J46 THEORY OP TrfE EARTH. 



ments. For this purpose we may consult the 

 tories of nations in their most ancient books, en* 

 deavouring to discover the real facts which they 

 contain, when disengaged from the interested fic- 

 tions which often render the truth obscure. 



The Pentateuch has existed in its present form 

 at least ever since the separation of the ten tribes 

 under Jeroboam, since it was received as authen- 

 tic by the Samaritans as well as by the Jews ; and 

 this assures us of the actual antiquity of that book 

 being not less than two thousand eight hundred 

 years.* Besides this, we have no reason to doubt 

 of the book of Genesis having been composed by 

 Moses,, which adds five hundred years to its an- 

 tiquity. 



Moses and his people came out of Egypt, which 

 is universally allowed by all the nations of the west 

 to have been the most anciently civilized kingdom 

 on the borders of the Mediterranean. The legis- 

 lator of the Jews could have no motive for short- 

 ening the duration of the nations, and would even 

 have disgraced himself in the estimation of his 

 own, if he had promulgated a history of the humaR 

 race contradictory to that which they must have 

 learnt by tradition in Egypt. We may therefore 

 conclude, that the Egyptians had at this time no 



* Introduction to the Books of the Old Testament, by Eichhorn. 

 j 189$, 



