192 KEV. J. N. PRADENBUEGH, PH.D., D.D,, LL.D., 



presented. The snatches of poetry in construction are hke 

 the poetry of Egypt and Babylonia,* and the priests' code is 

 probably not more complicated than the priestly codes ot 

 these countries at the same time. 



We will not, however, be led into an extended discussion 

 of these points. 



Our object has been attained if we have established the 

 fact that Moses was, iii all probability, well equipped, in 

 an educational point of view, for the composition of the 

 Pentateuch ; and that he doubtless caused records to be 

 made of the events of his time. Yet if such records were 

 actually made, what was done with them? Were any of 

 them used in the composition of the Mosaic history and 

 legislation ? How were they used ? These, and many other 

 questions connected with a full treatment of the subject lie 

 outside the purpose of this paper. 



The Chairman (Rev. Canon Girdlestone, M.A.). — Our thanks 

 are due to Dr. Fradenburgh for his able paper and also to Dr. 

 Walker for so kindly reading it. (Cheers.) 



The paper throws great light upon the days when Israel was in 

 Egypt and whan Moses led them out. We see that the Egyptifms of 

 those days were hy no means uncivilised — quite the contrary, and it 

 seems clear that they could do some things even better than we can. 



With regard to history I think one of the most important points 

 is that contained in the seventh page of the paper. It has always 

 struck me as a very serious defect in the Egyptian system that 

 they had no fixed historical era ; until you have a fixed historical 

 era it is impossible to frame anything like a sequence of events 

 or even of the Dynasties, and the history has to be made up piece- 

 meal by comparing the dates in a king's reign and seeing how certain 

 things overlap one thing and another thing. Perhaps the time 

 will come, as suggested by Dr. Fradenburgh, when the materials 

 will be so enlarged that history may be wrought out of them. 



* Mr. Theopliilus G. Pinches, the Assyriologist, writes : — ■ 

 " As regards Hebrew and Babylonian poetical compositions, I consider 

 that they owe their likeness to the probability of a common origin, or 

 to the influence of the same original models. The reason for my opinion 

 is that both nations are and were of the same race, and as some of the 

 Psalms are pre-exilic the style could hardly have been copied from that of 

 the Babylonians." — Ed. 



