The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-07-22
BOOK in THE WORLD.
xt ~ Not the Bible, ~ Many May
Think, According to q Writer.

- - w I1tGEs ~.
Baltimore American: j. n. Mitchnier, in
Knowledge for June, gives an interesting ac-
count Of the oldest book In the world. Many
Will suppose that the Bible is meant, but
the most orthodox have never claimed that
the earlier books OF the Bible were written
prior to the exodus from Egypt, while the
"Papyrus Prisse' was written al least
1,tOO years before Moses was born, and
many years before the occurrence of the
Noachtan deluge. The book was discovered
BY q Frenchman named Prisse ut Thebes,
and presented to the Bibliotheque Rationale
IN Paris. 1t was taken from O tomb in
which was found the mummy Of one Of the
Entews OF the eleventh, or first Theban,
dynasty, which would prove that the man
uscrlpt was written at least prior to $500
y. q; but the book itself furnishes internal
evidence OF the date Of its composition, and
contains extracts from q work that was
ptah,hetep during the reign q King ASA.
Ihis potentate was the last but one of the
nth dynasty, 60 that the book must have
been written about 1850 B. G., OF consider
ably a.,s more nanss than 300 years ago; =.
title to the book, are preceded by passages
from an earlier work written by Kakimna,
Project TO King seneferu, of the third dy.-
built, about 376O b. G., which would make
4 # IN existence now $3.50 years old, ante.
a and s. s as@e stg, e Ss' the old &c ehr ronstf
vi IN y 4SOnAC& SlAlk EDcllCf6, Tue Ct6GClOu OI
Adam In the Garden Of Eden, or ut least
his fall from grace. The book is written in
Mieratic and has been translated into
Prof. Osgood. Its main value is not as d
literary curiosity, but for the insight it
gives Into the education and culture which
r nsd G is the eea History os 81 p ahe e. nua aaae s sacsy P Pfs
d a'i great 1 dignity sPa was . RSaiffi1tset unae P'e tie
s e ssas a y 1sa P,n a ! t sa% ws' o sseenS wick Sp!S
was held by Joseph, the son of Jacob, dur.
ing the latter portion Of his career, as told
rOOh-Bah, or treasurer, secretary OF state
and chief Justice OF the supreme court rolled
into one. SO that what 10 said In the hook
must be accepted as authoritative, so far
The book upsets some theories concerning
the origin Of o number Of p~hilosophic re-
fections. for they are found here, Invested
before the advent of the Greeks, who were
thought to have originated them. Its whole
tone y lofty, not relatively but actually,
IN the nineteenth century. 1t deals with In.
diyidual conduct and the government OF the
state; Persons holding. public positions are
tlemen, lest from their own defects Of char
acter they suffer the authority given them
by favor of the Supreme Being to be weak
eled." Numerous illusions are made to tie
Supreme Being, and they are always In the
singular number. proving, what has been
claimed by archaeOlOgiStS, that the religion
OF the Egyptians was nOnOtheistic, aud that
only among the ignorant classes We're birds
and beasts and images-Which We're intended
by the religion as types OF certain OF Gods
attributcs-worshipe1 as gods. Moses, who
was really y prince In Egypt 20 Tar as his
social standing went, was educated by the
priests, aud OF course, well understood the
mOnOtheistic character of the Egyptian re-
HgiOn; but he saw that the masses OF the
people had 30 prOstltuted their religion that
he was anxious to get the Hebrews as Tar
away from their pernicious example as pos
sible. But 1t Ii reasonable to suppose. that
In the age OF Ptah-hotep, the writer OF this
book, nearly 1000 years before Moses was
born, there had been no such perversion OF
their religion by the .Egyptians % disgusted
the great lawgiver OF the Israelttes.
This book, It must be borne IN mtnd, was
not an isolated example Of culture and
scholarship. II was the perfectly natural
outcome OF q civilization which was scarcely
could boast OF magnificent libraries. 20 PEG.
peace, q state carefully organised, q HE,
organized even to the smallest externaI
matters. q universally diffused system q
writing and the common use OF papyfus.I
abort. 4 civilization which In all Essential
nOints has already attained Its full .mntu
fity. and only by close Investigation y fur
ther d~eyelNpment In some directions dtscoy
cred. And all this was many hundreds q
years before Abraham, under the guidance
Of the Lord, became an exile from MS c0un'
try and settled In the plain OF Mamre.
-ftNA ~