New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
HELPS TO BIBLICAL
STUDY.

Az AH1 "Pf1ROFANE. Essays on the Relation OF
Nc r. Drive to sG D. b. Ernest 4 gardner N
4; II GrifithD Al r. q H9 HSFaTi6 NJ 4.
A. G Hea6lsm;i, =; II nog p Fellow Of Mag
dalcn College oxford Director Of the q" SrTss
Scribner's Sons.
That the pen is mightier than the SWORD mas
become an accepted truism. Yet in the held OF
ancient history the archaologist has revised inc
snhorsm SO that It now reads, the spaoe %
miehtier than the pen. While the cynics oenii'-
ION OF history as the lie agreed on cannot NC
accented at its face value IT Is fact 'na' 'he
historical records Of many ancient peoples al"
races are Of little value being largely mosaic
~ assumption, tradition and guessWoIk III
deed history in the modern sense OF the Woru'
was unknown 10 the ACCENTS. for they old ho'
possess the historic sense or the historic mas
a,,or without which no real chronicle OF events
be written .
pn. the discoveries OF archaeology have put
us in possession of facts that enable US III d
measure to enlarge and correct some OF the olu
historical records and there is good reason TO
believe that we are as yet only on the threshoid
~ fay greater discoveries. Much as arch@o'o-
o,s,s have done in uncovering the ancient CIV
iizations OF Egypt Babylon, Assyra' raies-
tine Greece and Rome vastly more yet remains
20 be done Any day some monument reco'u VI
inscription may be discovered that VIII COM
,o,o,,. o,,or,urn views OF the past long held TO
he fundamental and modify commonly accepted
theories as TO the origin OF races, nations anu
religions This is why archaeology on us la'e
n dry and abstruse subject, has become oi'e VI
the most fascinating OF all branches OIL s'uu''
M, only, 70 those who are personally engaged IN
81 but to the far larger number VINO reau '"e
story Of their discoveries. Were 1t possible TOT
BabNlOnlan
lived six or seven thousand years peio'e
the Christian era 10 revisit the earth TO-
dav and tell us something Of his daily life the
fac, would arrest the attention of the whole
civilized world Yet in effect that is exacu!
what happens when In the ancient city or Mp
pur the explorers OF the University OF rehh-
sylvania discovered thousands Of tablets mi
nutely recording the religious. business ana
social life Of the citizens. ds to which no hisorl-
cal records have come Gown TO us. ASIDE from
ANYTHING else the discovery blots out one iohe
accepted statement IF ancient history, nancy
that the life Of man on the earth began iour
thousand years before Christ.
As clear simple and authoritative story or
what archaeology has done in throwing hght on
sacred and profane history we cannot speak too
highly Of the volume before us. 1t deals with
archaeology as it relates to Hebrew classical ana
Christian history, and each of these divisions is
SO interesting. and yields such important re-
suits that It is hard 70 decide which OF them
is the most important But probably the first
and the last will appeal most strongly 10 the
reading public of to-day, for they are intimately
related to the fundamental principles OF modern
civilization Professor Driver tells how arch@-
ology has illumined the somewhat delphc pages
Of ancient Hebrew history as contained in the
O!d Testament. The exigencies Of space forbid
any extended quotation from his concise and
cautious summary. and, indeed. no quotation
could do justice TO such a subject. But the
substance of some Of his conclusions may be
briefly indicated. First Of all. archaeology has
taken the ancient Hebrews out Of the Isolated
position in which CursOry reading OF the OLD
Testament would seem to place them Numer-
GUS unearthed records show that in religion,
social life and politics they were closely related
to the surrounding nations.
Their beliefs about the origin and early his
tory OF the world. their social usages their code
Of civil and criminal law. their religious in
situations, can no longer be viewed, as was once
possible as differing in kind from those OF other
nations. and determined in every feature by
direct revelation from Heaven. All, 1t is now
known, have substantial anaogies among other
peoples the distinctive character which they
exhibit among the Hebrews consisting in the
spirit with which they are infused and the
higher principles Of which they are made the
exponent
The Biblical story Of the creation is based on
Babylonian legend which has been found fully
recorded on ancient tablets but the writer OF
Genesis purged the legend of it's gross poly
theistic features. The Sabbath was also prob
ably OF Babylonian origin az was the story OF
Eden and the fall. AS to the Flood. George
Smiths translation. in 1876 Of the Babylonian
legend discovered by him enables US TO see how
closely the Biblical account follows IT, AS al
ready stated. the excavations at Nippur show
that high and complex civilization existed in
Babylonia about three thousand years before
the date which the traditional Biblical chrono-
ogy assigns for the creation OF Adam and Eve.
And trilingual inscriptions have been discovered
in Egypt which written long before the
date when, according to Genesis. the whole
earth was of one language and OF one speech"
No archaeological remains have been discov-
cred confirming the Biblical story Of the Israel
tIsh sojourn in Egypt, although OF course that
does not disprove the story. Inscriptions
frming II may be unearthed any day What
has been discovered. however. does confirm in
general way the Biblical references 10 customs
and places. Until 1896 no reference whatever
10 the Israeltes had been discovered in Egypt.
But In that year Professor Petrie discovered at
Thebes large slab on which was inscribed a
grandoquent account by King Marenptah.
whom some consider the Pharaoh OF the Exodus,
OF how he overcame the Libyans at Prosopis
Vanquished are the Tehennu 04byans); the
Khita (Hittites) pacihed Pa-Kanana is
prisoner in every evil; Askalni (Ashkelon) Is
carried away; GeZer is taken; YenOam is ami
Inflated; Ysiraal 0sraeD is desolated, its seed Is
not: Charu has become as widows for Egypt;
all lands together are in peace Every that
was a marauder hath been subdued by the King
Marenptah, who gives life like the sun every
day.
According 10 the Bible. II was Egypt and not
Israel that desolate But 1t would be en-
trely natural for the King to conceal that fact in
the public records. The story of the capture Of
Babylon by Cyrus. told in the book Of Daniel.