Although books are constantly issuing from the press, and the country
kept literally flooded with new publications, yet but few of them
meet the real wants of the age, and many of them are of no permanent
practical benefit to the world. Such a work as is comprised in "The
Bible of Bibles" is a _desideratum_. It has been long and loudly called
for. It is a moral necessity, and partially supplies one of the great
moral wants of the times. It is true, hundreds of works have been
published embracing criticisms on the Bible, and attempting to expose
some of its numerous errors, and portray some of its evil influences
upon those who accept it as a moral guide. Yet it is believed that the
present work embraces the first attempt to arrange together, or make out
any thing like a full list of, the numerous errors of "the Holy Book."
And yet it falls far short of accomplishing this end; for, although
more than two thousand errors are brought to notice, a critical research
would bring to light several thousand more. It will be observed by the
reader, that there has been a constant effort on the part of the author
to abridge, contract, and compress the contents of the volume into the
smallest compass possible to be attained compatible with perspicuity.
Every chapter, and almost every line, discloses this policy. In no
other way than by the adoption of such an expedient could two thousand
biblical errors have been brought to notice in a single volume. The
adoption of the most rigid rules of abbreviation and compression alone
could have accomplished it; and this policy has been carried out even in
making citations from the Bible. Such superfluous words and phrases
have been dropped as could be spared without impairing the sense or real
meaning of the text. And yet, with this unceasing effort to compress
and abridge the work, it falls so far short of portraying fully all
the errors and evils which a critical investigation shows to be the
legitimate outgrowth of our Bible religion, that the author contemplates
following it with another work, which may complete an exposition of nine
thousand errors now known to be comprised in "the Holy Book." The
title will probably be, "The Bible in the Light of History, Reason, and
Science." He intends also to rewrite and republish soon, and probably
enlarge, his "Biography of Satan," so as to make it entirely a new work.
I. JEHOVAH.
The author desires the reader to bear it specially in mind that his
criticisms on the erroneous conceptions and representations of God,
as found in the Christian Bible, appertains in all cases to that mere
imaginary being known as the Jewish Jehovah, and has no reference
whatever to the God of the universe, who must be presumed to be a very
different being. The God of Moses, who is represented as coming down
from heaven, and walking and talking, eating and sleeping, traveling on
foot (and barefoot, so as to make it necessary for Abraham to wash his
feet); and who is also represented as eating barley-cakes and veal with
Abraham (Gen. xviii.); wrestling all night with Jacob, and putting his
thigh out of place; trying to kill Moses in a hotel, but failing in the
attempt; and as getting vanquished in a battle with the Canaanites; and
also as frequently getting mad, cursing and swearing, &c.,--such was
the character of Jehovah, the God of the Jews,--a mere figment of the
imagination. Hence he is a just subject of criticism.
II. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.
Some of the representatives of the Christian faith, when the shocking
immoralities of the Old Testament are pointed out, attempt to evade
the responsibility by alleging that they do not live under the _old_
dispensation, but the _new_, thereby intimating that they are
not responsible for the errors of the former. But the following
considerations will show that such a defense is fallacious and entirely
untenable.
1. It takes both the Old and the New Testaments to constitute "the Holy
Bible" which they accept as a whole.
2. Both are bound together, and circulated by the million, as possessing
equal credibility and equal authority.
3. Both are quoted alike by clergymen and Christian writers.
4. The New Testament is inseparably connected with the Old.
5. The prophecies of the Old form the basis of the New.
6. Both are canonized together under the word "holy."
7. Nearly all the New-Testament writers, including Paul, indorse the
Old Testament, and take no exception to any of its errors or any of its
teachings. For these reasons, to accept one is to accept the other. Both
stand or fall together.
Note.--Christ modified some of Moses's error, but indorsed most of the
Old Testament errors.