"Volume XVI" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burtons Version)

My Dear Sir Richard,

The points in the views presented by me in our conversation upon the Hebrews and their Exodus, of which you requested a written exposition, are, condensed, these:

Assuming that the Hebrew records, as we have them, are in the main true, i.e. historic, a careful search must reveal some one topic concerning which all the passages relating to it agree at least substantially. аSuch a topic is the genealogies, precisely that which Philippsohn the great Jewish Rabbi, Dr. Robinson, of the Palestine researches, and all the Jewish and Christian commentators--I know no exception--with one accord, reject! аLook at these two columns, A. being the passages containing the genealogies, B. the passages on which the rejection of them is based:
A.
1. аGenesis xxiv. 32 to xxv. 25 (Births of Jacob's sons).
2. аxxxv. 23-26 (Recapitulation of the above).
3. аxlvi. 8-27 (List of Jacob and his sons, when they came into Egypt).
4. аEx. vi. 14-27 (Lineage of Aaron and Moses).
5. аNumb. xxxvi. 1-2 (Lineage of Zelophehad).
6. аJosh. vii. 17-18 (Lineage of Achan).
7. аRuth iv. 18-22 (ditto of David).
8. а1 Chron. ii. 9-15 (ditto).
9. аMat. i. 2-6 (ditto).
10. аLuke iii. 32-37 (ditto).
11. аEzra vii. 1-5 (ditto of Ezra).
The lists of Princes, heads of tribes, the spies, the commission to divide conquered Palestine, contain names that can be traced back, and all coincide with the above. B.
1. аGen. xv. 13.
2. аEx. xii. 40, 41.
3. аActs vii. 6.
These three give the 400 and the 430 years of the supposed bondage of the Bene Jacob, but are offset by Gen. xv. 16 (four generations) and Gal. iii. 17 (Paul's understanding of the 430 years).

4. аThe story of Joseph, beginning Gen. xxxvii. 2, gives us the dates in his life; viz., 17 when sold, 30 when he becomes Prime Minister, 40 when his father joins him.

5. а1 Chron. vi. 1-15 (Lineage of Ezra's brother Jehozadak, abounding in repetitions and worthless).
1. аAs between the two, the column A. is in my opinion more trustworthy than B.

2. аBy all the genealogies of the Davidian line we have Judah No. 1, Solomon No. 12. аBy Ezra's genealogy of his own family we have Levi No. 1, and Azariah (Solomon's High Priest) No. 12. аThey agree perfectly.

3. аIf there were 400 years of Hebrew (Bene Jacob) slavery between the death of Joseph and the Exodus, there were 400 - 80 = 320, between Joseph's death and the birth of Moses. аIf this was so there is no truth in the accounts of Moses and Aaron being the great-grandchildren of Levi (Levi, Kohath, Amram, Aaron and Moses). аIn fact, if Dr. Robinson be correct in saying that at least six generations are wanting in the genealogies of David (to fill the 400 years) the same must be lacking in all the early genealogies. аReductio ad absurdum!

4. аJacob, a young man, we will say of 40, is sent to Laban for a wife. аHe remains in Padan Aram twenty years (Gen. xxxi. 38), where all his sons except Benjamin were born, that is, before he was 60. аAt 130 he joined Joseph in Egypt (Gen. xlvii. 9). аJoseph, therefore, born in Padan Aram was now, instead of 40, over 70 years old! аThat this is so, is certain. аIn Judah's exquisite pleadings (Gen. xliv. 18-34) he speaks of Benjamin as "the child of Jacob's old age," "a little one," and seven times he calls him "the lad." аBenjamin is some years younger than Joseph, but when the migration into Egypt takes place-a few weeks after Judah's speech-Benjamin comes as father of ten sons (Gen. xlvi. 21), but here Bene Benjamin is used in its broad sense of "descendants," for in 1 Chron. vii. 6-12 we find that the "Bene" were sons, grandsons and great-grandsons. аTo hold that Joseph at 40 had a younger brother who was a great-grandfather, is, of course, utterly absurd.

5. аAccording to Gen. xv. 18, the Exodus was to take place in the fourth generation born in Egypt, as I understand it.

Born in Egypt:--

Levi (father of) Kohath аааааааааааааааааааааааааJudah (father of) Pharez, Hezron

1. аAmram аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа1. аRam
2. аAaron аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа2. аAmminadab
3. аEleazar аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа3. аNahshon
4. аPhinees аааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааааа4. аSalma

A conspicuous character in Numbers (xiii. 6, 30; xiv. 24, etc.) is Caleb. аIn the first chapter of Judges Caleb still appears, and Othniel, the son of his younger brother Kenaz, is the first of the so-called Judges (Jud. iii. 9). аThis also disposes of the 400 years and confirms the view that the Exodus took place in the fourth generation born in Egypt. аOther similar proofs may be omitted--these are amply sufficient.

6. аWhat, then, was the origin of the notion of the 400 years of Hebrew slavery?