THE stone' AGE — PAST AND PRESENT. 215 



tomb wherein they buried liim tliere^ tlie stone knives, wlierewith 

 lie circumcised tlie children of Israel at the Gilgals, when he 

 led them out of Egypt, as the Lord commanded. And they are 

 there unto this day.-" Any one who is disposed to see in this 

 statement a late interpolation, may imagine an origin for it. 

 The opening of a tumulus containing, as they so commonly do, 

 a quantity of sharp instruments of stone, might suggest to a 

 Jew who only knew such things as circumcising knives, the 

 idea that he saw before him the tomb of Joshua, and, buried 

 with his body, the stone knives wherewith he circumcised the 

 children of Israel. 



How far the modern Jews follow the translation " stone," 

 " knives of stone," I cannot entirely say, but two modern 

 Jewish translations of the Pentateuch which I have consulted 

 read " stone" in Exodus iv. 25. It is to be remarked that the 

 Eabbinical law admits such a use; it stands thus: — 



" ]^3Dn h^72h ^T\2') a^-\DDDi 



" "VVe may circumcise with anything, even with a flint, with 

 crystal (glass) or with anything that cuts, except with the 

 sharp edge of a reed, because enchanters make use of that, or 

 it may bring on a disease, and it is a precept of the wise men to 

 circumcise with iron, whether in the form of a knife or of scis- 

 sors, but it is customary to use a knife." Now as Professor 

 Lazarus, a most competent judge in such matters, remarked 

 to me with reference to this question, the mere mention of a 

 practice in the Eabbinical books is not good evidence that it 

 ever really existed,' seeing that their writers habitually exercise 

 their fertile imaginations in devising cases which might pos- 

 sibly occur, and then argue upon them as seriously as though 

 they were real matters of practical importance. But there 

 are observed facts, which tend to bring these particular ordi- 

 nances out of the region of fancy, and into that of fact. As 

 to the prohibition of the use of the reed knife, it is to be no- 



