Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Part 26

With these legends before them, the Jewish priests in Babylon had no difficulty in arranging the story of Samson, and adding it to their already fabulous history.

As the Rev. Dr. Isaac M. Wise remarks, in speaking of the ancient Hebrews: "They adopted forms, terms, ideas and myths of all nations with whom they came in contact, and, like the Greeks, in their way, _cast them all in a peculiar Jewish religious mold_."

We have seen, in the chapter which treats of this legend, that it is recorded in the book of Judges. _This book was not written till after the first set of Israelites had been carried into captivity, and perhaps still later._[105:4]

After this we have "_Jonah swallowed by a Big Fish_," which is the last legend treated.

We saw that it was a _solar myth_, known to many nations of antiquity.

The writer of the book--whoever he may have been--_lived in the fifth century before Christ_--after the Jews had become acquainted and had mixed with other nations. The writer of this wholly fict.i.tious story, taking the prophet Jonah--who was evidently an historical personage--for his hero, was perhaps intending to show the loving-kindness of Jehovah.[105:5]

We have now examined all the _princ.i.p.al_ Old Testament legends, and, after what has been seen, we think that no _impartial_ person can still consider them _historical facts_. That so great a number of educated persons still do so seems astonishing, in our way of thinking. They have repudiated Greek and Roman mythology with disdain; why then admit with respect the mythology of the Jews? Ought the miracles of Jehovah to impress us more than those of Jupiter? We think not; they should all be looked upon as _relics of the past_.

That Christian writers are beginning to be aroused to the idea that another tack should be taken, differing from the old, is very evident.

This is clearly seen by the words of Prof. Richard A. Armstrong, the translator of Dr. Knappert's "Religion of Israel" into English. In the _Preface_ of this work, he says:

"It appears to me to be profoundly important that the youthful English mind should be faithfully and accurately informed of the results of modern research into the early development of the Israelitish religion. Deplorable and irreparable mischief will be done to the generation, now pa.s.sing into manhood and womanhood, if their educators leave them ignorant or loosely informed on these topics; for they will then be rudely awakened by the enemies of Christianity from a blind and unreasoning faith in the supernatural inspiration of the Scriptures; and being suddenly and bluntly made aware that Abraham, Moses, David, and the rest did not say, do, or write what has been ascribed to them, they will fling away all care for the venerable religion of Israel and all hope that it can nourish their own religious life. How much happier will those of our children and young people be who learn what is now known of the actual origin of the Pentateuch and the Writings, from the same lips which have taught them that the Prophets indeed prepared the way for Jesus, and that G.o.d is indeed our Heavenly Father. For these will, without difficulty, perceive that G.o.d's love is none the feebler and that the Bible is no less precious, because Moses knew nothing of the Levitical legislation, or because it was not the warrior monarch on his semi-barbaric throne, but some far later son of Israel, who breathed forth the immortal hymn of faith, 'The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.'"

For the benefit of those who may think that the evidence of plagiarism on the part of the Hebrew writers has not been sufficiently substantiated, we will quote a few words from Prof. Max Muller, who is one of the best English authorities on this subject that can be produced. In speaking of this he says:

"The opinion that the _Pagan_ religions were mere corruptions of the religion of the Old Testament, once supported by men of high authority and great learning, _is now as completely surrendered as the attempts of explaining Greek and Latin as the corruptions of Hebrew_."[106:1]

Again he says:

"As soon as the ancient language and religion of India became known in Europe it was a.s.serted that Sanskrit, _like all other languages_, was to be derived from Hebrew, and the ancient religion of the Brahmans from the Old Testament. There was at that time an enthusiasm among Oriental scholars, particularly at Calcutta, and an interest for Oriental antiquities in the public at large, of which we, in these days of apathy for Eastern literature, can hardly form an adequate idea.

Everybody wished to be first in the field, and to bring to light some of the treasures which were supposed to be hidden in the sacred literature of the Brahmans. . . . No doubt the temptation was great. No one could look down for a moment into the rich mine of religious and mythological lore that was suddenly opened before the eyes of scholars and theologians, _without being struck by a host of similarities, not only in the languages, but also in the ancient traditions of the Hindoos_, the Greeks, and the Romans; and if at that time the Greeks and Romans were still _supposed_ to have borrowed their language and their religion from Jewish quarters, _the same conclusion could hardly be avoided with regard to the language and the religion of the Brahmans of India_. . . .

"The student of Pagan religion as well as Christian missionaries were bent on discovering more striking and more startling coincidences, _in order to use them in confirmation of their favorite theory that some rays of a primeval revelation, or some reflection of the Jewish religion, had reached the uttermost ends of the world_."[107:1]

The result of all this is summed up by Prof. Muller as follows:

"_It was the fate of all (these) pioneers, not only to be left behind in the a.s.sault which they had planned, but to find that many of their approaches were made in a false direction, and had to be abandoned._"[107:2]

Before closing this chapter, we shall say a few words on the religion of Israel. It is supposed by many--in fact, we have heard it a.s.serted by those who should know better--that the Israelites were always _monotheists_, that they worshiped One G.o.d only--_Jehovah_.[107:3] This is altogether erroneous; they were not different from their neighbors--the Heathen, so-called--in regard to their religion.

In the first place, we know that they revered and worshiped a _Bull_, called _Apis_,[107:4] just as the ancient Egyptians did. They worshiped the _sun_,[108:1] the _moon_,[108:2] the _stars_ and all the host of heaven.[108:3]

They worshiped _fire_, and kept it burning on an altar, just as the Persians and other nations.[108:4] They worshiped _stones_,[108:5]

revered an _oak tree_,[108:6] and "bowed down" to _images_.[108:7] They worshiped a "Queen of Heaven" called the G.o.ddess _Astarte_ or _Mylitta_, and "burned incense" to her.[108:8] They worshiped _Baal_,[108:9]

Moloch,[108:10] and _Chemosh_,[108:11] _and offered up human sacrifices to them_,[108:12] after which in some instances, _they ate the victim_.[108:13]

It was during the Captivity that idolatry ceased among the Israelites.[108:14] The Babylonian Captivity is clearly referred to in the book of Deuteronomy, as the close of Israel's idolatry.[108:15]

There is reason to believe that the real genius of the people was first called into full exercise, and put on its career of development at this time; that Babylon was a _forcing nursery_, not a prison cell; _creating instead of stifling a nation_. The astonishing outburst of intellectual and moral energy that accompanied the return from the Babylonish Captivity, attests the spiritual activity of that "mysterious and momentous" time. As Prof. Goldziher says: "The intellect of _Babylon_ and _a.s.syria_ exerted a more than pa.s.sing influence on that of the _Hebrews_, not merely touching it, but _entering deep into it_, and _leaving its own impression upon it_."[108:16]

This impression we have already partly seen in the legends which they borrowed, and it may also be seen in the religious ideas which they imbibed.

The a.s.syrian colonies which came and occupied the land of the tribes of Israel filled the kingdom of Samaria with the dogma of the _Magi_, which very soon penetrated into the kingdom of Judah. Afterward, Jerusalem being subjugated, the defenseless country was entered by persons of different nationalities, who introduced their opinions, and in this way, the religion of Israel was doubly mutilated. Besides, the priests and great men, who were transported to Babylon, were educated in the sciences of the Chaldeans, and imbibed, during a residence of fifty years, nearly the whole of their theology. It was not until this time that the dogmas of the hostile genius (Satan), the angels Michael, Uriel, Yar, Nisan, &c., the rebel angels, the battle in heaven, the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection, were introduced and naturalized among the Jews.[109:1]

NOTE.--It is not generally known that the Jews were removed from their own land until the time of the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar, but there is evidence that Jerusalem was plundered by the _Edomites_ about 800 B. C., who sold some of the captive Jews to the Greeks (Joel, iii. 6). When the captives returned to their country from "the Islands which are beyond the sea" (Jer. xxv. 18, 22), they would naturally bring back with them much of the h.e.l.lenic lore of their conquerors. In Isaiah (xi. 11), we find a reference to this first captivity in the following words: "In that day the Lord shall set his hand again the _second time_ to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from a.s.syria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the _Islands of the sea_;" i. e., GREECE.

FOOTNOTES:

[89:1] See Beal: Hist. Buddha, p. 111, _et seq._

[89:2] Bell's Pantheon, under "Perseus;" Knight: Ancient Art and Mytho., p. 178, and Bulfinch: Age of Fables, p. 161.

[90:1] Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 118. Taylor's Diegesis, p. 190.

Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19.

[90:2] Ibid.

[90:3] Bell's Pantheon, vol. i. p. 122. Dupuis: Origin of Religious Belief, p. 174. Goldziher: Hebrew Mythology, p. 179. Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19.

[90:4] Bell's Pantheon, art. "Osiris;" and Bulfinch: Age of Fable, p.

391

[90:5] Baring-Gould: Orig. Relig. Belief, i. 159.

[90:6] Exodus, ii.

[90:7] See Child: Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 6, and most any work on Buddhism.

[90:8] See Smith: Chaldean Account of Genesis.

[90:9] See Goldziher: Hebrew Mythology, p. 128, _note_.

[90:10] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. pp. 213, 214.

[90:11] I. Samuel, xvii.

[91:1] See Goldzhier: Hebrew Mythology, p. 430, and Bulfinch: Age of Fable, 440.

[91:2] Chapter xxii.

[91:3] See Smith's Chaldean Account of Genesis, p. 188, _et seq._

[91:4] See Prog. Relig. Ideas, vol. i. p. 323.

[91:5] See Higgins: Anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 19.

[91:6] Ibid. i. 191, and ii. 241; Franklin: Bud. & Jeynes, 174.

[91:7] Hardy: Buddhist Legends, pp. 50, 53, and 140.

[91:8] See Ibid.