, 1876-08-27
TIE HEBREW RELIGION.

DIR. ADLER's ACCOUNT OF ITS EVOLUTION
Prof. Felix Adler, the accomplished Hebr1ist,
has written paper on I" The Evolution OF he
brew Religion In which are summed up in brief
and popular form the results Of the application
of historical criticism to tnc Old Testament
Scriptures. Following are few extracts, which
will be of interest to all students OF the Bible
who have not CHANGED to meet with the same
thoughts as developed in recent critical works:
Scripture opens with two divergent accounts Of
the creation. Genesis l., the work Of creation pro-
nation OF inaninate and animate nature respect.
iye1y On the first day difnsed light Is spread
out over chaos: Then are made the iIrmansnt
the drv earth. the green herbs, nnd fruit bearing
trees: on the fourth day the srest lan1inaries are
called into being; the fifth, the fishes and birds
Of the air; on the SIXTH the beasts oi the helo'
and lastly, crowning all. man, his Maker master
piece. Fhe human species enters at once upon is
existence as pair. ''Male nnd female did lie
the second ;s snapta55 the s1o s1e
Is not observed. Man, his interests and RESPONSE
Fhs ises a he TIC asd s9s 1o made S
Adam; aud subsequently to them. tue cattle ana
beasts. Moreover, man is solitary belng- "a a
dual existence Of the remainder Of the animal
world leads the Deity to determine upon the crea-
ton OF woman. a profound slnmber then falls
from 1t Eve Ia fashioned. We may notice that the
name Jehovah, as appcrtaining to the Deity. is
employed in the second chapter, while it Is tcru-
guGn ssSsa II Of Ae the two accounts ws
we have Just indicated have induced scholarf TO
regard them as the work Of different wfteEs, oc ~
Adams grandson, men began to call on the name an
Of Jehovah in Exodus VII on the cgntrsryt aa saa1
the name Jehovah was first revealed 10 Moses
being unknown even to the patrlarclis
Genesis xvi, Hagar is driven from her home by
| the jealousy OF her mistress; escapes into me
1I-~ . e3n nffr Rf a
dernrss. Genesis xxi, the flight OF lasar is re-
| lated a second time. The general scheme OF the
!. the same As 1nt tae1s aae IN
% fore the Obi birth Of 1shmael Fifteen years elapsed
mael now approaching the years Of maturity, Is
| once more driven from the house Of Abraham;
But. to our surprise, in Chap xxl' the ,ria' iad
on his mothers shoulders, and laid away,
| ike q helpless babe, under some bushes
by the wayside 1tappears that We nave oeiGre Gs -
| two accounts touchng the same event. agreeing IL
| the main incidents Of the escape, but showing
disagreement Of fifteen years as to the date o. ~
occurrence The narratives are dlstlngasnen - .:
above bv the employment OF different names OF tnt
Deity, Jehovah IN the one instance, Elohim in tht
| other. 7,,h,1- a.
ter wrestling during the night with divine being
receives the name Of Israel. Genesis XIV, With
ont reference to the previous account, tne nam nam
Israel is conferred upon JACOB At asnesen' Fon
what We have said it follows that the prophet'
ideal of religion is the root and core Of ai that
valuable IN the Hebrew Bible. The laws, rites,
and observances in which it found temporary cn<
changeful expression may loss thsl' m hnh ytaiS q
An-nce. II was not the work Of one man no
age 1u. was rssehsa m tue eyolSe
amid error and vice, slowly, and against az tn
Of tine t has 9esn sna taf he bbe
saIf ~ a nrominent example of evolution in his
in al al baa its error at
Tailihj;ty These arc the incipient stages OF III
emily ase,-the dark and dread beginnings There
are others thrilling with noblest cs
a2e wsh the trumph and the rutlon later day
It il thus by discriminating between what Is essen
| t;,1,y excellent and what is comparatively value
less hat we shall best reconcile the diseordan
claims Of reason and Of faith The b'oie wa
never designed to convey scientific in1ormauon a.
nor was it intended to serve Is text book OF ~
tory. In its ethical teachings lies its true ssni1i
ca1ce On them it may fairly rest liz clatls u IL
| ;Inmorta1 reverence Of mankind.