The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-01
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Oldest historical document in existence
The evidence of its genuineness is to b.
established by the very peculiar IN
: ternal literary structure of its state
I ments
si It is here to be observed that it /:
mot absolutely necessary to this view
to maintain that Noah and his son!
were able to employ writing in oul
sense of the term, either as alpha
2 bette, cuneiform. or hieroglyphic. 1t Is
well known that among different peo-
pies there have prevailed quite pre-
else and ineligible forms of record
ing facts, in which no definite alpha
bette or syllable characters We're used
Noah might have employed some form
of picture-writing or of Runic notch
ing. which would have definitely and
ifntelligib1y recorded his meaning, so as
afterwards to have been put into writ
ten form. But it seems entirely I'M
reasonable to deny the probability that
some system of definite character writ
ing actually existed in Noah's day. a
civilization in other respects highly
| developed must at that period have
grown up. The generally advanced
mental and social condition OF the eau
casfan breeds which have sprung
| from Noah, points to a highly civilized
origin. Art and commerce must al
/ ready have reached an advanced stage
to have enabled the construction of so
large and staunch a vessel as the Ark.
Such a matured civilization. of neces-
sity, involves a system of writing and
accounting. Besides this. we already
know, from the Chaldean monuments,
that cuneiform writing was in public
use as early as $500 or 5000 B. c., which
may not have been more than two
thousand years after the flood. Must
not such writing have been of far
earlier origin than the dates from
which We have hitherto unearthed it
The fact that the cognate Egyptian
race, who evidently migrated from Ara !
bia to the Nile, possessed hieroglyphic |
writing at even an earlier date. lends |
the highest proba bility to the belief |
that some art of writing must have
been in common use before the time Of |
Noah. 1t may indeed be asserted with |
poSitivenesS that no form of civilized |
society is known to have existed among /
any race Of men unaccompanfed by an
art of writing in some form. The alb
sence of that art is incompatible with |
the complex conditions and necessi- |
ties of any civilization. The art spon-
taneously grows up by its own pres
sure for existence. Unquestionably.i
Noah must have known how to write. /
But now to proceed to the IDENTICAL
ton of the Log-entries Incorporated in |
to the story The History of the Flood |
is contained in three chapters of Cen
ess. the sixth seventh and eighth |
besides a sequel occupying the ninth
chapter. This history is mainly in an
eloquent narrative form, giving, as in
any well-told story, an impressivel
prominence to the leading features of
what took place. Passing by the pre-
liminary statements relating to Gods
orderings and his commands to Noah.
to the preparation of the Ark, to it's
occupation by Noah and his family
with their precious freight, and to the
commencement of the tremendous
we come. in the seventeenth
verse of the seventh chapter, to a pecu-
liar change in the style and structure
of the narration. Here the sweep and
stress of the story suddenly drop into
a mechanical recounting of a singular
chain of specific consecutive incidents.
such as are of relatively small mo-
ment in comparison with the gigan-
tic events in progress, although such
as would be apparently notable at the
time to an immediate observer. These
incidents are noted in regular sequence,
just as a log-book would hold them
recorded, but not like history sub
which the grand and majestic events
would tend to obliterate the lesser
This peculiar section of the story
records six consecutive occurrences as
follows:
(a) THE waters increased and bare
UP the ark. and it was lifted up above
the waters (The floating of the YES
sell
CD 1.-THE waters prevailed and in
creased greatly upon the earth" CThe
flood assumes formidable dimensions.)
Co 1.-THE ark went upon the face of
the waters" (The ark got into active
motion, drifting rapidly)
Cd 1.-The waters prevailed exceeding!
ly upon the EARTH (The dimensions of
the flood had become overwhelming
(e) "All the high mountains that
were uHQef the WnOle heaven were COW
cred" (The submersion had become
complete. No remaining elevation of
land continued in sight above the waste
of waterS.)
81 Fifteen cubits upwards did the
waters prevail; and the mountains were
covered" either an actual, measure
ment of depth was secured by sounding,
and recorded; or possibly an estimate
Of depth was made from the great
hulk's known draft of water when slip
ping over a covered mountain top.)
We note the peculiarities of the lit
erary structure of this section of the
narrative as follows:
l. The incidents are stated in me-
chanical consecutiveness. correspond
ing to separate successive entries in a
Iog-book.
?. There is threefold repetition of
the increase of the flood Ga. b. and d..
A natural narration would certainly
have combined all these in a single