194

CONFIRMATIONS IN ASSYRIA AND EGYPT.

mentioned as founded by Nimrod, are mentioned on the monuments and the ruins of two or three of them are found in the vicinity. See Rawlinson's Hist. Ev., Lect ii., Note lxxxix. Southwest of Bagdad is a remarkable ruin, called Tel-Nimrod; the great dam across the Tigris, below Mosul, is called Sahrel-Nimrod, and one of the chief of the buried cities in that region is called Nimrod; and a great mass of ruins, lower down is called Birs-Nimrod. The ruins of that Ur from which Abraham migrated have been discovered and also the names of the kings who ruled it for 1700 years,from B.C. 2230 to B.C. 540, are found recorded there. One of these is Chador Mabig, the father of Arioch. The name of Arioch, king of Ellasar is also found among them.-See Gen. xiv. 1. It is also recorded that this Arioch, about B.C. 2200 built a temple, dedicated to the moon in Ur, one dedicated to the sun in Eliasar and one to Bel in Calneh.

This agrees with what is written in Josh. xxiv. 2, that Abraham's ancestors, or relatives worshipped idols. The name of Chedorlaomer is also found on these monuments, and the fact is also recorded there that he devastated the western nations, as it is recorded in the xiv. chap. of Genesis.

In Chapter fifth, the Egyptian coloring of the Pentateuch was spoken of; many Hebrew words are found on the Egyptian monuments; e. g. head, chief, house, gate, well, gold, lake, salute, high, bless; and this, although they had equivalents in Egyptian. Musical instruments of many kinds are found engraved on the monuments. Overlaying with gold was an Egyptian art. It has been objected that camels are mentioned in Gen. xii. 16, while there is no mention of them on the monuments, but in 1854 bones of camels were found in the depths of the Nile delta. The sale of a foreign boy like Joseph as a slave, the name of Potiphar as commander of the body guard, and Joseph's position as steward, are all illustrated on the monuments. In a tomb at Sakkarat, the names and titles of Joseph have been found and an inscription, calling him the savior of Egypt. The drinking of wine is denied in all the histories of Egypt, yet we are told of the chief butler's pressing out grapes for his master, the king. How is this? In the pyramids this very act is pictured out. In tomb No. 35 at Thebes, is seen a group of men with Asiatic faces, going through the whole process of making brick. Taskmasters are there with raised sticks, and over the whole is the inscription, "Captives, brought by the king to build the temple of the great God."

Moses of Chorene, the Armenian historian, Procopias,

CONFIRMATIONS OF THE LATER HISTORY.

195

the secretary of Belisarius, and Suidas, the lexicographer, relate that there existed in their day at the Numidian town of Tigisis in N. Africa, an ancient inscription to the effect that the inhabitants were the descendants of those fugitives who were driven from the land of Canaan by Joshua, the son of Nun, the plunderer. See Procopius de Bello Vandilico. ii. 10.

Evidences of the historic accuracy of the Bible are found on the ruins of Palestine, in the tombs and temples of Egypt, on the sculptured stones and clay tablets in Babylon and Assyria. Joshua contains long lists of towns and villages and their location on the east and west sides of the Jordan in Palestine, and most of them have been identified. The ruins of the Hittite capital have been found, and long inscriptions have been found in it, which agree with the history written in the Old Testament. Very much of the later history of the Bible, from B.C. 800 onward, is wonderfully corroborated by the inscriptions. We have the invasion of Judea by the Assyrian king; Sennacherib's invasion of Judea and the payment of thirty talents of gold by Hezekiah to save Jerusalem; also the murder of Sennacherib and the reign of Esarhaddon. Manasseh's name, as king of Judah is found among the list of kings captured by Esarhaddon. Again in 2-Ki. xx. 12 we read, "At that time BerodachBaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick." And in 2-Chron. xxxiii. 11, we read, "Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon." But other histories tell us that during this period, Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. How shall this be reconciled? The monuments tell us that Merodach-Baladan revolted against the king of Nineveh, and for ten years ruled in Babylon, and again, we read on the monuments, that Esarhaddon who took Manasseh prisoner, ruled with Babylon and Nineveh as his capital alternately. Again, we read in the iii. chap. of 2-Kings that Mesha king of Moab revolted against Israel; but the name of Mesha is not found in other histories. In 1869 there was discovered in the ruins of Dibon, the capital of Moab, a stone column on which this very Mesha whose name is not found in any history, save the Bible, engraved an account, 900 years B.C., of the success of his rebellion, and how he had captured the cities of Israel by the help of his God, Chemosh. See Judges xi. 24. This

196

DISCOVERY OF THE RUINS OF TAPHANES.

stone is full of confirmations of the scripture record. The whole Old Test. history from Solomon's time is found written on the monuments. Shalmanezer tells us there how, in his sixth year, he fought against Benhadad king of Damascus, and that Ahab king of Israel sent 2000 chariots and 10,000 infantry to help Benhadad. He says that twelve years later, he again attacked the king of Damascus who was now Hazael, who was helped by Jehu. See 2-Ki. xvii. 1-6; xviii. 9-12. From this time on, nearly every king of Israel and Judah is mentioned by name on the monuments. One of these is Hezekiah, and we have a minute record of the invasion of Sennacherib and the payment of the tribute of thirty talents of gold and 300 talents of silver by king Hezekiah; see 2-Ki. xviii. 13-16.

Again, objectors to the truth of the Bible records have quoted the allusions to a northern empire of the Hittites found in 1-Ki. x. 29 and 2-Ki. vii. 6, as destroying its credibility, because no Hittites in the north of Syria were known to classical writers, and the Hittites of Genesis lived in the southern part of Judea. But now the Egyptian and Assyrian monuments have brought to light the fact that a very rich and powerful kingdom of Hittites existed in the north of Syria just as the Bible says.

We will refer also to the recent discovery of the ruins of Taphanes, founded by Psamtik I in Egypt, who ruled 666612 B.C. He was the first in the dynasty of Sais, the last Egyptian dynasty before the Persian.

Taphanes is 25 miles south of Port Said, and seven miles west of the Suez canal. It was called Taphanes," The castle of the daughters of the Jew," because occupied by the daughters of king Hezekiah. It was built by Psamtik I. the Psammeticus of Herodotus. Little plaques in gold, silver, lapis-lazuli, jasper and cornelian were found under each of the four corners of the building, inscribed with the king's royal name and title. There were sixteen square chambers on each floor. Jer. xliii. 9 seems to be confirmed by the discovery of unhewn stones in the midst of the brick pavement one hundred feet long and thirty feet wide, which is in front of the palace.

Lastly, since we have established the fact that the New Testament bears all the marks of truthfulness, we may use it in evidence of the truthfulness of the Old Testament. Reserving till the discussion of the question of the Divine authority of the Bible, the full examination of Christ's testimony and that of the other writers of the New

TESTIMONY OF CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES.

197 Testament, we will say here that they everywhere bear testimony to the truthfulness of the Old Testament. They speak of it as the oracles and word of God. They refer to it, and quote and use it as true. See John v. 39; Luke xvi. 29, 31; xx. 37-42. Christ speaks of the flood, of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Lot's wife, etc. as true Occurrences. See Matt. xxiii. 35; Luke xvii. 32; Matt. xi. 23. In Matt. xix. 4-6, Christ speaks of the account of the creation of man and woman, as true. In Luke xx. 37, he speaks of the appearance of Jehovah to Moses in the burning bush as true. These are but examples of the fact that Christ and the Apostles quote and refer to the Old Testament hundreds of times as true.

CHAPTER NINTH.

"For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost." [Peter, 2-Pet. i. 21.]

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. [Paul; 2-Tim. iii. 16, 17.]

The Divine Authority of the Bible.

We have now, as we think, proven that the books of the Bible were written when they purport to have been written; that the writers were honest men, who had, for the most part, ample opportunity to know the truth of what they wrote; and that these writings are truthful. We have even found them very remarkably truthful, so that we may say that they are more trustworthy than ordinary historical writings. One farther question remains to be considered, and that is, the relation of God to these books, or to the writers of these books. Are they of Divine authority?

It may be better to divide the subject, and to consider the divisions separately. The next few pages are largely a condensation of Dr. Joseph Haven's lectures on this subject to which the writer listened.

1. The Bible contains a record of God's revelation to man. The great body of christians in the world are agreed upon this point. The records of these revelations of God to man are found in most of the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We find records of revelations to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to the Judges, to David, to the Prophets, to Paul, to John, etc., and we find the four gospels full of the recorded words of Christ the Divine Revealer. Many of these men claim Divine authority. Christ claimed it. He claims to be sent from God, and to do the will of God. John xiv. 24; vi. 38, 39, 40. He