| Show LIGHT ON HISTORY RECENT DISCOVERY IS OF UNIVERSAL INTEREST samaritan version of the book of joshua differs in some ways from the incidents as told in the bible mention was made by cable tit the other day of tho the discovery of dr moses mosea gaster the hebrew scholar and antiquarian qu arian of the samaritan version of the book of joshua A few days ago dr gaster described to the members of tho the royal asiatic society how lie he discovered this book which had been lost 2000 years this remarkable vol time agrees with and yet differs materially from our bible version and among other things it furnishes a now version of the fall of tho the walls ot of jericho tile tho new book starts with a definite nite date of tile tho era of creation the year 2794 from the creation being given as tho the date of the death of moses and from that year starts the new calculation of the jubilee that dr gaster explained was omitted emitted flom the bible it then describes how joshua was commanded to proceed to the entry of the promised land joushua ordered the counting of the people which also did not in tho the bible then alien it states that the spies went to jericho and on their return gave a report to joshua and the high priest eleazar they crossed the jordan preceded by the ark and put up tip the stones in gilgan gilgal hut but thero there was no mention of the reproach of E egypt agypt A now new story Is given of the sin of achan this differs from the bible account in the latter achan Is stated to have stolen a mantle according to the new book lie ho stole a golden idol from a temple and his guilt was discovered hy by tile the stories stones on the of the high priest getting dim and losing their luster when the name of the guilty man was pronounced the story of tile the stratagem of the capture of al ai is related but no men am mado made of joshua holding up tho lance the bible by the way says that joshua sent men against al whereas the new book says that lie he sent only in the fight with the combined forces of the kings icings there is nothing told in the samaritan version of joshuaa Jos huas invocation avocation to the sun to stand still on gideon and the tha moon in the valley of ajalon the history proceeded d said dr gaster on the same lines as the bible until the division of the land among tho the nine tribes and a halt half ono one of the most interesting stories in the book describes how joshua was saved before jericho the version goes that the two and a halt half tribes returned beyond the jordan with king gobah appointed over them joshua was wag attacked by king Sh and his army trapped or encircled by seven walls of iron made by the wiz ards and enchanters enchant ers in the service of Sh joshua prayed to god A dovo dove came to him he ha tied a letter to its wings and it bore the message to king gobah who with his tribes carne came to joshuaa Jos huas rescue the priest phineas blow blew a trumpet once the walls fell down and joshua defeated Sh tinny of the points wherein the samaritan text differed from the bible were found also in josephus and also in other jewish rabbinical writings a further proof that Josep josephus bus did not invent the legends as he was sup posed to have done the original of the newly recovered hebrew version dr castar bastar said must have been composed at least years before christ dr gaster chief rabbi of the spanish and portuguese jews in england has bc been en closely connected with the samaritans samaritana Samar itans for many years and when in ili samaria San iaria had free access to their libraries while ho he was visiting na blus last year the high priest gave him a manuscript which proved to be a chronicle or brief history of the tha sa maritana mar itans from the entry of the calill children of israel into palestine under joshua up to the present time from the verger lie ho received another manuscript almost identical with that which tho the high priest had given him at first lie he did nt pay much attention to it but a careful examination convinced him that it was an authentic copy of the old hebrew original it must lie he considers have been regarded by the samaritana samaritans Samar itans as it a book of authority thorl tho rity ty for tile tho calendar started from tho the indications in it it could not have been translated from the greek because it agreed entirely with the hebrew while the knowledge of the hebrew ian language aage among modern sa marl maritana mar itans tans is very limited |
