The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-05-12
STORY OF THE BIBLE.
HOW 1T WAS COMPILED, PRESERVED
AND BROUGHT DOWN.

Israers Gift to the World.
New discoveries about the Bible are
being made almost daily. The religious
world is startled every now and then
by the announcement that some old
manuscript has been found or some clay
tablet corroborating Biblical history has
been deciphered. The last few years
have been especially notable for remark
able finds, not the least of which has
been single leaf of papyrus bearing q
few sayings of Jesus-logia, as they
have been called. These discoveries
arouse questioning frame of mind.
We ask, how did we get the Bible,
whence did it come, what was the
Learned volumes have been written, but
only scholars read them. One of the
latest of these is by Dr. William A.
Coppinger, but it is so expensive vol
ume-only 100 copies have been printed
for sale-that few can read it, even if
they would. The much talked of poly
chrome Bible, edited by leading Biblical
scholars of the world, is an answer to
this demand. Still, the question, how
did the Bible come down to us? ought
to be answered briefly, SO that the mass
es of the people can read and under
stand. 1t il irreverent to the Bible and
the inspired men who gave us this
world classic-the classic-dealing with
the eternal theme of the relation be-
tween man and God to think of it as
ready made volume, dropped down from
heaven bound and gilt edged.
The Bible was born in the little land
of Canaan as the weary caravan, led by
Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees,
pitched its tents and the patriarch wrote
down the promises of the Eternal on
the palm leaves which he found at hand.
This was more than 1000 years ago,
and that writing was In use so early is
proved by inscriptions found on Egyp-
tian steles or Assyrian tablets from
5000 to s, 900 years old.
The records kept by Abraham and
his immediate descendants undoubtedly
formed the basis of the book of Genesis
and the earlier chapters of Exodus, to
be later utilized by the hand Of Moses
and his successors. With the advent Of
this great legislator Of the Hebrews the
nation was formed, with his Legislation
as its heart and center. 1t is probable
that Moses wrote his portion of the BIZ
BILE upon the linen used for such pur-
poses in Egypt, for many large pieces
of this linen covered with hieroglyphic
writing have come down to US wrapped
around mummies. The inscriptions are
/ still legible. The Pentateuch was the
nucleus Of our Bible, tho only Bible
known to the Hebrews for many gener-
ations. 1t was written in the ancient
Ibri character, closely resembling the
Ph9nician, as proved by the Sloan in
scription discovered near Jerusalem and
some ancient coins which have been
found. Leaders like Joshua, Gideon and
Samuel were needed in the promised
land. Singers and prophets, too, arose,
and tho scribes of the leaders recorded
what was done. The poets wrote down
their best songs. The prophets words
were treasured up by their disciples and
followers. The official records We're kept
in the national archives, and the songs
of the poets and the speeches of the
prophets were passed from hand to
hand. When the kingdom was divided,
records were certainly kept both in the
southern kingdom of Judah and the
northern kingdom of Israel. But much
of the earlier literature was forgotten
in the catastrophe of the destruction of
the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and
the exiles refused to sing the songs of
Zion as they "sat by the waters of Ba-
bel and wept." When at last the term
of exile was over and some of the more
devoted Jews returned to rebuild the
walls and temple of Jerusalem, the law
had to be brought back to them.
Ezra was the man for this work, and
he and his coadjutors, the elders, COL
lected the scattered records of earlier
days an1 made the first canon Of tho
Pentateuch. They wrote it in new
script-Kethav Ashuris, the Assyrian
or square character brought back from
Babylon with them - and read and
taught it to the people. By this time
some of the speeches delivered by the
prophets Of the exile, the second Isaiah
and his disciples, had become so dear to
the hearts of the people that they were
esteemed as classics. Some had preserv-
| ed the addresses of the earlier prophets,
| and gradually second set of accepted
writings was added to the law. The
older songs, too, were found again, and
new singers were inspired for the serv
| ice of the new temple, and the book Of
Psalms became its hymnbook.
The proverbs of the nation were col
lected by various hands. Other books
were found OF written as late as the Sec
ond century before the Christian era.
The book of Daniel, for instance, was
| composed to inspire a people, iainting
under Syrian oppression, for the Macca-
bean revolution. And all this later lit
erature was struggling for acceptance
inSo the Bible until the canon of the
| Old Testament as we now have it was