The Bible: what it is Part 13

Bishop Watson says:--

'It appears incredible to many that G.o.d 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 G.o.d 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 a.s.sure all other nations of the existence of one Supreme G.o.d, the creator and preserver of the world, the only proper object of adoration.'

As an Atheist, I cannot quite appreciate the a.n.a.logical 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 G.o.d 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 {94} 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 G.o.d. 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 G.o.dlike 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 G.o.d) 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 a.n.a.lysis 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 superst.i.tion 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 G.o.d chose them on account of their bad qualities so that the mystery might be more complete. {95} 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 'G.o.d'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 a.s.s 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 repet.i.tions 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:-- {96} 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 s.p.a.ce 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 pa.s.sage 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. {97}

BOOK VI. JOSHUA

It is alleged by many that this book was written by Joshua, and that there is internal evidence of that fact. Dr. Giles has very fully discussed this subject in pages 153 to 164 of his 'Hebrew Records,' to which I refer my readers. It is clear that the book, as a whole, was not written by Joshua; and, as I cannot find anything enabling me to discover the author, it must be criticised in the same manner as other anonymous writings.

*Chapter ii., v. 14. The command to save alive nothing that breatheth is soon set at nought. Here is a covenant made by the spies with a Canaanitish woman; this covenant is afterwards confirmed by Joshua in direct opposition to the commands of G.o.d, given through Moses. (See chap, vi., vv. 22 and 23, and Deuteronomy, chap, vii., vv. 2 and 3.) By Matthew, chap. L, v. 5, it would appear that Rahab was married to Salmon, so that three of G.o.d's ordinances are here broken; first, in sparing the lives of herself and family, second, in making a covenant with her, third, in marrying her. From this lady we derive David and all the succeeding kings.

*Chapter iv., v. 7. 'These stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.' Where are they now? It would be some evidence in support of the genuineness of this pretended history of the Jews if these twelve stones could be shown. It is no answer that the ravages of time, or other adverse circ.u.mstances, may have removed them. These stones were to be a memorial 'for ever.'

Verse 9. 'And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood, _and they are there unto this day!_

If the stones had not been there a long time, the writer of the book would not have used such an expression. It would have been in no wise remarkable that the twelve stones, or pillar, should have stood forty or fifty years, but the writer means that they had stood 500, or perhaps 1000 years.

Verse 13. If this means that the whole of the fighting men of the Jews numbered only 40,000, they must have sadly dwindled away, as in Numbers, chap. i., vv. 3 and 46, they are stated at 603,550.

Verse 23. 'For the Lord your G.o.d dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you as the Lord your G.o.d did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from _before us until we were pa.s.sed over_,' yet in chap, v., v. 4, we are told that all the people that came out of Egypt died in the wilderness.

*Chapter v., v. 1. 'Until we were pa.s.sed over.' Bishop Tomline remarks on this pa.s.sage:--

'The use of the word "we" proves that this book was written by Joshua, or by some one else alive at the time.

'This inference is obvious, and cannot be objected to if it can be shown that the words of the text, _until WE were pa.s.sed over_, are {98} a correct translation of the corresponding words in the original Hebrew Bible. This, however, is not the case. The pa.s.sage before us is one of the parts of the Bible which has been corrupted by time, and the error has arisen in the present instance from the great similarity between the Hebrew words, [------] Aberanoo, "we pa.s.sed over," and [------] Abekoom, "he caused them to pa.s.s over." These words are very similar, and though the common text of the Hebrew Bible now reads Aberanoo, which gives the sense of "we pa.s.sed over," yet this was not the old reading of the pa.s.sage, but Aberoom, "he [i.e., G.o.d] caused them to pa.s.s over," and among the various readings of the text Aberoom actually is found: but the Hebrew letter [--] has been carelessly divided into two letters, [--] vau and [--] nun, by the copyist, and the translators of the Bible, not perceiving the error, and perhaps tempted to make a choice which tended to attach to the book the value of a contemporary record, have given the pa.s.sage that interpretation which has misled so many critics and on which is built so fallacious a theory.

'That the error is such as I described it, and consequently that the theory built upon it is fallacious, must inevitably result from the accuracy of our present statement, which becomes almost a matter of certainty from the concurrence of the Septuagint and Vulgate translations.

'In the German translations of the Bible the error has been corrected, and the proper reading of the word restored.

'It appears, then, that this pa.s.sage, which has been made the basis for the belief that the Book of Joshua is a contemporary writing, has been incorrectly translated in our common English Bibles, and consequently the opinion "built upon it must fall to the ground".'

Verse 9. On page 35 is quoted Voltaire's criticism on this text, 'I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.' It is evident that it refers to the circ.u.mcision, which was an established ceremony amongst the Egyptians from the earliest ages.

Verses 13 to 15. In what manner shall I comment on these verses? Shall I gravely reason upon the improbability of 'a man with a drawn sword'

being the 'captain of the Lord's host?' Shall I venture to doubt whether the captain of the Lord's host would come to Joshua for the mere purpose of telling him to take off his shoes, or ought I not rather at once to cla.s.s these verses with such tales as 'Aladdin's Lamp,' and others of a like character, dismissing them as unworthy of further criticism?

*Chapter vi. relates the miraculous falling down of the walls of the city of Jericho. One of two courses must be pursued when reading it; either the reader must discard the evidence presented by his senses, and, without reasoning, blindly accept the story, or he will be compelled at once to reject it as absurd. I have read of the destruction of a suspension bridge, or bridge of boats, in consequence of vibration, produced by the marching across, in regular time, of a large body of men, but I am inclined to think that all the Jews in the world might march round Jericho until they were sorely fatigued, and yet have but {99} little effect on its walls. Walls are more likely to tumble down by pushing against them than by shouting at them. It is almost to be regretted that our Christian friends did not try the experiment at Sebastopol; if it had succeeded, it would have struck all the world with astonishment.

'Chap, vii., v. 1 to end. Among many nations in their rude infancy, and while gross and barbarous ideas prevailed, it has been held that sin or offence, particularly if of an aggravated kind, against the G.o.ds or the nearest relationships amongst men could never be pardoned. The Nemesis must be satisfied; but satisfaction was often obtained from the innocent, who were made the objects of vengeance instead of the guilty.

The ancient Hebrews partic.i.p.ated in these notions of other uncultivated nations, hence their ideas of visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children, of the Israelitish army defeated on account of Achan, etc.

This idea was greatly encouraged by the Levitical priests, whose interests were promoted by it, and by the practice of sacrifices, which was founded upon the a.s.sumption of vicariousness and expiation. This idea also became thoroughly interwoven with the theocratical inst.i.tution of the Jews, the worship of their sanctuary, their hymns, and the poetry of their prophets.

'Verse 26. And they raised over him [Achan] a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger Wherefore the name of that place was called the valley of Achor unto this day.

'Chap, viii., vv. 28, 29. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. And the King of Ai he [Joshua]

hanged on a tree until eventide. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, _that remaineth_ unto this day.'

'The words, _that remaineth_, do not occur in the original Hebrew; they have been added by the translators to make the sense complete. The only inference which both these last quoted pa.s.sages carry with them concerning the age when they were written is that it was a very long time after the death of Achan in the first text, and of the King of Ai in the second. A similar inference is deduced from the verse which follows:--

'Chap, ix., v. 27. "And Joshua made them [the Gibeonites] that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, _even unto this day, in the place which he should choose_."

'The "place which the Lord should choose" was finally Jerusalem, and, if the words were written in the later period of the Israelitish government, the Lord had already chosen Jerusalem to be the site of his temple and the place of his worship.

'Chap, x., v. 1. "Now it came to pa.s.s when Adonizedec, King of Jerusalem, had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it," etc.

'This chapter is full of names that did not exist until many years {100} afterwards, some more, some less. Bethhoron, mentioned at verse 10, was built by an Israelitish lady after the conquest, as we learn from 1 Chron. vii., 23, 24:--