Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1860-01-26
Ancient Assyria and the Bible.

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The discoveries OF Layard at NineTali;
though curious and instructive in all re-
spects, are most important for the light
they throw on Scripture. In reading thS
narrative of the bold explorer, we seem
to be transported back to the days of the
Hebrew prophet for substantially the
same manners and customs prevail Ill
Mesopotamia now as did three Thousand
years ago. There are still the lodges in
the cucumber gardens, which Isaiah de-:
scribes; the oxen still tread the corn;
and the wild asses of the desert, so poet.
ically alluded to in Job, still watch the
traveller from distance, pause for him
to draw near, and then gallop away to
the shadow, horizon. To realize the old
testament Layard should be read. That
ancient portion of the Bible ceases to be
the dim, far off record it has heretofore
appeared; light CLEANS all along its
pages; its actors live and move before
US; we become ourselves sharers in the
story, and the past, for the moment, is
yivltled into the present. The cOn6rma-
ton of the truth of Scripture, derived
from the sculptures Of Ninevah, is not less
remarkable. The bass reliefs on the
walls of the palaces, now just restored to
light, after being entombed for nearly
two thousand years. versify perpetrelly
the Hebrew Bible. There is still to be
seen the wild bull in the net, mentioned
by Isaiah; the Babalonian pffhces iii
vermlllon, with dyed attire on their heads,
described by Ezekiel and warriors
bringing the heads of theft enemies III
caskets, to cast them down at the palace
gates, as was done with the heads ofaeV-
enty sons of Ahab.
There, too, arc pgiHtgd shields hung
on the wall Of 5esieged towns; as we are
told by the Jewish prophet he beheld at
Tyre. There the forts built over against
the beleaguered city /; the king placing
his foot Oh the hecks of the captive prin-
ces; and the idols of the conquered car
ried away by the victors, precisely as de.
scribed by Hosea and other Sacred
authors. There was also the Assyrian
gods, still the same as when their portrais
was drawn five aud twenty centuries
ago-cut from the trees of the forest,
decked with silver and gold, fastened
with nails, and clothed with purple and
blue. The very star to which Amos
alludes is yet on those palace walls, above
the horn cap Of the Idol, thougk the wor.
shippers have been dead for thousands of
years, and though the wild beasts, as
predicted, have long made their lairs
there:
Even the enGrmous circumfefenee which
Jonah gives to the walls of Nineyah is
fully corroborated. The three days
journey Of the prophet is still required
TO make the circuit of the great ruins on
the east bank of the Tigres-for the PEG.
pie of Messopotamia built their cities as
the Hindoos still construct theirs. First.
one king erected a palace, around which
grew up town; then new monarch
built one, for fresh air, on the verge Of
the open country, whittier soon followed
another town and this process vas re.
peated until several contiguous cities
we're decayfng and being erected, all
passing however, under tie general name
and covering together an extent Of gresRA
which would otherwise be Incredible
The light thrown on Scripture, the con-
Grmation afforded to the Bible, by thesr
recent discoveries at Nineveh, is SO rt.
markablc' that it almost seems as If thai
ancient city, after being buried, had been
allowed to be disibterred solely to con-
found the folly of hodern skeptieism.
-Bost0n lnpestieaf0r.