GENESIS. 



GENEVA; GIN ; HOLLANDS. 



similar pi mtf.ni might easily have ben inserted in later time*. Dr. 

 Grave*, in hi* ' Lecture* on the Pentateuch,' and Faber, in hii ' Hone 

 Moaaicte,' ahow that there it no other period in the history of the Jews 

 to which iu composition can be to weU referred. The preface to the 

 first volume of the last edition of RoaenmUller's ' Scholia in Vetua 

 Testament,' contain* a fair view of the controversy, in which he gives 

 many reasons for relinquishing the opinion he formerly held, that the 

 book of Genesis was not written by Mom. 



Supposing Hoses to have been the author, it become* an interesting 

 question to ascertain in what manner Hose* was enabled to give a 

 faithful history of events which happened so many centuries before 

 hi* own age. The book must have been composed in one of three 

 way* : 1st, by immediate revelation of every circumstance from God ; 

 2nd, by a collection of ancient traditions ; or 3rd, from former docu- 

 ments. The first supposition is generally abandoned in the present 

 day by all theologians, with the exception of those who believe in the 

 verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. The second, which is a common 

 opinion amongst theologians in this country, would not injure the 

 credibility of the book: since Lamech, the father of Noah, was contem- 

 porary with Adam ; Shem, the son of Noah, lived in the time of Abra- 

 ham ; his son Isaac was contemporary with Joseph ; and some of the 

 contemporaries of Joseph might have known Moses ; so that few per- 

 son* were required for the transmission of the traditions. The third 

 opinion is the one generally received by the German theologians of the 

 present day : that they were few, is most probable, but the existence 

 of written documents anterior to the time of Moses is unquestionable. 

 In Genesis xxvii. the blessing of Isaac on his sous, and in xlix. the 

 dying address of Jacob, are both apparently given verbatim. This 

 opinion is strengthened by the fact that, in other books of the 

 teuch, reference is made to pre-existing sources. In Numbers xxi. 14, 

 there is an avowed quotation, " It is said in the book of the wars of 

 the Lord," &c.; and in xxiii. and xxiv. are given the hymns or parables 

 of Balaam in his own words. This does not detract from, but rather 

 adds to, the belief that the books were the inspired compositions of 

 Moses; for though he may have used such pre-existing documents, and 

 though his knowledge of many of the events might have been derived 

 from contemporaries, as, for instance, the Egyptian relation of the 

 history of Joseph, inspiration was not less necessary to enable him 

 to distinguish the true from the false, and, while it was not needed in 

 the case of the outward facts of Joseph's life and adventures, without 

 it he could not have developed the scope of the mystery of Provid< -nee 

 in those events as affecting the whole remaining history of the Hebrew 

 nation. For a further investigation of this point, see Turner's ' Com- 

 panion to the Book of Genesis,' New York, 1841. As to the attempts 

 to prove a multiplicity of authorities from the designation of the Deity 

 by different names, as Elohiin, God ; Jehovah, Lord ; and Jehovah- 

 Klohim, Lord-God, Hengstenberg, in his ' Authentic des Penta- 

 teuches,' has proved that the variation is always adapted to the sense 

 of the passage in which the writer has used it, and never arbitrarily or 

 uncertainly. Ronke (' Uutersuchungen iiber der Pentateuch,' 1840), 

 Dreschler (' Die Kinheit und Aechtheit der Genesis,' 1838), and Mr. 

 Turner, have taken the same view, and their works contain disqui- 

 sitions on these various significations, by which they endeavour 

 successfully to establish grounds of their hypothesis. 



Objections have likewise been urged against the account of the 

 Creation in the book of Genesis, as not agreeing with the facts of 

 geology and natural history. These have been met by Dr. I've Smith 

 (' Geology and Scripture '), Dr. Bedford (' Holy Scripture Verified '), 

 Hugh Miller (' Footprints of the Creator '), and others, to whose works 

 we refer the reader. 



Tbe chronology of the book of Genesis has occasioned great difficulty. 

 Thi* arises from the difference of the Hebrew text from the Septuagint. 

 According to the Hebrew text, the Deluge happened A.M. 1656; accord- 

 ing to the Septuagint, A.M. 2262 ; the former giving B.C. 4004, and t he 

 latter B.C. 5411, as the epoch of the Creation. Dr. Hales, with many 

 other critics, considers the dates of the Septuagint to be more in 

 accordance with profane history and with the various events related in 

 the first chapters of Genesis. Our limits prevent us from giving an 

 account of the controveray ; we can only refer to the arguments in 

 Dr. Hales' ' Analysis of Chronology,' vol. i. 273-303, and Clinton's 

 ' Fasti Hellenic!.' vol. i. pp. 283-301, the latter of whom defends the 

 chronology of the Hebrew text, and observes, with much justice, that 

 there doe* not appear any sufficient reason for inducing the Jews to 

 change the number*, while the translator* of the Septuagint were 

 naturally anxious to make the epoch of the Creation more conformable 

 v.-iih the high pretensions of the Egyptians and Chaldecans. From the 

 Deluge to the common date of the birth of Abraham, the ILL: 

 gives 292 years, the Septuagint 1072. This date is given on the 

 authority of (Jen. xi. 2'J : " And Zerah lived 70 years, and begat 

 Abram, Nahor, and Haran." But there is sufficient reason for believing 

 that Abraham was not born till 60 years afterwards, and that his name 

 i* only placed tint on the catalogue on account of his celebrity, not 

 because he was the firnt-born. Adding 60 yean to the former 'mini 

 ben, we obtain the birth of Abraham according to the Hebrew text, 

 A.M. 2008, or B.C. 1996 ; according to the Septuagint, as corrected by 

 I >r. Hale* and Mr. Clinton, A.M. 8258, or B.C. 2153. Having obtained 

 the birth of Abraham, there is no great difficulty in ascertaining the 

 date* of the principal events that follow. The following table is 



abridged from Clinton'* ' Fasti Hellenic! ; ' the dates are reckoned 

 from the birth of Abraham : 



Birth of Abraham in 130th yew of Zerah. Gen. xi 32, xi 

 compared with Acts vii. 4. 



10. Birth of Sarah, ten yean younger than Abraham. Gen. xvii. 1 ~, 



75. The call of Abraham L 1-4. 



86. Birth of Ishmael. Gen. xvi 16. 

 100. Birth of Isaac. Gen. xvii. 17. 

 137. Death of Sarah, at the age of 127. Gen. xxiii. 1, 2. 

 140. Marriage of Isaac, at the age of 40. Gen. xxv. -Jo. 

 160. Birth of Esau and Jacob. Gen. xxv. 26. 

 175. Death of Abraham. Gen. xxv. 7, 8. 

 237. Jacob goes to Haran at the age <>i 77. 

 257. Jacob returns to Canaan. Gen. xxxi. 41. 

 268. Joseph, at the age of 17, sold into Egypt. Gen. xxxvii. 2. 



280. Death of Isaac, at the age of 180. Gen. xxxv. 28. 



281. Joseph, at the age of 30, governor of Ku'ypt. U/n. xli. 46. 

 290. Jacob, at the age of 130, goes into I >. xlvii. 9. 

 807. Death of Jacob, at the age of 147. Gen. xlvii. 28. 



360. Death of Joseph, at the age of 110. Gen. 1. I'li. 



The following passages are supposed by most Christian divines to be 

 prophecies relating to Christ: iii. 15; xii. 3; xviii. 18; xxii. 18; 

 xxvi. 4 ; xxviii. 14 ; xlix. 10. 



(Kiclilmni's Kinliilmiij in't Alie Testament; Augusti'n Ofuntlrlu 

 einer hittoriich-krituchen Einla'tung in't Alte T iber's Itoras 



ifoiaica ; Graves On the Pentateuch ; Rosenmiiller's - i Men's 



Duxrtali'in on the Fall of Man ; Home's Intnxlurtion to the Sen'/ 

 Von Bohlen, Die Genetit ilbertucht, mil Aumerl-kuiiyen, 1835; Tush, 

 Kommentar iibcr die Genetit, 1838.) 



GENEVA; GIN; HOLLANDS. There is a confusion in the 

 popular meaning of the names of these three kinds of distilled 

 liquor. Geneva is frequently confounded with gin. It is, ho 

 a fermented liquor, which bears the same relation to gin as wine doe* 

 to any distilled spirit. It is procured by the fermentation of the 

 berries of the Jui/tcru.< These berries consist of a peculiar 



saccharine principle (which exists to the amount of about 33 per 

 cent, along with acetate of lime), and a volatile oil, which is con- 

 tained in peculiar cells lying close to the seeds ; as the oil assumes a 

 resinous state iu old berries, these cells may be easily seen iu such 

 specimens. The green one-year-old berries contain much more volatile 

 oil, and are to be preferred to the ripe berries. The oil r.in-ly 

 one per cent. From the quantity of sugar which they contain the 

 berries can easily be caused to ferment and yield a spirit, or vinegar may 

 be made from them. Geneva is a very powerfully stimulating liquor, 

 containing a large proportion of alcohol. The volatile oil having a special 

 action on the kidneys renders it the most proper cordial in case* of 

 dropsy from debility, or even connected with diseased heart, when tlu.> 

 system requires support. The usual acceptation of geneva as a 

 rage is incorrect ; nothing deserving of the name is sold in the spirit- 

 shops of this country. 



There appears to be no real difference between the so-called Geneva 

 and IliJInnili; indeed these two names, as well as Holland* Gin, are 

 now only different designations for the same liquid; but originally, as 

 just observed, Geneva (not named from the Swiss city, but from the 

 French aMXOO,gtniivre,ot the juniper), was a different liquid. Hollands, 

 or Hollands geneva, or Hollands gin, in a kind of corn spirit, which 

 was originally wholly imported from Holland. The best kinds now 

 made are those of Schiedam, Rotterdam, and Wecsopj us dis- 



tillers, each of whom has his own peculiar process. Strasburg tur- 

 pentine, fennel seeds, oil of fennel, and hops are used, as well as 

 juniper, as flavouring ingredients; but it is supposed that the supe- 

 riority of Hollands geneva over English gin depends rather on 

 peculiar mode of manufacture than on the ingredients employ 

 on the fact that it becomes aynl, or nn Voiced, or creamed, by rein 

 some time in bond before use. Some of the English rectifiers en- 

 deavour to produce a spirit exactly like Hollands ; but a difference 

 can always be detected by good judges. Pure Hollands have lew 

 acidity than any oilier spirit in common use. t'oiiccniini.' the more 

 familiar liquid, //I'M, this name was an abbreviation of 

 was adopted when English rectifiers began to make a liquid that 

 might share the favour with which Holland* geneva was re- 

 garded. English gin, in the -present day, consists of plain corn 

 spirit, flavoured with oil of turpentine, and with a small quaii' 

 other substances. Juniper may possibly be an essential element in 

 Hollands geneva, Imt it is not in English gin. Each rectifier has a 

 recipe of his o\vn, which he does not divulge ; and hence ti 

 in flavour between Booths', Hodges', Smith's, Nicholson's, Bristol, 

 Plymouth, and other kinds of gin. Of all these it can scarcely be said 

 that our is Letter than another, only that they differ, a.-, mie kind of 

 p"iter differs from another. Different kinds of gin have 

 the plain-gin flavour, the Hollands flavour, tie la\o Ur , the 



smokey flavour, &c. ; Home are intended to present the qualities of ful- 

 ness or richness, others piquancy or biting, &c. ; and all these differences 

 depend on tho vegetable substances distilled with or ;nl<li I to the 

 crude spirit such a* sugar, juniper, liitter almonds, turpentine, 

 creosote, lemon, cardamoms, carraways, cassia, garlic, Canada balsam, 

 Strasburg turpentine, horse-radish, grains of paradise, cayenne pepper, 

 and various other berries, Meds, fruits, herbs, &c. Sometimes such 



