*Chapter i., vv. 1 and 5 (see page 6), 'On this side Jordan:' the Douay has i beyond the Jordan' in each instance.
Verse 10. 'Ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.' Yet we are told in chap, vii., v. 7, that God chose the Jews because they were the' fewest of all people.'
*Chapter ii., v. 30. 'The Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate.' The 'hardening of heart' has been remarked upon in pages 50 and 52, in the case of Pharaoh. It is useless to fill the work with mere repetitions; but I feel bound to draw attention again to such texts as this, which clearly demonstrate, to even the most obtuse mind, that the Book cannot be a revelation from an immutable Deity. That a merciful and loving God should harden any man's heart is unreasonable in the extreme; and that he should do it for the purpose of affording an excuse for slaughter, is a blasphemous proposition, which every Theist ought to deny. Can men wonder that Atheists grow in number, when the character of the Deity is delineated in such a contradictory and absurd manner? A just God grossly unjust, a merciful God cruel in the extreme, an immutable God constantly changing; in fact, a God consistent only in the attribute of incomprehensibility! *Chapter iii., v. 11. '"For only Og, King of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron: is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man."
'Dr. Pyle (in the Family Bible) remarks on this passage:--
'"It is probable that either Og conveyed his iron bedstead, with other furniture of his palace, into the country of the Ammonites, to prevent their falling into the hands of the Israelites; or else the Ammonites had taken it from him in some former conquest, and kept it as a monument of their victory."
'Either of these cases would be probable, if it could be first proved that Moses wrote this verse, and that he knew of Og's bed being kept in Rabbath. But as Rabbath was not taken by the Israelites until the time of David, as we read in 2 Samuel, xii., 26, '"And Joab fought against Rabbah, of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city."
'It is very unlikely that the Israelites knew anything about the bedstead of King Og until then. In the reign of David, five hundred years had passed since Og lived, and his bedstead had consequently become an object of curiosity; like the great bed of Ware, which is still shown in that town, though only three hundred years old. It is hardly possible that Moses knew anything about this bedstead of King Og, afterwards so famous.'
Verse 11. 'Is it not in Rabbath, of the children of Ammon?' This could scarcely have been written by Moses, for the reasons just stated.
Verse 24. 'What God is there in heaven, or in earth, that can do according to thy work?' This is a strange phrase from the lips of a man who only believed in one God.
*Chapter iv., vv. 21 and 22. The Lord said, that not one of the Israelites, except Caleb, and his seed, should enter the promised land (vide Numbers, chap, xiv., v. 24). Yet here Moses says, 'I must not go over Jordan, but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.'
Verse 40. 'The earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.' The earth, I suppose, means Judea only, and this has not been held by the Jews to the present day, much less for ever.
Verses 41 and 46. 'On this side Jordan,' the Douay reads, 'Beyond the Jordan.'
*Chapter v., vv. 12 to 15 (see page 57).
Verse 22. 'These words the Lord spake.... with a great voice, and __he added no more,' Yet in Exodus, chap, xx., vv. 22 to 26, and in the following chapters, he adds a great deal more.
*Chapter vi., v. 5. 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' Is it possible that the Jews could love a Deity, whom they had only seen amongst smoke and fire, as a pillar of cloud by day, and as a pillar of fire by night; who had led them from the flesh-pots of Egypt into the sterile sandy desert of sin? If love is a necessary consequence of punishment, the Israelites would, of course, love very strongly; but I submit it is utterly impossible they could love a God who told them he was a jealous God, whose anger might be kindled against them, and who might destroy them from off the face of the earth; who had tormented them with various plagues, for uttering complaints which they could scarce avoid. Hunger and thirst would tempt the most contented men to murmur; and yet for these murmurings they had been terribly dealt with.
*Chapter vii., v. 2. See Exodus, chap, xxxiv., v. 6., Deuteronomy, chap. iv., v. 31, Psalms, xxxiii., v. 5, ii., v. 1, cxvi., v. 5, cxiv., v. 8, 2 Chronicles, chap, xxx., v. 9, Nehemiah, chap, ix., v. 31, 9 Micah, chap, vii., v. 18, 1 Corinthians, chap, xiv., v. 33. I will make no further comment than this, that it is utterly impossible a God of mercy, long suffering, gracious kindness, and goodness, could have given such a command as this to his people: 'Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shaft make no covenant with them, or show mercy unto them.'
*Chapter viii., v. 4. 'Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee.... these forty years.' So that during that time a continual miracle must have been worked with respect to the clothing of the Jews, although, if we admit any one miracle, of course we, to a great extent, if not altogether, lose our right to object to any other. I am not aware whether it was from wearing their clothes for so lengthy a period that the Jews obtained the epithet of 'old clothesmen of the world.' Perhaps the editor of Notes and Queries may deem the point worthy of investigation.
Verses 7, 8, and 9. This description cannot apply to Judea, and there must be some error, as the digging 'brass.' Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions varying, according to the required colour. It is made by heating copper plates in a mixture of native oxide of zinc. It is not true that Judea was 'a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness,' as various famines are mentioned. See Ruth, chap, i., v. 1, 2 Samuel, chap, xxi., v. 1, 1 Kings, chap. xviii., v. 2, 2 Kings, chap, vi., v. 25, 2 Kings, chap, viii., v. 1, and 2 Kings, chap, xxv., v. 3.
Verses 19 and 20. 'If thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other Gods, ye shall surely perish.' The Jews were often idolatrous, and yet have not perished.
Chaps, viii. and ix. By these chapters it is certain that the bulk of the Israelites, who were to pass over Jordan into Canaan, had resided in Egypt, and provoked the wrath of the Lord on many occasions. The Lord must, therefore, have changed his mind, and rescinded the decree made by him in Numbers, chap, xiv., v. 23.
*Chapter ix., v. 1. 'Fenced up to heaven.' These fences must have been very high; the carpenters built tall fences, and archers drew long bows, in the time of Moses.
Verse 16. On page 62, I omitted to notice that casting a metal calf is not a very easy operation to be performed by a wandering and ignorant people, in a desert without furnaces or mechanical aid.
Verses 9 and 18. The pretension here made by Moses is, that he fasted continuously eighty days and eighty nights, and 'neither ate bread nor drank water,' during that period. This is a very long fast, especially when we consider that Moses preserved his usual strength and activity, walked down the mountain, carrying two tables of stone, dashed them under his feet, etc There are several cases on record, in which human beings, affected by disease, have preserved life during a forced abstinence; the teeth, in one instance, being quite closed for a
very considerable period; but in all the cases I have read, some nutriment was administered in a fluid form, with a quill, or feather, or otherwise; in some, the patient has been in an almost cataleptic state, and I do not think that, in any case, the person fasting has been known to retain all his powers of mind and body unimpaired. There is nothing said about this fast in Exodus.
Verse 20. Neither is there any mention whatever of this in the Book of Exodus.
*Chapter x., v. 6. 'Mosera. There Aaron died, and there he was buried.' According to Numbers, chap, xx., v. 28, Aaron died and was buried on Mount Hor.
Verses 6 to 9. These verses seem to have been inserted without regard to the context; they have no connexion with the rest of the chapter, which would read more coherently if read from v. 5 to v. 10, omitting the four intermediate verses. In v. 8, the words 'until this present day,' would denote a considerable lapse of time from the death of Aaron.
*Chapter xi., w. 23, 24, and 25. This has never been fulfilled, and the Christian will urge that it is not fulfilled because the Israelites have been disobedient. But this can scarcely be admitted, as neither blessing nor curse has been accomplished.
*Chapter xii., v. 15. This is a contradiction of Leviticus, chap, xvii., vv. 3 and 4.
Verses 18 and 27. Here the people are allowed to eat a portion of the tithes and burnt offerings. While by Numbers, chap, xviii., v. 24, they are confined to the Levites.
*Chapter xiii. Here Moses says, if 'a prophet' arise, and his prophecy come to pass, 'that prophet shall be put to death.' Can we, therefore, wonder that the Jews put Jesus to death, the more especially as he endeavoured to introduce a new form of worship, and new doctrines amongst them.
*Chapter xv., v. 4, contradicts v. 11. The former stating that there shall be a time when 'there shall be no poor amongst you;' while the latter declares that 'the poor shall never cease out of the land.'
*Chapter xviii., v. 8. What is a Levite's patrimony? In Numbers, chap, xviii., w. 20 to 24, it is expressly stated that the Levites should have no inheritance in the land.
Verses 10 and 11. On page 59, I have remarked upon the subject of witches and wizards, and now ask, can we have a stronger argument against this book than is contained in these verses? Voltaire writes thus upon enchantments:--
'Is not a large portion of the absurd superstitions which have prevailed, to be ascribed to very natural causes? There are scarcely any animals that may not be accustomed to approach at the sound of a bagpipe, or a single horn, to take their food. Orpheus, or some one of his predecessors, played the bagpipe better than other shepherds, or employed singing. All the domestic animals flocked together at the sound of his voice. It was soon supposed that bears and tigers were among the number collected. This first step accomplished, there was no difficulty in believing that Orpheus made stones and trees dance.
'If rocks and pine trees can be thus made to dance a ballet, it will cost little more to build cities by harmony, and the stones will easily arrange themselves at Amphion's song. A violin only will be wanting to build a city, and a ram's horn to destroy it.
'The charming of serpents may be attributed to a still more plausible cause. The serpent is neither a voracious nor a ferocious animal. Every reptile is timid. The first thing a reptile does, at least in Europe, on seeing a man, is to hide itself in a hole, like a rabbit, or a lizard. The instinct of man is to pursue everything that flies from him, and to fly from all that pursue him, except when he is armed, when he feels his strength; and, above all, when he is in the presence of many observers.
'The charming of serpents was considered as a thing regular and constant. The sacred Scripture itself, which always enters into our weaknesses, deigned to conform itself to this vulgar idea.
'"The deaf adder, which shuts its ears that it may not hear the voice of the charmer."
'"I will send among you which will resist enchantments."
'"The slanderer is like the serpent, which yields not to the enchanter."
'To enchant a dead person, to resuscitate him, or barely to evoke his shade to speak to him, was the most simple thing in the world. It is very common to see the dead in dreams; in which they are spoken with, and return answers. If any one has seen them during sleep, why may he not see them when awake? It is only necessary to have a spirit like the Pythoness; and to bring this spirit of Pythonism into successful operation; it is only necessary that one party should be a knave, and the other a fool; and no one can deny that such rencontres very frequently occur.
'The famous Witch of Endor has always been a subject of great dispute among the fathers of the Church. The sage Theodoret, in his sixty-second question on the Book of Kings, asserts, that it is universally the practice for the dead to appear with the head downwards; and that what terrified the witch was Samuel being upon his legs.
'St. Augustin, when interrogated by Simplicion, replies in the second book of his questions, that there is nothing more extraordinary in witches invoking a shade, than in the Devil transporting Jesus Christ through the air, to the pinnacle of the temple, on the top of a mountain.'
*Chapter xix., vv. 2, 7, and 10. Here three cities of refuge are directed with a condition that three more may afterwards be added; while in Numbers, chap, xxxv., vv. 13 and 14, six are directed unconditionally.
*Chapter ix., vv. 16, 17, and 18. By this command to 'save alive nothing that breatheth,' we may judge of the mercy and loving kindness of the God of the Jews. Why were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Ferrizites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to be mercilessly slaughtered? I am answered that they were idolaters. So were the Jews. And even if they were idolaters, the Omnipotent Deity had permitted them to become so, without giving them the benefit of any revelation from himself or the chance of listening to any of his prophets; in fact, by preferring the Jews, he must, to some extent, have neglected these unfortunate nations; and can it be wondered that such barbarous nations worshipped false Gods in those dark ages, when in the enlightened latter moiety of the nineteenth century, in the highly civilised country of England, there are more sects than there are books in the Bible; each drawing from that Book entirely different doctrines as to the Deity, and each declaring that theirs only is the true faith, and that all the others merit damnation (vide the Reverend preachers of Surrey Gardens on the one hand, and of Exeter Hall on the other)?
*Chapter xxi., w. 10 to 14. According to this highly moral Book, if one of the Jewish warriors perceived a beautiful woman amongst the captives, he could take her home, keep her until he grew tired of her, and then desert her; he was only prohibited from selling her.
Verse 15. Polygamy is evidently a recognised institution amongst the Jews. In the present day, we are told that polygamy amongst the Mormons is an evidence of the grossly sensual character of Mor-monism.
*Chapter xxii., w. 9, 10, 11. These verses seem to me to be too trifling and absurd to have a place amongst the ordinances of the infinite Deity.
*Chapter xxiii., v. 3. An Ammonite, or a Moabite, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord, even unto their tenth generation. Yet David was only the third, and Solomon the fourth, generation, from the Moabitish woman Ruth (see Ruth, chap, iv., w. 21 and 22). Verses 1 to 6 seem positively unjust. Why should ten generations suffer; they did not choose their birth-place--whether Ammon or Judea.
Verses 13 and 14. I should not notice these verses, were it not for the gross absurdity of the 14th. The 13th contains a very useful sanitary regulation, although hardly worthy of a place in a revelation from the infinite and eternal ruler of the universe; but to suppose that God would perceive the 'unclean thing, and turn away,' is really too ridiculous to need further remark.
Verse 18. Why is a dog an abomination to the Lord? Dogs are of all animals the least likely to be an abomination to any one. They are more faithful to man than any animal except, perhaps, the horse. They possess better organisations than the majority of the brute family, and one is at a loss to understand the reason for this dislike to a dog on the part of the Deity, especially when we remember that the same Deity is alleged to be the creator of the dog, and of all other animals.
Verses 19 and 20. All men ought to be considered as brethren. These verses are further evidence, if any were needed, that this is not a revelation from 'one God and Father of us all;' if it were, he surely would teach that all are brethren, and that none should be treated as strangers. Until we can call each man brother, and can set aside class distinctions, we shall never be able to realise a good state of society.
*Chapter xxiv., v. 2. In Leviticus, chap, xxi., v. 7, it is said, 'Neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband.' These contradictory precepts can scarcely be from the same man; still less can they be from the same God.
Verse 16 has been referred to on page 56.
*Chapter xvvii, vv. 2 to 8. Here is a command for the elders to write 'all the words of this law,' and it is very clear that whether Moses, or any one else wrote, that it would be utterly impossible for a few men to carry the ark about, if it were filled with as many stones as would be required to contain the whole of the Pentateuch. The plastered stones would only suffice for a stationary people. Dr. Giles observes:--
'That the Hebrew legislator should deliver to his countrymen two tables of stone on which the principal heads of the law were engraved, is consistent with all the information which history supplies concerning those early times and the practice of other nations. But if we suppose, a book of such length and bulk as the Pentateuch to have been given at the same time to the Israelites, what becomes of the two tables of stone? Where was the necessity that these, also, should be given? It was not that they might be set up as monuments visible to the whole people, and as exponents of the heads of a law, which the written books would develop more fully, for the two tables of stone were never set up at all; they were kept in the ark of the covenant, and there is no mention made of their ever being taken out, not even when the temple of Solomon was built, when they might, with propriety, have been set up in some public place if this had been the use for which they were originally designed. But no such use is hinted at by the writer, nor were they originally given by God for such a purpose, as is manifest from their size, for when Moses came down from the Mount, he held the two tables in his hand, which he could not have done if they were of the usual size of monuments made to be set up in public.
'But the supposition that the two tables of stone were intended to be set up as monuments is refuted by the fact that other stones were actually set by Joshua, according to a command given by Moses, and that on them was inscribed a copy of the law of Moses. The original injunction of Moses is found in the 27th chapter of Deuteronomy, vv. 1-8.
'"And Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying, 'Keep all the commandments which I command you this day. And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster: and thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law when thou art passed over, that thou mayst go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee--a land that floweth with milk and honey, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee. Therefore, it shall be when ye he gone over Jordan that ye shall set up these stones which I command you this day in Mount Ehal, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up an iron tool upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God on whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God: and thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there and rejoice before the Lord thy God. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly."
'The fulfilment of the command is related in the 8th chapter of Joshua, vv. 30-32:--
'"Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well as the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount Ebal; as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterwards he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them."
'This narrative is remarkable, for it commemorates a public solemnity held for no other purpose than that the laws of Moses might be impressed on the minds of the Jewish people. The writer also tells us that it was held in accordance with the book of Moses, and yet he does not tell us that the book of Moses was produced on that occasion, though we are to suppose that it was in existence. Yet something is then done which seems to prove by implication that there was no such book at all at that time. Joshua is said to have engraved on certain stones a copy of the law of Moses, and afterwards to have read all the words of the law, and the concluding paragraph relates that "there was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel." Must we, then, suppose that the whole of the Pentateuch was inscribed on those stones by Joshua? What could be the use of inscribing the historical parts of the Pentateuch on those stones, or reading them afterwards to the people if the object was simply to admonish them that they should observe the law of Moses? It is more probable that an inscription, much shorter than the whole of the Pentateuch, was carved upon those stones, and as no mention is made of any book at all on the same occasion, we have a negative proof that no such book was in existence at that time.
'The delivery of the two tables renders it unlikely that any other writing was bequeathed by Moses to the Israelitish people, particularly as the age in wnich Moses lived precedes by many centuries the times in which books, as far as we know of them, can be proved to have been written.'
*Chapter xxviii. The remarks on page 61 apply more forcibly here. In this chapter Moses exerts himself to the utmost to depict the blessings attendant upon obedience to the laws; he uses the most expressive words he can command to define the rewards which God will give his chosen people, but he never dreams of a crown in heaven, or of an eternal life of happiness after death. If man possessed an immortal soul in the days of Moses, it is certain that Moses was ignorant of its existence. When threatening the people with terrible punishments if they disobeyed the laws, when using terms which would degrade the Deity into a cruel and horrible monster, when speaking of events which, if they had occurred, would have made life a burthen, when using the most vindictive and diabolical curses, Moses never hinted at a hell fire in which men were burned 'for ever and ever,' by the fire which is never quenched, and, at the same time, further tormented by the worm that never dieth. The doctrines of the existence of a soul, and of its punishment or reward in a future state, were entirely unknown to the Jewish lawgiver.
Verse 23. Here the heaven is to be 'brass,' and the earth 'iron.' In Leviticus, chap, xxvi., v. 19, the heaven is to be 'iron,' and the earth 'brass.'
Verse 58. Is evidently written long after the time of Moses, because at the commencement of his oration, Moses tells the elders to write 'the words' after they have crossed the Jordan, and this verse, therefore, could have formed no part of the original speech of Moses.
Verse 61. The same applies here.
*Chapter xxix., v. 23. 'Admah and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger.' We have no account of this anywhere in the Pentateuch. It has been assumed (but I am unable to learn on what ground) that these cities were destroyed at the same time with Sodom and Gomorrah.
Verses 25 and 28. Dr. Giles observes that in these verses 'are described the evils that should happen to the Israelites in case of their not observing the law which had been given by Moses:--
'"Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt For they went and served other gods, whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this Book. And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day."'
'Here is an allusion to the great downfall of the first Israelitish monarchy, too plain to be interpreted as a supposed case, merely of a misfortune which only might befall them if they should be disobedient to God's commandments. The impression which the words irresistibly leave on the mind is, that the calamity of defeat and transportation into a strange country, had actually befallen them when those words were written.'
*Chapter xxxi., w. 9, 19, 22, 24, and 26. These verses are, I believe, sometimes quoted as evidence of the authorship of the Pentateuch; but it has been urged in opposition, that it is idle to quote a work, while its authenticity is denied (vide Watson's 'Apology for the Bible,' p. 183); and that the terms 'book' and 'volume' are not applicable to the age in which Moses lived (when the mode of writing was on thin slabs of plastered stone). Papyrus is not once spoken of, or alluded to, in the Pentateuch, and could not have been known to Moses. It is also asserted, that the 'book of the law' cannot possibly be identified with the Pentateuch, or even with the Book of Deuteronomy. (See remarks on page 7, and also Dr. Cooper's letter to Professor Silliman, pp. 29 and 38.)
*Chapter xxxii. This is a song full of Oriental hyperboles. The language attributed to the Deity is absurd in the extreme, if read literally.
Verse 4. The words 'He is the rock,' are omitted, both in the Douay and Breeches Bible.
Verse 8. 'When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.' This verse is not very explicit; but if it means that God had apportioned the promised land to the Israelites, it then becomes a curious question as to how the Canaanites ever became possessed thereof. In a marginal note to my Breeches Bible, I find these words:--'When God by his providence divided the world, he lent for a time that portion to the Canaanites, which should after be an inheritance for all his people Israel.' If this be true, I can only add, that when God reclaimed his loan, he, like a modern Shylock, took a great quantity of blood as interest for his 'pound of flesh.' It does not appear, anywhere, that the Canaanites ever were informed of this strange tenure. Instead of holding the land as a loan, they looked upon it as their country, but suddenly found (if the Bible be correct) that God had 'sent them a strong delusion, that they might believe a lie.' (Vide 2 Thessaloni-ans, chap, ii., v. 11.)
Verses 12 to 15. The Israelites, according to the Pentateuch, never had much of the 'honey, oil, butter of kine, milk of sheep, fat of lambs, and rams, and goats, and fat of kidneys of wheat,' during the life of Moses; on the contrary, it is alleged that they had no bread, but fed on manna in lieu of it; that they were short of water, and were without flesh meat, having to substitute a diet of quails.
Verses 15 and 17. These verses are remarkable as containing the singular of the plural word [------] (Aleim, or Elohim), and have given rise to much controversy amongst the learned Divines, because it is apparent to even the most prejudiced, that if the singular word [------] or [------] (Aloe, or Ale), signifies 'God,' the plural must mean more Gods than one.
Verses 18, 30, and 31. For the word 'rock,' in these verses, the Douay and Breeches Bible each have the word 'God.' The Hebrew word is [------] (tsorem), which, Parkhurst tells me, is a plural noun, and 'a name of certain idols, representative of the heavens, under the attributes of compressors, givers of strength or firmness.' This would convey an impression that the Jewish religion was strongly connected with Tsabaism.
Verses 20 to 43. I shall not attempt to comment on the language attributed in these verses to the 'infinite, immutable, and merciful Father of us all;' it is quite sufficient for me to repeat the terrible threat from a God of love, 'to devour flesh with his sword, and to make his arrows drunk with blood;' and that 'the sword without and the terror within shall destroy the young man, and the virgin, the suckling, and the old man with grey hairs.
Verses 48 to 52. It is impossible to ascertain what offence was committed by Moses. In Numbers, chap, xx., we find that the Lord threatened to punish Moses and Aaron on account of their unbelief; but it is evident some portion of the Book must be lost, as the particular instance of unbelief is not mentioned.
*Chapter xxxiii., v. i., has been noticed on page 6.
Verse 2. 'He shined forth from Mount Paran.' This is an expression more applicable to the sun, in a Tsabaistic form of worship; so also is verse 26. 'There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven, in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.' The Douay reads, 'There is no other God like the God of the lightest; he that is mounted upon the heaven is thy helper. By his magnificence, the clouds run hither and thither; his dwelling is above, and underneath are the everlasting arms.'
Verse 5. In our version are these words: 'And he was King in Jeshurun.' The Douay reads, 'He shall be king with the most right.' The Breeches Bible has it--'Then he was amongst the righteous people as king.'
Simeon is altogether forgotten in this chapter. Although it is headed 'The blessings of the twelve tribes,' only eleven are mentioned.
*Chapter xxxiv., vv. 1 to 4, identifies the land which God swore he would give (but which he did not give) to the Jews for ever.
Verse 2. Which was the 'sea' mentioned here; it would have required good powers of vision to have seen the Mediterranean.
The following is from the pen of Dr. Giles:-- 'As it is impossible for a writer to relate his own death, those who maintain that the Pentateuch is the work of Moses, make an exception in favour of the last chapter. Dr. Gray has the following remarks upon this subject:--
'"The account of the death and burial of Moses, and some other seemingly posthumous particulars described in this chapter, have been reduced to prove that it could not have been written by Moses; and, in all probability, these circumstances may have been inserted by Joshua, to complete the history of this illustrious prophet; or were afterwards added by Samuel, or some prophet who succeeded him. They were admitted by Ezra as authentic, and we have no reason to question the fidelity of the account."
'This language is authoritative and dictatorial. Truth, when questioned, comes out purer and brighter for the ideal through which it has passed: whereas error is scorched and withered by the touch of criticism. The chapter before us is admitted by all not to have been written by Moses. Why, then, was it ever attached to the Book of Moses, without some strong mark, to denote that it was only an appendix? It cannot be allowed that Joshua, Samuel, or Ezra, could connive at such a deception. There is internal evidence that neither Joshua nor Samuel made this addition to the Pentateuch; for the word Nabi, rendered in English prophet, indicates an age later than that of Samuel. We learn from the 1st Book of Samuel, chap, ix., v. 9, which was written after Samuel's death, that he who
'Is now called a prophet was before time a seer.
'If, therefore, the xxxiv. chapter of Deuteronomy had been written before, or in the time of Samuel, Moses would have been designated as a seer [in Hebrew, Roech], and not Nabi, a prophet. This exculpates both Joshua and Samuel from having added to the Book of Moses without mark of such addition. There are also other indications in the same chapter that Joshua could not have written it; for he would hardly have written of himself that Joshua the son of Nun was "full of the spirit of wisdom;" neither would he have said, "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses;" for there was no other prophet to whom Moses could be compared except Joshua himself. The word since implies that many years had passed since the death of Moses, and that many prophets had arisen, none of whom could be placed in comparison with him who led them out of Egypt. Moreover, the words, "no man knoweth of his sepulchre"--i.e., the sepulchre of Moses--"unto this day," are another proof that the chapter was not added by Joshua, for they imply that a considerable space of time had elapsed, during which the sepulchre of Moses remained unknown. As Joshua died only twenty-five years after Moses, these words coming from his mouth would lose half their force, and would, probably, also convey an untruth; for we cannot believe that the great Hebrew legislator was buried clandestinely; or that Joshua, the next in command, and almost his equal, could be ignorant where his body was laid.' The Book we have last examined professes in part to be a repetition by Moses, of various events mentioned in the previous Books; but as there are omissions of former statements, and additions of statements, before left unnoticed, as well as positive disagreements between some portions of the various texts, we are placed in the position of being compelled to deem one or the other as less worthy of our credence. This is at the best an embarrassing position; but our embarrassment is increased when we are gravely assured that both statements are from the pen of the same writer. We are tempted to doubt whether in an age when writing was a task of great difficulty (both from the inferiority of the materials then used, and the general ignorance of the people), any man would be likely to indulge in such long repetitions as those here found, and our inquietude is nowise allayed by the additional assurance that the Book is a revelation from God, especially when we read the list of terrible curses threatened in his name, but we feel that it is impossible a revelation from a loving God could include the directions for wholesale slaughterings of the human family, such as contained in this Book; or that an immutable God could have revealed that he had repented or changed his mind towards his people. There is no feature connected with the Book of Deuteronomy which enables us to place it in a better position than the four 'Books previously examined; its historical and educational character stands on the same basis. In quitting the Pentateuch, I must ask several questions of my readers. 1st. Are you satisfied that Moses is not its author? I have cone with you carefully through every verse, and nowhere have we round anything which should induce us to regard Moses as the author of the first four books; with regard to a portion of the fifth Book, it is possible that a few scattered phrases may lead some to conclude that Moses might have been its author. But this supposition is dissipated when we ascertain that whatever books of the law the Jews possessed, were burnt either prior to, or during their captivity under the Persians. (See 2 Esdras, chap, xiv., v. 21.) 'For thy law is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the things that are done of thee, or the works that shall be done.' I submit, therefore, that there is no evidence whatever to support the hypothesis that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch; against the proposition the evidence assumes a very strong character.
There are numerous verses which I have specially noticed, which it is utterly impossible Moses could have written, as they relate to events which transpired after his death; and there are other passages which are very unlikely to have been the product of his pen, from the mode of reference to himself.
There are numerous passages directly contradictory one of the other, and which compel the belief that more than one man must have been concerned in writing the Books.
The incoherency of many portions of the Books betrays the fact, that they have been compiled from various manuscripts, and that in some passages due attention was not paid by the compiler to the manner in which he joined the different documents. The reference to the book of the wars of the Lord admits the existence of other documents at the time Numbers was written; and the passages referred to on pages 76 and 77, are evidence that documents have existed containing more complete accounts of the life and times of Moses, than those we are commenting on.
Bishop Watson says:--
'It appears incredible to many that God Almighty should have had colloquial intercourse with our first parents; that he should have contracted a kind of friendship for the patriarchs, and entered into covenants with them; that he should have suspended the laws of nature in Egypt: should have been so apparently partial as to become the God and governor of one particular nation; and should have so far demeaned himself as to give to that people a burthensome ritual of worship, statutes, and ordinances, many of which seem to be beneath the dignity of his attention, unimportant, and impolitic. I have conversed with many Deists, and have always found that the strangeness of these things was the only reason for their disbelief of them: nothing similar has happened in their time; they will not therefore admit that these events have really taken place at any time. As well might a child, when arrived at a state of manhood, contend that he had never either stood in need, or experienced the fostering care of a mother's kindness, the wearisome attention of his nurse, or the instruction and discipline of his schoolmaster. The Supreme Being selected one family from an idolatrous world; nursed it up by various acts of his providence into a great nation: communicated to that nation a knowledge of his holiness, justice, mercy, power, and wisdom; disseminated them, at various times, through every part of the earth, that they might be a "leaven to leaven the whole lump;" that they might assure all other nations of the existence of one Supreme God, the creator and preserver of the world, the only proper object of adoration.'
As an Atheist, I cannot quite appreciate the analogical character of the argument, when I find Bishop Watson comparing the Deity with a mother, a nurse, and a schoolmaster. I cannot understand the maternal care for the children of Abraham, who were oppressed in Egypt, starved, plagued, and slaughtered in the desert of Sin, and who never enjoyed a tract of country so large as Great Britain in the whole course of their history. The bishop speaks of the Jews as nursed into a great nation. When was this? If God has communicated to the Jews his 'power and wisdom,' where are the effects shown? What is the common estimate of the Jews? That they are powerful only as usurers, wise only in estimating the value of the money which they lend, and the security they take for it. I do not endorse this estimate, because I know they have produced a few wonderful musicians, and one or two men wno deserve to be in the front rank of the world's Freethinkers, but even I confess that the Jews do not seem to me to be (or ever to have been) a great, powerful, and wise nation. Bishop Watson says that it is an article of faith among the Jews that the law was given by Moses, and that it is well known that the Jews gave the name of the law to the first five books of the Old Testament; if so, the 'law' was burnt and forgotten at the time Ezra wrote, and no man knew anything about it. But whether the books were written by Moses, or by Ezra, or whether they were compiled from Hindoo or Egyptian originals, would matter but little to us if they were of the slightest utility to mankind. I will not further object as to the impossibility of their being revealed by God. I think I have said enough on that point. I now simply ask, Why have we Bible societies for the distribution of Bibles all over the world? Members of the Peace Society, when you subscribe your guineas, remember the 'Book of the Wars of the Lord,' remember the command of the Jewish warriors to 'save alive nothing that breatheth.' Fathers who wish for truthful sons, remember the reward of the false and cunning Jacob, who cheated the dying Isaac. Daughters, remember the regulation made for your sale by your parents, and the careful provision of a pecuniary compensation for your lost virtue, if the man who buys you becomes weary of his purchase. Anti-slavery men, forget not the godlike text which places a man's liberty on one side, and his wife and children on the other, and (with a refinement of cruelty worthy rather to be from a devil than from a god) bids him desert his family, or be a slave for ever; bear in mind, also, the wise protection of the rights of property, and do not ignore the fact that the servant man or maid is a chattel, 'the money' of his or her master. Astronomers, recollect that the sun was created after the earth, and that light existed, and morning and evening, day and night, were determined prior to the creation of either sun, moon, or stars. Geologists, what shall I say to you, except to bid you shut up your stone books when you open your Bibles?
We have examined five books; the following is an analysis of their contents:--Genesis relates the history of the world from its creation until the time of Abraham. This, according to some Biblical chronologists, takes in about 2,000 years, but these people do not reckon the seven days (?) in which the earth was made. After the time of Abraham, it confines itself to the Israelitish nation, whose history it continues to the time of Joseph, which, according to the same chronology, would bring us down to about a.m. 2369. From this history of the world, we can learn but little, except that religion must have commenced its tyrannical reign very early. This is proved by the general depravity of the people--a depravity often resulting from habits of superstition and ignorance. We gather the characters of the founders of the Jewish nation from Genesis, and we then wonder most profoundly. Incomprehensibility seems the proper attribute of Deity; the preference shown for the descendants of Abraham is, undoubtedly, a matter far beyond our comprehension. We can hardly understand in what points Abraham was superior to other human beings. His grandson, Jacob, seems to have been decidedly a great rascal, and his great grandchildren appear much worse than their father, but it might be that God chose them on account of their bad qualities so that the mystery might be more complete. Exodus continues the history of the Jews, leaving the other nations unnoticed, except the unfortunate Egyptian nation, who suffered a series of terrible punishments at the hands of the Deity. We may here admire the mercy and loving kindness of the omnipotent and immutable Ruler of the universe, as shown in the history of the plagues and drownings of the Egyptians. This book brings down the history to about a.m. 2550. The chronologists slightly differ as to the exact date.
Leviticus is limited almost wholly to legislative enactments. The purpose of many of the laws is not at all clear. No moral or physical evil is apparently likely to result from eating an eel, yet eels are prohibited as articles of food. The whole of Leviticus may be disregarded without loss in an historical point of view, and of its statutes we can but say, that many of them are better honoured by neglect than by observance.
Numbers professes to contain the history of the Jews during about thirty-nine years, taking in that period of the wanderings in the wilderness, from about b.c. 1451 to b.c. 1490. These dates, as the former ones, are purely hypothetical, and have their chief foundation in the credulity of the people and the holiness of the priests. From this book we may learn, very decidedly, that 'God's ways are not as our ways.' Now, a thirsty man would ask for water, and if he were placed in a position where water was inaccessible, he would complain, and most men would hold that his complaints were just, and it would be regarded as a case of considerable hardship if the man should happen to be punished by the civil magistrate merely because he complained. Then, a thirsty people asked for water, and were severely punished by their merciful and immutable Father. Now, a wizard at Leeds is imprisoned for eighteen months, with hard labour, because the laws, the Church, the jury, and the judge all disbelieve in his power to work miracles. Then, the omniscient and omnipotent Deity acknowledged the power of the wizard of Pethor to work miracles, and, wishing to prevent a curse from falling on the Israelites, the angel of the Lord was sent, who made himself known to the wizard's donkey, and stopped the wizard's journey. The wizard lost his temper, and then, like many other enraged men, became as complete an ass as the animal he rode, and also perceived the angel. Numbers contains some ceremonial laws which I think have been already sufficiently adverted to.
Deuteronomy carries the history of the Jews on to the death of Moses, but only includes a very short period of time--viz., about twelve months. Its length is caused by the repetitions of many parts of the previous books. Its chief merit is, that it disagrees where it professes to reiterate, and as of two contradictory statements, one must be false, it requires considerable stretching ol the mental faculties to accept both as true. The following chronological table of the chief events in the Pentateuch may prove interesting to my readers. Its accuracy is not vouched, but it is acknowledged by many Biblical scholars:-- B.C. 4004. The world created--Adam made.
3417. Methusalem born.
3074. Adam died.
3048. Noah born.
2448. The Flood.
2093. Noah died.
1921. Abraham went down into Egypt.
1706. Jacob's family settled in Egypt.
1491. The Israelites were led out of Egypt.
1452. Moses died.
There are many other matters in the Pentateuch to which attention might be usefully drawn, but my space is limited; and even with the present mode of treatment, it will be difficult to compress the whole of my work so as to present it as a cheap volume. I am aware that some of my readers will not approve of those criticisms which serve to make apparent the many absurdities of the text, still, I trust that all will admit that in no case have I misquoted or misconstrued a passage for the purpose of gaining a temporary effect. I have written as I have thought, and my fervent wish is, that my writing may be examined, and if proved true, that each word may have power, like an axe, to hew down the Upas tree, which, while it poisons the mind and destroys the freethought of the child, yet claims to be the guide and educator of the man.
