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paragraphs, and even pages were written as though the whole formed 

 but one long word ; and, considering that the Hebrew alphabet consists 

 of consonants only, the absence of the vowel points and final letters 

 afterwards introduced rendered the meaning of the writer most obscure. 

 For instance, the first verse of Genesis would have been written as 

 follows in ancient Hebrew, but in letters more nearly approaching the 



cuneiform type, ^^nri^^^tOTnS^nS^^^Dn^^pD. Th e 

 equivalent letters in English are (reading from right to left, as in Hebrew) 

 TS.R.A.H.T.A.V.M.Y.M.SH.H.T.A.M.Y.H.L.A.A.R.B.T.Y.SH.A.R.B 

 and the translators tell us that they signify, "In the beginning God 

 created the heavens and the earth." Now, as they stand, it is utterly 

 impossible to pronounce the words ; and, even supposing that vowels 

 were added, this could be done in such a variety of ways that hundreds 

 of different pronunciations might result; so also might the sense be 

 varied by many different renderings. Suppose we wrote down the autho- 

 rised translation, using consonants only, and leaving entirely out the 

 vowels, the result would be as follows (reading from left to right, as in 

 English), NTHBGNNGGDCRTDTHHVNSNDTHRTH, which would 

 be entirely unpronounceable unless we added vowels ; and, by adding 

 vowels indiscriminately, a variety of renderings would result. The 

 absurdity of a written language composed only of consonants is thus 

 made very apparent. This difficulty opposed itself to the Jewish priests, 

 and was obviated by the introduction of vowel points, the manufacture 

 of five final letters, and the division of sentences into words according 

 to the arbitrary rendering of the introducers of the -vowel points ; so that 

 now we possess a Hebrew language which may be, and probably is, as 

 unlike the ancient Hebrew dialect as chalk is unlike cheese. 



By slightly altering the vowel points of a sentence or a word, the 

 whole sense may be entirely destroyed ; and that this has been frequently 

 enough done requires no proof here, for it has been abundantly shown 

 elsewhere. Certain priests have attempted to prove that the vowel 

 points and final letters were in use in Ezra's time ; but it is now 

 generally admitted by scholars that they were inventions of the middle 

 ages. Hear what the learned Christian Dupin, Doctor of the Sorbonne, 

 says : " The Hebrew alphabet is composed of twenty-two letters, like 

 those of the Samaritans, Chaldeans, and Syrians. But, of these letters, 

 none are vowels, and, in consequence, the pronunciation cannot be 

 determined. The Hebrews have invented points, which, being put 

 under the letters, answer the purpose of vowels. Those vowel-points 

 serve not only to fix the pronunciation, but also the signification of a 

 word, because, many times, the word being differently pointed and pro- 

 nounced alters the meaning entirely. This is the consideration which has 



