THE "HERMAS."
The sacred books, the "Hennas," or "Books of Hermas," were believed by
the Egyptians to have been dictated by the God Isis, and inspired by
him. In their collected capacity they constituted the Egyptian Bible,
and were believed to contain "the sum total of human and divine wisdom."
Their great age is undisputed. They treat of the creation of the world,
the attributes of God, and the theogony of the inferior deities, which
answer to angels in the Christian system, as they hold the same office,
and are apparently the same kind of beings. The "Hermas," like all other
Bibles, recognize but one supreme God, whom it declares to be just,
holy, morally perfect, invisible, and indivisible, and whom it
recommends to be worshiped in silence. This "Holy Book" contains some
lofty and soul-inspiring moral sentiments and useful precepts.
ANALOGY OF THE EGYPTIAN AND JEWISH RELIGIONS.
Modern archaeological researches in Egypt have disclosed a very striking
resemblance between the ancient Egyptian religion and that found in the
Jewish Old Testament, which, with the evidence of the greater antiquity
of the former, has fastened the conviction upon the mind of every
impartial reader of history, that the Jewish religion was constructed
from materials obtained in Egypt and India; and this conclusion is
corroborated by the Bible itself, which tells us Moses was skilled in
all the wisdom and learning of Egypt, and was by birth an Egyptian.
When we compare the doctrines, precepts, laws, and customs of the two
religions, we find but little difference between them.
Even to the ten commandments there is a striking resemblance. The
account of the creation and the order of its development is essentially
the same in both. 1. The Egyptians had a leader filling the place of
Moses by the name of Hermes; and his writings were held in similar
estimation, as they were believed to be inspired and dictated by
Infinite Wisdom. 2. The Egyptians had a priesthood of wealth and power,
and possessing the same sacerdotal caste as those of the Jews. 3. And
the priesthood, Mr. Pritchard tells us (Debate 116), was hereditary,
and confined to a certain tribe, as was that of the Jews. According to
Diodorus Siculus, and also Mr. Wilkinson, nearly all their ceremonies
were essentially the same. 4. And their religious temples were
constructed upon the same model, with an outer court and an inner
court,--a _sanctum sanctorum_. 5. The Egyptians had numerous prophets
like the Jews. And Herodotus says, "The art of predicting future events
came from the Egyptians." 6. The Egyptians had an ark, or shrine, which
served as an oracle, and was carried about on a pole by a procession of
priests, as the ark of the covenant of the Jews was by the Levites.
The Rev. John Kendrick, in his "Ancient Egypt," acknowledged that he
believed "the ark of the covenant of the Hebrews was constructed on the
model of the Egyptian shrine." 7. Kitto, in his "Cyclopedia," says the
Egyptian sphinxes explain what is meant by the cherubims of the Jews.
8. In their selection of animals for sacrifices, we find the same rules
were adopted. Each were controlled by the singular fancy of choosing
a red heifer. 9. Each had their scape-animals to carry away their
sins,--the Egyptians an ox, and the Jews a goat. 10. Both practiced
circumcision. And we have the authority of Herodotus for saying the Jews
and Phoenicians borrowed the custom of the Egyptians. 11. Both Jews and
Egyptians took off their shoes when approaching a holy place, which,
with the Egyptians, was in the temple. 12. Both believed in one supreme,
over-ruling God, and many subordinates, known either as angels or
deities, which, in their character and their offices, were essentially
the same. And a hundred other analogies might be pointed out, which
indicate the Oriental origin of Judaism.
ANTIQUITY OF EGYPT.
As a full comparison will show that the religion of ancient Egypt and
that of the Jews were essentially alike, not only in their general
features but in their most minute details, with respect to most of their
doctrines, precepts, and customs, the question arises, How came this
resemblance? It is out of the question to consider it merely fortuitous:
that one grew out of the other, or both were derived from a common
source, we are compelled to admit. To determine which was the parent
system we have only to ascertain which possesses the greater antiquity.
This question is very easily settled. A large volume of facts is at our
command which tend to prove that the Egyptians were in a high state of
civilization before the Jews were known to history. The Bible itself
partially recognizes this fact by its frequent allusion to Egypt as a
wise and powerful nation, able at all times to exercise superior sway
over the Jews, and whose wise men, or magicians, could compete with not
only the Jews, but their God, in the performance of miracles; that
is, with the Jews and their God to help them, in achieving the most
astounding feats. They could make any thing that Jehovah could, with the
exception of lice. The remote antiquity of Egypt can be proved by a few
facts. The Egyptians have a carefully preserved list of sixty-one kings,
who ruled the empire between Menes and Amasis, with names and ages
given, whose aggregate reign comprises a period of more than seven
thousand years. Herodotus says they computed with great care and
accuracy. Manetho tells us Menes reigned seven thousand seven hundred
years ago, which places him more than seventeen hundred years before
Adam. Engravings on monuments, and writings on papyrus, confirm the
statement of Manetho. And then hieroglyphics on the pyramids of Egypt,
with names, dates, and figures which have recently been deciphered,
enable us to trace the antiquity of Egypt back eight thousand years,
when she is shown to have been in a high state of civilization. Another
fact: Layard and Rawlinson, who recently visited Egypt as commissioners
or agents of the British Government, state that fragments of pottery
have been recently found by digging in the Valley of the Nile, which,
by counting the successive layers, or deposits, made by the annual
overflowing of the river, are shown to be not less than eleven thousand
years old. Such facts amount to demonstration, and can not be set aside.
And Mr Wilkinson, in his "Manners and Customs of Ancient Egypt," adduces
another kind of evidence to show the impossibility of Egypt having
obtained her religion from the Jews. He says, "The first glimpse we
obtain of Egypt shows us a nation far advanced in the arts and customs
and institutions of civilized life." And this was six or seven thousand
years ago; while the most conclusive evidence can be adduced to show
that no essential change has been made in her religion since the
inscriptions were made on the monuments, some of which bear evidence of
being eight thousand or nine thousand years old. If there has been no
essential change in her religion for eight thousand or nine thousand
years, it is _prima facie_ evidence that she did not borrow any of
her religious tenets of the Jews. Such facts settle the question more
conclusively than the most elaborate argument could do.