Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-07-20
OLDEST BOOK ri THE WORLD.
1t Is Not the niblc. ns Many May
Think. icrlr.linr To n WRITER


baltimore American ]. II. Alitchnicr, in
Knowledge for June. gives an interesting &C
count of the Oldest boo. in the world. Many
VIII suppose that the Bible is meant. hut
the most orthodox have never claimed that
the earlier books of the Bible We're written
prior To the exodus from Egypt, while the
iapyruS PriSSe' was written at least
LOO Years before Moses was born. ANA
many years before the occurrence of the
Noachian deluge. The book was discovered
ny Il frcnchrlan named PriSse at Thehrs.
ana presented 10 the Eib!iothcuue Rationale
i'll laris. 1t was taken from Il tomb III
which was found the mummy of one of the
Ehtews of the eleventh, or first Theban.
dynasty. which would prove that the man
iScrlrt was written II least prior 10 LOO
Il. e; but the boo.l itself furnishes internal
evidence of the date OF its composition. and
noli,ainS extracts from 4 work mat was
nuth o!uef. III WAS complied by tho Protect
iIah-hotep during the reign OF king ASA.
In. ms rntcnt"ic was the last but one of the
nth dynasty. so that the book must have
been written about 500 Il. c.. or consider
ably more than lutO years ago
ne rrrrrpts OF l1ah-hotcp, which give the
, w." I" the book. are preceded b. passages
from rom an carrier work Written Ivy kaki:nna.
reject to King S"nrferu. of the third dy-
hnaStS. which ruled before the pyramids We're
!, about 800 l.. C.. when would make
u;I'ihS' according to the old cnronoingislS,
ana as some still br!Irvc the creation OF
na' IAN II from ,h' r, ri'n % of t ElSn II y st
trs9eG by NJ virry ' and into " Esin 'i TS
literary curiosity. hut for the insight it
gives into the education and culture witch
i liah been reached by man that early pc
| writer. rtah-hoicp was Il prcfrct-:, pace
OF great dignity and responsibility umirl the
a IL, ,i,nt egyptian kings 1t was second only
was n"lu by Joseph. the son of jacob dur.
iins the LAYER r"rlion Of his career, as told
N IhH Hlhr. The project WAS a sort of
ana chief Justice OF the iuprrm" court rolled
| INTO one, 81 that what is said in the book
must be accepted as authoritative. SO tar
| as il goes.
| The book ulSctS some theories concrrnin"
n ne origln OF 4 number OF phiio~"lhir re-;
of all rubbish. several thousands OF years
| before the advent of the Greeks who were
thought !" have nri=natrl them. Its whole
| tone Is lofty. not relatively but actually.
anu would he crrditnbit TO Il moral writer
Il! The nineteenth century. 1t deals with in
| tlVituHl conduct and the government of the
state; Persons holding public positions are
urged TO labor At all times !" be true gen
| t!r!ncn. lest from their own defects OF char
nc , lhry suffer the authority given them
by favor of the Supreme Being to be weak
rhel. Numerous allrSol!S are made 10 lie
supreme Being. and they are always in tn"
elaine! by archac6lo=islS that the religion
| OF the Egyptians was monolheiSlic. and that
only among the ignorant classes We're birds
aud beasts and ina%cs-which were intended
| ny the religion rs types of certain of God $
! attributes orShipcd rs gods. Moses. who
waS really 4 prince i'll Egypt SO far as his
social standing Went. WAS educated ny the
priests. and of course well understood the
| lionnthriStic character of the Egyptian re-
| lEiou: but he saw that the masses Of the
| people had SO proSlitutcd their religion that
| he was anxious to get the Hebrews us far
away from their prrnicinus example as pos
| Sihle. But it is reasonable To SUPPOSE that
| in the age of Htah-hotcp. the writer OF This
| hook. nearly 1000 years before Moses was
| born. there had been no such rcrvrrSian o1
| their religion 10y the Egyptians as :isguated
! the great laWgivcr of the lSr;c!ilrS.
| This book. ii must l.p born" i'll mind. was
rot an Sul;itrl example of culture and
scholarship. 1t was III" pr.frrtly Nat U:;il
outcome of civilization which was scarcely
| inferior TO that of Il century ago. ami WsIirh
cnutl boast of MAGNIFICENT lli'l'aiic -; PEG,
| pie highly instructed III AZ! lh' arts or
peace. Il state carefully or-ai!iZ"i \ ne,
rarchy firmly founded minui"ly uiyidel ana
| organized even to the smallest "Nt"'ii;'i
matters, a universally diiiusr,l system ~
writing and the common use Of naryluS :. il!
short. civilization which il all essential
points has already attained its fun NATL
| r,y. and only by close investigation IS lNr-
| Their development in some directions ulScoV,
cred" And all this was many hun'irels o.
| years before Abraham. under tue guidance
| of the Lord. became an exile from ms cedh-
| try and settled in the plain OF Manure.