a widow’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil after they were nearly
exhausted, so that they lasted for many months. In nearly all
such cases we find incredible features, in addition to the impos-
sibility of performing the act. No reason can be found, in the
history of this case, for bestowing such miraculous favors upon
this woman that would not apply to thousands of women now,
some of them even in a worse state of suffering, and in greater
need of divine aid. It does not appear that the miracle had
the effect to convince anybody of the might and power of his
God, nor that it was designed to produce such an effect. Hence
nothing was accomplished by it but the relief of the poor
widow’s wants, which was a very good thing; but, as we have
already remarked, she had no more claim upon the benevolence
and munificence of God than thousands of poor widows and
others of the present day who receive no such aid.

4.   The prophet performed, we are told, another miracle for
the benefit of this woman, though we do not learn that she was
more righteous than other women. Her son sickened and died
(perhaps the meal was not in a very healthy condition) ; and
Elijah restored him to life. If there were any truth in the story,
it could be accounted for by supposing the boy was in a state of
catalepsy, or trance, as life has been revived in numerous cases
in persons in this condition in modern times ; and the conduct
of Elijah furnishes some evidence that he understood it in this
light. lie took the body into an upper room, so the performance
should not be witnessed by an}7 of the company (perhaps for fear
of being disturbed ; and he was probably apprehensive that they
would suspicion, from his actions, that the boy was not dead).
In fact the narrator does not say he was dead, but only that
the breath had gone out of him ; and this could be said in any
case of swooning, trance, or catalepsy.

5.   Aliab is reported as reproving Elijah for bringing so much
suffering upon the people by the great drought. The reason
the prophet assigns for this divine judgment is worth}7 of note.
It was because Ahab and his subjects worshiped a false God
(Baalim). This explains the whole affair. The Jews were
always assuming that those who did not worship as they did
were worshipers of false Gods ; but there is no evidence of
 CHARACTER OF THE JEWISH PROPHETS.

183

this, and no reason in the assumption. As St. John (i. 18)
declares, u No man has seen God at any time,” it follows that
each worshiper, under every system of religion, pictures out
the form, size, shape, and character of God for himself; and,
certainly, other nations had as much right to form their own
mental conceptions of God as the Jews had, and were as likely
to form a correct idea of him as they. They could not picture
out a worse God than Jehovah. Here we have a true explana-
tion of the reason the Jews were perpetually denouncing and
making war on other nations: it was simply because they
would not subscribe to the Jewish creed. The Jews were creed-
worshipers.

6.   This conclusion is confirmed by the relation, in the next
chapter, of a contest between the God of Elijah and the God
of the prophets of Baal. We are told that Elijah’s God could
kindle a fire upon the altar, while theirs could not. Here is
admitted the existence of other Gods. The only difference be-
tween them is, Elijah’s God was a little smarter. The same
thing is aimed to be shown in numerous other contests between
Jehovah and other Gods. It is merely a trial of skill, strength,
and knowledge.

7.   And because the God of the prophets of Baal fell a little
behind, and could not quite equal the achievements of Jehovah,
we are told that Elijah put the prophets all to death. Here is
another circumstance tending to show that Elijah could not have
been a true servant of a just God ; for such a God would not
sanction such cruelty. But the story carries an absurdity upon
the face of it. To suppose that four hundred and fifty men
would stand quietly, and submit to be slain by one man single-
handed and alone, without any resistance, is altogether too
incredible to be entertained for a moment.

8.   The next achievement of Elijah, after eating a barley cake,
baked on the coals, and drinking a cruse of water (1 Kings
xix. , was to walk forty days and forty nights, without stop-
ping to eat or sleep. This performance was almost equal to
that of the Hindoo, Yalpa, who walked round the sun in eleven
hours. One story is just as credible as the other.

9.   We are told that, when Ahaziah, who succeeded his father
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THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

Ahab upon the throne, got crippled by falling, and sent to con-
sult the God of Ekron, Elijah, on hearing of it, asked why
he did not consult the God of Israel (2 Kings i. 6) ; and, when
the king’s messengers reported to him what the prophet Elijah
had said, he sent fifty messengers to the prophet to invite him
to come and see him, that he might consult with him. These
messengers treated him very respectfully, and called him u the
man of God ; ” but the prophet, we are told, instead of com-
plying with the king’s request, called down fire from heaven,
which consumed the whole number. When the king heard of the
circumstance, he sent fifty more messengers, who shared the
same fate, and were likewise consumed by fire from heaven.
An uncivil and ver}r wicked thing for a righteous prophet to do.

10.   We are told that Elijah, in the course of his travels, came
to a stream of water, and took off his mantle, and smote it.
The water parted hither and thither, and permitted him to walk
in the bottom of the stream. Another displa}T of his great
miraculous power ; but it is void of truth.

11.   The last astounding feat reported of this miraculous
prophet was that of ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire,
with horses made of the same material. Rather a hazardous
mode of traveling. This stor}r is contradicted both by the laws
of nature, and the express declaration of the Bible itself. The
former teaches us that the fire would have been extinguished for
want of oxygen before he had ascended many miles from the
earth ; and the latter declares, u Flesh and blood can not enter
the kingdom of heaven ; ” and also that “ no man hath ascended
up to heaven but lie that came down from heaven,”—Christ
Jesus (John iii. 13). There are several circumstances which
render these marvelous achievements of Elijah wholly incredi-
ble, in addition to their setting aside the laws of nature. We
can not learn that any good was accomplished by it. It does
not appear that anybody was converted to a life of practical
righteousness; while we must assume that God must have
had some great purpose in view to cause him to thus set aside
and trample under foot his own laws. On the other hand,
a great deal of bad feeling was engendered, and a great many
lives destroyed. And then there is no allusion whatever to
 CHARACTER OF THE JEWISH PROPHETS.   185

these astonishing miracles in any other history. All these cir-
cumstances and considerations warrant us in discarding the
whole affair, though Christian writers attach great importance
to it.

The Feats of Elisha.

The marvelous deeds of Elisha appear to be, to a considera-
ble extent, a mere repetition of those of Elijah. Like his
predecessor, he raised a dead child to life, increased the supply
of oil for a widow after it had run short, and also increased
the quantity of good water for the people by a supernatural
process, though not by a shower of rain, as Elijah did, after a
three years’ drought. There is evidently a disposition to imitate
and outdo his predecessor: hence he brings water without the
process of rain. There are two or three incidents in his his-
tory worthy of notice : —

1.   When Elijah took his perilous flight heavenward, and left
him alone, we are told he rent his garments. This act, although
customaiy among u the Lord’s holy people,” was rather an
insane way of manifesting his grief. A man in this age doing
so would be taken to the insane asylum.

2.   The second performance of Elisha, deserving particular
notice, was an act of malignant revenge upon some frolicsome
boys reminding him that he was bald-headed. For this simple,
childish, though rude, act of calling him u bald-head,” we are
told he caused u two bears to come out of the woods, and
tear forty-two of them to pieces.” Why the other children
escaped this fate, we are not told. This conduct on the part
of the prophet evinces a morose, cruel, and revengeful disposi-
tion, instead of a philanthropic and benevolent one, as we
should have expected the Lord’s chosen prophet to manifest.
If the story were a credible one, it would be a stigma upon his
character while it stands on the page of history.

3.   There is one circumstance related in the history of Elisha
which seems to indicate that he was a man of rather gross habits.
It is stated, that, when he killed a yoke of oxen for food, he
“ boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen,” and gave
the people to eat (1 Kings xix. 21). We infer, from this lan-
 «

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THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

guage, that the oxen were thrown into the cooking-vessel whole,
without being skinned or cleaned. It must have been rather a
rare dish, and a tough one also.

4.   We will notice one more remarkable incident in the history
of this remarkable prophet. We are told, that, as some men
were felling some trees on the banks of the Jordan, one of
them, by accident, let his ax fall into the stream. On the case
being reported to Elisha, he soon relieved the man of his trouble
by throwing a stick into the water, which caused the ax to swim.
Here is another specimen of the philosophy of the Christian
Bible. Heathen mythology is full of such lawless stories.
When the boat in which a Hindoo was rowing capsized, and
threw his dinner into the Indus, a fish was accommodating
enough to arrest it in its descent, and bring it to the surface,
and restore it to the hungry boatman. A very accommodating
fish ! as much so as the stick !

We will now take a view of the moral bearing of the stories
of these great “ God-chosen ” and “God-favored prophets/’
as one Christian writer styles .them. We must assume that God
would not suspend the action of those laws which secure order
and harmony throughout nature to perform such miracles as
these prophets are represented as performing, unless some
great and important end was to be accomplished by it. Well,
let us see if this was the result; if not, we must assume that these
miracles were never performed. According to Dr. Lardner,
miracles were always designed to accomplish some great good,
and generally to remove the skepticism of unbelievers, and to
convince them of the mighty power of God. But we do not
find that an}' such effects were produced by any of the miracles
here reported. The performance of Elijah did not convert
Ahab nor Jezebel, nor the worshipers of Baal, either to the
faith or to a life of practical righteousness; nor did those of
Elisha convert Naaman ; nor did either of the prophets convert
or reform any of the thousands of heathen in the countries
through which they traveled. The contemporary kings of Judah
and Israel still continued in their ungodly course as before. In
a word, nobody was benefited, nobody reformed, and no good
effected by any of these miracles, only to a few individuals, who
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THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

represented as saying, “ Abraham kept all my commands, all
my statutes, and all my laws.” (See Gen. xxvi. 5.)

Hence the inevitable conclusion that Abraham was living up
to the commands, statutes, and laws of God, while committing
these crimes and outrages upon humanity. What a moral, or
rather immoral lesson, is this to place before the heathen of for-
eign countries, and the children of our own, who read the Bible !
It must have a tendency to demoralize them, and encourage
them in the commission of similar crimes, as certainly as they
are beings endowed with human frailties. Note these facts.

10.   And we find other disgraceful, as well as incredible, deeds
charged to the father of “ the faithful.” The account of the
surrender of his manhood, and the obliteration of ever}- impulse
of parental feeling required to obtain his consent to butcher his
son Isaac upon the altar, imparts a humiliating moral lesson
(Gen. xxii.). It matters not that he did not commit the deed.
He consented to do it, and was ready to do it; which proves a
state of mind calculated to make humanity shudder. The New-
Zealanders have been known to point the missionaries to this
example as a justification of their cruel practices of slaughtering
human beings. If a father in this age of civilization should do
such a thing, or even attempt it as Abraham did, he would be
looked upon as a monster in human shape, or perfectly insane,
even if he should claim that God called upon him to perform the
act. It would have been infinitely better to disobey such a God
than to disobey and outrage every parental and kindly im-
pulse of his nature. But the case furnishes prima-facie evi-
dence that Abraham was under a religious delusion in supposing
God required the performance of such an inhuman deed. To
assume that he did would make him more of a demon than a
God. Any man or woman is to be pitied whose education has
misled him or her, and blinded them so that they can not see
that the reading of a book teaching such lessons must prove
morally injurious to the mind.

11. The injunction on Abraham to slay his son is said to
have been imposed upon him to try his faith. His faith in
what? I would ask. Faith in his own humanity? faith in his
love and affection for his son? Nothing of the kind ! but faith
 CHARACTER OF ABRAHAM.

169

in his susceptibility of rendering himself an inhuman monster.
Let us suppose a father says to his son, u Richard, I want }tou
to draw a knife, and cut your brother Robert’s throat; ” and
afterwards explains the matter by telling him he issued this or-
der to try whether he would obey him. But his son would
evince more manhood, and a better moral character, by refusing
to obej^ him. It is much better to obey the dictates of con-
science, humanity, and mercy, than to obey a father or a God in
a case like this.

12.   And Jehovah is represented as saying, through an angel,
u Now I know that thou fearest God ” (Gen. xxii. 12) ; equiv-
alent to saying, “ If I had not tried this experiment, I should not
have known any thing about it.” What blind mortals human
beings can become, to suppose that a God of infinite wisdom,
who “ searcheth the hearts of all men,” must resort to cruel and
shocking experiments to find out the the state of their minds !

13.   But the history of the case discloses the fact that it did
not effect the end desired, — that of proving Abraham’s faith,
— not in the least, unless we assume that Abraham lied in the
case. For he said to the 3'oung men while on the road to
the altar, u Abide here until we [mj^self and son] go yonder
and worship, and come again to you.” Here is evidence that
Abraham knew he wx>uld bring his son back alive ; that is, that
Isaac would return with him, or that he told a falsehood in
order to deceive. The reader can seize which horn of the
dilemma he prefers. If he knew what the issue of the case
would be, it would, of course, be no trial of his faith whatever.
And yet Paul and other New-Testament writers laud the act as
being one of great merit and a proof of his faith.

14.   We must hasten on. We can only give a passing notice
of a few other acts of this illustrious patriarch, in whom u all
the nations of the earth were to be blessed.” Jehovah is repre-
sented as saying to Abraham, on a certain occasion, u I will go
down now, and see whether they [the Sodomites] have done
according ” to my desire. “ If not, I will know ” (Gen. xviii.
21). This is one of several cases in wThich u the Judge of all
the earth ” is represented as abandoning the throne of heaven,
and coming down to learn what was going on below. What a
contracted and ignorant being was the Jewish Jehovah!
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15.   The mission of Jehovah at one time, when he called upon
Abraham, was to inform him that his gray-headed wife, ap-
proaching a hundred years, was to be blessed with a son in her
old age. Has it never occurred to Bible admirers that this and
other similar cases represented the Almighty, whom “ the heav-
en of heavens can not contain,” as traveling over the country in
the character of a fortune-teller, notifying old women that the
laws of nature would be suspended long enough to allow them to
be blessed or cursed with the care and perplexity of children in
their old age ?

16.   It should be noticed that Abraham’s God never reproved
him for any of his misdeeds; while, on the other hand, the
heathen King Abimelech called the man of God to account for his
moral defects (Gen. xx.).

17.   One of the most dishonorable acts recorded in the history
of Abraham’s God was that of bringing a plague upon Pharaoh
and his household for receiving Abraham’s wife, when it was
brought about wholly through his treachery and misrepresenta-
tion, and tv hen it appears that Pharaoh treated her in the most
respectful manner.

18.   But, with all these moral stains upon the character of
Abraham, it becomes a pleasant task to record one good act in
his life. lie seems to have presented the practical proof that
he was a better man than his God ; for, when Jehovah threat-
ened the destruction of Sodom for her wickedness, Abraham
remonstrated, and suggested that it would be an act of injustice
to destroy the righteous with the wicked. It appears that this
moral consideration had escaped the mind of Jehovah. What
an inconsiderate, reckless being Bible writers represent the
Almighty as being!

1 \). Abraham, according to his history, was a man of valor, and
achieved some great exploits. For instance, with the assistance
of his regiment of one hundred and eighteen servants, he chased
at one time four great kings, with their mighty hosts, —the King
of Babylon, the King of Persia, the King of Pontus, and the King
of Nations (Gen. xiv.). lie drove them, we are told, more
than a hundred miles, and recovered his brother Lot from their
grasp. A few such daring heroes could have put down the
American Rebellion without a battle.
 CHARACTER OF ABRAHAM,

171

20. We will only observe further, that this 44 true servant of
the Lord ’ ’ was both a polygamist and an idolater ; at least we
have the authority of the Jewish writer, Philo, for saying that
his father was a maker of images, and that Abraham worshiped
them. Such is a brief outline of the character of the man who
is held up as an example for us to imitate, and through whom
44 all the nations of the earth are to be blessed,” and the man
who stands at the head of that nation through which, we are
told, a revelation has been given to the world which is to effect
the moral regeneration and salvation of the whole human race.
Whether the means are adapted to the ends, the reader is left to
judge.

II. Character of Isaac.

1.   In accordance with the adage, 44 Like father, like son,” we
find Isaac carrying out the same spirit of fraud and deception
practiced by his father. When 44 the men of the plain asked him
about his wife, he said, she is my sister ” (Gen. xxvi.) ; and this
man Isaac was another of 44 the faithful servants of the Lord.”

2.   If the statement is true that the Lord struck Ananias and
Sapphira with sudden death for telling a falsehood, as related
in Acts v., the question naturally arises, Why did Abraham and
Isaac escape the same fate, as they were guilty of the same sin?
Why this partiality? Manifestly, this is a bad lesson in morals.

III. Character of Jacob, Moral Defects of.

1.   44 Like father, like son,” is again verified in the practical
life of Jacob. We find this patriarch excels, in moral defects,
both his father and his grandfather.

2.   His conduct toward his brother Esau, in robbing him of
his just and inherited rights, is an act which stamps an eternal
stigma upon his character. When Jacob’s father, old and blind,
asked him, 44 Art thou my son Esau?” he replied, 441 am”
(Gen. xxvii. 24), thus telling a base falsehood, and deceiving
his old father; and this deceptive and underhanded act caused
his brother 44 to cry an exceedingly bitter cry ” (Gen. xxvii. 34).
What an unfeeling brother was this 44 true servant of the Lord ” !
It appears that Isaac and Jehovah both intended that Esau
should inherit the blessing; but Jacob outwitted them by the
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THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

aid and connivance of his mother. This is but a sample of the
character and conduct of the family throughout their whole
history.

3.   Jacob seems to have entertained very singular and selfish
ideas in regard to his religious obligation to serve and worship
his God. He made it entirely a question of bread and butter,
or, rather, of bread and raiment. He proposed to strike up a
trade with Jehovah relative to his future allegiance to his gov-
ernment, and to fix the terms of the contract himself (Gen.
xxviii.). He kindly and condescendingly told Jehovah, that if
he would provide him with food and raiment, and be his con-
stant companion in the future, “then shall the Lord be my
God, and this stone shall be God's house; and I will give one-
tentli to the Lord of what he giveth me ” (Gen. xxviii. 20).
Here is the attempt to drive a bargain with Jehovah on the
quid-pro-po principle. We are not informed how Jehovah ap-
preciated this kindly offer. This is an unfortunate omission, as
every reader must feel interested in knowing whether he ac-
cepted the proposition; and henceforth he whom “the heaven
of heavens can not contain ” took up his abode in the patriarch’s
little stone hut. We are led to infer, that, if Jehovah refused to
accept his terms, Jacob would henceforth refuse to be a subject
of God’s kingdom, and thus bring him to grief. This is a
sample of the childish conception entertained by the whole
Jewish nation of “ the God of the universe,” if we may presume
their God was any thing more than a family or national deity.

4.   The proncncss of the Lord’s hoi}’ people to falsify, cheat,
and deceive is well illustrated in the case of Laban, who, after
Jacob had, by a fair contract, labored seven years for him for his
daughter Rachel, would not let him have her, but forced his
older daughter Leah upon him ; and, when Jacob complained, he
told him lie must serve seven years more if he got Rachel; and
his love for her prompted him to accept the terms. But he
seems not to have been well compensated for his fourteen long
years of* toil for these two sisters. Their subsequent conduct
indicates that he fcfc paid dear for the whistle; ” and one month’s
labor ought to have paid for both, even at ten cents a da}’, for
they both turned out to be failures. They were, however, a fair
 CHARACTER OF DAVID.

173

specimen of the race. Rachel stole her father’s images; and,
when pursued and overtaken by him, she hid them, and told him
a falsehood to conceal the act. The circumstance of her father
. having images, and of her stealing them, is an evidence that both
were idolaters (Gen. xxxi.).

5.   It is easy to see, from the foregoing facts, from what source
the Jewish proclivity to idolatry and also to falsehood was de-
rived. The latter was practically manifested by four hundred
prophets at one time. It is true the Lord was charged with
putting the lie in their mouths (1 Kings xxii. 22).

6.   We are told, that, on a certain occasion, u the sons of Jacob
answered Shechem, and Hamor his father, deceitfully” (Gen.
xxxiv. 13) ; by which it appears the spirit or propensity to fraud
and deception was still transmitted to their posterity.

CHAPTER XXX.

CHARACTER OF DAVID-HIS NUMEROUS CRIMES.

Here is one of the illustrious Bible characters who has been
held up to the world for several thousand years as the “ sweet
singer of Israel,” and u the man after God’s own heart;”
whose life is stained by the commission of a long list of crimes
of the blackest character, some of which would send him to
the State prison for life if committed in this morally enlightened
age.

1.   One of his first acts of moral delinquency was that of turn-
ing traitor to Achish, King of Gath. After the king had kindly
given him a ruler ship over the city of Ziklag, he manifested his
ingratitude by waging an unprovoked war for plunder upon the
king’s friends and relatives, to rob them of their cattle (1 Sam.
xxvii.).

2.   David, with an army, committed a similar act of aggression
and spoliation upon the rights and property of Nabal, to attain
his cattle by robbery (1 Sam. xxv.).

3.   David at one time turned traitor to his own nation by join-
ing the army of Achish to fight them (1 Sam. xxix.).
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4.   David obtained possession of the kingdom of Ish-bosheth
by bribery and intrigue, after acknowledging him to be a right-
eous man (2 Sam. iii.).

5.   David robbed Mephiboshetb, the son of his bosom-friend
Jonathan, and a poor cripple, of one-half of his estate, upon
the plea that might makes right (2 Sam. xvi.).

6.   David connived at some of the most abominable and
atrocious crimes of his sons (2 Sam.).

7.   The manner ill which David obtained his first wife Michal
is shocking to all who possess kind and philanthropic feel-
ings. Saul had proposed a hundred foreskins of the Philistines
as the price of his daughter; but David, in wanton cruelty,
killed two hundred for this purpose.

8.   The manner in which David obtained his beautiful wife
Bathsheba, to add to his list of wives, might be tolerated in that
era of barbarism ; but it must be looked upon at the present time
as an act of cruelty and wickedness. He said to Joab, kCSet
Uriah in the front of the battle . . . that he maj" be smitten
and die ” (2 Sam. xi. 15) ; which was equivalent to sla3Ting him
with his own hands, and for no crime, but solely to get his
widow for a wife.

9.   Thus, we see, David was not only a polygamist, but he
obtained his wives by fraud, murder, and intrigue.

10.   David’s dancing naked in public was an indecent act,
although several cases are reported of u the holy” men of that
age appearing in public in a state of nuditj\ His wife Michal
upbraided him for u uncovering himself to the eyes of the
handmaids, his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly
uncovereth himself” (2 Sam. vi.). It is said that “ David
danced before the Lord with all his might.” Can we suppose
the Lord would fancy such sights?

11.   David’s treatment of the Moabites in killing two-thirds
of them without any just provocation is an act that would hang
any man of the present da}r (2 Sam. viii.).

Both parties were apparently happier when separated, as they
were several times, —on one occasion for a long period (Lam.
v. 20). And yet, according to the biblical history of the case,
the}" got along as well, were as moral and as happy, as when
their God was with them. Hence it is evident, if he had never
returned, the}" would have sustained no serious loss or disad-
vantage in any way. The case furnishes an argument in favor
of that class of people who are frequently denounced by the
priesthood for u living without God in the world.” If “ God’s
own people ” could get along without him, why can not men and
women of this intelligent age? And the reason he assigns
for remaining with them as much as he did shows it was not
from natural affinity or affection for them, but because he had
u promised ” to do so. Did he not know that u a bad promise
is better broken than kept?” Another circumstance which
implies that Jehovah cherished but little respect for his people,
and cared but little about them, is that, from his neglect (as it
seems most natural to attribute it to this cause), they were lit-
erally broken up while he was apparently with them. One
portion of them fell into the hands of Shalmaneser, King of
Assyria, and the other portion into the hands of Nebuchad-
nezzar, King of Babylon; and they were never able to regain
their political power as a nation afterwards. And, to cap the
climax, ten out of the twelve tribes were lost entirely, thus leav-
ing Jehovah almost childless, and destitute of worshipers. And
a search for them for several thousand years has failed to bring
them to light. This circumstance is entirely irreconcilable with
the idea that the Jews were the special favorites of God. In-
deed, it prostrates the assumption entirely beyond defense. It
proves, also, that Jehovah’s promise never to leave or forsake
them was not adhered to. (See 1 Sam. xii. 22.)

And the language and conduct of the God of the Jews on
several occasions imply that, if he ever did make choice of them
as his pets, he was disappointed in them, and repented of the
act. When lie exclaimed, u I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me” (Isa. i. 2), he
virtually confesses he had been short-sighted, or that he had
erred in judgment in selecting the Jews as special favorites.
 BIBLE CHARACTERS.

155

Certainly this is the language of vexation and disappointment,
and want of judgment or foresight.

2.   We are told 44 he hated his own heritage ” (Jer. xii. .
Here is evinced again a feeling of hatred, vexation, and dis-
appointment, that no sensible being should manifest, much less
a God.

3.   44 He gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Ama-
lek, and went and smote Israel” (Judg. iii. 13). This was a
traitorous act, calculated to discredit any being. Hence it
could not have been the act of an all-wise and benevolent God.
Think of such a being getting into a squabble with his own
children, and having to invoke the aid of heathen tribes to
subdue them, and get him out of the difficulty! One day he
heads an army composed of his 4 4 peculiar people ” to fight the
heathen, with the avowed determination to exterminate them,
and 44 leave nothing alive that breathes.” The next day he
gets out of patience with their stubbornness and iniquity ; his fury
gets up to fever heat; and he traitorously abandons them, and
joins those same enemies to fight them, and reduce them to
slavery. It is scarcely necessary to say we do not believe such
a God ever existed, excepting in the imagination of ignorant
people.

4.   Again : Jehovah is represented as selling his people several
times to the neighboring heathen tribes, which again leads to
the conclusion that he was disappointed in them, tired of them,
and wished to get rid of them. He sold them once to Jaban,
King of Canaan (Judg. iv. 2), and twice to the Philistines.
Wonder what he got, and what he did with the money! The first
time he sold them to the Philistines, he told them he never would
deliver them again: but he seems either to have forgotten his
promise, or forgot there is a moral obligation to stick to the
truth; for he delivered them several times after that, if his
own biographer and inspired writer tells the truth, Here is
more evidence that he is fickle-minded and unreliable, or that
the Bible writers have misrepresented his character.

5.   If we could assume there is any truth in the Bible history
of Jehovah, we should not wonder that the Jews preferred wor-
shiping a golden calf to paying their devotions tQ such a God ;
 156

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

and, on the other hand, it is not surprising that he should mani-
fest his displeasure toward them, and frequently steal away from
them, and often confess grief, vexation, and regret for having
made choice of such an ignorant, rebellious set of rambling
nomads, who subsisted by war and plunder.

6.   Jehovah’s jealousy of other Gods, which he so frequently
manifested and so often confessed, and which is one of the
most objectionable traits of his character, must be attributed to
his own moral defects; for he acted in such a manner as to
cause his own people to prefer other Gods to him. He fre-
quent^ scolded and punished them for worshiping other Gods, —
a circumstance which furnishes evidence that other Gods were
better, and therefore more worthy of being worshiped. What
else could have caused them to prefer other Gods ? He should
have acted in such a loving and fatherly manner that other Gods
could not have been more venerated and sought after. Then he
would not have been so often vexed, harassed, and perplexed^at
the idolatrous proclivities of Iris worshipers, and so often resorted
to retaliation by forsaking them, selling them, enslaving them,
or delivering them into the hands of the spoiler. In Judges ii.
14, it is declared, u The Lord delivered them into the hands of
the spoiler ; ” and, in Judges vi. 1, we are told he delivered them
into the hands of Midian for seven years. This looks like an
attempt to spoil his own plans, and to falsify his own promises
to be with them, and protect them at all times.

7.   Much of Jehovah’s dealings with his people seemed to be
by way of experiment, as in the case of trying Abraham’s faith
by requiring him to offer up his son. What an idea for an all-
wise and omnipotent God, of whom it is said, u Known unto him
are all his works ’ ’!

8.   But many circumstances prove that Jehovah was not the

God of the universe, but only a family or national God. 1.
His acknowledgment of the existence of other Gods (Deut. vi.
14).   2. Ilis jealousy of other Gods (Exod. xxxiv. 14).   3. His

traveling on foot, lodging in tents, having his feet washed, eat-
ing veal and cakes (Gen. xviii.), &c., all tend to prove this.
4. And the fact that he could not know what was going on in
other nations, and not even his own until he visited the spot in
 CHARACTER OF GOD9S “HOLY PEOPLE” THE JEWS. 157

person (as in the case of the Tower of Babel), is proof he was
not the God of the universe.

9.   We can not concede that the “ Creator of unnumbered
worlds ” is (like Jehovah) an angry, malevolent being, addicted
to feelings of revenge and retaliation, which seemed to banish
the feeling of love and goodness entirely from his mind, and
who is represented as being frequently thwarted in his designs
and purposes by the caprices of his weak and ignorant children,
who, so far from answering his expectations of being the best,
turned out to be the worst, of his human heritage. Such ideas
would be derogatory to Deity.

And this is the God the “ American Christian Alliance ” are
trying to obtain a recognition of in the Constitution of the
United States. What a moral calamity such a step would be!

CHAPTEE XXVII.

CHARACTER OE HOD’S “HOLY PEOPLE,” THE JEWS.

As the Jews are reputedly “the chosen people of God,” —
chosen by him out of all the nations of the earth to be the
special recipients of his favors, —the chosen instruments through
which to communicate his will and his laws to the whole human
race, and chosen to be a moral example for all mankind, for that
age, and for all future generations, —it becomes a matter of great
importance to know their real character for morality, for intelli-
gence, for honesty, and for reliability. And that we may, in
the effort to present a brief sketch of their character, furnish no
ground for suspecting any misrepresentation, we will present it
in the language of Jewish and Christian writers of established
reputation. It may reasonably be presumed that their own
writers would be more likely .to overrate than underrate their
virtues. Hear, then, what one of their leading prophets says
of them. Isaiah thus describes them (Isa. lix.) : “ Their hands
are defiled with blood, and their fingers with iniquity ; and their
lips speak lies ; their tongues mutter perverseness. None of
them call for justice ; none of them plead for truth. They trust
 158

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

in vanity, and speak lies ; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hand. Their feet
run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their
thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are
in their paths.” Such is a description of God’s holy people by
one of their number. And David completes the picture by de-
claring, “ There is none righteous ; no, not one.”

And Christ calls them “ a generation of vipers.” Bather a
shocking picture of God’s peculiar people! “Peculiar” they
were, if Isaiah’s description of them was true,—peculiar for de-
fective character. It is rather strange that Jehovah should have
selected such moral outlaws as lawgivers and moral examples for
the whole human race. There were, at the time, several nations
superior to the Jews in morals and intelligence, and much
further advanced in civilization. The Greeks, Egyptians, Chal-
deans, and a portion of the Hindoos were in advance of the
Jews.

The Rev. Mr. Hilliard, in a sermon preached in New York in
1861, says of the Jews, “They were by nature, perhaps, the
most cruel and blood-thirsty, as well as idolatrous, people in the
world.” And yet he says in the same sermon, “ that the Lord
chose the Israelites because of their adaptedness of character to
the carrying out of his divine ends of mere}7 to the race.” What
cogent reasoning! Why not select the Devil at once, if beings
the most cruel and blood-thirsty were best calculated for “ car-
lying out his divine ends of mercy to the race ’ ’ ? Here is more
proof of the evil effects of preaching, or adhering to, a religion
which is so full of errors, absurdities, and immoral elements, that
it blinds the moral vision, and weakens the reasoning faculties
to give it a place in the mind, and leads to a s}'stem of false
reasoning, and often corrupts the natural judgment. We have
more orthodox testimony to show the defective morals of the
Lord’s chosen people. Dr. Burnet (a Christian writer), in his
“ Archneologia Philosophic,” says, “ The}' were of a gross and
sluggish nature, not qualified for the contemplation of natural
tilings, nor the perception of divine ones. And consequently,”
lie tells us, “ Moses provided nothing for them of an intellectual
nature, and promised them nothing bej^ond this life,—did not
 CHARACTER OF GOD’S “HOLY PEOPLE,” THE JEWS. 159

teach a future state of existence.” Lactantius says, “ They
were never visited by the learned men of other countries, be-
cause they were never famous for literature.” St. Cyril says,
“ Moses never attempted to philosophize with the Jews, because
they were ‘ grossly ignorant/ and addicted to idohdiy.” Dr.
Burnet further says, “ The}7 were depraved in their manners and
discipline, and almost bereaved of humanity. If I may speak
the truth, . . . they were a vile company of men, — an assembly
of slaves brought out of Egyptian prisons, who understood no
art but that of making bricks.” Josephus, being a Jew, was
their friend and defender; and yet he says, “They were so
illiterate, that they never wrote any thing, or held intercourse
with the learned.” St. Cyril says, “ Some of them adored the
sun as a deity ; others, the moon and stars ; and others, beasts,
and birds.” One writer says, “They hated all nations, and
were hated by all nations,” and they seemed determined to
exterminate all nations but their own. They might also have used
the language of an ancient Christian sect, who declared, “We
are the friends of God, and the enemies of all mankind.” Lot
it be borne in mind that the testimonies here cited are not from
infidel writers, but all from Jews and Christians, who, we should
presume, could have no motive for exaggerating their moral
defects, but rather inducements for concealing them. Other
similar testimony might be presented. Some of the laws which
Moses adopted for the government of the Jews corroborates
still further the statement that they occupied a very low position
in the scale of morals as well as intellect; for the laws of a
nation are a true standard of their character. Hence the law
of Moses prohibiting uncleanness (Lev. xv.), the law against
incest (Lev. xviii.). Laws against bestiality, to prohibit both
sexes from carnal familiarity with beasts, and various other
laws of a similar character, furnish a clear implication that they
were addicted to all these vile habits; and a law to compel
them to wash their hands leads to the conclusion that they were
inclined to be filthy in their habits. And the following law
shows that they were not very particular about their food : “Ye
ma}- eat the locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind,
and the grasshopper after his kind ” (Lev. xi. 22). Here were
 160

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

three kinds of rather repulsive insects which the Jews were ex-
pected to eat, at least licensed to use as food. Can such a nation
be considered to be civilized ? If so, where is a nation now ex-
isting that can not, with equal propriety, be said to be civilized?
This portraiture of the Jewish character is not here presented
in any caviling spirit, or to show that they are justly objects of
either censure or ridicule. Far from it. They most probably
acted up to the highest light they were in possession of. The
primary motive of this exhibition of their character is to show
that the}" possessed no qualifications and no traits of character
calculated to fit them for moral lawgivers and moral exemplars
for us, and for the whole human race; and we can not assume,
without really dishonoring ourselves, that such a morally and
intellectually inferior nation of people were the chosen instru-
ments in the hands of God to communicate the revelation of
his will to the human family. We are under no moral obligation
to believe it. A revelation from a pure, perfect, and holy God
must (if we assume a revelation necessary) come through a
pure and holy channel: otherwise it would be contaminated and
corrupted before it reached us. If God could consent to com-
municate a revelation to the human race through such a channel
as the Jewish nation furnished, we see not how he could escape
a stigma upon his character for stooping to such ignoble means.
And would not the act of familiarizing himself with such a
people show that he kept bad company, and furnish a bad ex-
ample to us who are enjoined to be u perfect as our Father in
heaven is perfect”?

CHAPTER XXVIII.

149.   When did Jehoram, son of Ahab, begin to reign? “In the eighteenth year of
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, began Jehoram to reign (2 Kings iii. 1). Impossible, if his
son Ahazjah commenced in Jehoshaphat’s nineteenth year (see 1 Kings xxii. 51), and
reigned two years: seventeen and two are nineteen. And, according to 2 Kings i. 17.
and 1 Kings, it was twelve years later, if Jehoshaphat reigned twenty-five years. (See 1
Kings).

150.   WTien did Azziah, or Uzziah, begin to reign? In the twenty-seventh year of
f Jeroboam, according to 2 Kings xv. 1. But, according to 2 Kings xvi. 17 and 23, it was

sixteen years.

“. How long did Jehu reign over Israel? “Jehu reigned over Israel twenty-eight
“ (2 Kings x. 36). But, according to 2 Kings xiii. 1, he reigned thirty years.

How long did Jehoahaz reign? Jehoahaz reigned seventeen years ” (2 Kings
I xiii. 1). But, according to 2 Kings xiii. 10, it was twenty years.

L***00* 153. How old was Ahaz when he began to reign? Twenty years. (2 Kings xvi. 2.)
According to the text (2 Chron. xxiv. 2), his father was about eleven years old when he
was born.

# Jeroboa
I only six

I 151. :

I years ” i
J 152. ;

New-Testament Contradictions.

There is a continual conflict in the statements of Christ’s
biographers with respect to the various events of his life as
compared with each other; and in some cases they contradict
themselves. We will present some examples : —

154.   Who came to worship Christ when he was bom? Matthew says, “wise men
from the East” (Matt. ii. 5). Luke says they were shepherds of the same country
(Luke ii. .

155.   How were they led? Matthew says they were led by a star (Matt. ii. 6). Luke
says by an angel (Luke ii. 3).

156.   What did the parents of Jesus do when he was born? Matthew (ii. 13) says
they fled into Egypt. But, according to Luke (ii. 26), they staid there forty-one days.

157.   To whom did God speak at Christ’s baptism? To him: “ Thou art my beloved
son ” (Luke iii. 22). To the bystanders: “ This is my beloved son ” (Matt. iii. 17).

158.   Where did Christ go after being baptized? Mark says he went immediately
into the wilderness, and was there forty days (Mark i. 12). John says three days after
he was in Cana (John ii. 12).

159.   Where was John while Christ was in Galilee? “ John was put in prison ” (be-
fore that) (Mark i. 14). “ John was baptizing in ASnon ” (John iii. 23).

160.   Where was Christ when he called Peter and Andrew? Matthew and Mark say,
“ walking by the Sea of Galilee.” Luke says, “ sitting in their ship ” (Luke v. 3).

161.   Where were Peter and Andrew at the time? Matthew and Mark say, “ in their
ship, fishing.” Luke says, out “ washing their nets ” (Luke v. 2).

162.   How came Peter and Andrew to follow Jesus ? Matthew and Mark say he “ called
them.” But, according to Luke, the draught of fishes caused them to go.

163.   Where did Christ heal the leper? Matthew says at the mount, after the sermon
(viii. 2). Mark says when preaching in Galilee.

164.   Who told Jesus the centurion’s servant was sick? Luke says he sent the elders
0 of Israel to tell him (Luke vii. 3). But Matthew says the centurion went himself (Matt.

viii. 5).

165.   Where did Christ go after curing Peter’s wife’s mother? Matthew says beyond
the lake, and drowned a herd of swine (viii. 18). Luke says to Nain, and raised the dead
(Luke vii. 11).

166.   Where did Christ drown the swine with devils? Matthew says in the country
of Gergesencs. Mark and Luke say in the country of Gadarenes.

167.   Where did the devils remonstrate against going? Mark (v. 10) says against
being sent out of the country. Luke (viii. 31) says it was against going into the deep.

168.   Were Christ’s disciples allowed to use staves? Yes: “Take nothing . . . save a
staff only ” (Mark vl. . No : “ Take neither shoes or yet staves ” (Matt. x. 9).

169.   When did (’hrist pluck the ears of corn? Matthew (xii. 1) says after he had
appointed his twelve disciples. But Luke and Mark make it after that event.

170.   What woman interceded for her daughter? “A woman of Canaan . . . cried
untof him” (Matt. xv. 22). The woman was a Greek (Mark vii. 26).

171.   I low great was the multitude which Jesus fed with seven loaves and a few fishes?
Matthew says four thousand, besides women and children (xv. 38). Mark says four thou-
sand in all (viii. 9).
 BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS.

143

172.   How long was it after Christ was transfigured that he took James and John up
into the mountain? Six days after (Matt. xvii. 4). Eight days after (Luke ix. 28).

173.   How much power did Jesus say faith as hig as a grain of mustard-seed can impart?
Matthew (xvii. 20) says enough to remove mountains. Luke says (xvii. 6) enough to
pluck up trees by the roots. Both large jobs for one man.

174.   Who asked seats in the kingdom for Zebedee’s children? Matthew says (xx. 22)
it was their mother. Mark says (x. 35) they asked it themselves. Why did he refuse
them two seats when he had promised them, with the other ten disciples, twelve thrones?
(Matt. xix. 28.)

175.   How many blind men did Jesus restore near Jericho? Matthew says (xx. 30)
two blind men. Mark and Luke say only one, Bartimeus.

176.   Where did he perform this miracle? Matthew says as he was going away from
Jericho. Luke says as he was coming into the city (xviii. 35).

177.   When did Christ drive out the money-changers ? Matthew and Luke say the day
he rode into the city. Mark says not till the next day (xi. 11).

178.   What did Jesus tell his disciples about the ass? Matthew says (xxi. 2) he told
them they would find an ass and colt tied. Mark and Luke say they found tied only a
colt. And John says it was a young ass, and Jesus found it himself (xii. 14). Mark and
Luke say he rode the colt. But Matthew (xxi. 7) represents him as riding both the ass
and the colt.

179.   "Who answered Christ’s question in the parable of the vineyard? Matthew says
(xxi. 41) his disciples answered the question. Mark and Luke both say he answered it
himself.

180.   WTien did Christ tell the truth about Lazarus ? He first said his sickness was not
unto death, but afterwards said he was dead.

181.   When did the anointment of Christ take place? Matthew says (xxvi. 2) it was
two days before the passover. But John says it was six days after (John xii. 1). And
Luke makes it much later (viii. 36 and xxii. 1).

182.   Where did the anointment take place ? Matthew says (xxvi. 6) in the house of
Simon the leper. Luke says (vii. 36) in the house of a Pharisee. But, according to John,
it was in the house of Lazarus (xii. 1).

183.   Where was the ointment poured? Matthew and Mark say on his head. But
Luke and John say on his feet.

184.   When did Christ say one of his disciples would betray him? Matthew says
(xxvi. 21) while they “ did eat supper.” But, according to Luke (xxii. 20), it was after
supper wa3 over.

185.   Where did Jesus go after supper ? John says “ over the brook Cedron ” (xviii. 1.).
But the other three evangelists say to the Mount of Olives.

186.   "When did Judas betray Christ? John says (xii. 27), after supper he went out
and made the bargain. But the other three say it was before supper he made the bar-
gain.

187.   Where and to whom did Peter first deny Christ? John says (xviii. 17) to the
damsel at the door. The other three say to the men in the hall.

188.   To whom was the second denial made? Matthew and Mark say to a maid. Luke
says to a man. John says to those who stood by the fire (xviii.).

189.   To whom was the third denial made? Matthew and Mark say to those who
stood by. John says (xviii.) to the servant of the high priest.

190.   Where was Christ crucified? John says at Calvary. The other three say at
G-olgotha.

191.   At what hour was Christ crucified? Mark says (xv. 25) it was the third hour.
But, according to John (xix. 14), it was after the sixth hour.

192.   How was Christ dressed for the crucifixion? “ And put on him a scarlet robe ”
(Matt, xx vii. 28). “ They put on him a purple robe ” (John xix. 2).

193.   What was the drink offered to Christ at the crucifixion? Mark says it was wine
mixed with myrrh (xv. 23). Matthew says it was vinegar mingled with gall. But Luke
represents it as being only vinegar (xxiii. 36). Matthew says Christ tasted it; but, ac-
cording to Mark, he did not.

194.   Who bore Christ’s cross? Matthew says Simon of Cyrene (xxvii. 32). But
John says Jesus bore it himself (xix. 17).

195.   Which of the thieves reviled him? -Mark says both of them (xv. 29). Luke says
(xxiii. 39) only one of them, and the other reviled him for it.

196.   What were the words of the superscription on the cross? “This is Jesus, the
King of the Jews ” (Matt, xxvii. 37). “ The King of the Jews ” (Mark xv. 26). “ This is
the King of the Jews” (Luke xix. 18). “Jesus, of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”
(John xix. 19). But one of these can be right.

197.   Was it lawful for the Jews to put Christ to death? Yes: “We have a law by
which he ought to die” (Johnxix. 7). No: “It is not lawful to put any man to death”
(John xviii. 31).

198.   Who came to Christ’s sepulcher? Matthew says (xxviii. 1) Mary Magdalene and
 144

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

another Mary. According to John, it was Mary Magdalene only (xx. 1). But Luke says
the two Marys and Joanna (xxiv. 10).

199.   Was it daylight when they came to the tomb? No: “They came while it was
yet dark ” (John xx. 1). Yes: •“ They came at the rising of the sun ” (Mark xvi. 2).

200.   Whom did the women see at the tomb? Matthew says (xxviii. 1) an angel sit-
ting. Mark says (xvi. 5) a young man. Luke says (xxiv. 4) two men. John says (xx.
12) two angels.

201.   Did any of the women enter the sepulcher? Yes: They entered in (Mark xvi.
5). No : They did not (John xx. 2).

202.   Who looked into the sepulcher? According to Luke, it was Peter (xxiv. 12).
According to John, it was another disciple (xx. 4).

203.   Did Peter go into the sepulcher? John says he did go in (xx. 6). According to
Luke, he did not (xxiv. 12).

204.   Did those who visited the tomb relate the case to any one? According to Luke,
they told the eleven disciples (xxiv. 27). But Mark tells us they said nothing to any man
(xvi. .

205.   To whom did Christ appear after his resurrection? Matthew says to the two
Marys (xxviii. 9). Mark says to Mary Magdalene alone (xvi. 9). According to Luke, it
was to two of his disciples at Emmaus.

206.   When did Christ first appear to his disciples? Matthew says it was at Galilee
(Matt, xxviii. 16). Luke says it was at Jerusalem (Luke xxiv. 33).

207.   How did Christ’s disciples feel when they met him? Luke says they were terri-
fied (xxiv. 37). But John says they were glad (xx. 20).

208.   How often did Christ show himself to the disciples? John says, “ This is now
the third time.” But, according to the other three, it was the sixth time.

209.   Where did Christ part from his disciples? Mark says (xvi. 14) it was at Jerusa-
lem. But, according to Luke, it was at Bethany.

210.   When did Christ ascend? According to Luke, it was the day of his resurrection
(Luke xxiv. 13). John says it was nine days after (John xx. 26). But, according to Acts
i. 3, it was forty days after.

211.   From what place did Christ ascend? Luke says (xxiv. 5) it was from Bethany.
Acts says (i. 5) it was from Mount Olivet.

212.   Did Christ bear witness of himself? Yes: “ I am one that bear witness of my-
self” (John viii. 18). No: “ If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true” (John
v. 21).

213.   Could man bear testimony for Christ? Yes: “ Ye also shall bear witness ” (John
xv. 26). No: “ I receive not testimony from man ” (John v. 23).

214.   Did Christ come on a mission of peace? Yes: “To preach glory to God, . . .
and on earth peace ” (Luke ii. 13). No: “ I came not to send peace but a sword ” (Matt.

x.   34).

215.   Did Christ have a dwelling-place ? No: Matthewsays (viii.20), “ He had not where
to lay his head.” But John says he had a house, and his disciples saw it (i. 34)/>> \

216.   Was Christ the savior? Yes: “ Christ is the savior of all men” (1 Tim. iv. 10).
No: “ Beside me [Jehovah] there is no savior” (Isa. xliii. 11).

217.   Was Christ omnipotent? Yes: “I and my Father are one” (John x. 30). No:
“ My Father is greater than I” (John xiv. 28).

218.   Was Christ equal to God? Yes; “lie thought it no robbery to be equal with
God ” (Phil. ii. 6). No : “ My Father is greater than I ” (John xiv. 28).

219.   Was Christ supreme God? Yes: “ He was God manifest in the flesh ” (1 Tim.
iii. 16). No: “ He was man approved of God ” (Acts ii. 22).

220.   IIow did Judas die? Matthew says lie went out and hanged himself (Matt, xxvii.
6). The Acts says he went out and fell headlong (Acts i. 18).

221.   Did the men at Paul’s conversion hear a voice? Yes : “ Hearing a voice, but see-
ing no man ” (Acts ix. 7). No: “ They heard not the voice” (Acts xxii. 9).

222.   Did John see a book? Yes. “I saw . . . a book written within,” &c. (Rev.
v. 1). No : “ No man In heaven or earth could look on the book ” (Rev. v. 3).

223.   Was John the Baptist Elias? Yes: “This is Elias which w.as to come” (Matt.

xi.   14). No: “ And he said I am not Elias ” (John i. 21).

224.   When did llerodlas ask for the head of John the Baptist? Matthew says before
Herod’s great promise to her; but Mark says it was after (Mark vi. 24).

225.   Is the law of Moses superseded? Yes : “ We are delivered from the law ” (Rom.
vii. 6). No : “ I came not to destroy the law ” (Matt. v. 17).

226.   Who was the father of Joseph? “And Jacob begat Joseph, husband of Mary
(Matt. 1. 16). “ He was the son of Heli ” (Luke iii. 23).

227.   Who purchased the potter’s field? “ Judas, with the reward of iniquity” (Acts
i. 18). “The chief priests look the silver, and bought the potter’s field” (Matt, xxvii. 6).

228.   Yes: “The spirit led Christ to Jerusalem” (Acts xx. 22). No: “The spirit
forbade him to go ” (Acts xxl. 4).

229.   Yes : “ I go to prepare a place for you” (John xiv. 2). No: “It was prepared
from the beginning” (Matt. xxv. 34).
 OBSCENE LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE.

145

230.   Yes: “ The mission of the gospel began at Jerusalem” (Luke xxiv. 47). No:
“ It began at Galilee ” (Acts x. 37).

231.   Yes: “ I beseech you as strangers ” (1 Pet. ii. 11). No: “ You are not strangers ”
(Eph. ii. 14).

232.   Yes: “Christ died for his enemies” (Rev. x). No: “For his friends” (John
xv. 13).

233.   Yes: “I write unto you, fathers” (1 John ii. 13). No: “Call no man father”
(Matt, xxiii. 9).

234.   Yes: “ I am with you alway ” (Matt, xxviii. 20). No: “ It is expedient for you
that I go away ” (John xvi. 7).

Total, 277, including double contradictions.

We will not attempt to argue that these conflicting statements
prove that no such events as here referred to ever transpired,
and that the whole thing is a fabrication. We only argue that
it proves the writers were not inspired by infinite wisdom, or they
would have told the exact truth in all cases, so that there could
have been no mistakes. It also proves that we never can know
the real facts, or arrive at an accurate knowledge or the exact
truth, with respect to any of those doctrines, duties, or events
the contradictions appertain to; and, as these contradictions
refer to almost every doctrine, precept, and event of any im-
portance, it thus sinks all Bible teaching into a labyrinth of
uncertainty. Hence not one single statement in it can be set
down as absolutely true without corroborative evidence.

Note.—The reader will observe, from the contradictions in the foregoing list with
respect to all the duties of life, as well as all the crimes of society, — such as war, intem-
perance, slavery, theft, robbery, murder, falsehood, swearing, lying, &c., — that it is
absolutely impossible to learn our moral and religious duties from the Bible.

CHAPTER XXin.

OBSCENE LANGUAGE 0E THE BIBLE-TWO HUNDEED

CASES.

No person of refinement and good morals, who has not been
warped and biased by education or religious training in favor
of the Christian Bible, can read that book through without
being often shocked and put to the blush by its obscene and
vulgar language. Indeed, there are more than two hundred
texts calculated to raise a blush on the cheek of modesty.
Many of them are so obscene that we would not dare copy
them into this work. It would not only outrage the feelings of
 146

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS — TWO HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY-SEVEN.

It is difficult to conceive how any real benefit or any reliable
instruction can be derived from a book which contains state-
ments with respect to doctrines or matters of fact that are con-
tradicted on the next page, or in some other portion of the book ;
because it not only confuses the mind of the reader, but renders
it impossible for him to know, as he reads a statement in one
chapter of the book, that it is not contradicted and nullified in
some other chapter, until he has sacrificed sufficient time to
commit the whole book to memory: and but few persons have
ever achieved that herculean task. Hence it must be an unrelia-
ble book as an authority. We know it has been stated by man}7
admirers of the 4 4 Holy Book ’ ’ that it contains no conflicting
statements when properly understood. But who is to decide
when it is properly understood? Here, again, is a conflict of
ideas. All words have certain specific meanings attached to
them by common consent. And certainly an}7 man of good
sense would not attempt to attach any other meaning*to them,
without stating the fact and clearly defining his new meaning, if
he expects any reader to understand him, or any two readers to
understand him alike; and, if he writes without giving a hint
that he has invented or employed new meanings for the words
he uses, we are compelled to assume that his words and lan-
guage have the ordinary and universally adopted signification.
With this view of the case (as the writers of the Bible have
given no hint that they employed new meanings), it is false to
assume or say there are no contradictions in the Bible, when, if
we accept language with its ordinary and established significa-
 BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS.

135

tion, an honest and unbiased investigation will show that it
contains several thousand statements which conflict with each
other or with science, histoiy, or moral truth, and hence must
be totally unreliable as an authority. To prove this, we will
now enter upon the unpleasant task of arranging and classifying
a large number of these contradictions found both in the Old
and New Testaments.

I.   Contradictions in Matters of Fact and in Doctrines.

1.   Was it death to eat the forbidden fruit? Yes: “In the day thou eatest thereof,
thou shalt surely die” (G-en. ii. 17). No: “And all the days of Adam were nine hun-
dred and thirty years ” (Gen. v. 5).

2.   Can a woman, according to scripture, ever speak on religious matters ? Yes: “ The
same man had four daughters—virgins — who did prophesy” (Acts xxi. 9). No: “I
suffer not a woman to teach, hut to be in silence ” (1 Tim. ii. 12).

3.   Should a man ever laugh? Yes : “ There is a time to weep and a time to laugh ”
(Eccles. iii. 4). No: “Sorrow is better than laughter” (Eccles.viii.3). Yes: “I com-
mend mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, drink, and be
merry ” (Eccles. viii. 15).

4.   What is our moral duty relative to trimming the hair on our heads? “ There shall
no razor come upon his head, ... let the locks of his head grow ” (Num. vi. 5). “ If a
man have long hair, it is a shame unto him ” (1 Cor. xi. 14).

5.   Is there any remedy for a fool? Yes: “ The rod of correction will drive it far from
him ” (Prov. xxii. 15). No: “ Though thou bray a fool in a mortar, yet will his foolish-
ness not depart from him ” (Prov. xxvi. 6).

6.   Should we pay a fool in his own coin? Yes: “ Answer a fool according to his
folly ” (Prov. xxvi. 5). No : “ Answer not a fool according to his folly ” (Prov. xxvi. 6).

7.   Is man’s life threescore years and ten? Yes: “The days of our years are three-
score years and ten ” (Ps. xc. 10). No : “ His days shall be a hundred and twenty years ”
(Gen. vi. 3).

8.   Is it desirable to be tempted? Yes: “ Count it all joy to 'be tempted ” (Jas. i. 2).
No: “ Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation ” (Matt. xxvi. 41).

9.   Which is the tempter, God or the devil? The devil: The devil tempted Christ and
Judas. (See Matt. iv. 1). God: God tempted David (2 Sam. xxiv. 1).

10.   Does the Lord ever tempt man? No: “ Neither tcmpteth he any man” (Jas. i.

13). Yes: “And God did tempt Abraham” (Gen. xxii. 1). No: “He blinded their
eyes, and hardened their hearts ” (John xii. 40).

11.   Can God be tempted? No: “ God can not be tempted ” (Jas. i. 13). Yes: “ They
have tempted me, the Lord, ten times ” (Num. xiv. 22).

12.   Is any thing good? Yes: Every thing (1 Tim. iv. 4). No : “ Every thing is cor-
rupt” (Gen. vi. 12).

13.   How many Gods are there? One: “ The Lord our God is the Lord” (Deut. vi.

4). Several: “ Let us make man in our own image ” (Gen. i. 26). Three: “ There are
three that bear record in heaven, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ” (1 John v. 7).

14.   Is God omnipresent? Yes: David declares the Lord is everywhere, in heaven
and earth, and even in hell (Ps. cxxxix. 7). No : “ The Lord came down to see Sodom ”
(Gen. xviii. 20). Yes: “There is no place where the workers of iniquity can hide
themselves ” (Job xxxiv. 2z). No: “ Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord” (Gen. iii. . No: “Cain fled from the presence of God” (Gen. iv. 16;.
Yes : “ Man can not get out of his presence ” (Ps. cxxxix. 7).

15.   Is God omniscient? Yes : “He knoweth the hearts of all men” (Acts i. 24). No :
“ The Lord had to prove the Israelites, and also Abraham, to know what was in their
hearts” (Deut. viii. and Gen. xxii.).

16.   Is God omnipotent? Yes: “With God all things are possible” (Matt. xix. 26).
No: “ He could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because their chariots were
made of iron ” (Judg. i. 19).

17.   Is God unchangeable ? Yes: With him “ there is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning; I change not” (Mai. iii. 6). No: “And the Lord repented of the evil he
said he would indict upon the Ninevites ” (Jon. iii. 10).

18.   Is God a merciful being? Yes: “ The Lord is very pitiful, and full of mercy”
(Jas. v. 11). No: “ I will not pity nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy” (Jer. xiii.
 136

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

14). Yes: “Ilis tender mercies are over all his works ” (Ps. cxlv. 9). No: “Have no
pity on them, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling” (Sam. xv. 2). Yes:
“ His mercy cndureth for ever ” (1 Chron. xvi. 34). No: “ I have taken away my loving-
kindness and mercies ” (Jer. xvi. 3).

19.   Does God even* hate? No: “ God is love ” (1 John iv. 16). Yes: “ He hated his
own inheritance” (Ps. cvi. 40).

20.   Is God’s anger perpetual? No: “His anger endureth but a moment”(Ps.xxx.

5). Yes : “ Mine anger shall burn for ever” (Jer. xvii. 4).

21.   Is God the author of evil? Yes: “I make peace, and I create evil ” (Isa. xlv. 7).
No : “ Out of his mouth proceeds not evil ” (Lam. iii. 38).

22.   Is God in favor of war? No : “He is the God of peace.” Yes: “The Lord is a
man of war” (Exod. xv. 3). No: “He is not the author of confusion, but of peace”
(1 Cor. xir. 33).

23.   Is the spirit of God for peace? Yes: It is “love, peace, joy, gentleness, and
goodness” (Gal. v. 22). No: “The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he slew a
thousand men” (Judg. xv. 16). Yes: “The spirit of the Lord begets love, peace, and
goodness” (Gal. v. 22). No: “By the spirit of the Lord Samson slew thirty men”
(Judg. xiv. 19).

21. Has any man seen God? Yes: “Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and the
seventy elders of Israel ” saw the God of Israel (Exod. xxiv.9). No: “No man hath
seen God at any time ” (John i. 18). Yes: “ I have seen God face to face, and my j.tc
has been preserved” (Gen. xxxii. 30). No: “There shall no man see me, and live”
(E::od. xxxiii. 20). Yes : “ I saw also the Lord standing upon the throne ” (Isa. vi. 1).
No : “ Ye have never seen his shape” (John v. 37).

2-3. Can any man hear God’s voice? Yes: “I heard thy voice in the garden” (Gen.

iii.   9). No : “Ye have never heard his voice at any time ” (John v. 37).

26.   Does God dwell in light? Yes: “He dwellcth in light which no man can ap-
proach to ” 1 Tim. vi. 16). No: “The Lord said he would dwell in thick darkness”
(1 Kings viii. 12).

27.   Does God dwell in temples? Yes : “ I have chosen this [Solomon’s] temple for a
house” (2 Chron. viii. 16). No: “The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with
hands ” (Acts xvii. 24).

28.   Docs God ever tire? Yes: “God rested,and was refreshed” (Exod. xxxi. 17).
No : “ God fainteth not, neither is he weary” (Isa. xl. 33).

29.   Is God a respecter of persons? No : “ There is no respect of persons with God ”
(Rom. ii. 11). Yes : “ And God had respect to Abel and his offering” (Gen.).

30.   Can God always be found? Yes: “Those who seek me early shall find me”
(Prov. viii. 17). No: “ They shall seek me early, but shall not find me ” (Prov. i. 28).

31.   Docs the Lord believe in burnt offerings? No: “I delight not in the blood of
bullocks or of lambs or of he-goats” (Isa. i. 11). Yes: “Thou shalt offer every day a
bullock for a sin-offering” (Exod. xxix. 36).

32.   Does the Lord believe in animal sacrifices of any kind? No : “Your burnt offer-
ings arc not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me ” (Jer. vi. 20). Yes : “ Burnt
sacrifices are sweet unto the Lord” (Lev. i. 9).

33.   Does God believe in human sacrifices? No: For he condemned the human sac-
rifices of the Gentiles. (See Dent. xii. 30.) Yes: “ For his anger was abated by David’s
hanging the five sons of Miclial in the hill before the Lord.” (Sec 2 Sam. xxi. 8, and
Judg. xi. 30.)

34.   Docs God ever repent? Yes: “It repenteth the Lord that he had made man”
(Gen. vi. G). No: “ The Lord is not a man that he should repent” (Num. xxiii. 19).

35.   Is all scripture given by inspiration of God? Yes: “All scripture is given by
inspiration of God” (2 Tim. iii. 16). No: “I speak it not after the Lord” (2
Cor. xi. 17).

36.   Is war and fighting right? No : “ They that take the sword shall perish with the
sword ” (Matt. xxvi. 52). Yes: “ lie that hath no sword, let him sell his coat and buy
one ” (Luke xxii. 36). No: “ Beat your swords into plowshares, and your spears into
prunlngdiooks” (Mic. iv. 3). Yes: “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your
pruning-hooks into spears” (Joel iii. 10). Yes: “Cursed be he who kcepeth back his
sword from blood” (Lev. xl viii. 10).

37.   Shall nation war against nation? Yes: “Nation shall rise up against nation”
(Matt. xxiv. 7). No: “Nationshall not rise up against nation” (Mic. iv. 3).

3S. Khali we love our enemies? Yes: “Love your enemies ” (Luke vl. 27). No:
“ Bring my enemies, and slay them before me” (Luke xix. 27).

39.   Is hatred right? No :'“Whosoever liateth his broth risa murderer”(l John iii.15).
Yes : “ You must hate father and mother, brother and sister, &c., or ye can not be true
followers of Christ” (Luke xiv. 26).

40.   Is anger commended? Yes: “Bo ye angry, and sin not” (Eph. iv. 26). No:
“Anger resteth in the bosom of fools ” (Eccles. vi i- 9).

41.   Is it right to steal and rob? No: .“ Thou shalt not steal” (Exod. xx. 15); “Neither
 BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS.

137

rob” (Lev. xix. 13). Yes: The Israelites took from the Egyptians “jewels of silver
and jewels of gold, and raiment, and they spoiled the Egyptians ” (Exod. xii. 35).

42.   Is it right to kill? No : “ Thou shalt not kill ” (Exod. xx. 13). Yes : “ Kill every
male child amongst them.” Yes ? “ Go ye out and slay every man his companion, and
every man his neighbor, and every man his brother ” (Exod. xxxii. 24).

43.   Is it right to lie on any occasion? No: “All liars are to be punished with fire
and brimstone ” (Rev. xxi. . Yes: “ Go put a lying spirit into the mouths of all the
prophets ” (1 lungs xxii. 21). No : “ Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord ” (Prov.
xii. 22). Yes : “ The harlot Rahab lied, and was justified by works ” (Jas. ii. 25). No :

“ Say nothing but the truth” (2 Chron. xviii. 15). Yes : “ If the truth of God hath more
abounded -through my lie for his glory, why am I adjudged a sinner? ” (Rom. iii. 7).

44.   Is God in favor of lying and deception? No: “Thou shalt not bear false wit-
ness” (Exod. 20). Yes: “If a prophet is deceived, I the Lord deceived that prophet”
(Ezek. xiv. 9).

45.   Is a pious life a happy life? Yes: “Come unto me, and I will give you rest”
(Matt. xi. 28). No : “ In the world ye shall have tribulation ” (John xvi. 33).

46.   Will righteousness make a man happy? Yes : “ There shall no evil happen to the

just” (Prov. xii. 21). No: “It is through much tribulation the righteous enter the
kingdom of heaven ” (Acts xiv. 21). Yes : “ The righteous shall flourish ” (Ps. xcii. 12).
No: “ The righteous shall perish” (Isa. lvii. 1). Yes: “The prayer of the righteous
availeth much” (Jas. v. 16). No: “Thereis none righteous; no,notone” (Rom! iii. 10).
Yes:   The righteous to be slain with the wicked (Ezek. xxi. 3). No: The “ righteous

not to be slain” (Exod. xxiii. 7).

47.   Can we live without sinning? Yes: “ Those born of God can not sin” (1 John iii.9).
No: “ There is no man that sinneth not ” (1 Kings viii. 46). Yes: “ lie that committeth
sin is of the devil” (1 John iii. . No: “ There are none that doeth good, and sinneth
not” (Eccles. vii. 20).

4S. Does wickedness shorten a man’s life? Yes: “ The years of the wicked shall be
shortened ” (Prov. x. 27). No: “ The wicked live, and become old ” (Job xxi. 7).

Shall we resist evil? Yes: “Put away the evil of your doings” (Isa. i. 16). No:

“ Resist not evil ” (Matt. v. 37).

49.   Who can know whether the golden rule is right or wrong? Right: “ Whatsoever
ye would that men should do unto you, do you even so unto them ” (Matt. vii. 12). Wrong:

“ Spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant. and suckling” (1 Sam. xv. 3).

50.   Is wisdom desirable? Yes : “ Happy is the man that findeth wisdom ” (Prov. iii.
13). No: “Much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth
sorrow” (Eccles. i. 18). Yes: “ Get wisdom with all thy gettings” (Prov. iv. 7).
Yes: “Be wise as serpents” (Matt. x. 16). No: “The wisdom of the wise shall be
destroyed” (1 Cor. i. 19).

51.   Shall we aim a* a good reputation? Yes: “ A good name is better than riches”
(Prov. xxii. 1). No : “ Woe unto you when all men speak well of you ” (Luke vi. 26).

52.   Are riches desirable? Yes : “ The rich man’s wealth is his strong City ” (Prov.
x. 15). No: “ Woe unto you that are rich ” (Luke vi. 24). Yes:“ Blessed is the man
that feareth the Lord, . . . wealth and riches shall be in his house” (Ps. cxii.). No:

“ Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke vi. 20).

53.   Can a righteous man be rich, or a rich man be saved? Yes: “In the house of the
righteous is much treasure” (Prov. xv. 6). No: “It is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God ” (Matt. xix. 24).

54.   Does the Lord believe in riches? Yes: “The Lord blessed Job with fourteen
thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen,” &c. (Job xlii.
12). No : “ A rich man can not enter into the kingdom of heaven ” (Matt. xix. 24). Yes:

“ Wealth and riches shall be in the house of the man that feareth God ” (Ps. cxii. 1). No:

“ Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth ” (Matt. vi. 19).

55.   Shall we use strong drink? No : “ Wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging”
(Prov. xx. 1). Yes: “ Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish ” (Prov. xxxi. 6).

56.   Should we ever use wine? No : “ Do not use wine nor strong drink ” (Lev. x. 9).
Yes: “Use a little wine for the stomach’s sake” (Tim. v. 23). No: “ Look not upon
the wine when it is red” (Prov. xxiii. 31). Yes: “Give wine to him that is of heavy
heart” (Prov. xxxi. 6).

57.   Is it right to eat all kinds of animals? Yes: “ There is nothing unclean of itself;
eat every moving thing” (Gen. ix. 3). No : “ Swine, hares, and camels are unclean; ye
shall not eat of their flesh ” {Deut. xiv. 7).

5S. Is it good to eat flesh? . Yes: It is good to eat flesh (Deut. xii. 20). No: It is
not good to eat flesh (Rom. xiv. 21).

59.   Is man justified by works? Yes: “Abraham was justified by works” (Jas. ii. *
21). No : “ A man can not be justified by works ” (Gal. ii. 16).

60.   Is man saved by faith? Yes : “ Man is saved by faith without works ” (Rom. iii.
28). No : “Man can not be justfied by faith without works” (James ii. 24).

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

including men, women and children, and beasts, to stop eating
and drinking, and to be covered with sackcloth. What sin
can we suppose the beasts had committed that they must be
doomed to starve, and be covered with sackcloth as an emblem
of repentance ? It must have required an enormous amount of
sackcloth to cover two millions of people, and probably as many
domestic animals. Where it all came from, the Lord Jehovah
only knows. And it seems singular that all of the animals
should stand quietly while such an uncouth covering was thrown
upon them.

25.   It is also difficult to comprehend why a nation of people,
who probably never heard of Jehovah before, should all repent in
sackcloth and ashes. It is the most effective missionary work
we have ever read of. In modern times it requires two hundred
missionaries a whole centmy to make half that many converts.

26.   But the most conclusive argument against the truth of the
stor}T is found in the fact that it is falsified by the testimony of
histoiy. According to her history by Diodorus, Nineveh was
destroyed by Arbaces sixteen years before Jonah’s time.

27.   I have noticed this senseless storey at some length, because
Christian writers have invested it with great importance, and be-
cause it is indorsed by nearly all the New-Testament writers.
Even Christ himself indorses it, and compares Jonah’s case to
his. Their extreme ignorance is evinced by the foregoing expo-
sition.

28.   Several similar stories are found in heathen mythology, a
few of which we will briefly sketch here. The Hindoo sacred
book, the Purans, states that Chrishna was swallowed by a croco-
dile, and, after remaining three da}rs in its stomach, was thrown
upon dry land, much to his relief and also to that of the crocodile.
A Grecian demi-God (Hercules), according to Gales, was
swallowed by a dog, and remained in his stomach three days.
But the stoiy entitled to the premium is one preserved in the
legends of some of the Eastern islanders. A man, for some
misdemeanor on a voyage across the Indus, was thrown over-
board, and swallowed by a shark ; but, as the fish still followed
the vessel, it was finally caught, and search made for the man,
when, to the surprise of the whole crew, he was found sitting
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121

bolt upright, pla3Ting the tune of “ Old Hundred ” on a fiddle he
had in his possession when he went down the throat of the sea-
monster. This was rather a pleasant way of putting in the
time. Jonah, it appears, was not so fortunate as to have a fiddle
in his possession while in the stomach of the whale. The fore-
going ten stories, from that of the serpent to Jonah, have been
for hundreds of years printed by the thousand, struck off in
almost every known human language, and sent off by ship-loads
to almost every nation on the globe, to be placed in the hands of
the heathen as being productions of Infinite Wisdom, the inspira-
tions of an All-ioise God, and calculated to enlighten them and
improve their morals. What sublime nonsense ! what egregious
folly ! And what a deplorable and sorrowful mistake has been
thus committed by the blinded disciples of the Christian faith!

CHAPTER XIX.

BIBLE PROPHECIES NOT FULFILLED.

Having devoted a chapter to this subject in “The World’s
Sixteen Crucified Saviors,” we shall treat the subject but briefly
in this work. The Old Testament has been thoroughly searched
for prophecies, and more than a hundred texts selected, by vari-
ous Christian writers, and assumed to be prophetic of some
future event. But a critical and impartial investigation of the
subject will show that not one of them is, strictly speaking, a
prophecy ; but most of them refer to events either in the past, or
events naturally suggested by the circumstances under which
the writer was placed. And in many cases the text has no
reference whatever to the event which Bible commentators
assume they refer to. In treating the subject briefly, we will
show, —

1.   That if one-fourth of the texts from Genesis to Revela-
tion were prophecies, and it could be shown that every one of
them has been fulfilled to the letter, it would not prove that there
was any divine inspiration or divine aid in the matter; because
 122

THE BIBLE OF BIBLES.

many facts show that prophecy, or the power to discover future
events, is a natural, and not a supernatural, gift.

2.   Many cases are reported in history of the prediction of
future events by pagan or heathen seers, and also by persons
not claiming to be inspired nor even religious. I will cite a few
cases: Josephine, wife of Napoleon, relates that she had all
the important events of her future life pointed out to her by an
ignorant, illiterate fortune-teller, long before they occurred;
such as her marriage, her unhapp}r life, and the death of her
husband, — all of which was fulfilled to the letter. An astrologer
predicted the great fire in London. Rousseau foretold the
French Revolution. Cicero made a remarkable prophecy, which
was realized in the discovery of America and the history of
George Washington by consulting the Sibylline oracles. These,
and many other cases that might be cited, furnish satisfactory
evidence that the capacity for foretelling the occurrence of
future events is a natural and inherent power of the human
mind, and hence can do nothing toward proving the divine
origin of any religion, or the divine illumination of any prophet.
Therefore any further argument in the case would be superflu-
ous. We will only briefly review a few of the Jewish prophe-
cies (or texts assuming to be prophecies) to show that the Jew-
ish nation occupied a lower moral plane, and possessed less of
the gift of prophec}r, than some of the contemporary heathen na-
tions. Hence Christian writers are wrong in assuming that the
Jews alone possessed this power, while they possessed it in a
less degree than some of the Oriental prophets. Prophecies
(assumed to be) relating to Babylon, relating to Damascus, re-
lating to Tyre, relating to the dispersion of the Jews, relating
to the advent of Christ, &c., have been quoted time and again
by Christian writers and clergj’men, and dwelt upon at great
length in attempts to show their fulfillment, in order to deduce
therefrom the argument and conclusion that the Jewish nation
wore divinely commissioned to furnish the world with a true sys-
tem of religion and morals. But we are prepared to show that
every one of these prophecies so called has utterly failed of
any fulfillment in the sense that writers and preachers assume.
As it would require a large work to treat this subject fully, we
 BIBLE PROPHECIES HOT FULFILLED.

123

shall only briefly refer to one or two cases as samples of the
whole. As Babjdon and Tyre are the most frequently referred
to, and are regarded as the strongest cases, our attention will be
confined to them. Relative to Babylon, Isaiah says, “ It shall
not be dwelt in from generation to generation ; neither shall the
Arabian pitch his tent there” (Isa. xiii. 19) : but he says,
“ It shall be inhabited by wild beasts of the desert and satyrs
and dragons,” —not one of which predictions has ever been real-
ized. It is still inhabited, though its name has been changed to
Hillah, which has now a population of about nine thousand.
So far from the u Arabian not pitching his tent there,” it is the
very thing they have done, and are now doing daily. Mr. Lay-
ard, who recently visited the place, says, in his work (“Nineveh
and Babylon”), “The Arab settlement showed the activity of a
hive of bees.” What a singular rebuff to Isaiah’s prophecy,
and also to that of Jeremiah, who says it should become a “ per-
petual desolation ” (xxv. 12), and that it should not be dwelt in
by man nor the son of man! (Jer. 1. 40.) Isaiah declared,
“ Her days shall not be prolonged ” (Isa. xiii). And thus the
prophecies have all failed which refer to Babylon. Speaking of
Tyre, Ezekiel says, it should be taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and
trodden down by his chariots and horses ; and 6 6 thou shalt be
built no more, and thou shalt never be found again.” And yet
Tyre never was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, nor by any
power; and, although it has suffered like other Eastern cities, it is
still a flourishing city with a population of about five thousand.
St. Jerome spoke of it in the fourth century as being “the most
noble and beautiful city in Phoenicia.” And this was more than
a thousand years after Ezekiel’s maledictions were pronounced
against it, which declared it should be destroyed, and never be
rebuilt. True, it has been partially destroyed several times, —
and what ancient city has not? —but it has been rebuilt as often.
We have, then, before us two illustrative cases of the failures of
Jewish prophecies pronounced against neighboring cities and
kingdoms, probably prompted by a spirit of envy and animosity
because they had either overruled the Jewish nation, and sub-
jected it to their power, or outstripped it in temporal prosperity.
The Jewish prophets were continually fulminating their thunders
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and curses upon those powers and principalities which had over-
powered them, and held them in subjection. This was very
natural; and occasionally an unpropitious prediction may have
been realized. But it is a remarkable fact, that more than forty
disastrous events, which the Jewish prophets declared the Lord
would inflict upon Eg}^pt (the nation they so much contemned
and envied because it held them in slavery for four hundred
years), have never been realized in the history or experience of
that nation. Some of these cases are noticed in “ The World’s
Sixteen Crucified Saviors,’’ as also the prophecies and failures
in regard to Damascus and other cities, to which the reader is
referred for a further elucidation of this subject.

CHAPTER XX.

MIRACLES, ERRONEOUS BELIEF IN.

Having treated the subject of miracles at some length in
“The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors,” we shall give it but
a brief notice in this work, and will comprehend the whole thing
in a few points.

1.   The histor}r of miraculous achievements by Gods and men
form a very large chapter in the “ inspired writings ” of nearly
all the ancient religious sj'stems which have flourished in the
world ; and to notice all these cases would require volumes enough
to make a library.

2.   Almost the only evidence we have in any case of the actual
performance of a miracle is the report of the writer who re-
lates it.

3.   St. Chrysostom declares that “miracles are not designed
for men of sense, but on!}" for sluggish minds.” It will be un-
derstood, therefore, that what we write here on the subject will
not be designed for persons of sense, but only for the ignorant
and superstitious.

4.   Many things in the past which were set down as miracles
are now known to be the result of natural causes ; such as the
 ERRONEOUS BELIEF IN MIRACLES.

125

rainbow, most cases of sickness, and, in fact, nearly every phe-
nomenon of nature. And, as every age develops new light on
natural causes, it has made the list of miracles not alread}7 ex-
plained so small, that we may reasonably conclude that they
will all yet be explained and understood in this light, excepting
those fabricated without any basis of truth.

5.   As God appears to have regulated every thing in the be-
ginning by fixed laws, if he should break one of those laws by
the performance of a miracle, it would throw every thing into
chaos and confusion, and prove that he is not a God of order
and stability.

6.   If God, as we are told, made every thing perfect, then the
performance of a miracle must make them imperfect, or prove
that they have always been imperfect.

7.   The performance of a miracle would prove that God is an
imperfect being in not having every thing regulated by the laws
of nature.

8.   If the performance of miracles can authenticate the truth
of one religion, then it must prove the truth of all religions ; for
all report miracles of some kind, and furnish, in most cases, the
same kind of evidence that these miracles were performed.

9.   There is not a miracle related in either the Old or New
Testament that has not a parallel reported in the Bibles or
sacred writings of the Orientals; such as curing the halt and
blind, raising the dead, crossing streams in a miraculous man-
ner, &c. Many cases are reported of the Hindoo Savior and
Son of God, Chrishna, raising dead persons who had been
drowned, murdered, or died a natural death. According to
Tacitus, Vespasian performed a number of miraculous cures;
such as curing the lame, restoring sight to the blind, &c., just
as is related of Jesus. According to Josephus, Alexander with
his army passed through the Sea of Pamphylia in the same mir-
aculous manner that Moses did through the Red Sea. As
Alexander’s army was engaged in the work of human butchery,
we may assume that, if God could have had an}’ thing to do with
it, he would have embraced the opportunity to drown them, and
wash them all away.

10.   Jewish Miracles.—The Jewish Talmud speaks of birds
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so large that the}7, darkened the sun, and shut out the light of
the sun from the earth. Probably they supposed, like Moses,
that nearly all the earth was located between Dan and Beersheba.
Another kind of bird was’so tall, that, when walking in a river
seventy feet deep, the water onty reached its knees. This is a
tall story; but it should be remembered that it is related by the
same people who tell us about sticks being converted into ser-
pents, water into blood, dust into lice, &c., and a man (Sam-
son) overturning a house with several thousand people in it, &c.
Hence all these as stories are equalty reliable or unreliable.

11.   Mahomeclan Miracles.—Mahomedans bear off the palm
in miraculous prodigies. For instance, a cock is spoken of
so large that the distance between its feet and head was five
hundred da}V journey. What a pit}" Barnum could not obtain
it! Another example: an angel so large that the distance
between his eyes was seventy thousand days’ journey. The
head of this tall ghost must have been among the planets. The
earth would have been too small to furnish him with a seat; and
the attempt to use it for that purpose would probably have
thrown it out of its orbit.

12.   Christian Miracles. — The early Christians seem to have
had the whole miracle-making machinery of heaven under their
control. Their miracles were prodigious and numerous. They
claimed they could cast out devils, call the dead from their
graves, and make ghosts walk about either end up. We are
told that when a Mr. Huntingdon was reduced to great poverty
and suffering, and prayed for dime assistance, fishes came
out of the water to him, and larks and leather breeches from
heaven, to serve as food and clothing. It is difficult to conceive
how leather breeches came to be stored in heaven. With these
few specimens, selected at random, we will stop. They are too
large even to excite our marvelousness. The most ignorant
and superstitious nations have always had the longest creeds

• and the tallest miracles.

VS. We have stated that the only evidence of the perform-
ance of any miracle in most cases is the simple narration of it
by the writer who records it. The Roman Catholics, however,
claim to have the testimon}T of thousands of reliable witnesses
to attest to the performance of some extraordinary miracles
 ERRONEOUS BELIEF IN MIRACLES.

III.   The Ark of the Covenant, Absurdities of. — 1 Sam.

CHAP. VI.

We find no case in any history of superstition reaching a
more exalted climax than that illustrated in the historj' of the
Jewish ark of the covenant. It appears that up to the time of
Solomon the Jews had no temple for their God to dwell in, but
for some time previous hauled him about in a box, about four
feet long by thirty inches deep, known as the “ ark of the cov-
enant.’ ’ Let it not be supposed that we misrepresent in saying
that Jehovah was supposed to dwell in this box; for it is ex-
plicitly stated that he dwelt between the cherubims, which consti-
tuted a part of the accoutrements of the ark. (See 1 Sam. iv.
4.) One of the most singular and ridiculous features connected
with this story is, that Jehovah, in giving instructions for the
construction of the ark, told the people they must offer, among
other curious things, badger-skins, goat’s hair, and red ram’s
skins (i.e., ram’s skins dj^ed red). What use God Almighty
could have had for the hides and hair of these dead animals is
hard to conjecture. Could superstition descend lower than this?
As minute a description is given of the whole affair by Jehovah
and Moses as if there were some sense in it. The box was
hauled about b}T two cows; and it was enjoined that those se-
lected by the Philistines should be cows that had never been
worked or harnessed, and that their calves should be shut up
and left at home. This is descending to a “ bill of particulars.”
The calves must have suffered, as their dams were driven far
awaj-, and then slaughtered. What became of the calves is not
stated ; but we arc told that the cows kept up a continual bel-
lowing, or “ lowing.” Perhaps this was designed as a kind of
base or tenor for the music which accompanied them; and this
accounts for the calves being left at home. It is curious to
observe that the cows were not yoked to the cart on which the
ark was drawn, but tied to it, — probably by their tails. The
Jews did not seem to possess sufficient mechanical skill or
genius to invent an ox-yoke. Another singular part of this
singular story is, that the Philistines constructed six golden
mice to accompany the ark ; and yet we are told that the Jews
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105

were not allowed to hare images of any thing (Ex. xx. 4). The
most serious consideration connected with this affair was the vast
destruction of human life. In the first place the Philistines, in a
battle with the Lord’s people, slew thirty thousand of them, and
captured this box, as we must presume, with the Lord in it. It
seems strange that, when Jehovah had fought so many success-
ful battles, he would allow himself to be captured. It was some
time, too, before he was recovered from the Philistines. When
this was effected, as the ark was being conveyed back under the
superintendence of David, with a company of thirty thousand
people, while passing over some rough ground, the cart jostled,
and the ark came near being thrown off, with the Lord Jehovah
in it, who would probably have been considerably bruised by
the fall. But a very clever man b}r the name of Uzzah clapped
his hand upon the cart to prevent this awful catastrophe ; and,
although probably actuated by the best and most pious motives,
he was immediately killed for it. This part of the stoiy has a
bad moral. On another occasion, on the arrival of the ark at
Bethshemesh, because one or two persons attempted to gratify
a very natural curiosity by looking into the ark, Jehovah became
so much enraged that he killed fifty thousand of the people of
Bethshemesh. Here is another of the many cases in which
thousands of innocent people were punished for the sin of one
man or a few persons. How can any good grow out of the
relation of such unjust, unprincipled, and superstitious doings
recorded in a book designed for the moral instruction and sal-
vation of the world? We are told that at every place to which
this box was carried, while in the hands of the Philistines, it
caused death and destruction, or some other serious calamity.
At Ashdod it produced disease and destruction among the people
to an alarming extent; and similar results followed while the
ark was at Ekron. Assuming that there is any truth in the
stoiy, the thought is here suggested that the box might have
been'affected with some malarious disease. While at Dagon it
caused the God of that place to fall down in the night from his
resting-place; on the second night he lost both his hands.
Who that is acquainted with Jewish history can not see that this
circumstance is related to show that the God of the Jews was
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superior to other Gods, as he excelled them in working miracles
in Egjqpfc and other places? That it was a borrowed tradition
is quite evident from the fact that the Hindoos and Egyptians
had practiced similar rites and customs anterior to that period.
The Hindoo ark was carried on a pole by four priests ; and,
wherever it touched ground, it wrought miracles in the shape of
deaths and births, or the outgushing of springs of water. The
Egyptian ark was constructed of gold, which probably made
the box more valuable than the God within. All such wooden
or metal Gods were supposed to operate as a talisman, or pro-
tection against evil. When will the believers in divine revela-
tion and divine prodigies learn that all such superstitious customs
and inventions were the work of men, and not of God?

IV.   Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Absurdities.—Num.

chap. XVI.

These three leading men of Israel, growing tired of the tyran-
nical usurpations of Moses, concocted a mutiny, in which they
succeeded in enlisting some two hundred and fifty persons.
When Moses learned what was on foot, this 4 4 meek man”
became very angry, and reported the case to Jehovah, and re-
quested him not to accept their offering when they came to make
their usual oblations.' The Lord took Moses’ advice, and not
only refused their offering, but split the ground open where they
stood, so that they fell in, and were seen no more. And, when
their two hundred and fifty followers saw this, the}’ fled, fearing
they might share the same fate. But that expedient did not
save them: 44 a fire came out from the Lord,” and consumed the
whole number. It must have been a fearful fire to consume so
many while they were running. The fire came from the Lord ;
but where the Lord was at the time we are not informed, —
whether sitting on his throne in heaven, or standing beside the
altar, as he frequentl}’ did. Hence we can not tell whether the
fire came from heaven, as it did on some other occasions, or
from below. It must have been a very aggravated case of
rebellion; for God and Moses both got angry at once, which
was something rather unusual. It was customary, when Jeho-
vah got angry and made severe threats of what he would do,
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107

for Moses to interfere, and intercede for his people, and try to
cool him down; and, by the power of his logic and eloquence, he
mostly succeeded in convincing him that he was wrong, and got
him to desist from carrying his threats into execution. But, on
this occasion, Moses, being angry ’   let him take his own

course. But the most unjust and u^^orciful act in the whole
transaction was that of Jehovah sending a plague, and destroy-
ing fourteen thousand more, merety because they mourned for
their destroyed friends, and ventured to complain of the course
he and Moses were pursuing. It was certainly cruel to destroy
them for so slight an offense. It appears that, by Aaron’s
standing 44 between the dead and the living, the plague was
stayed.” But for this timely interference of Jehovah’s high
priest, there is no knowing when or where the plague would have
stopped. Now, is it not something near akin to blasphemy to
charge such nonsense — ay, worse than nonsense, cruelty, injus-
tice, and malignity — to the just God of the universe?

V.   The Story of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar.

We shall not attempt to present an exposition of all the
absurdities which abound in the Book of Daniel, but will merely
notice a few of its most incredible statements. The most
amusing chapter in the history of Daniel is his interpretation
of the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. It appears that on
one occasion the king had forgotten his dream, which made it
ostensibly necessary for Daniel, before interpreting it, to repro-
duce it. But who can not see it was not necessary for him to
do either to save his reputation and his life, both of which it
appears were at stake? If he were possessed of an active,
fertile imagination, he could invent both, and palm them off on
to the king as the original, who would be perfectly unable to
detect the trick, as he knew nothing about either. It is stated
that one of the dreams consigned the king to the fate of eating'
grass like an ox for three years. • In all such incredible stories
which abound in the Christians’ Bible, we find glaring absurdities,
which a little reflection would reveal to the reader if he would
allow himself to think. There is a palpable absurdity in this
story which shows that the conversion of the king into an ox
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as a punishment could not have achieved that end. If he were
converted into an ox, his reason was gone, and he was uncon-
scious of his condition ; and hence it was no punishment at all.
Or, if he still retained his reason, he had nothing to do but to walk
away, and find food mo> '"** ^enial to his appetite than grass.
And thus the story defeats itself. It is stated his hair became
like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like the claws of a bird
(Dan. iv. 38), — a very singular-looking ox surely. It would have
been more appropriate to call such a being an eagle or a dragon.
Such is the careless and disjointed manner in which all Bible
stories are told, as if related by mere ignorant children. The
most conclusive u knock-down argument ’ ’ to the . truth of this
stor}T is found in the fact that no allusion to this astounding
miracle can be found by any of the historians of that or any
other nation. Had the king been transformed into an ox, the
history of his own nation (the Persians) would abound in allu-
sions to the marvelous fact. Its silence on it settles the ques-
tion.

We will occupy sufficient space to allude to one incident in
the stoiy of u the three holy children,” which we find related in
the Book of Daniel. It is stated that a being who looked u like
the Son of God ” was seen by the king walking in the furnace.
To be sure ! We are quite curious to know how he found out
how the Son of God looks. How long had he lived in heaven
with him so as to become familiar with his countenance ? What
silly nonsense!

VI.   Sodom and Gomorrah.

Story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are seemingly required
by this story to believe that God keeps a manufactory of brim-
stone in heaven; for we are told that u the Lord rained upon
Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of
heaven” (Gen. xix.). If we credit this stoiy, we may infer
that the Lord keeps a supply of the article on hand, perhaps to
be let down occasionally to replenish the bottomless pit.

The science of chemistry has demonstrated within the present
century that the air is composed of nitrogen and ox}’gen; and
it has also demonstrated that oxj’gcn gas and sulphur or brim-
 FOOLISH BIBLE STORIES.

109

stone, when brought into contact, are, with a moderate amount
of heat, dissolved, united, and converted into oil of vitriol.
Hence, if fire and brimstone rained from heaven in that climate,
it is scientifically and chemically certain that the people were
pelted with a shower of the oil of vitriol.

One square mile of the earth’s surface in that locality would
be supplied with about thirteen thousand million pounds of oxygen.
The requisite amount of brimstone to convert this into oil of
vitriol would be about ten thousand million pounds, making in
the whole twenty-three thousand millions of pounds.

This would have been sufficient to spoil all the Sunday gar-
ments of the people, but could not have burned them up; for
cold oil will not burn, and the fire and brimstone would have
been converted into oil long before they reached the earth, and
become too cool for the heat to injure any thing.

We are told that several cities were destroyed by this divine
judgment. And pray how many cities could exist in a hot and
arid desert, where there was not a drop of water that a human
being could drink?

VII.   Tower of Babel.

Of all the stories ever recorded in any book, disclosing on the
part of the writer a profound ignorance of the sciences, — em-
bracing, at least, astronomy, geography, and philosophy, —that
of the Tower of Babel was probably never excelled. A brief
enumeration of some of its absurdities will disclose this fact.

1.   We are told (in chap. xi. of Genesis), that, after God had
discovered by some means that 44 the children of men ’ ’ were
building a cityT and a tower to reach to heaven, he 44 came down
to see the city and the tower” (Gen. xi. 6). The statement
that he 44 came down ” implies that he was a local being, and
not the omnipotent and omnipresent God.

2.   If he were not already present, and had to travel and
descend in order to be present, we should like to know what
mode of travel he adopted. It appears from the story that, if
he came down, he must have returned almost immediately, and
descended a second time; for, after this, he is represented as
saying,44 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their lan-
guage” (Gen. xi. 7).
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3.   Who was this Uus?” The use of this plural pronoun
u us ” implies that there were several Gods on hand.

4.   And, if he came down, who did he leave in his place?
Must we assume there is a trinity of Gods ? But it would be
superlative nonsense to assume that the three Gods could be one
(as Christians claim) if one of them could leave the kingdom.

5.   How did the writer know that he or they talked in this
manner, as he could not have been present in person to hear it?

6.   In this same chapter the u inspired writer ” tells us, “ The
whole earth was of one language and one speech ” (Gen. xi. 1).
In the preceding chapter there is a long list of different tongues,
or languages, and nations ; and it is declared they were “ divided
in their lands, everyone after his tongue, families, and nations.”
How contradictory!

7.   What a childish and ludicrous notion the writer entertained
with respect to heaven when he cherished the belief that a tower
could be erected to reach it!

8.   According to St. Jerome the Tower of Babel was twenty
thousand feet high. A Jewish writer says it was eighty thousand.
In the first case it would be nearly four miles in height; in the
other, over fifteen miles, —nearly three times the height of the
highest mountain on the globe ! No method has ever yet been
discovered for elevating building materials to such a height.

9.   Taking St. Jerome as authority, the hod-carriers, in ascend-
ing and descending, would have to perform a journey of more
than seven miles each trip.

10.   As the air becomes rarefied in proportion to its distance
from the earth, the lungs of the workmen would have collapsed,
and their blood have congealed, before they climbed half-way to
the top. They could not have breathed at such a height.

11.   As the earth is constantly revolving on its axis, the crazy
tower-builders would only be in the direction of the point at
which they aimed once in twenty-four hours, and then moving
with a speed one hundred and forty times greater than that of a
cannon-ball. It would require dexterous springing to leap into
the door of heaven as they passed it.

12.   And as the earth, in its orbit, moves at the rate of sixty-
eight thousand miles an hour, it would soon cany them millions
of miles beyond any point they might be aiming to reach.
 FOOLISH BIBLE STORIES.

Ill

13.   After all, we can not see any possible objection Jehovah
or any other God could have had to such an enterprise.

14.   If the Babelites had succeeded in climbing into heaven,
what of it? Was Omnipotence afraid they would dispossess
him of his throne, and seize the reins of government? If not,
what could have been the objection?

15.   And then it would not have taken the “ heavenly host ”
fifteen minutes to tumble them out, as they did Michael and the
dragon.

16.   The truth is, the imaginary God of the Jews was a sus-
picious, cowardly, and jealous being. He was constantly getting
into hot water. He appeared to live in perpetual fear day and
night that some other God, or some of his own creatures,
would encroach upon his rights. In this case he seemed to be
alarmed for fear those ignorant, deluded tower-builders and wild
fanatics would succeed in reaching the heavenly home, perhaps
bind him, and cast him out of his own kingdom. What super-
lative nonsense is the whole story! And yet millions believe it
to be divinely inspired, and many thousands of dollars have
been spent in printing it, and circulating it over the world.

VHI. Stopping the Sun and Moon,—Absurdities of the

Story.

Of all the stories that ever taxed the brain or credulity of a
|   man of science, that of Joshua stopping the   sun and moon

I   stands pre-eminent. Think of bringing to a   stand-still that

magnificent and immense luminary which constitutes the center
of a solar system of one hundred and thirty worlds, all of which
move in harmony with it. Such a catastrophe would have
broken one hundred and thirty planets loose from their orbits,
and dashed them together in utter confusion, and would thus
have broken up our solar system. The shock produced upon
this earth would have thrown every thing on its surface off into
I boundless space.

For a puny man, on a little planet like this, to command the
|   mighty sun, which is fourteen hundred thousand   times as large

]   as the earth, to stop in its grand career, would   be comparable

j to an ant saying to a mountain, u Get out of my way.”
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