.3 



Take away these fundamental doctrines, and the whole fabric totters 

 to the ground ; for without a fall there can be no possible need for a 

 redemption, and the etceteras of the religion, such as the miraculous 

 conception and ascension, baptism, and the eucharistic feast, vanish 

 into thin air as vain imaginations and things of naught. 



It cannot be too clearly and forcibly insisted upon that no fall ne- 

 cessitates no redemption, for the proposition is self-evident, and thus 

 incapable of contradiction. If, therefore, we find the story of the 

 creation and fall, as given to us in the first three chapters of Genesis, 

 to be credible and reasonable, then our duty, upon another occasion, 

 will be to examine the evidence for and against the subsequent theories 

 of the religion, in order to discover whether they also are credible and 

 reasonable. If, on the other hand, we find the story to be incredible 

 arid absurd, it will be our duty to reject tbe whole Christian scheme 

 that has emanated from it. Our business at the present time is with 

 these fundamental doctrines of creation and the fall, and our sole object 

 is the elucidation of the truth, no matter whether it should be palatable 

 or not to our minds. * No sensible man can desire to retain that which 

 is not true, for no system that is not founded on truth can be of any 

 permanent service to the human race, but must on the contrary produce 

 most pernicious results, j^ 



Having thus clearly explained my premisses, I shall now proceed to 

 the examination of the first three chapters of Genesis, and shall divide 

 my text into the two natural divisions suggested in the authorised 

 version. The first chapter and first three verses of the second chapter 

 contain what is known as the Elohistic narrative, so called on account 

 of the deity being throughout designated Elohim tDTrbtf, the plural 

 of Eloh (nib), or Elyah (n$**), a compound word made up of El (i>), a 

 ram, and Yah (IT), an abbreviation of Yahouh (mrp), the future tense 

 of the verb Hahouh (mn), to be. Eloh literally means * the ram will 

 be,' and is used to signify the ram-sun, the sun-god, or the sun in the 

 zodiacal sign Aries, at the vernal equinox ; the plural form, Elohim, 

 being used to signify the ram-suns, or the six summer months of the 

 year, in which the ram and the sun are together, from equinox to equi- 

 nox. El signifies ram, or god, alone, or without the sun, in the winter 

 period, and is always used to designate the evil principle, the wicked 

 god, or the winter period, in contradistinction to Eloh, the ram -sun of 



