National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-05-13
ANswER ro rHRopHlLus.
Something About the Prophecies md
Oihcr biblical Matters.

To tho Editor Of THE REPUBLICAN;
Gods inspired prophcts" ought TO smile on
their champion, "Theophilu'," whose name
being interpreted, meaneth God-lover, and who
comes TO their help against the lconoclnstic man
lover Ingcrsoll "Theophilus" wants to know Il the
Colonel has a broader forehead or a brighter in
tellect tlhn Sir Isaac Newton or the late Professor
Mitchell, who, like "Theophilus," used to stand
up for Goods inspired prophets" do not now
remember to have seen the bust or picture Of
Sir Isaac, but knew Professor Mitchell and am
sure that Colonel Ingersoll's forehead is the
broadest And without at nil deprecatng the in
tellectual ability Of the two great astronomers,
in my humble Judgment Colonel Ingersoll would
be q match for either one on the question OF the
merits OF +" Gods inspired prophets'
"Theophilus" alleges that the prophecy OF Gen.
nnp So Se snS bs fs unt sboh
come fulfilled by the act of Hcrod the Great.
Shiloh was n town near Bethel, and the soundest
translation of the Hebrew text Is, according to
Smiths Bible Dictionary, until he Judah shall
go TO Shiloh" The word occurs twenty five times,
and in twenty: four OF them II means the place of
that nnme Why make this one instance an ex-
copuon?
but we don't know that the original Hebrew
word was shiloh The translators Of the septu-
agnt, $50 b. G., appear to have found 1t Shelo for
they rendered the PASSAGE "A ruler shall not iNil
nom Juda nor prince from mis- loins, until there
With so much uncertainty, therefore, as to the
word and Its meaning, might not, with pTToprioty,
point to The fufllment Of the prophecy in the adj
vent OF Bnrnum's circusI
But SERIOUSLY assuming that o Shiloh meant o
the prophecy II purports TO have been made
l6sg b. g, Vow there was no scepter in Judah
until 1905 d. c. and II departed 5s6 b. g., when the
Jews werc carried captive to Babylon; and from
that time until lGS b. O. poor Judah had no scepter
"Theophius says that the book Of Enoeh, written
Mt the lime of Pompeys Invasion (67-63 %. C), and
the lVth Book of Esdras In circulation at the birth
Of Christ, are full Of the coming Messiah Why
not add the book of Daniel written about 1853 II. c.
and pretending To date about COO d. CT Pseudo
Daniel prophecies very truly concerning past
events but very falsely Of the future. The settling
TO AntiochS Epiphnnes, 16s ID. G. but how about
the end Of the 1920 days 4. e.; years. thereafter
Did the God of Heaven set up his Kingdom in the
year 1929, under Pope Calixtus III
The fourth book Of Esdras is printed In the older
oditionsof our Bible as an apooryphal book called
prophet Ezra In Babylon Gin the thirtieth year of
tho ruin Of the city," (. C., COS D. c. aud contains
For mn sos Iesni sbo bs Sevpnied With those
that be with him, and they that remain shall re-
Joice itfthil four hundred Bedrs. And after these
years shnll ny son Chris die and all men That hare
Now mark Ezra says he had this revelation
die r. early as lbs d All hs u Of
kind about the same time No wonder the Coun-
Gil Of Trent In 1858 voted this book uncanonical,
and tho Westminster Assembly in 1913 put 1t in
the Apoorypha. Modern critics fix the dale of the
book from about 60 u. q. to A. d. 90-0s.
There arc other remarkable Messianic reveal
tons In ~. Esdrus, but this one emphatic specimen
will suffice.
The Gospel of Matthew rccites numerous events
In the life of Jesus rs flhllments of prophecy but
In every instance 1t is either blundcr or false
Interpretation OF Scripture. But the canoncal
Matthew Is ou!done BY his npooryphal nemesake'
who wrote almost II not quite as early as the
former After describing the birth ofChris In cave
Pseudo; Matthew says that Mary placed the child
in a stall, aud the OK and the ass adOred him"
And he adds: There was fulfilled that which
was sud by Isaiah, the prophet, saying. The OK
Again, when the holy family fed into Egypt,
lions camo forth and directed the way for the oxen
that drew the wagon lond Of provisions, and the
sheep travelled among wolves and feared nothing
Matthew; Wolves shah feed with lambs; the
lion and the OK shall eat straw together"
Again, when the holy family entered temple
called the Capitol of Egypt" and 1856 idols pros
tratcd themselves before the Virgin and child and
aod So Sr6pSssy oS
come upon n swirl cloud and Will enter Egypt
and all the handiwork of the Egyptians shall be
moved at his presence"
"Theophilns" points to the prophecy concern
ing Cyrus In Isaiah Xiv, XIV. The book of Isaiah
consists OF two parts, written by different hands
at different times, and the last twenty seven chap
tiers were written after the reign Of tho heathen
king, who sstyled God sshepherd, Gods amounted.
I. C., the Messiah, the Christ In tho Sep,uagnt 1t
is Chrito Mou Ruro--" to my Christ Cyrus" isaiah
XIV, ~
1t is surprising that Theophilus should quote
Joscphus to prove the fulhllment of n prophecy in
the Roman Emperor vespasian. The opinion ex-
pressed by Iosephus plainly is that Vespasian was
the Christ whom the prophets foretold (Warvi s4
II Is true Josephus does notuse the word Chrstos
but he finds In Vespaslan the ful6llment of tho
who should become Governor of the habitable
earth" There was no other Messiah recognized
by the Jewish historian be knew of no Christ
cruciied under Pontus PLATE, nor any of his fol-
lowers. Space forbids me to answer other points
In "Ihaophiluss" essay. PHILO.