It is alleged by many that this book was written by Joshua, and that
there is internal evidence of that fact. Dr. Giles has very fully
discussed this subject in pages 153 to 164 of his 'Hebrew Records,' to
which I refer my readers. It is clear that the book, as a whole, was
not written by Joshua; and, as I cannot find anything enabling me to
discover the author, it must be criticised in the same manner as other
anonymous writings.
*Chapter ii., v. 14. The command to save alive nothing that breatheth
is soon set at nought. Here is a covenant made by the spies with a
Canaanitish woman; this covenant is afterwards confirmed by Joshua in
direct opposition to the commands of God, given through Moses. (See
chap, vi., vv. 22 and 23, and Deuteronomy, chap, vii., vv. 2 and 3.)
By Matthew, chap. L, v. 5, it would appear that Rahab was married to
Salmon, so that three of God's ordinances are here broken; first, in
sparing the lives of herself and family, second, in making a covenant
with her, third, in marrying her. From this lady we derive David and all
the succeeding kings.
*Chapter iv., v. 7. 'These stones shall be a memorial unto the children
of Israel for ever.' Where are they now? It would be some evidence in
support of the genuineness of this pretended history of the Jews if
these twelve stones could be shown. It is no answer that the ravages
of time, or other adverse circumstances, may have removed them. These
stones were to be a memorial 'for ever.'
Verse 9. 'And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the
place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant
stood, _and they are there unto this day!_
If the stones had not been there a long time, the writer of the book
would not have used such an expression. It would have been in no wise
remarkable that the twelve stones, or pillar, should have stood forty
or fifty years, but the writer means that they had stood 500, or perhaps
1000 years.
Verse 13. If this means that the whole of the fighting men of the Jews
numbered only 40,000, they must have sadly dwindled away, as in Numbers,
chap. i., vv. 3 and 46, they are stated at 603,550.
Verse 23. 'For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from
before you as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up
from _before us until we were passed over_,' yet in chap, v., v. 4,
we are told that all the people that came out of Egypt died in the
wilderness.
*Chapter v., v. 1. 'Until we were passed over.' Bishop Tomline remarks
on this passage:--
'The use of the word "we" proves that this book was written by Joshua,
or by some one else alive at the time.
'This inference is obvious, and cannot be objected to if it can be shown
that the words of the text, _until WE were passed over_, are {98} a
correct translation of the corresponding words in the original Hebrew
Bible. This, however, is not the case. The passage before us is one of
the parts of the Bible which has been corrupted by time, and the error
has arisen in the present instance from the great similarity between the
Hebrew words, [------] Aberanoo, "we passed over," and [------] Abekoom,
"he caused them to pass over." These words are very similar, and though
the common text of the Hebrew Bible now reads Aberanoo, which gives
the sense of "we passed over," yet this was not the old reading of the
passage, but Aberoom, "he [i.e., God] caused them to pass over," and
among the various readings of the text Aberoom actually is found: but
the Hebrew letter [--] has been carelessly divided into two letters,
[--] vau and [--] nun, by the copyist, and the translators of the Bible,
not perceiving the error, and perhaps tempted to make a choice which
tended to attach to the book the value of a contemporary record, have
given the passage that interpretation which has misled so many critics
and on which is built so fallacious a theory.
'That the error is such as I described it, and consequently that the
theory built upon it is fallacious, must inevitably result from the
accuracy of our present statement, which becomes almost a matter
of certainty from the concurrence of the Septuagint and Vulgate
translations.
'In the German translations of the Bible the error has been corrected,
and the proper reading of the word restored.
'It appears, then, that this passage, which has been made the basis for
the belief that the Book of Joshua is a contemporary writing, has been
incorrectly translated in our common English Bibles, and consequently
the opinion "built upon it must fall to the ground".'
Verse 9. On page 35 is quoted Voltaire's criticism on this text, 'I have
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.' It is evident that it
refers to the circumcision, which was an established ceremony amongst
the Egyptians from the earliest ages.
Verses 13 to 15. In what manner shall I comment on these verses? Shall
I gravely reason upon the improbability of 'a man with a drawn sword'
being the 'captain of the Lord's host?' Shall I venture to doubt whether
the captain of the Lord's host would come to Joshua for the mere purpose
of telling him to take off his shoes, or ought I not rather at once to
class these verses with such tales as 'Aladdin's Lamp,' and others of a
like character, dismissing them as unworthy of further criticism?
*Chapter vi. relates the miraculous falling down of the walls of the
city of Jericho. One of two courses must be pursued when reading it;
either the reader must discard the evidence presented by his senses,
and, without reasoning, blindly accept the story, or he will be
compelled at once to reject it as absurd. I have read of the destruction
of a suspension bridge, or bridge of boats, in consequence of vibration,
produced by the marching across, in regular time, of a large body of
men, but I am inclined to think that all the Jews in the world might
march round Jericho until they were sorely fatigued, and yet have but
{99} little effect on its walls. Walls are more likely to tumble down
by pushing against them than by shouting at them. It is almost to be
regretted that our Christian friends did not try the experiment at
Sebastopol; if it had succeeded, it would have struck all the world with
astonishment.
'Chap, vii., v. 1 to end. Among many nations in their rude infancy, and
while gross and barbarous ideas prevailed, it has been held that sin or
offence, particularly if of an aggravated kind, against the gods or the
nearest relationships amongst men could never be pardoned. The Nemesis
must be satisfied; but satisfaction was often obtained from the
innocent, who were made the objects of vengeance instead of the guilty.
The ancient Hebrews participated in these notions of other uncultivated
nations, hence their ideas of visiting the sins of the fathers upon the
children, of the Israelitish army defeated on account of Achan, etc.
This idea was greatly encouraged by the Levitical priests, whose
interests were promoted by it, and by the practice of sacrifices, which
was founded upon the assumption of vicariousness and expiation. This
idea also became thoroughly interwoven with the theocratical institution
of the Jews, the worship of their sanctuary, their hymns, and the poetry
of their prophets.
'Verse 26. And they raised over him [Achan] a great heap of stones unto
this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger Wherefore
the name of that place was called the valley of Achor unto this day.
'Chap, viii., vv. 28, 29. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for
ever, even a desolation unto this day. And the King of Ai he [Joshua]
hanged on a tree until eventide. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua
commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast
it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great
heap of stones, _that remaineth_ unto this day.'
'The words, _that remaineth_, do not occur in the original Hebrew; they
have been added by the translators to make the sense complete. The
only inference which both these last quoted passages carry with them
concerning the age when they were written is that it was a very long
time after the death of Achan in the first text, and of the King of
Ai in the second. A similar inference is deduced from the verse which
follows:--
'Chap, ix., v. 27. "And Joshua made them [the Gibeonites] that day
hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the
altar of the Lord, _even unto this day, in the place which he should
choose_."
'The "place which the Lord should choose" was finally Jerusalem, and,
if the words were written in the later period of the Israelitish
government, the Lord had already chosen Jerusalem to be the site of his
temple and the place of his worship.
'Chap, x., v. 1. "Now it came to pass when Adonizedec, King of
Jerusalem, had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed
it," etc.
'This chapter is full of names that did not exist until many years {100}
afterwards, some more, some less. Bethhoron, mentioned at verse 10,
was built by an Israelitish lady after the conquest, as we learn from 1
Chron. vii., 23, 24:--
'"And when he [Ephraim] went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a
son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.
And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether and the
upper, and Uzzen-Sherah."
'The comparison of these texts involves an anachronism. Sherah was
only the fourth in descent from Jacob, thus:--Joseph, Ephraim, Beriah,
Sherah. If the Israelites remained 430 years in Egypt, as appears from
several texts of Scripture, it is impossible that only one generation,
Beriah, could have intervened between Ephraim, who was a child when
Jacob went down into Egypt, and Sherah, who built Bethhoron.
'Chap, x., vv. 13,14. "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed
until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this
written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of
heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no
day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the
voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel."
'Here we obtain a fact that bears with great force upon our present
argument. The writer of the Book of Joshua quotes an earlier work, to
which he refers his readers, for a more full account of the miracle
which he records--namely, the arresting the sun and moon in their flight
that the Israelites might be avenged on their enemies. It is impossible
to conceive that Joshua himself, who wrought that miracle, could have
referred his readers to another book, in which a better account of it
was to be found. It is far more likely that a compiler in a later age
finding this miraculous event well described in a book still popular in
his time, called the Book of Jasher, should have referred his readers to
that book for further information.
'But this is not the only observation elicited by the mention made of
the Book of Jasher in this place. The same work is quoted in 2 Sam. i.,
17, 18:--
'"And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan,
his son. Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the
bow; behold it is written in the Book of Jasher."
'Here we learn that the Book of Jasher contains the narrative of King
David teaching his subjects the use of archery in war. The Book of
Jasher was, therefore, written in or after the reign of David; and the
Book of Joshua, which quotes the Book of Jasher, must have been written
later still.'
Whether these verses were written by Joshua, or Jasher, or by some other
equally reliable personage, nothing can save them from condemnation as
being absurd in the extreme. Paine observes:--
'This tale of the sun standing still upon Mount Gibeon, and the moon in
the valley of Ajalon, is one of those fables that detects itself. Such
a circumstance could not have happened without being known all over the
world. One half would have wondered why the sun did {101} not rise,
and the other why it did not set, and the tradition of it would be
universal, whereas there is not a nation in the world that knows
anything about it. But why must the moon stand still? What occasion
could there be for moonlight in the day time, and that, too, whilst the
sun shined? As a poetical figure the whole is well enough; it is akin
to that in the song of Deborah and Barah. _The stars in their courses,
fought against Sisera_; but it is inferior to the figurative declaration
of Mahomet to the person who came to expostulate with him on his goings
on:--_Wert thou_, said he, _to come to me with the sun in thy right hand
and the moon in thy left, it should not alter my career_. For Joshua to
have exceeded Mahomet, he should have put the sun and moon one in each
pocket, and carried them as Guy Fawkes carried his dark lanthorn, and
taken them out to shine as he might happen to want them.
'The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related that it is
difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime makes the
ridiculous, and one step above the ridiculous makes the sublime again;
the account, however, abstracted from the poetical fancy shows the
ignorance of Joshua, for he should have commanded the earth to have
stood still.'
Verse 14. 'The time implied by the expression _after it_, that is, after
that day being put in comparison with all the time that passed _before
it_, must, in order to give any expressive signification to the
passage, mean a _great length of time_. For example, it would have been
ridiculous to have said to the next day, or the next week, or the next
month, or the next year; to give, therefore, meaning to the passage
comparative to the wonder it relates, and the prior time it alludes
to it, must mean centuries of years; less, however, than one would be
trifling, and less than two would be barely admissible.'
It is not true, as stated in verse 14, that there was no day before or
after that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man. The Lord _before_
hearkened unto Abraham (_vide_ Genesis, chap, xviii., vv. 23 to 32), and
unto Moses (Exodus, chap, xxxii., vv. 11 to 14; Numbers, chap, xi., vv.
11 to 23; chap, xiv., vv. 13 to 20). _After_, the Lord hearkened unto
Samson (Judges, chap, xvi., v. 28), to David (1 Samuel, ehap. xxiii.,
vv. 2 to 12).
Verse 26. The King of Hebron is slain and hanged in this verse, and
afterwards slain again in verse 37. In the foot note to the Douay it is
alleged that this was a second king, but the explanation is not correct,
as only one King of Hebron was slain by Joshua (_vide_ chap. xii., v.
10).
'The burial place of the five kings was marked out to posterity by a
lasting monument--a heap of stones which Joshua caused to be placed over
the cave where they were buried.
'"Verse 27. 'And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the
sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and
cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones
in the cave's mouth, which remain _until this very day?_"
*Chapter xi., v. 6. 'Thou shalt hough (or hamstring) their horses {102}
and burn their chariots with fire.' Will any man attempt to defend this
as a command from the Deity to Joshua? Is it consistent that the eternal
omnipotent and merciful Creator of all things should order harmless
and unoffending animals to be cruelly and inhumanly maltreated? We
are sometimes told that the Canaanites were murdered because they were
idolaters, but surely their horses took no part in the worship of Moloch
or of Baal.
*Chapter xiv., 14. 'Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb,
the son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite, _unto this day_, because that he
wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before
was Kirjath-Arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims; and the
land had rest from war. (See chap, xv., 13 to 19.) 'Every part of
this verse shows a later writer and a later age. The city had lost its
ancient name of Kirjath-Arba, and was known by the name of Hebron: it
had become the inheritance of Caleb, by which is implied that Caleb
was dead, and his descendants were in possession of it, _until this
day_--i.e., for a great length of time. And this is further confirmed by
the concluding words, "And the land had rest from war." The war of the
invasion was over, and the children of Israel had quiet possession of
the country when the Book of Joshua was written.
'Chap, xv., 8--10. And the border went up the valley of the son of
Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; _the same is Jerusalem_:
and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before
the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the
giants northward: and the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto
the fountain of the water of Nephtoah, and went out to the cities
of Mount Ephron; and the border was drawn to Baalah, _which is
Kirjath-jearim_: and the border compassed from Baalah westward unto
Mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of Mount Jearim, _which is
Chesalon_, on the north side, and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed
onto Timnah.
'The observations concerning the anachronisms which occur in the names
of places, apply in all their force to this passage; we have three
distinct places here mentioned, each of them designated both by
its ancient and modern appellation, Jebusi, Jerusalem--Baalah,
Kirjath-jearim--Mount Jearim, Chesalon. We know, also, that Jebusi did
not receive the name of Jerusalem until the reign of David, proving that
the book in which the word Jerusalem occurs was not written until the
reign of David, or that, if written before that time, it has since been
interpolated. Of these two probabilities the former is the stronger:
because we find it confirmed by the last verse of the same chapter:--
'Chap, xv., 63. As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with
the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.
'It has been asserted that these words can apply only to the few
years which immediately followed the death of Joshua; for, say the
commentators, the Jebusites _were_ then driven out, as we read the
account in Judges i., 7, 8. We shall find, on inquiry, that they were
{103} _not_ then driven out; at least, it is not so stated in Judges
i., 7, 8, nor can any such meaning be inferred from the narrative there
contained.'
'In the 1st chapter of Judges, the writer, after announcing the death of
Joshua, proceeds to tell what happened between the children of Judah
and the native inhabitants of the land of Canaan. In this statement, the
writer, having abruptly mentioned Jerusalem in the seventh verse, says
immediately after, in the eighth verse, by way of explanation, "Now the
children of Judah _had_ fought against Jerusalem, and had _taken_ it:"
consequently, this book could not have been written before Jerusalem had
been taken. In the quotation just made from the 15th chapter of Joshua,
verse 63, it is said, that _the Jebusitea dwell with the children of
Judah at Jerusalem unto this day_, meaning the time when the Book of
Joshua was written.
'The evidence I have already produced, to prove that the books I have
hitherto treated of were not written by the persons to whom they are
ascribed, nor till many years after their death, if such persons ever
lived, is already so abundant, that I can afford to admit this passage
with less weight than I am entitled to draw from it. For the case is,
that so far as the Bible can be credited as a history, the city of
Jerusalem was not taken till the time of David; and consequently,
that the Books of Joshua and of Judges were not written till after the
commencement of the reign of David, which was 370 years after the death
of Joshua.
'The name of the city that was afterwards called Jerusalem, was
originally Jebus or Jebusi, and was the capital of the Jebusites. The
account of David's taking this city is given in 2 Samuel, chap, v., v.
4, etc; also in 1 Chron., chap, xiv., v. 4, etc. There is no mention
in any part of the Bible that it was ever taken before, nor any account
that favours such an opinion. It is not said, either in Samuel or in the
Chronicles, that they _utterly destroyed men, women, and children; that
they left not a soul to breathe_, as is said of their other conquests;
and the silence here observed implies that it was taken by capitulation,
and that the Jebusites, the native inhabitants, continued to live in the
place after it was taken. The account, therefore, given in Joshua, that
_the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah_ at Jerusalem unto this
day, corresponds to no other time than after the taking the city by
David.'
'Chap, xix., 47. And the coast of the children of Dan went out too
little for them; therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against
Leshem [called Laish in Judges, chap, xviii., v. 29], and took it and
smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it and dwelt therein!
and called Leshem Dan, after the name of Dan, their father.
'This is the same affair which is related in detail in the 18th chapter
of Judges. According to the chronology given in the margin of our
Bibles, and generally received by the learned, this happened about
thirty years after the death of Joshua. The anachronism is explained in
the following manner by the editors of the "Family Bible," quoting from
Bishop Patrick and Shuckford:--
'"It is supposed that Ezra, or some other, thought good in aftertimes
{104} to insert this verse here, in order to complete the account of the
Danites' possession."
'If this be received as sound criticism, history will truly be brought
down to a level with the most worthless pastimes that man can choose for
his amusement: it will be, literally, no better than an almanack, which
is altered year by year to adapt it to the existing state of things. If
the Book of Joshua were indeed the work of the great man whose name it
bears, no later historian would have ventured to impair its value by
adding to or detracting from its contents. ( _Vide_ "Hebrew Records" and
"Age of Reason")
*Chapter xxi., v. 36. In the Douay another city, 'Misor,' is named,
but as this would make _five_ cities instead of _four_, as mentioned in
verse 37, our orthodox translators have discreetly omitted 'Misor' from
the list.
Verses 43-5. 'And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware
to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware
unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies
before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There
failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto
the house of Israel; all came to pass.' These verses are decidedly
incorrect. The Israelites did not get all the promised land, they did
not have rest round about, their enemies did stand before them, and in
many places defeated them; the Lord did not deliver all their enemies
into their hands, and much failed which the Lord had promised.
*Chapter xxii., v. 8. According to chap, vi., Achan was stoned to
death for the very act now recommended by Joshua to the whole of the
people--i.e., preserving and keeping raiment, etc., taken from the
enemy.
Verse 22. 'The Lord God of Gods.' Lord of what Gods? Is not this similar
to the mythology with Jove as the chief of Gods? The Jews, as has been
before observed, were clearly Polytheists, recognising a variety of
gods, but claiming the chief place for the God of Israel.
*Chapter xxiii., v. 6. 'Book of the law of Moses.' See remarks on page
86.
Verse 12. Although Joshua is here cautioning the people against the
consequences which will result from intermarrying with the Canaanites,
yet he allowed Rahab and her family to marry and settle amongst the
Israelites.
Verse 14. 'Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth.' Not
one word is said about heaven or hell, not a hint that after his death
he expects to live again, no expression of hope that he may reach
heaven, and there enjoy eternal happiness, no thought about his soul.
He does not refer to it in any way, so that it is quite evident that if
there be a future state of happiness and misery, Joshua knew nothing
of it, yet Joshua was a favoured individual; he had personally seen the
'Captain of the Lord's host,' and ought to have known much about
{105} heavenly things. Our translators felt the want of this spiritual
feeling, and have put into Joshua's mouth the words, 'Your souls.'
Joshua, however, never uttered these words. The verse reads, 'Ye
shall know, in all your hearts and in all your souls;' the Douay more
correctly translates the same passage, 'You shall know with all your
mind.' It simply means, 'Ye shall be in no doubt; but shall thoroughly
know and understand.' None of the books we have examined contain
the slightest reference to an immortal soul outliving the body, and
responsible for the acts committed during the body's life. (See pages 68
and 88).
*Chapter xxiv., vv. 2 and 3. What flood is this? In verse 3, the Douay,
instead of saying that Abraham came from the 'other side of the flood,'
substitutes the words, 'from the borders of Mesopotamia.' We are here
informed, for the first time, that Terah, the father of Abraham, was an
idolator; but we cannot ascertain how Joshua obtained his knowledge. If
from other books they are lost, together with 'Jasher,' and the 'Book of
the Wars of the Lord.'
Verses 12 and 13. If these verses are true, all the preceding accounts
of the wars of the Israelites must be false, as we are repeatedly told
of their battles, and hard labours, and struggles, to obtain the land.
Verse 19. Moses said, that God kept 'mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity, transgression, and sin.' Joshua says of God: 'He is a jealous
God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.'
Verses 29 and 30. Dr. Giles thus comments:--
'If Joshua died at the age of 110 years, and his death is recorded in
the Book which passes by his name, we need no further proof, that this
book could not have been written until after Joshua was dead. But this
limitation of its origin, to some period after the death of Joshua, must
be still further qualified; for in the next verse of the same chapter we
read as follows:--
'"Chap, xxiv., v. 31. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua,
and all the days of the elders that over-lived Joshua, and which had
known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel."
'How could Joshua write, that Israel served the Lord a long time after
he was dead, nay, after all those who out-lived him were dead also? If
some later writer, as Samuel or Ezra, inserted all these additions to
the original work of Joshua, he would certainly have not done so in a
clandestine or covert manner; but with a note attached, that "so far is
the work of Joshua, and the continuation is by a later hand." Even the
monkish chroniclers have displayed this species of common honesty; for
we always, or nearly always, find a mark attached to those passages,
which begin the writing of a new author:
'"Hactenus dominus Radulfus scripsit Chronica, etc."
'"So far is the Chronicle of Master Ralph, etc."
'Or, "Explicit dominus Rogerus, incipit dominus Matthaeus, etc."
'"Here ends Master Rogers, of Wendover, and Master Matthew Paris
begins." {106} 'Even the supposition of these additions, made by later
writers, goes far towards a concession of the fact, which I would
establish--namely, that we have not the Hebrew writings in their
original state; but that they are a compilation, put together after the
nation had returned with fresh lights, and a fresh intellectual impetus
from Babylon.'
Verse 33. Phineas was a Levite, and the Levites were forbidden to have
any inheritance in the land; in what manner, therefore, did Phineas
become entitled to this hill?
This Book of Joshua simply claims to be a relation of the adventures of
the Jews under the leadership of Joshua. It has evidently been written
very long after the occurrences it alleges to have taken place; and
the writer must have either compiled from other writings, or from oral
tradition; if from the latter, which is the more probable hypothesis, it
will, perhaps, account for the anti-astronomical phenomenon, related
in chapter x., and for the falling down of the walls of Jericho, and
similar absurdities. By tradition, facts are exaggerated and distorted,
especially where the people are uneducated ana superstitious. As a
history it is of little value, as a romance it is of less; it affords
but poor amusement, and nought of instruction to peruse the account of
the wars of the Jews. A man of martial disposition may feel a degree
of interest and pleasure in reading the accounts of the struggles for
freedom of a Tell, a Washington, a Hampden, or even of the terrific
battles under a Napoleon or a Wellington; but of these Jews, whose best
fighting was but a sham, who were cowards at heart; who only fought well
when the Lord had paralysed the arms of their enemies; who took credit
for victories, which the 'hornet' had won for them; who were merciless
scoundrels when victorious, and pitiable poltroons when defeated; who
fought not in defence of their own land, but to rob their fellow men of
their native homes; I say, reading of these, a true man feels disgust
and sorrow; disgust at the horrible cruelties related; sorrow that men
should have been so ignorant as to imagine that the butcheries took
place under the supervision of a God of love.
Bishop Watson, in his fourth letter, in reply to Paine's remarks on
Joshua, writes as follows:--
'You make yourself merry with what you call the tale of the sun standing
still upon Mount Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon; and you
say, that "the story detects itself; because there is not a nation in
the world that knows anything about it." How can you expect that there
should, when there is not a nation in the world whose annals reach this
era by many hundred years? It happens, however, that you are probably
mistaken as to the fact: a confused tradition concerning this miracle
and a similar one in the time of Ahaz, when the sun went back ten
degrees, had been preserved among one of the most ancient nations, as
we are informed by one of the most ancient historians. Herodotus, in his
Euterpe, speaking of the Egyptian priests, says:--"They told me, that
the sun four times deviated from his course; having twice risen where
he uniformly goes down, and twice gone down where he uniformly rises."'
{107} The Bishop is somewhat incorrect in his criticism. 'There is not
(he says) a nation in the world whose annals reach this era by many
hundred years.' This is simply untrue. The alleged date of this
pretended miracle is variously stated; but it may be taken at the
outside at about 3,500 years ago. The Hindus claim to carry their annals
back millions of years, and Sir William Jones, after a fair criticism,
confesses that he traces back the Indian monarchy to a period upwards of
3,800 years from the present time, and admits an age of 3,000 years for
the Vedas, or sacred writings. The age of the xajur Veda, one of the
sacred Hindu books, is carried to a period prior to the alleged date of
the birth of Moses. The chronicles of Iran (Persia) claim at least an
equal antiquity; in fact, the same learned and careful author, speaking
on this subject, says:--'If we can rely on evidence, which appears
unexceptionable, the Iranian monarchy must have been the oldest in the
world.' The Tartar's 'genuine traditional history' commences 4,700 years
ago. The Arabian monarchy is traceable back 3,600 years. We have a
book of the Chinese, entitled 'Shuking,' containing the annals of that
empire, commencing upwards of 4,100 years from this date. Foh, or Foni,
is alleged to have given laws to the Chinese 4,300 years ago. We have
their poetry admittedly 3,000 years of age, and professedly of a much
more ancient date. A very learned member of the Asiatic Society, who
investigated the astronomical computations of the Hindus, as given in
an ancient treatise (the Surya Siddhanta), allows it to contain
astronomical observations extending over 7,200 years, a period of
upwards of 4,800 years of which has passed since the birth of one of
their most famous astronomers. This will be sufficient to dispose of
the Bishop's first assertion. His second, as to the quotation from
Herodotus, fares no better. The four deviations spoken of, by the
Egyptian priests, do not correspond to the two alleged miracles, and
Paine's argument as quoted on page 100 of this work, remains unanswered.