Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-07-16
CRITICAL DISCUSSION
Are the Historical Records in the
Old Testament True or
Fictitious.

-~-~ ~tAfs
An Address Delivered at the Second An
huai Spring Convention of the Fiat
brook valley District Sunday school
Association Hainesville, sussex County,
june ~, 1897, by Rev. II. II. spoer.
There is no book in the world
which has been so much attacked as
the Bible, The particular phases of
the conflict vary. Every century has
produced men who i'll the most un-
5crupulous manner attacked this
book, which was written under the
guidance of an omnicient and eter-
nal Cod with infinite perfections.
Some have regarded the Old Testa-
ment as nothing more than a literary
product of the Jewish nation.
Others declared it to be collection
of myths, while others have dis
5ected the Bible as an anatoniist a
body Tho materialist and uube-
lieving scientist because they have
found out few things which God
has revealed to us in nature have no
longer any room in their imaginary
world for a personal and living God,
they have found certain fixed laws
in nature, but that a law cannot ex
ecute itself does not enter their
minds. They do not see the supreme
power by which these laws are pat
in operation, because the carnal
mind cannot understand the things
which belong to the kingdom Of
God.
But there is another class of men
much larger than either of those
mentioned. Il is that large class of
men and women who are led astray
by men who pretend to be teachers
of the word Of God, but who bring
Sabbath after sabbath their own
human q. o. false IDEAS concern
ing the plan of salvation and the
kingdom Of God into the pulpit and
instead Of giving their congrega-
tions wholesome and spiritual food
they feed them ON husks and poison
their hearts and minds like a GER
tain Brooklyn minister does, or like
an Ingersol ridiculing the things
pertaining to the kingdom Of God.
But it is not my object to enter
into a controversy with. these men,
but I simply want to try to give you
few proofs for the hlstoricity OF
| the narratives recorded in the Old
| Testament
First of all, let us consider the So
called universal traditions ii. e.. the
traditions which exist among the
different nations concerning certain
events which we find recorded in
the Old Testament, (Bible.)
There was never a time in which
the expectations of coming deliv-
erer were 50 universal as the time
when Christ came into the world
The Jews were prepared for such az
event by the teachings of their
prophets, covering a period of over
/ 1, 500 years, yea at the very cradle
of the human race in the so-callet
Protevangelium the promise of {
coming deliverer was given. Bu
how is it that we find the same be
I lief among the other nations The
Egyptians whose literature date
back to time before Abraham haC
the same belief, yea their deliverel
according TO a latter legand wa,
born by a virgin miraculously. Tho
originally monotheists q. e. wor
shippers of one supreme God, they
soon became Pantheists and the re
ligion took an esoteric form.
The Arians, our ancestors, had tn
same belief When the Spaniard
discovered America they were gladl,
welcomed by the Indians because o
the tradition which they had, tina
their good God, their dehverer, VIII,
was a white faced man, would com
from the East and bring peace an,
eternal happiness with him,
Even among the Greeks and Ro
mans long before the coming O
Christ, the hopes of the people wer
based upon the coming of a Divin
deliverer.
The account Of the flood was no
only the property Of the Jewish ma
ton, but the Eskimo living in tn
farthest North and the African liv
ing near the equator knew as muc
, about this event as did the little Jew
ish boy in the times of David an
Christ, or the youngest child in
Christian household The creatio
of man, differing very little frol
the Biblical account is another Z
the many traditions common to th
, whole human race. But what doe
the existence of these tradition
+ among the different nations teao
us 1t teaches us the unity of tn
the human race, it confirms the aC
count of the origin of the huma
( race as the Bible presents it. 'An
has made of one blood all nation
Of the earth Acts XVII 25.
But most of all has archaeology e.
tablished the truthfulness of the II
cords Of the Holy Scripture. Sine
Champollion gave as the key TO d,
cipher the old Egyptian hierogly
phics, and Grotefend prepared til
way for these illustrious men, VII
by their immense knowledge are ef
abled to give us correct translation
of the original records of Assyria
and Babylonian history, since d
4, Schlieman lifted the veil from al
cient Greece of which Homer sang
and proved that there existed such
place as Troy and that the Greel
) made an expedition to the shores
Asia Minor ia many of the 5,
called legends proved to be true hi
torical records, since that time n