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Show m The tint book of the Hlblc, goneral- BBj ly kuon as Genesis lul also referred HB to by Talmudlal wrltere Die Hook HBl of Creation," or "The Hook of Abra HBl. bftru, liana nnd Jncob" la oun of tli , moat Important kookn lu tlio rncrrJ HB yiki Tolume. It wt BTldtntly wtllUima 'jlWf lutroduotlon to tin Moanlo lw, HBg ''' aliowlnit thn connection tialcau tliv Bf tItaitntlon ol Moata rtnil Ilia prtceJ- T Idk tlbiworatlour. In It the bulaon J, wblob tha Thacctnoy la luuniloJ la IjH lata down, nod nlthout It the flrtt chiter of tbo ecclrilaatlcnl lilatory of innnklnd would bo mlia. H lOR- HBT Tbo auljrcti on which thla book Be morn or lean cxbnuttlveljr Irenta are BBf numerouintid of the grcateat lmpor BBJ Unco to tha human raca In griiernl. HBj It opana with a ooamojony and a Be grojooy which for aubllmlly of con- BBf caption, depth of phlloaophy and aim- BBJ pllclly of atylo baa nnTer bcou aut- BBJ paaaod. It accounta for lha Eanetatlon BBJ , of oTer;tblng, animate and Inanimate, BBJ flrtt In Ita spiritual and than In I la BBJ, material exiitonce, both pointing out BBj tha direction In which an In BBJ ' quiring rulnd inuit turn to find BhJ tba truth and having ample BhJi room for further atudy and trsiarcb. BBj J Than It uarrowa down to tha hlatory of BBj, man, touching on the origin of uvll, BhJ the spread of aln and Ita comcrucnce, BBJ. tba Uratructlou of tba antedUuvlaua; BBJ tha repeopllng of the earth, the origin BBJ cf thedlTeraltleaof languages and the BhJ; dlaperalon of tha human family OTtr BBj tba aurfaca of the earth. From thla BBJ time tha book takta up tha history of BHj Abraham, the ancettor of the choieu BBj people, and followa It with akelchtra BBj I' of tba life of Isaac, Jacob and the B fi twrWe patriarchs to the death of BBJ I Joseph In Egypt, covering a period of, BBj b counting from Adam, at least 2300 BBj I years. BHj The question of who wrote the book BBj of Oenrilaand when, Is one that baa BBji csuied some discussion. Critics have B noted apparent dlSerencia of style lu BBJ the various I arts of It and what scemoj BBJ to be unntcearary repetitious as well as Bi gaps In the narrative, aud ebovo all, BBJ' the Indlscrlmluata uie of the nanus BBJ Klohlrn, Jehovah aud Klohlra Kljon, BBJ for Clod, which could not bo ei BBJ plained ou any doctrine known to B ( tha theoloiry of tbo Christian cburctitt. BJB ' rl'1' '"" llHl ,0 various suppositions. BJfl, A few critics have advanced the Idea BBJ that thcto was au Ilohlst author and BJH' aJtbovlst, thafoimer wrlllcu aa lata BBJ asHolomouaud thu latter about the BBj, tlmeof Ileteklah. A still later editor, BBJ J probably Kzra, Is then supposed to BBj have merged the two versions Into ono BBJ with but Indifferent success. Itut this B theory has not found any advocatis BBJ, i among eminent orltlcs. It la too lm- BBJ J probable, lljsenmullor and others pre. BBJ ftr to consider certain to them oljeo. Bi t tlonable patsigea as Intsrpolallons H rather than to question thvgenulneuess BB of tho book. BBj The fact of the matter Is that thu BBJ blalory of the Hebrew language easily BBJ shows thrto distinct vrlode. The first BJB, of tbtso la the Mosaic. During this BJB tlmo words, forms of construction and BBJ phraseology are found which after- BJB' warda becamu obsoltte. After this BJB time new words weru forrnud, new BBJj phrasra coined; In abort, the language BBJ j ' - developed with tho people, till It BBJ ' reached lis golden era during the pro. BBJ,' '( phtts previous to Ihucsptlvlty, After BJB j this event the language btcatnu mixed BJB with foreign words sud expressions BJB showing the Influence or the surround BJB1 -UK nations uver the people, Tho Inn. BJB' Ruogiiof any book laaaiiroleat of Its BJB autlquliy. And by Ihls teat noscholar BJB will hesitate In admitting that the BJB book of dentals hrloncslo the Moialci BJB period and not to u later dati. BJH' That Moms was thu anther cm BJB therefore liurdly ba doubled. Trail- BJB i tlon, both Jewlah and hiattieu, sut- BB ,1 talm this view. Thu Uj.jklaiippiM.Uid to BJB asKvnulrmand authentic byourHavlor BJB aud Ills Apo'lli-l, 1'tofanu blstary BBJj odds lis tesllmonj. I.veu Julian, tbv BBl aoatatf, rnululaliied tho Kouulncuei's BBJ ol the I'entnttuch, aa dots 1'ornlijrj BBJ with many others not Inclined to be BJB creduloua In audi matters. The fact Is BJB that the flist doubt about tbo geuulno. BBJ uess of thtse records did not vmanatr BBJ from men who can claim much credit BBJ i for aoumlnens (f opinion. , Thomaa H , Uobbes, born 16S8, Is the llrt Kuulltli B writer who expriiiej douilt ou this polut. He alto claimed to have discovered dis-covered the quadrature of 'the circle, but was as unable to prove this aa to shake the confidence In the genuineness genuine-ness of the books of Moies. The probability Is that Mosea la tho author of (Jeneslsaa well as tha other books which bear bis name, That ha as a historian made nae of previous documents needs no argument, and that his narrative ahows this Is also ad. milled. That ha wrote much of it during the wanderings In tha desert, where his dally occupation, the duties of his cilice ai tho supreme Judge of the people and the command-er-ln.chlof of the army, lelt him but Mtlo tlmo for literary puraulls, accounts ac-counts fully fur some itcullarltles of rompoiltloD, which ft later editor would never have paated without correction. cor-rection. And Hut finally o, few later Interpolations have teen maJr, no one disputes. Hut Willi all theao the book must becotsldered both genulno and authentic. It Is a curious fact that the various books of the Illble have In turn been submitted tu severe attacks by those who think their learning greatly In advance of the truths revealed by the AlmUhty. Hut from nvery contest the sacred books havu come out with more brilliant luster. And while Infidels In-fidels oome and go, making a stir for a short time and then die aud Willi their bostletl arguments are soon forgotten, thebellevers find In the Word of (Ijd that rvck of ages ou which they ran afely build and live lu happlnets forever. for-ever. Thn Illble contains the truth an I tha truth Is eternal, whllu Infidel llyeveu under the name of "higher criticism" Is doomed to oblivion. |
