New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-08
NEW BIBLE LEGENDS.
A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY IN THE BOD
LEAN LIBRARY.

ANCIENT HEBREWS FILLED GAPS IN BIBLE MAR
RArIvEs BY THE CREATION OF MANY
LEGENDS AND TALES NOT COM
MONTY KNOWN.
From The Boston Transcript.
A most remarkable and unique manuscript has
been discovered in the famous Bodleian Library by
The st. Louis Democrat" IL is nothing less
than chronicle dating from about century be
translation tram of his find for the Royal Asatc So
cety calls It the Chronicles of Jerahmel Every
as II there were gaps in the narrative This feeling
creation of large number of legends which are
sea red through infinite volumes of rabbnica
OF oh he ancient legends and include also large
he OF nteres9g tales hitherto unknown
to certain Eleasar ben Asher, the LevIte who
o s4e wa
me me most ancient of those who attempted to fill out
repeat the Bible stories at ali Those he knew
case supply what seemed to- him La lacking in those
tbs, lie TOOK up the problems which suggest
Bible for which they look to the Bibe for light
f on s very often in vain There is no detail of life
terestng of these is that relating to the ages
- And why does the child cry at birth? Because Of
the world it has left behind? For that moment
world it is like unto king, after whose welcome
and See a 0 s a desT Ia
second world It is like unto swine which wallows
skps and gambos about the meadows. Thus
Years snr. of age II The fourth world it IS ike
0 0n bo of iae yoaE
h hn ne i is eighteen years old In the NTH world
burdens are placed In the ' same manner burdens
s w h sn6 n99n mans SHOULDERS he is given
In order to obtain food for them until he is about
unto HoS. 1nSOlent and wandering about in all
places for food; stealing and robbng in one place
he is ike unto an ape. whose appearance is
him and desire his death even the young Children
make run OF him and eveA the smallest bird wakes
PARADISE DESCRIBED
ane5 n 4bd S Of Paradse qownere pa9y
Paradise has two gates of carbuncle and sixty
m 1 Of minstering angels keep watch over
the the, heaven When the Just man approaches them
been buried and clothe him with eight cloths, wovs9
out OF clouds of glory. and place upon his head
and the other Of gold and tRey paee eight
and H eat thy Mth And he TO ad h%
to place full Of rivers surrounded by eight hun
canopy according to his his merits. as it is said On
hs G %d rouHh the O Sy r oa
Of oil the other of balsam the third Of wine and
by vine Of gold and thirty pearls hang down
from it each of them shining Ike the morning
stones and pearls and sixty angels stand at the
Wth JOY e Of the @S honey thou hast worked
siduoGsly in the law OF which It is said. And it
from n1 the nG SIKH days for
6s as IN ts ssid woud thee to
drink rf of spccd wine The least fair OF them is
grains Of the pomegranate lit up by the rays of the
sht G of the IS nsq IS as of the shnn
And they undergo four transforma0ns according
the the aust fqq cnnne G1 he he
In Of the senond a Match he's IS changed
into youth and there he enjoys the delights OF
AGED man and repoices accordingly. In the fourth
watch he Is changed into an o.d man NE nees
t rrs c of mature aee o. the o''
The process Of the confusion OF languages at
the Tower of Babel has always been an Interest
n @ and the be
It came to pass %der 19ey fheir tongues and
changed their form into that of monkeys, so that
one could not recognize his own brother. nor could
so that when the builders ordered the people to
told them to bring water they brought stubble;
In this their evil intentions We're illustrated rus TED
scattered them over the face Of the WHOLE earth
the armament so that the water flow from there
he did in the generation of the flood And let us
n with But Sow eo anf Ssy b
the city, since they had no stones? They made
P pdfeT bn nG his po in oven and
In this they made the brick and built the
city and the tower exceedingly high. with seventy
steps. The ascent was made from the east and
the descent from the west If a man fell there
from they did not heed 1t much, whereas. If a
brick fell they wept bitterly. and said, When. on
when will another be brought up" When Abram
saw their wicked ways he cursed them in the
name of the Lord but they did not any at
from the 10000 angels that surrounded his throne
and that time of the dispersion he COMPOUNDED
their tongue into seventy different languages
LEGEND ABOUT ABRAHAM.
The legends clustered around the personality OF
Abraham arc iunumerable. but this one Is pc
cuiiarIv characteristic of the Hebrew conception
of Abra hams work 1T is related that the whole
household of Abrahams ather were idol worship
pcrs: moreover, they made idols and sold them
upon the streets. But when a man approached
Abraham to sell him idol he would ask him:
would reply. How old art thou?' Abraham would
ask Thirty years. Thou art thirty years of age
and yet worshipcst this idol. which we made but
to-day The would depart and his way.
Again another would come to Abraham and ask
How much ia this ido| Five manas.' he would
say. How old art thou? would Abraham con-
tiuue. Fifty years And dost thou who art hfty
of age. bow down to this idol which we made
but to-day With this the man would depart and
20 his way When Nimrod heard Of Abraham's
uterances he ordered him to be brought before
him. and said Thou of Terah make me a
beautiful god Abraham then entered his father s
house and said: Make beautiful image for me.
They accordingly made 1t. finished 1t and painted
Il with many colors. He went and brought 1t to
Nimrod
And that day Abraham's righteousness shone
Forth cloudy day and rain fell: therefore.
when they were about to thrust him into tho burn