New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


Heather Nations OF Antiquity, Considering a,so
their or gin ana Meaning with numerous It." d.
lions lSol. svo. pp. Sos. Newly 0rk: j. W. Bou-
ton.
Some years ago there appeared In lnnaha "n
author by the name of Graves, VINO ehdeA'"Iou !"
show the untrustworthiness of the Gospels by citing
naralels from other religions. He received at the
hands of a Western cutic such a ca>tgaton as nap
pIv falls 10 the lot of few Ii was proved that
most of hi. authorities were worthless hat most OF
his alleged facts were ictions, that most Of hs 49,
sumed learning ignorance, and that all OF MS
conclusions were groundless. If be had thereup0h
becun TO widen his knowledge a little, without
deepening it, had moved to Boston in the hope OF
finding the scholarly atmosphere of that city kind
of general tonic, had persuaded some friend trlne
better informed than himself to give hun few
points about recent literature, and then had COM
posed "Bble Myths" the result woud have been
precisely such book as we have before us.
The word composed" certainly expresses the
process which resulted in this book. For che author
has put together-wlth some lack of really adhesive
cement-a great number of queer stories from yarl-
Gus souyces-some of these also queer enough-wth-
out subecting either stories to any scien-
fife test whatever. The results naturally OF
surprising character Now it is perfectly tru" that,
whatever tie theoogian may say the student OF
history as such have objection TO the theory
that the Bible contains myths-or indeed, II 1t
must be So consists altogether of myths-proyded
the theory comes to him with sufficient evidence.
Here, as everywhere he will ask simply to be
brought face TO face with the proofs. Our authors
conception of argument however, makes 1t consist
chiefly in bridging forward an array OF startling
assertions backed 10y such names rs can he pressed
into the service. This makes it very important TO
examine his authorities.
No reasonable man will object to an authors en-
poyment of numerous authorities or abundant
citations from them, if it suits the purpose IN hand
II might not use the materials which specialists
furnish us. no study would make more than scanty
progress. The only condition on which students
have a right to insist is that man who employs
others learning shall be discriminating in his choice
OF Authorities and mtel gent il his Use OF them.
Competent persons may feel inclined to doubt
whether this author reaches the just standard IN
either of these respects in The first place, he does
not know the literature of his own side or Of any
other side, and i therefore silent in regard to many
of its representative and Influential names. Some
o. them, indeed We lind ia a slightly dress. For
example, in the list prefxed to the book, which
contains most of the names of which ne makes use
We find DeGtch,' whose mention side by side with
his coworker, Kei serves to identify him, and
"Godzhierr in whom we suspect relationship
with the too brilliant Goldzlher whom We know,
and KuneD," whose only service appears to be
that he has assisted Drs. Oorb and Hooykaasi in pre-
pairing The Bible fer Learners But pass
these. What scholar do not the types sometimes
Play false Other matters are NOR serious. The
science of religion is an important topic in the
present discussion. Accsrdngly find Max
Miller, we find Godfrey Higgins-Oh,yeS, the author
knows Mr. Higgins and his Anacalypsis" BUT
the master, Professor liele, where is he II IS
necessary TO speak much Of Brahmansm and we
find in the book good old Sir William Jones' who
l.t l. ar,f,,e
We find. among men who know what this century
has done for Sanscnt scholarship, Max Miller
again. and MOnier Williams, and there are lesser
lights, but Whitney receives only an obscure men
ton, aud Abrecht Weber none at all. 1t is mt
probable that the author has heard of Weber. On
Buddhism, he knows Hardy and Rhys-Davids and
others but the name of Gutenberg has not yet
reached him. SewaTt might have cheered his soul,
but these kindred spirits have not found each other
out In fact, We have dark suspicion that the
languages of Continental Europe Stun
blingbocks in our authors way. For or
thodox views Of Chris he goes to respectable
authorities like Albert Barnes and Farrar and
Geikle: for opinions TO his mind he takes
Renan Is Strauss, the myth-loving, unknown 10
him Rudolph Seydel, who is treadlng the same
path with himself, Is an utter stranger After OBJ
serving these limitations Of his knowledge noone will
expect that he should show an acquaintance with
KeIm still less with Weiss-aud he does not. 1t is
just as well. They might embarrass him with
principles of historical critIeism-SauPs armOr for
him. Give him his simple sling and few smooth
stones from the brook whence Godfrey Higgins and
Viscount Ambery and that cautious scholar Ernest
de Bunsen have gatheIed them ready to his hand
For similar reasons 1t must not be regretted that he
goes to Lundy instead Of to Piper TOR early Chris
tian Art.
The authors method of employing his authorities
is equally suggestive whether he contents himself
with statements at third hand, or words TO
prove what they do not prove insists upon an
argument at point only to discard it at another
But il is time to look that which he tries to es-
tabsh.
His work is divided INTO two very unequal parts
One hundred and nine pages concerned with the
Old Testament. -Four hundred and ifty-nine are
reserved for the New. Considering the comparative
size of these two collections of writings the greater
age of the Old Testamen and the greater anteceden
likelihood that my Ethical elements would be found
in it, this seems strange The author gives his
own reason Up. So: We have so much TO ex-
anime in Part second which treats of the New Tesla
ment." The kind man afraid of firing us.
He should not have been afraid He might have
expanded his Bible MYTHS" into two volumes, aud
it would only have increased knowledge and
our JOY. But, as it U.s. must follow his example
and dismiss Part First with few words. All those
who unders and the matter know that the stories
Of the early chapters Of Genesis stand in relation
not yet clearly defined with the legends of other
early peoples. There is wide and fruitful field for
study here But when our author trinmphantly
calls attention the variant accounts of the Crea-
ton and supposes that their variance proves them
bOth mythical; when he talks of Persian legends
parents of the Hebrew, apparently ignorant of the
fact that the Scientific accounts be traced back
to time when Persian literature had no existence
and Persia itself was not; when he cites, among
others, the Calabar legend Of the Fall, if there
cnul he an M .Ilecfinn hnlr tLia