Evening star., 1928-04-12
GODS NATURE FOUND VARIABLE
AS PEOPLES IDEAS CHANGED
They Embodied Own Vices and Virtues in
Deity, Says Standardization
of Eden Debated.

Arguments between celebrated bibli.
cal scholars over the veracity oi
Jehovah and the location of the Gar
den of Eden enlivened the session ci
tthe American Oriental Society at Cath
Ollie University yesterday afternoon.
The first of these was started by the
assertion Of Prof. w. A. Irwin of the
University of Toronto that the God Of
the early books Of the Old Testament
not only was an unscrupulous liar him
self and an encourager of liars. but also
was guilty of various other acts OF
moral turpitude.
The God Of Genesis. Prof Irwin
pointed out, was Yahweh or Jehovah
the god of war, who was endowed with
all the desirable qualities OF a human
ton.
God Given Popular Traits.
"All classes of people In ancient
Israel" he said, lied and dissembled
without compunction.e There was very
slight realization Of the worth OF truth
fuiness. This condition inevitably found
its elimination in q lying God. He de-
ceived His enemies: but also He served
His interests by deceiving His friends
and servants likewise.
The character OF God grows out oi
the character of the people and then
the character Of the people is nodded by
the god it has set up, the whole running
back and forth in q vicious circle"
But side by side with the lying, de-
praved war god, he said, there was grow
ing I'D in the minds of q few persons
the idea of a God Of truth, who came
into hts own with the great prophets,
Isaiah, jeremiah and Ezekiel, and has
continued TO our own day.
II disagree 100 per cent with Prof
Irwin" said Prof. Julian Morgenstern
of the Hebrew Union College, president
OF the society. He said that some OF
which the former speaker had based
his ideas OF Jehoyal1's character were
altered by the priestly code Of later
date and that the earliest texts repre-
sented them quite differently.
Refers 10 Older Texts.
The statement that God hardened
the heart of Pharaoh" Prof. M0rgen-
stern said, does not appear In the Older
texts, which state simply that "Phar-
aohg heart was hardened" He said he
did not know Of any place in the Old
Testament where falsehood was repre-
sented as true virtue.
"Unquestionably." he said, there wat
lots Of moral turpitude. then just a:
there is today. but that doesn't justify
assuming that Jehovah was the incar'
nation OF IT,"
The ancient Israelites. said Prof
George S. Duncan of American Uni
versity, started out with very crude
Jehovah whom they represented a:
guilty Of such petty things as beinf
Jealous Of his knowledge and Furnishing
the first human beings for eating OF ths
tree OF knowledge because OF THIS
II is wrong. Prof Duncan said, TO in
terpret the Bible as representing Goo
giorifying evil when nothing OF the kint
was meant. The Hebrews, he said. hac
come To a realization Of natural law
which, since God was all powerful, mus
come from him.
Missionary Gives Views.
The argument can only be answered
said Rev. DR.. Lemon L. Uhl Of Cam
bridge, Mass, for so years Lutneraf
missionary In India. by interpreting tn'
Scripture in the Light OF the personal
tiles Of the men who wrote II.
II know this from bitter experience,
he said. MANY and many Time II
TEACHING bright natives / have peer
cornered by this same argument. Inc!
would cite cases OF cruel, false Got
and ask If they were supposed 10 emu
late him. It is a difficult situation"
The argument over the location O
the Garden Of Eden resulted from tht
paper Of Or. Duncan. who maintained
that i.y impossible TO locate the Edef
of Genesis Many scholars have be
Iieyed that It must be somewhere neal
| the present sources VI the Tigris ant
! Eliphrates Rivers Some, he said, nave
/ Dl ed Eden among the mountain
/ springs of Armenia, others In lowel