on us as sacred truth 7,religion ,not ,history1 p4 #df74 ,thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church2 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4 ,and ,i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven 7xvi1 #ah1 #ai74 ,this passage was written at the beginning of the establishment of the ,roman ,catholic hierarchy1 for the purpose of securing the recognition of the ,church of ,rome 7the founding of which tradition assigned to ,peter7 as the church of ,christ4 ,bishop ,marsh1 in his ,michaelis1 says3 ,if the arguments in favor of a late date for the composition of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel be compared with those in favor of an early date1 it will be found that the former greatly outweigh the latter4 ,dr4 ,davidson admits that ,matthew is an anonymous work4 ,he says3 ,the author1 indeed1 must ever remain unknown 7,introduction to the ,new ,testament1 p4 #gb74 ,mark4 ,as to where the ,gospel of ,mark was written1 whether in ,asia1 in ,africa1 or in ,europe1 is unknown4 ,some believe that it was written at ,antioch2 ,chrysostom states that it was written at ,alexandria2 ,irenus says that it was written at ,rome4 ,if it was written at ,rome it was probably written in ,latin instead of ,greek4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary concedes that it abounds in ,latin words4 ,the following is an example3 ,and he asked him1 ,what is thy name8 ,and he answered1 saying1 ,my name is ,legion3 for we are many 7v4 #i74 ,commenting on this passage1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,giles says3 ,the ,four ,gospels are written in ,greek1 and the word 'legion' is ,latin2 but in ,galilee and ,perea the people spoke neither ,latin nor ,greek1 but ,hebrew1 or a dialect of it4 ,the word 'legion' would be perfectly unintelligible to the disciples of ,christ1 and to almost everybody in the country 7,christian ,records1 p4 #aig74 ,if it was written in ,latin1 then our ,greek ,mark1 like ,matthew1 instead of being an original ,gospel1 is simply an unauthenticated translation4 ,mark has generally been considered a ,petrine ,gospel2 orthodox ,christians claiming that ,peter dictated the ,gospel to ,mark4 ,discussing this claim1 the author of ,supernatural ,religion says3 ,throughout the ,gospel there is the total absence of anything which is specially characteristic of ,petrine influence and teaching 7,vol4 ,i41 p4 #cfb74 ,volkmar and others declare it to be ,pauline4 ,one thing can be affirmed with certainty2 it was not written by ,john ,mark1 neither was it dictated by ,peter4 ,the last twelve verses of ,mark1 it is claimed1 are an interpolation1 because they are not to be found in the older manuscripts of the book4 ,the ,revision ,committee which prepared the ,new ,version of the ,new ,testament pronounced them spurious4 ,if these verses are not genuine1 then it must be admitted that the second ,gospel is either an unfinished or a mutilated work2 for with these verses omitted1 it ends abruptly with the visit of the women to the tomb1 leaving the most important events at the close of ,christ's career1 his appearance and ascension--the proofs of his resurrection--unrecorded4 ,the greater portion of ,mark is to be found in ,matthew and ,luke1 and much of it in the same or similar language4 ,judge ,waite1 in his review of the ,gospel1 says3 ,mark has almost a complete parallel in ,luke and ,matthew taken together4 ,there are but #bd verses which have no parallel in either of the other synoptics 7,history of ,christianity1 p4 #cej74 ,regarding the origin of ,mark1 ,strauss says3 ,our second ,gospel cannot have originated from recollections of ,peter's instructions1 i4 e41 from a source peculiar to itself1 since it is evidently a compilation1 whether made from memory or otherwise1 from the first and third ,gospels 7,life of ,jesus1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ea74 ,that neither ,peter nor ,mark had anything to do with the composition of this book is admitted by ,davidson4 ,referring to it he says3 ,it has therefore no relation to the ,apostle1 and derives no sanction from his name4 ,the author is unknown 7,introduction to ,new ,testament1 ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #hd74 ,luke4 ,in denying the authenticity of ,mark and ,luke1 what ,i deny is that these books were written by the traditional ,mark and ,luke1 the companions of ,peter and ,paul4 ,i deny that they were written in the apostolic age and by apostolic authority4 ,as stated by ,chambers's ,encyclopedia1 the question as to their genuineness is in the main question as to the fact of their existence at this early period2 the special authorship of each ,gospel is a comparatively less important question4 ,the book of ,luke is anonymous2 it does not claim to be written by ,luke4 ,and yet the ,fathers may have been correct in ascribing its authorship to him4 ,if so1 who was this ,luke8 ,where did he live8 ,when did he write his book8 ,chambers's says he was born1 according to the accounts of the ,church ,fathers1 at ,antioch1 in ,syria4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says1 ,he was born at ,antioch4 ,the ,gospel is addressed to ,theophilus4 ,who was ,theophilus8 ,the ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,from the honorable epithet applied to him in ,luke i1 #c1 it has been argued with much probability that he was a person in high official position4 ,there is but one ,theophilus known to history to whom the writer can possibly refer1 and this is ,theophilus1 ,bishop of ,antioch1 who lived in the latter part of the second century4 ,luke and ,theophilus1 then1 both belonged to ,antioch1 and it is undoubtedly to this ,theophilus that ,luke's ,gospel is addressed4 ,this proves that it was written more than one hundred years after the date assigned for its composition4 ,when ,luke assumed the task of writing a ,gospel1 ,matthew1 it has been claimed1 was the only ,gospel extant4 ,and yet ,luke in his introduction declares that many had been written2 all of which he admits were genuine4 ,jerome says that one of the ,gospels which ,luke refers to was the ,gospel of ,appelles3 ,the ,evangelist1 ,luke1 declares that there were many who wrote ,gospels4444 ,they were such as that according to the ,egyptians1 and ,thomas1 and ,matthias1 and ,bartholomew1 that of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and ,basilides1 and ,appelles1 and others4 ,the ,gospel of ,appelles was written about #fj ,a4,d4 ,if ,luke's ,gospel was written after the ,gospel of ,appelles1 it was written after the middle of the second century4 ,dr4 ,schleiermacher1 one of the greatest of modern theologians1 maintains that ,luke is a compilation of thirty-three different manuscripts2 as follows3 ,chapter i1 #a-d2 i1 #e-hj2 ii1 #a-bj2 ii1 #ba2 ii1 #bb-dj2 ii1 #da-eb2 iii1 iv1 #a-ae2 iv1 #af-cj2 iv1 #ca-dd2 v1 #a-aa2 v1 #ab-af2 v1 #ag-bf2 v1 #bg-ci1 vi1 #a-aa2 vi1 #ab-di2 vii1 #a-aj2 vii1 #aa-ej2 viii1 #a-ba2 viii1 #bb-ef2 ix1 #a-de2 ix1 #df-ej2 ix1 #ea-fb2 x1 #a-bd2 x1 #be-cg2 x1 #ch-db2 xi1 #a-ac2 xi1 #ad-ed2 xii1 xiii1 #a-i2 xiii1 #aj-bb2 xiii1 #bc-ce2 xiv1 #a-bd2 xiv1 #be-ce2 xv1 xvi1 xvii1 #a-ai2 xvii1 #bj-cg2 xviii1 xix1 xx2 xxi2 xxii1 xxiii1 #a-di2 xxiii1 #ej-ef2 xxiv4 ,bishop ,thirlwall's ,schleiermacher contains the following in regard to the composition of ,luke3 ,the main position is firmly established that ,luke is neither an independent writer1 nor has made a compilation from works which extended over the whole course of the life of ,jesus4 ,he is from beginning to end no more than the compiler and arranger of documents which he found in existence1 and which he allows to pass unaltered through his hands 7p4 #cac74 ,the immediate source of ,luke's ,gospel was undoubtedly the ,gospel of ,marcion1 itself a compilation of older documents4 ,referring to this ,gospel1 the ,rev4 ,s4 ,baring-,gould says3 ,the arrangement is so similar that we are forced to the conclusion that it was either used by ,st4 ,luke or that it was his original composition4 ,if he used it1 then his right to the title of author of the ,third ,gospel falls to the ground1 as what he added was of small amount 7,lost and ,hostile ,gospels74 ,the ,synoptics4 ,the ,synoptics ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 it is claimed1 are original and independent compositions1 and the oldest of all the ,gospels1 both canonical and apocryphal4 ,this claim is disproved by the form and character of their contents4 ,one of two things is certain3 either these writers copied from each other1 or all copied from older documents4 ,the following1 which are but a few of the many passages that might be adduced1 afford unmistakable evidence of this3 ,matthew--,they were astonished at his doctrine 7xxii1 #cc74 ,mark--,they were astonished at his doctrine 7i1 #bb74 ,luke--,they were astonished at his doctrine 7iv1 #cb74 ,matthew--,for he taught them as one having authority1 and not as the scribes 7vii1 #bi74 ,mark--,for he taught them as one that had authority1 and not as the scribes 7i1 #bb74 ,matthew--,while he yet spake1 lo1 ,judas1 one of the twelve1 came1 and with him a great multitude1 with swords and staves1 from the chief priests1 etc4 7xxvi1 #dg74 ,mark--,while he yet spake1 cometh ,judas1 one of the twelve1 and with him a great multitude with swords and staves1 from the chief priests1 etc4 7xiv1 #dc74 ,matthew--,and without a parable spake he not unto them 7xiii1 #cd74 ,mark--,but without a parable spake he not unto them 7iv1 #cd74 ,matthew--,sought opportunity to betray him 7xxvi1 #af74 ,luke--,sought opportunity to betray him 7xxii1 #f74 ,mark--,but they understood not that saying 7ix1 #cb74 ,luke--,but they understood not this saying 7ix1 #de74 ,the theory that the ,synoptics borrowed from each other will account for the agreements in their books2 but it will not account for the disagreements1 and these are quite as numerous as the agreements4 ,the following hypothesis1 however1 will account for both4 ,when the ,synoptics were composed probably fifty gospels1 some of recent and others of early origin1 were already in existence4 ,in addition to these were a hundred other documents pertaining to ,christ and his teachings4 ,from this mass of ,gospel literature the ,synoptics were compiled4 ,those portions that agree were taken from a common source2 those that do not agree were taken from different documents4 ,dean ,alford believes that in the early ages of the church there existed what he terms a common substratum of apostolic teachings1 oral or partially documentary4 ,this1 he says1 ,i believe to have been the original source of the common part of our three ,gospels4 ,canon ,westcott admits that their substance is evidently much older than their form4 ,professor ,ladd1 of ,yale ,college1 says3 ,in some respects each of the first three ,gospels must be regarded as a compilation2 it consists of material which the others have in common with it1 and which was of a traditional kind more or less prepared before the author of the particular ,gospel took it in hand to modify and rearrange it 7,what ,is the ,bible8 p4 #bie74 ,bishop ,marsh1 in his ,michaelis1 says3 ,the notion of an absolute independence1 in respect to the composition of our three first ,gospels1 is no longer tenable 7,vol4 ,,iii1 part #b1 p4 #agj74 ,prof4 ,robertson ,smith1 of ,scotland1 pronounces them unapostolic digests of the second century4 ,evanson goes further and declares them to be spurious fictions of the second century4 ,the ,encyclopedia ,britannica concedes the fact that ,protestant scholarship in ,europe has virtually abandoned the popular orthodox position regarding the origin of these books4 ,it says3 ,it is certain that the ,synoptic ,gospels took their present form only by degrees1 and that while they have their root in the apostolic age1 they are fashioned by later influences and adapted to special wants in the early church4 ,they are the deposits1 in short1 of ,christian traditions handed down first of all in an oral form1 before being committed to writing in such a form as we have them2 and this is now an accepted conclusion of every historical school of theologians in ,england no less than in ,germany1 conservative no less than radical4 ,john4 ,in addition to what has already been adduced against the ,johannine authorship of the ,fourth ,gospel1 ,i submit the following3 #a4 ,john1 the disciple of ,jesus1 was an unlettered fisherman4 ,the author of the ,fourth ,gospel was an accomplished scholar and a polished writer4 ,his book is one of the classics of ,christian literature4 #b4 ,the ,apostle ,john was born at ,bethsaida4 ,the author of ,john says that ,bethsaida was in ,galilee 7xii1 #ba74 ,bethsaida was not in ,galilee1 but in ,perea1 and to assert that ,john wrote this ,gospel is to assert that he was ignorant of the location of his own town4 #c4 ,in ,bethany beyond ,jordan 7,new ,ver4 i1 #bh74 ,in ,enon near to ,salim 7iii1 #bc74 ,a city of ,samaria1 called ,sychar 7iv1 #e74 ,these passages were written by one little acquainted with the geography of ,palestine and unfamiliar with the scenes he attempts to describe4 #d4 ,john1 the son of ,zebedee1 was a ,jew4 ,the manner in which the author of the ,fourth ,gospel always refers to the ,jews is conclusive evidence that he was not a ,jew4 #e4 ,the ,synoptics state that ,jesus celebrated the ,passover with his disciples1 and was crucified on the following day4 ,the author of ,john states that he was crucified on the previous day1 and therefore did not partake of the ,paschal supper4 ,in the second century a great controversy arose in the church regarding this4 ,those who accepted the account given in the ,synoptics observed the feast1 while those who accepted the account given in the ,fourth ,gospel rejected it4 ,now1 we have the testimony of ,irenus that ,john himself observed this feast4 ,for neither could ,anicetus persuade ,polycarp not to observe it1 because he had ever observed it with ,john1 the disciple of our ,lord 7,against ,heresies1 iii1 #c74 ,as ,john accepted the account which appears in the ,synoptics and rejected that which appears in the ,gospel of ,john1 he could not have written the ,fourth ,gospel4 #f4 ,the disciple ,john is represented as standing at the cross and witnessing the crucifixion4 ,the author of ,john does not claim to have been present1 but appeals to the testimony of an eye-witness in support of his statements3 ,and he that saw it bare record1 and his record is true 7xix1 #ce74 #g4 ,now1 there was leaning on ,jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom he loved 7xiii1 #bc74 ,the disciple standing by1 whom he loved 7xix1 #bf74 ,to ,simon ,peter1 and to the other disciple1 whom ,jesus loved 7xx1 #b74 ,this beloved disciple is said to be ,john4 ,the ,synoptics1 however1 do not represent ,john as the favorite disciple4 ,if there was one disciple whom ,jesus loved more than the others1 it was ,peter4 ,to ascribe to ,john the authorship of the ,fourth ,gospel is to ascribe to him a spirit of self-glorification that is simply disgusting4 #h4 ,and many other signs truly did ,jesus in the presence of his disciples1 which are not written in this book3 but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god3 and that believing ye might have life through his name 7xx1 #cj1 #ca74 ,thus concludes the original ,gospel ,according to ,st4 ,john4 ,this book was not written by ,john1 but it was written by a disciple of ,john for ,johannine ,christians4 ,when the ,roman ,catholic hierarchy was formed and the ,gospel of ,john was admitted to the ,new ,testament canon1 there was appended another chapter--a forgery4 ,the hero of this chapter is ,peter4 ,a dozen times ,jesus calls him by name4 ,to him ,jesus gives the oft repeated injunction1 ,feed my lambs2 feed my sheep4 ,this chapter was added to counteract the ,johannine influence and exalt the ,petrine teachings so dear to ,rome4 ,to give an appearance of genuineness to this forgery1 the disciple whom ,jesus loved is again introduced and declared the author of the ,gospel1 thus making ,john himself a supporter of ,petrine supremacy4 #i4 ,some of the most important events in the life of ,jesus1 the ,synoptics state1 were witnessed by ,john4 ,the author of the ,fourth ,gospel knows nothing about them4 ,all the events said to have been witnessed by ,john alone are omitted by ,john alone4 ,this fact seems fatal either to the reality of the events in question or to the genuineness of the ,fourth ,gospel 7,greg74 #aj4 ,even ,christians have tacitly admitted the hopelessness of maintaining the authenticity of both the ,fourth ,gospel and the ,synoptics4 ,if the ,synoptics are authentic1 the ,fourth ,gospel cannot be4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,in the ,fourth ,gospel the narrative coincides with that of the other three in a few passages only4 ,putting aside the account of the ,passion1 there are only three facts which ,john relates in common with the other ,evangelists 7,art4 ,gospels74 #aa4 ,the author of ,john declares ,jesus to be ,god4 ,the complete deification of ,jesus was the growth of generations4 ,the early ,christians1 including the ,apostles1 believed him to be a man4 ,later1 he became a demi-god1 and the writings and traditions which represented him as such formed the materials from which the ,synoptics were compiled4 ,not until the latter part of the second century was ,jesus placed among the gods1 and not until this time was the ,fourth ,gospel written4 ,alluding to the ,fourth ,gospel1 ,canon ,westcott says3 ,the earliest account of the origin of the ,gospel is already legendary4 ,professor ,davidson says3 ,the ,johannine authorship has receded before the tide of modern criticism1 and though this tide is arbitrary at times it is here irresistible 7,canon of the ,bible1 p4 #abg74 ,from a work entitled ,the ,new ,bible and ,its ,uses ,prof4 ,andrew ,d4 ,white1 our present minister to ,germany1 in his ,warfare of ,science 7vol4 ii1 p4 #cjf71 quotes the following in relation to ,john1 which shows how rapidly the supposed authenticity of ,bible books is disappearing before the investigations of the ,higher ,critics3 ,in the period of thirty years ending in #ahfj1 of the fifty great authorities in this line1 four to one were in favor of the ,johannine authorship4444 ,of those who have contributed important articles to the discussion from #ahhj to #ahij1 about two to one reject the ,johannine authorship of the ,gospel in its present shape--that is to say1 while forty years ago great scholars were four to one in favor of1 they are now two to one against1 the claim that the ,apostle ,john wrote the ,gospel as we have it4 ,the ,four ,gospels4 ,the principal reason for rejecting both the reputed authorship and the credibility of the ,four ,gospels is the contradictory character of their contents4 ,if ,jesus ,christ was a historical personage1 as ,christians believe1 these alleged biographies were not written by his ,apostles and their companions2 neither were they compiled from authentic records4 ,the ,greek text of the ,gospels disproves their authenticity4 ,their assigned authors1 or two of them at least1 were unlearned ,jews4 ,their work was confined chiefly to the lower classes of their countrymen1 in a land where ,greek was almost unknown4 ,the absurdity of this is shown by ,mrs4 ,besant3 ,the only parallel for so curious a phenomenon as these ,greek ,gospels1 written by ignorant ,jews1 would be if a ,cornish fisherman and a low ,london attorney1 both perfectly ignorant of ,german1 wrote in ,german the sayings and doings of a ,middlesex carpenter1 and as their work was entirely confined to the lower classes of the people1 who knew nothing of ,german1 and they desired to place within their reach full knowledge of the carpenter's life1 they circulated it among them in ,german only1 and never wrote anything about him in ,english4 ,the doctrines of the immaculate conception and of a material resurrection1 so prominent in the ,four ,gospels1 are proofs of their late origin4 ,these doctrines are not taught in the older books of the ,new ,testament1 and were unknown to the ,christians of the first century4 ,the scholarly author of ,supernatural ,religion1 after a patient and exhaustive examination of every accessible document relating to the subject1 writes as follows3 ,after having exhausted the literature and the testimony bearing on the point1 we have not found a single distinct trace of any of those ,gospels during the first century and a half after the death of ,jesus 7,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #bdh74 ,bishop ,faustus1 a heretical theologian of the fifth century1 referring to this so so-called ,gospel history1 says3 ,it is allowed not to have been written by the ,son himself nor by his ,apostles1 but long after by some unknown men who1 lest they should be suspected of writing things they knew nothing of1 gave to their books the names of the ,apostles4 ,regarding these four books and their sequel1 ,acts1 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hooykaas1 the noted theologian and critic of ,holland1 voices the opinion of himself and his renowned associates1 ,dr4 ,kuenen and ,dr4 ,oort1 in the following words3 ,our interest is more especially excited by the five historical books of the ,new ,testament4 ,if we might really suppose them to have been written by the men whose names they bear1 we could never be thankful enough for such precious authorities4444 ,but1 alas6 not one of these five books was really written by the person whose name it bears--though for the sake of brevity we shall still call the writers ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john--and they are all of more recent date than their headings would lead us to suppose4444 ,we cannot say that the ,gospels and the book of ,acts are unauthentic1 for not one of them professes to give the name of its author4 ,they appeared anonymously4 ,the titles placed above them in our ,bibles owe their origin to a later ecclesiastical tradition which deserves no confidence whatever 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #bd74 ,the ,pentateuch was not written by ,moses1 nor the ,four ,gospels by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 ,the authenticity of the chief books of the ,new ,testament1 like that of the chief books of the ,old1 must be given up4 ,the results of our review of them may be summed up in the words of the great ,german1 ,ferdinand ,christian ,baur3 ,these ,gospels are spurious1 and were written in the second century4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,acts1 ,,catholic ,,epistles1 ,,revelation4 ,in this chapter will be reviewed the so-called historical book of ,acts1 the ,catholic ,epistles1 and ,revelation4 ,in some versions of the ,new ,testament the ,catholic ,epistles come immediately after ,acts4 ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles is one of many books bearing this name which appeared during the early centuries of the church4 ,concerning the origin of our canonical ,acts1 ,dr4 ,hitchcock says3 ,it was written by ,luke1 in considerable part from his own observations of the facts narrated1 and about ,a4,d4 #fc1 and at ,rome1 during ,paul's stay there4 ,the ,gospel of ,luke is addressed to ,theophilus2 the book of ,acts is addressed to the same person1 and as the author states that he has addressed a former work to him1 it is inferred that both works were written by the same person4 ,it has been shown that ,theophilus lived in the latter part of the second century1 and that the ,gospel of ,luke was written at this time4 ,if ,luke and ,acts1 then1 were written by the same person1 and ,acts was written after ,luke1 it also must have been written late in the second century1 and consequently could not have been written by ,luke1 the companion of ,paul4 ,it is asserted that ,luke was the associate of ,paul1 and that he was in ,rome with ,paul when his book was written4 ,this implies ,paul's sanction of the book4 ,but if the ,epistles of ,paul are genuine1 and it is generally agreed that those bearing upon this question are1 this can not be true2 for the ,paul of these epistles and the ,paul of ,acts are two entirely different characters4 ,the book is entitled the ,acts of the ,apostles2 and yet the acts of ,peter and ,paul are almost the only apostolic acts recorded4 ,besides the narrative of the author1 the book consists largely of discourses attributed to ,peter and ,paul4 ,but the style of the unlearned and ignorant 7iv1 #ac7 ,peter is so similar to that of ,paul with his much learning 7xxvi1 #bd71 and both so closely resemble the style of the author1 that one not strongly imbued with faith must conclude that the whole is the product of one mind4 ,the author cites a speech made by ,gamaliel before the ,jewish council1 in which he uses the following language3 ,for before these days rose up ,theudas1 boasting himself to be somebody2 to whom a number of men1 almost four hundred1 joined themselves1 who were slain1 etc4 7v1 #cf74 ,josephus1 who gives an account of this event 7,antiq4 ,bk4 xx1 ch4 v1 sec4 #a71 says that it happened while ,fadus was ,procurator of ,judea4 ,this was #de or #df ,a4,d4 ,gamaliel's speech was delivered1 according to the accepted chronology1 #bi ,a4,d4 ,thus the author of ,acts makes ,gamaliel refer to an event as long past which in reality did not happen until sixteen years after that time4 ,continuing his speech1 ,gamaliel refers to another event1 as follows3 ,after this man ,theudas rose up ,judas of ,galilee in the days of the taxing1 and drew away much people after him2 he also perished 7#cg74 ,here the author makes ,gamaliel state that the sedition of ,judas of ,galilee occurred after that of ,theudas1 when in fact it occurred in #f ,a4,d4--forty years before4 ,such grave discrepancies could have been made only by one writing long after the date claimed4 ,holtzmann1 a ,german critic1 has shown that the author of ,acts borrowed from the ,antiquities of ,josephus4 ,the ,antiquities appeared #ic ,a4,d4--just thirty years after the date assigned to ,acts4 ,this book will not be given up by orthodox ,christians without a struggle4 ,the authenticity of primitive ,christianity depends largely upon the authenticity of this book4 ,renan who was a ,rationalist1 and1 at the same time something of an apologist for ,christianity1 affirms that the last pages of ,acts1 which are devoted almost entirely to ,paul's missionary labors constitute the only historical record of the early church4 ,at the same time1 he admits that it is the most faulty book in the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hooykaas concedes the same4 ,he says3 ,of the earliest fortunes of the community of ,jesus1 the primitive history of the ,christian church and the whole of the apostolic age1 we should know as good as nothing if we had not the book of ,acts4 ,if only we could trust the writer fully6 ,but we soon see that the utmost caution is necessary4 ,for we have another account of some of the things about which this writer tells us--an account written by the very man to whom they refer1 the best possible authority1 therefore1 as to what really took place4 ,this man is ,paul himself4 ,in the first two chapters of the epistle to the ,galatians he gives us several details of his own past life2 and no sooner do we place his story side by side with that of the ,acts than we clearly perceive that this book contains an incorrect account1 and that its inaccuracy is not the result of accident or ignorance1 but of a deliberate design1 an attempt--conceived no doubt with the best intentions--to hide in some degree the actual course of events 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #be74 ,the dissensions which arose in the first century between the ,jewish ,christians and the ,gentile ,christians had only increased with time1 and these were among the chief obstacles in the way of uniting ,christians and establishing the ,catholic church4 ,the composition of ,acts was one of the many attempts made toward the close of the second century to heal these dissensions4 ,the author was a man who cared little for either ,petrine or ,pauline ,christianity--little for the so-called truths of ,christianity in any form--but a man who cared much for church unity and church power4 ,the book of ,acts was little known at first4 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 writing in the fifth century1 says3 ,this book is not so much as known to many4 ,they know neither the book nor by whom it was written4 ,james and ,jude4 ,the seven ,catholic ,epistles1 ,james1 ,first and ,second ,peter1 ,first1 ,second1 and ,third ,john1 and ,jude1 have been declared spurious or doubtful by eminent ,christian scholars in every age of the church4 ,the ,fathers were loath to admit them into the ,bible1 and their right to a place there has always been disputed4 ,james and ,jude1 the first and the last of these epistles1 orthodox ,christians believe1 were written by ,james and ,jude1 the brothers of ,jesus1 in #fb and #fd ,a4,d4 ,three leading orthodox authorities1 representing the three great divisions of the ,christian church1 ,cajetan of the ,roman ,catholic church2 ,lucar of the ,greek ,catholic church1 and ,erasmus of the ,protestant church1 have denied the authenticity of ,james4 ,luther himself refused to accept it4 ,he says3 ,the ,epistle of ,james ,i account the writing of no apostle4 ,the composition of ,jude and ,second ,peter are both placed in ,a4,d4 #fd4 ,there is no proof that either was in existence in ,a4,d4 #afd4 ,it is only necessary to read ,jude and the second chapter of ,second ,peter to see that one borrowed from the other4 ,while most believe that the author of ,second ,peter used ,jude in the construction of his epistle1 ,luther contends that ,jude is the plagiarist4 ,he says3 ,the epistle of ,jude is an abstract or copy of ,st4 ,peter's ,second 7,preface to ,luther's ,version74 ,jude cites as authentic the apocryphal book of ,enoch1 and the apocryphal story of ,michael the archangel contending with ,satan for the body of ,moses4 ,origen1 ,jerome1 and others in ancient1 and ,calvin1 ,grotius and others in modern times1 have doubted its authenticity4 ,mayerhoff says it was written in the second century to combat the heresies of the ,carpocratians4 ,epistles of ,peter4 ,most ,christians contend that the ,first ,epistle of ,peter is genuine4 ,some of the early ,christian ,fathers1 however1 rejected it4 ,irenus did not place it in his canon4 ,not until the third century was it accepted as the writing of ,peter4 ,the celebrated ,tubingen school of critics rejects the authenticity of the book4 ,baur and ,zeller believe it to be a ,pauline document4 ,schwegler believes that it was written to reconcile the ,pauline and ,petrine doctrines4 ,the ,dutch critics say that it was borrowed largely from ,paul and ,james1 and that it was probably written early in the second century4 ,regarding its authorship1 ,jules ,soury1 of the ,university of ,france1 says3 ,nobody1 however1 knows better than he ,renan that the so-called ,first ,epistle of ,peter1 full of allusions to ,paul's writings1 as well as the epistle to the ,hebrews and the epistle of ,james1 dates in all probability from the year #acj ,a4,d41 at the earliest1 thus placing two generations between the time of its composition and the latter years of the reign of ,nero1 when ,peter is fabled to have been in ,rome 7,jesus and the ,gospels1 p4 #cb74 ,all critics pronounce ,second ,peter a forgery4 ,chambers's ,encyclopedia says3 ,so far as external authority is concerned1 it has hardly any4 ,the most critical and competent of the ,fathers were suspicious of its authenticity2 it was rarely if ever quoted1 and was not formally admitted into the canon till the ,council of ,hippo1 #cic ,a4,d4 ,the internal evidence is just as unsatisfactory4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary contains the following relative to its authenticity3 ,we have few references to it in the writings of the early ,fathers2 the style differs materially from that of the ,first ,epistle1 and the resemblance amounting to a studied imitation between this epistle and that of ,jude1 seems scarcely reconcilable with the position of ,peter4444 ,many reject the epistle altogether as spurious4 ,it is believed by some that the original title of ,second ,peter was the ,epistle of ,simeon4 ,grotius argues that it is a compilation from two older epistles4 ,the third chapter begins as follows3 ,this second epistle1 beloved1 ,i now write unto you4 ,these words clearly denote the beginning of a document4 ,those who affirm its genuineness consider the second chapter an interpolation4 ,westcott says there is no evidence of the existence of this epistle prior to #agj ,a4,d4 ,scaliger declares it to be a fiction of some ancient ,christian misemploying his leisure time4 ,epistles of ,john4 ,the so-called ,epistles of ,john1 so far as the books themselves are concerned1 are anonymous4 ,they do not purport to have been written by the ,apostle ,john1 nor by anyone bearing the name of ,john4 ,of ,first ,john1 ,chambers's ,encyclopedia says3 ,of the epistles it is almost certain that the ,first proceeded from the same writer who composed the ,fourth ,gospel4 ,in style1 language1 and doctrine1 it is identical with it4 ,if ,john did not write the ,fourth ,gospel1 and it is conceded by most writers that he did not1 then he did not write this epistle4 ,referring to the ,gospel of ,john1 whose authenticity he denies and whose composition he assigns to the second century1 ,dr4 ,hooykaas says3 ,the ,first ,epistle of ,john soon issued from the same school in imitation of the ,gospel 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii1 p4 #fib74 ,of two passages in the ,first ,epistle1 ii1 #bc1 and v1 #g1 which teach the doctrine of the ,trinity1 the ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,it would appear without doubt that they are not genuine4 ,the ,revisers of the ,king ,james version pronounced them spurious4 ,the second and third epistles were not written by the writer of the first4 ,the early ,fathers rejected them4 ,eusebius in the fourth century classed them with the doubtful books4 ,it has been claimed that the second epistle was written for the purpose of counteracting the heretical teachings of ,basilides and his followers4 ,basilides was a famous writer of the second century4 ,these epistles have the following superscriptions3 ,the elder presbyter unto the elect lady to the first1 and ,the elder unto the well-beloved ,gaius to the second4 ,the declaration that they are from an elder or presbyter proves that they are not from an apostle1 and consequently not from the ,apostle ,john4 ,if they were written by a writer named ,john1 it was probably ,john the ,presbyter1 who lived in the second century4 ,jerome states that they were generally credited to him4 ,in his account of ,john the ,presbyter1 ,judge ,waite says3 ,he is also1 not without reason1 believed to have been the author of the ,epistles of ,john 7,history of the ,christian ,religion1 p4 #bbh74 ,revelation4 ,revelation is the last book of the ,bible1 and the one least understood4 ,christians themselves are not agreed as to its meaning4 ,some believe it to be a series of prophecies which have had their fulfilment in the struggles between ,christianity and ,paganism2 others believe that its prophecies are yet to be fulfilled2 still others pronounce it a symbolical poem1 representing the conflict between truth and error1 while not a few consider it the recorded fancies of a diseased imagination4 ,the book purports to be from ,john to the seven churches of ,asia 7i1 #d74 ,this ,john is declared to be the ,apostle ,john and its authority is based upon this claim4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,the question as to the canonical authority of the ,revelation resolves itself into a question of authorship4 ,was ,st4 ,john the ,apostle and ,evangelist the writer of the ,revelation8 ,if ,john the ,apostle and the author of the ,fourth ,gospel were one1 as assumed by the ,bible ,dictionary1 then the question of its authenticity and canonical authority must be abandoned1 for the author of the ,fourth ,gospel did not write it4 ,there is nothing in common between them4 ,the ,german theologian1 ,lucke1 says3 ,if all critical experience and rules in such literary questions do not deceive1 it is certain that the ,evangelist and ,apocalyptist are two different persons4 ,de ,wette says3 ,the ,apostle ,john1 if he be the author of the ,fourth ,gospel and of the ,johannine epistles1 did not write the ,apocalypse4 ,regarding this conclusion1 ,ewald says3 ,all men capable of forming a judgment are of the same opinion4 ,among the eminent critics and commentators who take this position are ,luther1 ,erasmus1 ,michaelis1 ,schleiermacher1 ,credner1 ,zeller1 ,evanson1 ,baur1 ,renan1 and ,davidson4 ,the ,apostle ,john wrote neither the ,fourth ,gospel1 the so-called ,epistles of ,john1 nor ,revelation4 ,that he did not write ,revelation is shown by the following3 #a4 ,the author does not claim to be an apostle4 #b4 ,he refers to the ,twelve ,apostles 7xxi1 #ad7 in a way that forbids the supposition that he was one of them4 #c4 ,the ,apostle ,john is declared to have been illiterate and incapable of writing a book4 #d4 ,it is addressed to the seven churches of ,asia1 and yet the seven churches of ,asia1 to which it is addressed1 rejected it4 ,the ,alogi maintained that it was a forgery which came from ,corinth4 ,dionysius1 ,bishop of ,alexandria1 writing in the third century1 says3 ,divers of our predecessors have wholly refused and rejected this book1 and by discussing the several parts thereof have found it obscure and void of reason and the title forged4 ,concerning its rejection by modern churchmen1 the ,edinburgh ,review 7,no4 #aca7 says3 ,the most learned and intelligent of ,protestant divines here almost all doubted or denied the canonicity of the book of ,revelation4 ,calvin and ,beza pronounced the book unintelligible1 and prohibited the pastors of ,geneva from all attempts at interpretation4 ,dr4 ,south described it as a book that either found a man mad or left him so4 ,luther1 in the ,preface to his ,new ,testament 7,ed4 of #aebb7 writes3 ,in the ,revelation of ,john much is wanting to let me deem it either prophetic or apostolical4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,pauline ,,epistles4 ,fourteen books--,romans1 ,first and ,second ,corinthians1 ,galatians1 ,ephesians1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 ,first and ,second ,thessalonians1 ,first and ,second ,timothy1 ,titus1 ,philemon1 and ,hebrews--are ascribed1 some correctly1 some doubtfully1 and others falsely1 to ,paul4 ,they were all written1 it is claimed1 between #eb and #fe ,a4,d4 ,genuine ,epistles4 ,the genuine ,epistles of ,paul1 those whose authenticity is conceded by nearly all critics1 are ,romans1 ,first and ,second ,corinthians1 and ,galatians4 ,the term genuine is applied to the books as originally written1 and not to the text as it now exists4 ,it is probable that they have undergone various changes since they left ,paul's hand4 ,the last two chapters of ,romans are believed to be interpolations4 ,the fifteenth consists chiefly of irrelevant matter which detracts from the symmetry of the work4 ,the sixteenth is mostly filled with salutations4 ,in these several women are given a prominence in church affairs that is wholly at variance with ,paul's attitude toward woman4 ,the subscription to the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians states that it was written from ,philippi4 ,the #aith verse of the last chapter shows that ,paul was in ,asia instead of ,europe1 while the #hth verse expressly declares that he was at ,ephesus4 ,the ,second ,epistle to ,corinthians1 it is declared1 was written from ,philippi also4 ,that this is doubtful is admitted even by the most orthodox authorities4 ,the subscription to ,galatians reads as follows3 ,unto the ,galatians1 written from ,rome4 ,this book was written between #eb and #ee ,a4,d42 ,paul did not go to ,rome until #fa ,a4,d4 ,this epistle was written from ,ephesus4 ,while critics are nearly unanimous in acknowledging the genuineness of these books1 a few1 including ,professor ,thudichum of ,germany1 ,prof4 ,edwin ,johnson of ,england1 and ,w4 ,h4 ,burr of this country1 pronounce them forgeries1 and contend that the ,paul of the ,new ,testament is a myth4 ,doubtful ,epistles4 ,the doubtful ,epistles1 those whose authenticity is accepted by some critics and rejected by others1 are ,philippians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 and ,philemon4 ,sixty years ago to this list of doubtful books critics would have added three others--,ephesians1 ,colossians1 and ,second ,thessalonians2 but the critical labors of the ,tubingen school and others have relegated these to the already burdened shelf of spurious ,bible books4 ,in regard to ,philippians1 ,ferdinand ,baur1 for thirty years head of the ,tubingen school and unquestionably the greatest of ,bible critics1 says3 ,the ,epistles to the ,colossians and to the ,philippians 444 are spurious1 and were written by the ,catholic school near the end of the second century1 to heal the strife between the ,jew and ,gentile factions 7,paul the ,apostle of ,jesus ,christ74 ,baur also rejects ,first ,thessalonians4 ,he contends that this1 as well as the ,second ,epistle1 contains teachings quite at variance with the teachings of ,paul4 ,the ,german critic ,schrader is confident that ,paul did not write ,first ,thessalonians4 ,respecting ,philemon1 ,dr4 ,hitchcock says3 ,this brief ,epistle was written at the same time with those to the ,colossians and ,ephesians1 and was sent along with them by ,tychicus and ,onesimus4 ,as ,colossians and ,ephesians have both been declared spurious by the ablest ,christian scholars1 ,philemon1 to say the least1 is placed in bad company4 ,this ,epistle was written in behalf of one ,onesimus1 a zealous ,christian1 who is also mentioned in ,colossians4 ,there was an ,onesimus1 a zealous church worker1 living in #age ,a4,d4 ,holland's critics1 ,dr4 ,kuenen1 ,dr4 ,oort1 and ,dr4 ,hooykaas1 are disposed to accept ,philippians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 and ,philemon1 but admit that there are grave doubts concerning the authenticity of each4 ,spurious ,epistles4 ,the spurious ,epistles1 those whose authenticity is generally denied by the critics1 are ,ephesians1 ,colossians1 ,second ,thessalonians1 ,first and ,second ,timothy1 ,titus1 and ,hebrews4 ,ewald and ,de ,wette both admit that ,ephesians was not written by ,st4 ,paul4 ,de ,wette thinks it was compiled from ,colossians4 ,davidson and ,mayerhoff believe that neither ,ephesians nor ,colossians is genuine4 ,i have quoted ,baur's rejection of ,colossians4 ,the ,encyclopedia ,britannica says3 ,it is undeniable that the ,epistle to the ,colossians and the so-called ,epistle to the ,ephesians differ considerably in language and thought from other ,pauline ,epistles and that their relation to one another demands explanation4 ,first and ,second ,thessalonians are pronounced the oldest of ,paul's writings1 both belonging1 it is claimed1 to #eb ,a4,d4 ,the author of the ,second ,epistle is very desirous of having his writing accepted as a genuine ,epistle of ,paul4 ,several times he declares himself to be ,paul4 ,he warns them not to be deceived by letter as from us 7ii1 #b71 and concludes with the salutation of ,paul with mine own hand1 which is the token in every ,epistle4 ,this ,epistle affirms the first to be a forgery4 ,the first was probably written at an early date1 and1 whether genuine or spurious1 was accepted as a ,pauline ,epistle4 ,in it the early advent of ,christ--during ,paul's lifetime--is predicted4 ,we1 which are alive and remain unto the coming of the ,lord shall not prevent them which are asleep 7iv1 #ae74 ,then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 7#ag74 ,generations passed1 ,christ did not come1 and the church was losing faith in ,paul and ,christianity4 ,to restore confidence1 another letter from ,paul to the ,thessalonians was found1 and this repudiates the first4 ,he exhorts them not to be troubled1 neither by spirit1 nor by word1 nor by letter as from us1 as that the day of ,christ is at hand 7ii1 #b74 ,it teaches the second coming of ,christ1 but carefully leaves the time indefinite4 ,whatever may be said of the ,first ,epistle1 the ,second is clearly a forgery4 ,with respect to these ,epistles1 the ,britannica says3 ,the predominant opinion of modern criticism at present is that the genuineness of the ,first ,epistle is certain1 while that of the ,second must be given up4 ,first and ,second ,timothy and ,titus1 known as the ,pastoral ,epistles1 and ,hebrews were not written by ,paul4 ,the ,pastoral ,epistles are forgeries1 while ,hebrews is an anonymous work4 ,the contents of these books betray a later date4 ,their teachings are not the teachings of ,paul4 ,their language is utterly unlike that of the genuine ,epistles4 ,they contain two hundred words never used by ,paul4 ,marcion1 the most noted ,pauline ,christian of the second century1 who made a collection of ,paul's ,epistles1 excluded them4 ,tatian and ,basilides also rejected them4 ,against the authenticity of the ,pastoral ,epistles may be cited nearly every modern critic1 including the four great names of ,baur1 ,eichorn1 ,de ,wette1 and ,davidson4 ,baur says they were written in the second century4 ,while thirteen of the so-called ,pauline ,epistles claim to have been written by ,paul1 ,hebrews alone is silent regarding its authorship4 ,tertullian classed it with the apocryphal books1 but thought it might have been written by ,barnabas4 ,in the ,clermont codex it is called the ,epistle of ,barnabas4 ,according to ,origen1 some ascribe it to ,luke1 others to ,clement of ,rome4 ,origen himself says3 ,who it was that really wrote the ,epistle1 ,god only knows4 ,dr4 ,westcott admits that there is no evidence that ,paul wrote it4 ,grotius attributes it to ,luke1 ,luther to ,apollos4 ,luther says3 ,that the ,epistle to the ,hebrews is not by ,st4 ,paul1 nor1 indeed1 by any apostle1 is shown by chapter ii1 #c 7,preface to ,luther's ,n4 ,t474 ,concerning the seven books that we have been considering1 ,dr4 ,hooykaas says3 ,fourteen ,epistles are said to be ,paul's2 but we must at once strike off one1 namely1 that to the ,hebrews1 which does not bear his name at all4444 ,the two letters to ,timothy and the letter to ,titus were certainly composed long after the death of ,paul4444 ,it is more than probable that the letters to the ,ephesians and ,colossians are also unauthentic1 and the same suspicion rests1 perhaps1 on the first1 but certainly on the second of the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #bc74 ,the ,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,chadwick1 in his ,bible of ,to-day1 says that the first four ,epistles are his ,paul's with absolute certainty4 ,four others1 ,philippians1 ,colossians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 and ,philemon1 he is disposed to accept1 but admits that their authenticity is doubtful4 ,the remaining books he pronounces spurious4 ,persons in this age have little conception of the prevalence of literary forgeries in the early centuries of the church4 ,now1 when books are printed in editions of #a1jjj or more1 such forgeries are nearly impossible and consequently rare4 ,when books existed in manuscript only1 they were neither difficult nor uncommon4 ,books and letters purporting to have been written by ,paul1 ,peter1 ,john1 and other ,apostles were readily discovered when wanted4 ,of these ,apostolic forgeries ,prof4 ,john ,tyndall says3 ,when arguments or proofs were needed1 whether on the side of the ,jewish ,christians or of the ,gentile ,christians1 a document was discovered which met the case1 and on which the name of an ,apostle or of some authoritative contemporary of the ,apostles was boldly inscribed4 ,the end being held to justify the means1 there was no lack of manufactured testimony4 ,conclusion4 ,of these fourteen ,epistles ascribed to ,paul1 four1 then1 ,romans1 ,first and ,second ,corinthians1 and ,galatians1 are pronounced genuine2 three1 ,philippians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 and ,philemon1 are of doubtful authenticity2 while seven1 ,ephesians1 ,colossians1 ,second ,thessalonians1 ,first and ,second ,timothy1 ,titus1 and ,hebrews1 are spurious4 ,the genuine writings of ,paul are probably the oldest ,christian writings extant4 ,admitting the authenticity of these four books1 of course1 is not admitting the authenticity of ,christianity4 ,paul was not a witness of the alleged events upon which historical ,christianity rests4 ,he was not a convert to ,christianity until many years after ,christ's death4 ,he did not see ,christ 7save in a vision72 he did not listen to his teachings2 he did not learn from his disciples4 ,the gospel which was preached of me is not after man1 for ,i neither received it of man1 neither was ,i taught it 7,gal4 i1 #aa1 #ab74 ,paul accepted only to a small extent the religion of ,christ's disciples4 ,he professed to derive his knowledge from supernatural sources--from trances and visions4 ,regarding the value of such testimony1 the author of ,supernatural ,religion says3 ,no one can deny1 and medical and psychological annals prove1 that many men have been subject to visions and hallucinations which have never been seriously attributed to supernatural causes4 ,there is not one single valid reason removing the ecstatic visions and trances of the ,apostle ,paul from this class4 ,we have now reviewed the books of the ,bible and presented some of the historical and internal evidences bearing upon the question of their authenticity4 ,the authenticity of the books of the ,new ,testament1 we have seen1 is but little better attested than that of the ,old4 ,the authors of twenty books--,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 ,john1 ,acts1 ,ephesians1 ,colossians1 ,second ,thessalonians1 ,first and ,second ,timothy1 ,titus1 ,hebrews1 ,james1 ,first and ,second ,peter1 ,first1 ,second1 and ,third ,john1 ,jude1 and ,revelation--are unknown4 ,three books--,philippians1 ,first ,thessalonians1 and ,philemon--are of questionable authenticity4 ,four books only--,romans1 ,first and ,second ,corinthians1 and ,galatians--are generally admitted to be authentic4 ,of the sixty-six books of the ,bible at least fifty are anonymous works or forgeries4 ,to teach that these books are divine1 and to accept them as such1 denotes a degree of depravity on the one hand1 and an amount of credulity on the other1 that are not creditable to a moral and enlightened people4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,credibility4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,textual ,,corruptions4 ,the ,bible does not contain the shadow of a shade of error from ,genesis to ,revelation--,cheever4 ,every book of it1 every chapter of it1 every verse of it1 every word of it1 is the direct utterance of the ,most ,high4--,bunyan4 ,such are the dogmatic assertions of ,bibliolaters4 ,so much confidence do they pretend to repose in the doctrine of the ,bible's inerrancy that they propose the most crucial tests for its submission4 ,the ,rev4 ,jeremiah ,jones1 one of the highest orthodox authorities on the canon1 lays down this rule in determining the right of a book to a place in the canon3 ,that book is apocryphal which contains contradictions2 or which contains histories1 or proposes doctrines contrary to those which are known to be true2 or which contains ludicrous trifling1 fabulous1 or silly relations2 or which contains anachronisms2 or wherein the style is clearly different from the known style of the author whose name it bears 7,new ,methods1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #gj74 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,hartwell ,horne1 a standard authority in the orthodox church1 submits this test in determining the divinity of the ,bible as a whole3 ,if real contradictions exist in the ,bible1 it is sufficient proof that it is not divinely inspired1 whatever pretenses it may make to such inspiration 7,introduction to the ,scriptures1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #eha74 ,i challenge the verity of ,cheever's and ,bunyan's claims and proceed to apply to this book the tests of ,jones and ,horne4 ,instead of not containing the shadow of a shade of error1 ,i shall show that it is so filled with the darkness of error that the truths existing in it are scarcely discernible4 ,instead of being the direct utterance of the ,most ,high1 ,i shall show that every book of it1 every chapter of it1 every verse of it1 every word of it1 is the direct utterance of man4 ,i shall impeach the authority of the ,christian canon and show that all of its books are apocryphal2 that they contain histories and propose doctrines that are contrary to what is known to be true2 that they contain ludicrous1 trifling1 fabulous1 and silly relations2 that they abound with anachronisms4 ,if ,i have not already shown that the style of these books is clearly different from the known style of the authors whose names they bear1 it is because the known style of these authors is a myth4 ,i shall adduce enough real contradictions from the ,bible to not only refute the claim that it is divinely inspired1 but to destroy its credibility even as a human authority4 ,errors of ,transcribers4 ,if the ,bible were a divine revelation1 as claimed1 it would have been divinely preserved4 ,not only the original writers1 but the transcribers1 translators1 and printers1 also1 would have been divinely inspired4 ,it is admitted that divine inspiration was confined to the original writers4 ,consequently the ,bible1 as we have it1 cannot be an infallible revelation4 ,if it be not an infallible revelation it cannot be a divine revelation4 ,it is popularly supposed that the books of the ,bible1 as originally written1 have been preserved free from corruptions4 ,that they are full of textual errors--that the books as they were originally written no longer exist and cannot be restored--is conceded even by the most orthodox of the ,lower ,critics4 ,the principal causes of these corruptions are the following3 #a4 ,clerical errors4 ,the invention of printing made it possible to preserve the original text of a writer comparatively free from errors4 ,with the works of ancient writers this was impossible4 ,for a period of from #a1bjj to #b1bjj years preceding the invention of printing the only means of preserving the books of the ,bible was the pen of the scribe4 ,however careful the copyist might be1 errors would creep into the text4 ,but instead of being careful these copyists1 many of them1 were notoriously careless4 ,this is especially evident in the case of numbers4 ,hundreds of errors were made in the transcription of these alone4 ,probably one-half of the numbers given in the ,old ,testament1 and many in the ,new1 are not those given in the original text1 but are errors due to the carelessness of transcribers and a want of divine supervision4 #b4 ,interpolations4 ,there are thousands of interpolations in the ,bible4 ,a considerable portion of the words printed in ,italics in our version are acknowledged interpolations4 ,many of them appeared first in the shape of marginal notes intended to explain or correct a statement in the text4 ,later scribes incorporated these into the text4 ,and thus1 while ,god was engaged in watching sparrows and numbering the hairs in his children's heads1 additions in this and various other ways were made to his word4 ,in many instances whole chapters were added to the original documents4 #c4 ,omissions4 ,much matter was carelessly omitted4 ,to quote the ,bible for ,learners1 not only letters and words1 but whole verses have fallen out4 ,objectionable matter was intentionally omitted4 ,chrysostom tells us that entire books were destroyed by the ,jews4 ,they were on such familiar terms with the ,deity that they could obtain other and more desirable ones for the asking4 #d4 ,textual changes4 ,in innumerable places the text has been wilfully changed to suit the religious and other notions of the priests4 ,let me cite an example4 ,in early copies1 and probably in the original text1 ,genesis xviii1 #bb1 reads as follows3 ,the ,lord yet stood before ,abraham4 ,they thought it detracted from ,god's dignity to stand before one of his creatures1 and so they changed it to its present form1 ,abraham stood yet before the ,lord4 ,concerning the corruptions of the scribes1 ,dr4 ,davidson says3 ,they did not refrain from changing what had been written1 or inserting fresh matter 7,canon1 p4 #cd74 ,the facts that ,i have mentioned apply not merely to the ,old ,testament1 but to the ,new ,testament as well4 ,westcott1 a very high authority on the canon1 says3 ,it does not appear that any special care was taken in the first age to preserve the books of the ,new ,testament from the various injuries of time or to insure perfect accuracy of transcription4444 ,the original copies seem to have soon perished4 ,errors of ,translators4 ,these errors of the transcribers have been immeasurably increased by the translators4 ,a perfect translation is impossible1 and for these reasons3 #a4 ,no language has words to express perfectly all the words of another language4 #b4 ,languages change with time and the words of one age have a different meaning in the next4 #c4 ,many writers do not express themselves clearly1 and it is often impossible to fully comprehend their meaning4 ,this is especially true of ,bible writers4 #d4 ,no two translators will grasp the meaning of a writer in exactly the same manner1 or convey it in the same words4 ,in regard to the ,old ,testament the ,hebrew language1 as anciently written1 was the most difficult of all languages to translate4 ,it was written from right to left2 the words contained no vowels2 there were no intervening spaces between the words1 and no punctuation marks4 ,even with the introduction of vowel points many words in ,hebrew1 as in ,english1 have more than one meaning4 ,without these points1 as originally written1 the number is increased a hundred fold4 ,the five ,english words1 bag1 beg1 big1 bog1 and bug1 are quite unlike and easily distinguished4 ,omit the vowels1 as the ancient ,jews did1 and we have five words exactly alike1 or rather1 one word with five different meanings4 ,the ,hebrew language was thus largely composed of words with several meanings4 ,as there were no spaces between words it was sometimes hard to tell where a word began or where it ended2 and as there were no punctuation marks1 and no spaces between sentences1 paragraphs1 or even sections1 it was often difficult to determine the meaning of a writer after the words had been deciphered4 ,here is the best known passage in the ,bible printed in ,english as the ,jews would have written it in ,hebrew3 bllwhtmcmdgnkhtmnhtbdllhnvhntrhchwrhtf,r vgrfwsstbdrsvgrfdndrbldrdshtsvgnvhnstsht rnnd nkhtsnhtrflvmrfsrvldtbnttpmttntnsdldnsrt bdrn nmrvrfrlghtdnrphtdnmdg ,in the printed text there is little danger of mistaking one letter for another2 in the written text there is1 especially if they resemble each other4 ,the ,hebrew letters corresponding to our ,d and ,r were nearly alike and easily confounded4 ,consequently in ,numbers i1 #ad1 we have ,eliasaph the son of ,deuel1 and in ,numbers ii1 #ad1 ,eliasaph the son of ,reuel4 ,only ,god knows which is correct1 and he does not care to enlighten us4 ,therefore we must believe that both are correct or be damned4 ,st4 ,jerome says3 ,when we translate the ,hebrew into ,latin we are sometimes guided by conjecture4 ,le ,clerc says3 ,the learned merely guess at the sense of the ,old ,testament in an infinity of places 7,sentim1 p4 #aef74 ,the ,old ,testament as we have it1 then1 consists largely of guesses and conjectures4 ,the title page of our ,authorized ,version of the ,bible contains these words3 ,translated out of the original tongues4 ,the ,old ,testament is declared to be a correct translation of the accepted ,hebrew4 ,in its preparation1 however1 the ,greek more than the ,hebrew version was followed4 ,referring to the ,king ,james translators1 the historian ,john ,clark ,ridpath says3 ,following the ,septuagint rather than the ,hebrew original1 they fell into many errors which a riper scholarship would have avoided 7,cyclopedia of ,universal ,history4 ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #gfc74 ,instead of being a collection of original guesses and conjectures our ,old ,testament is1 to a great extent1 merely a bad ,english translation of a corrupted copy of a spurious ,greek translation of the original 787 ,hebrew4 ,on the title page of the ,authorized ,version of the ,new ,testament appears another falsehood3 ,translated out of the original ,greek4 ,the original ,greek of the ,new ,testament1 it is claimed1 belongs to the first century4 ,the original ,greek out of which our version was translated is less than #ejj years old4 ,the ,greek version from which it was translated was made by ,erasmus in #aeaf4 ,referring to the materials employed by ,erasmus in the preparation of his work1 the ,rev4 ,alexander ,roberts1 ,d4 ,d41 in his ,companion to the ,revised ,version of the ,english ,new ,testament1 a work which the ,committee on ,revision delegated him to write and which was approved1 makes the following admissions3 ,in the ,gospels he principally used a cursive ,,ms4 of the fifteenth or sixteenth century4 ,in the ,acts and ,epistles he chiefly followed a cursive ,,ms4 of the thirteenth or fourteenth century4 ,for the ,apocalypse he had only one mutilated manuscript4 ,there are words in the professed original for which no divine authority can be pleaded1 but which are entirely due to the learning and imagination of ,erasmus4 ,little do ,christians realize how much of the ,bible is due to the imagination of theologians4 ,in view of the difficulties that ,i have mentioned1 if the translators had earnestly tried to give us a faithful translation of the ,bible their work would have teemed with imperfections4 ,but they did not even attempt to give us a faithful translation4 ,we know that in numerous instances they purposely mistranslated its words4 ,a hundred examples might be cited4 ,one will suffice--sheol4 ,the translators themselves ought to be the best judges of each other's work4 ,of ,beza's ,new ,testament1 ,castalio says3 ,it would require a large volume to mark down the multitude of errors which swarm in ,beza's translation4 ,of ,castalio's translation1 ,beza says3 ,it is sacrilegious1 wicked1 and downright pagan4 ,reviewing ,luther's ,bible1 ,zwingle writes3 ,thou corruptest1 ,o ,luther1 the ,word of ,god4 ,thou art known to be an open and notorious perverter of the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,luther1 in turn1 calls the translators of ,zwingle's ,bible a set of fools1 anti-,christs1 and impostors4 ,our ,authorized ,version is certainly as faulty as any of the above1 and its translators have been the recipients of as severe criticisms as those quoted4 ,the ,committee on ,revision1 while compelled to treat it respectfully1 declared against its infallibility in the following words3 ,the studied variety adopted by the translators of #afaa has produced a degree of inconsistency that cannot be reconciled with the principles of faithfulness 7,preface to ,n4 ,v474 ,different ,versions ,contain ,different ,books4 ,that the charges that ,i have made concerning the corruptions of the text of the ,bible are true1 one fact alone amply proves--its many discordant versions and translations4 ,hundreds have perished1 all of them differing from the original and differing from each other4 ,a hundred still exist2 no two of them alike4 ,excepting the ,english versions1 which are mostly revisions of the same version1 scarcely two of the principal versions contain the same books4 ,the received ,hebrew contains #ci books 7#bb as divided71 the ,samaritan #f 7some copies but #e72 the ,septuagint about #ej4 ,of the ,christian versions of the ,old ,testament1 some contain the ,apocryphal books1 others do not4 ,the ,gothic and ,ethiopic versions exclude a part of the canonical books4 ,the ,syriac ,new ,testament contains but #bb books2 the ,italic #bd 7some copies #be72 the ,egyptian #bf2 the ,vulgate #bg4 ,the ,ethiopic omits a canonical book and includes an apocryphal book4 ,the ,sinaitic and ,alexandrian manuscripts each contain #bi books4 ,each contains two apocryphal books1 but the books are not the same4 ,the ,roman ,catholic and the ,greek ,catholic ,bibles do not contain the same number of books4 ,the ,roman ,catholic and the ,protestant ,bibles do not contain the same number2 the ,roman ,catholic contains #ge1 the ,protestant #ff4 ,different ,versions of the ,same ,book ,differ4 ,no two versions of the same book are alike4 ,the ,samaritan ,pentateuch does not agree with the ,hebrew ,pentateuch2 the ,septuagint ,pentateuch agrees with neither4 ,the ,hebrew and the ,septuagint have both been accepted by ,christians as authoritative4 ,in a single chapter may be found a dozen important variations3 ,hebrew4--,and ,arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begat ,salah 7,gen4 xi1 #ab74 ,septuagint4--,and ,arphaxad lived a hundred and thirty-five years and begat ,cainan4 ,hebrew4--,and ,arphaxad lived after he begat ,salah four hundred and three years 7#ac74 ,septuagint4--,and ,cainan lived a hundred and thirty years and he begat ,salah1 and he lived after the birth of ,salah three hundred and thirty years4 ,hebrew4--,and ,salah lived thirty years and begat ,eber 7#ad74 ,septuagint4--,and ,salah lived a hundred and thirty years and begat ,eber4 ,hebrew4--,and ,salah lived after he begat ,eber four hundred and three years 7#ae74 ,septuagint4--,and ,salah lived after he begat ,eber three hundred and thirty years4 ,hebrew4--,and ,eber lived four and thirty years and begat ,peleg 7#af74 ,septuagint4--,and ,eber lived a hundred and thirty-four years and begat ,peleg4 ,hebrew4--,and ,eber lived after he begat ,peleg four hundred and thirty years 7#ag74 ,septuagint4--,and ,eber lived after he begat ,peleg two hundred and seventy years4 ,hebrew4--,and ,peleg lived thirty years and begat ,reu 7#ah74 ,septuagint4--,and ,peleg lived a hundred and thirty years and begat ,ragad4 ,hebrew4--,and ,reu lived two and thirty years and begat ,serug 7#bj74 ,septuagint4--,and ,ragad lived a hundred and thirty-two years and begat ,serug4 ,hebrew4--,and ,serug lived thirty years and begat ,nahor 7#bb74 ,septuagint4--,and ,serug lived a hundred and thirty years and begat ,nahor4 ,hebrew4--,and ,nahor lived nine and twenty years and begot ,terah 7#bd74 ,septuagint4--,and ,nahor lived a hundred and seventy-nine years and begat ,terah4 ,hebrew4--,and ,nahor lived after he begat ,terah an hundred and nineteen years 7#be74 ,septuagint4--,and ,nahor lived after he begat ,terah a hundred and twenty-five years4 ,hebrew4--,and ,terah took ,abram his son and ,lot the son of ,haran1 his son's son1 and ,sarai his daughter-in-law1 his son ,abram's wife 7#ca74 ,septuagint4--,and ,terah took ,abram and ,nahor his sons1 and ,lot the son of ,haran his son's son1 and ,sarai and ,melcha1 his daughters-in-law1 the wives of his sons ,abram and ,nahor4 ,the early ,christian versions and manuscripts contain an immense number of different readings1 at least #aej1jjj4 ,dr4 ,mill discovered #hj1jjj different readings in the ,new ,testament alone4 ,origen1 writing in the third century1 says3 ,there is a vast difference betwixt the several editions of the scripture1 happening either through the carelessness of the transcribers1 or else the forwardness of some who pretend to correct and adulterate the scripture 7,commentary on ,st4 ,matthew74 ,modern versions do not agree4 ,the readings of the ,catholic and ,protestant versions are quite unlike3 ,the ,protestant versions themselves contain a great variety of readings4 ,the ,new ,version is supposed to be simply a revision of the ,authorized ,version4 ,the committee that prepared it was governed by this rule3 ,to introduce as few alterations as possible into the text of the ,authorized ,version consistent with faithfulness4 ,how many alterations were made8 ,more than one hundred thousand6 ,the following are some of the changes made in the ,new ,testament3 ,old ,version4--,all scripture is given by inspiration of ,god1 and is profitable for doctrine1 etc4 7#b ,tim4 iii1 #af74 ,new ,version4--,every scripture inspired of ,god is also profitable for teaching1 etc4 ,old4--,and ,joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him 7,luke ii1 #cc74 ,new4--,and his father and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him4 ,old4--,these things were done in ,bethabara beyond ,jordan 7,john i1 #bh74 ,new4--,these things were done in ,bethany beyond ,jordan4 ,old4--,god was manifest in the flesh 7#a ,tim4 iii1 #af74 ,new4--,he ,christ who was manifested in the flesh4 ,old4--,no man1 when he hath lighted a candle1 putteth it in a secret place 7,luke xi1 #cc74 ,new4--,no man1 when he hath lighted a lamp1 putteth it in a cellar4 ,old4--,because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life 7,matt1 vii1 #ad74 ,new4--,for narrow is the gate and straitened the way that leadeth unto life4 ,old4--,our ,father1 which art in heaven4 ,hallowed be thy name4 ,thy kingdom come4 ,thy will be done in earth1 as it is in heaven4 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,and forgive us our debts1 as we forgive our debtors1 and lead us not into temptation1 but deliver us from evil3 ,for thine is the kingdom1 and the power1 and the glory1 for ever4 ,amen 7,matt1 vi1 #i-ac74 ,new4--,our father1 which art in heaven4 ,hallowed be thy name4 ,thy kingdom come4 ,thy will be done1 as in heaven1 so on earth4 ,give us this day our daily bread4 ,and forgive us our debts1 as we also have forgiven our debtors4 ,and bring us not into temptation1 but deliver us from the evil one4 ,one would suppose that if ,christians preserved any part of the ,bible free from corruption it would be the prayer of their ,lord1 a little prayer containing but a few lines4 ,and yet they have not4 ,the so-called ,lord's ,prayer that our mother's taught us is not the ,lord's ,prayer4 ,the prayer we learned contains sixty-six words4 ,the ,lord's ,prayer contains but fifty-five4 ,the revisers have expunged fifteen words1 added some1 and altered others4 ,the last twelve verses of ,mark1 the first eleven verses of ,john viii1 and #a ,john v1 #h1 three important passages1 are all admitted to be forgeries4 ,different ,copies of the ,same ,version ,differ4 ,different copies of the same version contain different readings4 ,st4 ,jerome's version was declared a forgery1 because it differed so much from the ,italic version then in use4 ,jerome anticipated the charge and met the objection in his preface addressed to ,pope ,damasus3 ,two things are my comfort under such a reproach3 ,first1 that 'tis you1 the ,supreme ,pontiff1 that have put me upon the task2 and secondly1 that by the confession even of the most envious1 there needs be some falsity where there is so much variety4 ,if they say that the ,latin copies are to be credited1 let them tell me which4 ,for there are almost as many different copies as there are manuscripts4 ,prof4 ,wilbur ,f4 ,steele1 a noted ,christian scholar1 relates the following relative to our own version3 ,in #ahdh there was such confusion in the office of the ,american ,bible ,society1 and such impossibility of telling what should be the reading in many places1 that a man was set to work to bring order out of chaos4 ,he took four ,bibles from as many leading ,bible houses of ,england1 a copy of the ,american ,bible ,society1 and a copy of the original edition of #afaa1 all claiming to be the same4 ,these were carefully compared throughout2 every variation1 no matter how minute1 was noted4 ,the number of these variations was about #bd1jjj 7,central ,christian ,advocate74 ,twenty-four thousand variations found in six copies of the same version6 ,thus we see that different versions of the ,bible do not contain the same books2 different versions of the same book do not contain the same readings1 while even different copies of the same versions disagree4 ,which is the word of ,god8 ,if the ,bible had originally consisted of authentic and credible documents its credibility would have been greatly impaired by these wholesale corruptions of the transcribers and translators4 ,but if we had the originals1 it is doubtful whether their credibility would be much greater than these distorted copies4 ,enough remains to show the general character of them1 and this is bad4 ,they consist mostly of historical and biographical narratives1 interwoven with legends1 myths1 and fables2 crude poetical compositions2 the ravings of diseased religious minds1 called prophecies and revelations2 and theological dissertations1 no two of which agree in their doctrines4 ,a few of the books possess genuine merit and deserve a place among the literary treasures of the world1 but all of them are fallible4 ,remarkable1 as coming from a theological professor1 but fraught with truth and confirmatory of the statements made in this chapter1 are these words of ,professor ,steele3 ,evidently every letter of the ,english ,bible has not been miraculously watched over4 ,he who has neither eyes nor conscience may affirm it1 but persons provided with these can not4 ,if the affirmer hedges by saying he did not refer to translations but to the 'original1' we note that 7#a7 translations are the only thing most people have to go to heaven on2 and 7#b7 that scholars of truth and conscience find equally as much fault with the 'original4' ,there are hundreds1 if not thousands1 of places in which the scholar finds conflicting testimony4 ,in discussing the credibility of the ,bible the question of authenticity will1 for the most part1 be waived4 ,with ,christians all of its books are genuine--the writings of those to whom they are ascribed--and for the sake of argument1 as well as convenience1 these ascribed authors will be recognized4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,two ,,cosmogonies ,,of ,,genesis4 ,a stereotyped claim of ,bible believers is this3 ,the account of creation given in ,genesis is in harmony with the accepted teachings of science4 ,but which account8 ,in the opening chapters of ,genesis are presented two ancient poems1 written by different authors4 ,the first comprises the first chapter and the first three verses of the second chapter2 the second comprises the remainder of the second chapter4 ,each poem contains a cosmogony4 ,but neither of them agrees with the demonstrated truths of science4 ,above all1 they do not agree with each other4 ,the points of disagreement are many1 chief of which are the following3 #a4 ,in the first cosmogony the appellation of ,deity is uniformly ,elohim 7the gods71 translated ,god4 ,this term occurs thirty-five times4 ,in the second1 the appellation of ,deity is uniformly ,jehovah 7,yahweh7 ,elohim1 translated ,lord ,god4 ,this term occurs eleven times4 ,the first belongs to the ,priestly code1 the second to the ,jehovistic document4 ,they represent different schools of ,jewish thought and different periods of ,jewish history4 #b4 ,in the first1 earth is a chaos covered with water4 ,the waters must be assuaged before vegetation can appear4 ,in the second1 earth is at first a dry plain4 ,vegetation cannot exist because there is no moisture4 ,for the ,lord ,god had not caused it to rain upon the earth 7ii1 #e74 #c4 ,in the first1 plants are created from the earth--are a product of the earth4 ,and the earth brought forth grass and herb 7i1 #ab74 ,in the second1 they are created independent of the earth--are created by ,god and then transferred to earth4 ,the ,lord ,god made the earth and the heavens1 and every plant of the field before it was in the earth1 and every herb of the field before it grew 7ii1 #d1 #e74 #d4 ,in the first1 fowls1 fish1 and aquatic animals form one act of creation--land animals and reptiles another2 the former being created on the fifth day1 the latter on the sixth 7i1 #ba-be74 ,in the second1 fowls and land animals are created at the same time--form one creation act 7ii1 #ai74 #e4 ,in the first1 fowls are created out of the water4 ,and ,god said1 ,let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life1 and fowl that may fly above the earth 7i1 #bj74 ,in the second1 fowls are created out of the ground4 ,out of the ground the ,lord ,god formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the air 7ii1 #ai74 #f4 ,in the first1 trees are created before man4 ,trees appear on the third day1 while man does not appear until the sixth day4 ,in the second1 trees are created after man4 ,and the ,lord ,god formed man2 444 planted a garden eastward in ,eden2 and there he put the man whom he had formed4 ,and out of the ground made the ,lord ,god to grow every tree1 etc4 7ii1 #g1 #h47 #g4 ,in the first1 fowls are created before man--are created on the fifth day1 while the creation of man does not occur until the sixth day4 ,in the second1 fowls are created after man4 ,the ,lord ,god formed every beast of the field1 and every fowl of the air2 and brought them unto ,adam to see what he would call them 7ii1 #ai74 #h4 ,in the first1 man is created after the beasts4 ,god's first work on the sixth day was the creation of beasts1 his last work was the creation of man 7i1 #bd-ca74 ,in the second1 man is created before the beasts4 ,god makes man before he plants the garden of ,eden1 while beasts are not made until after the garden is planted 7ii1 #g-ai74 #i4 ,in the first1 man and woman are created at the same time4 ,so ,god created man in his own image1 in the image of ,god created he him2 male and female created he them 7i1 #bg74 ,in the second1 woman is created after man4 ,the writer supposes a considerable period of time to have elapsed between the creation of man and the creation of woman4 ,god creates man2 then he plants a garden and places the man there to tend it2 next he makes the animals and birds and brings them to ,adam to name2 finally he concludes that ,adam needs a helpmate1 and taking a rib from his body1 creates woman4 #aj4 ,the first cosmogony comprises eight distinct creations3 #a4 ,light4 #b4 ,the firmament4 #c4 ,dry land4 #d4 ,vegetation4 #e4 ,sun1 moon1 and stars4 #f4 ,fish and fowls4 #g4 ,land animals4 #h4 ,man4 ,the second comprises four creations3 #a4 ,man 7,adam74 #b4 ,trees4 #c4 ,animals4 #d4 ,woman 7,eve74 #aa4 ,in the first1 the heavens and the earth are created in six literal days4 ,in the second1 no mention is made of this six days' creation4 ,on the contrary1 the writer simply refers to the day that the ,lord ,god made the earth and the heavens 7ii1 #d74 #ab4 ,in the first1 ,god1 from his throne in heaven1 speaks earth's creation into being4 ,god said1 ,let the earth bring forth1 444 and it was so4 ,in the second1 ,god comes down on earth1 plants a garden1 molds man out of clay1 breathes in his nostrils1 makes woman out of a rib1 makes birds and animals as a child makes mud pies1 and brings them to ,adam to see what he will call them4 #ac4 ,in the first1 man at the creation is given both fruit and herbs to subsist upon4 ,behold ,i have given you every herb bearing seed1 444 and every tree1 in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed2 to you it shall be for meat 7i1 #bi74 ,in the second1 he is given fruit alone for food4 ,not until after he sins and the curse is pronounced does ,god say1 ,thou shalt eat the herb of the field 7iii1 #ah74 ,according to this writer the use of herbs and grain for food was a consequence of man's fall4 #ad4 ,in the first1 man may partake of the fruit of all the trees4 ,every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed2 to you it shall be for meat 7i1 #bi74 ,in the second1 he is not permitted to partake of the fruit of all the trees4 ,ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden 7iii1 #a74 ,of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil1 thou shalt not eat of it 7ii1 #ag74 #ae4 ,in the first1 ,god made the firmament1 and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament 7i1 #g74 ,when moisture was needed the windows of heaven were opened and water discharged from the reservoir above4 ,when enough was discharged the windows of heaven were stopped1 and the rain from heaven was restrained 7viii1 #b74 ,in the second1 when moisture was needed1 ,there went up a mist from the earth1 and watered the whole face of the ground 7ii1 #f74 #af4 ,in the first1 man is given dominion over all the earth4 ,let them have dominion over the fish of the sea1 and over the fowl of the air1 and over the cattle1 and over all the earth 7i1 #bf74 ,in the second1 his dominion is confined to a garden4 ,and the ,lord ,god took the man1 and put him into the garden of ,eden to dress it and keep it 7ii1 #ae74 #ag4 ,both cosmogonies are theological rather than scientific4 ,the real purpose of the first1 in its present form at least1 is not so much to explain the creation of the universe as to inculcate a belief in the divine institution of the ,sabbath4 ,it belongs to the ,priestly code1 and one of the chief pillars of priestcraft is the ,sabbath4 ,the second contains no recognition of the ,sabbath4 ,the chief purpose of this account of the creation1 if we include the third chapter1 which is really a continuation of it1 is to establish the doctrine of the ,fall of ,man4 #ah4 ,according to the first the ,creator is an optimist4 ,he views all his works and declares them good4 ,according to the second the ,creator is a pessimist4 ,he sees in his works both good and evil2 the good continuing to diminish1 and the evil continuing to increase4 ,to establish the credibility and divine origin of ,genesis it is necessary not merely to harmonize its theories with science1 but to reconcile its statements with each other4 ,the latter is as impossible as the former4 ,dean ,stanley1 in his ,memorial ,sermon on ,sir ,charles ,lyell at ,westminster ,abbey1 made this frank admission3 ,it is now clear to diligent students of the ,bible that the first and second chapters of ,genesis contain two narratives of the creation1 side by side1 differing from each other in most every particular of time1 place1 and order4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,patriarchal ,,age4 ,in disproof of the credibility of the so-called patriarchal history of the ,pentateuch1 a few of its many incredible and contradictory statements will be presented here4 #a4 ,the following are the recorded ages of the patriarchs3 ,adam1 #icj years 7,gen4 v1 #e72 ,seth1 #iab 7#h72 ,enos1 #ije 7#aa74 ,cainan1 #iaj 7#ad72 ,mahalaleel1 #hie 7#ag72 ,jared1 #ifb 7#bj72 ,enoch1 #cfe 7#bc7 ,methuselah1 #ifi 7#bg72 ,lamech1 #ggg 7#ca72 ,noah1 #iej 7ix1 #bi72 ,shem1 #fjj 7xi1 #aj1 #aa72 ,arphaxad1 #dch 7#ab1 #ac72 ,cainan1 #dfj 7omitted in ,hebrew ,version1 but given in ,septuagint72 ,salah1 #dcc 7#ad1 #ae72 ,eber1 #dfd 7#af1 #ag71 ,peleg1 #bci 7#ah1 #ai72 ,reu1 #bci 7#bj1 #ba72 ,serug1 #bcj1 7#bb1 #bc72 ,nahor1 #adh 7#bd1 #be72 ,terah1 #bje 7#cb72 ,abraham1 #age1 7xxv1 #g72 ,isaac1 #ahj 7xxxv1 #bh72 ,jacob1 #adg 7xlvii1 #bh72 ,joseph1 #aaj 7l1 #bf74 ,eleven generations of these patriarchs 7twelve if ,cainan be included71 ,noah1 ,shem1 ,arphaxad1 7,cainan71 ,salah1 ,eber1 ,peleg1 ,reu1 ,serug1 ,nahor1 ,terah1 and ,abraham1 were all living at the same time4 ,noah died in the year #bjjf ,a4,m4 ,when ,adam died ,noah's father was #ef years old4 ,abraham was the twentieth generation from ,adam4 ,when ,abraham was #ef years old1 ,noah1 whose father was #ef years old when ,adam died1 was still living4 ,when ,noah died1 his great-great-great-great-great-great-grea t-great-great grandson1 ,abraham1 was an old man4 ,isaac was the eleventh generation from ,shem4 ,when ,shem died ,isaac was #aaj years old4 ,jacob was the thirteenth generation from ,noah4 ,when ,noah's eldest son died ,jacob was #ej years old4 ,the combined ages of seven patriarchs equal a sum five hundred years greater than the time that has elapsed from the creation of the world to the present time4 #b4 ,every one that findeth me shall slay me 7,gen4 iv1 #ad74 ,and the ,lord set a mark upon ,cain1 lest any finding him should kill him 7#ae74 ,and ,cain went out from the presence of the ,lord1 and dwelt in the land of ,nod 7#af74 ,and ,cain knew his wife3 and she conceived1 and bare ,enoch2 and he ,cain builded a city 7#ag74 ,cain1 believing that he had a plurality of lives1 and fearing that every one who found him would take one1 appealed to ,god1 who set a mark on him so that his father and mother1 the only persons in existence besides himself1 would know him4 ,then going out from the presence of ,omnipresence1 he went to a country where nobody lived1 married a wife1 and built a city with a population of three inhabitants4 #c4 ,and ,methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years1 and begat ,lamech3 and ,methuselah lived after he begat ,lamech seven hundred eighty and two years4444 ,and all the days of ,methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years 7,gen4 v1 #be-bg74 ,and ,lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years1 and begat a son3 and he called his name ,noah 7#bh1 #bi74 ,in the six hundredth year of ,noah's life1 in the second month1 the seventeenth day of the month1 the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up1 and the windows of heaven were opened 7vii1 #aa74 ,and it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year1 in the first month1 the first day of the month1 the waters were dried up from off the earth 7viii1 #ac74 ,and ,noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years4 ,and all the days of ,noah were nine hundred and fifty years 7ix1 #bh1 #bi74 ,when the ,flood began ,noah was #eii years 7one month and seventeen days7 old2 when it ended he was exactly #fjj years old4 ,it is commonly supposed that ,methuselah died before the ,flood4 ,if the foregoing passages be correct1 he did not1 as will be shown by the following3 #a4 ,from the birth of ,lamech to the beginning of the ,flood was #ahb years #eii #gha years2 and from the birth of ,lamech to the end of the ,flood was #ahb years #fjj years #ghb years4 ,if ,methuselah lived after he begat ,lamech #ghb years1 he lived until the end of the ,flood4 #b4 ,from the birth of ,methuselah to the beginning of the ,flood was #ahg years #ahb years #eii years #ifh years4 ,from the birth of ,methuselah to the end of the ,flood was #ahg years #ahb years #fjj years #ifi years4 ,at the commencement of the ,flood he was but #ifh years old1 and not until the end of it was he #ifi4 #c4 ,from the birth of ,methuselah to the death of ,noah was #ahg years #ahb years #iej years #acai years4 ,as ,noah died #cej years after the ,flood1 from the birth of ,methuselah to the end of the ,flood was #acai years - #cej years #ifi years4 ,if he lived #ifi years1 he lived until the end of the ,flood4 ,as ,methuselah was not one of the eight persons that went into the ark1 where was he during the ,flood8 ,according to the ,septuagint ,genesis1 the ,flood occurred fourteen years before the death of ,methuselah4 #d4 ,of every living thing of all flesh1 two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark1 to keep them alive with thee2 they shall be male and female4 ,of fowls after their kind1 and of cattle after their kind1 of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind2 two of every sort shall come unto thee 7,gen4 vi1 #ai1 #bj74 ,of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens1 the male and his female3 and of beasts that are not clean by two1 the male and his female4 ,of fowls also of the air by sevens1 the male and the female 7vii1 #b1 #c74 ,referring to the above1 the celebrated ,jewish commentator1 ,dr4 ,kalisch1 says3 ,noah was commanded to take into the ark seven pairs of all clean1 and one pair of all unclean1 animals1 whereas he had before been ordered to take one pair of every species1 no distinction whatever between clean and unclean animals having been made4444 ,we do not hesitate to acknowledge here the manifest contradiction4 #e4 ,and ,noah was five hundred years old2 and ,noah begat ,shem 7v1 #cb74 ,and ,noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth 7vii1 #f74 ,shem was a hundred years old1 and he begat ,arphaxad two years after the flood 7xi1 #aj74 ,if ,noah was five hundred years old when he begat ,shem1 and six hundred years old at the time of the ,flood1 ,shem was one hundred years old at the time of the ,flood4 ,if ,shem begat ,arphaxad two years after the ,flood1 he was one hundred and two years old when he begat ,arphaxad4 #f4 ,and ,arphaxad begat ,salah 7,gen4 x1 #bd74 ,and ,arphaxad begat ,shelah 7#a ,chron4 i1 #ah74 ,and ,arphaxad begat ,cainan1 and ,cainan begat ,salah 7,genesis1 ,sept4 ,ver474 ,which was the son of ,sala1 which was the son of ,cainan1 which was the son of ,arphaxad 7,luke iii1 #ce1 #cf74 ,according to the ,hebrew ,genesis and ,chronicles1 ,arphaxad was the father of ,salah2 according to the ,septuagint ,genesis and ,luke1 ,cainan was the father1 and ,arphaxad the grandfather of ,salah4 #g4 ,the woman ,sarah was taken into ,pharaoh's house 7,gen4 xii1 #ae74 ,and ,pharaoh called ,abram1 and said1 ,what is this that thou hast done unto me8 7#ah74 ,and ,abimelech king of ,gerar sent1 and took ,sarah 7xx1 #b74 ,then ,abimelech called unto ,abraham1 and said unto him1 ,what hast thou done unto us8 7#i74 ,it may be claimed that both ,pharaoh and ,abimelech took ,sarah4 ,but it is evident that these are both legends of the same event1 or1 rather1 different and conflicting forms of the same legend4 ,the first belongs to the ,jehovist1 the second to the ,elohist4 #h4 ,and ,abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of ,haran4444 ,and into the land of ,canaan they came 7,gen4 xii1 #d1 #e74 ,and ,terah lived seventy years and begat ,abram 7xi1 #bf74 ,and the days of ,terah were two hundred and five years 7#cb74 ,when his father was dead1 he ,abram removed him into this land1 wherein ye now dwell 7,acts vii1 #d74 ,if ,abram did not go to ,canaan until after the death of his father1 he did not go until he was #ace years old1 #fj years older than stated in the first account4 #i4 ,and ,abram was four score and six years old when ,hagar bare ,ishmael to ,abram 7,gen4 xvi1 #af74 ,and ,abraham was a hundred years old when his son ,isaac was born unto him 7xxi1 #e74 ,and the child ,isaac grew1 and was weaned 7#h74 ,and ,abraham rose up early in the morning1 and took bread1 and a bottle of water1 and gave it unto ,hagar1 putting it on her shoulder1 and the child ,ishmael1 and sent her away3 and she departed1 and wandered in the wilderness of ,beersheba4 ,and the water was spent in the bottle1 and she cast the child under one of the shrubs 7#ad1 #ae74 ,when ,isaac was weaned1 and ,hagar was sent into the wilderness1 ,ishmael1 who was about sixteen years old1 is represented as a babe in his mother's arms4 #aj4 ,and ,esau was forty years old when he took to wife ,judith the daughter of ,beeri the ,hittite1 and ,bashemath the daughter of ,elon the ,hittite 7,gen4 xxvi1 #cd74 ,esau took his wives of the daughters of ,canaan2 ,adah the daughter of ,elon the ,hittite1 and ,aholibamah the daughter of ,anah the daughter of ,zibeon the ,hivite2 and ,bashemath ,ishmael's daughter 7xxxvi1 #b1 #c74 ,did ,esau marry two wives1 according to the first account1 or three1 according to the second8 ,was his first wife ,judith1 the daughter of ,beeri1 or ,adah1 the daughter of ,elon8 ,was ,bashemath the daughter of ,elon the ,hittite1 or was she the daughter of his uncle ,ishmael8 #aa4 ,i appeared unto ,abraham1 unto ,isaac1 and unto ,jacob1 by the name of ,god ,almighty3 but by my name ,jehovah was ,i not known to them 7,ex4 vi1 #c74 ,i ,abraham have lifted up mine hand unto the ,lord ,jehovah the most high ,god 7,gen4 xiv1 #bb74 ,he ,isaac said1 ,for now the ,lord ,jehovah hath made room for us 7xxvi1 #bb74 ,he ,jacob said1 ,surely the ,lord ,jehovah is in this place 7xxviii1 #af74 ,according to the writer in ,exodus1 ,jehovah did not become the national ,god of ,israel until after the time of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,according to the writer in ,genesis1 he was known to each of these patriarchs4 #ab4 ,all the souls of the house of ,jacob1 which came into ,egypt1 were three score and ten 7xlvi1 #bg74 ,then sent ,joseph1 and called his father ,jacob to him1 and all his kindred1 three score and fifteen souls 7,acts vii1 #ad74 #ac4 ,and the ,midianites sold him ,joseph into ,egypt unto ,potiphar1 an officer of ,pharaoh's1 and captain of the guard 7,gen4 xxxvii1 #cf74 ,and ,potiphar1 an officer of ,pharaoh1 captain of the guard1 an ,egyptian1 bought him ,joseph of the hands of the ,ishmaelites 7xxxix1 #a74 #ad4 ,now the sons of ,jacob were twelve3 the sons of ,leah2 ,reuben1 ,jacob's firstborn1 and ,simeon1 and ,levi1 etc4 7,gen4 xxxv1 #bb1 #bc74 ,and these are the names of the sons of ,levi1 according to their generations3 ,gershon1 and ,kohath etc4 7,ex4 vi1 #af74 ,and the sons of ,kohath2 ,amram1 etc4 7#ah74 ,and ,amram took him ,jochebed his father's sister to wife2 and she bare him ,aaron and ,moses 7#bj74 ,and the children of ,israel journeyed from ,ramases to ,succoth1 about six hundred thousand on foot that were men1 beside children 7,ex4 xii1 #cg74 ,levi was the son of ,jacob1 ,kohath was the son of ,levi1 ,amram was the son of ,kohath1 and ,moses was the son of ,amram4 ,moses was the fourth generation from ,jacob4 ,in the time of ,moses the adult male population of ,israel numbered #fjj1jjj1 representing a total population of about #c1jjj1jjj4 ,thus in four generations the progeny of ,jacob increased from twelve persons to three millions4 #ae4 ,judah1 ,jacob's fourth son1 married and had three sons--,er1 ,onan1 and ,shelah4 ,er grew to manhood1 married ,tamar1 and died4 ,onan then married his widow1 and died also4 ,shelah1 who was much younger than ,onan1 grew to manhood and refused to marry his brother's widow4 ,tamar then had two sons1 ,pharez and ,zarah1 by ,judah himself 7,gen4 xxxviii74 ,pharez grew to manhood1 married1 and had two sons1 ,hezron and ,hamil 7xlvi1 #ab71 before ,jacob and his family went to ,egypt4 ,when they went to ,egypt1 ,judah was but forty-two years old4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,jewish ,,kings4 ,much of the ,bible is devoted to events which are narrated but once4 ,these records may be true1 or they may be false4 ,we may question their truthfulness1 but it is difficult to demonstrate their falsity4 ,had all the events of the ,bible been recorded but once its credibility could the more easily be maintained4 ,but wherever two or more accounts of the same events occur1 such as in ,kings and ,chronicles1 where two histories of the ,jewish ,kings are given1 and in the ,four ,gospels1 where four biographies of ,jesus are given1 we find them so filled with discrepancies as to make them unworthy of credit4 ,the following are some of the contradictory statements that occur in the books pertaining to the ,jewish kings3 #a ,was ,david the seventh or the eighth son of ,jesse8 ,and ,jesse begat his first-born ,eliab1 and ,abinadab the second1 and ,shimma the third1 ,nethaniel the fourth1 ,raddai the fifth1 ,ozem the sixth1 ,david the seventh 7#a ,chron4 ii1 #ac-ae74 ,again1 ,jesse made seven of his sons to pass before ,samuel4 ,and ,samuel said unto ,jesse1 ,the ,lord hath not chosen these4 ,and ,samuel said unto ,jesse1 are here all thy children8 ,and he said1 ,there remaineth yet the youngest ,david 7#a ,sam4 xvi1 #aj1 #aa74 #b ,who gave ,david the shewbread to eat when he was a fugitive from ,saul8 ,then came ,david to ,nob to ,abimelech the ,high priest4444 ,so the priest gave him hallowed bread3 for there was no bread there but the shewbread 7#a ,sam4 xxi1 #a1 #f74 ,and he ,jesus said unto them1 ,have ye never read what ,david did when he was ahungered1 he1 and they that were with him8 ,how he went into the house of ,god in the days of ,abiathar the high priest1 and did eat the shewbread8 7,mark ii1 #be1 #bf74 #c ,what relation did the ,high ,priests ,abimelech and ,abiathar bear to each other8 ,abiathar the son of ,abimelech 7#a ,sam4 xxiii1 #f74 ,abimelech the son of ,abiathar 7#b ,sam4 viii1 #ag74 #d ,what sons were born to ,david in ,jerusalem8 ,and these be the names of those that were born unto him in ,jerusalem3 ,shammuah1 and ,shobab1 and ,nathan1 and ,solomon1 ,ibhar also1 and ,elishua1 and ,nepheg1 and ,japhia1 and ,elishama1 and ,eliada1 and ,eliphalet 7#b ,sam4 v1 #ad-af74 ,now these are the names of his children which he had in ,jerusalem3 ,shammua1 and ,shobab1 ,nathan1 and ,solomon1 and ,ibhar1 and ,elishua1 and ,elpalet1 and ,nogah1 and ,nepheg and ,japhia1 and ,elishama1 and ,beeliada1 and ,eliphalet 7#a ,chron4 xiv1 #d-g74 #e ,what was the name of ,david's tenth son 7twelfth according to ,chronicles78 ,eliada 7#b ,sam4 v1 #af74 ,beeliada 7#a ,chron4 xiv1 #g74 ,eliada means ,god knows2 ,beeliada means ,baal knows4 ,did ,david name his son for the ,god of the ,jews1 or for the ,god of the heathen8 #f ,how many horsemen did ,david take from ,hadadezer8 ,david took from him a thousand chariots1 and seven hundred horsemen1 and twenty thousand footmen 7#b ,sam4 viii1 #d74 ,david took from him a thousand chariots1 and seven thousand horsemen1 and twenty thousand footmen 7#a ,chron4 xviii1 #d74 #g ,was it forty thousand horsemen or forty thousand footmen that ,david slew of the ,syrians8 ,david slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the ,syrians1 and forty thousand horsemen 7#b ,sam4 x1 #ah74 ,david slew of the ,syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots and forty thousand footmen 7#a ,chron4 xix1 #ah74 #h ,who moved ,david to number the people1 the ,lord or ,satan8 ,the anger of the ,lord was kindled against ,israel1 and he moved ,david against them to say1 ,go1 number ,israel and ,judah 7#b ,sam4 xxiv1 #a74 ,and ,satan stood up against ,israel1 and provoked ,david to number ,israel 7#a ,chron4 xxi1 #a74 #i ,how many warriors had ,israel and ,judah8 ,and there were in ,israel eight hundred thousand #hjj1jjj valiant men that drew the sword1 and the men of ,judah were five hundred thousand #ejj1jjj men 7#b ,sam4 xxiv1 #i74 ,and all they of ,israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand #a1ajj1jjj men that drew sword2 and ,judah was four hundred three score and ten thousand #dgj1jjj men 7#a ,chron4 xxi1 #e74 #aj ,was ,david to suffer three or seven years of famine8 ,so ,gad came to ,david and said unto him3 ,thus saith the ,lord1 choose thee either three years of famine1 or three months to be destroyed before thy foes 7#a ,chron4 xxi1 #aa1 #ab74 ,so ,gad came to ,david and told him1 and said unto him1 ,shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land8 or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies8 7#b ,sam4 xxiv1 #ac74 #aa ,what did ,david pay for the threshing floor8 ,and ,gad came that day to ,david1 and said unto him1 ,go up1 rear an altar unto the ,lord in the threshing floor of ,araunah ,ornan the ,jebusite4444 ,so ,david bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver #bf4ej 7#b ,sam4 xxiv1 #ah1 #bd74 ,then the angel of the ,lord commanded ,gad to say to ,david1 that ,david should go up1 and set up an altar unto the ,lord in the threshing-floor of ,ornan the ,jebusite4444 ,so ,david gave to ,ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold #c1dad 7#a ,chron4 xxi1 #ah1 #be74 #ab ,how many overseers did ,solomon have while building the ,temple8 ,and ,solomon had three score and ten thousand that bare burdens1 and four score thousand hewers in the mountains2 besides the chief of ,solomon's officers which were over the work1 three thousand and three hundred 7#a ,kings1 v1 #ae1 #af74 ,and he set three score and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens and four score thousand to be hewers in the mountains1 and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people awork 7#b ,chron4 ii1 #ah74 #ac ,what was the height of the pillars before the house8 ,for he cast two pillars of brass1 of eighteen cubits high apiece4444 ,and he set up the right pillar1 and called the name thereof ,jachin3 and he set up the left pillar1 and called the name thereof ,boaz 7#a ,kings vii1 #ae1 #ba74 ,also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high1 444 and called the name of that on the right hand ,jachin1 and the name of that on the left ,boaz 7#b ,chron4 iii1 #ae1 #ag74 #ad ,what was the capacity of the molten sea8 ,and he made a molten sea1 ten cubits from the one brim to the other4444 ,and it was a hand-breadth thick1 and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup1 with flowers of lilies3 it contained two thousand baths 7#a ,kings vii1 #bc1 #bf74 ,also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim4444 ,and the thickness of it was a handbreadth1 and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup1 with flowers of lilies2 and it received and held three thousand baths 7#b ,chron4 iv1 #b1 #e74 #ae ,how many overseers did ,solomon have over his other works8 ,these were the chief of the officers that were over ,solomon's work1 five hundred and fifty1 which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work 7#a ,kings ix1 #bc74 ,and these were the chief of ,king ,solomon's officers1 even two hundred and fifty1 that bare rule over the people 7#b ,chron4 viii1 #aj74 #af ,how many stalls did ,solomon have for his horses8 ,and ,solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots1 and twelve thousand horsemen 7#b ,chron4 ix1 #be74 ,and ,solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots1 and twelve thousand horsemen 7#a ,kings iv1 #bf74 #ag ,how much gold did they bring ,solomon from ,ophir8 ,and they came to ,ophir1 and fetched from thence gold1 four hundred and twenty talents1 and brought it to ,king ,solomon 7#a ,kings ix1 #bh74 ,and they went with the servants of ,solomon to ,ophir1 and took thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold1 and brought them to ,king ,solomon 7#b ,chron4 viii1 #ah74 #ah ,who was the first to die1 ,jeroboam or ,abijah8 ,neither did ,jeroboam recover strength again in the days of ,abijah3 and the ,lord struck him1 and he died4 ,but ,abijah waxed mighty 7#b ,chron4 xiii1 #bj1 #ba74 ,and the days which ,jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years 7#a ,kings xiv1 #bj74 ,and ,abijam ,abijah slept with his fathers2 and they buried him in the city of ,david3 and ,asa his son reigned in his stead4 ,and in the twentieth year of ,jeroboam king of ,israel reigned ,asa over ,judah 7#a ,kings xv1 #h1 #i74 ,instead of ,abijah waxing mighty after ,jeroboam's death1 ,jeroboam reigned two years after ,abijah's death4 #ai ,who was the mother of ,abijah8 ,he ,rehoboam took ,maachah the daughter of ,absalom2 which bare him ,abijah 7#b ,chron4 xi1 #bj74 ,his ,abijah's mother's name also was ,michaiah the daughter of ,uriel of ,gibeah 7#b ,chron4 xiii1 #b74 #bj ,was ,asa the son or the grandson of ,maachah8 ,forty and one years reigned he ,asa in ,jerusalem4 ,and his mother's name was ,maachah1 the daughter of ,abishalom 7#a ,kings xv1 #aj74 ,three years reigned he ,abijam in ,jerusalem4 ,and his mother's name was ,maachah the daughter of ,abishalom4444 ,and ,asa his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xv1 #b1 #h74 #ba ,how long did ,omri reign8 ,in the thirty and first year of ,asa king of ,judah began ,omri to reign over ,israel twelve years4444 ,so ,omri slept with his fathers1 and was buried in ,samaria3 and ,ahab his son reigned in his stead4 ,and in the thirty and eighth year of ,asa king of ,judah began ,ahab the son of ,omri to reign 7#a ,kings xvi1 #bc1 #bh1 #bi74 ,from the thirty-first to the thirty-eighth year of ,asa's reign ,omri is said to have reigned twelve years4 #bb ,when did ,baasha die8 ,baasha slept with his fathers1 and was buried in ,tirzah3 and ,elah his son reigned in his stead4444 ,in the twenty and sixth year of ,asa king of ,judah began ,elah the son of ,baasha to reign 7#a ,kings xvi1 #f1 #h74 ,in the six and thirtieth year of the reign of ,asa1 ,baasha king of ,israel came up against ,judah 7#b ,chron4 xvi1 #a74 #bc ,when did ,jehoram king of ,israel and ,jehoram king of ,judah begin to reign8 ,and ,jehoram of ,israel reigned in his stead in the second year of ,jehoram the son of ,jehoshaphat king of ,judah 7#b ,kings i1 #ag74 ,and in the fifth year of ,joram ,jehoram of ,israel4444 ,jehoram the son of ,jehoshaphat king of ,judah began to reign 7#b ,kings viii1 #af74 ,according to the first account1 ,jehoram of ,israel began to reign in the second year of ,jehoram of ,judah2 according to the second1 ,jehoram of ,judah began to reign in the fifth year of ,jehoram of ,israel4 #bd ,when did ,ahaziah begin to reign8 ,in the eleventh year of ,joram the son of ,ahab began ,ahaziah to reign over ,judah 7#b ,kings ix1 #bi74 ,in the twelfth year of ,joram the son of ,ahab king of ,israel did ,ahaziah the son of ,jehoram king of ,judah begin to reign 7#b ,kings viii1 #be74 #be ,how old was ,ahaziah when he began to reign8 ,two and twenty years old was ,ahaziah when he began to reign2 and he reigned one year in ,jerusalem 7#b ,kings viii1 #bf74 ,forty and two years old was ,ahaziah when he began to reign2 and he reigned one year in ,jerusalem 7#b ,chron4 xxii1 #b74 #bf ,how long did ,jotham reign8 ,in the second year of ,pekah 444 began ,jotham the son of ,uzziah king of ,judah to reign4 ,five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign1 and he reigned sixteen years in ,jerusalem 7#b ,kings xv1 #cb1 #cc74 ,and ,hoshea 444 slew him ,pekah and reigned in his stead1 in the twentieth year of ,jotham the son of ,uzziab 7#b ,kings xv1 #cj74 #bg ,who was ,josiah's successor8 ,then the people of the land took ,jehoahaz the son of ,josiah1 and made him king in his father's stead 7#b ,chron4 xxxvi1 #a74 ,for thus saith the ,lord touching ,shallum the son of ,josiah king of ,judah which reigned instead of ,josiah his father 7,jer4 xxli1 #aa74 #bh ,how old was ,jehoiachin when he began to reign8 ,jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign 7#b ,chron4 xxxvi1 #i74 ,jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign 7#b ,kings xxiv1 #h74 #bi ,when did ,evil-,merodach release ,jehoiachin from prison8 ,in the twelfth month1 on the seven and twentieth day of the month 7#b ,kings xxv1 #bg74 ,in the twelfth month1 in the five and twentieth day of the month 7,jer4 lii1 #ca74 #cj ,what relation did ,zedekiah1 the last of the ,jewish kings1 bear to ,jehoiachin1 his predecessor8 #a4 ,he was his son4 ,jechoniah ,jehoiachin his son1 ,zedekiah his son 7#a ,chron4 iii1 #af74 #b4 ,he was his brother4 ,nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him ,jehoiachin to ,babylon1 444 and made ,zedekiah his brother king of ,judah 7#b ,chron4 xxxvi1 #aj74 #c4 ,he was his uncle4 ,the king of ,babylon made ,mattaniah his ,jehoiachin's father's brother king in his stead and changed his name to ,zedekiah 7#b ,kings xxiv1 #ag74 ,that ,zedekiah1 who in #a ,chron4 iii1 #af1 is called 'his son1' is the same as ,zedekiah his uncle 7called 'his brother1' #b ,chron4 xxxvi1 #aj71 who was his ,jehoiachin's successor on the throne seems certain 7,smith's ,bible ,dictionary1 ,art4 ,jehoiachin74 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,when ,,did ,,jehoshaphat ,,die8 ,at the end of ,solomon's reign the ,jewish nation was divided into two kingdoms4 ,two tribes acknowledged the authority of ,solomon's successor1 ,rehoboam4 ,this was called the kingdom of ,judah1 of which ,jerusalem was the capital4 ,ten tribes revolted and made ,jeroboam king4 ,this formed the kingdom of ,israel1 of which ,samaria was the capital4 ,the following is a brief summary of the reigns of the kings of the two kingdoms from the partition of the empire to the conquest of ,israel by the ,assyrians3 ,kingdom of ,judah4 ,and ,rehoboam the son of ,solomon reigned in ,judah 444 and he reigned seventeen years 7#a ,kings xiv1 #ba74 ,and ,rehoboam slept with his fathers 444 and ,abijam his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xiv1 #ca74 ,three years reigned he 7xv1 #b74 ,and ,abijam slept with his fathers 444 and ,asa his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xv1 #h74 ,forty and one years reigned he 7#aj74 ,and ,asa slept with his fathers 444 and ,jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xv1 #bd74 ,and he reigned twenty and five years in ,jerusalem 7xxii1 #db74 ,and ,jehoshaphat slept with his fathers 444 and ,jehoram his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xxii1 #ej74 ,and he reigned eight years 7#b ,kings viii1 #ag74 ,and ,joram ,jehoram slept with his fathers 444 and ,ahaziah reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings viii1 #bd74 ,and he reigned one year 7#bf74 ,and he ,ahaziah fled to ,megiddo and died there 7#b ,kings xi1 #ag74 ,and when ,athaliah the mother of ,ahaziah saw that her son was dead she arose and destroyed all the seed royal4 ,but ,jehosheba took ,joash the son of ,ahaziah 444 and he was with her his nurse hid in the house of the ,lord six years4 ,and ,athaliah did reign over the land 7xi1 #a-c74 ,they slew ,athaliah 7#b ,kings xi1 #bj74 ,and they brought down the king ,joash from the house of the ,lord4444 ,and he sat on the throne of the kings 7#ai74 ,forty years reigned he in ,jerusalem 7xii1 #a74 ,his servants smote him ,joash and he died1 444 and ,amaziah his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xii1 #ba7--;and reigned twenty and nine years 7xiv1 #b74 ,they made a conspiracy against him ,amaziah 444 and slew him 7#b ,kings xiv1 #ai74 ,and all the people of ,judah took ,azariah 444 and made him king instead of his father1 ,amaziah 7#ba74 ,and he reigned two and fifty years 7xv1 #b74 ,so ,azariah slept with his fathers 444 and ,jotham his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #g74 ,and he reigned sixteen years 7#cc74 ,and ,jotham slept with his fathers 444 and ,ahaz his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #ch7--;and reigned sixteen years 7xvi1 #b74 ,and ,ahaz slept with his fathers 444 and ,hezekiah his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xvi1 #aj7 ,in the sixth year of ,hezekiah 444 ,samaria was taken 7xviii1 #aj74 ,from the division of the empire1 then1 to the conquest of ,israel by the ,assyrians1 the reigns of ,judah's kings were as follows3 ,rehoboam1 seventeen years1 ,abijam1 three years1 ,asa1 forty-one years1 ,jehoshaphat1 twenty-five years1 ,joram1 eight years1 ,ahaziah1 one years1 ,athaliah1 six years1 ,joash1 forty years1 ,amaziah1 twenty-nine years1 ,azariah1 fifty-two years1 ,jotham1 sixteen years1 ,ahaz1 sixteen years1 ,hezekiah1 six years4 ,kingdom of ,israel4 ,they 444 made him ,jeroboam king over all ,israel 7#a ,kings xii1 #bj74 ,and the days which ,jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years 7xiv1 #bj74 ,and he ,jeroboam slept with his fathers and ,nadab his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xiv1 #bj7--;and reigned over ,israel two years 7xv1 #be74 ,and ,baasha smote him ,nadab 444 and reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xv1 #bg1 #bh7--twenty and four years 7#cc74 ,so ,baasha slept with his fathers 444 and ,elah his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xvi1 #f7--two years 7#h74 ,zimri went in and smote him1 and killed him ,elah 444 and reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xvi1 #aj7--seven days 7#ae74 ,wherefore all ,israel made ,omri 444 king over ,israel 7#a ,kings xvi1 #af7--to reign over ,israel twelve years 7#bc74 ,so ,omri slept with his fathers 444 and ,ahab his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xvi1 #bh7--twenty and two years 7#bi74 ,so ,ahab slept with his fathers and ,ahaziah his son reigned in his stead 7#a ,kings xxii1 #dj7--;and reigned two years over ,israel 7#ea74 ,so he ,ahaziah died 444 and ,jehoram his brother reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings i1 #ag7--;and reigned twelve years 7iii1 #a74 ,i have anointed thee ,jehu king 444 over ,israel 7#b ,kings ix1 #f74 ,and ,jehu 444 smote ,jehoram 7#bd74 ,and the time that ,jehu reigned over ,israel in ,samaria was twenty and eight years 7x1 #cf74 ,and ,jehu slept with his fathers 444 and ,jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings x1 #ce7--;and reigned seventeen years 7xiii1 #a74 ,and ,jehoahaz slept with his fathers 444 and ,joash his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xiii1 #i7--;and reigned sixteen years 7#aj74 ,and ,joash slept with his fathers and ,jeroboam sat upon his throne 7#b ,kings xiii1 #ac7--;and reigned forty and one years 7xiv1 #bc74 ,and ,jeroboam slept with his fathers 444 and ,zachariah his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xiv1 #bi7--six months 7xv1 #h74 ,and ,shallum 444 slew him ,zachariah and reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #aj7--;a full month 7#ac74 ,menahem 444 slew him ,shallum and reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #ad7--;and reigned ten years 7#bg74 ,and ,menahem slept with his fathers and ,pekahiah his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #bb7--;and reigned two years 7#bc74 ,pekah 444 killed him ,pekahiah and reigned in his room 7#b ,kings xv1 #be7--;and reigned twenty years 7#g74 ,and ,hoshea 444 slew him ,pekah and reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #cj7--nine years 7xvii1 #a74 ,in the ninth year of ,hoshea the king of ,assyria took ,samaria1 and carried ,israel away into ,assyria 7#f74 ,from the division of the empire to the conquest of ,israel the reigns of ,israel's kings1 omitting ,zimri's brief reign of seven days and calling the combined reigns of ,zachariah and ,shallum one year1 as computed by chronologists1 were as follows3 ,jeroboam1 twenty-two years1 ,nadab1 two years1 ,baasha1 twenty-four years1 ,elah1 two years1 ,omri1 twelve years1 ,ahab1 twenty-two years1 ,ahaziah1 two years1 ,jehoram1 twelve years1 ,jehu1 twenty-eight years1 ,jehoahaz1 seventeen years1 ,joash1 sixteen years1 ,jeroboam ,,ii41 forty-one years1 ,zachariah and ,shallum1 one years1 ,menahem1 ten years1 ,pekahiah1 two years1 ,pekah1 twenty years1 ,hoshea1 nine years4 ,the foregoing epitome of ,jewish history1 gleaned from #a and #b ,kings1 is presented in order that the reader may the more readily understand the following solutions 7based upon statements that appear in these books7 to the question that forms the topic of this chapter--,when did ,jehoshaphat die8 ,jehoshaphat is represented as one of ,judah's best and greatest kings4 ,he did that which was right in the eyes of the ,lord4 ,the ,lord was with ,jehoshaphat4 ,and ,jehoshaphat waxed great4 ,and he had riches and honor in abundance4 ,he died at the age of sixty1 after a reign of twenty-five years4 ,ahaziah1 king of ,israel1 is represented as a very wicked king4 ,he did evil in the sight of the ,lord4 ,for he served ,baal1 and worshiped him1 and provoked to anger the ,lord4 ,elijah prophesied his early death1 which came after a brief reign of two years4 ,the last chapter of the first book of ,kings chronicles the reign and death of ,judah's king1 ,jehoshaphat2 the first chapter of the second book of ,kings records the reign and death of ,israel's king1 ,ahaziah4 ,now when did ,jehoshaphat die8 ,did he die before or after ,ahaziah died8 #a4 ,and in the twentieth year of ,jeroboam king of ,israel reigned ,asa over ,judah 7#a ,kings xv1 #i74 ,as ,jeroboam reigned twenty-two years1 he reigned two years after ,asa became king4 ,from the commencement of ,asa's reign1 then1 to the death of ,ahaziah1 the reigns of ,israel's kings were as follows3 ,jeroboam #b years1 ,nadab #b years1 ,baasha #bd years1 ,elah #b years1 ,omri #ab years1 ,ahab #bb years1 and ,ahaziah #b years4 #b years #b years #bd years #b years #ab years #bb years #b years #ff years4 ,as ,asa reigned forty-one years and ,jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years1 from the commencement of ,asa's reign to the death of ,jehoshaphat was #da years #be years #ff years4 ,if from the commencement of ,asa's reign to the death of ,ahaziah was sixty-six years1 and from the commencement of ,asa's reign to the death of ,jehoshaphat was sixty-six years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died in the same year that ,ahaziah died4 #b4 ,now in the eighteenth year of ,king ,jeroboam the son of ,nebat reigned ,abijam over ,judah 7#a ,kings xv1 #a74 ,as ,jeroboam reigned #bb years1 he reigned four years after the beginning of ,abijam's reign4 ,from the beginning of ,abijam's reign1 then1 to the death of ,ahaziah1 the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jeroboam #d years1 ,nadab #b years1 ,baasha #bd years1 ,elah #b years1 ,omri #ab years ,ahab #bb years1 and ,ahaziah #b years4 #d years #b years #bd years #b years #ab years #bb years #b years #fh years4 ,from the beginning of ,abijam's reign to the death of ,jehoshaphat the reigns of ,judah's kings were3 ,abijam #c years1 ,asa #da years1 ,jehoshaphat #be years4 #c years #da years #be years #fi years4 ,if from the beginning of ,abijam's reign to the death of ,ahaziah was sixty-eight years1 and from the beginning of ,abijam's reign to the death of ,jehoshaphat was sixty-nine years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died one year after ,ahaziah died4 #c4 ,in the thirty and first year of ,asa king of ,judah began ,omri to reign over ,israel 7#a ,kings xvi1 #bc74 ,from the accession of ,omri to the death of ,ahaziah the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,omri #ab years1 ,ahab #bb years1 and ,ahaziah #b years4 #ab years #bb years #b years #cf years4 ,as ,omri became king in the thirty-first year of ,asa's reign1 ,asa reigned ten years after ,omri became king1 and this added to ,jehoshaphat's reign of twenty-five years makes thirty-five years from ,omri to the death of ,jehoshaphat4 ,if from the accession of ,omri to the death of ,ahaziah was thirty-six years1 and from the accession of ,omri to the death of ,jehoshaphat was thirty-five years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died one year before ,ahaziah died4 #d4 ,in the three and twentieth year of ,joash the son of ,ahaziah king of ,judah1 ,jehoahaz the son of ,jehu began to reign over ,israel 7#b ,kings xiii1 #a74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah king of ,israel to the accession of ,jehoahaz1 ,jehoram reigned #ab years1 and ,jehu #bh years1 a total of #dj years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,jehoahaz1 ,judah's sovereigns reigned--,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #bc years4 #h years #a year #f years #bc years #ch years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,jehoahaz was forty years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,jehoahaz was thirty-eight years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died two years after ,ahaziah died4 #e4 ,and ,jehoram of ,israel reigned in his ,ahaziah's stead1 in the second year of ,jehoram the son of ,jehoshaphat 7#b ,kings i1 #ag74 ,if ,ahaziah died and ,jehoram of ,israel became king in the second year of ,jehoram of ,judah1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died two years before ,ahaziah died4 #f4 ,and ,joram ,jehoram king of ,israel and ,ahaziah king of ,judah went out1 each in his chariot 444 against ,jehu 7#b ,kings ix1 #ba71 ,and ,jehu drew a bow with his full strength1 and smote ,jehoram between his arms1 and the arrow went out at his heart 7#bd74 ,but when ,ahaziah the king of ,judah saw this he fled by way of the garden house4 ,and ,jehu followed after him1 and said1 ,smite him also in the chariot4 ,and they did so 7#bg74 ,jehoram1 king of ,israel1 and ,ahaziah1 king of ,judah1 were thus slain at the same time4 ,jehu succeeded ,jehoram2 ,athaliah succeeded ,ahaziah1 reigned six years1 and was in turn succeeded by ,joash4 ,jehu had thus reigned six years over ,israel when ,joash became king of ,judah4 ,as ,jehoram reigned twelve years1 from the death of ,ahaziah of ,israel to the accession of ,joash then1 was eighteen years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,joash1 ,judah's sovereigns reigned as follows3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years--a total of fifteen years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the reign of ,joash was eighteen years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the reign of ,joash was fifteen years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died three years after ,ahaziah died4 #g4 ,in the second year of ,joash son of ,jehoahaz king of ,israel reigned ,amaziah the son of ,joash king of ,judah 7#b ,kings xiv1 #a74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,amaziah the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #b years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #b years #ei years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,amaziah1 ,judah's kings reigned--,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #ee years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,amaziah was fifty-nine years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,amaziah was fifty-five years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died four years after ,ahaziah died4 #h4 ,and ,jehoshaphat the son of ,asa began to reign over ,judah in the fourth year of ,ahab king of ,israel 7#a ,kings xxii1 #da74 ,if ,ahab reigned twenty-two years and ,jehoshaphat began to reign in the fourth year of ,ahab's reign1 ,jehoshaphat had reigned eighteen years when ,ahab died1 and twenty years when ,ahaziah died4 ,as ,jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years1 he therefore died five years after ,ahaziah died4 #i4 ,ahaziah the son of ,ahab began to reign over ,israel in ,samaria the seventeenth year of ,jehoshaphat king of ,judah1 and reigned two years over ,israel 7#a ,kings1 xxii1 #ea74 ,if ,ahaziah began to reign in the seventeenth year of ,jehoshaphat and reigned two years before he died1 he died in the nineteenth year of ,jehoshaphat's reign4 ,as ,jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years1 he therefore died six years after ,ahaziah died4 #aj4 ,now ,jehoram the son of ,ahab began to reign over ,israel in ,samaria in the eighteenth year of ,jehoshaphat king of ,judah 7#b ,kings iii1 #a74 ,if ,ahaziah died and ,jehoram became king in the eighteenth year of ,jehoshaphat's reign1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died seven years after ,ahaziah died4 #aa4 ,in the second year of ,pekah the son of ,remaliah king of ,israel began ,jotham the son of ,uzziah ,azariah king of ,judah to reign 7#b ,kings xv1 #cb74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the beginning of ,jotham's reign the following were the reigns of ,israel's kings3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #da years1 ,zachariah and ,shallum #a year1 ,menahem #aj years1 ,pekahiah #b years1 ,pekah #b years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #da years #a year #aj years #b years #b years #abi years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the beginning of ,jotham's reign the following were the reigns of ,judah's kings3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years1 ,azariah #eb years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #eb years #acf years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the beginning of ,jotham's reign was one hundred and twenty-nine years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the beginning of ,jotham's reign was one hundred and thirty-six years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died seven years before ,ahaziah died4 #ab4 ,in the thirty and eighth year of ,azariah king of ,judah did ,zachariah the son of ,jeroboam reign over ,israel 7#b ,kings xv1 #h74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,zachariah the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #da years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #da years #aad years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,zachariah the reigns of ,judah's kings were3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years1 ,azariah #ch years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #ch years #abb years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,zachariah was one hundred and fourteen years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,zachariah was one hundred and twenty-two years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died eight years before ,ahaziah died4 #ac4 ,in the fiftieth year of ,azariah king of ,judah1 ,pekahiah the son of ,menahem began to reign over ,israel 7#b ,kings xv1 #bc74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,pekahiah1 ,israel's kings reigned as follows3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #da years1 ,zachariah and ,shallum #a year1 ,menahem #aj years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #da years #a year #aj years #abe years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,pekahiah1 ,judah's kings reigned as follows3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years1 ,azariah #ej years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #ej years #acd years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,pekahiah was one hundred and twenty-five years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,pekahiah was one hundred and thirty-four years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died nine years before ,ahaziah died4 #ad4 ,in the twelfth year of ,ahaz king of ,judah began ,hoshea the son of ,elah to reign in ,samaria over ,israel 7#b ,kings xvii1 #a74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,hoshea the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #da years1 ,zachariah and ,shallum #a year1 ,menahem #aj years1 ,pekahiah #b years1 ,pekah #bj years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #da years #a year #aj years #b years #bj years #adg years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,hoshea the reigns of ,judah's kings were3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years1 ,azariah #eb years1 ,jotham #af years1 ,ahaz #ab years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #eb years #af years #ab years #afd years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,hoshea was one hundred and forty-seven years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,hoshea was one hundred and sixty-four years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died seventeen years before ,ahaziah died4 #ae4 ,and it came to pass in the fourth year of ,king ,hezekiah1 which was the seventh year of ,hoshea son of ,elah king of ,israel1 that ,shalmaneser king of ,assyria came up against ,samaria and besieged it 7#b ,kings xviii1 #i74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the commencement of the siege of ,samaria the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #da years1 ,zachariah and ,shallum #a year1 ,menahem #aj years1 ,pekahiah #b years1 ,pekah #bj years1 ,hoshea #g years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #da years #a year #aj years #b years #bj years #g years #aed years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the siege of ,samaria the reigns of ,judah's kings were3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years1 ,azariah #eb years1 ,jotham #af years1 ,ahaz #af years1 ,hezekiah #d years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #eb years #af years #af years #d years #agb years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the siege of ,samaria was one hundred and fifty-four years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the siege of ,samaria was one hundred and seventy-two years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died eighteen years before ,ahaziah died4 #af4 ,in the twenty and seventh year of ,jeroboam king of ,israel began ,azariah son of ,amaziah king of ,judah to reign 7#b ,kings xv1 #a74 ,from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,azariah the reigns of ,israel's kings were3 ,jehoram #ab years1 ,jehu #bh years1 ,jehoahaz #ag years1 ,joash #af years1 ,jeroboam #bg years4 #ab years #bh years #ag years #af years #bg years #ajj years4 ,from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,azariah the reigns of ,judah's kings were3 ,joram #h years1 ,ahaziah #a year1 ,athaliah #f years1 ,joash #dj years1 ,amaziah #bi years4 #h years #a year #f years #dj years #bi years #hd years4 ,if from the death of ,ahaziah to the accession of ,azariah was one hundred years1 and from the death of ,jehoshaphat to the accession of ,azariah was eighty-four years1 ,jehoshaphat therefore died sixteen years after ,ahaziah died4 ,recapitulation4 ,when did ,jehoshaphat's death occur8 ,did it occur before or after ,ahaziah's death occurred8 ,the following is a recapitulation of the various answers to this question which the preceding solutions have disclosed3 #a4 ,the same year4 #b4 ,one year after4 #c4 ,one year before4 #d4 ,two years after4 #e4 ,two years before4 #f4 ,three years after4 #g4 ,four years after4 #h4 ,five years after4 #i4 ,six years after4 #aj4 ,seven years after4 #aa4 ,seven years before4 #ab4 ,eight years before4 #ac4 ,nine years before4 #ad4 ,seventeen years before4 #ae4 ,eighteen years before4 #af4 ,sixteen years after4 ,here are sixteen different answers to a simple historical question4 ,but one of them can possibly be correct2 fifteen of them must necessarily be incorrect4 ,and yet ,i challenge the theologian to demonstrate the incorrectness of one of them without at the same time demonstrating the fallibility of the ,bible and its unreliability as a historical record4 ,notes and ,explanations4 ,the history of ,judah's and of ,israel's sovereigns is recorded in ,kings and repeated in ,chronicles4 ,had ,i used both ,kings and ,chronicles in the preparation of this chapter1 the number of various answers would have been increased4 ,some ,christian scholars1 however1 admit that ,chronicles is not entirely free from errors1 while ,kings1 on the other hand1 is denominated a marvel of accuracy4 ,to avoid any objections that might be raised were ,chronicles used--to assail only that which is deemed unassailable--,i have confined myself to ,kings4 ,to prevent confusion in regard to names1 the reader should remember that ,israel had two kings named ,jeroboam1 and that ,israel and ,judah each had kings named ,ahaziah1 ,jehoram1 and ,jehoash4 ,in ,israel ,jehoram succeeded ,ahaziah2 in ,judah1 ,ahaziah succeeded ,jehoram4 ,the contracted form of ,jehoram is ,joram1 and of ,jehoash1 ,joash4 ,both forms are used4 ,azariah is also called ,uzziah4 ,in computing time1 ordinal numbers are reckoned the same as cardinal numbers4 ,it may be urged that the phrase1 in the eighteenth year1 does not denote the full period of eighteen completed years4 ,in justification of the method pursued1 ,i may say that it is not only the method generally followed by chronologists1 but it is the method authorized by the ,bible4 ,see #b ,kings xvii1 #a2 #b ,kings xvii1 #f4 ,also #a ,kings xv1 #i1 #aj2 #b ,chron4 xvi1 #ac4 ,its adoption simplifies the form without increasing the number of solutions4 ,to reconcile other discrepancies1 some ,bible chronologists have assumed an interregnum of eleven years between the reigns of ,jeroboam ,,ii4 and ,zachariah1 and another of nine years between ,pekah and ,hosea4 ,the language of the ,bible utterly precludes these assumptions4 ,and ,jeroboam slept with his fathers1 even with the kings of ,israel1 and ,zachariah his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xiv1 #bi74 ,and ,hoshea the son of ,elah made a conspiracy against ,pekah the son of ,remaliah1 and smote him1 and slew him1 and reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xv1 #cj74 ,that these interregnums did not occur1 nor indeed any interregnums between the reigns of ,israel's kings1 is attested by ,josephus1 who by ,christians is esteemed an authority second only to the writers of the ,scriptures4 ,the ninth book of his ,antiquities bears the following title3 ,containing the interval of one hundred and fifty-seven years from the death of ,ahab to the captivity of the ten tribes4 ,this forbids the idea of any interregnum4 ,but if it could be shown that these or other interregnums really did occur1 the fact would increase rather than diminish the difficulties connected with the solution of this question4 ,we search the writings of ,bible commentators in vain for an explanation or attempted reconciliation of many of the conflicting statements to be found in the passages that ,i have quoted4 ,these exegetes have either been ignorant of their existence1 or have purposely ignored them4 ,some of the more noticeable ones they have attempted to reconcile2 but the explanations offered are of such a character as to make it seemingly impossible for an honest scholar to advance them1 or an intelligent reader to accept them4 ,these pretended reconciliations have been abridged1 and1 in the shape of marginal notes1 transferred to the popular editions of the ,bible4 ,where different and conflicting dates are assigned for the commencement of a king's reign1 opposite the first will be found such explanatory notes as prorex1 viceroy1 in consort1 or in partnership with his father2 and opposite the last1 began to reign alone2 and all this without a word or hint1 either in the ,bible or elsewhere1 to authorize it4 ,the demonstration of a single error in the ,bible destroys the dogmas of its divinity and infallibility4 ,yet notwithstanding this single error1 or even twenty errors1 it might still be valuable as a historical record4 ,but when it can be demonstrated that it abounds with glaring contradictions1 that its every chapter teems with flagrant errors1 it is utterly unworthy of credit1 and must be rejected even as a human record of events4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,inspired ,,numbers4 ,in the second chapter of ,ezra is given a register of the ,jews who returned from ,babylon to ,jerusalem4 ,the register begins with these words3 ,now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity1 of those which had been carried away1 whom ,nebuchadnezzar the king of ,babylon had carried away unto ,babylon1 and came again unto ,jerusalem and ,judah1 every one unto his city4 ,in the seventh chapter of ,nehemiah1 beginning with the sixth verse1 is a copy of the same register4 ,nehemiah says3 ,and ,i found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first1 and found written therein1 ,these are the children of the province1 that went up out of the captivity1 of those that had been carried away1 whom ,nebuchadnezzar the king of ,babylon had carried away1 and came again to ,jerusalem and to ,judah1 every one unto his city4 ,then follows in each a list of the families with the number of persons belonging to them4 ,but in transcribing the numbers1 either ,ezra or ,nehemiah has made many errors4 ,a careful examination reveals no less than twenty1 as shown by the following3 #a4 ,the children of ,arah1 seven hundred and seventy-five 7,ez4 ii1 #e74 ,the children of ,arah1 six hundred fifty and two 7,neh4 vii1 #aj74 #b4 ,the children of ,pahath-moab1 of the children of ,jeshua and ,joab1 two thousand eight hundred and twelve 7,ez4 ii1 #f74 ,the children of ,pahath-moab1 of the children of ,jeshua and ,joab1 two thousand and eight hundred and eighteen 7,neh4 vii1 #aa74 #c4 ,the children of ,zattu1 nine hundred forty and five 7,ez4 ii1 #h74 ,the children of ,zattu1 eight hundred forty and five 7,neh4 vii1 #ac74 #d4 ,the children of ,bani1 six hundred forty and two 7,ez4 ii1 #aj74 ,the children of ,binnui1 six hundred forty and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #ae74 #e4 ,the children of ,bebai1 six hundred twenty and three 7,ez4 ii1 #aa74 ,the children of ,bebai1 six hundred twenty and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #af74 #f4 ,the children of ,azgad1 a thousand two hundred twenty and two 7,ez4 ii1 #ab74 ,the children of ,azgad1 two thousand three hundred twenty and two 7,neh4 vii1 #ag74 #g4 ,the children of ,adonikam1 six hundred sixty and six 7,ez4 ii1 #ac74 ,the children of ,adonikam1 six hundred three score and seven 7,neh4 vii1 #ah74 #h4 ,the children of ,bigvai1 two thousand fifty and six 7,ez4 ii1 #ad74 ,the children of ,bigvai1 two thousand three score and seven 7,neh4 vii1 #ai74 #i4 ,the children of ,adin1 four hundred fifty and four 7,ez4 ii1 #ae74 ,the children of ,adin1 six hundred fifty and five 7,neh4 vii1 #bj74 #aj4 ,the children of ,bezai1 three hundred twenty and three 7,ez4 ii1 #ag74 ,the children of ,bezai1 three hundred twenty and four 7,neh4 vii1 #bc74 #aa4 ,the children of ,hashum1 two hundred twenty and three 7,ez4 ii1 #ai74 ,the children of ,hashum1 three hundred twenty and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #bb74 #ab4 ,the children of ,beth-lehem1 a hundred twenty and three4 ,the men of ,netophah1 fifty and six 7,ez4 ii1 #ba1 #bb74 ,the number of both is one hundred and seventy-nine4 ,the men of ,beth-lehem and ,netophah1 a hundred four score and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #bf74 #ac4 ,the men of ,beth-el and ,ai1 two hundred twenty and three 7,ez4 ii1 #bh74 ,the men of ,beth-el and ,ai1 a hundred twenty and three 7,neh4 vii1 #cb74 #ad4 ,the children of ,magbish1 a hundred fifty and six 7,ez4 ii1 #cj74 ,this family is omitted from ,nehemiah's list4 #ae4 ,the children of ,lod1 ,hadid1 and ,ono1 seven hundred twenty and five 7,ez4 ii1 #cc74 ,the children of ,lod1 ,hadid1 and ,ono1 seven hundred twenty and one 7,neh4 vii1 #cg74 #af4 ,the children of ,senaah1 three thousand and six hundred and thirty 7,ez4 ii1 #ce74 ,the children of ,senaah1 three thousand nine hundred and thirty 7,neh4 vii1 #ch74 #ag4 ,the singers3 the children of ,asaph1 a hundred twenty and eight 7,ez4 ii1 #da74 ,the singers3 the children of ,asaph1 a hundred forty and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #dd74 #ah4 ,the children of the porters3 the children of ,shallum1 the children of ,ater1 the children of ,talmon1 the children of ,akkub1 the children of ,hatita1 the children of ,shobai1 in all a hundred thirty and nine 7,ez4 ii1 #db74 ,the porters3 the children of ,shallum1 the children of ,ater1 the children of ,talmon1 the children of ,akkub1 the children of ,hatita1 the children of ,shobai1 a hundred thirty and eight 7,neh4 vii1 #de74 #ai4 ,the children of ,delaiah1 the children of ,tobiah1 the children of ,nekoda1 six hundred fifty and two 7,ez4 ii1 #fj74 ,the children of ,delaiah1 the children of ,tobiah1 the children of ,nekoda1 six hundred forty and two 7,neh4 vii1 #fb74 #bj4 ,and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women 7,ez4 ii1 #fe74 ,and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women 7,neh4 vii1 #fg74 ,the following is a table of the census of all the families1 as given by ,ezra and ,nehemiah respectively3 ,,family4 ,,ezra4 ,,nehemiah ,parosh #b1agb #b1gab ,shephatiah #cgb #cgb ,arah #gge #feb ,pahath-,moab1 etc #b1hab #b1hah ,elam #a1bed #a1bed ,zattu #ide #hde ,zaccai #gfj #gfj ,bani #fdb #fdh ,bebai #fbc #fbh ,azgad #a1bbb #b1cbb ,adonikam #fff #ffg ,bigvai #b1jef #b1jfg ,adin #ded #fee ,ater #ih #ih ,bezai #cbc #cbd ,jorah 7,hariph7 #aab #aab ,hashum #bbc #cbh ,gibbar 7,gibeon7 #ie #ie ,beth-lehem and ,netophah #agi #ahh ,anathoth #abh #abh ,azmaveth #db #db ,kirjath-arim1 etc #gdc #gdc ,ramah and ,gabah #fba #fba ,michmas #abb #abb ,bethel and ,ai #bbc #abc ,nebo #eb #eb ,magbish #aef ,elam #a1bed #a1bed ,harim #cbj #cbj ,lod1 ,hadid1 and ,ono #gbe #gba ,jericho #cde #cde ,senaah #c1fcj #c1icj ,jedaiah #igc #igc ,immer #a1jeb #a1jeb ,pashur #a1bdg #a1bdg ,harim #a1jag #a1jag ,jeshua1 etc #gd #gd ,asaph #abh #adh ,shallum1 etc #aci #ach ,the ,nethinim1 etc #cib #cib ,delaiah1 etc #feb #fdb ,servants #g1ccg #g1ccg ,singers #bjj #bde ,in the above table are twenty discrepancies4 ,twenty errors in forty-three numerical statements is a bad showing for an infallible record4 ,ezra and ,nehemiah both state that the whole congregation1 exclusive of the servants and singers1 numbered #db1cfj4 ,yet the sum total of each is much less than this1 that of ,ezra being but #bi1hah1 and ,nehemiah1 #ca1jhi4 ,in the number of domestic animals ,ezra and ,nehemiah agree4 ,in the oblations they disagree4 ,according to ,ezra they gave #fa1jjj drams of gold1 #e1jjj pounds of silver1 and #ajj priests' garments4 ,according to ,nehemiah they gave in all #da1jjj drams of gold1 #d1bjj pounds of silver1 and #eig priests' garments4 ,when bibliolaters affirm that there is not one error in the ,bible1 refer them to this register1 where in two chapters may be found two dozen errors4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,harmony ,,of ,,the ,,gospels4 ,the more intelligent of orthodox ,christians admit that the ,bible as a whole is not infallible and divine1 but claim that it contains a divine revelation--that a part of it is the work of ,god and a part the work of man4 ,and yet they cannot separate the one from the other1 cannot agree as to which is divine and which human4 ,concerning this claim ,prof4 ,goldwin ,smith writes3 ,when we are told there are in the ,old ,testament scriptures both a human and a divine element1 we must ask by what test the divine is to be distinguished from the human8 ,nobody would have thought of 'partial inspiration' except as an expedient to cover retreat4 ,we but tamper with our own understanding and consciences by such attempts at once to hold on and let go2 to retain the shadow of the belief when the substance has passed away4 ,far better it is1 whatever the effort may cost1 honestly to admit that the sacred books of the ,hebrews1 granting their superiority to the sacred books of other nations1 are1 like the sacred books of other nations1 the works of man and not of ,god4 ,others admit the fallibility and human origin of the ,old ,testament and claim infallibility and divinity for the ,new ,testament alone4 ,but they cannot consistently claim infallibility and divinity for the ,new and not for the ,old4 ,the ,new ,testament is based upon the ,old4 ,if the foundation be fallible the superstructure must be fallible also4 ,both have been declared canonical2 both are bound in the same volume and labeled ,holy ,bible4 ,the chief apostles declared the writings of the ,old ,testament to be divine1 a claim they did not make for the writings of the ,new4 ,besides1 the ,new ,testament is as full of errors as the ,old4 ,it has been shown that the ,four ,gospels are not genuine--that they were not written by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 ,it is to their credit that they were not4 ,a knowledge of the fact relieves the ,apostles and their companions of a very discreditable imputation4 ,were four witnesses to testify in a court of justice and contradict each other as the ,evangelists do1 they would be prosecuted for perjury4 ,in another work five hundred errors to be found in the ,four ,gospels will be exposed4 ,in this chapter twenty1 selected largely at random1 will suffice to disprove the credibility of these books3 #a4 ,when was ,jesus born8 ,in the days of ,herod the king 7,matt4 ii1 #a74 ,when ,cyrenius was governor of ,syria 7,luke ii1 #b74 ,between ,matthew and ,luke there is a discrepancy of fully nine years4 ,if ,jesus was born in the days of ,herod he was born at least three years before the beginning of the ,christian era3 if he was born in the time of ,cyrenius he was born at least six years after the beginning of the ,christian era4 #b4 ,where was ,jesus born1 in a house1 or in a manger8 ,and when they were come into the house1 they saw the young child with ,mary his mother 7,matt4 ii1 #aa74 ,and they came with haste and found ,mary and ,joseph and the babe lying in a manger 7,luke ii1 #af74 #c4 ,what did his parents do with him8 ,when he ,joseph arose1 he took the young child and his mother by night1 and departed into ,egypt2 and was there until the death of ,herod 7,matt4 ii1 #ad1 #ae74 ,and when the days of her ,mary's purification according to the law of ,moses were accomplished1 they brought him to ,jerusalem to present him to the ,lord4444 ,and when they had performed all things according to the law of the ,lord1 they returned into ,galilee1 to their own city ,nazareth 7,luke ii1 #bb1 #ci74 #d4 ,what were the names of the twelve apostles8 ,now the names of the twelve ,apostles are these3 ,the first1 ,simon1 who is called ,peter1 and ,andrew his brother2 ,james the son of ,zebedee1 and ,john his brother2 ,philip and ,bartholomew2 ,thomas1 and ,matthew the publican2 ,james the son of ,alpheus1 and ,lebbeus1 whose surname was ,thaddeus2 ,simon the ,canaanite1 and ,judas ,iscariot 7,matt4 x1 #b-d74 ,he chose twelve1 whom also he named apostles3 ,simon 7whom he also named ,peter71 and ,andrew his brother1 ,james and ,john1 ,philip and ,bartholomew1 ,matthew and ,thomas1 ,james the son of ,alpheus1 and ,simon called ,zelotes1 and ,judas the brother of ,james1 and ,judas ,iscariot 7,luke vi1 #ac-af74 #e4 ,whom did ,jesus call from the receipt of custom8 ,he saw a man named ,matthew1 sitting at the receipt of custom2 and he saith unto him1 ,follow me 7,matt4 ix1 #i74 ,he went forth1 and saw a publican1 named ,levi1 sitting at the receipt of custom3 and he said unto him1 ,follow me 7,luke v1 #bg74 #f4 ,when ,jesus sent out his ,apostles1 did he command them to provide themselves with staves8 ,and he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey1 save a staff only2 no scrip1 no bread1 no money 7,mark vi1 #h74 ,and he said unto them1 ,take nothing for your journey1 neither staves1 nor scrip1 neither bread1 neither money 7,luke ix1 #c74 #g4 ,what did ,jesus' neighbors say of him8 ,is not this the carpenter8 7,mark vi1 #c74 ,is not this the carpenter's son8 7,matt4 xiii1 #ee47 #h4 ,was it one man or two men possessed with devils who came out of the tombs8 ,there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit 7,mark v1 #b74 ,there met him two possessed with devils1 coming out of the tombs 7,matt4 viii1 #bh74 #i4 ,as ,jesus was going to ,jerusalem1 how many blind men sat by the wayside8 ,a certain blind man sat by the way side begging4444 ,and he cried1 saying1 ,jesus thou ,son of ,david1 have mercy on me 7,luke xviii1 #ce74 ,two blind men sitting by the way side1 when they heard that ,jesus passed by1 cried out1 saying1 ,have mercy on us1 ,o ,lord1 thou ,son of ,david 7,matt4 xx1 #cj74 #aj4 ,what was ,jesus' prediction regarding ,peter's denial8 ,before the cock crow1 thou shalt deny me thrice 7,matt4 xxvi1 #cd74 ,before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice 7,mark xiv1 #cj74 #aa4 ,what was the color of the robe placed on ,jesus during his trial8 ,and they stripped him1 and put on him a scarlet robe 7,matt4 xxvii1 #bh74 ,and they put on him a purple robe 7,john xix1 #b74 #ab4 ,at what time during the day was he crucified8 ,and it was the third hour #i ,a4,m41 and they crucified him 7,mark xv1 #be74 ,and it was the preparation of the ,passover1 and about the sixth hour noon4444 ,then delivered he him unto them to be crucified 7,john xix1 #ad1 #af74 #ac4 ,what did they give him to drink8 ,they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall 7,matt4 xxvii1 #cd74 ,they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh 7,mark xv1 #bc74 #ad4 ,did both thieves revile him on the cross8 ,and they that were crucified with him reviled him 7,mark xv1 #cb74 ,and one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him4444 ,but the other answering rebuked him 7,luke xxiii1 #ci1 #dj74 #ae4 ,certain words were inscribed on the cross2 what were these words8 ,the ,king of the ,jews 7,mark xv1 #bf74 ,this is the ,king of the ,jews 7,luke xxiii1 #ch74 ,this is ,jesus the ,king of the ,jews 7,matt4 xxvii1 #cg74 ,jesus of ,nazareth the ,king of the ,jews 7,john xix1 #ai74 #af4 ,was it lawful for the ,jews to put ,jesus to death8 ,the ,jews therefore said unto him1 ,it is not lawful for us to put any man to death 7,john xviii1 #ca74 ,the ,jews answered him1 ,we have a law1 and by our law he ought to die 7,john xix1 #g74 #ag4 ,what women visited the sepulchre on the morning of the resurrection8 ,the first day of the week cometh ,mary ,magdalene1 early when it was yet dark1 unto the sepulchre 7,john xx1 #a74 ,in the end of the ,sabbath1 as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week1 came ,mary ,magdalene1 and the other ,mary1 to see the sepulchre 7,matt4 xxviii1 #a74 ,now upon the first day of the week1 very early in the morning1 they came unto the sepulchre4444 ,it was ,mary ,magdalene1 and ,joanna1 and ,mary the mother of ,james1 and other women 7,luke xxiv1 #a1 #aj74 #ah4 ,at what time in the morning did they visit the tomb8 ,at the rising of the sun 7,mark xvi1 #b74 ,when it was yet dark 7,john xx1 #a74 #ai4 ,whom did they see at the tomb8 ,the angel 7,matt4 xxviii1 #b74 ,a young man 7,mark xvi1 #e74 ,two men 7,luke xxiv1 #d74 ,two angels 7,john xx1 #ab74 #bj4 ,where did ,jesus first appear to his disciples8 ,then said ,jesus unto them the women1 ,be not afraid2 go tell my brethren that they go into ,galilee1 and there shall they see me4444 ,then the eleven disciples went away into ,galilee1 into a mountain where ,jesus had appointed them4 ,and when they saw him they worshiped him2 but some doubted 7,matt4 xxviii1 #aj1 #af1 #ag74 ,and they rose up the same hour1 and returned to ,jerusalem1 and found the eleven gathered together1 and them that were with them1 saying1 ,the ,lord is risen indeed1 and hath appeared to ,simon4444 ,and as they thus spake1 ,jesus himself stood in the midst of them 7,luke xxiv1 #cc1 #cd1 #cf74 ,the first time ,i read ,paine's ,age of ,reason ,i was amazed to learn that the ,bible contains as many errors as he exposes4 ,but when a little later ,i made a more thorough study and analysis of the ,pentateuch1 the so-called historical books of the ,old ,testament1 and the ,four ,gospels1 ,i found that ,paine had only selected here and there one of a multitude of errors--that in a single book of the ,bible were to be found more errors than he had cited from its sixty-six4 ,the briefest expos of all the errors of the ,bible would require a larger volume than the ,bible itself4 ,and yet1 this book which contains more errors than any other book in ,christendom1 is the only book for which ,christians claim inerrancy4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,paul ,,and ,,the ,,apostles4 ,in this chapter will be presented some passages from ,paul and the other ,apostles pertaining to their writings1 their teachings1 and their characters1 which affect the credibility of the remaining books of the ,new ,testament4 #a4 ,it is popularly supposed that ,jesus and his twelve ,apostles formulated the doctrines of ,christianity and founded the ,christian church4 ,paul was the real author of this religion and the founder of the church4 ,then departed ,barnabas to ,tarsus1 for to seek ,saul3 and when he had found him1 he brought him unto ,antioch4 ,and it came to pass1 that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church1 and taught much people4 ,and the disciples were called ,christians first in ,antioch 7,acts xi1 #be1 #bf74 ,jesus ,christ was a ,jew4 ,peter1 ,john1 ,james1 and the other ,apostles in ,palestine were not ,christians1 but ,jews--orthodox ,jews--who differed from other ,jews chiefly in accepting ,jesus as the expected ,jewish ,messiah4 ,paul and his followers were the first ,christians4 ,the ,dutch critics frankly admit that ,christianity has to thank him more than any other for its existence1 that he was the founder of the ,christian church1 and that without him it would have remained an insignificant or forgotten ,jewish sect 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii4 pp4 #bj1 #fdb1 #fdc74 #b4 ,the conversion of ,paul is described as follows3 ,and as he journeyed1 he came near ,damascus3 and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven3 and he fell to the earth1 and heard a voice saying unto him1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8 ,and he said1 ,who art thou1 ,lord8 ,and the ,lord said1 ,i am ,jesus whom thou persecutest 7,acts ix1 #c-e74 ,this was simply a hallucination2 and upon this hallucination of the diseased mind of ,paul the whole system of ,christian theology is based4 #c4 ,the effect of ,paul's miraculous conversion upon his companions is thus related3 ,and the men which journeyed with him stood speechless 7,acts ix1 #g74 ,we were all fallen to the earth 7xxvi1 #ad74 #d4 ,and the men which journeyed with him stood speechless1 hearing a voice1 but seeing no man 7,acts ix1 #g74 ,and they that were with me saw indeed the light1 and were afraid2 but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me 7xxii1 #i74 #e4 ,after his conversion ,acts states that straight-way he preached ,christ in the synagogues 7ix1 #bj7 at ,damascus2 that when1 soon after1 the ,jews sought to kill him he escaped and went immediately to ,jerusalem2 that ,barnabas took him1 and brought him to the apostles 7#bg72 ,and he was with them coming in and going out at ,jerusalem 7#bh74 ,paul denies this4 ,referring to his conversion he says3 ,immediately ,i conferred not with flesh and blood3 neither went ,i up to ,jerusalem to them which were apostles before me2 but ,i went into ,arabia1 and returned again unto ,damascus4 ,then after three years ,i went up to ,jerusalem to see ,peter and abode with him fifteen days4 ,but other of the apostles saw ,i none1 save ,james the ,lord's brother 7,gal4 i1 #af-ai74 #f4 ,paul declares that his mission was to the ,gentiles alone4 ,i am the ,apostle of the ,gentiles 7,rom4 xi1 #ac74 ,that ,i should be the minister of ,jesus ,christ to the ,gentiles 7xv1 #af74 ,according to ,acts 7ix1 #bj-bb2 xiii1 #e1 #ad-dc2 xiv1 #a2 xvii1 #a1 #b1 #aj2 xviii1 #d1 #ai2 xxviii1 #ag71 from the beginning to the end of his ministry1 he was continually preaching in the synagogues to the ,jews4 #g4 ,while ,paul proclaims himself the apostle to the ,gentiles he declares that ,peter's mission was confined to the ,jews4 ,the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me1 as the gospel of the circumcision was unto ,peter 7,gal4 ii1 #g74 ,peter contends that his mission was to the ,gentiles4 ,and when there had been much disputing1 ,peter rose up1 and said unto them1 ,men and brethren1 ye know how that a good while ago ,god made choice among us1 that the ,gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel 7,acts xv1 #g74 #h4 ,the chief of ,paul's theological teachings is ,justification by ,faith alone4 ,knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law1 but by the faith of ,jesus ,christ1 even we have believed in ,jesus ,christ1 that we might be justified by the faith of ,christ and not by the works of the law3 for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified 7,gal4 ii1 #af74 ,if righteousness come by the law1 then ,christ is dead in vain 7#ba74 ,therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law 7,rom4 iii1 #bh74 ,james declares this doctrine to be false and pernicious4 ,but wilt thou know1 ,o vain man1 that faith without works is dead 7,james ii1 #bj74 ,for as the body without the spirit is dead1 so faith without works is dead also 7#bf74 ,ye see then how that by works a man is justified1 and not by faith only 7#bd74 #i ,the two great miracles of the ,gospels are the immaculate conception and the bodily resurrection of ,jesus4 ,the ,evangelists teach the doctrine of the immaculate conception4 ,paul and ,peter declare ,jesus to be simply a man4 ,paul3 ,the man ,christ ,jesus 7#a ,tim4 ii1 #e74 ,peter3 ,a man approved of ,god 7,acts ii1 #bb74 #aj4 ,the ,evangelists teach the resurrection of the natural body--a body of flesh and blood4 ,paul teaches a spiritual resurrection only4 ,it is sown a natural body2 it is raised a spiritual body 7#a ,cor4 xv1 #dd74 ,flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of ,god 7#ej74 #aa4 ,paul both affirms and denies the immortality of man3 ,glory and honor and immortality 7,rom4 ii1 #g74 ,this mortal must put on immortality 7#a ,cor4 xv1 #ec74 ,the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords ,christ2 who only hath immortality 7#a ,tim4 vi1 #ae1 #af74 #ab4 ,paul3 ,wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto ,christ1 that we might be justified by faith4 ,but after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster 7,gal4 iii1 #bd1 #be74 ,but now we are delivered from the law 7,rom4 vii1 #f74 ,jesus3 ,think not that ,i am come to destroy the law4444 ,i am not come to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,for verily ,i say unto you1 ,till heaven and earth pass1 one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law 7,matt4 v1 #ag1 #ah74 #ac4 ,we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the ,lord shall not prevent them which are asleep4 ,for the ,lord himself shall descend from heaven1 444 and the dead in ,christ shall rise first3 then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 7#a ,thes41 iv1 #ae-ag74 ,paul believed that ,christ had appeared to him4 ,it was a delusion4 ,he expected ,christ to come again4 ,he was mistaken4 #ad4 ,the following is an example of ,paul's reasoning3 ,wherefore tongues are for a sign1 not to them that believe1 but to them that believe not2 but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not1 but for them which believe4 ,if1 therefore1 the whole church be come together into one place1 and all speak with tongues1 and there come in those that are unlearned1 or unbelievers1 will they not say ye are mad8 ,but if all prophesy1 and there cometh in one that believeth not1 or one unlearned1 he is convinced of all 7#a ,cor4 xiv1 #bb-bd74 ,speaking with tongues is for the unbeliever4 ,therefore if you speak with tongues the unbeliever is not convinced4 ,prophesying is not for the unbeliever4 ,therefore if you prophesy the unbeliever is convinced4 ,paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you2 as also in all of his epistles1 speaking in them of these things2 in which are some things hard to be understood 7#b ,peter iii1 #ae1 #af74 ,the ,duke of ,somerset says3 ,there is scarcely a single passage in the ,pauline ,epistles1 or a single doctrine in the ,pauline theology1 which is not darkened or embroiled by the ambiguity of the expression 7,christian ,theology and ,modern ,scepticism1 p4 #aaf74 #ae4 ,the following passage of seven verses from ,paul 7,rom4 iii1 #ab-ah7 is borrowed from six different chapters of the ,old ,testament4 ,is it a medley of misquotations1 or a mosaic of plagiarisms8 ,they are all gone out of the way1 they are together become unprofitable2 there is none that doeth good1 no1 not one4 ,their throat is an open sepulchre2 with their tongues they have used deceit2 the poison of asps is under their lips4 ,whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness4 ,their feet are swift to shed blood4 ,destruction and misery are in their ways4 ,and the way of peace have they not known4 ,there is no fear of ,god before their eyes4 ,they are all gone aside1 they are all together become filthy3 there is none that doeth good1 no1 not one 7,ps4 xiv1 #c74 ,their throat is an open sepulchre2 they flatter with the tongue 7,ps4 v1 #i74 ,adders' poison is under their lips 7cxl1 #c74 ,his mouth is full of cursing and deceit 7,ps4 x1 #g74 ,their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood 7,is4 lix1 #g74 ,wasting and destruction are in their paths 7,ibid74 ,the way of peace they know not 7#h74 ,there is no fear of ,god before his eyes 7,ps4 xxxvi1 #a74 #af4 ,the following words are ascribed to ,jesus by ,paul3 ,remember the words of the ,lord ,jesus1 how he said1 ,it is more blessed to give than to receive 7,acts xx1 #he74 ,no such words are to be found in the recorded sayings of ,jesus4 ,but as it is written1 ,eye hath not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither have entered into the heart of man1 the things which ,god hath prepared for them that love him 7#a ,cor4 ii1 #i74 ,the above is quoted by ,paul as scripture1 but the scriptures do not contain this passage4 #ag4 ,who his ,christ's own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 7#a ,peter ii1 #bd74 ,the ,epistles of ,peter are devoted largely to ,christ's suffering and death1 but no mention is made of his crucifixion4 ,the words cross and crucify are not to be found in them4 ,in ,acts ,peter speaks of ,jesus' death as follows3 ,jesus1 whom ye slew and hanged on a tree 7v1 #cj74 ,god anointed ,jesus of ,nazareth 444 whom they slew and hanged on a tree 7x1 #ch1 #ic74 #ah4 ,for there are three that bear record in heaven1 the ,father1 the ,word and the ,holy ,ghost2 and these three are one 7#a ,john v1 #g74 ,this is the chief text relied upon to support the doctrine of the ,trinity1 and this text all ,christian scholars admit to be a forgery4 #ai4 ,and ,enoch also1 the seventh from ,adam1 prophesied of these1 saying1 ,behold1 the ,lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints 7,jude #ad74 ,jude's scriptural authority is an apocryphal book4 ,genesis1 ,chronicles1 and ,luke all agree that ,enoch was not the seventh1 but the sixth from ,adam4 ,adam 444 begat 444 ,seth 7,gen4 v1 #c72 ,seth 444 begat ,enos 7#f72 ,enos 444 begat ,cainan 7#i72 ,cainan 444 begat ,mahalaleel 7#ab72 ,mahalaleel 444 begat ,jared 7#ae72 ,jared 444 begat ,enoch 7#ah74 ,adam1 ,sheth1 ,enoch1 ,kenan1 ,mahalaleel1 ,jared1 ,henoch 7#a ,chron4 i1 #a-c74 ,which was the son of ,enoch1 which was the son of ,jared1 which was the son of ,maleleel1 which was the son of ,cainan1 which was the son of ,seth1 which was the son of ,adam 7,luke iii1 #cg1 #ch74 #bj4 ,now ,peter sat without in the palace3 and a damsel came unto him1 saying1 ,thou also wast with ,jesus of ,galilee4 ,but he denied before them all1 saying1 ,i know not what thou sayest 7,matt4 xxvi1 #fi1 #gj74 ,and again he denied with an oath1 ,i do not know the man 7#gb74 ,then began he to curse and to swear1 saying1 ,i know not the man 7#gd74 ,but when ,peter was come to ,antioch1 ,i ,paul withstood him to the face1 because he was to be blamed4 ,for before that certain came from ,james1 he did eat with the ,gentiles2 but when they were come1 he withdrew and separated himself1 fearing them which were of the circumcision4 ,and the other ,jews dissembled likewise with him 7,gal4 ii1 #aa-ac74 ,thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my church 7,matt4 xvi1 #ah74 #ba4 ,him ,timothy would ,paul have to go with him1 and took and circumcised him because of the ,jews which were in those quarters 7,acts xvi1 #c74 ,thou seest1 brother ,paul1 how many thousands of ,jews there are which believe1 and they are all zealous of the law4444 ,do therefore this that we say to thee3 ,we have four men which have a vow on them2 them take and purify thyself with them4 ,then ,paul took the men1 and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple 7,acts xxi1 #bj-bf74 ,paul rebuked ,peter for his hypocrisy4 ,but if he practiced circumcision1 and took the vow of a ,nazarite1 as claimed1 he was a greater hypocrite than ,peter2 for ,saul the ,jew was not more violently opposed to the religion of ,christ than ,paul the ,christian was to the religion of the ,jews4 ,that he was addicted to hypocrisy and dissimulation is shown by the following admissions in his genuine epistles3 ,being crafty ,i caught you with guile 7#b ,cor4 xii1 #af74 ,unto the ,jews ,i became as a ,jew1 that ,i might gain the ,jews 7#a ,cor4 ix1 #bj74 ,i am made all things to all men 7#bb74 #bb4 ,john impeaches the credibility of ,paul and denounces him as a liar4 ,critics agree that portions of ,revelation1 including the following1 are aimed directly at ,paul3 ,thou hast tried them which say they are apostles1 and are not1 and hast found them liars 7ii1 #b74 #bc4 ,and he saith unto me1 ,seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book3 for the time is at hand 7,rev4 xxii1 #aj74 ,among much that is unintelligible1 the writer of ,revelation clearly predicts the destruction of ,rome 7xvii1 #af1 #ah72 asserts that ,nero1 who was really dead1 was yet alive 7xiii1 #c72 proclaims the immediate coming of ,christ 7i1 #g2 xxii1 #g1 #ab71 the avenging of the persecuted prophets and apostles 7xviii1 #bj71 the binding of ,satan for a thousand years 7xx1 #b71 and the establishment of ,god's kingdom 7xxi74 ,we know how completely these expectations were disappointed4 ,jerusalem1 where the temple at least was never to be violated1 fell utterly1 and the sanctuary was laid low never to rise again2 while ,rome1 instead of being turned to a desert1 still held her rank and fame4 ,nero1 the ,antichrist1 was dead and never returned to life2 but neither did the ,christ come back to earth4 ,the martyrs were not avenged1 but fresh persecutions awaited the faithful4 ,the kingdom of ,satan held its own1 and the kingdom of ,god came not 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #fee74 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,bible ,,and ,,history4 ,about one-half of the books of the ,bible purport to be1 to a considerable extent at least1 historical4 ,but from ,genesis to ,revelation there is scarcely a book which can be accepted as a reliable record of events4 ,nearly all of them abound with manifest absurdities1 exaggerations1 and contradictions4 ,their authors1 for the most part1 deal with matters concerning which the ancient profane historians take no cognizance2 and this1 in a measure1 conceals their errors4 ,but when they do refer to known historical events1 they exhibit such an ignorance of the facts1 or such a desire to pervert them1 as to destroy their credibility4 ,in this chapter will be presented some sacred history which reason rejects or the demonstrated facts of profane history disprove4 #a4 ,in the beginning ,god created the heaven and the earth4 ,the ,bible1 it is affirmed1 contains a connected and reliable historical and chronological record of events from the ,creation down to the universally accepted dates of profane history4 ,and yet between the three versions of the ,jewish ,bible there is an utter disagreement4 ,the creation of the world1 according to these versions1 was as follows3 ,hebrew1 #djjd ,b4,c4 ,samaritan1 #dgjj ,b4,c4 ,septuagint1 #ehgb ,b4,c4 ,the ,talmud and ,josephus1 based upon the above1 agree with neither1 nor with each other4 ,according to the ,talmud1 the ,creation occurred #ecdd ,b4,c42 according to ,josephus1 #dfeh ,b4,c4 #b4 ,and the children of ,israel journeyed from ,rameses to ,succoth1 about six hundred thousand on foot that were men1 beside children4 ,and a mixed multitude went up also with them2 and flocks1 and herds1 even very much cattle4 ,even the selfsame day it came to pass1 that all the hosts of the ,lord went out from the land of ,egypt 7,ex4 xii1 #cg1 #ch1 #da74 ,and ,moses stretched out his hand over the sea2 and the ,lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night4444 ,and the children of ,israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground4444 ,thus the ,lord saved ,israel that day out of the hand of the ,egyptians 7,ex4 xiv1 #ba1 #bb1 #cj74 ,the ,exodus of the ,israelites from ,egypt is represented as having taken place in an incredibly brief space of time4 ,it was after midnight when ,moses was ordered to notify his people to depart4 ,before morning they were all en route from ,rameses to the ,red ,sea1 which they reached in three days and crossed in a few hours4 ,as there were #fjj1jjj men1 the total number of persons must have been nearly #c1jjj1jjj4 ,three millions is a number easily spoken and quickly written4 ,but neither the author of this story nor those who accept it as history have the slightest conception of its meaning4 ,they evidently think that three million people--old and young2 men1 women1 and children2 the sick and the lame1 together with their flocks and herds1 their household effects and provisions--could be moved with the celerity of a few hundred men4 ,when ,napoleon crossed the ,nieman in #ahab1 it took his army of trained soldiers1 inured to hardships and accustomed to rapid marches1 three days and nights to cross the river in close file on three bridges4 ,had his army been as large as this body of ,israelites1 to have crossed the river on one bridge1 allowing the necessary time for rest1 would have taken six months4 ,it would have required months to notify1 assemble1 and organize this vast population of slaves in readiness for their migration4 ,and when the journey began1 if the head of the column had left ,rameses in the spring the rear of the column would not have been able to move before autumn4 #c4 ,behold the land of ,canaan1 which ,i give unto the children of ,israel for a possession 7,deut4 xxxii1 #di74 ,in the twelfth chapter of ,joshua is given a list of thirty-one kingdoms which were conquered by them4 ,this was in the fifteenth century ,b4,c4 ,from this time forward they are represented as a mighty nation by ,bible historians4 ,rameses ,,iii4 overran ,canaan and conquered it between #abhj and #abfj ,b4,c4 ,the ,egyptian records give a list of all the tribes inhabiting it4 ,the children of ,israel--the ,hebrews--were not there4 ,in the fifth century ,b4,c41 when ,herodotus1 the father of history1 was collecting materials for his immortal work1 he traversed nearly every portion of ,western ,asia4 ,he describes all its principal peoples and places2 but the ,jews and ,jerusalem are of too little consequence to merit a line from his pen4 ,not until #ccb ,b4,c4 do the ,jews appear upon the stage of history1 and then only as the submissive vassals of a ,grecian king4 #d4 #a4 ,elhanan1 the son of ,jair1 the ,bethlehemite1 slew ,goliath of ,gath1 the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam 7#b ,sam4 xxi1 #ai1 ,h4 ,v474 #b4 ,elhanan the son of ,jair slew ,lahmi the brother of ,goliath the ,gittite1 whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam 7#a ,chron4 xx1 #e74 #c4 ,elhanan the son of ,jaare-oregim1 a ,bethlehemite1 slew the brother of ,goliath the ,gittite1 the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam 7#b ,sam4 xxi1 #ai1 ,a4 ,v474 ,the above are three versions of the same passage4 ,the first is a correct translation of the passage as it appears in the ,hebrew4 ,it is a part of one of the two discordant narratives used by the compiler of ,samuel4 ,the compiler of ,chronicles saw the discrepancy and interpolated the words ,lahmi the brother of4 ,our translators interpolated the words the brother of4 ,critics admit that if the killing of ,goliath is a historical event1 which is improbable1 it was ,elkanah1 and not ,david1 who slew him4 ,the story of ,david and ,goliath given by the other narrator in #a ,samuel is a myth4 ,this writer says3 ,and ,david took the head of the ,philistine1 and brought it to ,jerusalem1 evidently believing that the ,israelites then occupied ,jerusalem1 whereas the duel between ,david and ,goliath is said to have occurred #ajfb ,b4,c41 while the conquest and occupancy of ,jerusalem by the ,israelites did not occur until #ajdg ,b4,c41 fifteen years later4 #e4 ,and ,solomon sent to ,hiram1 saying1 444 ,behold1 ,i purpose to build an house unto the name of the ,lord my ,god1 444 and my servants shall be with thy servants1 and unto thee will ,i give hire for thy servants 7#a ,kings v1 #b1 #e1 #f74 ,and ,solomon had three score and ten thousand that bare burdens1 and four score thousand hewers in the mountains2 beside the chief of ,solomon's officers which were over the work1 three thousand and three hundred 7#ae1 #af74 ,so was he seven years in building it 7vi1 #ch7 ,and the house which ,king ,solomon built for the ,lord1 the length thereof was threescore cubits1 and the breadth thereof twenty cubits1 and the height thereof thirty cubits 7#b74 ,the main building of ,solomon's ,temple1 then1 was about #if feet long1 #cb feet wide1 and #dh feet high4 ,one hundred and fifty thousand men engaged seven years in building a house as large as a village church or a country store6 ,the mountain labored and brought forth a mouse6 #f4 ,and the children of ,israel fled before ,judah3 and ,god delivered them into their hand4 ,and ,abijah and his people slew them with great slaughter3 so there fell down slain of ,israel five hundred thousand chosen men 7#b ,chron4 xiii1 #af1 #ag74 ,five hundred thousand slain in one battle6 ,at the battle of ,gettysburg1 one of the greatest battles of modern times1 for three long days1 two mighty armies of ,america engaged in deadly conflict1 and when it was ended1 the defeated army had less than five thousand killed4 ,and yet we are asked to believe that this puny race of ,hebrews1 too insignificant to attract the notice of ancient historians1 marshaled in battle two contending armies1 the carnage of which equaled that of a hundred ,gettysburgs4 ,talk about oriental exaggeration6 ,if you wish to find its choicest specimens1 search not the pages of ,persian and ,arabian romance1 but read a chapter of sacred history4 #g4 ,and ,pul the king of ,assyria came against the land2 and ,menahem gave ,pul a thousand talents of silver1 that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand 7#b ,kings xv1 #ai74 ,the king who reigned in ,assyria at this time was ,iva-lush4 ,assyria never had a king named ,pul4 #h4 ,belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords1 and drank wine before the thousand4 ,belshazzar1 whiles he tasted the wine1 commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father ,nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in ,jerusalem2 that the king1 and his princes1 his wives1 and his concubines1 might drink therein 7,dan4 v1 #a1 #b74 ,in the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace 7#e74 ,and this is the writing that was written3 ,,mene1 ,,mene1 ,,tekel1 ,,upharsin 7#be74 ,in that night was ,belshazzar the king of the ,chaldeans ,babylon slain4 ,and ,darius the ,median took the kingdom 7#cj1 #ca74 ,as a dramatic piece of fiction ,belshazzar's ,feast is good2 as a chapter of ancient history it is bad4 ,belshazzar was not the son of ,nebuchadnezzar2 neither was he king of ,babylon4 ,darius the ,mede did not take the kingdom4 #i4 ,and it came to pass in those days1 that there went out a decree from ,csar ,augustus1 that all the world should be taxed4 7,and this taxing was first made when ,cyrenius was governor of ,syria47444 ,and ,joseph also went up from ,galilee1 out of the city of ,nazareth1 into ,judea1 unto the city of ,david1 which is called ,bethlehem 7because he was of the house and lineage of ,david71 to be taxed with ,mary his espoused wife1 being great with child 7,luke ii1 #a-e74 ,this cannot be accepted as historical for the following reasons3 #a4 ,csar ,augustus never issued a decree that all the world should be taxed1 nor even one that all the ,roman world should be taxed4 #b4 ,if he had issued such a decree ,joseph and ,mary would not have been subject to taxation1 because they lived in ,galilee1 an independent province4 #c4 ,had they been subject to taxation they would have been enrolled in their own country and not in some distant kingdom4 #d4 ,cyrenius did not become governor of ,syria until nearly ten years after the death of ,herod1 and ,jesus was born1 it is claimed1 in the days of ,herod4 #aj4 ,then ,herod1 when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men1 was exceeding wroth1 and sent forth and slew all the children that were in ,bethlehem1 and in all the coasts thereof1 from two years old and under 7,matt4 ii1 #af74 ,the statement that ,herod the ,great1 who was firmly established in his government1 and who had full-grown male heirs to succeed him1 was afraid that the babe of an obscure ,nazareth carpenter would supplant him in his kingdom1 is enough to cause a ,covenanter to laugh on ,sunday4 ,had ,herod issued such a decree his friends1 instead of executing it1 would have had him confined in a madhouse4 ,the fact that the ,roman and ,jewish historians of that age--one of whom1 an enemy1 gives a full and complete record of his life--know nothing of this awful tragedy1 that an anonymous author writing nearly two centuries afterward is the only one who mentions it1 is of itself sufficient to brand it as an atrocious falsehood4 #aa4 ,that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth1 from the blood of righteous ,abel unto the blood of ,zacharias son of ,barachias whom ye slew between the temple and the altar 7,matt4 xxiii1 #ce74 ,the divine historian ascribes these words to ,jesus4 ,jesus was crucified1 it is claimed1 about #bi ,a4,d4 ,zacharias was slain in #fi ,a4,d41 forty years after the death of ,jesus4 ,some contend that ,jesus refers to the ,zachariah mentioned in #b ,chronicles 7xxiv1 #bj1 #be74 ,but this ,zachariah was the son of ,jehoiada4 ,besides1 the accusation of ,jesus is intended to cover all time from the first to the last offense1 and to name this ,zachariah would be to admit that they had shed no righteous blood for #hej years4 #ab4 ,for before these days rose up ,theudas1 boasting himself to be somebody2 to whom a number of men1 about four hundred1 joined themselves3 who was slain2 and all1 as many as obeyed him1 were scattered1 and brought to nought4 ,after this man rose up ,judas of ,galilee in the days of the taxing1 and drew away much people after him3 he also perished 7,acts v1 #cf1 #cg74 ,according to ,acts the sedition of ,theudas occurred before the taxing1 which was about #f ,a4,d4 ,it really occurred while ,fadus was procurator of ,judea1 about #df ,a4,d4--forty years after the date assigned in ,acts4 ,the ,bible is largely a medley of fables1 mythologies1 and legends4 ,these legends contain a modicum of truth--how much cannot be determined4 ,the reliable historian faithfully presents the facts contained in the materials at his command4 ,these so-called sacred historians do not4 ,with them history is secondary to theology and made subservient to it4 ,every event is represented as a special act of divine ,providence and is tortured to uphold and serve their theological notions4 ,referring to the author or compiler of ,judges1 ,dr4 ,oort says3 ,the writer has drawn most of his narratives from trustworthy sources4444 ,our gratitude to him would indeed be still greater than it is1 if he had given us all that he found in his authorities unmixed and unaltered4 ,but to an ,israelite historian this seems to have been a simple impossibility 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #cfc74 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,bible ,,and ,,science4 ,there is a beautiful harmony between the principles of science and the teachings of the ,bible4--,dr4 ,cheever4 ,bibliolaters1 unacquainted with the principles of science1 and scientists unacquainted with the teachings of the ,bible1 may accept this statement2 those conversant with both cannot4 ,in the ,bible a thousand scientific errors may be found4 ,the limits of this work preclude a presentation of them all4 ,enough will be given1 however1 to show that the teachings of the ,bible conflict with the teachings of the ten principal sciences--,astronomy1 ,geology1 ,geography1 ,botany1 ,zoology1 ,ethnology1 ,physiology1 ,chemistry1 ,physics1 and ,mathematics4 ,astronomy4 ,and ,god said1 ,let there be light1 and there was light 7,gen4 i1 #c74 ,and ,god called the light day1 and the darkness he called night4 ,and the evening and the morning were the first day 7#e74 ,and ,god made two great lights2 the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night2 he made the stars also 444 and the evening and the morning were the fourth day 7#af1 #ai74 ,the cause is supposed to precede the effect2 but here the effect precedes the cause4 ,light and darkness1 morning and evening1 day and night exist before the sun4 ,the ,bible teaches us that the earth is older than the sun2 science teaches us that the sun is older than the earth4 ,in the creation of the universe ,god devoted five-sixths of his time to the creation of this little world of ours1 while but a fragment of the remaining time was needed to create the countless worlds that exist outside of our solar system4 ,five brief words1 ,he made the stars also1 record the history of their creation4 ,according to the ,bible1 the oldest star is less than six thousand years old4 ,what says the scientist8 ,i have observed stars1 of which the light1 it can be proved1 must take two millions of years to reach this earth4--,sir ,william ,herschel4 ,sun1 stand thou still upon ,gibeon2 and thou1 ,moon1 in the valley of ,ajalon4 ,so the sun stood still in the midst of heaven1 and hasted not to go down about a whole day 7,josh4 x1 #ab1 #ac74 ,behold1 ,i the ,lord will bring again the shadow of the degrees1 which is gone down in the sun dial of ,ahaz1 ten degrees backward4 ,so the sun returned ten degrees 7,isaiah xxxviii1 #h74 ,the ,bible teaches the geocentric theory that the sun revolves around the earth2 ,science teaches the heliocentric theory that the earth revolves around the sun4 ,luther1 accepting the ,bible and rejecting science1 wrote3 ,the fool ,copernicus wishes to reverse the entire science of ,astronomy4 ,but sacred ,scripture tells us that ,joshua commanded the sun to stand still and not the earth4 ,biblical astronomy1 says the celebrated ,jewish commentator1 ,dr4 ,kalisch1 is derived from mere optical appearance4 ,geology4 ,in the beginning ,god created the heaven and the earth 7,gen4 i1 #a74 ,and ,god said1 ,let the earth bring forth grass1 the herb yielding seed1 and the fruit tree yielding fruit 7i1 #aa74 ,and ,god said1 ,let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life1 and fowl that may fly above the earth 7i1 #bj74 ,and ,god said1 ,let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind1 cattle and creeping things 7i1 #bd74 ,and ,god said1 ,let us make man in our image 7i1 #bf74 ,in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth 7,ex4 xx1 #aa74 ,according to the ,bible1 the earth was created in six days about six thousand years ago4 ,geology tells us that the earth was old six million years ago4 ,to make room for the earth's development1 theologians now contend that a vast period of time elapsed between the work recorded in the first verse and in those following4 ,to this ,bishop ,colenso replies3 ,we are plainly taught in the book of ,genesis1 according to the simple1 straightforward meaning of the words1 that ,elohim created the heaven and the earth in the beginning of these six days--that is1 taking into account the chronological data of the ,bible1 about six thousand years ago 7,the ,pentateuch1 ,part ,,iv1 p4 #id74 ,again1 theologians claim that these six days were not six literal days1 but six long epochs of time4 ,the ,rev4 ,moses ,stuart1 ,professor of ,sacred ,literature in ,andover ,theological ,seminary1 one of the ablest ,hebrew scholars1 says3 ,when the sacred writer in ,genesis i says1 the first day1 the second day1 etc41 there can be no possible doubt--none4444 ,what puts this beyond all question in philology is that the writer says specifically1 the evening and the morning were the first day1 the second day1 etc4 ,now1 is an evening and a morning a period of some thousands of years8 ,is it1 in any sense1 when so employed1 an indefinite period8 ,the answer is so plain and certain that ,i need not repeat it4 ,if ,moses has given us an erroneous account of the creation1 so be it4 ,let it come out1 and let us leave the whole4 ,but do not let us turn aside his language to get rid of difficulties that we may have in our speculations4 ,the ,jewish scholar1 ,dr4 ,kalisch1 not only rejects this interpretation of the word day1 but admits that it would not reconcile ,genesis with science if allowed4 ,he says3 ,the device that the days denote epochs is not only arbitrary1 but ineffective1 for the six epochs of the ,mosaic creation correspond in no manner with the gradual formation of cosmos4 ,according to ,genesis the creation of organic life occupied but three of these six days4 ,the order of creation for these three days1 or periods1 is as follows3 #a4 7#c;d day7 ,land plants2 #b4 7#eth day7 aquatic animals1 birds2 #c4 7#fth day7 ,mammals1 reptiles1 man4 ,is this confirmed by science8 ,passing ,lyell by1 let us cite our more orthodox ,dana4 ,dr4 ,dana1 who professed to believe that the study of ,geology tended to strengthen faith in the ,book of books1 gives the several geological ages1 together with the successive appearances of organic life1 as follows3 #a4 ,archan ,age--,lowest marine life1 if any2 #b4 ,silurian ,age--,invertebrates1 marine plants2 #c4 ,devonian ,age--,fish1 earliest appearance of land plants2 #d4 ,carboniferous ,age--,luxuriant vegetation1 lowest forms of reptiles2 #e4 ,reptilian ,age--,highest forms of reptiles2 #f4 ,tertiary ,age--,birds1 mammals2 #g4 ,quaternary ,age--,man4 ,even ,dana cannot reconcile ,genesis with ,geology4 ,genesis tells us that the earliest organic life was terrestrial vegetation2 ,geology tells us that ages of organic life passed before terrestrial plants appeared4 ,genesis tells us that fish and fowls were created at the same time2 ,geology tells us that the finny tribes existed ages before the feathered tribes appeared4 ,genesis tells us that mammals and reptiles were created at the same time2 ,geology tells us that while reptiles existed in the ,carboniferous age1 mammals did not appear until the close of the ,reptilian age4 ,genesis tells us that birds appeared before reptiles2 ,geology tells us that reptiles existed first4 ,genesis tells us that life existed first upon the land2 ,geology tells us that the sea teemed with animal and vegetable life ages before it appeared upon the land4 ,the seven ages of ,geology comprise twenty-five geological periods4 ,genesis recognizes but six periods in the creation of the entire universe2 ,geology recognizes twenty-five periods in the formation of earth's crust alone4 ,according to ,bible chronology1 the universe is less than six thousand years old2 according to ,geology1 the mere existence of life upon earth's crust1 which is as but a day compared with the existence of the universe1 is probably nearly fifty millions of years4 ,dr4 ,dana says3 ,if time from the commencement of the ,silurian included #dh millions of years1 which some geologists would pronounce much too low an estimate1 the ,paleozoic part ,silurian1 ,devonian1 and ,carboniferous1 according to the above ratio1 would comprise #cf millions1 the ,mesozoic ,reptilian #i millions1 and the ,cenozoic ,tertiary and ,quaternary #c millions 7,text ,book of ,geology1 p4 #cbi74 ,when ,geology was in its infancy scientists attempted to reconcile its teachings with the teachings of the ,bible4 ,no scientist worthy of the name attempts to reconcile them now4 ,writing over thirty years ago1 ,carl ,vogt thus records the triumph of ,geology over ,genesis3 ,it is hardly twenty years since ,i learned from ,agassiz3 transitional strata1 palozoic formations--kingdom of fishes2 there are no reptiles in this period1 and cannot be any1 because it would be contrary to the plan of creation2 secondary formations 7,trias1 ,jura1 chalk7--kingdom of reptiles2 there are no mammals and cannot be any1 for the same reason2 tertiary strata--kingdom of mammals2 there are no men and cannot be any2 present creation--kingdom of man4 ,what is become of this plan of creation1 with its exclusiveness8 ,reptiles in the ,devonian strata1 reptiles in the coal1 reptiles in the ,dyas4 ,farewell1 kingdom of fish6 ,mammals in the ,jura1 mammals in ,purbeck chalk1 which some reckon as the lowest chalk formation2 good-by1 kingdom of reptiles6 ,men in the highest tertiary strata1 men in the diluvial forms--au revoir1 kingdom of mammals6 ,geography4 ,the world also shall be stable1 that it be not moved 7#a ,chron4 xvi1 #cj74 ,who laid the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed forever 7,ps4 civ1 #e74 ,for the pillars of the earth are the ,lord's1 and he hath set the world upon them 7#a ,sam4 ii1 #h74 ,i saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth 7,rev4 vii1 #a74 ,the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain1 and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world 7,matt4 iv1 #h74 ,the science of ,geography describes the earth as spherical in form1 with a daily revolution on its axis and an annual revolution around the sun4 ,the ,bible describes it as stable1 flat1 and angular4 ,and a river went out of ,eden to water the garden2 and from thence it was parted1 and became into four heads4 ,the name of the first is ,pison ,indus or ,ganges 7,gen4 ii1 #aj1 #aa74 ,and the name of the second river is ,gihon ,nile3 the same is it that compasseth the whole land of ,ethiopia4 ,and the name of the third river is ,hiddekel ,tigris3 444 ,and the fourth river is ,euphrates 7ii1 #ac1 #ad74 ,bible geography makes the ,nile and the ,euphrates both branches of the same river4 ,then cometh he to a city of ,samaria1 which is called ,sychar 7,john iv1 #e74 ,samaria contained no city of this name4 ,these things were done in ,bethany beyond ,jordan 7,john i1 #bh1 ,new ,ver474 ,bethany was a suburb of ,jerusalem and not located beyond the ,jordan4 ,he departed from ,galilee1 and came into the coasts of ,judea beyond ,jordan 7,matt4 xix1 #a74 ,the dead sea and the ,jordan formed the eastern boundary of ,judea1 and no coasts of ,judea existed beyond the ,jordan4 ,which was of ,bethsaida of ,galilee 7,john xii1 #ba74 ,bethsaida was not of ,galilee1 but of ,perea4 ,botany4 ,and the earth brought forth grass1 and herb yielding seed after his kind1 and the tree yielding fruit1 whose seed was in itself1 after his kind 7,gen4 i1 #ab74 ,and the evening and the morning were the third day 7i1 #ac74 ,and ,god made two great lights2 the greater light to rule the day 7i1 #af74 ,and the evening and the morning were the fourth day 7i1 #ai74 ,the ,bible states that the earth was covered with vegetation1 that grass and herbs and trees flourished without the heat and light of the sun4 ,science denies it4 ,cursed is the ground for thy sake4444 ,thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee 7,gen4 iii1 #ag1 #ah74 ,thorns and thistles are represented as resulting from a curse4 ,they are no more the result of a curse than are grapes and corn4 ,and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark2 and the dove came in to him in the evening2 and1 lo1 in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off 7,gen4 viii1 #aj1 #aa74 ,hebrew commentators state that it was a fresh olive leaf4 ,the ,bible writer supposes that the earth could be submerged for nearly a year without the vegetable kingdom being destroyed4 ,had this deluge really occurred1 all vegetation1 save1 perhaps1 a few aquatic plants1 would have died4 ,he planteth an ash1 and the rain doth nourish it 7,is4 xliv1 #ad74 ,not in ,western ,asia1 for the tree does not grow there4 ,bible commentators believe that the pine is meant4 ,the authors of ,genesis 7xxx1 #cg7 and ,ezekiel 7xxxi1 #h7 both mention the chestnut-tree4 ,but it is admitted that the chestnut did not grow where they stated4 ,referring to this error1 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,the 'plane-tree' ought probably to have been substituted4 ,the context of the passages where the word occurs indicates some tree which thrives best in low and rather moist situations1 whereas the chestnut-tree is a tree which prefers dry and hilly ground4 ,except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die1 it abideth alone3 but if it die1 it bringeth forth much fruit 7,john xii1 #bd74 ,if it die it bringeth forth no fruit4 ,zoology4 ,of clean beasts1 and of beasts that are not clean1 and of fowls1 and of everything that creepeth upon the earth1 there went in two and two or by sevens of clean according to another account unto ,noah into the ark 7,gen4 vii1 #h1 #i74 ,the animal kingdom1 including insects1 etc41 comprises more than #a1jjj1jjj species4 ,according to the ,bible1 two or more of every species from every clime--polar animals accustomed to a temperature of fifty degrees below zero1 and tropical1 to one hundred degrees above--were brought together and preserved for a year in an ark4 ,if the teachings of ,natural ,history be true1 this ,bible story is false4 ,the ,bible pronounces unclean and unfit for food the following animals3 ,the camel1 because he cheweth the cud1 but divideth not the hoof 7,lev4 xi1 #d74 ,the coney1 because he cheweth the cud1 but divideth not the hoof 7xi1 v74 ,the hare1 because he cheweth the cud1 but divideth not the hoof 7xi1 #f74 ,the swine1 though he divideth the hoof1 and be cloven-footed1 yet he cheweth not the cud 7xi1 #g74 ,every statement proclaims the writer's ignorance of the simple facts of ,zoology4 ,the camel does divide the hoof2 the coney does not chew the cud2 the hare does not chew the cud2 the swine is not cloven-footed 7bisulcate71 but four-toed4 ,all ruminants have the foot cleft1 and they only have it4--,cuvier4 ,every one of the four instances or illustrations brought forward by the ,biblical writer is necessarily erroneous2 any attempt at defending them implies an impotent struggle against ,science4--,dr4 ,kalisch4 ,scarcely less erroneous are the following passages3 ,and these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls3 444 the stork1 the heron after her kind1 and the lapwing and the bat4 ,all fowls that creep1 going upon all four1 shall be an abomination unto you4 ,yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four1 which have legs above their feet1 to leap withal upon the earth2 ,even these of them may ye eat3 the locust after his kind1 and the bald locust after his kind1 and the beetle after his kind1 and the grasshopper after his kind4 ,but all other flying creeping things1 which have four feet1 shall be an abomination unto you 7,lev4 xi1 #ac-bc74 ,and the ,lord said unto the serpent1 ,because thou hast done this1 thou art cursed above all cattle1 and above every beast of the field2 upon thy belly shalt thou go1 and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life 7,gen4 iii1 #ad74 ,the serpent does not eat dust1 while ,science shows that it crawled upon its belly before the curse just as it did afterward4 ,ethnology4 ,according to the ,bible1 all mankind have sprung from a single pair created by ,god six thousand years ago4 ,science does not admit that man is the result of a divine creative act1 that all the races have descended from a single pair1 or that his existence here is confined to the brief period of sixty centuries4 ,she is not able to tell yet1 even approximately1 when man's advent upon the earth occurred1 but she has long since proved the ,biblical record false1 and shown that instead of his having occupied the earth but six thousand years he has been here at the least from ten to fifty times six thousand years4 ,referring to the ,biblical origin of man1 ,professor ,huxley says3 ,five-sixths of the public are taught this ,adamitic monogenism as if it were an established truth1 and believe it4 ,i do not2 and ,i am not acquainted with any man of science1 or duly instructed person1 who does 7,methods and ,results of ,ethnology74 ,there were giants in the earth in those days 7,gen4 vi1 #d74 ,the ,bible1 like the mythical records of other early nations1 represents the earth as peopled with a race of giants4 ,yet the stature of man is as great to-day as it was five thousand years ago4 ,and all the days that ,adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years 7,gen4 v1 #e74 ,the ,bible says that for a period of two thousand years men lived for centuries1 that at least seven patriarchs attained to an age of nearly #a1jjj years4 ,the ,egyptian records of that period show that man's longevity was no greater then than it is now4 ,not only the size and age of men1 but their numbers are exaggerated by ,bible writers4 ,the ,israelites1 at the time they settled in ,palestine1 numbered1 it is claimed1 two or three millions4 ,out of this country1 to make room for them1 ,god cast seven nations greater and mightier than the ,israelite nation 7,deut4 vii1 #a74 ,palestine must then have sustained a population as great as ,spain does now with a territory thirty times as large4 ,the census of ,israel and ,judah1 taken in the time of ,david1 places the number of warriors at #a1egj1jjj 7#a ,ch4 xxi1 #e74 ,this makes the whole population twice as great as that of ,illinois with an area nine times as large as ,palestine and a soil ten times as fertile4 ,and the whole earth was of one language1 and of one speech 7,gen4 xi1 #a73 ,let us go down1 and there confound their language1 that they may not understand one another's speech 7,gen4 xi1 #g74 ,the origin of the various languages of men is here attributed to a miraculous confusion of tongues4 ,science shows that languages had no such origin4 ,renan says3 ,far from placing unity at the beginning of language1 it is necessary to look at such a unity as the slow and tardy result of an advanced civilization4 ,in the beginning there were as many dialects as families4 ,this ,bible account of the confusion of tongues is contradicted by the preceding chapter of ,genesis 7x1 #e1 #bj1 #ca71 which1 referring to the children of ,japheth1 ,ham1 and ,shem1 says they were divided every one after his tongue1 after their families1 after their tongues4 ,physiology4 ,and the ark rested in the seventh month 444 upon the mountains of ,ararat 7,gen4 viii1 #d74 ,and in the second month of the following year was the earth dried 7viii1 #ad74 ,here on the top of ,ararat1 three miles above the surrounding country1 and three thousand feet above the region of perpetual snow1 for months1 the respiratory organs of man and all the animals of earth performed their functions without difficulty6 ,wherefore think ye evil in your hearts8 7,matt4 ix1 #d74 ,what reason ye in your hearts8 7,luke v1 #bb74 ,jesus recognizes the heart as the seat of reason and intelligence4 ,in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children 7,gen4 iii1 #af74 ,she was found with child of the ,holy ,ghost 7,matt4 i1 #ah74 ,come out of the man1 thou unclean spirit 7,mark v1 #h74 ,and the prayer of faith shall save the sick 7,james v1 #ae74 ,attributing the pains of parturition to a curse1 recording the generation of a child without a natural father1 ascribing nervous and other disorders to demons1 and healing the sick by prayer are ,biblical1 but not scientific4 ,and all the first-born males of ,israel 444 were twenty and two thousand two hundred and three score and thirteen 7,num4 iii1 #dc74 ,as the population of ,israel was about #c1jjj1jjj1 this would give #acj persons to each family and an average of #abh children to each mother4 ,faith may accept this1 but physiological science rejects it4 ,chemistry4 ,and he lifted up the rod and smote the waters that were in the river1 444 and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood 7,ex4 vii1 #bj74 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,fill the water-pots with water4 ,and they filled them up to the brim4 ,and he saith unto them1 ,draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast4 ,and they bare it4 ,when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine1 etc4 7,john ii1 #g-i74 ,but his wife looked back from behind him1 and she became a pillar of salt 7,gen4 xix1 #bf74 ,and he took the golden calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire1 and ground it to powder1 and strewed it upon the water1 and made the children of ,israel drink of it 7,ex4 xxxii1 #bj74 ,turning a river into blood1 water into wine1 flesh into salt1 and burning and grinding gold into powder and holding it in solution1 cannot be harmonized with the teachings of science4 ,but it is not merely to a few ,biblical passages1 to a few so-called miraculous changes in the elements of nature1 that the science of chemistry is opposed4 ,it is opposed to the entire ,bible as a divine revelation4 ,the central ideas of this book1 a ,creator1 a ,providence1 and a ,mediator1 are all overthrown by this science4 ,referring to this1 ,comte truthfully observes3 ,however imperfect our chemical science is1 its development has operated largely in the emancipation of the human mind4 ,its opposition to all theological philosophy is marked by two general facts1 444 first the prevision of phenomena1 and next our voluntary modification of them 7,positive ,philosophy1 ,book ,,iv41 chap4 i74 ,in this way1 ,chemistry effectually discredits the notion of the rule of ,providential will among its phenomena4 ,but there is another way in which it acts no less strongly3 by abolishing the idea 444 of creation in nature 7,ibid74 ,physics4 ,i do set my bow in the cloud1 and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth4 ,and it shall come to pass1 when ,i bring a cloud over the earth1 that the bow shall be seen in the cloud3 and ,i will remember my covenant1 which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh2 and the waters shall no more become a flood1 to destroy all flesh 7,gen4 ix1 #ac-ae74 ,the ,bible writer did not know that it was the refraction and reflection of the sun's rays on the drops of water which produced the prismatic colors of the rainbow2 he did not know that the phenomenon was as old as rain and sunshine1 but believed it to be a postdiluvian sign thrown on the dark canvas of clouds by the ,almighty4 ,it seems plain1 says the ,bishop of ,natal1 that the writer supposes the bow to have been seen for the first time when the deluge was over4 ,the words which ,moses spake unto all ,israel 7,deut4 i1 #a74 ,and ,moses called all ,israel and said unto them 7v1 #a74 ,there was not a word of all that ,moses commanded1 which ,joshua read not before all the congregation of ,israel 7,josh4 viii1 #ce74 ,nature's temple must have possessed wonderful acoustic properties to enable ,moses and ,joshua to reach the ears of a multitude of three millions4 ,let us build a city1 and a tower1 whose top may reach unto heaven 7,gen4 xi1 #d74 ,god himself1 ignorant of pneumatics1 believes the project possible1 and confounds their language to prevent it4 ,and the waters were divided4 ,and the children of ,israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground3 and the waters were as a wall unto them on the right hand1 and on their left 7,ex4 xiv1 #ba1 #bb74 ,a fundamental principle of hydrostatics is the following3 ,when a pressure is exerted on any part of the surface of a liquid1 that pressure is transmitted undiminished to all parts of the mass1 and in all directions4 ,mathematics4 ,for there are three that bear record in heaven1 the ,father1 the ,word1 and the ,holy ,ghost3 and these three are one 7#a ,john v1 #g74 ,the incomprehensible jargon of the ,trinitarian arithmetic1 that three are one and one is three6--,thomas ,jefferson4 ,matthew concludes his genealogy of ,jesus as follows3 ,so all the generations from ,abraham to ,david are fourteen generations2 and from ,david until the carrying away into ,babylon are fourteen generations2 and from the carrying away into ,babylon unto ,christ are fourteen generations 7,matt4 i1 #ag74 ,this genealogy1 including both ,abraham and ,jesus1 contains but forty-one generations4 ,here we have an inspired scholar performing the mathematical solution of dividing forty-one generations by three and obtaining fourteen generations for a quotient4 ,the whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and three score 7,ezra ii1 #fd74 ,this number1 #db1cfj1 is given as the whole number of persons belonging to the families that returned from ,babylon4 ,adding together the numbers given in the census register1 of which the above is declared to be the sum total1 we find the whole number to be only #bi1hah--;a difference and a discrepancy of #ab1edb4 ,the foregoing are but three of three hundred mathematical errors to be found in the ,bible4 ,it is not merely in a few unimportant scientific details1 but in the fundamental principles of the most important sciences--of astronomy1 of geology1 of geography1 and of man--that the ,bible errs4 ,its writers evince no divine knowledge of the facts of nature4 ,their works exhibit the crude notions of the age in which they lived4 ,some of their teachings are in harmony with the accepted truths of ,science2 but these prove no more than a human origin4 ,the wisest of mankind do not know all2 the most ignorant know something4 ,while there are phenomena too complex for the mind of a ,newton or a ,darwin to grasp1 there are others regarding which the first impressions of a child are correct4 ,to assert that the ,bible is in harmony with the teachings of ,modern ,science is to assert that no advancement has been made in ,science for two thousand years1 when all know that many of the most marvelous scientific discoveries are less than two hundred years old4 ,the scientific attainments of ,bible writers were not above those of the age and country in which they lived1 and probably far below2 for the ,bible is largely the work of theologians1 and theologians have ever been behind their age in scientific knowledge4 ,the mission of theologians is not to advance1 but to retard ,science4 ,they have waged a relentless but ineffective warfare against it4 ,in the words of ,huxley3 ,extinguished theologians lie about the cradle of every science1 as the strangled snakes beside that of ,hercules4 ,the ,hebrew ,pentateuch1 says ,gerald ,massey1 has not only retarded the growth of science for eighteen centuries1 but the ignorant believers in it as a book of revelation have tried to strangle every science at its birth4 ,there could be and was but little or no progress in ,astronomy1 ,geology1 ,biology1 or ,sociology until its teachings were repudiated by the more enlightened among men4 ,of the ,bible and ,science thus writes ,america's eminent scientist and author1 ,dr4 ,john ,w4 ,draper3 ,it is to be regretted that the ,christian church has burdened itself with the defense of these books1 and voluntarily made itself answerable for their manifest contradictions and errors4444 ,still more1 it is to be deeply regretted that the ,pentateuch1 a production so imperfect as to be unable to stand the touch of modern criticism1 should be put forth as the arbiter of science 7,conflict ,between ,religion and ,science1 p4 #bbe74 ,the world is not to be discovered through the vain traditions that have brought down to us the opinions of men who lived in the morning of civilization1 nor in the dreams of mystics who thought that they were inspired 7,ibid1 p4 #cc74 ,for her ,science the volume of inspiration is the book of ,nature1 of which the open scroll is ever spread forth before the eyes of every man4 ,confronting all1 it needs no societies for its dissemination4 ,infinite in extent1 eternal in duration1 human ambition and human fanaticism have never been able to tamper with it4 ,on the earth it is illustrated by all that is magnificent and beautiful1 on the heavens its letters are suns and worlds 7,ib41 p4 #bbg74 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,prophecies4 ,prophecy is a demonstration of divine knowledge2 as miracles1 in the restricted acceptation of the word1 are a demonstration of divine power4 ,prophecies being true1 revelation is established as a fact4--,keith4 ,the predictions respecting ,christ are so clear1 so detailed and circumstantial1 as to constitute together one of the most important proofs of the inspiration of the ,bible and of the truth of ,christianity4--,hitchcock4 ,a prophet1 according to the orthodox and popular signification of the term1 is one who predicts4 ,a prophecy is a prediction1 and the writings of the prophets are a collection of predictions regarding future events4 ,prophet and prophecy1 as used in the ,bible1 have no such meaning4 ,the prophet might make a prediction1 just as any one may make a prediction1 but this was not necessarily any part of his office4 ,the functions of the prophet were those of preacher1 poet1 and musician4 ,there were not merely a score of them1 but thousands of them4 ,the more talented prophets became authors--composed the poems1 recorded the history1 and wrote the religious works of the ,hebrews4 ,some of these prophets were moral reformers--labored earnestly to reform their people4 ,the wicked were exhorted to forsake their sins1 and threatened with divine retribution if they did not4 ,when their countrymen were in bondage they consoled them with the promise that ,god would liberate them4 ,the oppressed and the captive longed for a deliverer4 ,the prophet gave utterance to these longings1 and this gave birth to the ,messianic idea4 ,the more important of these so-called prophecies will now be examined4 #a4 ,and ,babylon1 the glory of kingdoms1 the beauty of the ,chaldees' excellency1 shall be as when ,god overthrew ,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,it shall never be inhabited1 neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation2 neither shall the ,arabian pitch tent there2 neither shall the shepherds make their fold there4 ,but wild beasts of the desert shall lie there2 and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures2 and owls shall dwell there1 and satyrs shall dance there4 ,and the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses1 and dragons in their pleasant palaces2 and her time is near to come1 and her days shall not be prolonged 7,isaiah xiii1 #ai-bb74 ,had this prophecy been literally fulfilled1 it would not have evinced supernatural prescience on the part of the prophet4 ,it is the fate of cities to flourish for a time and then decay4 ,the world contains the ruins1 not of ,babylon alone1 but of a thousand cities4 ,the enemies of ,babylon wished for and hoped for its destruction4 ,the prophet voiced that wish and hope4 ,perhaps at that very moment the victorious armies of the ,persian were leveling its walls4 ,but this prophecy has not been literally fulfilled4 ,babylon was not as when ,god overthrew ,sodom and ,gomorrah2 it has been inhabited2 it has been dwelt in from generation to generation2 the ,arabian has pitched his tent there2 shepherds have made their fold there2 satyrs have not danced there2 dragons have not occupied her palaces2 her days were prolonged4 ,the ancient glory of ,babylon has faded1 but a thriving city still exists there1 a standing refutation of the claim that ,isaiah's prophecy has been fulfilled4 #b4 ,for thus saith the ,lord ,god3 ,behold ,i will bring upon ,tyrus ,nebuchadrezzar ,nebuchadnezzar1 king of ,babylon4444 ,with the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets3 he shall slay thy people by the sword1 and thy strong garrison shall go down to the ground4 ,and they shall make a spoil of thy riches1 and make a prey of thy merchandise4444 ,and ,i will make thee like the top of a rock3 thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon2 thou shalt be built no more3 for ,i the ,lord have spoken it 7,ezekiel xxvi1 #g1 #aa1 #ab1 #ad74 ,here is a specific prediction4 ,but it was not fulfilled4 ,nebuchadnezzar did not destroy1 nor even conquer1 ,tyre4 ,he reduced the whole sea coast except ,tyre1 which stood a thirteen years' siege by water and by land1 ending1 not in subjection1 but 444 leaving the native sovereigns on their thrones and their wealth and power untouched 7,chambers's ,encyclopedia74 ,a thousand years after ,ezekiel uttered his prophecy1 ,jerome1 the foremost ,christian of his age1 declared it to be the most noble and beautiful city in ,phoenicia4 ,twenty-four hundred years have passed1 and ,tyre still survives4 #c4 ,behold1 ,damascus is taken away from being a city1 and it shall be a ruinous heap 7,isaiah xvii1 #a74 ,this prophecy was spoken nearly twenty-seven hundred years ago1 and yet during all these centuries ,damascus has flourished1 and is to-day the most prosperous city of ,western ,asia4 #d4 ,and ,i will make the land of ,egypt utterly waste and desolate1 from the tower of ,syene even unto the borders of ,ethiopia4 ,no foot of man shall pass through it1 nor foot of beast shall pass through it1 neither shall it be inhabited forty years 7,ezekiel xxix1 #aj1 #aa74 ,this and a score of other prophecies concerning ,egypt have never been fulfilled4 #e4 ,for thus ,amos saith1 ,jeroboam shall die by the sword1 and ,israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land 7,amos vii1 #aa74 ,jeroboam did not not die by the sword1 and ,israel was not led away captive1 as predicted4 ,and the ,lord said not that he would blot out the name of ,israel from under heaven3 but he saved them by the hand of ,jeroboam the son of ,joash4 ,now the rest of the acts of ,jeroboam and all that he did1 and his might1 how he warred1 and how he recovered ,damascus and ,hamath1 which belonged to ,judah1 for ,israel1 are they not written in the book of the ,chronicles of the ,kings of ,israel8 ,and ,jeroboam slept with his fathers1 even with the kings of ,israel 7#b ,kings xiv1 #bg-bi74 #f4 ,thus saith the ,lord of ,jehoiakim king of ,judah3 ,he shall have none to sit upon the throne of ,david2 and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat and in the night to the frost 7,jeremiah xxxvi1 #cj74 ,this prophecy was not fulfilled4 ,so ,jehoiakim slept with his fathers3 ,and ,jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead 7#b ,kings xxiv1 #f74 #g4 ,and this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment2 and these nations shall serve the ,king of ,babylon seventy years 7,jeremiah xxv1 #aa74 ,it is now conceded by all critics that the book of ,jeremiah1 as a whole1 was not composed before the ,captivity4 ,but even if these words were uttered before the ,captivity1 they are fatal to the claim of ,bible inerrancy2 for either the prophecy was not fulfilled1 or ,bible history is false4 ,according to the historical books of the ,bible1 the ,captivity did not last seventy1 but only about fifty years4 ,referring to this and similar prophecies1 ,matthew ,arnold says3 ,the great prophecies of ,isaiah and ,jeremiah are1 critics can now see1 not strictly predictions at all 7,literature and ,dogma1 p1 #aad74 #h4 ,and the ,lord shall scatter thee among all people1 from the one end of the earth even unto the other 7,deut4 xxviii1 #fd74 ,these words were uttered1 not as a prophecy1 but as a warning or threat4 ,if they obey the ,lord's statutes a long list of blessings are promised2 if they do not obey them1 a hundred evils are threatened1 among which is the one quoted4 ,one of the most dreaded and one of the most common calamities in that age was the conquest or dispersion of one tribe or nation by another4 ,in an enumeration of all known evils1 it would be strange if this1 the one most often threatened1 had been omitted4 #i4 ,behold1 a virgin shall conceive1 and bear a son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel 7,isaiah vii1 #ad74 ,this is cited as a prophecy of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the only thing in it suggestive of the story of ,jesus is the word virgin4 ,the word thus translated1 however1 does not necessarily mean virgin in the common acceptation of this term1 but simply young woman1 either married or single4 ,correct this error and the text reads3 ,behold1 a young woman shall conceive1 and bear a son4 ,all that is suggestive of the miraculous conception vanishes4 ,but this is not the only error4 ,the forms of the verbs have been changed4 ,the passage should read as follows3 ,behold1 a young woman is with child and beareth a son4 ,the woman was with child when the prophet wrote4 ,this precludes the possibility of a reference to ,jesus ,christ4 ,not only this1 the context utterly forbids it4 ,all the events named by the prophet1 including the birth of this child1 occurred more than seven hundred years before ,christ4 ,michaelis rejects this prophecy4 ,he says3 ,i cannot be persuaded that the famous prophecy in ,isaiah 7chap4 vii1 #ad7 has the least reference to the ,messiah4 #aj4 ,i will raise unto ,david a righteous ,branch1 and a ,king shall reign and prosper1 and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth4 ,in his days ,judah shall be saved1 and ,israel shall dwell safely3 and this is his name whereby he shall be called1 ,,the ,,lord ,,our ,,righteousness 7,jer4 xxiii1 #e1 #f74 ,the correct rendering of this passage is as follows3 ,i will raise unto ,david a righteous branch1 and a king shall reign and prosper1 and shall execute judgment and justice in the land4 ,in his days ,judah shall be saved1 and ,israel shall dwell safely2 and this is the name whereby they shall call themselves3 ,the ,eternal is our righteousness4 ,in order to make a ,messianic prophecy of this passage and give it effect1 no less than eight pieces of trickery are employed3 #a4 ,the word branch is made to begin with a capital letter4 #b4 ,the word king also begins with a capital4 #c4 ,the name is rendered his name4 #d4 ,the pronoun they1 relating to the people of ,judah and ,israel1 is changed to he4 #e4 ,the word ,eternal is translated ,lord4 #f4 ,the ,lord our righteousness is printed in capitals4 #g4 ,in the table of contents at the head of the chapter are the words ,christ shall rule and save them4 #h4 ,at the top of the page are the words ,christ promised4 #aa4 ,the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah1 444 until ,shiloh come2 and unto him shall the gathering of the people be 7,gen4 xlix1 #aj74 ,the meaning of ,shiloh being somewhat obscure1 it was made to apply to ,christ4 ,it is now known that ,shiloh was the national sanctuary before the ,jews occupied ,jerusalem4 ,a correct translation of the passage reads as follows3 ,the pre-eminence shall not depart from ,judah so long as the people resort to ,shiloh2 and the nations shall obey him4 ,but even if the writer meant ,the sceptre shall not depart from ,judah until ,christ comes1 as claimed1 the prediction was not fulfilled2 for the sceptre departed from ,judah six hundred years before ,christ came4 #ab4 ,for unto us a child is born1 unto us a son is given3 and the government shall be upon his shoulder3 and his name shall be declared ,wonderful1 ,counsellor1 ,the mighty ,god1 the everlasting ,father1 the ,prince of ,peace 7,isaiah ix1 #f74 ,this passage1 even if genuine1 is not applicable to ,jesus ,christ4 ,but it is not genuine4 ,professor ,cheyne1 the highest authority on ,isaiah1 pronounces it a forgery4 #ac4 ,know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build ,jerusalem1 unto ,messiah the ,prince1 shall be seven weeks1 and three score and two weeks 7,daniel viii1 #be74 ,it is claimed that week here means a period of seven years1 and assumed1 of course1 that by ,messiah is meant ,christ4 ,seven weeks and three score and two weeks are sixty-nine weeks1 or #dhc years1 the time that was to elapse from the command to rebuild ,jerusalem to the coming of ,christ1 if the prophecy was fulfilled4 ,the decree of ,cyrus to rebuild ,jerusalem and the temple was made #ecf ,b4,c4 ,according to the accepted chronology1 ,christ was born #d ,b4,c4 ,from the decree of ,cyrus1 then1 to the coming of ,christ was #ecb years instead of #dhc1 a period of seven weeks1 or forty-nine years1 longer than that named by ,daniel4 ,ezra1 the priest1 went to ,jerusalem #deg ,b4,c4 ,this event1 however1 had nothing whatever to do with the decree for rebuilding ,jerusalem and the temple4 ,it occurred #gi years after the decree was issued1 and #eh years after the temple was finished4 ,but a searcher for ,messianic prophecies found that from the time of ,ezra to the beginning of ,christ's ministry was about #dhc years1 or #fi prophetic weeks2 and notwithstanding there was a deficiency of #gi years at one end of the period1 and an excess of #cj years at the other1 it was declared to fit exactly4 #ad4 ,the days shall come1 in the which there shall not be left one stone of the temple upon another1 that shall not be thrown down4 ,and they shall fall by the edge of the sword1 and shall be led away captive into all nations3 and ,jerusalem shall be trodden down of the ,gentiles 7,luke xxi1 #f1 #bd74 ,it has been shown that the books containing this so-called prophecy of ,jesus were written one hundred years after the conquest and destruction of ,jerusalem4 #ae4 ,the sun shall be darkened1 and the moon shall not give her light4 ,and the stars of heaven shall fall1 and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken4 ,and then shall they see the ,son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory4444 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,that this generation shall not pass1 till all these things be done 7,mark xiii1 #bd-bf1 #cj74 ,that generation did pass1 and more than eighteen centuries have followed1 and yet the ,son of man has not come and these things have not been done4 ,christ was a false prophet4 #af4 ,and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet4444 ,and upon her forehead was a name written1 ,mystery1 ,babylon the ,great1 the ,mother of ,harlots 7,revelation xvii1 #d1 #e74 ,protestant churches have no difficulty in recognizing in this ,mother of ,harlots the ,church of ,rome1 apparently forgetting that they are her daughters4 ,the following1 relative to ,bible prophecies1 is from the pen of ,william ,rathbone ,greg3 ,a prophecy1 in the ordinary acceptation of the term1 signifies a prediction of future events which could not have been foreseen by human sagacity1 and the knowledge of which was supernaturally communicated to the prophet4 ,it is clear1 therefore1 that in order to establish the claim of any anticipatory statement1 promise1 or denunciation to the rank and title of a prophecy1 four points must be ascertained with precision1 viz41 what the event was to which the alleged prediction was intended to refer2 that the prediction was uttered in specific1 not vague1 language before the event2 that the event took place specifically1 not loosely1 as predicted2 and that it could not have been foreseen by human sagacity4 ,it is probably not too much to affirm that we have no instance in the prophetical books of the ,old ,testament of a prediction in the case of which we possess1 at once and combined1 clear and unsuspicious proof of the date1 the precise event predicted1 the exact circumstances of that event1 and the inability of human sagacity to foresee it4 ,there is no case in which we can say with certainty--even where it is reasonable to suppose that the prediction was uttered before the event--that the narrative has not been tampered with to suit the prediction1 or the prediction modified to correspond with the event 7,creed of ,christendom1 pp4 #abh1 #aca47 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,miracles4 ,that curious volume of exaggerated fiction known as the ,baron ,munchausen stories has delighted many4 ,works of this character fill a legitimate place in literature4 ,the humorists have contributed much to the health and happiness of mankind4 ,a charming store of wit and humor of the ,munchausen variety is to be found in the ,bible4 ,here are a thousand and one stories as marvelous and amusing as are to be found in the whole realm of modern fiction4 ,unfortunately those who profess to value this book the most derive the least benefit from it4 ,they mistake the meaning and purpose of its writers4 ,they accept as facts its most palpable fictions4 ,its most laughable stories are read with the most solemn visages4 ,this serious method of treating the ridiculous has produced an army of morose dyspeptics who mistake indigestion for religion1 and intolerance for virtue4 ,to afford a little relaxation from the duller chapters of this work1 to furnish a few grains of pepsin to aid in the digestion of a ,sunday dinner1 a small collection of these funny tales of ancient wits--the ,baron ,munchausen writers of old times--is given4 ,he who can read them without a smile must be either dull of comprehension or without appreciation of humor4 ,the ,first ,cutlet4 ,,practical ,,joke ,,played ,,upon ,a ,,sleepy ,,man ,,by ,,his ,,facetious ,,creator4 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,it is not good that the man should be alone4 ,i will make him an help meet for him4444 ,and the ,lord ,god caused a deep sleep to fall upon ,adam1 and he slept2 and he took one of his ribs1 and closed up the flesh instead thereof4 ,and the rib which the ,lord ,god had taken from man1 made he a woman1 and brought her unto the man 7,gen4 ii1 #ah1 #ba1 #bb74 ,the ,great ,freshet4 ,a ,,story ,,calculated ,,to ,,paralyze ,a ,,kentucky ,,colonel4 ,the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up1 and the windows of heaven were opened4 ,and the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights4444 ,and the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth2 and all the high hills1 that were under the whole heaven1 were covered4 ,fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail2 and the mountains were covered 7,gen4 vii1 #aa1 #ab1 #ai1 #bj74 ,ringstreaked1 ,speckled1 and ,spotted4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,prenatal ,,influences ,,laughably ,,burlesqued4 ,and ,jacob took him rods of green poplar1 and of the hazel and chestnut tree2 and pilled white streaks in them1 and made the white appear which was in the rods4 ,and he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink1 that they should conceive when they came to drink4 ,and the flocks conceived before the rods1 and brought forth cattle ringstreaked1 speckled1 and spotted 7,gen4 xxx1 #cg-ci74 ,the ,waters ,were ,divided4 ,,moses ,,tells1 ,,with ,a ,,wink1 ,,about ,,the ,,strongest ,,gale ,,of ,,wind ,,known ,,to ,,history4 ,and ,moses stretched out his hand over the sea2 and the ,lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night1 and made the sea dry land1 and the waters were divided4 ,and the children of ,israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground2 and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand1 and on their left 7,ex4 xiv1 #ba1 #bb74 ,quails666 ,,the ,,modern ,,bird ,,hunter ,,will ,,say3 ,i ,,love ,a ,,liar1 ,,but ,,this ,,one ,,suits ,,me ,,too ,,well6 ,and there went forth a wind from the ,lord1 and brought quails from the sea1 and let them fall by the camp1 as it were a day's journey on this side1 and as it were a day's journey on the other side1 round about the camp1 and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth4 ,and the people stood up all that day1 and all that night1 and all the next day1 and they gathered the quails3 he that gathered least gathered ten homers over #ajj bushels 7,num4 xi1 #ca1 #cb74 ,three ,good ,snake ,stories4 ,,wine ,,is ,a ,,mocker1 ,,strong ,,drink ,,is ,,raging4 ,and the ,lord said unto him ,moses1 ,what is that in thine hand8 ,and he said1 ,a rod4 ,and he said1 ,cast it on the ground4 ,and he cast it on the ground1 and it became a serpent2 and ,moses fled from before it4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,put forth thine hand1 and take it by the tail4 ,and he put forth his hand1 and caught it1 and it became a rod in his hand 7,ex4 iv1 #b-d74 ,and the ,lord sent fiery serpents among the people1 and they bit the people2 and much people of ,israel died4444 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,make thee a fiery serpent1 and set it upon a pole3 and it shall come to pass1 that every one that is bitten1 when he looketh upon it shall live4 ,and ,moses made a serpent of brass1 and put it upon a pole1 and it came to pass1 that if a serpent had bitten any man1 when he beheld the serpent of brass1 he lived 7,num4 xxi1 #f1 #h1 #i74 ,and ,aaron cast down his rod before ,pharaoh1 and before his servants1 and it became a serpent4 ,then ,pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers3 now the magicians of ,egypt1 they also did in like manner with their enchantments4 ,for they cast down every man his rod and they became serpents3 but ,aaron's rod swallowed up their rods 7,ex4 vii1 #aj-ab74 ,more of ,aaron's ,tricks4 ,,including1 ,,among ,,others1 ,,one ,,very ,,lousy ,,trick4 ,and he ,aaron lifted up the rod and smote the waters that were in the river1 in the sight of ,pharaoh and in the sight of the servants2 and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood 7,ex4 vii1 #bj74 ,and ,aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of ,egypt2 and the frogs came up and covered the land of ,egypt 7viii1 #f74 ,aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and smote the dust of the earth1 and it became lice in man and in beast2 all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of ,egypt 7viii1 #ag74 ,the ,sun ,stood ,still4 ,,is ,,not ,,this ,,written ,,in ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,jasher8 ,and he ,joshua said in the sight of ,israel1 ,sun1 stand thou still upon ,gibeon2 and thou1 moon1 in the valley of ,ajalon4 ,and the sun stood still1 and the moon stayed1 until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies4 ,is not this written in the book of ,jasher8 ,so the sun stood still in the midst of heaven1 and hasted not to go down about a whole day 7,josh4 x1 #ab1 #ac74 ,samson's ,feats4 ,,as ,,described ,,by ,,the ,,humorist ,,who ,,wrote ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,judges4 ,and he ,samson found a new jawbone of an ass1 and put forth his hand and took it1 and slew a thousand men therewith4 ,and ,samson said1 ,with the jawbone of an ass1 heaps upon heaps1 with the jawbone of an ass have ,i slain a thousand men 7,judges xv1 #ae1 #af74 ,and ,samson went and caught three hundred foxes1 and took firebrands1 and turned tail to tail1 and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails4 ,and when he had set the brands on fire1 he let them go into the standing corn of the ,philistines and burnt up both the shocks1 and also the standing corn1 with the vineyards and olives 7,judges xv1 #d1 #e74 ,the ,loquacious ,ass4 ,,remarks ,,of ,a ,,quadruped ,,that ,,stood ,,on ,,her ,,record4 ,and ,balaam rose up in the morning1 and saddled his ass1 and went with the princes of ,moab4444 ,and when the ass saw the angel of the ,lord1 she fell down under ,balaam3 and ,balaam's anger was kindled1 and he smote the ass with a staff4 ,and the ,lord opened the mouth of the ass1 and she said unto ,balaam1 ,what have ,i done unto thee that thou hast smitten me these three times8 ,and ,balaam said unto the ass1 ,because thou hast mocked me3 ,i would there were a sword in mine hand1 for now would ,i kill thee4 ,and the ass said unto ,balaam1 ,am not ,i thine ass1 upon which thou hast ridden ever since ,i was thine unto this day8 ,was ,i ever wont to do so unto thee8 ,and he said1 ,nay 7,num4 xxii1 #ba1 #bg-cj74 ,a ,bear ,story4 ,,edifying ,,tale ,,of ,a ,,baldheaded ,,man1 ,,some ,,naughty ,,children1 ,,and ,,two ,,bears4 ,and he ,elisha went up from thence unto ,beth-el3 and as he was going up by the way1 there came forth little children out of the city1 and mocked him1 and said unto him1 ,go up1 thou baldhead2 go up1 thou baldhead4 ,and he turned back and looked on them1 and cursed them in the name of the ,lord4 ,and there came forth two she-bears out of the wood1 and tare forty and two children of them 7#b ,kings ii1 #bc1 #bd74 ,the ,boy ,sneezed4 ,,how ,a ,,prophet',s ,,whiskers ,,tickled ,a ,,shamming ,,kid ,,and ,,brought ,,him ,,out ,,of ,,his ,,trance4 ,and when ,elisha was come into the house1 behold1 the child was dead1 and laid upon his bed4 ,and he went in therefore1 and shut the door upon them twain1 and prayed unto the ,lord4 ,and he went up and lay upon the child1 and put his mouth upon his mouth1 and his eyes upon his eyes1 and his hands upon his hands2 and he stretched himself upon the child3 and the flesh of the child waxed warm4 ,then he returned1 and walked in the house to and fro1 and went up1 and stretched himself upon him3 and the child sneezed seven times1 and the child opened his eyes 7#b ,kings1 iv1 #cb-ce74 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abed-nego4 ,,three ,,of ,,satan',s ,,subject ,,astonish ,,the ,,officials ,,of ,,nebuchadnezzar4 ,these men were bound in their coats1 their hosen1 and their hats1 and their other garments1 and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace4444 ,and the princes1 governors1 and captains1 and the king's counselors1 being gathered together1 saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power1 nor was a hair of their head singed1 neither were their coats changed1 nor the smell of fire had passed on them 7,dan4 iii1 #ai1 #ba1 #bg74 ,take ,me ,up4 ,a ,,diverting ,,yarn1 ,,calculated ,,to ,,cause ,,much ,,merriment ,,among ,,the ,,marines4 ,then they said unto him ,jonah1 ,what shall we do unto thee that the sea may be calm unto us8 for the sea wrought and was tempestuous4 ,and he said unto them1 ,take me up and cast me forth in the sea4444 ,so they took up ,jonah1 and cast him forth into the sea2 and the sea ceased from her raging4444 ,now the ,lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up ,jonah4 ,and ,jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and nights4444 ,and the ,lord spake unto the fish1 and it vomited out ,jonah upon the dry land 7,jonah i1 #aa-ag2 ii1 #aj74 ,the ,confiding ,husband4 ,a ,,timely ,,dream ,,saves ,,the ,,reputation ,,of ,a ,,young ,,woman4 ,now the birth of ,jesus ,christ was on this wise3 ,when as his mother ,mary was espoused to ,joseph1 before they came together1 she was found with child of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,then ,joseph her husband being a just man1 and not wishing to make her a public example1 was minded to put her away privily4 ,but while he thought on these things1 behold the angel of the ,lord appeared to him in a dream1 saying1 ,joseph1 thou son of ,david1 fear not to take unto thee ,mary thy wife3 for that which is conceived in her is of the ,holy ,ghost4444 ,then ,joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the ,lord had bidden him1 and took unto him his wife2 and knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son2 and he called his name ,jesus 7,matt4 i1 #ah-be74 ,they ,did ,eat and ,were ,filled4 ,,interesting ,,application ,,of ,,hypnotism ,,by ,,which ,a ,,multitude ,,were ,,convinced ,,that ,,they ,,had ,,dined4 ,and they say unto him1 ,we have here but five loaves and two fishes4 ,he said1 ,bring them hither to me4 ,and he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass and took the five loaves and the two fishes1 and looking up to heaven1 he blessed1 and brake1 and gave the loaves to his disciples1 and the disciples to the multitude4 ,and they did all eat1 and were filled2 and they took up the fragments that remained twelve baskets full4 ,and they that had eaten were about five thousand men beside women and children 7,matt4 xiv1 #ae-ba74 ,lazarus ,come ,forth4 ,,jesus ,,apprises ,,the ,,brother ,,of ,,martha ,,that ,,the ,,joke ,,has ,,been ,,carried ,,far ,,enough4 ,when ,jesus came1 he found that he ,lazarus had lain in the grave four days already4444 ,jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave4 ,it was a cave1 and a stone lay upon it4 ,jesus said1 ,take ye away the stone4 ,martha1 the sister of him that was dead1 saith unto him1 ,lord1 by this time he stinketh1 for he hath been dead four days4444 ,he ,jesus cried with a loud voice1 ,lazarus come forth4 ,and he that was dead came forth 7,john xi1 #ag1 #ch1 #ci1 #dc1 #dd74 ,these ,bible stories1 which ,christians profess to believe1 are unworthy of serious consideration4 ,they are not historical1 but fabulous4 ,a miracle is a fable4 ,the miraculous is impossible2 the impossible untrue4 ,if miracles were possible and necessary in that age they are possible and necessary now4 ,this is an age of unbelief4 ,give us one miracle and we will believe4 ,let ,jesus visit earth again and with his divine touch revivify the inanimate dust of ,lincoln and give him back to the nation that loved him so well1 and we will acknowledge his divinity and believe that the ,bible is inspired4 ,had he restored to life the decaying corpse of ,lazarus the ,jews would have believed in him4 ,the ,jews did not believe in him1 therefore the miracle was not performed4 ,the divine origin of the ,bible cannot be established by miracles because the possibility of a miracle itself cannot be established4 ,in the language of ,hume1 a miracle is a violation of the laws of nature2 and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws1 the proof against a miracle1 from the very nature of the fact1 is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,bible ,,god4 ,the ,bible1 it is claimed1 is the word of ,god--a revelation from ,god to man4 ,it was written or inspired by ,god1 and deals chiefly with ,god and his works4 ,who and what is this ,god of the ,bible8 ,what is the nature and character of this divine author8 ,is he omnipresent1 or has he a local habitation merely8 ,is he omnipotent1 or is he limited in power8 ,is he omniscient1 or is his knowledge circumscribed8 ,is he immutable1 or is he a changeable being8 ,is he visible and comprehensible1 or is he invisible and unknowable8 ,is he the only ,god1 or is he one of many gods8 ,does he possess the form and attributes of man1 or is he1 as ,christians affirm1 without body1 parts1 or passions8 ,let ,god through his inspired penmen answer4 ,is ,god ,omnipresent8 ,do not ,i fill heaven and earth8 saith the ,lord 7,jer4 xxiii1 #bd74 ,the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him 7#b ,ch4 ii1 #f74 ,if ,i ascend up into heaven1 thou art there2 if ,i make my bed in hell1 behold1 thou art there4 ,if ,i take the wings of the morning1 and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea2 even there shall thy hand lead me 7,ps4 cxxxix1 #h-aj74 ,the ,lord was not in the wind3 444 the ,lord was not in the earthquake 7#a ,kings xix1 #aa74 ,and ,cain went out from the presence of the ,lord1 and dwelt in the land of ,nod 7,gen4 iv1 #af74 ,and he said unto ,balak1 ,stand here by thy burnt offering1 while ,i meet the ,lord yonder 7,num4 xxiii1 #ae74 ,go down1 charge the people1 lest they break through unto the ,lord to gaze 7,ex4 xix1 #ba74 ,god is come into the camp4 ,and they said1 ,woe unto us6 for there hath not been such a thing heretofore 7#a ,sam4 iv1 #g74 ,is ,god ,omnipotent8 ,with ,god all things are possible 7,matt4 xix1 #bf74 ,i know that thou canst do everything 7,job xlii1 #b74 ,there is nothing too hard for thee 7,jer4 xxxii1 #ag74 ,for the ,lord ,god ,omnipotent reigneth 7,rev4 xix1 #f74 ,and the ,lord was with ,judah1 and he the ,lord drove out the inhabitants of the mountain1 but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley1 because they had chariots of iron 7,jud4 i1 #ai74 ,is ,he ,omniscient8 ,god 444 knoweth all things 7#a ,john iii1 #bj74 ,the eyes of the ,lord are in every place 7,prov4 xv1 #c74 ,he knoweth the secrets of the heart 7,ps4 xliv1 #ba74 ,no thought can be withholden from thee 7,job xlii1 #b74 ,the ,lord thy ,god led thee these forty years in the wilderness1 444 to know what was in thine heart 7,deut4 viii1 #b74 ,god left him1 to try him1 that he might know all that was in his heart 7#b ,ch4 xxxii1 #ca74 ,the ,lord said1 ,because the cry of ,sodom and ,gomorrah is great1 and because their sin is very grievous1 ,i will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it1 which is come unto me3 and if not ,i will know 7,gen4 xviii1 #bj1 #ba74 ,is ,he ,immutable8 ,i am the ,lord1 ,i change not 7,mal4 iii1 #f74 ,with whom is no variableness1 neither shadow of turning 7,james i1 #ag74 ,my covenant will ,i not break1 nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips 7,ps4 lxxxix1 #cd74 ,he is not a man that he should repent 7#a ,sam4 xv1 #bi74 ,i ,god am weary with repenting 7,jer4 xv1 #f74 ,it repented the ,lord that he had made man on the earth 7,gen4 vi1 #f74 ,the ,lord repented that he had made ,saul king over ,israel 7#a ,sam4 xv1 #ce74 ,and ,god repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them2 and he did it not 7,jonah iii1 #aj74 ,the ,lord ,god of ,israel saith1 ,i said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever3 but now the ,lord saith1 ,be it far from me 7#a ,sam4 ii1 #cj74 ,is ,he ,visible and ,comprehensible8 ,i have seen ,god face to face 7,gen4 xxxii1 #cj74 ,and they saw the ,god of ,israel 7,ex4 xxiv1 #aj74 ,for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen1 being understood by the things that are made1 even his eternal power and ,godhead 7,rom4 i1 #bj74 ,no man hath seen ,god at any time 7,john i1 #ah74 ,whom no man hath seen1 nor can see 7#a ,tim4 vi1 #af74 ,there shall no man see me and live 7,ex4 xxxiii1 #bj74 ,god is great1 and we know him not 7,job xxxvi1 #bf74 ,touching the ,almighty1 we cannot find him out 7,job xxxvii1 #bc74 ,is ,there ,one ,god ,only8 ,there is one ,god2 and there is none other but he 7,mark xii1 #cb74 ,before me there was no ,god formed1 neither shall there be after me 7,is4 xliii1 #aj74 ,i am the first1 and ,i am the last2 and besides me there is no ,god 7,is4 xliv1 #f74 ,thou shalt not revile the gods 7,ex4 xxii1 #bh74 ,and the ,lord ,god said1 ,behold1 the man is become as one of us 7,gen4 iii1 #bb74 ,who is like unto thee1 ,o ,lord1 among the gods8 7,ex4 xv1 #aa74 ,among the gods1 there is none like unto thee1 ,o ,lord 7,ps4 lxxxvi1 #h74 ,the ,lord is a great ,god1 and a great ,king above all gods 7,ps4 xcv1 #c74 ,god standeth in the congregation of the mighty2 he judgeth among the gods 7,psalms lxxxii1 #a874 ,in ,what ,form ,does ,god ,exist8 ,there is but one living and true ,god1 everlasting1 without body1 parts1 or passions4--,thirty-nine ,articles4 ,compare the above conception of ,deity with the anthropomorphic character of ,god portrayed in the following one hundred passages3 ,god created man in his own image 7,gen4 i1 #bg74 ,the hair of his ,god's head 7,dan4 vii1 #i74 ,thou canst not see my ,god's face 7,ex4 xxxiii1 #bj74 ,the eyes of the ,lord run to and fro 7#b ,ch4 xvi1 #i74 ,and his ,god's ears are open 7#a ,pet4 iii1 #ab74 ,these are a smoke in my ,god's nose 7,is4 lxv1 #e74 ,there went up a smoke out of his ,god's nostrils 7#b ,sam4 xxii1 #i74 ,that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god 7,matt4 iv1 #d74 ,his ,god's lips are full of indignation 7,is4 xxx1 #bg74 ,and his ,god's tongue as a devouring fire 7,ibid74 ,he shall dwell between his ,god's shoulders 7,deut4 xxxiii1 #ab74 ,thou ,god hast a mighty arm 7,ps4 lxxxix1 #ac74 ,the right hand of the ,lord 7,ps4 cxviii1 #af74 ,this is the finger of ,god 7,ex4 viii1 #ai74 ,i ,god will show them the back 7,jer4 xviii1 #ag74 ,out of thy ,god's bosom 7,ps4 lxxiv1 #aa74 ,my ,god's heart maketh a noise in me 7,jer4 iv1 #ai74 ,my ,god's bowels are troubled 7,jer4 xxxi1 #bj74 ,the appearance of his ,god's loins 7,ezek4 i1 #bg74 ,darkness was under his ,god's feet 7,ps4 xviii1 #i74 ,the mind of the ,lord 7,lev4 xxiv1 #ab74 ,the breath of his ,god's nostrils 7#b ,sam4 xxii1 #af74 ,in the light of thy ,god's countenance 7,ps4 lxxxix1 #ae74 ,thou ,god seest me 7,gen4 xvi1 #ac74 ,my ,god will hear me 7,micah vii1 #g74 ,the ,lord smelled a sweet savour 7,gen4 viii1 #ba74 ,will ,i ,god eat the flesh of bulls8 7,ps4 #a1 #ac474 ,will ,i ,god drink the blood of goats8 7,ibid47 ,the hand of ,god hath touched me 7,job xix1 #ba74 ,we have heard his ,god's voice 7,deut4 v1 #bd74 ,god doth talk with man 7,ibid74 ,the ,lord shall laugh at him 7,ps4 xxxvii1 #ac74 ,now will ,i ,god cry 7,is4 xlii1 #ad74 ,he ,god shall give a shout 7,jer4 xxv1 #cj74 ,why sleepest thou1 ,o ,lord8 7,ps4 xliv1 #bc47 ,then the ,lord awaked 7,ps4 lxxviii1 #fe74 ,god sitteth upon the throne 7,ps4 xlvii1 #h74 ,god riseth up 7,job xxxi1 #ad74 ,the ,lord stood by him 7,acts xxiii1 #aa74 ,i ,god will walk among you 7,lev4 xxvi1 #ab74 ,thou ,god didst ride upon thine horses 7,hab4 iii1 #h74 ,he ,god wrestled with him 7,gen4 xxxii1 #be74 ,the ,lord will work 7#a ,sam4 xiv1 #f74 ,i ,god am weary 7,is4 i1 #ad74 ,he ,god rested on the seventh day 7,gen4 ii1 #b74 ,the ,lord ,god planted a garden 7,gen4 ii1 #h74 ,god is able to graft 7,rom4 xi1 #bc74 ,the ,father is a husbandman 7,john xv1 #a74 ,he ,god hath fenced up my way 7,job xix1 #h74 ,the ,lord is my shepherd 7,ps4 xxiii1 #a74 ,the ,lord build the house 7,ps4 cxxvii1 #a74 ,the tables were the work of ,god 7,ex4 xxxii1 #af74 ,thou ,god our potter 7,is4 lxiv1 #h74 ,the ,lord ,god made coats of skin 7,gen4 iii1 #ba74 ,and ,i ,god shod thee with badger's skin 7,ezek4 xvi1 #aj74 ,the ,lord shave with a razor 7,is4 vii1 #bj74 ,i ,god will cure them 7,jer4 xxxiii1 #f74 ,and he ,god buried him 7,deut4 xxxiv1 #f74 ,thy ,god which teacheth thee 7,is4 xlviii1 #ag74 ,musical instruments of ,god 7#a ,ch4 xvi1 #db74 ,he ,god wrote upon the tables 7,ex4 xxxiv1 #bh74 ,thy book which thou ,god hast written 7,ex4 xxxii1 #cb74 ,o ,lord1 ,i have heard thy speech 7,hab4 iii1 #b74 ,the ,lord is our lawgiver 7,is4 xxxiii1 #bb74 ,the ,lord is our judge 7,ibid74 ,for ,god is the king of all the earth 7,ps4 xlvii1 #g74 ,he ,god is the governor 7,ps4 xxii1 #h74 ,god himself is 444 our captain 7#b ,ch4 xiii1 #ab74 ,the ,lord is a man of war 7,ex4 xv1 #c74 ,the ,lord hath opened his armory 7,jer4 i1 #be74 ,the ,lord shall blow the trumpet 7,zech4 ix1 #ad74 ,i ,god myself will fight 7,jer4 xxi1 #e74 ,he ,god will whet his sword 7,ps4 vii1 #ab74 ,he ,god hath bent his bow 7,lam4 ii1 #d74 ,god shall shoot at them 7,ps4 lxiv1 #g74 ,rocks are thrown down by him ,god 7,nahum i1 #f74 ,i ,god will kill you 7,ex4 xxii1 #bd74 ,thou ,god art become cruel to me 7,job4 xxx1 #ba74 ,i ,god sware in my wrath 7,ps4 xcv1 #aa74 ,i ,god have cursed them already 7,mal4 ii1 #a74 ,thy ,god hath blessed thee 7,deut4 ii1 #g74 ,the ,lord repented 7,amos vii1 #f74 ,god did tempt ,abraham 7,gen4 xxii1 #a74 ,o ,lord thou hast deceived me 7,jer4 xx1 #g74 ,he ,god hath polluted the kingdom 7,lam4 ii1 #b74 ,he ,god is mighty in strength 7,job ix1 #d74 ,with him ,god is wisdom 7,job xii1 #ac74 ,i ,god was a husband 7,jer4 xxxi1 #cb74 ,the only begotten of the ,father 7,john i1 #ad74 ,the sons of ,god saw the daughters of men 7,gen4 vi1 #b74 ,the love that ,god hath to us 7#a ,john iv1 #af74 ,these six things doth the ,lord hate 7,prov4 vi1 #af74 ,the joy of the ,lord 7,neh4 viii1 #aj74 ,it grieved him ,god at his heart 7,gen4 vi1 #f74 ,the ,lord pitieth them that fear him 7,ps4 ciii1 #ac74 ,i ,god feared the wrath of the enemy 7,deut4 xxxii1 #bg74 ,the ,lord 444 is a jealous ,god 7,ex4 xxxiv1 #ad74 ,the fierce anger of the ,lord 7,num4 xxv1 #d74 ,with the ,lord there is mercy 7,ps4 cxxx1 #g7 ,vengeance is mine 444 saith the ,lord 7,rom4 xii1 #aj74 ,while many of these texts are simply metaphorical allusions to a ,deity1 as a whole they clearly reveal the anthropomorphic conception of ,god that prevailed among ,bible writers generally4 ,this ,god was represented as a being of power and glory1 yet a being possessing the form1 the attributes1 and the limitations of man4 ,he was a colossal despot--a king of kings4 ,the ,god of the ,bible is a product of the human imagination4 ,god did not make man in ,god's image1 as claimed1 but man made ,god in man's image4 ,man is not the creation of ,god1 but ,god is the creation of man4 ,this ,god who was supposed to have created the universe out of nothing has himself gradually been resolved into nothingness in the minds of his votaries1 and to-day1 enthroned in the brain of ,christendom1 there reigns a mere phantom1 without body1 parts1 or passions ,,part ,,iii4 ,,morality4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,bible ,,not ,a ,,moral ,,guide4 ,we are asked to accept the ,bible as the revealed will of an all-powerful1 all-wise and all-just ,god4 ,we are asked to revere it beyond all other books1 to make a fetich of it4 ,above all1 we are asked to accept it as a divine and infallible moral guide4 ,christians profess to accept it as such2 and many who are not ,christians--many who reject the authenticity of the most of it1 and who doubt the credibility of much of it--parrot-like1 repeat the claims of supernaturalists1 dwell upon its beautiful moral teachings1 and abet the efforts of the clergy to place it in our public schools1 seemingly oblivious to the fact that it is not in any sense a moral guide4 ,what is ,morality8 ,what is morality8 ,paley1 by many considered the chief of modern ,christian authorities1 basing his conception of morality on the ,bible1 defines it as the doing good to mankind1 in obedience to the will of ,god as revealed in the ,bible1 and for the sake of everlasting happiness and to escape everlasting misery4 ,supernaturalism and selfishness are thus its sole principles2 supernaturalism being its source and selfishness being the motive for its observance4 ,here virtue does not bring its own reward1 the will of ,god is not omnipotent1 and mankind1 like a spoiled child1 must be bribed or frightened to obey its precepts4 ,this is the ,christian conception of morality4 ,but it is a false conception4 ,morality is not supernatural and divine1 but natural and human4 ,it is purely utilitarian4 ,utility1 regardless of the will of ,god1 is its all-pervading principle4 ,whatever is beneficial to man is right1 is moral2 and whatever is injurious to him is wrong1 is immoral4 ,the end and aim of moral conduct1 according to ,hobbes1 is self-preservation and happiness2 not everlasting happiness in another world1 as taught by ,paley1 but life-lasting happiness in this4 ,dr4 ,priestley's phrase1 ,the greatest happiness of the greatest number1 is pronounced by ,jeremy ,bentham1 one of the most eminent of ethical writers1 a true standard for whatever is right or wrong1 useful1 useless1 or mischievous in human conduct4 ,more and more1 as men become civilized and enlightened1 the egoistic principles of religionists give way to the altruistic principle of ,rationalists4 ,live for others is the sublime teaching of the ,positivist ,comte4 ,in obeying this noble precept we are not sacrificing1 but augmenting our own happiness4 ,to do good is my religion1 said ,thomas ,paine4 ,the rewards and punishments of this religion1 which is here but another name for morality1 are happily expressed by ,abraham ,lincoln3 ,when ,i do good ,i feel good1 and when ,i do bad ,i feel bad4 ,the husband and wife who labor for each other's happiness1 regardless of their own2 the father and mother who deprive themselves to make their children happy2 men1 like ,sir ,moses ,montefiore and ,baron ,hirsch1 and women1 like ,florence ,nightingale and ,clara ,barton1 who devote their time and wealth to aid in removing the poverty and alleviating the sufferings of humanity--these1 by increasing the happiness of others1 increase their own4 ,when the true principles of morality are universally understood and accepted1 divine revelations will be cast aside and supernatural religions will die2 the zealot's visions of a celestial paradise will vanish1 and the philanthropist's dream of a heaven on earth will be realized4 ,bible ,codes4 ,the ,ten ,commandments in the ,old ,testament and the ,sermon on the ,mount1 including the ,golden ,rule1 in the ,new1 are supposed to comprise the best moral teachings of the ,bible4 ,they are declared to be so far superior to all other moral codes as to preclude the idea of human origin4 ,the ,decalogue is a very imperfect moral code2 not at all superior to the religious and legislative codes of other ancient peoples4 ,the last six of these commandments1 while not above criticism1 are in the main just1 and were recognized alike by ,jew and ,gentile4 ,they are a crude attempt to formulate the crystallized experiences of mankind4 ,the first four 7first three according to ,catholic and ,lutheran versions7 possess no moral value whatever4 ,they are simply religious emanations from the corrupt and disordered brain of priestcraft4 ,they only serve to obscure the principles of true morality and produce an artificial system which bears the same relation to natural morality that a measure of chaff and grain does to a measure of winnowed grain4 ,as a literary composition and as a partial exposition of the peculiar tenets of a heretical ,jewish sect1 the ,sermon on the ,mount is interesting2 but as a moral code it is of little value4 ,along with some admirable precepts1 it contains others1 like the following1 which are false and pernicious3 ,blessed are the poor in spirit2 ,blessed are the meek1 for they shall inherit the earth2 ,if thy right eye offend thee pluck it out2 ,if thy right hand offend thee cut it off2 ,whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery2 ,resist not evil2 ,whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek1 turn to him the other also2 ,if any man will sue thee at the law1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloak also2 ,love your enemies2 ,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth2 ,take no thought for your life1 what ye shall eat1 or what ye shall drink1 nor yet for your body1 what ye shall put on2 ,take therefore no thought for the morrow4 ,christians claim that unbelievers have no moral standard1 that they alone have such a standard--an infallible standard--the ,bible4 ,if we ask them to name the best precept in this standard they cite the ,golden ,rule4 ,and yet the ,golden ,rule is in its very nature purely a human rule of conduct4 ,whatsoever ye men1 not ,god would that men should do to you1 do ye even so to them4 ,this rule enjoins what ,christians profess to condemn1 that every person shall form his own moral standard4 ,in this rule the so-called divine laws are totally ignored4 ,the ,golden ,rule1 so far as the ,bible is concerned1 is a borrowed gem4 ,chinese1 ,greek1 and ,roman sages had preached and practiced it centuries before the ,sermon on the ,mount was delivered4 ,this rule1 one of the best formulated by the ancients1 is not1 however1 a perfect rule of human conduct4 ,it does not demand that our desires shall always be just4 ,but it does recognize and enjoin the principle of reciprocity1 and is immeasurably superior to the rule usually practised by the professed followers of ,jesus3 ,whatsoever we would that you should do unto us1 do it2 and whatsoever we wish to do unto you1 that will we do4 ,the three ,christian virtues1 faith1 hope1 and charity1 fairly represent this whole system of so-called ,bible morals--two false or useless precepts to one good precept4 ,charity is a true virtue1 but faith and hope1 to quote ,volney1 may be called the virtues of dupes for the benefit of knaves4 ,and if the knaves have admitted charity to be the greatest of these virtues1 it is because they are the recipients and not the dispensers of it4 ,bible ,models4 ,the noblest types of manhood1 like ,bruno1 ,spinoza1 ,paine1 and ,ingersoll1 have been slandered1 anathematized1 and slain by ,christians1 while the gods1 the heroes1 the patriarchs1 the prophets1 and the priests of the ,bible have been presented as the highest models of moral excellence4 ,of these1 ,jehovah1 ,abraham1 ,jacob1 ,moses1 ,david1 ,paul1 and ,christ are represented as the greatest and the best4 ,who was ,jehovah8 ,a being of terrific character--cruel1 vindictive1 capricious1 and unjust4--,jefferson4 ,who was ,abraham8 ,an insane barbarian patriarch who married his sister1 denied his wife1 and seduced her handmaid2 who drove one child into the desert to starve1 and made preparations to butcher the other4 ,who was ,jacob8 ,another patriarch1 who won ,god's love by deceiving his father1 cheating his uncle1 robbing his brother1 practicing bigamy with two of his cousins1 and committing fornication with two of his housemaids4 ,who was ,moses8 ,a model of meekness2 a man who boasted of his own humility2 a man who murdered an ,egyptian and hid his body in the sand2 a man who exterminated whole nations to secure the spoils of war1 a man who butchered in cold blood thousands of captive widows1 a man who tore dimpled babes from the breasts of dying mothers and put them to a cruel death2 a man who made orphans of thirty-two thousand innocent girls1 and turned sixteen thousand of them over to the brutal lusts of a savage soldiery4 ,who was ,david8 ,a man after ,god's own heart4 ,a vulgar braggadocio1 using language to a woman the mere quoting of which would send me to prison2 a traitor1 desiring to lead an enemy's troops against his own countrymen2 a thief and robber1 plundering and devastating the country on every side2 a liar1 uttering wholesale falsehoods to screen himself from justice2 a red-handed butcher1 torturing and slaughtering thousands of men1 women1 and children1 making them pass through burning brick-kilns1 carving them up with saws and axes1 and tearing them in pieces under harrows of iron2 a polygamist1 with a harem of wives and concubines2 a drunken debauchee1 dancing half-naked before the maids of his household2 a lecherous old libertine1 abducting and ravishing the wife of a faithful soldier2 a murderer1 having this faithful soldier put to death after desolating his home2 a hoary-headed fiend1 foaming with vengeance on his dying bed1 demanding with his latest breath the deaths of two aged men1 one of whom had most contributed to make his kingdom what it was1 the other a man to whom he had promised protection4 ,who was ,paul8 ,a religious fanatic2 a ,jew and a ,christian4 ,as a ,jew1 in the name of ,jehovah1 he persecuted ,christians2 as a ,christian1 in the name of ,christ1 he persecuted ,jews2 and both as a ,jew and a ,christian1 and in the name of both ,jehovah and ,christ1 he practiced dissimulation and hallowed falsehood4 ,who was ,christ8 ,he is called the divine teacher4 ,yes1 ,he led ,the crowd1 he taught them justice1 truth1 and peace1 ,in semblance2 but he lit within their souls ,the quenchless flames of zeal1 and blessed the sword ,he brought on earth to satiate with the blood ,of truth and freedom his malignant soul4 --,shelley4 ,immoral ,teachings of the ,bible4 ,in the modern and stricter sense of the term1 morality is scarcely taught in the ,bible4 ,neither moral1 morals1 and morality1 nor their equivalents1 ethical and ethics1 are to be found in the book4 ,t4 ,b4 ,wakeman1 president of the ,liberal ,university of ,oregon1 a life-long student of sociology and ethics1 says3 ,the word 'moral' does not occur in the ,bible1 nor even the idea4 ,hunting for morals in the ,bible is like trying to find human remains in the oldest geologic strata--in the eozoon1 for instance4 ,morals had not then been born4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions nearly every vice and crime4 ,here is the long list of wrongs which it authorizes and defends3 #a4 ,lying and ,deception4 #b4 ,cheating4 #c4 ,theft and ,robbery4 #d4 ,murder4 #e4 ,wars of ,conquest4 #f4 ,human ,sacrifices4 #g4 ,cannibalism4 #h4 ,witchcraft4 #i4 ,slavery4 #aj4 ,polygamy4 #aa4 ,adultery and ,prostitution4 #ab4 ,obscenity4 #ac4 ,intemperance4 #ad4 ,vagrancy4 #ae4 ,ignorance4 #af4 ,injustice to ,woman4 #ag4 ,unkindness to ,children4 #ah4 ,cruelty to ,animals4 #ai4 ,tyranny4 #bj4 ,intolerance and ,persecution4 ,the ,bible is1 for the most part1 the crude literature of a people who lived #b1jjj years1 and more1 ago4 ,certain principles of right and wrong they recognized1 but the finer principles of morality were unknown to them4 ,they were an ignorant people4 ,an ignorant people is generally a religious people1 and a religious people nearly always an immoral people4 ,they believed that they were ,god's chosen people--,god's peculiar favorites--and that because of this they had the right to rob and cheat1 to murder and enslave the rest of mankind4 ,from these two causes1 chiefly1 ignorance and religion1 i4 e41 superstition1 emanated the immoral deeds and opinions which found expression in the writings of their priests and prophets4 ,the passages in the ,bible which deal with vice and crime may be divided into three classes3 #a4 ,there are passages which condemn vice and crime4 ,these ,i indorse4 #b4 ,there are many passages in which the crimes and vices of the people are narrated merely as historical facts without either sanctioning or condemning them4 ,the book merits no censure because of these4 #c4 ,there are numerous passages which sanction vice and crime4 ,these1 and these alone1 in the chapters which follow1 ,i shall adduce to prove the charges that ,i make against the ,bible as a moral guide4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,lying--,,cheating--,,stealing4 ,lying4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions lying and deception4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,who shall persuade ,ahab that he may go up and fall at ,ramoth-gilead8 ,and one said on this manner1 and another said on that manner4 ,and there came forth a spirit and stood before the ,lord1 and said1 ,i will persuade him4 ,and the ,lord said unto him1 ,wherewith8 ,and he said1 ,i will go forth1 and ,i will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets4 ,and he said1 ,thou shalt persuade him1 and prevail also2 go forth and do so4 ,now therefore1 behold the ,lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these1 thy prophets 7#a ,kings xxii1 #bj-bc74 ,if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing1 ,i the ,lord have deceived that prophet 7,ezek4 xiv1 #i74 ,o ,lord1 thou hast deceived me 7,jer4 xx1 #g74 ,wilt thou ,god be altogether unto me as a liar8 7,jer4 xv1 #ah47 ,god shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie 7#b ,thess4 ii1 #aa74 ,respecting the forbidden fruit ,god said3 ,in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die 7,gen4 ii1 #ag74 ,but the serpent said1 ,ye shall not surely die 7iii1 #d74 ,satan's declaration proved true1 ,god's declaration proved untrue4 ,thus1 according to the ,bible1 the first truth told to man was told by the devil2 the first lie told to man was told by ,god4 ,in regard to the promised land ,god says3 ,doubtless ye shall not come into the land1 concerning which ,i sware to make you dwell therein1 444 and ye shall know my breach of promise 7,num4 xiv1 #cj-cd74 ,god commands ,moses to deceive ,pharaoh 7,ex4 iii1 #ah71 he rewards the midwives for their deception 7,ex4 i1 #ae-bj71 and instructs ,samuel to deceive ,saul 7#a ,sam4 xvi1 #b74 ,and the ,lord said unto ,samuel1 444 fill thine horn with oil1 and go1 ,i will send thee to ,jesse the ,beth-lehemite3 for ,i have provided me a king among his sons4 ,and ,samuel said1 ,how can ,i go8 if ,saul hear it he will kill me4 ,and the ,lord said1 ,take a heifer with thee1 and say1 ,i am come to sacrifice to the ,lord4 ,would an omnipotent and a just ,god use falsehood and deceit8 ,if there be such a ,god we must believe that he is an honest and a truthful ,being4 ,but this ,god of the ,bible violates nearly every pledge he makes1 and instructs his children to lie and deceive4 ,the patriarchs all follow his example and instructions4 ,abraham tries to deceive ,pharaoh and ,abimelech 7,gen4 xii1 #ac-ai2 xx1 #b72 ,sarah tries to deceive the ,lord himself 7,gen4 xviii1 #ac-ae74 ,abraham becomes the parent of a liar4 ,isaac said of ,rebecca1 his wife1 ,she is my sister 7,gen4 xxvi1 #g74 ,rebecca in turn deceives her husband 7,gen4 xxvii1 #f-ag74 ,jacob sustains the reputation of the family for lying4 ,and he came unto his father1 and said1 ,my father2 and he said1 ,here am ,i2 who art thou1 my son8 ,and ,jacob said unto his father1 ,i am ,esau1 thy first-born4444 ,and he discerned him not1 so he blessed him4 ,and he said1 ,art thou my very son1 ,esau8 ,and he said1 ,i am 7,gen4 xxvii1 #ah-bd74 ,jacob's wives1 ,leah and ,rachel1 both used deceit4 ,the former deceived her husband 7,gen4 xxix1 #be72 the latter deceived her father 7,gen4 xxxi1 #cd1 #ce74 ,his twelve sons were all addicted to the same vice 7,gen4 xxxvii2 xlii1 #g71 and these became the founders of the twelve tribes of ,israel1 ,god's chosen people4 ,david1 ,elisha1 and ,jeremiah1 three of ,god's holiest men1 were liars 7#a ,sam4 xxvii1 #h-aa2 #b ,kings1 viii1 #g-ae2 ,jer4 xxxviii1 #bd-bg74 ,speaking of the ,hebrews and ,bible writers prior to the ,exile and the introduction of ,persian ethics1 ,dr4 ,briggs says3 ,they seem to know nothing of the sin of speaking lies as such4 ,what is the evidence from this silence8 ,they were altogether unconscious of its sinfulness4 ,the holiest men did not hesitate to lie1 whenever they had a good object in view1 and they showed no consciousness of sin in it4 ,and the writers who tell of their lies are as innocent as they4 ,the ,decalogue itself does not forbid lying4 ,it forbids perjury2 but mere lying is not forbidden4 ,christ taught in parables that he might deceive the people4 ,and he said unto them1 ,unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of ,god1 but unto them that are without1 all these things are done in parables3 ,that seeing they may see1 and not perceive2 and hearing they may hear1 and not understand2 lest at any time they should be converted1 and their sins should be forgiven them 7,mark iv1 #aa1 #ab74 ,paul used deception and boasted of it4 ,he says3 ,being crafty1 ,i caught you with guile 7#b ,cor4 xii1 #af74 ,unto the ,jews ,i became as a ,jew1 that ,i might gain the ,jews 7#a ,cor4 ix1 #bj74 ,i am made all things to all men 7#a ,cor4 ix1 #bb74 ,for if the truth of ,god hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory1 why yet am ,i also judged as a sinner8 7,rom4 iii1 #g47 ,the primitive ,christians1 accepting the ,bible as infallible authority1 naturally regarded lying for ,god's glory not a vice but a virtue4 ,mosheim in his ,ecclesiastical ,history says3 ,it was an established maxim with many ,christians1 that it was pardonable in an advocate for religion to avail himself of fraud and deception1 if it were likely they might conduce toward the attainment of any considerable good4 ,dean ,milman1 in his ,history of ,christianity1 says3 ,it was admitted and avowed that to deceive into ,christianity was so valuable a service as to hallow deceit itself4 ,dr4 ,lardner says3 ,christians of all sorts were guilty of this fraud4 ,bishop ,fell writes3 ,in the first ages of the church1 so extensive was the license of forging1 so credulous were the people in believing that the evidence of transactions was grievously obscured4 ,m4 ,daill1 one of the most distinguished of ,french ,protestants1 says3 ,for a good end they made no scruple to forge whole books4 ,dr4 ,gieseler says they quieted their conscience respecting the forgery with the idea of their good intention4 ,dr4 ,priestley says they thought it innocent and commendable to lie for the sake of truth4 ,scaliger says3 ,they distrusted the success of ,christ's kingdom without the aid of lying4 ,that these admissions are true1 that primitive ,christianity was propagated chiefly by falsehood1 is tacitly admitted by all ,christians4 ,they characterize as forgeries1 or unworthy of credit1 three-fourths of the early ,christian writings4 ,the thirty-second chapter of the ,twelfth ,book of ,eusebius's ,evangelical ,preparation bears this significant title3 ,how far it may be proper to use falsehood as a medicine1 and for the benefit of those who require to be deceived4 ,bishop ,heliodorus affirms that a falsehood is a good thing when it aids the speaker and does no harm to the hearers4 ,synesius1 another early ,christian bishop1 writes3 ,the people are desirous of being deceived2 we cannot act otherwise with them4 ,that is what most modern theologians think4 ,with ,dr4 ,thomas ,burnett1 they believe that ,too much light is hurtful to weak eyes4 ,that the methods employed in establishing the church are still used in perpetuating its power1 a glance at the so-called ,christian literature of the day will suffice to show4 ,read the works of our sectarian publishers1 examine the volumes that compose our ,sunday-school libraries1 peruse our religious papers and periodicals1 and you will see that age has but confirmed this habit formed in infancy4 ,every church dogma is a lie2 and based upon lies1 the church depends upon fraud for its support4 ,the work of its ministers is not to discover and promulgate truths1 but to invent and disseminate falsehoods4 ,in the words of ,isaiah1 they well might say3 ,we have made lies our refuge1 and under falsehood have we hid ourselves4 ,the church offers a premium on falsehood and imposes a punishment for truthfulness4 ,with a bribe in one hand and a club in the other1 she has sought to prolong her sway4 ,the allurements of the one and the fear of the other have filled the world with hypocrisy4 ,in our halls of ,congress1 in the editorial sanctum1 in the professor's chair1 behind the counter1 in the workshop1 at the fireside1 everywhere1 we find men professing to believe what they know to be false1 or wearing the seal of silence on their lips1 while rank imposture stalks abroad and truth is trampled in the mire before them4 ,every truth seeker is taunted and ridiculed2 every truth teller persecuted and defamed2 the scientist and philosopher are discouraged and opposed2 the heretic and ,infidel calumniated and maligned4 ,in proof of this1 witness the abuse heaped upon the ,darwins and ,huxleys1 see the countless calumnies circulated against the ,paines and ,ingersolls4 ,it is said that ,paulus ,jovius kept a bank of lies4 ,to those who paid him liberally he gave noble pedigrees and reputations2 those who did not he slandered and maligned4 ,paulus is dead1 but the church1 guided by ,bible morality1 continues his business4 ,cheating4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide1 because it sanctions cheating and the use of dishonorable methods in obtaining wealth and power4 ,and ,jacob sod boiled pottage2 and ,esau came from the fields1 and he was faint2 and ,esau said to ,jacob1 ,feed me1 ,i pray thee1 with that same red pottage2 for ,i am faint4444 ,and ,jacob said1 ,sell me this day thy birthright4 ,and ,esau said1 ,behold1 ,i am at the point to die2 and what profit shall this birthright do me8 ,and ,jacob said1 ,swear to me this day2 and he sware unto him2 and he sold his birthright unto ,jacob4 ,then ,jacob gave ,esau bread and pottage of lentils2 and he did eat and rose up and went away 7,gen4 xxv1 #bi-cd74 ,this transaction1 one of the basest recorded1 receives the sanction of the ,bible4 ,jacob1 with ,god's assistance1 by using striped rods1 cheated ,laban out of his cattle3 ,and it came to pass1 whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive1 that ,jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters1 that they might conceive among the rods4 ,when the cattle were feeble1 he put them not in2 so the feebler were ,laban's and the stronger ,jacob's4 ,and the man increased exceedingly1 and had much cattle 7,gen4 xxx1 #da-dc74 ,if he ,laban said thus1 ,the speckled shall be thy wages2 then all the cattle bare speckled2 and if he said thus1 ,the ringstreaked shall be thy hire2 then bare all the cattle ringstreaked4 ,thus ,god hath taken away the cattle of your father and given them to me 7,gen4 xxxi1 #h1 #i74 ,thus1 by defrauding his uncle1 his famishing brother1 and his blind and aged father1 this ,god-beloved patriarch stands forth the prince of cheats--the patron saint of rogues4 ,the ,israelites obtain the ,egyptians' property by false pretenses4 ,and ,i ,god will give this people favor in the sight of the ,egyptians2 and it shall come to pass that when ye go1 ye shall not go empty2 but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor1 and of her that sojourneth in her house1 jewels of silver and jewels of gold1 and raiment2 and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters2 and ye shall spoil rob the ,egyptians 7,ex4 iii1 #ba1 #bb74 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 444 ,speak now in the ears of the people1 and let every man borrow of his neighbor1 and every woman of her neighbor1 jewels of silver1 and jewels of gold 7,ex xi1 #a1 #b74 ,and the children of ,israel did according to the word of ,moses2 and they borrowed of the ,egyptians jewels of silver1 and jewels of gold1 and raiment2 and the ,lord gave the people favor in the sight of the ,egyptians1 so that they lent unto them such things as they required2 and they spoiled the ,egyptians 7,ex4 xii1 #ce1 #cf74 ,here obtaining goods under false pretenses and embezzlement are commended by ,god himself4 ,it may be claimed that the ,egyptians had wronged the ,israelites4 ,suppose they had2 could ,god secure justice for them only by treachery and fraud8 ,suppose your son worked for a farmer1 and that farmer defrauded him of his wages2 would you advise your son to borrow a horse of his employer and decamp with it in order to obtain redress1 especially when you had the power to obtain redress by lawful means8 ,instead of encouraging these slaves in an act that would eventually lead them to become a race of thieves and robbers1 an honest ,god would have taken their masters by the collar and said1 ,you have received the labor of these men and women2 pay them for it6 ,in the ,mosaic law we find the following beautiful statute3 ,ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself2 thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates1 that he may eat it1 or thou mayest sell it unto an alien 7,deut4 xiv1 #ba74 ,anything that dieth of itself is diseased4 ,diseased flesh is poisonous4 ,to authorize its use1 even if those receiving it are not deceived1 is immoral4 ,out ,west1 a family1 good ,christians1 had a hog to die of some disease4 ,what did they do with it8 ,eat it8 ,no1 their ,bible told them this would be wrong4 ,they dressed it nicely1 took it into an adjoining neighborhood1 and sold it to strangers4 ,was this right8 ,the ,bible says it was4 ,with the widespread influence of a book inculcating such lessons in dishonesty1 what must be the inevitable result8 ,men distrust their fellow men2 along our business thoroughfares ,fraud drives with brazen front2 in almost every article of merchandise we buy we find a lie enshrined2 at every corner sits some ,jacob slyly whittling spotted sticks to win his neighbor's flocks4 ,stealing4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions theft and robbery4 ,its pages teem with accounts of robberies1 and in many instances ,god is said to have planned them and shared in the spoils4 ,he instructs ,moses to send a marauding expedition against the ,midianites4 ,they put the inhabitants to the sword1 and return with #hjj1jjj cattle4 ,of this booty ,god exacts #hjj head for himself and #h1jjj head for his priests4 ,the remainder he causes to be divided between the soldiers and citizens4 ,so elated are the ,israelites with their success1 so grateful to ,god for his assistance1 that they make him a gift of #af1jjj shekels of stolen gold 7,num4 xxxi74 ,when ,joshua took ,jericho1 they burnt the city with fire1 and all that was therein2 only the silver1 and the gold1 and the vessels of brass and of iron they put into the treasury of the ,lord 7,josh1 vi1 #ai-bd74 ,when he captured ,ai1 the cattle and the spoils of that city ,israel took for a prey unto themselves1 according unto the word of the ,lord which he commanded ,joshua 7,josh1 viii1 #bg74 ,jehovah gets the spoils of ,jericho1 and ,israel those of ,ai4 ,david1 a modest shepherd lad1 is placed under the tutelage of ,jehovah only to become the cruelest robber of his time4 ,on one occasion1 purely for plunder1 he despoiled three nations and saved neither man nor woman alive to bring tidings to ,gath1 saying1 ,lest they should tell on us 7#a ,sam4 xxvii1 #h-ab74 ,it is said that the ,italian bandit never plans a robbery without invoking a divine blessing upon his undertaking1 doubtless believing that the ,god of ,david1 of ,moses1 and of ,joshua still reigns4 ,jacob's wives1 ,leah and ,rachel1 were both thieves4 ,leah appropriated the property of her son2 ,rachel stole her father's jewels4 ,neither act was condemned4 ,when thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard1 then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure1 but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel4 ,when thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor1 then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand2 but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn 7,deut4 xxiii1 #bd1 #be74 ,men do not despise a thief1 if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry 7,prov4 vi1 #cj74 ,grand larceny is condemned1 but petty larceny is commended4 ,christ enjoined submission to robbery3 ,of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again 7,luke vi1 #cj74 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,murder--,,war4 ,murder4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions murder4 ,it is true the ,sixth ,commandment says1 ,thou shalt not kill2 but this law is practically annulled by innumerable commands from the same source1 like the following1 to kill3 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 ,put every man his sword by his side1 and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp1 and slay every man his brother1 and every man his companion1 and every man his neighbor 7,ex4 xxxii1 #bg74 ,spare them not1 but slay both man and woman1 infant and suckling 7#a ,sam4 xv1 #c74 ,slay utterly old and young1 both maids and little children 7,ezek4 ix1 #f7 ,cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood 7,jer4 xlviii1 #aj74 ,for the leader and legislator of his chosen people1 ,god selects a murderer4 ,the first recorded act of ,moses was premeditated murder4 ,he looked this way and that way1 and when he saw that there was no man1 he slew the ,egyptian1 and hid him in the sand 7,ex4 ii #ab74 ,for committing a murder1 ,phinehas is rewarded by ,jehovah with the covenant of an everlasting priesthood 7,num4 xxv1 #f-ac74 ,samuel hewed ,agag1 a captive king1 in pieces before the ,lord 7#a ,sam4 xv1 #cb1 #cc74 ,jehu murders all the house of ,ahab1 and ,god rewards him for it3 ,and ,joram turned his hands and fled1 and said to ,ahaziah1 ,there is treachery1 ,o ,ahaziah4 ,and ,jehu drew a bow with his full strength1 and smote ,jehoram between his arms1 and the arrow went out at his heart and he sunk down in his chariot4 ,but when ,ahaziah1 the king of ,judah1 saw this1 he fled by the way of the garden house4 ,and ,jehu followed after him1 and said1 ,smite him also in the chariot4 ,and they did so4 ,and when ,jehu was come to ,jezreel1 ,jezebel heard of it1 and she painted her face1 and tired her head1 and looked out at a window4 ,and as ,jehu entered in at the gate she said1 ,had ,zimri peace who slew his master8 ,and he lifted up his face to the window1 and said1 ,who is on my side8 ,who8 ,and there looked out to him two or three eunuchs4 ,and he said1 ,throw her down4 ,so they threw her down1 and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall1 and on the horses2 and he trode her under foot4 ,and when he was come in1 he did eat and drink1 and said1 ,go1 see now this cursed woman1 and bury her2 for she is a king's daughter4 ,and they went to bury her1 but they found no more of her than the skull1 and the feet1 and the palms of her hands4 ,the dogs had devoured her4 ,and ,ahab had seventy sons in ,samaria4 ,and ,jehu wrote letters and sent to ,samaria4444 ,and it came to pass when the letter came to them1 that they took the king's sons1 and slew seventy persons1 and put their heads in baskets1 and sent him them to ,jezreel4 ,so ,jehu slew all that remained of the house of ,ahab in ,jezreel1 and all his great men1 and his kinsfolks1 and his priests1 until he left him none remaining4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,jehu1 ,because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes1 and hast done unto the house of ,ahab according to all that was in mine heart1 thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of ,israel 7#b ,kings ix1 #bc1 #bd1 #bg1 #cj-ce2 x1 #a1 #g1 #aa1 #cj74 ,the assassination of ,eglon by ,ehud was characterized by the basest treachery and brutality4 ,eglon was king of ,moab4 ,ehud carried a present to him1 and after he had delivered the present he told the king that he had a private message for him4 ,eglon ordered his attendants to retire1 and when alone ,ehud drew a large dagger from beneath his cloak and thrust it through the body of the king4 ,and the ,bible tells us that ,god raised up ,ehud expressly for this work 7,jud4 iii1 #ae-bc74 ,the warmest eulogy in the ,bible is bestowed upon a murderess4 ,sisera is a fugitive from battle4 ,he reaches in safety the tent of ,heber1 his friend4 ,heber is absent1 but ,jael1 his wife1 receives the fugitive1 and bids him welcome4 ,she gives him food1 spreads a soft couch for him1 and covers him with her mantle4 ,wearied with his retreat1 and unconscious of impending danger1 ,sisera soon sinks into a profound slumber4 ,with a tent nail in one hand and a hammer in the other1 ,jael approaches the bedside of her sleeping guest4 ,she bends over him1 listens to assure herself that he is asleep1 then places the nail against his temple1 and with a blow drives it through his head4 ,a struggle1 and ,sisera is dead1 a victim of one of the most damnable deeds ever committed4 ,in honor of this assassination1 ,god's favorite prophetess1 ,deborah1 sings3 ,blessed above women shall ,jael1 the wife of ,heber the ,kenite1 be2 blessed shall she be above women in the tent4 ,he asked water1 and she gave him milk2 she brought forth butter in a lordly dish4 ,she put her hand to the nail1 and her right hand to the workman's hammer2 and with the hammer she smote ,sisera1 she smote off his head1 when she had pierced and stricken through his temples4 ,at her feet he bowed1 he fell1 he lay down2 at her feet he bowed1 he fell3 where he bowed1 there he fell down dead4 ,the mother of ,sisera looked out at a window1 and cried through the lattice1 ,why is his chariot so long in coming8 ,why tarry the wheels of his chariot8 7,jud4 v1 #bd-bh47 ,we wish to place before our children1 for their emulation1 good and noble characters4 ,we have been taught that in the ,bible such characters may be found4 ,you desire a model woman to place before your daughter4 ,what one will you select8 ,here is a woman whom the ,bible pronounces blessed above women4 ,this must be a suitable model1 then4 ,blessed for what8 ,for committing one of the most infamous of murders4 ,we had a ,kansas girl who followed in the footsteps of this blessed woman4 ,years ago1 across the prairies of southern ,kansas stretched a lonely road4 ,by its side1 far from other habitations1 stood an unpretentious dwelling1 inhabited by four persons--father1 mother1 son1 and daughter4 ,but the daughter was the ruling spirit there4 ,their only volume1 we are told1 was a ,bible1 and this the daughter read4 ,the house contains two rooms besides the cellar4 ,the rooms are separated simply by a curtain4 ,in the front room is kept a small stock of groceries4 ,here1 too1 with its back against the curtain1 and fastened to the floor1 stands a chair4 ,above the door is a sign with this inviting word1 ,provisions4 ,a traveler enters and makes some purchases1 displaying a well-filled purse4 ,he is treated hospitably1 and invited to remain awhile and rest4 ,wearied1 he drops into the chair1 his head pressing against the curtain4 ,armed with a hammer1 this follower of ,jael now approaches from the rear4 ,one well-directed blow1 and the tired traveler sinks into eternal rest4 ,his pockets are rifled1 and his body thrown into the cellar1 to be taken out at night and buried in the little garden behind the dwelling4 ,time rolls on2 the traveler does not return4 ,day after day his wife at home1 with anxious heart1 peers through the window and sighs1 ,why don't he come8 ,at length suspicion rests upon this den of infamy4 ,a search is instituted1 and the garden is found to be a cemetery1 filled with the bodies of murdered travelers--one a little child4 ,in the mean time this female monster with her kin has fled4 ,detectives are still searching for her4 ,they'll never find her4 ,where is she8 ,in heaven with ,jael4 ,now let some modern ,deborah sing1 ,blessed above maidens shall ,kate ,bender be6 ,war4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions wars of conquest and extermination4 ,blessed be the ,lord1 my strength1 which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight 7,ps4 cxliv1 #a74 ,the ,old ,testament is largely a record of wars and massacres4 ,god is represented as a man of war4 ,at his command whole nations are exterminated4 ,ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you1 444 and ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land1 and dwell therein 7,num4 xxxiii1 #eb1 #ec74 ,and thou shalt consume all the people which the ,lord thy ,god shall deliver thee2 thine eye shall have no pity upon them 7,deut4 vii1 #af74 ,of the cities of these people1 which the ,lord thy ,god doth give thee for an inheritance1 thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth3 but thou shalt utterly destroy them 7,deut4 xx1 #af1 #ag74 ,and they warred against the ,midianites1 as the ,lord commanded ,moses2 and they slew all the males4444 ,and the children of ,israel took all the women of ,midian captives1 and their little ones1 and took the spoil of all their cattle1 and all their flocks1 and all their goods4 ,and they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt1 and all their goodly castles with fire 7,num4 xxxi1 #g-aj74 ,moses is angry because the women and children have been saved1 and from this fiendish conqueror comes the mandate3 ,kill every male among the little ones1 and kill every woman that hath known man4 ,the mourning remnants of twenty thousand families are thus to be destroyed4 ,the fathers1 far away1 lie still in death beside the smouldering ruins of their once fair homes2 and now their wives and little ones are doomed to die4 ,the signal is sounded1 and the massacre begins4 ,the mothers1 on bended knees1 with tearful eyes and pleading lips1 are ruthlessly cut down4 ,their prattling babes1 in unsuspecting innocence1 smile on the uplifted sword as if it were a glittering toy1 and the next moment feel it speeding through their little frames4 ,the daughters only are spared--spared to be the wretched slaves of those whose hands are red with the life-blood of their dear ones4 ,and this is but a prelude to the sanguinary scenes that are to follow4 ,rise ye up1 take your journey1 and pass over the river ,arnon2 behold ,i have given into thine hand ,sihon the ,amorite1 king of ,heshbon1 and his land3 begin to possess it1 and contend with him in battle4 ,this day will ,i begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven1 who shall hear report of thee1 and shall tremble1 and be in anguish because of thee4 ,and we took all his cities at that time1 and utterly destroyed the men1 and the women1 and the little ones of every city1 we left none to remain 7,deut4 ii1 #bd1 #be1 #cd74 ,the ,lord our ,god delivered into our hands ,og also1 the king of ,bashan1 and all his people1 and we smote him until none was left to him remaining4 ,and we took all his cities at that time1 there was not a city which we took not from them1 threescore cities4444 ,and we utterly destroyed them as we did unto ,sihon king of ,heshbon1 utterly destroying the men1 women1 and children of every city 7,deut4 iii1 #c-f74 ,moses dies1 and ,joshua next leads ,jehovah's troops4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,joshua1 ,see1 ,i have given into thine hand ,jericho4444 ,and they utterly destroyed all that was in that city1 both man and woman1 young and old 7,josh4 vi1 #b1 #ba74 ,and the ,lord said unto ,joshua1 ,stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward ,ai2 for ,i will give it into thine hand4444 ,and so it was1 that all that fell that day1 both of men and women1 were twelve thousand4444 ,and ,joshua burnt ,ai1 and made it a heap forever 7,josh4 viii1 #ah1 #be1 #bh74 ,and ,joshua passed from ,libnah1 and all ,israel with him1 unto ,lachish1 and encamped against it1 and fought against it4 ,and the ,lord delivered ,lachish into the hands of ,israel1 which took it on the second day1 and smote it with the edge of the sword1 and all the souls that were therein 7,josh4 x1 #ca1 #cb74 ,and from ,lachish ,joshua passed unto ,eglon1 and all ,israel with him2 and they encamped against it1 and fought against it4 ,and they took it on that day1 and smote it with the edge of the sword1 and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day 7,josh4 x1 #cd1 #ce74 ,thus city after city falls1 and nation after nation is vanquished1 until thirty-one kingdoms have been destroyed4 ,and still there remaineth much land to be possessed1 and many millions more of unoffending people to be slain to please this ,god of ,war4 ,christ came1 heralded as the ,prince of ,peace4 ,but he came not to send peace but a sword--a sword his own arm was too weak to wield1 but which his followers have used with dire effect4 ,expunge from the history of ,christendom the record of its thousand wars and little will remain4 ,from the time that ,constantine inscribed the emblem of the cross upon his banner to the present hour1 the church of ,christ has been upheld by the sword4 ,five million troops maintain its political supremacy in ,europe to-day4 ,to express our national acknowledgment of ,almighty ,god as the source of all authority in civil government2 of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as the ruler of nations1 and of his revealed will as of supreme authority2 in short1 to make this a ,christian nation1 as ,bible moralists demand1 means a standing army in this country of five hundred thousand men4 ,the ,bible has inspired more wars in ,christendom than all else combined4 ,it is a fountain of blood1 and the crimson rivers that have flowed from it would float the navies of the world4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,human ,,sacrifices--,,cannibalism--,,witchcraf t4 ,human ,sacrifices4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions human sacrifices4 ,no devoted thing1 that a man shall devote unto the ,lord of all that he hath1 both of man and beast1 and of the field of his possession1 shall be sold or redeemed2 every devoted thing is most holy unto the ,lord4 ,none devoted1 which shall be devoted of men1 shall be redeemed2 but shall surely be put to death 7,lev4 xxvii1 #bh1 #bi74 ,god commands ,abraham to sacrifice his son3 ,take now thy son1 thine only son ,isaac1 whom thou lovest1 and get thee into the land of ,moriah2 and offer him there for a burnt offering 7,gen4 xxii1 #b74 ,the order was countermanded1 but the perusal of this text has driven thousands to insanity and murder4 ,that a famine may cease1 ,david sacrifices the sons of ,saul3 ,wherefore ,david said unto the ,gibeonites1 ,what shall ,i do for you8 and wherewith shall ,i make the atonement1 that ye may bless the inheritance of the ,lord8444 ,and they answered the king1 ,the man that consumed us and devised against us4444 ,let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us1 and we will hang them up unto the ,lord4444 ,and the king said1 ,i will give them4 ,and he delivered them unto the hands of the ,gibeonites1 and they hanged them in the hill before the ,lord2 and they fell all seven together1 and were put to death in the days of the harvest 7#b ,sam4 xxi74 ,the sacrifice1 we are told1 was accepted1 and the famine ceased4 ,five of these innocent victims1 if the ,bible be true1 were the sons of ,michal1 ,david's own wife4 ,two were the sons of ,rizpah4 ,throughout that long summer--from ,april till ,october--in the heat and glare of the day and the chill and darkness of the night1 ,rizpah1 broken-hearted1 tenderly watches and protects the decaying bodies of her dead sons and relatives4 ,and ,rizpah the daughter of ,aiah took sackcloth1 and spread it for her upon the rock1 from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven1 and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day1 nor the beasts of the field by night4 ,when ,i dwell on this dark tragedy1 and contrast the love and devotion of this agonized and despairing ,hebrew mother with the malignant hatred and heartless cruelty of this ,bible ,god and his despicable agent1 humanity rises to the highest heaven and divinity sinks to the lowest hell4 ,the pathetic story of ,jephthah's daughter is familiar to all4 ,jephthah is a warrior1 and makes a vow that if he is permitted to conquer the children of ,ammon1 upon his return the first that meets him at the door will be offered up for a burnt offering unto the ,lord4 ,he is successful2 the ,lord permits him to defeat the children of ,ammon4 ,upon his return the first to meet him is his daughter1 an only child4 ,he tells her of his vow4 ,she prays for two brief months to live4 ,her prayer is granted1 and at the expiration of this time1 the ,bible tells us that ,jephthah did with her according to the vow which he had vowed 7,jud4 xi1 #bf-dj74 ,describing the fulfilment of this terrible vow1 ,dr4 ,oort says3 ,this victim1 crowned with flowers1 was led round the altar with music and song in honor of ,yahweh4 ,she met her cruel fate without shrinking4 ,but who shall say how sick at heart her father was when he struck that fatal blow with his own hand and saw the blood of his darling child poured out upon the sacred stone1 while her body was burned upon the altar8 7,bible for ,learners1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #djh47 ,in that frightful sacrifice that he performed--breaking the holiest domestic ties--we do but see the disastrous results of a mistaken faith 7,ibid41 p4 #daa74 ,the celebrated ,jewish commentator1 ,dr4 ,kalisch1 while endeavoring to palliate as far as possible the crimes of his people1 admits that human sacrifices were not uncommon among them3 ,the fact stands indisputable that human sacrifices offered to ,jehovah were possible among the ,hebrews long after the time of ,moses1 without meeting a check or censure from the teachers and leaders of the nation 7,leviticus1 ,part ,i41 p4 #che74 ,one instance like that of ,jephthah not only justifies1 but necessitates1 the influence of a general custom4 ,pious men slaughtered human victims1 not to ,moloch1 nor to any other foreign deity1 but to the national ,god1 ,jehovah 7,ibid41 p4 #cij74 ,jules ,soury says3 ,nothing is better established than the existence of human sacrifices among the ,hebrews in honor of ,iahveh1 and that down to the time of ,josiah1 perhaps even until the return from the ,babylonish captivity 7,religion of ,israel1 p4 #df74 ,the ,church1 having received the benefits of a sacrificed ,god1 deems human sacrifices no longer necessary4 ,but what can be said of the ,church as a whole cannot be said of all its individual members4 ,scarcely a year passes without the sacrifice of human beings by those who believe the ,bible to be inspired1 and who believe that what was right three thousand years ago is right to-day4 ,the sacrifice of little ,ben ,smith at ,los ,angeles1 in #ahhb1 is still remembered by some4 ,his father was converted at a ,methodist revival4 ,he became very religious4 ,the press dispatches stated that for several months he devoted his time to the study of the ,bible until he not only convinced himself that he ought to make a human sacrifice1 but brought his wife and their only child1 a boy of thirteen1 to acquiesce1 in his views4 ,i quote from the mother's testimony3 ,when he talked to me and persuaded me that a good wife ought to think as her husband did1 ,i got so as to take whatever he said as the truth4 ,he made us fast1 and when ,ben asked him if ,god had ordered us to starve he said yes4 ,when he announced that the boy must be killed we both remonstrated1 but finally thought it was all right4 ,on the day appointed for the ceremony he called ,ben out of the house and told him he had to die for our savior4 ,the little fellow knelt down and ,i got on my knees by his side2 ,john raised the knife1 looked hard into the boy's face1 and then drove the knife into his breast4 ,here the mother was overcome with grief4 ,regaining her composure1 she continued3 ,i am always thinking of ,ben2 ,i am always hearing him in the night asking to be brought in and laid on his bed1 and begging for a little water before he died4 ,let me recall another half-forgotten scene4 ,in a quiet village of ,new ,england live a pair whom nature meant for good1 kind citizens4 ,but they have become infatuated with the ,bible4 ,they believe it to be infallible4 ,day after day they pore over its pages4 ,they dwell with especial interest upon the story of ,abraham and ,isaac1 until at last they become impressed with the belief that they1 too1 are called upon to offer up their child4 ,the fatal hour arrives4 ,nerved for the cruel deed1 they approach the bedside of their child1 a sweet-faced1 curly-haired girl of four4 ,how placidly she rests6 ,folded upon her breast are dimpled hands1 white as the winter snow2 curtained in slumber are eyes as mild as the summer sky4 ,how beautiful6 ,how pure6 ,we would risk our lives to save that pretty thing from harm4 ,how dear1 then1 must she be to that father and that mother6 ,she is their idol4 ,but that idol is about to be sacrificed upon the altar of superstition4 ,there they stand--the mother with a lamp in her hand1 the father with a knife4 ,they gaze for a moment upon their sleeping victim4 ,then the father lifts his arm and plunges the knife into the heart of his child6 ,a quiver--the blue eyes open1 and cast a reproachful look upon the parent4 ,the little lips exclaim1 ,o papa6 and the sacrifice is made6 ,you may say these people were insane4 ,aye1 but what made them insane8 ,and what1 more than almost any other cause1 is filling our asylums with these unfortunate people8 ,the vain attempt to reconcile with reason the irreconcilable teachings of the ,bible4 ,cannibalism4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it teaches the horrible custom of cannibalism4 ,the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee1 and the sons shall eat their fathers 7,ezek4 v1 #aj74 ,and ye shall eat the flesh of your sons1 and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat 7,lev4 xxvi1 #bi74 ,and ,i will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters1 and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend 7,jer4 xix1 #i74 ,and thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body1 the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters4444 ,so that the man that is tender among you1 and very delicate1 his eye shall be evil toward his brother1 and toward the wife of his bosom1 and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave2 so that he will not give to any of them the flesh of his children whom he shall eat4444 ,the tender and delicate woman among you1 which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness1 her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom1 and toward her son1 and toward her daughter1 444 for she shall eat them 7,deut4 xxviii1 #ec-eg74 ,the hands of the pitiful women have sodden boiled their own children 7,lam4 iv1 #aj74 ,and the king said unto her1 ,what aileth thee8 ,and she answered1 ,this woman said unto me1 ,give thy son that we may eat him to-day1 and we will eat my son to-morrow4 ,so we boiled my son1 and did eat him4 ,and ,i said unto her on the next day1 ,give thy son that we may eat him2 and she hath hid her son 7#b ,kings vi1 #bh1 #bi74 ,you will say that these were punishments inflicted upon these people for their sins4 ,and you will have us believe that these punishments were just4 ,strange justice6 a merciful ,god compelling a starving mother to kill and devour her own child6 ,except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of ,man and drink his blood1 ye have no life in you 7,john vi1 #ec74 ,the church perpetuates the idea1 if not the practice1 of cannibalism4 ,the ,christian takes a piece of bread1 and tries to make himself and the world believe that he is eating the body of ,christ2 he takes a sup of wine1 and says1 ,this is ,christ's blood4 ,your sacramental feast points to the time when savage priests gathered around the festal board and supped on human flesh and blood4 ,primitive ,christians1 many of them1 were guilty of cannibalism4 ,in their ,agap they were accustomed to kill and eat an infant4 ,dr4 ,cave in his ,primitive ,christianity 7,part ,,iii41 ch4 i7 says3 ,epiphanius reports that the ,gnostics 7a sect of primitive ,christians7 at their meetings were wont to take an infant begotten in their promiscuous mixtures1 and1 beating it in a mortar1 to season it with honey and pepper and some other spices and perfumes to make it palatable1 and then like swine or dogs to devour it1 and then to conclude all with prayer4 ,meredith1 in ,the ,prophet of ,nazareth1 says3 ,so well known were those horrid vices to be carried on by ,christians in their nocturnal and secret assemblies1 and so certain it was thought that every one who was a ,christian participated in them1 that for a person to be known to be a ,christian was thought a strong presumptive proof that he was guilty of these offenses4444 ,it would appear1 however1 that1 owing to the extreme measures taken against them by the ,romans1 both in ,italy and in all the provinces1 the ,christians1 by degrees1 were forced to abandon entirely in their ,agap infant murders1 together with every species of obscenity1 retaining1 nevertheless1 some of them1 such as the kiss of charity1 and the bread and wine1 which they contended was transubstantiated into real flesh and blood4 ,in the remote districts of ,christian ,russia1 where the rays of our civilization have not yet penetrated the darkness of theology1 where ,bible morals are still supreme1 we are told that even at the present time a more terribly real form attaches to this eucharistic ceremony4 ,from ,harper's ,weekly ,i quote the following3 ,we hear of horrid sects at present in ,russia1 practicing cannibal and human sacrifices with rites almost more devilish than any recorded in history4 ',the communism of the flesh of the ,lamb' and 'the communism of the blood of the ,lamb' really seem to have been invented by the lowest demons of the bottomless pit4 ,the subject is too revolting to be pursued in detail2 it is enough to say that an infant seven days old is bandaged over the eyes1 stretched over a dish1 and a silver spoon thrust into the side so as to pierce the heart4 ,the elect suck the child's blood--that is 'the blood of the ,lamb6' ,the body is left to dry up in another dish full of sage1 then crushed into powder and eaten--that is 'the flesh of the ,lamb6' ,witchcraft4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it recognizes as a verity the delusion of witchcraft and punishes with death its victims4 ,the ,god that inspired the account of ,saul's interview with the witch of ,endor was as thorough a believer in witchcraft as the most superstitious crone of the ,middle ,ages4 ,manasseh used enchantments1 and used witchcraft1 and dealt with a familiar spirit1 and with wizards 7#b ,chron4 xxxiii1 #f74 ,isaiah speaks of wizards that peep and mutter 7,isa4 viii1 #ai74 ,samuel 7#a ,sam1 xv1 #bc7 and ,micah 7v1 #ab7 and ,nahum 7iii1 #d7 and ,paul 7,gal4 v1 #bj7 all admit the reality of witchcraft4 ,the decline in the belief of wizards and witches denotes a decline of faith in the ,bible4 ,until a very recent period1 those who professed to believe in the divinity of the ,bible also professed to believe in the reality of witchcraft4 ,giving up witchcraft1 says ,john ,wesley1 is1 in effect1 giving up the ,bible 7,journal1 #agfh74 ,sir ,william ,blackstone says3 ,to deny the possibility--nay1 actual existence--of witchcraft and sorcery is at once flatly to contradict the revealed word of ,god in various passages both of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,sir ,matthew ,hale says3 ,the ,bible leaves no doubt as to the reality of witchcraft and the duty of putting its subjects to death4 ,i should have no compassion on these witches4 said ,luther2 ,i would burn them all 7,table ,talk74 ,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live 7,ex4 xxii1 #ah74 ,a man also or a woman that hath a familial spirit1 or that is a wizard1 shall surely be put to death 7,lev4 xx1 #bg74 ,oh1 that ,i could bring to view the suffering and death these texts have caused6 ,millions have died because of them4 ,one thousand were burned at ,como in one year2 #hjj were burned at ,wrzburg in one year2 #ejj perished at ,geneva in three months2 #hj were burned in a single village of ,savoy2 nine women were burned in a single fire at ,leith2 sixty were hanged at ,suffolk2 #c1jjj were legally executed during one session of ,parliament1 while thousands more were put to death by mobs2 ,remy1 a ,christian judge1 executed #hjj2 #fjj were burned by one bishop at ,bamburg2 ,boguet burned #fjj at ,st4 ,cloud2 thousands were put to death by the ,lutherans of ,norway and ,sweden2 ,catholic ,spain butchered thousands2 ,presbyterians were responsible for the death of #d1jjj in ,scotland2 #ej1jjj were sentenced to death during the reign of ,francis ,i42 #g1jjj died at ,treves2 the number killed in ,paris in a few months is declared to have been almost infinite4 ,dr4 ,sprenger places the total number of executions for witchcraft in ,europe at nine millions4 ,for centuries witch fires burned in nearly every town of ,europe1 and this ,bible text1 ,thou shall not suffer a witch to live1 was the torch that kindled them4 ,four hundred were burned at ,toulouse in one day4 ,think of it6 ,four hundred women--guilty of no crime1 save that which exists in the diseased imaginations of their accusers--four hundred mothers1 wives1 and daughters1 taken out upon the public square1 chained to posts1 the fagots piled around them1 and burned to death6 ,see them writhing in the flames--listen to their piteous shrieks--four hundred voices raised in one wild chorus of agony6 ,and all because the ,bible says1 ,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live4 ,only a few years ago1 in the province of ,novgorod1 ,russia1 a woman was burnt for witchcraft4 ,agrafena was a soldier's widow1 and possessed of more than ordinary gifts of mind4 ,but ignorance and superstition prevailed around her4 ,every strange occurrence1 every disease that could not be accounted for1 was the result of witchcraft4 ,one day a farmer's daughter was seized with some violent disease1 and in her paroxysms of pain she chanced to breathe the name of ,agrafena4 ,that was enough2 ,agrafena was a witch4 ,a mob was raised and led to the widow's dwelling4 ,they called her to the door1 parleyed with her a moment1 then thrust her back into the house1 fastened its doors1 and set it on fire4 ,and while it was burning1 this mob1 led by ,christian priests1 stood around it1 singing praises to ,god--their strains blended with the shrieks of this dying woman--dying because the ,bible says1 ,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live4 ,and in our own ,america the blighting influence of this delusion and this brutal statute has been felt4 ,with the soil of our ,republic is mingled the dust of murdered women--murdered because the ,bible says1 ,thou shalt not suffer a witch to live4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,slavery--,,polygamy4 ,slavery4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions the infamous crime of human slavery4 ,both thy bondmen and thy bondmaids1 which thou shalt have1 shall be of the heathen that are round about you2 of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids4 ,moreover1 of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you2 of them shall ye buy1 and of their families that are with you1 which they begat in your land2 and they shall be your possession4 ,and ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you1 to inherit them for a possession2 they shall be your bondmen forever 7,lev4 xx4 v1 #dd-df74 ,in certain cases they were even permitted to enslave the members of their own race4 ,if thou buy a ,hebrew servant1 six years he shall serve2 and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing4 ,if he came in by himself1 he shall go out by himself2 if he were married1 then his wife shall go out with him4 ,if his master have given him a wife1 and she have borne him sons or daughters1 the wife and her children shall be her master's and he shall go out by himself 7,ex4 xxi1 #b-d74 ,if he desires his liberty he must desert his wife and little ones4 ,to become a freeman he must become an exile4 ,and if the servant shall plainly say1 ,i love my master1 my wife1 and my children2 ,i will not go out free1 then his master shall bring him unto the judges2 he shall also bring him unto the door1 or unto the door-post2 and his master shall bore his ears through with an awl2 and he shall serve him forever 7#e1 #f74 ,and he said1 ,cursed be ,canaan2 a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren4 ,and he said1 ,blessed be the ,lord ,god of ,shem2 and ,canaan shall be his servant4 ,god shall enlarge ,japheth1 and he shall dwell in the tents of ,shem2 and ,canaan shall be his servant 7,gen4 ix1 #be-bg74 ,nor is it the ,jewish ,scriptures alone which sanction slavery4 ,the ,christian ,scriptures are not less emphatic in their indorsement of it4 ,let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor 7#a ,tim4 vi1 #a74 ,exhort servants to be obedient unto their masters 7,titus ii1 #i74 ,servants1 be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh1 with fear and trembling 7,eph4 vi1 #e74 ,servants1 be subject to your masters with all fear2 not only to the good and gentle1 but also to the froward 7#a ,pet4 ii1 #ah74 ,it may be urged that the term servant here refers to a hired servant4 ,not so2 wherever the word servant occurs in the ,new ,testament1 it means slave in its worst sense4 ,the ,fugitive ,slave law1 which made us a nation of kidnappers1 derived its authority from the ,new ,testament4 ,paul had established a precedent by returning a fugitive slave to his master4 ,referring to this act of ,paul1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stringfellow of ,virginia wrote3 ,oh1 how immeasurably different ,paul's conduct to this slave and master1 from the conduct of our abolition brethren6 ,this is sufficient to teach any man that slavery is not1 in the sight of ,god1 what it is in the sight of the abolitionists 7,scriptural ,view of ,slavery74 ,the ,rev4 ,moses ,stuart of ,massachusetts wrote3 ,what1 now1 have we here8 ,paul sending back a ,christian servant1 who had run away from his ,christian master4444 ,paul's conscience sent back the fugitive slave4 ,paul's conscience1 then1 like his doctrines1 was very different from that of the abolitionists4 ,it was no easy task to convince the ,bible moralist that slavery was wrong4 ,when the ,french ,revolutionists rejected the ,bible1 they abolished slavery in the colonies4 ,when the church regained control of the government1 the ,bible came back1 and with it slavery4 ,when ,clarkson's bill for the abolition of slavery was before ,parliament1 ,lord ,chancellor ,thurlow characterized it as a miserable and contemptible bill1 and contrary to the ,word of ,god4 ,charles ,bradlaugh1 in the ,north ,american ,review1 writing of his own ,christian ,england1 says3 ,george ,,iii41 a most ,christian king1 regarded abolition theories with abhorrence1 and the ,christian ,house of ,lords was utterly opposed to granting freedom to the slave4 ,when ,christian missionaries1 some sixty years ago1 preached to ,demerara negroes under the rule of ,christian ,england1 they were treated by ,christian judges1 holding commission from ,christian ,england1 as criminals for so preaching4 ,a ,christian commissioned officer1 member of the ,established ,church of ,england1 signed the auction notices for the sale of slaves as late as #ahbd4 ,the most zealous defenders of slavery in this country were ,bible moralists4 ,the ,rev4 ,alexander ,campbell wrote3 ,there is not one verse in the ,bible inhibiting slavery1 but many regulating it4 ,it is not then1 we conclude1 immoral4 ,the ,rev4 ,e4 ,d4 ,simms1 professor in ,randolph-,macon ,college1 wrote3 ,these extracts from ,holy ,writ unequivocally assert the right of property in slaves4 ,the ,rev4 ,r4 ,furman1 ,d4 ,d41 ,baptist1 of ,south ,carolina1 said3 ,the right of holding slaves is clearly established in the ,holy ,scriptures1 both by precept and example4 ,rev4 ,thomas ,witherspoon1 ,presbyterian1 of ,alabama1 said3 ,i draw my warrant from the ,scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament to hold the slave in bondage4 ,said the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,crawder1 ,methodist1 of ,virginia3 ,slavery is not only countenanced1 permitted1 and regulated by the ,bible1 but it was positively instituted by ,god himself4 ,you say that this is the testimony of interested parties1 that the ,south was interested in perpetuating slavery4 ,true1 but where did your ,northern theologians stand8 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,wilbur ,fisk1 ,president of ,wesleyan ,university1 thus wrote3 ,the ,new ,testament enjoins obedience upon the slave as an obligation due to a present rightful authority4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,nathan ,lord1 ,president of ,dartmouth ,college1 wrote3 ,slavery was incorporated into the civil institutions of ,moses2 it was recognized accordingly by ,christ and his apostles4 ,they regulated it by the just and benevolent principles of the ,new ,testament4 ,they condemned all intermeddlers with it4 ,professor ,hodge1 of ,princeton1 said3 ,the ,savior found it around him1 the ,apostles met with it in ,asia1 ,greece1 and ,italy4 ,how did they treat it8 ,not by denunciation of slave-holding as necessarily sinful4 ,said the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,taylor1 ,principal of the ,theological ,department of ,yale ,college3 ,i have no doubt that if ,jesus ,christ were now on earth1 he would1 under certain circumstances1 become a slaveholder4 ,it is now half-forgotten that the ,north as well as the ,south once practiced slavery--that ,new ,england1 ,new ,york1 ,new ,jersey1 and ,pennsylvania all held slaves4 ,christian ,new ,england1 which made the ,bible both its legal and moral code1 for more than one hundred years1 held ,negroes and ,indians in slavery1 and even sold ,quaker children into bondage4 ,parish ministers all over ,new ,england1 says the ,rev4 ,william ,goodell1 owned slaves 7,american ,slave ,code1 p4 #ajf74 ,clerical slaveholders in the ,south trampled under foot the relations of wife and mother2 and clerical slaveholders in the ,north did the same4 ,mr4 ,goodell says3 ,even in ,puritan ,new ,england1 seventy years ago1 female slaves1 in ministers' and magistrates' families1 bore children1 black or yellow1 without marriage4 ,no one inquired who their fathers were1 and nothing more was thought of it than of the breeding of sheep or swine 7,ibid41 p4 #aaa74 ,a ,congregational minister at ,hampton1 ,conn4 7,rev4 ,mr4 ,mosely71 separated by sale a husband and wife who were both of them members of his own church1 and who had been1 by his own officiating act as a minister1 united in marriage 7,ibid41 p4 #aad74 ,let me cite one of the laws of the ,bible relative to the treatment of slaves--a law which demons would blush to indorse1 but which a merciful 787 ,god enacted for the guidance of his children3 ,if a man smite his servant1 or his maid1 with a rod1 and he die under his hand1 he shall be surely punished4 ,notwithstanding1 if he continue a day or two1 he shall not be punished3 for he is his money 7,ex4 xxi1 #bj1 #ba74 ,here a master may brutally beat his slave1 and if that slave linger in the agonies of death a day or two before dying1 he shall not be punished1 because the slave is his money4 ,goodell's ,american ,slave ,code1 a work written by a ,christian clergyman1 and which ,i have already quoted1 contains four hundred pages of outrages1 like the following1 committed by men who accepted the ,bible as their moral guide3 ,a minister in ,south ,carolina1 a native of the ,north1 had a stated ,sabbath appointment to preach1 about eight miles from his residence4 ,he was in the habit of riding thither in his gig4 ,behind him ran his negro slave on foot1 who was required to be at the place of appointment as soon as his master1 to take care of his horse4 ,sometimes he fell behind1 and kept his master waiting for him a few minutes1 for which he always received a reprimand1 and was sometimes punished4 ,on one occasion of this kind1 after sermon1 the master told the slave that he would take care to have him keep up with him1 going home4 ,so he tied him by the wrists1 with a halter1 to his gig behind1 and drove rapidly home4 ,the result was that1 about two or three miles from home1 the poor fellow's feet and legs failed him1 and he was dragged on the ground all the rest of the way by the wrists6 ,on alighting and looking round1 the master exclaimed1 ',well2 ,i thought you would keep up with me this time6' ,so saying1 he coolly walked into the house4 ,the servants came out and took up the poor sufferer for dead4 ,after a time he revived a little1 lingered for a day or two1 and died6 ,was this brutal minister punished8 ,he was not4 ,if he continue a day or two1 he shall not be punished3 for he is his money4 ,was he silenced from preaching8 was he even reprimanded by the church8 ,no4 ,without punishment1 without censure1 he continued to preach ,bible morals and abuse his slaves4 ,frederick ,douglass1 the greatest of his race and a slave1 says3 ,my master found religious sanctity for his cruelty4444 ,i have seen him tie up a lame young woman and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders1 causing the warm red blood to drip2 and1 in justification of the bloody deed1 he would quote this passage of ,scripture3 ',he that knoweth his master's will and doeth it not shall be beaten with many stripes4' ,slavery flourished on this continent because the ,bible taught that it was lawful and just4 ,to oppose slavery was to oppose the plainest teachings of this book4 ,the ,abolition movement was an ,infidel movement4 ,the ,emancipation ,proclamation was a nullification of ,god's law4 ,the great ,rebellion was a contest between ,bible morality and natural morality4 ,the latter triumphed1 but the conflict filled half a million graves1 brought grief to many million hearts1 and covered the land with desolation4 ,and this advocate of slavery is the idol ,protestants worship2 this is the book they wish to become the law of our land2 this is the moral guide they wish to place in our public schools6 ,in the name of those who died for the freedom of their fellow-men2 in the name of those made childless1 fatherless1 and companionless by this cruel strife2 in the name of those whose backs still bear the scars of the master's lash2 in the name of human liberty1 ,i protest against this retrogressive movement6 ,polygamy4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions that other twin relic of barbarism1 polygamy4 ,the ,mosaic law provides that if a man have two wives1 one beloved and another hated1 he shall not ignore the legal rights of the hated wife's children 7,deut4 xxi1 #ae-ag74 ,this statute recognizes both the existence and the validity of the institution4 ,another statute 7,deut4 xxv1 #e7 provides that if a man die1 his surviving brother shall become the husband of his widow1 and this regardless as to whether the brother be married or single4 ,the first eighteen verses of the eighteenth chapter of ,leviticus are devoted to what is termed unlawful marriages4 ,here polygamy is recognized and regulated to the extent of prohibiting a man from marrying the sister of a living wife4 ,but there is one statute which places the validity of this institution1 so far as the ,bible is concerned1 beyond all controversy4 ,deuteronomy 7xxiii1 #b7 declares that no illegitimate child shall enter into the congregation of the ,lord1 even up to the tenth generation4 ,now1 polygamy was either lawful or unlawful4 ,if unlawful1 then the children of polygamists were illegitimate children1 and disqualified for the sanctuary4 ,but the children of polygamists were not thus disqualified4 ,the founders of the twelve tribes of ,israel were all children of a polygamist4 ,the most renowned ,bible characters were polygamists4 ,abraham had two wives1 and when he died the ,lord said1 ,abraham obeyed my voice1 and kept my charge1 my commandments1 my statutes1 and my laws 7,gen4 xxvi1 #f74 ,jacob was a polygamist1 and after he had secured four wives and concubines1 ,god blessed him and said1 ,be fruitful and multiply 7,gen4 xxxv1 #aa74 ,gideon had many wives 7,jud4 viii1 #cj71 and it was to him an angel came and said1 ,the ,lord is with thee 7,jud4 vi1 #ab74 ,david had a score of wives and concubines1 and ,david was a man after ,god's own heart2 ,david did right in the eyes of the ,lord4 ,god himself said to ,david1 ,i delivered thee out of the hands of ,saul2 and ,i gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives 7#b ,sam4 xii1 #g1 #h74 ,and ,god gave ,solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much1 and largeness of heart--sufficient to hold a thousand wives and concubines4 ,many years ago the ,mormon1 ,orson ,pratt1 wrote a defense of polygamy1 based upon the ,bible4 ,a noted lawyer of ,new ,york sent a copy of it to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,b4 ,sprague with the interrogation1 ,can you answer this8 ,back came the frank reply1 ,no2 can you8 ,it is claimed that the ,new ,testament is opposed to polygamy4 ,it is not4 ,william ,ellery ,channing says3 ,there is no prohibition of polygamy in the ,new ,testament4 ,it is an indisputable fact that although ,christianity was first preached in ,asia1 which had been from the earliest ages the seat of polygamy1 the ,apostles never denounced it as a crime1 and never required their converts to put away all wives but one4 ,elizabeth ,cady ,stanton says3 ,it was at a ,jewish polygamous wedding that ,jesus performed his first miracle1 and polygamy was practiced by ,christians for centuries4 ,it is true that many primitive ,christians did not practice polygamy4 ,and why8 ,because ,pagan ,greece and ,rome had taught them better4 ,it was to them1 and not to their ,scriptures1 that they were indebted for the monogamic system of marriage4 ,the ,roman ,catholic church did not generally sustain polygamy2 but it did sustain a system of concubinage which was certainly as bad4 ,for centuries the keeping of concubines was almost universal among the ,catholic clergy1 one abbot keeping no less than seventy4 ,the founders of the ,protestant church1 however1 accepting the ,bible as their guide1 attaching to it a degree of authority which had never been attached to it before1 were candid and consistent enough to admit the validity of the institution4 ,referring to this subject1 ,sir ,william ,hamilton1 a ,christian and a ,protestant1 says3 ,as to polygamy in particular1 which not only ,luther1 ,melanchthon1 and ,bucer1 the three leaders of the ,german ,reformation1 speculatively adopted1 but to which above a dozen distinguished divines among the ,reformers stood formally committed 7,discussions on ,philosophy and ,literature74 ,speaking of ,luther and ,melanchthon1 ,hamilton says3 ,they had both promulgated opinions in favor of polygamy1 to the extent of vindicating to the spiritual minister a right of private dispensation1 and to the temporal magistrate the right of establishing the practice if he chose by public law 7,ibid74 ,in accordance with these views1 ,john of ,leydon1 a zealous ,protestant1 established polygamy at ,munster1 and murdered or drove from their homes all who dared to oppose the odious custom4 ,other ,protestants followed his example4 ,on the #aith of ,december1 #aeci1 at ,wittenberg1 ,luther and ,melanchthon drew up the famous ,consilium1 authorizing the landgrave1 ,philip of ,hesse1 to have a plurality of wives4 ,this instrument bears the signatures of ,martin ,luther1 ,philip ,melanchthon1 ,martin ,bucer1 ,dionysius ,melander1 ,john ,lening1 ,antony ,corvinus1 ,adam ,kraft1 ,justus ,winther1 and ,balthasar ,raida1 nine of the leading ,protestant divines of ,germany4 ,it is a well-known fact that ,luther advised ,henry ,,viii4 to adopt polygamy in his case1 but by divorcing two wives1 and murdering two more1 the founder of the ,english church avoided it4 ,the advocacy of polygamy by the chief ,reformers prevented ,ferdinand ,i4 from declaring for the ,reformation4 ,the ,german princes1 too1 generally opposed it2 and this opposition1 coupled with the fact that the most licentious sects espoused it1 finally caused a reaction in favor of monogamy4 ,protestants1 it ill became you to point the finger of scorn at the ,mormons of ,utah4 ,yet with characteristic consistency you were demanding the suppression of polygamy in the territories1 while at the same time you were endeavoring to have the whole country accept as infallible authority a book which sanctions the pernicious custom4 ,make the ,bible the fundamental law of the land1 as you demand1 and polygamy will become1 in theory at least1 a national instead of a local institution4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,adultery--,,obscenity4 ,adultery4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions adultery and prostitution4 ,adultery is made prominent by the recital of the numerous adulteries of ,abraham1 ,lot1 ,jacob1 ,judah1 ,samson1 ,david1 and other ,bible saints1 and sanctified by the approved adulteries of ,abraham and ,jacob4 ,both ,abraham and ,isaac were willing to sell the virtue of their wives to save themselves from harm4 ,two instances are recorded of fathers having offered their own daughters to gratify the lust of a sensual mob1 and these abominable acts are represented as especially meritorious4 ,read the nineteenth chapter of ,genesis and the nineteenth chapter of ,judges2 dwell upon the eighth verse of the former and the twenty-fourth verse of the latter2 and then1 if you can indorse the spirit of these narratives1 you are unfit to be the parent of a daughter4 ,the ,mosaic law authorizes a father to sell his daughter for a concubine or mistress 7euphemistically translated maid servant74 ,god's instructions respecting the thirty-two thousand captive ,midianite maidens impliedly sanction concubinage and prostitution4 ,these ,bible teachings have been the cause of countless outrages against the chastity of woman4 ,john ,wesley says3 ,almost all the soldiers in the ,christian world 444 have claimed1 more especially in time of war1 another kind of liberty3 that of borrowing the wives and daughters of the men that fell into their hands 7,wesley's ,miscellaneous ,works1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 p4 #aag74 ,luther1 drawing his morality from the ,bible1 gave concubinage his indorsement3 ,there is nothing unusual in princes keeping concubines2 and although the lower orders may not perceive the excuses of the thing1 the more intelligent know how to make allowance 7,consilium74 ,luther might with equal truthfulness have said1 ,there is nothing unusual in priests and preachers keeping concubines1 and he might have helped to confirm it by a few leaves from his own private history4 ,in a letter to his confidential friend1 ,spalatin1 he confessed to numerous adulteries4 ,god instructs his prophet ,hosea to marry a prostitute4 ,he subsequently commands him to love and hire an adulteress 7,hosea i1 #b1 #c2 iii1 #a1 #b74 ,christ forgave the woman taken in adultery1 while his favorite female companion was a reformed 787 prostitute4 ,referring to his female ancestors1 ,dr4 ,alexander ,walker1 a ,christian1 says3 ,it is remarkable that in the genealogy of ,christ only four women have been named3 ,tamar1 who seduced the father of her late husband2 ,rachab1 a common prostitute2 ,ruth1 who1 instead of marrying one of her cousins1 went to bed with another of them1 and ,bathsheba1 an adultress1 who espoused ,david1 the murderer of her husband 7,woman1 p4 #ccj74 ,the early ,christians were notorious for their adulteries4 ,dr4 ,cave1 in his ,primitive ,christianity 7,part ,,ii41 ch4 v71 says it was commonly charged that the ,christians knew one another by certain privy marks and signs1 and were wont to be in love almost before they knew one another2 that they exercised lust and filthiness under a pretense of religion1 promiscuously calling themselves brothers and sisters1 that by the help of so sacred a name their common adulteries might become incestuous4 ,of the ,carpocratians1 who ,dr4 ,lardner says are not accused of rejecting any part of the ,new ,testament1 ,dr4 ,cave says3 ,both men and women used to meet at supper 7which was called their love-feast71 when after they had loaded themselves with a plentiful meal1 to prevent all shame1 if they had any remaining1 they put out the lights1 and then promiscuously mixed in filthiness with one another 7,ibid74 ,in his ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 ,paul says3 ,it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you1 and such fornication as is not so much as named among the gentiles 7#a ,cor4 v1 #a74 ,it is an indisputable fact that the most notorious adulterers are those whose profession makes them most familiar with the teachings of the ,bible1 and compels them to accept its teachings as divine4 ,obscenity4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide1 and protest against its being placed in the hands of the young1 because its pages are defiled with obscenity4 ,aside from thousands of coarse and vulgar expressions contained in it1 there are at least a hundred passages so obscene that their appearance in any other book would exclude that book from the mails and send its publisher to prison4 ,the ,united ,states courts have declared parts of the ,bible to be obscene4 ,there are entire chapters1 such as the thirty-eighth chapter of ,genesis1 that reek with obscenity from beginning to end4 ,in proof of the charge of obscenity1 ,i refer you to the following3 ,isaiah xxxvi1 #ab2 ,ezek4 iv1 #ab-ae2 ,gen4 xix1 #cj-cf2 xxx1 #a-af2 xxxviii2 #b ,kings xviii1 #bg2 ,lev4 xv1 #af-cc2 ,job xl1 #af1 #ag2 #a ,kings xiv1 #aj2 ,isaiah iii1 #ag4 ,that portions of the ,bible are obscene and unfit to be read1 is admitted even by ,christians4 ,noah ,webster1 a ,protestant1 edited an expurgated edition of the ,bible4 ,in vindication of his work1 he says3 ,many passages are expressed in language which decency forbids to be repeated in families and in the pulpit4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,embree1 ,methodist1 of ,kansas1 in a speech before the ,topeka ,school ,board advocating the reading of ,bible selections in the public schools of that city1 recently said3 ,i would not want the ,bible read indiscriminately4 ,i think some of it unfit to be read by any one4 ,the ,rev4 ,father ,maguire1 ,catholic1 in his debate with the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,greg1 at ,dublin1 gave utterance to the following3 ,i beg of you not to continue such a practice2 it is disreputable4 ,i will ask ,mr4 ,greg a question 7and ,i beg of you1 my brethren of the ,protestant church1 to bear this in mind71 ,i will ask him if he dare to take up the ,bible and read from the book of ,genesis the fact of ,onan--,i ask him will he read that8 ,will he read the fact relative to ,lot and his two daughters8 ,will he read these and many other passages which ,i could point out to him in the ,holy ,bible1 which ,i would not take one thousand guineas1 nay1 all the money in the world1 and read them here to-day8 ,richard ,lalor ,shiel1 ,m4 ,p41 and ,privy ,counselor to the ,queen1 thus wrote3 ,part of the ,holy ,writings consist of history1 and the narration of facts of a kind that cannot be mentioned in the presence of a virtuous woman without exciting horror4 ,shall a woman be permitted to read in her chamber what she would tremble to hear at her domestic board8 ,shall she con over and revolve what she would rather die than utter8 ,and if unfit for the perusal of a matured woman1 shall innocent childhood be polluted by these vile1 indecent tales8 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,intemperance--,,vagrancy--,,ignorance4 ,intemperance4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it fosters the evil of intemperance4 ,while the sacred books of ,buddhists and ,mohammedans1 by forbidding the use of intoxicating drinks1 have contributed to make drunkenness among these people disreputable and rare1 the ,bible1 by encouraging their use1 has made intemperance in ,christian countries frightfully prevalent and almost respectable4 ,thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after1 for oxen or for sheep1 or for wine1 or for strong drink 7,deut4 xiv1 #bf74 ,give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish1 and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts4 ,let him drink and forget his poverty1 and remember his misery no more 7,prov4 xxxi1 #f1g74 ,drink no longer water1 but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake 7#a ,tim4 v1 #bc74 ,go thy way1 eat thy bread with joy1 and drink thy wine with a merry heart1 for ,god now accepteth thy works 7,eccles4 ix1 #g74 ,corn shall make the young men cheerful1 and new wine the maids 7,zech4 ix1 #ag74 ,they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof 7,amos ix1 #ad74 ,wine that maketh glad the heart of man 7,ps4 civ1 #ae74 ,wine which cheereth ,god and man 7,jud4 ix1 #ac74 ,in the holy place shalt thou cause the strong wine to be poured unto the ,lord for a drink offering 7,num4 xxviii1 #g74 ,will that wing of the ,prohibition army which accepts the ,bible as its guide inscribe these texts upon its banner8 ,as a reward for the ,jews keeping the judgments of the ,lord he was to bless their wine 7,deut4 vii1 #ac74 ,liberal giving to the ,lord was to be rewarded with an abundance of wine4 ,honor the ,lord with thy substance1 and with the first fruits of all thine increase3 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty1 and thy presses shall burst out with new wine 7,prov4 iii1 #i1 #aj74 ,one of the most direful calamities was a wine famine4 ,awake1 ye drunkards1 and weep2 and howl1 all ye drinkers of wine1 because of the new wine2 for it is cut off from your mouth4444 ,the drink offering is cut off from the house of the ,lord2 the priests1 the ,lord's ministers1 mourn4444 ,gird yourselves and lament1 ye priests howl1 ye ministers of the altar2 come1 lie all night in sackcloth1 ye ministers of my ,god2 for 444 the drink offering is withholden from the house of your ,god 7,joel i1 #e1 #i1 #ac74 ,god's especial favorites had a weakness for wine4 ,when he drowned the world's inhabitants he saved ,noah1 knowing that as soon as the waters subsided he would plant a vineyard1 make wine1 and become intoxicated4 ,when ,sodom was destroyed the only righteous man he found was that foul drunkard1 ,lot4 ,when ,david made his celebrated feast in honor of the ,lord he gave to every man and woman a flagon of wine4 ,he kept some for himself and so merry did his heart become that he danced before the ,lord with all his might4 ,thus joyously sings ,solomon3 ,i have drunk my wine with my milk milk punch2 eat1 ,o friends6 drink1 yea1 drink abundantly4 ,in the morning he sings another song3 ,open to me 444 my love 444 for my head is filled with dew4 ,how many a wayward fellow like ,solomon has risen from the gutter1 sorrowfully wended his way home1 and serenaded his sleeping spouse with that same melody6 ,when ,solomon erected his temple to ,god he gave to his laborers twenty thousand baths nearly #age1jjj gallons of wine 7#b ,chron4 ii1 #aj74 ,the ,nazarite1 it is claimed1 was commanded to abstain from wine4 ,yes1 but only during the period of his separation4 ,after that the ,nazarite may drink wine 7,num4 vi1 #bj74 ,god commanded ,jeremiah to tempt with wine those who abstained from its use3 ,go unto the house of the ,rechabites and speak with them1 and bring them into the house of the ,lord1 into one of the chambers1 and give them wine to drink 7,jer4 xxxv1 #b74 ,christ spoke as follows3 ,john the ,baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine4444 ,the ,son of ,man is come eating and drinking2 and ye say1 ,behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber 7,luke1 vii1 #cc1 #cd74 ,this censure was evidently not unmerited4 ,the first act in ,christ's ministerial career was to manufacture three barrels of wine for a wedding feast2 his last recorded act was a benediction upon the wine cup4 ,theology being no longer in demand1 the ,protestant clergy1 contrary to the teachings of the ,bible1 and the traditions of the church1 now find it popular and profitable to espouse the cause of temperance4 ,but in championing one rational virtue they employ two ,christian vices1 hypocrisy and intolerance4 ,the most inconsistent1 the most uncharitable opponents of the liquor traffic to-day are these fresh converts who profess to be doing their master's will and who claim that his ,word is the advocate of total abstinence and prohibitory laws4 ,with fierce invective they declaim against the old ,god ,bacchus1 yet every anathema they hurl at him will apply with equal justice to their ,god and ,christ4 ,one of the most unscrupulous arguments ever adduced in support of any cause is that now advanced by some ,christian temperance advocates to the effect that the wine sanctioned in the ,bible was not intoxicating4 ,with the same ease that they declare that in the ,bible black means white1 that hate means love1 and day means age1 they declare that ,bible wine does not mean wine1 but unfermented grape juice4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,thompson1 ,rev4 ,william ,wright1 ,rev4 ,s4 ,h4 ,calhoun1 ,rev4 ,c4 ,v4 ,a4 ,van ,dyke1 and other able ,hebrew and ,sanscrit scholars of ,western ,asia1 who have made the history and customs of its people both ancient and modern a life study1 affirm that such a thing as non-intoxicating wine was unknown1 that the unfermented juice of the grape was never recognized as wine4 ,dr4 ,philip ,schaff1 the foremost ,bible scholar of this country1 affirms the same3 ,the wine of the ,bible was no doubt pure and unadulterated4444 ,it was genuine and real wine1 and1 like all wine in use in grape-growing countries1 exhilarating4 ,to lay down the principle that the use of intoxicating drink as a beverage is a sin--per se--is to condemn the greater part of ,christendom1 to contradict the ,bible1 and to impeach ,christ himself1 who drank wine and made wine by miracle to supply the marriage guests4 ,at the ,general ,assembly of the ,presbyterian church held at ,belfast1 ,ireland1 in #ahgj1 an exhaustive examination and discussion was given this subject4 ,the result was the adoption by an almost unanimous vote of the following resolution offered by the ,rev4 ,robert ,wales1 ,professor of ,dialectic ,theology1 ,belfast3 ,as the wine used in the oblations of the ,old ,testament time at the ,passover and by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ himself in the institution of the supper was the ordinary wine of the country1 that is1 the fermented juice of the grape1 we cannot sanction the use of the unfermented juice of the grape as a symbol in the ordinance4 ,that the sacramental wine used by the early ,christians was intoxicating1 and that they were addicted to using it to excess at the ,lord's ,supper1 is admitted by ,paul 7#a ,cor4 xi1 #bj-cd74 ,referring to this subject1 the ,christian ,register says3 ,we deplore intemperance1 and welcome every truthful argument against it1 but the argument founded on the non-intoxicating character of ,bible wine is a weak and diluted fallacy4 ,vagrancy4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it encourages poverty and vagrancy4 ,jesus ,christ was the panegyrist of poverty and the promoter of vagrancy3 ,blessed be ye poor 7,luke vi1 #bj74 ,but woe unto you that are rich 7,luke vi1 #bd74 ,a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven 7,matt4 xix1 #bc74 ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of ,god 7,mark x1 #be74 ,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth 7,matt4 vi1 #ai74 ,when the judicious use of wealth is promotive of human happiness1 and when poverty is the source of so much misery and crime1 such teachings are not only false1 but pernicious4 ,take no thought for your life1 what ye shall eat1 or what ye shall drink2 nor yet for your body what ye shall put on4444 ,behold the fowls of the air3 for they sow not1 neither do they reap1 nor gather into barns4444 ,and why take ye thought for raiment8 ,consider the lilies of the field1 how they grow2 they toil not1 neither do they spin4444 ,therefore take no thought1 saying1 ,what shall we eat8 or1 ,what shall we drink8 or1 ,wherewithal shall we be clothed8444 ,the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself4 ,sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof 7,matt4 vi1 #be-cd74 ,to-day our land is infested with an army of tramps4 ,their skirmishers are deployed along every highway2 their points of attack are the kitchen and the haymow2 their text-book on military science is the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,they sow not1 neither do they reap2 ,they toil not1 neither do they spin4 ,they beg and steal4 ,these are ,christ's followers--the truest followers he has on earth to-day4 ,in the streets of our cities we see men clad in rags1 idle1 and drunken1 and penniless4 ,we see them arrested for vagrancy1 thrust into prison1 or made to labor for their bread4 ,these are ,christ's martyrs4 ,poor tramp and vagrant6 ,how you are persecuted for righteousness' sake6 ,men despise you2 the farmer drives you from his door2 the social economist racks his brain to devise a plan for your suppression2 state governments legislate against you2 everywhere you are treated as an outcast--and all because1 taking the ,bible for your guide1 you endeavor faithfully to conform to its teachings4 ,ignorance4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it condemns the use of reason and the acquisition of knowledge4 ,of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil1 thou shalt not eat of it 7,gen4 ii1 #ag74 ,she took of the fruit thereof1 and did eat1 and gave also unto her husband with her2 and he did eat4 ,and the eyes of them both were opened 7iii1 #f1 #g74 ,therefore the ,lord ,god sent him forth from the garden of ,eden 7#bc74 ,he that believeth not shall be damned 7,mark xvi1 #af74 ,for partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge1 our parents were banished from ,paradise2 for obeying the dictates of reason1 we are consigned to hell4 ,education1 physical1 moral1 and intellectual1 is discouraged4 ,bodily exercise profiteth little4--,paul4 ,be not righteous overmuch4--,solomon4 ,neither make thyself over wise4--,solomon4 ,choice mottoes1 the above1 to hang up on the walls of the school-room6 ,beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy 7,col4 ii1 #h74 ,knowledge puffeth up 7#a ,cor4 viii1 #a74 ,thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee 7,isa4 xlvii1 #aj74 ,i gave my heart to know wisdom1 and to know madness and folly2 ,i perceived that this also is vexation of spirit4 ,for in much wisdom is much grief2 and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow 7,ecles4 i1 #ag1 #ah74 ,if any man be ignorant let him be ignorant 7#a ,cor4 xiv1 #ch74 ,the wisdom of this world is foolishness with ,god 7#a ,cor4 iii1 #ai74 ,the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of knowledge 7,prov4 i1 #g74 ,the fear of the ,lord is the beginning of ignorance4 ,this fear has kept the world in intellectual bondage4 ,it is a flaming sword that priestcraft has placed in every highway of learning to frighten back the timid searchers after truth4 ,the clergy1 with a few honorable exceptions1 says ,buckle1 have in all modern countries been the avowed enemies of the diffusion of knowledge1 the danger of which to their own profession they1 by a certain instinct1 seem always to have perceived4 ,the ,bible1 and the religion emanating from it1 are the fruitful parents of ignorance and idiocy4 ,they demand a sacrifice of the very attribute which exalts the man of sense above the idiot2 they bid him pluck out the eyes of ,reason1 and in their place insert the sightless balls of ,faith4 ,reason should be destroyed in all ,christians1 says ,luther 7,l4 ,ungedr4 ,pred4 ,bru41 p4 #ajf74 ,one destitute of reason1 is a phrase employed by ,webster to define the word fool4 ,we are fools for ,christ's sake1 exclaims ,paul 7#a ,cor4 iv1 #aj74 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,injustice ,,to ,,women--,,unkindness ,,to ,,children--,,cruelty ,,to ,,animals4 ,injustice to ,women4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it has degraded woman4 ,the holy offices of wife and mother it covers with reproach4 ,its teachings carried out1 as they were during the centuries of ,christian rule1 leave woman but two paths in which to tread--the one leading into slavery1 the other into exile4 ,servitude in the house of a husband1 or self-banishment into a convent--these are the sad alternatives presented for her choice4 ,thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee 7,gen4 iii1 #af74 ,wives1 submit yourselves to your own husbands 7,col4 iii1 #ah74 ,as the church is subject unto ,christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything 7,eph4 v1 #bd74 ,let your women keep silence in the churches1 for it is not permitted unto them to speak1 but they are commanded to be under obedience1 as also saith the law4 ,and if they will learn anything1 let them ask their husbands at home2 for it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church 7#a ,cor4 xiv1 #cd1 #ce74 ,ye wives1 be in subjection to your own husbands4444 ,for after this manner in the old time the holy women also1 who trusted in ,god1 adorned themselves1 being in subjection to their own husbands2 even as ,sarah obeyed ,abraham1 calling him lord 7#a ,peter iii1 #a-f74 ,let woman learn in silence with all subjection4 ,but ,i suffer not a woman to teach1 nor to usurp authority over the man1 but to be in silence4 ,for ,adam was first formed1 then ,eve4 ,and ,adam was not deceived1 but the woman being deceived was in the transgression 7#a ,tim4 ii1 #aa-ad74 ,oh6 the unspeakable outrage that woman has suffered because of that old ,jewish fable6 ,the teachings of the ,bible respecting marriage are an insult to every married woman4 ,christ discouraged marriage 7,matt4 xix1 #aj-ab71 while a more despicable dissertation on marriage than ,paul gives in the seventh chapter of #a ,corinthians was never penned4 ,in contracting matrimonial alliances1 woman's rights and choice are not consulted4 ,the father does his daughter's courting1 and sells or gives her to whom he pleases4 ,a father is even allowed to sell his daughter for a slave 7,ex4 xxi1 #g74 ,in the ,decalogue the wife is classed with slaves and cattle as a mere chattel4 ,kidnapping is commanded for the purpose of obtaining wives4 ,therefore they ,god's priests commanded the children of ,benjamin1 saying1 ,go and lie in wait in the vineyards2 and see1 and1 behold1 if the daughters of ,shiloh come out to dance in dances1 then come ye out of the vineyards1 and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of ,shiloh1 and go to the land of ,benjamin4444 ,and the children of ,benjamin did so1 and took them wives according to their number of them that danced whom they caught 7,jud4 xxi1 #bj-bc74 ,the ,levitical law makes motherhood a sin that can be expiated only by offering a sin offering at the birth of every child4 ,the degree of sinfulness depends upon the sex of the child2 giving birth to a daughter being esteemed a greater sin than giving birth to a son 7,lev4 xii74 ,the laws of the ,bible in regard to divorce are most unjust4 ,a husband is permitted to divorce his wife if she displease him1 while a wife is not allowed to obtain a divorce for any cause whatever4 ,when a man hath taken a wife1 and marries her1 and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes1 444 then let him write her a bill of divorcement1 and give it in her hand1 and send her out of his house 7,deut4 xxiv1 #a74 ,when thou goest forth to war against thine enemies1 and the ,lord thy ,god hath delivered them into thine hands1 and thou hast taken them captive1 and seest among the captives a beautiful woman1 and hast a desire unto her1 that thou wouldst have her to thy wife2 then thou shalt bring her home to thine house4444 ,and it shall be1 if thou have no delight in her1 then thou shalt let her go whither she will 7,deut4 xxi1 #aj-ad74 ,wives were compelled to suffer outrage for the sins of their husbands4 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,behold1 ,i will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house1 and ,i will take thy wives before thine eyes1 and give them unto thy neighbor1 and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun 7#b ,sam4 xii1 #aa74 ,their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished 7,is4 xiii1 #af74 ,i will gather all nations against ,jerusalem to battle2 and the city shall be taken1 and the houses rifled1 and the women ravished 7,zech4 xiv1 #b74 ,let their wives be bereaved of their children and be widows 7,jer4 xviii1 #ba74 ,the teachings of the ,bible have been used by the church to keep woman in a subordinate position4 ,there is not a more cruel chapter in history1 says ,dr4 ,moncure ,d4 ,conway1 than that which records the arrest by ,christianity of the natural growth of ,european civilization regarding woman4 ,in ,germany it found woman participating in the legislative assembly1 and sharing the interests and counsels of man1 and drove her out and away4444 ,even more fatal was the overthrow of woman's position in ,rome4 ,read the terrible facts as stated by ,gibbon1 by ,milman1 and ,sir ,henry ,maine2 read and ponder them1 and you will see the tremendous wrong that ,christianity did to woman4 ,even the priceless virtue of chastity1 in the name of law and in the name of the ,bible1 was trampled under foot4 ,mrs4 ,gage1 in ,woman1 ,church1 and ,state1 says3 ,women were taught by the church and state alike that the feudal lord1 or seigneur1 had a right to them1 not only against themselves1 but as against any claim of husband or father4 ,the law known as ,marchetta1 or ,marquette1 compelled newly-married women to a most dishonorable servitude4 ,they were regarded as the rightful prey of the feudal lord from one to three days after their marriage4444 ,france1 ,germany1 ,prussia1 ,england1 ,scotland1 and all ,christian countries where feudalism existed1 held to the enforcement of ,marquette4 ,respecting this law1 ,michelet writes3 ,the lords spiritual had this right no less than the lords temporal4 ,the parson1 being a lord1 expressly claimed the first fruits of the bride 7,la ,sorcerie1 page #fb74 ,in this country1 while the most illiterate and depraved man is clothed with the rights of a sovereign1 the noblest woman is held in a subordinate position2 and from the ,bible1 priests and politicians have procured the chains that hold her in subjection4 ,referring to the ,bible1 ,america's greatest woman1 ,elizabeth ,cady ,stanton1 says3 ,i know of no other books that so fully teach the subjection and degradation of woman 7,eighty ,years and ,more74 ,brave ,helen ,gardener says3 ,every injustice that has ever been fastened upon women in a ,christian country has been 'authorized by the ,bible' and riveted and perpetuated by the pulpit 7,men1 ,women1 and ,gods1 page #ad74 ,women are indebted to-day for their emancipation from a position of hopeless degradation1 not to their religion nor to ,jehovah1 but to the justice and honor of the men who have defied his commandments4 ,that she does not crouch to-day where ,st4 ,paul tried to bind her1 she owes to the men who are grand and brave enough to ignore ,st4 ,paul1 and rise superior to his ,god 7,ibid1 page #cj74 ,george ,w4 ,foote of ,england says it will yet be the proud boast of woman that she never contributed a line to the ,bible4 ,unkindness to ,children4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because its teachings respecting the treatment of children are cruel and unjust4 ,it advocates the use of corporal punishment for children4 ,thou shalt beat him with the rod 7,prov4 xxiii1 #ad74 ,withhold not correction from the child3 for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die 7,ibid xxiii1 #ac74 ,foolishness is bound in the heart of a child2 but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him 7,ibid xxii1 #ae74 ,the rod and reproof give wisdom 7,ibid xxix1 #ae74 ,it advocates capital punishment for children3 ,if a man have a stubborn and rebellious son1 which will not obey the voice of his mother1 and that when they have chastened him will not hearken unto them2 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him1 and bring him out unto the elders of his city1 and unto the gate of his place4444 ,and all the men of the city shall stone him with stones that he die 7,deut4 xxi1 #ah1 #ai1 #ba74 ,it advocates the indiscriminate and merciless slaughter of little children3 ,their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes 7,isa4 xiii1 #af74 ,samaria shall become desolate2 for she hath rebelled against her ,god2 they shall fall by the sword3 their infants shall be dashed in pieces 7,hosea xiii1 #af74 ,as he ,elisha was going up by the way1 there came forth little children out of the city1 and mocked him4444 ,and he turned back1 and looked on them1 and cursed them in the name of the ,lord4 ,and there came forth two she bears out of the wood1 and tare forty and two children of them 7#b ,kings ii1 #bc1 #bd74 ,it advocates the punishment of children for the misdeeds of their parents4 ,i the ,lord thy ,god am a jealous ,god1 visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 7,ex4 xx1 #e74 ,i will stir up the ,medes against them1 444 their eye shall not spare children 7,isa4 xiii1 #ag1 #ah74 ,i will also send wild beasts among you1 which shall rob you of your children 7,lev4 xxvi1 #bb74 ,david prays that the children of his adversaries may become vagabonds and beggars2 and ,jeremiah1 that the children of his enemies may perish by famine4 ,god kills ,bath-sheba's child3 ,and the ,lord struck the child that ,uriah's wife bore unto ,david1 and it was very sick4444 ,and it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died 7#b ,sam4 xii1 #ae-ah74 ,poor babe6 tortured and murdered for its parents' crime6 ,cruelty to ,animals4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it sanctions and enjoins unkindness and cruelty to animals4 ,portions of the ,old ,testament1 and particularly those relating to sacrifices1 are calculated to foster a spirit of brutality1 and a total disregard for animal life4 ,god revels in the blood of the innocent4 ,the offering of fruits made by ,cain is rejected by him2 the bloody sacrifice of ,abel is accepted4 ,nearly the entire book of ,leviticus is devoted to such laws as these3 ,if he offer a lamb for his offering1 then shall he offer it before the ,lord4 ,and he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering1 and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation2 and ,aaron's sons shall sprinkle the blood thereof round about upon the altar 7,lev4 iii1 #g1 #h74 ,and if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the ,lord be of fowls1 then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves1 or of young pigeons4 ,and the priest shall bring it unto the altar1 and wring off his head1 and burn it on the altar2 and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar 7,lev4 i1 #ad1 #ae74 ,the minutest directions for conducting these bloody sacrifices come from the lips of ,jehovah himself1 and are too brutal and disgusting to repeat4 ,the number of animals sacrificed was incredible4 ,at times whole herds were killed4 ,on one occasion ,asa sacrificed #gjj oxen and #g1jjj sheep4 ,david made an offering of #a1jjj bullocks and #b1jjj sheep4 ,at the dedication of the temple1 #adb1jjj domestic beasts were sacrificed by ,solomon4 ,and this wholesale slaughter of innocent animals1 we are told1 was highly pleasing to the ,lord4 ,but ,what was his high pleasure in ,the fumes of scorching flesh and smoking blood1 ,to the pain of the bleating mothers1 which ,still yearned for their dead offspring8 or the pangs ,of the sad ignorant victim underneath ,the pious knife8 --,byron4 ,a ,god of mercy1 it would seem1 ought to protect the weaker orders of his creation2 but the ,god of the ,bible manifests an utter disregard for them4 ,when the being created in his own image proved too true a copy1 and he wished to destroy it1 he sent a deluge1 and all flesh died that moved upon the earth4 ,to wreak his vengeance upon ,pharaoh1 he visited with disease and death his unoffending cattle4 ,in times of war1 he ordered his followers to slay both man and beast4 ,saul's great transgression1 the chief cause of his dethronement and death1 was that he saved alive some sheep and oxen instead of killing them as ,god desired4 ,david and ,joshua1 ,god's favorite warriors1 houghed the horses of their enemies1 and thus disabled turned them loose to die4 ,we teach a child that it is wrong to rob the nests of birds4 ,it opens the ,bible and reads3 ,if a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree1 or on the ground1 whether they be young ones1 or eggs1 and the dam sitting upon the young1 or upon the eggs1 thou shalt not take the dam with the young2 but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go1 and take the young to thee 7,deut4 xxii1 #f1 #g74 ,throughout ,christendom man's inhumanity to man is only equaled by his cruelty to the inferior animals4 ,the ,buddhist1 who has not the ,bible for his guide1 considers it a sin to harm the meanest creature4 ,even the savage kills only what he needs for food1 or such as threaten him with danger4 ,but the ,christian1 whose ,bible gives him dominion over the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air1 maims and murders in pure wantonness1 and after years of patient service1 even turns his beast of burden out to die of hunger and neglect4 ,for the sake of these dumb creatures1 would that our world had less theology1 and more humanity2 had fewer ,moodys1 and more ,henry ,berghs6 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,tyranny--,,intolerance4 ,tyranny4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because it enjoins submission to tyrants4 ,submit yourselves to every ordinance of man1 444 whether it be to the king as supreme2 or unto governors 7#a ,pet4 ii1 #ac74 ,let every soul be subject unto the higher powers4 ,for there is no power but of ,god4 ,whosoever therefore resisteth the power1 resisteth the ordinance of ,god2 and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation 7,rom4 xiii1 #a1 #b74 ,and these sentiments were uttered when a ,nero sat upon the throne--when ,palestine was being crushed beneath the iron heel of despotism--when brave and patriotic men were struggling for freedom4 ,the ,bible has ever been the bulwark of tyranny4 ,when the oppressed millions of ,france were endeavoring to throw off their yoke--when the ,washingtons1 the ,franklins1 the ,paines1 and the ,jeffersons were contending for ,american liberty--craven priests stood up in the pulpit1 opened this book1 and gravely read3 ,the powers that be are ordained of ,god2 they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation4 ,in the ,american ,revolution every ,tory was a ,christian1 and nearly every orthodox ,christian was a ,tory4 ,writing in #aggg1 ,john ,wesley says3 ,i have just received two letters from ,new ,york4444 ,they inform me that all the ,methodists there were firm for the government1 and on that account persecuted by the rebels 7,wesley's ,miscellaneous ,works1 ,vol4 ,,iii41 page #daj74 ,referring to our ,revolutionary fathers1 ,robert ,dale ,owen says3 ,i know not what the private opinions of those sturdy patriots were1 who1 in the old ,philadelphia ,state ,house1 appended their signatures to the immortal document4 ,but this ,i do know1 that when they did so1 it was in defiance of the ,bible2 it was in direct violation of the law of the ,new ,testament4 ,if a ,being who cannot lie penned the ,bible1 then ,george ,washington and every soldier who drew sword in the ,republic's armies for liberty expiate1 at this moment1 in hell-fire1 the punishment of their ungodly strife6 ,there1 too1 ,john ,hancock and every patriot whose name stands to ,america's ,title ,deed1 have taken their places with the devil and his angels6 ,all resisted the power2 all1 unless ,god lie1 have received to themselves damnation 7,bacheler-,owen ,debate1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 page #bcj74 ,from the first century to the twentieth--from ,paul to ,leo--these ,bible teachings have dominated the ,christian world4 ,of the early ,christian ,fathers1 ,lecky writes3 ,the teaching of the early ,fathers on the subject is perfectly unanimous and unequivocal4 ,without a single exception1 all who touched upon the subject pronounced active resistance to the established authorities to be under all circumstances sinful 7,rationalism in ,europe1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 page #acf74 ,jeremy ,taylor1 one of the greatest of modern divines1 speaking not for himself alone1 but for all ,christians1 says3 ,the matter of ,scripture being so plain that it needs no interpretation1 the practice and doctrine of the church1 which is usually the best commentary1 is now but of little use in a case so plain2 yet this also is as plain in itself1 and without any variety1 dissent1 or interruption universally agreed upon1 universally practiced and taught1 that1 let the powers set over us be what they will1 we must suffer it and never right ourselves 7,ductor ,dubitantium1 ,book ,,iii41 chapter iii74 ,this has been the chief cause of ,christian triumph and ,christian supremacy4 ,it has secured for the church the adherence and support of every tyrant in ,christendom4 ,thomas ,jefferson truly says3 ,in every country and in every age the priest has been hostile to liberty2 he is always in alliance with the despot1 abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own4 ,writing of his country and his country's church1 ,macaulay says3 ,the ,church of ,england continued to be for more than #aej years the servile handmaid of monarchy1 the steady enemy of public liberty4 ,the divine right of kings and the duty of passively obeying all their commands were her favorite tenets4 ,she held these tenets firmly through times of oppression1 persecution1 and licentiousness1 while law was trampled down1 while judgment was perverted1 while the people were eaten as though they were bread 7,essays1 ,vol4 ,i41 page #fj74 ,intolerance4 ,i refuse to accept the ,bible as a moral guide because its teachings have filled the world with intolerance and persecution4 ,if thy brother1 the son of thy mother1 or thy son1 or thy daughter1 or the wife of thy bosom1 or thy friend1 which is as thine own soul1 entice thee secretly1 saying1 ,let us go and serve other gods1 which thou hast not known1 thou nor thy fathers3 namely1 of the gods of the people which are round about you that is1 accept another religion 444 thou shalt not consent unto him2 neither shall thine eye pity him2 neither shalt thou spare1 neither shalt thou conceal him2 but thou shalt surely kill him2 thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death1 and afterwards the hand of all the people 7,deut4 xiii1 #f-i74 ,kill your friend1 kill your brother1 kill your wife1 kill your child1 for accepting another religious belief6 ,did a merciful ,god inspire this prayer8 ,let his days be few2 and let another take his office4 ,let his children be fatherless1 and his wife a widow4 ,let his children be continually vagabonds1 and beg2 let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places4 ,let the extortioner catch all that he hath2 and let the strangers spoil his labor4 ,let there be none to extend mercy unto him2 neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children 7,ps4 cix1 #h-ab74 ,in the literature of the world there is nothing more heartless1 more infamous1 than the #ajith ,psalm4--,ingersoll4 ,let me quote from the ,new ,testament3 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved2 but he that believeth not shall be damned 7,mark xvi1 #af74 ,depart from me1 ye cursed1 into everlasting fire 7,matt4 xxv1 #da74 ,these shall go away into everlasting punishment 7,matt4 xxv1 #df74 ,cast into hell1 into the fire that never shall be quenched 7,mark ix1 #de74 ,these passages ought to consign to everlasting abhorrence the being who uttered them1 the book containing them1 and the church indorsing them4 ,this dogma of endless punishment is the dogma of fiends1 the most infamous dogma that human lips have ever breathed6 ,what needless terror it has inspired6 ,what misery it has caused6 ,think of the millions of innocent children whose young lives it has filled with gloom6 ,this horrible nightmare of hell has strewn the pathway of childhood with thorns where flowers should have been made to bloom2 it has filled the minds of children with fear and made them wretched when their hearts should have been filled with joy2 it has robbed home of wife and mother1 it has driven thousands of pure and loving women to madness and despair4 ,i had rather trace my descent to the tiger or hyena than to the creation of a ,god who dooms his creatures to eternal pain2 and the time will come when the remembrance of the theologians who have taught this hideous lie will provoke more shame and pity than the ancestral apes do now4 ,if there come any unto you1 and bring not this doctrine1 receive him not into your house 7#b ,john i1 #aj74 ,amid the storms of a winter night1 a traveler1 perishing with cold and hunger1 knocks at your door and begs for food and shelter4 ,you interrogate him as to his religious belief1 and finding that he is not a member of your church you forbid him to enter4 ,in the morning when you discover his lifeless body by the roadside1 how impressed you will be with the transcendent beauty of ,bible morals6 ,paul preached a sermon on charity1 and then wrote to the ,galatians as follows3 ,if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received1 let him be accursed 7,gal4 i1 #i74 ,from the same pen1 too1 came this sneaking1 infamous hint3 ,i would they were even cut off which trouble you 7,gal4 v1 #ab74 ,what ghastly fruits these teachings have produced6 ,we see earth covered with the yellow bones of murdered heretics and scholars2 we see the persecutions and butcheries of ,constantine1 of ,theodosius1 of ,clovis1 of ,justinian1 and of ,charlemagne2 we see the ,crusades1 in which nearly twenty millions perish2 we see the followers of ,godfrey in ,jerusalem--see the indiscriminate massacre of men1 women1 and children--see the mosques piled seven deep with murdered ,saracens--the ,jews burnt in their synagogues2 we see ,coeur de ,lion slaughter in cold blood thousands of captive ,saracens2 we see the ,franks in ,constantinople1 plundering1 ravishing1 murdering2 we see the ,moors expelled from ,spain2 we see the murder of the ,huguenots and ,waldenses--the slaughter of ,german peasants--the desolation of ,ireland--,holland covered with blood2 we witness ,smithfield and ,bartholomew2 we see the ,inquisition with its countless instruments of fiendish cruelty2 we see the ,auto-da-f1 where heretics1 clad in mockery1 are led to torture and to death2 we see men stretched upon the rack1 disjointed1 and torn limb from limb2 we see them flayed alive--their bleeding bodies seared with red-hot irons2 we see them covered with pitch and oil and set on fire2 we see them hurled headlong from towers to the stony streets below2 we see them buried alive2 we see them hanged and quartered2 we see their eyes bored out with heated augers--their tongues torn out--their bones broken with hammers--their bodies pierced with a thousand needles2 we see aged women tied to the heels of fiery steeds--see their mangled and bleeding bodies dragged with lightning speed over the frozen earth2 we see new-born babes flung into the flames to perish with their mothers1 or with their mothers sewed in sacks and sunk into the sea2 in short1 on every hand1 as a result of this book's teachings1 we see hate1 torture1 death6 ,but1 thanks to the brave ,infidels who have gone before1 you1 ,bible moralists1 can use these instruments of cruelty to silence heretics to ,christianity no more4 ,where are the hands which once for this foul creed1 ',mid flame and torture1 made an ,atheist bleed8 ,gone--like the powers your fathers used so well ,to send souls heavenward through the flames of hell4 ,and you1 poor palsied creatures6 you1 ere long1 ,with them thrice cursed shall swell ,gehenna's throng4 ,your ,god is dead2 your heaven a hope bewrayed2 ,your hell a by-word1 and your creed a trade2 ,your vengeance--what8 ,a mere polluting touch-- cripple striking with a broken crutch6 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,conclusion4 ,twenty crimes and vices--lying1 cheating1 stealing1 murder1 wars of conquest1 human sacrifices1 cannibalism1 witchcraft1 slavery1 polygamy1 adultery1 obscenity1 intemperance1 vagrancy ignorance1 injustice to woman1 unkindness to children1 cruelty to animals1 tyranny1 persecution--are1 we have seen1 sanctioned by the ,bible4 ,scattering this book broadcast over the land1 making it the chief text-book of the ,sunday-school and1 above all1 placing it in our public schools and compelling our youth to accept it as infallible authority1 is a monstrous wrong2 and you who advocate it are the enemies of virtue and the promoters of vice4 ,james ,anthony ,froude says3 ,considering all the heresies1 the enormous crimes1 the wickedness1 the astounding follies1 which the ,bible has been made to justify1 and which its indiscriminate reading has suggested2 considering that it has been1 indeed1 the sword which our ,lord said he was sending1 and that not the devil himself could have invented an implement more potent to fill the hated world with lies and blood and fury1 ,i think certainly that to send hawkers over the world loaded with copies of this book1 scattering it in all places1 among all persons1 444 is the most culpable folly of which it is possible for man to be guilty4 ,there are within the lids of this ,bible a hundred chapters sanctioning the bloodiest deeds in all the annals of crime2 and this is the book you wish to place in the hands of our sons6 ,there are within the lids of this ,bible a hundred chapters which no modest woman can read without her cheek becoming tinged with the blush of shame2 and this is the book you wish to place in the hands of our daughters6 ,if you delight to feast upon such carrion you have the right to do so1 but you have no right to thrust it down the throats of your neighbors4 ,as a ,liberal1 ,i concede to the ,christian cuckoo the right to propagate her species2 but ,i protest against her laying her eggs in the secular nest and having them hatched by the state4 ,i contend that the ,bible does not present an infallible moral standard1 and ,i have given many valid reasons why it does not4 ,i expect the defenders of this book to complete the task that ,i have here essayed4 ,they will claim that the ,bible is opposed to crime4 ,they will1 no doubt1 cite numerous passages in confirmation of this claim4 ,let them do this4 ,then place the results of our labors side by side4 ,this will show that the ,bible abounds with teachings that conflict4 ,this fact established1 the dogma of its divinity must fall4 ,and this is what ,i am endeavoring to do--to tear this dogma from the human brain4 ,not until this is done can we have a pure morality4 ,so long as men's minds are confused and corrupted by these conflicting and demoralizing teachings1 so long will immorality prevail4 ,you cannot make men moral while they accept as their moral guide a book which sanctions every crime and presents as the best models of human excellence the most notorious villains4 ,you cannot make them moral by teaching them that a lie is better for being called inspired1 that a vice becomes a virtue with age1 that a dead rogue should be canonized and a live one killed4 ,not until this dogma is destroyed can you appreciate what is meritorious in the ,bible4 ,there are in it some noble precepts4 ,it contains along with the false much that is true2 along with the bad much that is good2 but while you are compelled to accept all--the true and the false1 the good and the bad1 as alike infallible1 as alike divine--it can be of no value to you4 ,you may contend that ,i mistake the meaning of what ,i have quoted from this book4 ,but the language is too plain to be mistaken4 ,do not tell me that it states one thing and means another4 ,this is1 you affirm1 the word of your ,god4 ,is your ,god wanting in candor8 ,so far as the ,bible is concerned1 the criminal has as much to support the justness of his crime as the ,christian has to sustain the truthfulness of his creed4 ,the various doctrines of the church are not upheld by stronger ,scripture proofs than have been cited in justification of the crimes that ,i have named4 ,bible apologists tell us that it is only in this book that wrongdoers confess and record their sins1 and that this is evidence of its divinity4 ,were this true we might say that the ,bible is the only book whose authors are so devoid of shame as to parade their sins4 ,but this claim is not true4 ,it was not the sinners who wrote these accounts of their sins any more than it is the criminals to-day who write and publish the accounts of their crimes4 ,bible lands1 we are told1 are more moral than other lands4 ,this is false4 ,the morality of ,pagan ,china and ,japan1 without the ,bible1 is not inferior to that of ,christian ,europe with it4 ,modern ,europe with its partial rejection of the ,bible is superior in morality to medieval ,europe with its full acceptance of it4 ,the morals of the people have improved in about the same ratio that their faith in the book has declined4 ,a further declension of faith will bring a further improvement in morals4 ,in ,christian countries those who have discarded its teachings are morally superior to those who still accept them4 ,it is the ignorant who are the most devout believers in this book1 and it is the ignorant who are the most immoral4 ,the intelligence and morality to be found in ,christian lands are not the results of ,bible teachings1 but exist in spite of them4 ,that some great and good men have commended the ,bible as a moral guide is true4 ,these commendations are given wide publicity4 ,but the testimonials of these men are1 for the most part1 not the result of careful reading and study4 ,they have been inspired by the teachings of childhood1 by the sentiment that prevails around them1 or by a perusal of only the choicest portions of the book4 ,these testimonials1 too1 are mostly from men who1 while expressing admiration for many of its teachings1 do not believe and do not profess to believe in its divinity4 ,many of these testimonials are forgeries4 ,if you discard the ,bible1 what1 asks the ,christian1 will you give us as a moral guide8 ,enter a public library blindfolded2 take from its shelves a volume at random1 and you will scarcely select a worse one4 ,the book you select may not pertain to morals4 ,it may not even contain the word moral4 ,but neither does the ,bible4 ,must we go to the ignorant past for our morality8 ,does human experience count for nothing8 ,have the most marvelous advances been made in every other department of human knowledge during the past two thousand years and none in ethical science8 ,read ,bentham1 ,mill1 and ,spencer4 ,let your children study ,count ,volney's ,law of ,nature1 and ,miss ,wixon's ,right ,living4 ,these books are not infallible and divine1 they are fallible and human2 but they are immeasurably superior to any books that supernaturalists can offer4 ,not in ,moses nor ,jesus1 not in the ,decalogue nor ,sermon on the ,mount1 is there to be found a statement of moral duties so just and so comprehensive as the following from ,volney3 ,what do you conclude from all this8 ,i conclude from it that all the social virtues are only the habitude of actions useful to society and to the individual who practices them2 that they all refer to the physical object of man's preservation2 that nature having implanted in us the want of that preservation1 has made a law to us of all its consequences1 and a crime of everything that deviates from it2 that we carry in us the seed of every virtue1 and of every perfection2 that it only requires to be developed that we are only happy inasmuch as we observe the rules established by nature for the end of our preservation2 and that all wisdom1 all perfection1 all law1 all virtue1 all philosophy1 consist in the practice of these axioms founded on our own organization3--,preserve thyself2 ,instruct thyself2 ,moderate thyself2 live for thy fellow-men1 that they may live for thee4 ,the ,bible moralist would have us believe that from this book all morality has been derived2 that ,god is the author and the ,bible the revelation and sole repository of moral laws4 ,but it is not from ,gods and ,bibles that these laws have come4 ,in the words of ,tyndall1 ,not in the way assumed by our dogmatic teachers has the morality of human nature been propped up4 ,the power that has molded us thus far has worked with stern tools upon a rigid stuff4444 ,that power did not work with delusions1 nor will it stay its hands when such are removed4 ,facts1 rather than dogmas1 have been its ministers--hunger1 shame1 pride1 love1 hate1 terror1 awe--such were the forces1 the interaction and adjustment of which during the immeasurable ages of his development wove the triplex web of man's physical1 intellectual1 and moral nature1 and such are the forces that will be effectual to the end4 ,accepting the ,bible--not for what it is claimed to be1 the word of ,god1 but for what it is1 the work of man--,i can excuse1 in a degree1 the crude ideas of right and wrong and the laxity of morals that prevailed among the people whose history it purports to record4 ,the age in which they lived1 the circumstances that surrounded them1 must palliate1 to some extent1 their deeds and theories4 ,but it is humiliating to think that in these better times1 illuminated by the light of a glorious civilization1 there are those who spurn the robes of virtue that ,reason in the loom of grave ,experience has woven1 and who from the dark and musty closets of the past drag forth for use the soiled and blood-stained garments that barbarians wore4 ,with this chapter our review of the ,bible ends4 ,we have examined successively the authenticity of its books1 the credibility of its statements1 and the morality of its teachings4 ,the authenticity of the ,bible must be abandoned4 ,it will be abandoned1 and abandoned soon4 ,its credibility1 impaired by a knowledge of its lack of authenticity and the exposure of its numberless errors1 will be contended for awhile longer4 ,but this1 in turn1 will go4 ,when its credibility has been destroyed1 and it is acknowledged to be mostly a volume of fables and legends1 priestcraft continuing to survive1 the clergy1 as a dernier resort1 will descant upon the divine lessons of morality taught by these fables and legends4 ,but the relentless iconoclasts of criticism will break this image also1 and the ,bible as a moral guide and religious authority will be laid away forever4 ,,appendix4 ,arguments ,against the ,divine ,origin and in ,support of the ,human ,origin of the ,bible4 ,a celebrated theologian has used with much ingenuity and effect the watch as an argument in support of the divine origin of the universe4 ,i have a watch4 ,like other watches it is not infallible4 ,but supposing that ,i should claim for it infallibility and divinity2 that while other watches are of human invention and workmanship1 this particular make of watches is the work of ,god4 ,the claim would be deemed too absurd for serious consideration4 ,i would be regarded as a lunatic or a jester4 ,now1 it is no more absurd to claim infallibility and divinity for a watch than it is to claim infallibility and divinity for a book4 ,yet millions of people of recognized sanity and intelligence profess to believe1 and many of them do sincerely believe1 that a book called the ,bible is divine4 ,how do we account for this8 ,it is simply the result of centuries of religious education4 ,i could have taken my children and taught them that my watch is divine4 ,had ,i kept them isolated as far as possible from other people1 had ,i commanded them to shun discussion1 and forbidden them to reason about it1 as the clergy do in regard to the ,bible1 they would probably believe it4 ,i was taught that the ,bible is divine4 ,i believed it4 ,but in a fortunate hour ,i listened to the voice of ,reason2 ,i examined the claims of its advocates2 ,i read it2 and the halo of holiness surrounding the old book vanished4 ,as a supplement to my review of the ,bible ,i shall present some arguments1 thirty-six in number1 against the divine origin and in support of the human origin of the ,bible4 ,the brevity and incompleteness of many of them will1 ,i admit1 justify the conclusion not proven4 ,i have space for little more than a mere statement of them4 ,the evidence supporting them will be found in the preceding chapters of this book4 ,in a discussion of this question the champion of the ,bible is placed at a tremendous disadvantage--is handicapped as it were--at the very commencement by this fact3 ,while both the advocates and opponents of ,bible divinity admit that man exists and has written books1 it has not been proven that a ,god even exists1 much less that he has written or inspired a book4 ,but let us concede1 for the sake of argument1 that there is a ,god2 that he is all-powerful1 all-wise1 and all-just2 and that he can write or inspire a book4 ,is the ,bible the work of such a ,being8 ,it is not4 ,the following are my arguments3 #a4 ,its mechanical construction and appearance4 ,the ,bible is printed with type made by man1 on paper made by man1 and bound in a volume by man4 ,in its mechanical construction and appearance it does not differ from other books4 #b4 ,the character of its contents4 ,the contents of this book consist of thoughts--human thoughts--every thought bearing unmistakable evidence of having emanated from the human mind4 ,there is not a thought expressed in the ,bible1 the meaning of which can be comprehended1 that is beyond the power of man to conceive4 ,if it contains thoughts1 the meaning of which cannot be comprehended1 they are not a revelation1 and are self-evidently human4 #c4 ,the manner in which its contents were communicated to man4 ,these thoughts are expressed in human language4 ,the ,bible originally appeared1 it is claimed1 in the ,hebrew1 ,aramaic1 and ,greek languages1 two of them obscure languages of ,western ,asia4 ,the president of the ,united ,states does not issue an important proclamation in the ,cherokee or ,tagalese language1 and the ruler of the universe would not have issued a message intended for all mankind in the most obscure languages of the world4 ,had he given a message to man he would have provided a universal language for its transmission4 #d4 ,lack of divine supervision in its translation into other tongues4 ,failing to provide a universal language for its transmission1 ,god would at least have supervised its translation into other languages4 ,only in this way could its inerrancy and divinity have been preserved4 ,yet no divine supervision has been exercised over the translators1 the transcribers1 and the printers of this book4 ,divine supervision1 it is admitted1 was confined to the original writers4 #e4 ,not given to man until at a late period in his existence4 ,this is an argument advanced by ,napoleon ,bonaparte4 ,napoleon rejected the ,bible4 ,he said that if it had been given to man at the creation he might have accepted it1 but that its late appearance proved to him that it was of human origin4 #f4 ,not given as a guide to all mankind1 but only to an insignificant portion of it4 ,not only has the ,bible been confined to a small period of man's existence1 it is nearly all addressed to one small race of earth's inhabitants4 ,while ,christians affirm that it is a universal message intended for all1 its doctrines and ceremonies pertain to the ,jews4 ,this is wholly true of the ,old ,testament1 and1 with the exception of a few doubtful passages1 true of the ,four ,gospels1 the chief books of the ,new ,testament4 ,now1 is it reasonable to suppose that this great and just ,all-,father1 as he is called1 would for centuries take into his special confidence and care a few of his children and ignore and neglect the others8 #g4 ,it deals for the most part1 not with the works of ,god1 but with the works of man4 ,what man does and knows is not a divine revelation4 ,paine says3 ,revelation1 therefore1 cannot be applied to anything done upon earth1 of which man himself is the actor or witness2 and consequently all the historical and anecdotal part of the ,bible1 which is almost the whole of it1 is not within the meaning and compass of the word revelation1 and therefore is not the word of ,god4 #h4 ,but one of many ,bibles4 ,there are many ,bibles4 ,the world is divided into various religious systems4 ,the adherents of each system have their sacred book1 or ,bible4 ,brahmins have the ,vedas and ,puranas1 ,buddhists the ,tripitaka1 ,zoroastrians the ,zend ,avesta1 ,confucians the five ,king1 ,mohammedans the ,koran1 and ,christians the ,holy ,bible4 ,the adherents of each claim that their book is a revelation from ,god--that the others are spurious4 ,now1 if the ,christian ,bible were a revelation--if it were ,god's only revelation1 as affirmed--would he allow these spurious books to be imposed upon mankind and delude the greater portion of his children8 #i4 ,many versions of this ,bible4 ,not only are there many ,bibles in the world1 there are many versions of the ,christian ,bible4 ,the believers in a divine revelation have not been agreed as to what books belong to this revelation4 ,the ancient ,jews1 who are said to have sustained more intimate relations with ,god than any other race1 were not agreed in regard to this4 ,the accepted ,hebrew version contains #ci books 7#bb as divided by the ,jews71 the ,samaritan version contains but #f books 7some copies #e72 while the ,septuagint version contains #ej4 ,the early ,christians were not agreed4 ,the ,syriac version of the ,new ,testament contains #bb books2 the ,italic #bd 7some copies #be72 the ,egyptian #bf2 the ,vulgate #bg4 ,the ,sinaitic and ,alexandrian ,,mss4 each contains #bi books1 but they are not all the same4 ,the ,gothic version omitted four books in the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,ethiopic omitted books in both the ,old and ,new ,testaments which are now accepted1 and included books in both which are now rejected4 ,the ,bibles of the ,roman ,catholic1 of the ,greek ,catholic1 and of the ,protestant churches do not contain the same books4 ,this disagreement regarding the books of the ,bible is proof of their human origin4 #aj4 ,incompetency of those who determined the canon4 ,if the ,bible were the word of ,god it would not have required the deliberations of a church council to determine the fact4 ,and yet the ,christian canon was determined in this manner2 and it took centuries of time and many councils to make a collection of books that was acceptable to the church4 ,not until the close of the fourth century were all the books of the ,bible adopted4 ,it is commonly supposed that the members of these councils were men of great learning and still greater honesty4 ,on the contrary1 they were mostly men of little learning and less honesty4 ,they were ignorant1 fanatical1 and immoral4 ,their deliberations were characterized by trickery1 lying1 mob violence1 and even murder4 ,many of them1 so far from being able to read and critically examine the books of the ,bible1 could not read their own names4 ,even the molders of their opinions concerning the canon--,irenus1 ,tertullian1 ,clement of ,alexandria1 ,jerome1 and ,augustine--were they living now1 would be considered very ordinary clay4 ,the historical facts in regard to the formation of the ,bible1 if generally known1 would be sufficient to dispel all illusions respecting its divinity4 #aa4 ,books belonging to this so-called revelation lost or destroyed4 ,there were many other ,jewish and ,christian writings for which divinity was claimed and which ,bible writers themselves declare to be of as much importance and authority as those which still exist4 ,the transitory and perishable nature of these books proves their human origin1 and shows that while those that remain are more enduring they are not immortal and imperishable1 and hence not divine4 #ab4 ,different versions of the same book do not agree4 ,there are a hundred versions and translations of the books of the ,bible4 ,no two versions of any book agree4 ,the translators and copyists have altered nearly every paragraph4 ,the earlier versions alone contain more than #ajj1jjj different readings4 ,the original text no longer exists and cannot be restored4 ,every version1 it is admitted1 abounds with corruptions4 ,now1 to assert that a book is at the same time divine and corrupt is a contradiction of terms4 ,god1 it is affirmed1 is all-wise1 all-powerful1 and all-just4 ,if he is all-wise he knew when his work was being corrupted2 if he is all-powerful he could have prevented it2 if he is all-just he would have prevented it4 ,this ,god1 it is declared1 is everywhere and sees everything4 ,he watches the sparrows when they fall1 and numbers the hairs of our heads4 ,he knows the secrets of every heart4 ,if he made a revelation to his children1 upon the acceptance and observance of which depends their eternal happiness1 and then knowingly and wilfully allowed this revelation to be perverted and misunderstood1 he is not a just ,god1 but an unjust devil4 #ac4 ,the mutability of its contents4 ,the alterations made by transcribers and translators demonstrate the mutability of its contents1 and this disproves its divine character4 ,to admit that man can alter the work of ,god is to admit that human power transcends divine power4 ,if the thoughts composing the ,bible were divine man could not alter them4 #ad4 ,the anonymous character of its books4 ,if the ,bible is to be accepted even as a reliable human record its authors ought1 at least1 to be persons of acknowledged intelligence and veracity4 ,and yet almost nothing is known of its authors4 ,the authorship of fully fifty books of the ,bible is absolutely unknown4 ,its books are nearly all either anonymous or self-evident forgeries4 ,this is true of the most important books4 ,the ,pentateuch we know was not written by ,moses1 nor the ,four ,gospels by ,matthew1 ,mark1 ,luke1 and ,john4 ,aside from the anonymous character of the writings of the ,bible1 with a few exceptions1 they evince neither a superior degree of intelligence nor a high regard for the truth4 #ae4 ,its numerous contradictions4 ,if the ,bible were divine there would be perfect harmony in all its statements4 ,one contradiction is fatal to the claim of inerrancy and divinity4 ,now the ,bible contains not merely one1 but hundreds of contradictions4 ,nearly every book contains statements that are contradicted by the writers of other books4 ,this is especially true of the ,four ,gospels4 ,the writers of these agree that a being called ,jesus ,christ lived and died2 but regarding nearly every event connected with his life and death they disagree4 ,human discord1 and not divine harmony1 dwells in its pages4 #af4 ,its historical errors4 ,if the ,bible were divine its history would be infallible4 ,but it is not4 ,it presents as historical facts the most palpable fictions1 and denies or misstates the best authenticated truths of history4 ,referring to ,bible writers1 the eminent ,dutch divines1 ,drs4 ,kuenen1 ,oort1 and ,hooykaas1 in their preface to ,the ,bible for ,learners1 say3 ,as a rule1 they concern themselves very little with the question whether what they narrated really happened so or not4 ,its history is fallible and human4 #ag4 ,its scientific errors4 ,god1 the alleged author of this book1 it is claimed1 created the universe4 ,he ought1 then1 to be familiar with his own works4 ,the writers of the ,bible1 on the contrary1 display a lamentable ignorance of the universe and its phenomena4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,lindsay ,alexander1 orthodox ,calvinist1 in his ,biblical ,theology1 referring to these writers1 says3 ,we find in their writings statements which no ingenuity can reconcile with what modern research has shown to be scientific truth4 ,the demonstrated truths of modern science were unknown to them4 ,they give us the crude ideas of primitive man and not the infallible knowledge of an omniscient ,god4 #ah4 ,its alleged miracles4 ,the ,bible is filled with marvelous stories4 ,the sun and moon stand still2 the globe is submerged with water to the depth of several miles2 rods are transformed into serpents1 dust into lice1 and water into blood and wine2 animals hold converse with man in his own language2 men pass through fiery furnaces unharmed2 a child is born without a natural father2 the dead arise from the grave and walk the earth again4 ,these marvelous stories--these miracles--are adduced to prove the divine origin of the ,bible4 ,they prove its human origin4 ,if these miracles prove the divinity of the ,bible1 then nearly all the books of old are divine1 for they abound with these same miracles4 ,if these stories be true1 if these miracles occurred1 the laws of nature were arrested and suspended4 ,the laws of nature are immutable4 ,if the laws of nature are immutable they cannot be suspended4 ,the laws of nature cannot be suspended2 they never have been suspended2 these stories are false2 and being false1 the ,bible is not divine4 #ai4 ,its immoral teachings4 ,if the ,bible were of divine origin its moral teachings would be divine4 ,it would be what its adherents affirm it to be1 an infallible moral guide4 ,but its moral teachings are not divine2 it is not an infallible moral guide4 ,it contains1 like other ,bibles1 some moral precepts2 but it also sanctions nearly every crime and vice4 ,war and murder1 bigotry and persecution1 tyranny and slavery1 demonism and witchcraft1 adultery and prostitution1 drunkenness and vagrancy1 robbery and cheating1 falsehood and deception1 are all authorized and commended by this book4 ,it cannot1 therefore1 be divine4 #bj4 ,its inferior literary character4 ,if the ,bible were the word of ,god1 as a literary composition it would be above criticism4 ,it would be as far superior to all other books as ,god is superior to man4 ,its rhetoric would transcend in beauty the glorious coloring of a ,titian4 ,its logic would be faultless4 ,the ,bible is not such a book4 ,it contains some admirable pieces and these owe much of their literary merit to the translators1 appearing as our version did in the golden age of ,english literature4 ,as a whole it is far inferior to the literature of ancient ,greece and ,rome2 inferior to the literature of modern ,italy1 of ,france1 of ,germany1 and of ,england4 ,if the ,bible be the word of ,god it is a long way from ,god up to ,shakespeare4 #ba4 ,its writers do not claim to be inspired4 ,had the writers of the ,bible been inspired they would have known it and would have proclaimed it4 ,had they claimed to be inspired it would not prove the ,bible to be divine1 for like ,mohammed1 they might have been deluded1 or1 like a more recent finder of a holy book1 impostors4 ,but they do not even claim that their books are divine revelations4 ,some of these books contain what purport to be divine revelations1 but the books themselves do not pretend to be divine4 ,the only exception is the book called ,revelation1 admittedly the most doubtful book of the ,bible4 ,all scripture is given by inspiration4 ,waiving the questions of authenticity and correct translation1 who wrote this8 ,paul4 ,what was the scripture when he wrote8 ,the ,old ,testament1 the ,old ,testament alone4 ,the writers of the ,old ,testament do not claim to be divinely inspired4 ,this is a claim made by the later ,jews and by the early ,christians4 ,paul and the other writers of the ,new ,testament do not claim that their writings are divine4 ,this1 too1 is a claim made by others long after they were written4 ,the fact that the writers of the ,bible do not believe and do not assert that their books are of divine origin1 that this claim was first made many years after they were composed1 by those who knew nothing of their origin1 is of itself1 in the absence of all other evidence1 sufficient to demonstrate their human origin4 #bb4 ,god has never declared it to be his word4 ,the ,bible does not1 as we have seen1 purport to be the word of ,god4 ,nowhere1 neither in the book nor outside of it1 has he declared it to be his revealed will4 ,it contains various messages1 chiefly of local concern1 which he is said to have delivered to man2 but the book1 as such1 is not ascribed to him nor claimed by him4 #bc4 ,whatever its origin it cannot be a divine revelation to us4 ,even supposing that the writers of the ,bible had claimed to be inspired and that these books really were a divine revelation to them1 they would not1 as ,paine justly argues1 be a divine revelation to us4 ,the only evidence we would have of their divinity would be the claim of the writer--a claim that any writer might make--a claim that even an honest writer might make were he1 like many religious writers1 the victim of a delusion4 #bd4 ,a written revelation unnecessary4 ,to affirm the necessity of a written revelation from ,god to man1 as ,christians do1 is to deny his divine attributes and ascribe to him the limitations of man4 ,if ,god be omnipotent and omnipresent a written revelation is unnecessary4 ,to impute to him an unnecessary act is to impute to him an imperfection1 and to impute to him an imperfection is to impugn his divinity4 ,we do not write a communication to one who is present4 ,think of an infinite1 all-powerful1 and ever-present ,god communing with his living children through an obscure and corrupted message said to have been delivered to a tribe of barbarians three thousand years ago6 #be4 ,its want of universal acceptance4 ,a divine revelation intended for all mankind can be harmonized only with a universal acceptance of this revelation4 ,god1 it is affirmed1 has made a revelation to the world4 ,those who receive and accept this revelation are saved2 those who fail to receive and accept it are lost4 ,this ,god1 it is claimed1 is all-powerful and all-just4 ,if he is all-powerful he can give his children a revelation4 ,if he is all-just he will give this revelation to all4 ,he will not give it to a part of them and allow them to be saved and withhold it from the others and suffer them to be lost4 ,your house is on fire4 ,your children are asleep in their rooms4 ,what is your duty8 ,to arouse them and rescue them--to awaken all of them and save all of them4 ,if you awaken and save only a part of them when it is in your power to save them all you are a fiend4 ,if you stand outside and blow a trumpet and say1 ,i have warned them1 ,i have done my duty1 and they perish1 you are still a fiend4 ,if ,god does not give his revelation to all2 if he does not disclose its divinity to all2 if he does not make it comprehensible and acceptable to all2 in short1 if he does not save all1 he is the prince of fiends4 ,if all the world's inhabitants but one accepted the ,bible and there was one who could not honestly accept it1 its rejection by one human being would prove that it is not from an all-powerful and an all-just ,god2 for an all-powerful ,god who failed to reach and convince even one of his children would not be an all-just ,god4 ,has the ,bible been given to all the world8 ,do all accept it8 ,three-fourths of the human race reject it2 millions have never heard of it4 #bf4 ,non-agreement of those who profess to accept it4 ,if the ,bible were the work of ,god there would be no disagreement in regard to its teachings4 ,its every word would be as clear as the light of day4 ,yet those who profess to accept it as divine are not agreed as to what it means4 ,in the ,christian world are a hundred sects1 each with a different interpretation of its various teachings4 ,take the rite of baptism4 ,baptism is enjoined by the ,bible4 ,but what is baptism8 ,the three leading ,protestant denominations of this country are the ,baptist1 the ,presbyterian1 and the ,methodist4 ,i ask the ,baptist what constitutes baptism1 and he tells me immersion2 ,i ask the ,presbyterian1 and he tells me sprinkling2 ,i ask the ,methodist which is proper1 and he tells me to take my choice4 ,sectarianism is conclusive proof that the ,bible is human4 #bg4 ,inability of those who affirm both a human and a divine element in it to distinguish the one from the other4 ,confronted by its many glaring errors and abominable teachings1 some contend that a part of it is the work of man and a part the work of ,god4 ,and yet they are unable to separate the one from the other4 ,if a hundred attempts were made by them to eliminate the human from the divine no two results would be the same4 ,their inability to distinguish this supposed divine element from the human is proof that both have the same origin--that both are human4 #bh4 ,the character of its reputed divine author4 ,the ,bible is an atrocious libel on ,god4 ,it traduces his character1 and denies his divinity4 ,the ,god of the ,bible is not this all-powerful1 all-wise1 and all-just ,ruler of the universe1 but a creature of the human imagination1 limited in power and knowledge1 and infinite only in vanity and cruelty4 #bi4 ,the belief of primitive ,christians in its divinity not an immediate conviction but a growth4 ,had the books of the ,bible been divinely inspired their divinity would have been recognized at once4 ,when they originally appeared they were believed and known to be the works of man and accepted as such4 ,referring to the ,old ,testament1 ,dr4 ,davidson says3 ,the degree of authority attaching to the ,biblical books grew from less to greater1 till it culminated in a divine character1 a sacredness rising even to infallibility 7,the ,canon of the ,bible1 p4 #bgd74 ,of the ,new ,testament ,dr4 ,westcott says3 ,it cannot1 however1 be denied that the idea of the inspiration of the ,new ,testament1 in the sense in which it is maintained now1 was the growth of time 7,on the ,canon of the ,new ,testament1 p4 #ee74 ,the admitted fact that these books were originally presented and received as human productions1 and that the idea of inspiration and divinity was gradually and slowly developed by the priesthood1 is conclusive proof that they are of human and not of divine origin4 #cj4 ,its acceptance by modern ,christians the result of religious teaching4 ,in ,india the people believe that the ,vedas and other sacred books or ,bibles are divine4 ,why do they believe it8 ,because for a hundred generations they have been taught it by their priests4 ,the ,turks believe that the ,koran came from ,god4 ,they believe it because for twelve centuries this has been their religious teaching4 ,for nearly two thousand years ,christian priests have taught that the ,holy ,bible is the word of ,god4 ,as a result of this the masses of ,europe and ,america believe it to be divine4 ,each generation1 thoroughly impregnated with superstition1 transmitted the disease to the succeeding one and made it easy for the clergy to impose their teachings on the people and perpetuate their rule4 ,the belief of ,christians in the divinity of the ,bible1 like the belief of ,hindoos in the divinity of the ,vedas1 and of ,mohammedans in the divinity of the ,koran1 is the result of religious teaching4 ,the ease with which a belief in the divine character of a book obtains1 even in an enlightened age1 is illustrated by the inspired 787 books that have appeared in this country from time to time1 and for several of which numerous adherents have been secured4 ,about seventy-five years ago a curious volume1 called the ,book of ,mormon1 made its appearance4 ,a few impostors and deluded men proclaimed its divinity4 ,a priesthood was established2 ,mormon education and ,mormon proselytism began their work1 and already nearly a million converts have been made to the divinity of this book4 ,dr4 ,isaac ,watts says3 ,the greatest part of the ,christian world can hardly give any reason why they believe the ,bible to be the ,word of ,god1 but because they have always believed it1 and they were taught so from their infancy4 ,really the entire ,christian world--pope1 bishop1 priest1 and layman--the learned and the unlearned--can give no other valid reason4 ,profoundly true are these words of the historian ,lecky3 ,the overwhelming majority of the human race necessarily accept their opinions from authority4 ,whether they do so avowedly1 like the ,catholics1 or unconsciously1 like most ,protestants1 is immaterial4 ,they have neither time nor opportunity to examine for themselves4 ,they are taught certain doctrines on disputed questions as if they were unquestionable truths1 when they are incapable of judging1 and every influence is employed to deepen the impression4 ,this is the origin of their belief4 ,not until long years of mental conflict have passed can they obtain the inestimable boon of an assured and untrammeled mind4 ,the fable of the ancient is still true4 ,the woman even now sits at the portal of life1 presenting a cup to all who enter in which diffuses through every vein a poison that will cling to them for ever4 ,the judgment may pierce the clouds of prejudice2 in the moments of her strength she may even rejoice and triumph in her liberty2 yet the conceptions of childhood will long remain latent in the mind to reappear in every hour of weakness1 when the tension of the reason is relaxed1 and when the power of old associations is supreme 7,history of ,rationalism1 ,vol4 ,,ii41 pp4 #ie1 #if74 ,schopenhauer says3 ,there is in childhood a period measured by six1 or at most by ten years1 when any well inculcated dogma1 no matter how extravagantly absurd1 is sure to retain its hold for life4 ,considering the impressionable character of the immature mind1 and how nearly impossible it is to eradicate the impressions of childhood1 the wonder is not that so many believe in the divinity of the ,bible1 unreasonable as the belief is1 but rather that so many disbelieve it4 #ca4 ,an article of merchandise4 ,bibles are manufactured and sold just as other books are manufactured and sold4 ,some are printed on poor paper1 cheaply bound1 and sold at a low price2 while others are printed on the best of paper1 richly bound1 and sold at a high price4 ,but all are sold at a profit4 ,the publisher and the book seller1 or ,bible agent1 derive pecuniary gain from their publication and sale4 ,it may be urged that the ,bible can be obtained for the asking1 that millions of copies are gratuitously distributed4 ,but this is done in the interest of ,christian propagandism4 ,nearly all religious1 political1 and social organizations1 to promote their work1 make a free distribution of their literature4 ,the printing and selling of ,bibles is as much a part of the publishing business as the printing and selling of novels4 ,one of the leading publishing houses of this country is that of the ,american ,bible ,society4 ,wealthy and deluded ,christians have been successfully importuned to contribute millions to this ,society4 ,directly or indirectly the clergy reap the harvest1 leaving the gleanings to the lay employees1 many of whom labor at starvation wages4 ,in ,great ,britain the crown has claimed the sole and perpetual right to print the ,bible 7,a4 ,v474 ,for monetary or other considerations her kings have delegated this right to publishers who have amassed fortunes from its sale4 ,twenty years ago ,bible publishing was characterized as the worst monopoly in ,england4 ,if the ,bible were divine ,god would not allow it to be used as merchandise4 ,it would be as free as light and air4 #cb4 ,a pillar of priestcraft4 ,not only is the ,bible printed and sold like other books1 but its so-called divine teachings themselves are used as merchandise4 ,there are in ,christendom half a million priests and preachers4 ,these priests and preachers are supported by the people4 ,even the humble laborer and the poor servant girl are obliged to contribute a portion of their hard earnings for this purpose4 ,in this country alone two thousand million dollars are invested for their benefit2 while two hundred million dollars are annually expended for their support4 ,for what are these men employed8 ,to interpret ,god's revelation to mankind1 we are told4 ,an all-powerful ,god needing an interpreter6 ,according to the clergy1 ,god though omnipresent has had to send a communication to his children1 and though omnipotent he cannot make them understand it4 ,those ignorant of other tongues and unable to make known their wants require interpreters4 ,the various ,indian tribes employ them4 ,for the sake of gain these men degrade their ,god to the level of an ,american savage1 representing him as incapable of expressing his thoughts to man1 and representing themselves as the possessors of both human and divine wisdom and authorized to speak for him4 ,these ,bibles are simply the agents employed by priests to establish and perpetuate their power4 ,they claim to be ,god's vicegerents on earth4 ,as their credentials they present these old religious and mythological books4 ,these books abound with the marvelous and mysterious--the impossible and unreasonable--and are easily imposed upon the credulous4 ,if the contents of a book be intelligible and reasonable you can not convince these people that it is other than natural and human2 but if its contents be unintelligible and unreasonable it is easy to convince them that it is supernatural and divine4 ,smith's ,bible ,dictionary says3 ,the language of the ,apostles is intentionally obscure4 ,of course2 if it were not obscure there would be no need of priests to interpret it1 and what is ,scripture for if not to give employment to the priests8 ,we are triumphantly told that the ,bible has withstood the assaults of critics for two thousand years4 ,but as much can be said of other sacred books4 ,any business will thrive as long as it is profitable4 ,bibles will be printed as long as there is a demand for them2 and there will be a demand for them as long as priests do a lucrative business with them4 ,considering their abilities the vendors of the ,gospel are among the best paid men in the world to-day4 ,the wealth of men and the smiles of women are bestowed upon them more lavishly than upon any other class4 ,there are thousands in the ministry enjoying comfortable and even luxurious livings who would eke out a miserable subsistence in any other vocation4 #cc4 ,its advocates demand its acceptance by faith rather than by reason4 ,in the ,gospels and in the ,pauline ,epistles1 the principal books of the ,new ,testament1 ,christ1 the reputed founder1 and ,paul1 the real founder of the ,christian religion1 both place religious faith1 i4 e41 blind credulity1 above reason4 ,this evinces a lack of divine strength and is a confession of human weakness4 ,modern advocates of the ,bible in presenting the dogma of divine inspiration ask us to discard reason and accept it by faith4 ,in the affected opinion of these men1 to examine this question is dangerous1 to criticise the ,bible is impious1 and to deny or even doubt its divinity is a crime4 ,what is this but a tacit acknowledgment that the faith they wish us to exercise is wanting in themselves8 ,this condemnation of reason and commendation of credulity is an insult to human intelligence4 ,a dogma which reason is obliged to reject1 and which faith alone can accept1 is self-evidently false2 and its retention is not for the purpose of supporting a divine truth1 but for the purpose of supporting a human lie4 #cd4 ,the refusal of its advocates to correct its acknowledged errors4 ,that the clergy are controlled by mercenary motives rather than a love of truth is attested by the fact that they continue to teach the admitted errors of the ,bible4 ,our ,authorized version1 it is conceded by ,christian scholars1 contains hundreds of errors4 ,that the ,revisers corrected many of these errors is admitted4 ,yet the clergy cling to these errors and refuse to accept a corrected text4 ,the principal reasons assigned for retaining the ,old version instead of adopting the ,new are these3 #a4 ,the ,english of three hundred years ago possesses a certain charm which distinguishes the ,bible from more modern works and secures for it a greater reverence4 #b4 ,its division into chapters and verses renders it more convenient4 #c4 ,the adoption of the ,new would expose the errors of the ,old1 suggest the possible fallibility of the ,new1 and sow the seeds of doubt4 ,thus expediency prompts them to teach the acknowledged errors of man in preference to what they claim to be the truths of ,god4 ,this proves the human character of the ,bible and the insincerity of its professed exponents4 #ce4 ,its authority maintained by fraud and force4 ,for sixteen hundred years--from the time that ,constantine1 to gain a political advantage over his rivals1 became a convert to the ,christian faith--corruption and coercion have been the predominant agents in maintaining its supremacy4 ,fagot1 and sword1 and gun1 and gibbet1 and rack and thumbscrew1 and every artifice that cunning and falsehood could devise1 have been used to uphold the dogma of this book's divinity4 ,to-day1 in nearly every nation of ,europe1 the powers of the state are employed to compel allegiance to it4 ,and in this free ,republic1 everywhere1 with bribe and threat1 the authorities are invoked to force its bloody and filthy pages into the hands of innocent school girls to pollute with superstition1 lust1 and cruelty their young and tender minds4 ,these deeds of violence1 these pious frauds1 these appeals to the civil powers1 all prove it to be the work of man and not the word of ,god4 #cf4 ,the intelligence of the world for the most part rejects it4 ,if the ,bible were divine the wise would be the best qualified to realize and appreciate the fact2 for while all may err the judgment of the intelligent is better than the judgment of the ignorant4 ,in ,christendom the ignorant nearly all believe the ,bible to be the infallible word of ,god1 every verse of which is to be accepted literally4 ,a more intelligent class reject the objectionable portions of it1 or give to them a more rational and humane interpretation4 ,those of the highest intelligence--the great leaders of the world in national affairs1 in the domain of literature1 in science and philosophy1 and in ,biblical and religious criticism--the ,washingtons and ,lincolns1 the ,franklins and ,jeffersons1 the ,fredericks and ,napoleons1 the ,gambettas and ,garibaldis2 the ,shakespeares and ,byrons1 the ,goethes and ,schillers1 the ,carlyles and ,emersons1 the ,eliots and de ,stals2 the ,humboldts and ,darwins1 the ,huxleys and ,haeckels1 the ,drapers and ,tyndalls1 the ,comtes and ,spencers2 the ,humes and ,gibbons1 the ,voltaires and ,renans1 the ,bauers and ,strausses1 the ,paines and ,ingersolls--all these reject its divinity4 ,a ,gladstone is an anomaly4 ,dr4 ,watson of ,scotland gives frank expression to a fact of which his fellow clergymen are fully cognizant1 but which they are loth to admit4 ,he says3 ,the great1 and the wise1 and the mighty1 are not with us4 ,these men1 the master minds1 the imperial leaders among men are outside our most ,christian church4 ,the ignorant suppose that the intelligent accept the ,bible2 because the intelligent1 dependent in a large degree upon the ignorant1 and knowing that of all passions religious prejudice and hatred are the worst1 do not care to arouse their antagonism by an unnecessary avowal of their disbelief4 ,this is especially true of men in public life4 ,but these men think2 and to their intellectual friends they talk4 ,in his ,history of the ,bible1 ,bronson ,c4 ,keeler says3 ,the only men distinguished for their learning who now believe it to be the inspired word of ,god1 are the men who are1 either directly or indirectly1 making their living out of it4 ,do these learned divines themselves believe it8 ,nearly every intelligent clergyman entertains and confidentially expresses opinions regarding the ,bible which he dare not proclaim from the pulpit4 ,but master and slave are alike growing weary--the master of his duplicity1 the slave of his burden4 ,emancipation for both is approaching4 ,to-day the clergy smile when they meet2 some day they will laugh outright1 this stupendous farce will be ended1 and man will be free4