222 



THE WITNESS OF ARCHiEOLOGY TO THE BIBLE. 



one illustration of the fulness of Bible words, namely, the Hebrew 

 word for atonement, rendered " camphire " in the Song of 

 Solomon (i, 14). We are told by preachers sometimes that 

 atonement means at-one-ment, but, from the use of the word, we 

 ^ee it means to cover, as in Genesis vi. 17, where both the verb and noun 

 are rendered "pitch." As the ark was covered within and without with 

 pitch, so the believer in Christ is covered by His atoning sacrilice, as 

 the Irish boy said, " God does not see me nor my sins, for I am covered 

 by Christ's atonement." Reconciliation, or at-one-ment, is the outcome 

 of the atonement, but the atonement of Christ is a work done >'or us, 

 and that work is complete, perfect, eternal, satisfying, and independent 

 of us. 



Lieut. -Colonel G. Mackinlay said : — The subject of the testimony of 

 archaeology to the Bible is of great importance, and Miss Hodgkin's 

 paper is well up to date with its appeal to solid and indisputable facts, 

 only made available during recent years, 



I hope this paper will stir us all up to regard this subject more 

 carefully and fully. Following the example of one of our senior Vice- 

 Presidents, Canon Girdlestone, I would recommend two books, one fairly 

 modern and the other quite recent. Both are by very distinguished and 

 very learned men, and both are written in an interesting manner i<nd 

 easily understood by the general reader. Both are cheap ; they are : 

 " Monument Facts and Higher Critical Fancies," by Prof. Sayce, 1904, 

 published by the R.T.S., and " The Law of Moses," by Prof. Edouard 

 Naville, of Geneva, translated into English with a preface by Dean 

 Wace, 1922. Published by Thynne. 



Miss Hodgkin gives many useful concrete examples of mistakes 

 made by modernists during recent years which have been corrected by 

 the results of archaeological research, such as the objection that Moses 

 could not have written the Pentateuch, as it was thought that writing 

 was not known when he lived, and that in his uncivilised times a code 

 of laws could not have been brought out. We now know that inscribed 

 clay documents were employed by the Babylonians long before the days 

 of the Exodus. And the discovery of the laws of Khammu-rabi, at a 

 date anterior to Moses, contradicts the other assertion of the modernists. 

 She gives many other instances of the same nature, including several 

 in the New Testament : it is striking that the investigation of the 

 discarded contents of Egyptian rubbish-heaps have contradicted the 

 conclusions of modern professors. Their disproved assertions are not 

 now repeated ; but unfortunately we do not hear acknowledgments of 

 their mistakes. 



Miss Hodgkin has a very decided gift of expressing her truths in an 

 interesting and finished manner, and I strongly support the suggestion 

 of Mr. Oke that this paper should be printed for general readers and 

 circulated as widely as possible. 



I will now propose, by acclamation, a hearty vote of thanks to Miss 

 Hodgkin for her valuable paper. 



(Carried unanimously with applause.) 



