EAELIEE THEORIES CONNECTED WITH EVOLUTION. 49 



NOTE TO CHAPTER IV. 

 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 



(See p. 46.) 



IT is certain that a large portion of Hebrew literature was lost at the 

 time of the Captivity, subsequently to which the surviving portions 

 were edited, and possibly enlarged or curtailed, by Ezra, who would 

 draw on the memories of the elders of the race as well as on his own 

 memory for missing portions.* 



The book of Genesis consists of mingled tradition and allegory ; and 

 it may perhaps be doubted whether the story of the Creation is of 

 Egyptian or of Chaldean origin. The early Christian writers, from 

 Paul downwards, as well asPhilo, treated the Old Testament as alle- 

 gorical ; but although this alone should teach us that we are not bound 

 to accept everything literally, it is more than probable that the real 

 esoteric meaning of the allegorical portions was unknown to them ; and 

 it is often concealed (either intentionally or through ignorance) in the 

 Heptuagint, as when- the word Elohim is translated in Greek as in 

 English, simply 6fc<c, God. 



If Higgins is correct in his ingenious interpretation of the esoteric 

 meaning of the first verse of Genesis, " By Wisdom the Trimurti re- 

 generated the planets and the earth," the narrative of the Creation 

 embodies the profoundest speculations of Oriental philosophy, perhaps 

 mingled with traces of primeval science. The word translated "created " 

 has no such strong meaning either in Hebrew or Greek, but simply 

 means " to found, to make, or to construct." It will readily be seen 

 that my remarks in this work respecting the Old Testament apply only 

 to the exoteric or conventional interpretations of its contents, with 

 which we are all familiar. 



* 2 Esdras, ch. xiv. 



