60 Was tJie Mosaic Cosmogony borrowed from the Egyptians ? 



How comes it pass, then, that while he has given us the perfect 

 and satisfactory results, he has been enabled so totally to exclude 

 from his record every trace of the steps by which they were ob- 

 tained ? The supposition of such perfection of geological know- 

 ledge in ancient Egypt, implies a long series of observation by 

 many individuals having the same object in view. It implies of 

 necessity, also, the invention and use of many defined terms of 

 science, without which there could have been no mutual under- 

 standing among the different observers, and of course no pro- 

 gress in xheir pursuit. These terms have all totally disappeared 

 in the hands of Moses. He has translated, with precision, the 

 whole science of geology into the language of shepherds and 

 husbandmen, leaving no trace whatever of any one of its pecu- 

 liar terms any more than of the curious steps in its progress. 



But there is a phenomenon in his record still more unaccount- 

 able upon any supposition that his science is merely human. 

 His geology, acknowledged by the highest authority in this age 

 of scientific improvement to be thus accurate, dwindles down in 

 his hands to be a merely incidental appendage to an enunciation 

 of the most rational and sublime theology. This latter he did 

 not learn in Egypt, for it was in possession of his ancestors while 

 they were yet inhabitants of Canaan ; and we find Fetishism 

 established in Egypt in his age, and even as early as the time 

 of Joseph. Joseph's steward addresses his brethren as if their 

 God were different from the gods of Egypt (Gen. xliii. 23.), 

 and we iBnd him afterwards stating (Gen. xlvi. 64.), that every 

 shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians. Herodotus has 

 given us a piece of information, which forms a perfect com- 

 mentary on this last passage, and puts us in possession of all 

 its import. He tells us that cows, whether young or old, were^ 

 by the Egyptians, all held sacred to Isis, and were forbidden 

 to be sacrificed; and that on this account, they more vene- 

 rated that animal than any other ; and he adds almost a pa- 

 raphrase of the words of Joseph, " therefore, no man or woman 

 of them will kiss a Grecian, or use his knife, or pot, or spit, or 

 eat the flesh of animals cut with his knife." The Greeks were 

 thus an abomination to the Egyptians, because they sacrificed 

 the animal sacred to Isis. Now, the Hebrews were in the prac- 



