ORIENTAL DISCOVERIES AND THE BIBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8117, 23 May 1906, Page 4

ORIENTAL DISCOVERIES AND THE BIBLE.

An interesting paper was read at the meeting of members and associates of the Victoria Institute, London, by the Bey. Andrew Craig Bobinson, the subject being, " The Bearing of Oriental Discoveries on Old Testament History." Tlie lecturer pointed out that the most serious assaults made at the present day upon the genuine character of the Old Testament came from the so-called " Higher Critics," whose theories seemed to be so inconsistent with the view that the Old Testament was an honest history of tlie people of Israel— not to say an inspired record. Eminent archaeologists, however, such as Professor Sayce, declared emplialitically that recent Oriental discoveries entirely discredited the theories of t .c'ic " Higher Critics." The incident jl sural and Hagir constituted a valuable piece of evidence for the genuine character of the narrative in Genesis, in which Abram is represented as having come from Babylonia. Sarai had no children, so she gave her maid Hagar to Abram as his wife.

This was a true Babylonian custom, repeated by Bachel n ith Bilhah, and by Leah with Zilpah in the case of Jacob. Sarai was married in Ur of the C..i.L'e-, in I'ho very heart of Babyio,iia, while Leah and Bachel came from Haran, in Mesopotamia, a place steeped in Babylonian customs. Mr Bobinson referred at length to the Babylonian Creation Tablets, and the points of semblance and difference as against the Biblical account. of the Creation. The story of the Flood was also touched upon, an 1 its authenticity explained. Fi: a'ly, the lecturer pointed out how, whenever the Assyrian came in'o contact with Israel, the story contained in the historical books Old Testam-nt w is borne out as being real, genuine, and honest, chronicling defeats as well as victories, unlike the records of the Assyrian monarchs, which chronicled only triumphs.