The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-14
PBRSIA'S BIBLES.
Rev. C. H. Wallis Talk About
the Zend- Aresta - Chal-
deals Ancient
Scriptures.


Scriptures.
Rev. Charles H. Vail, pastor of the
First Universalist Church., last night
continued his series of sermons on the
Bible. His talk last night was on the
Persian and Chaldean Bibles.
Mr.. Vail paid a tribute to Anquetil du
Perron for the discovery of the Zend-
Aresta. the Bible of Persia. AS to the
time Z~oroaster lived and wrote this
Bible there is much difference of opin-
ion, said Mr.. Vail. All agree, however.
as to its antiquity. He is mentioned by
Plato and Aristotle, the date given him
by the latter, as well as by Eudoxus,
is 5000 years before the death of Plato.
This book presents a detailed account
of creation of six kalfas, or peiods
of time, the temptation and fall
of man, his final restoration, the immor-
tally of the soul, etc. Zoraster's reli-
gion is essentially a moral system; his
law is based on the eternal distinction
between right and wrong, and salvation
is that of an eternal battle for good
against evil. He was an optimist and
believed in the first triumph of good,
but it could only come by fighting the
good fight now.
'3The Aresta consists chiefly of hymns,
prayers, invocations, being to quite an
extent a liturgy.
The Bundehesch is another sacred
book of the Persians. later than the
Aresta, but running back to a very early
period. This Is more philosophical and
theological. The Eternal Being created
two others, one the King of Light, the
other the King of Darkness. Then fol-
lows a long history of creation culmi-
mating in man., who Ahriman. the King
of Darkness, killed. but from his body
was grown the first pair, who were in
,nocent and made for heaven. But the
evil one tempted them with fruit and
they fell. The human race which thus
became mortal and miserable by the sin
of their first parents. assumed neverthe-
less a highly interesting position. Man
stands in the middle between the two
worlds of light and darkness, left to his
own free VIII. He would not be able to
resist the temptations to which his first
parents had already fallen had not
revelation of his will in the law of
Zoroaster. There is depicted the fate of
the dead. the day of Judgment, etc., and
finally the redemption of all the wicked
including sAhriman himself.
"The Saddler, another of their Bibles.
contains similar teachings
CHALDEAN BIBEE.
Passing from the interesting review OF
Persian sacred literature, Mr.. Vail pro-
ceeded TO talk about the bible OF
Chaldea. He said THAT in 1860 a Chaldean
Bible was found and presented to the
world. h translator of this book
found that it agreed with the teachings
But we have another source of in
formation concerning these people. There
has been exhumed thousands of cunea,,
partial accounts of the creation. which
state that a waltery chaos preceded, ana
THAT God made all that was beautiful,
ard fixed the stars in the sky in twelve
months to govern the year, and divided
the darkness into day and night; mace
the sun, moon and planets, and at last
has been clearly shown that the He
brews borrowed the weekly Sabbath
from + na the B "a yRspv1n5 obs Ws snq 3Se t sevI
early period, thousands. Of years before
the Jewish nation was born aia It IS p Ths
books of The Old Testament written be-
fore the captivity make no allusfon to
sABBATH, DAY TRApITIoNs. -,
many other nations only a monthly Sab
Whole history Of early Israel shows that
a weekly Sabbath did not exist, for no
such day of rest was observed. After
they adopted the weekly Sabbath, they
e~ndeavored. through national vanity, to
show that they had always observed 1t,
and to account for 1t they inserted two
traditions which are wholly at variance.
One states because 1t was that God rest
ed ON the seventh day. the other because
God had delivered them en- from Egypt:
not compiled until after the Hebrews
return from Babylon. Scholars tell us
that four distinct manuscripts were made
use of by the compiler and also various
traditions derived from various sources.
If you bear this in mind 1t Will account
for these many analogies.
1.-THE story of the deluge appears on
the eleventh tablet of the great epic
of the town of Uruk.. The narrative is
given by K~hasisatra the patriarch saved
THE MOSES OF BABYLON.
Mr.. YAH then gave the account of the
B~abylonian Moses-King Sargon. which
was found in the palace Of Se~nnach ,aas p q
1000 Years; but here is a story related
Of him almost identical to that told of
Moses In the fbullrushes; Remember,
was refabricated from old materials by
MANY passages of hymns were then
read which suggested the spirit of the
Psalms. and depict the ethical ideafs OF
Tn CONCLUSION he said:-'sWith such
lofty sentiments we clearly see the mean
ing of the Apostle that God is no re-
nation he that feareth God and Worketh
righteousness is accepted of Him.
Snrelv God is no partialist. He did not
leave the vast millions of antiquity n
darkness and ignorance; But BY rather H a.e
iust in proportion to their capacity to
comprehend"
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