They contain, then, not only the history of the Hebrews, and pictures of their civilization and culture, but, by the collection of legends from the old world, they serve as contributions to the history of all mankind. Where else were there such legends to be found for the childhood of the human race, which is lost in the mists. of time; or where are the memorials which transmit to us so beautiful a philosophy on the origin of the universe; or which, in general, could supply the place of the Hebrew collection? Our history of the states and people of antiquity is still poor; but how much poorer would it be, in valuable and credible accounts, without the written relics of the Hebrews! If it would not lead us too far from the design of this work, the value of the existing fragments of the Hebrew literature might be placed in the clearest light by enumerating the great amount of the most various information which lies scattered in them, and for which we must thank them only. Goguet and Gatterer have made a fine beginning thereto, and these may serve instead of any remarks of mine. Instead of ridiculing and despising these flowers, still living, of the Oriental spirit, we will rather thank Providence for them: instead of bewailing, that time, which has passed lightly over so much literary rubbish, has destroyed so many of the most valuable treasures of literature, to which these Hebrew monuments most certainly belong, we will, on the contrary,, wonder that even so much as we possess has escaped the destroying tooth of time. The Egyptians, the Chaldees, the Phoenicians, and Hebrews, the four oldest nations of the civilized world,— for a considerable time played together remarkable parts on the theatre of nations, and left for their posterity many written monuments of their civilization and ancient splendor. None of them has passed through a course of greater, or more completely destructive, changes than the Hebrews. According to the old, savage custom, they were torn from their dwellings by their haughty conquerors, and transplanted to another land. Here, dispersed among foreign tribes, they ceased for a time to be a prosperous nation. Yet of the former, all but their name has vanished; while the latter have outlived their state, and, though scattered in all parts of the world, have yet been known for thousands of years. From the former, either all the monuments of their literature have perished to the last fragment, or only single melancholy ruins survive, which in nothing diminish the loss of the rest; while, on the contrary, from the latter there is still extant a whole library of authors, so valuable and ancient that the writings of the Greeks are in comparison extremely young. In Egypt, Phoenicia, and Babylon, as well as among the Hebrews, all higher knowledge, and the most valuable writings, were deposited in the lap of the priest for preservation; and, in all the states, literature followed the fortunes of the sacerdotal order and the temple. Soon as the priesthood was removed, all the inherited knowledge of the nation, all the fruits of their diligence, and the experience of many centuries, at once shared their fate: when the temples were destroyed, all the works of literature were buried in their fall. The preservation of so many and such important fragments of the Hebrew literature under circumstances [This statement must be received with some qualification, as the date of the early writings of both Greeks and Hebrews is still uncertain.] of this nature, and sometimes far worse, which this nation has passed through, seems certainly a miracle of time."] § 12, b. ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF HEBREW LITERATURE TILL THE EXILE. The peculiar legends of the Hebrews ascribe the first use of the art of writing among them to Moses,' the founder and lawgiver of their state; but we must not ascribe to him the foundation of a Hebrew literature, but only a feeble commencement of it; perhaps he wrote some of its laws. Formerly, it was unexplained from what source Moses, while in Egypt, could have received the Shemitish writing character, unless, with Jahn and Bleek, we adopted the very improbable hypothesis, that nomadic nations, like the Hebrews at that time, were acquainted with the art of writing long before the time of Moses. Even if Abraham had brought it from Mesopotamia with him, it would have been lost by his posterity. [Jahn, in the passage referred to, and in § 85 of the 3d edition of the English version of his Latin work on Hebrew Archæology, maintains that books and writings were well known in the time of Moses. De Wette, on the contrary, in his Archæology, (276,) says, "Although the origin of the art of writing, on account of its high antiquity, remains See Eichhorn, § 2. 415. De Wette, Heb. und jüd. Archäol. § 277. Jahn, Archäol. vol. i. p. Hartmann, hist. krit. Forchungen über die. BB. Moses, p. 588. The proofs which Hävernik brings for the use of writing, in the times of Moses and before him, are taken from the Jehovistic passages, which refer later customs to earlier times. § 150. Theol. Studien und Kritiken for 1831, p. 495. generally in obscurity, yet, on the contrary, it is certain that most of the Asiatic as well as the Occidental alphabets are descended from that of the Phoenicians, or may be referred to it. Now, it is nearly indifferent whether the first sources of this writing are to be sought among the Phoenicians, or, which is more probable, among the Babylonians; for, in either case, the Hebrews are found near the source. Then, in the following section, he says, before Moses there is no trace of a written document, not even in the legends which embellish the simple facts. With Moses we find the use of writing in inscriptions, particularly on the tables of the law, on the ornaments of the High Priest," and on Mount Ebal;" though the latter is suspicious. Then larger written documents are ascribed to Moses, which is not improbable, since he received his education in Egypt.] In the heroic age which succeeded that of Moses, legends and songs indeed flourished, but there was little or no literature. This first originated with the prophetic schools of Samuel, from which we see arise the flowers of gnomic and lyric poetry and of prophecy. At that time, the Mosaic laws and historical relations which are contained in the Pentateuch, in the document Elohim, for example, and perhaps also in the original sources of the Jehovistic document,— and referred to in Numbers xxi. 14, (ning nigba nep,) were first written down, as were likewise collections of songs like the . (Josh. x. 13. 2 Sam. i. 18.) ,מַזְכִּיר,The kings had an historian (2 Sam. viii. 16. 1 Kings iv. 3,) who kept the annals, out * Ex. xxviii. 9, 36. Deut. xxvii. 12, sq. Josh. viii. 32. Ex. xvii. 14. xxiv. 4. Num. xxxiii. 2. Deut. xxxi. 34. Josh. xviii. 9. xxiv. 26. [See the Biblical Repository for July, 1839, Article iv., "The Origin of Writing in Greece and Egypt," by the translator.] 617-871 727 140-610 of which extracts seem to have been made. Perhaps the historical works referred to in the books of Kings were of this character. Our present four books of Moses originated in the time of Solomon; perhaps also the book of Joshua at the same time; the books of Judges and Samuel still later. Written oracles of the prophets began with the eighth century before Christ. The Salomonic Proverbs were collected during the time of Hezekiah and before it. The Pentateuch was completed about the time of Josiah. Thus the Law, the first division of the Old Testament, and the first half of the second division, came into being. § 13. PROGRESSIVE FORMATION AND COMPLETION OF THE OLD After the exile, also, the Hebrew literature continued to advance. Ezra and Nehemiah wrote memoirs, prophets predicted, and poets sung. At the same time, a zeal for collecting sprang up, and sought to preserve the relics of the ancient literature. As the last of the prophets departed with Malachi, their writings were collected together; and thus arose the second half of the second division of the Old Testament, as a complete whole. It was in existence at the time of the PseudoDaniel, as it appears from ix. 2." About this time, or a little earlier, the Pentateuch and the collection of historical writings may have received the last touch, and have been brought to their present form; so that the first and • Von Lengerke, in loc., on the other side, Hävernik, in loc., and Hitzig, in Studien und Krit. for 1830, p. 153. |