The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-01-19
pATRIARCHS AS ASTRAL MYTHS
AN ANGLICAN CHURCHMAN ON
THE MOST RADICAL EXPLA-
NATION or THE OLD
TESTAMENT.

Icr's .'Geschichte Israels"-Commcn-
taters Advised TO Accept Historical
Treatment OF Old Testament -Bibio
Characters From Abraham 10 Solo
mon May lie Explained Away.
Prof. Thomas Kelly Cheyne. D. D., fellow
of Balliol, Canon OF Rochester and Oriel
professor Of the Interpretation Of the Holy
Scriptures at Oxford University, IL a leader
among English Bible scholars who favor
the methods Of the newer criticism. Thirty
years ago he was the first lecturer at Ok
ford to hold and e~xpounded the main results
OF modern Old Testament criticism. He
was one Of the Revision Committee for tho
Old Testament and an editor OF the 'Vari-
Drum Bible" He has many works on the
Old Testament. chief among them his books
on Isaiah. His hampton lectures Of 1885
were the subject Of a good deal Of contro-
verey in the Church OF England. h
following article by Prof. Cheyne Ia from
the Nineteenh Century and After.
The most important point for those OF us
who study the Old Testament is not how to
avoid committing ourselves to the pecu-
~liarities Of this or that critic or Assyriolo-
gist. and how 10 suggest TO our pupils and to
the public n middle road between extremes
which accords with the average opinion OF
scholars, but how by a combination OF old
methods with new, and by the attainment
Of a new point Of view, TO reconstruct our
study, and how by the gentlest possible
transition to introduce our pupils and the
public to this new treatment OF the Old
Testament. And since there is no scholar
who has 30 fully realized the problems be-
fore us and contributed on such q large
scale to their solution as Hugo Winckler,
Assyriologist and historian, I will endeavor
70 give the reader some idea OF his treat
ment Of the prehistoric period OF Israelitic
antiquity in the second volume Of his
GescAichte Israeis. The great danger Of
many Biblical scholars is ~narrowness Of
view, and no recent book perhaps can do
more to correct this than Winckler's Ge-
sohichte.
Even among practical Churchmen II is at
least a tolerated opinion that Abraham was
not a historical parsonage either in the
sense supposed by the older orthodoxy, or
in the sense which is winning muc favor
among more recent th~eologians. viz as tho
great leader Of a racial movement, and one
who has left his mark upon his fellow tribes
men, not only by the eminence Of his supe-
IlCf KlItS. uut ny III ulrliltilNt ltdNuIts VI
his religious life" winckler thinks II right
20 treat Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and even
Moses, Joshua, the Judges. Saul. David and
Solomon In a perfectly disinterested spirit.
from the point Of view Of a criticism founded
upon the facts Of a comparative study OF
the historic legends OF the East. The re-
suits are very different from those reached
by q criticism wticn e mainly literary in its
character. They may often be insuficiently
grounded. but this Is a first attempt, and
winckler deserves credit for not being too
fastidious, and venturing TO publish many
things which may perhaps only be service
able ~ working hypothesis.
The result which winckler thinks Of most
significance Is this-that the material which
legend In the East has worked into the SEM
blance Of history IL derived from mythology.
The Semitic peoples. however. whose gods
were local gods-originally the stone or the
tres-could not develop a mythology:
the myths which the lesser Semitic peoples
had were borrowed directly or indirectly
from Babylonis; Egyptian influence. too.
IL not excluded. This vas naturally tho
case with the Hebrews. The basis Of their
legends n In the main q borrowed mythology.
II now We turn our attention TO these leg
ends va find that they fall into two classes
a. those which grew up round the heroes
(such as Abraham. Isaac and jacob. who
were. according 10 winokler. reflections Of
local diyinities. and (3) those which attached
themselves 20 historical p~ersonAges. such AZ
the Judges. regarded AZ representatives
~ the several tribes, and b first Kings. A.
representatives Of the people. That there
were literati capable Of writing thess myths
down mas be- assumed the influence Of the
great civilizations IL tbs valleys Of the
EuphTates and the Nile was fully great
esoush for thls, and every King OF kihglet
would look out Tor a post OF scrte ~ho
could transmit the royal achievements 10
p~osteriiy. This scribe would naturally 10
late thsss achievements Ia such a wsy af 10
remind the reader u the exploits ~ tho
supernatural hsfoes u mythology Ono
scnts would teach ahothof, and 80 ~ de-
nee. dIed forins ~ etpfrs.lnu IT mytllo
HlsD would aTl-s, providing q sritlnE Toe
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