The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-06-16
Literary Notes.

Story OF the EI0duS OF ISTueti Wtt'e - WV y
Monumental Egypt: Compiled from Dr. Br'tgsch-
Ben Nth an Introduction and Notes 6y r. ii.
Underwood (Messrs. Lee C Shepard Boston.
S1.5O) The name of this generously printed
book of two hundred and fifty pages seems
scarcely well chosen There is something slight
" indicative of a challenge in such a tltle;-so
much so, that it is matter of surprise that more
special notice of it has not been taken by the
critics who are generally eager enough Tor what
affords handle which they can roughly grasp.
The TRUE ,Story---Dr. Brugsch says as II for
sooth, we Bible-readers have all along been con-
tenting ourselves with a false or incomplete one
Yet let us not intimate for moment, that the
learned German Psychologist means to regard
the sacred Scriptures in any irreverent light, or
to doubt their testimony. By 20 means, as he
over and again asserts. He has been for thirty
years searching along with Marietta Bey, 80
famous for his archaeological revelations, among
Egyptian temples, tombs, and pyramids for re-
cords in stone and papyri, that would throw
light on the long past of that oldest civilization
Of the world. Together, they have made many
discoveries Their researches carry them very
far back, even to the founding of the monarchy
of Mena, fifty centuries before Christ. Modern
Christians will be apt to think that they find too
much. We all know how keen a learned Ger
mans scent becomes when he gets upon the
trail of an investigation: we see traces of this
characteristic here now and then. There is no
doubt some ground for the assertion that the
Ten Commandments in some of their essentials,
are found in the 'Book of the Dead" of the an
cient Egyptians for the conscience of man re-
spends instinctively to these primal laws but
that keeping holy the Sabbath-loving ones
neighbor as ones SELF and others were enjoined,
as they are in the Table of the Law given by
Moses, is not to be received for a moment
Moses 1Uas indebted for his culture to Egypt we
know-not for his ideas of the Theocratic Gov
eminent he founded, nor for sacrifices, rites cir
cumcision, and many of the forms of the taber-
nacleseryice as DR.. Brugsch claims. Mr. Under
wood even AYERS that the prayers of King Khun-
aten, dating long before any Biblical writing
(Which are given partially in translation in this
volume,) are equal to the prayers of any people
under any form of religion, in respect to the
piety that reaches out towards God But pro-
baby DIR. Brugsch and his annotator both think
that Zoroaster and Confucius and Buhdda and
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius are among the
Prophets"
DIR. Brugsch-Bey fancies he finds confirmation
Of the story of Joseph, in a rock legend of the
Hyksos, or Shepherd Kings, which has been de-
cyphered, and portion of which is presented
There is striking similarity in some points as
suredly and there is no reason why we should
not accept his supposition. He fixes the resi-
dence of the Hebrews before the Exode in the
eastern portion of the Delta of the Nile; and
three times at these several seasons of the year,
did he traverse the distance between this point
and that where they struck the shore of the Red
Sea. He has no fault to find with the account
Moses gives, but with what he assumes is a false
translation of the Hebrew text. The wide la
goons that lay along this track of the Israelites,
give to the Sea the name of the Sea-aveed Sea
and it was this marshy region in which Pharaoh
and his armies were overwhelmed, instead of
that arm of the Red Sea to which more modern
geography has assigned the honor of being the
spot Of the miracle. This he evers does away
with the idea Of miracle, but exalts the provi-
dence of God: to which the Editor adds a note
saying that DR.. Brugsch mistakes in confound-
ing miracle with special providence "The
winds and the waves were they natural instru-
ments their use, at the will of God and the sig
nal given by Moses, constituted the miracle
Gods attestation whereby the laws of nature
were applied to special occasion 1t does not
seem to be matter of much moment whether
the lsraeltes crossed few miles higher or low
er, inasmuch as DR.. Brugsch allows that it was
according to Scripture, over against Baal-
Dephon" the question is as to the exact point
Of Baal-Zephon The conclusion of all then is
that our learned Psychologist in no degree sets
the results of his thirty years research, against
the Mosaic record he only seeks, with a Ger
man scholars exactitude, to correct what he con-
siders the wrong impression made by the trans
lators who had no idea of Egyptian localities
and never had measured the distance bv foot
and eye, three times over, as he had. This part
OF the book which intermingles the history Of
the Hebrews with that of the Egyptian kings
Is the one which will have interest for general
and especially, religious readers Those chap
ters which attempt to fix the dates of the differ
ent dynasties varying as they do, according to
the computation Of the most learned Eevptolo-
gists, as much as two thousand years-cannot
hold a great interest for any but specialists.
NJ. J. P.
STRAY MOMENTS WITH THAoKERAy. His
Humor, Satire, and Characters. Bv William
Ridfpy