EECENT ORIENTAL DISCOVERIES ON OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY. 171 



Wellhaiisen writes : — 



"But it was within this period 850-750 B.C. that Hebrew 

 literature first flourished — after the Syrians had been finally repulsed 

 it would seem. Writing of course had been practised from a much 

 earlier period, but only in formal instruments, mainly upon stone. 

 At an early period also the historical sense of the people developed 

 itself , . . in songs, which in the first instance were handed 

 down by word of mouth only. Literature began with the collection 

 and writing down of these songs." Sketch of the History of Israel 

 and Judah (ISn), 1^. 71. 



In the same strain Dr. Driver writes : — 



" No doubt in Israel, as in many other nations, literature began 

 with poetry. ... At what date they ' (the songs) ' were 

 formed into a collection must remain matter of conjecture, the age 

 of David or Solomon has been conjectured. . . . The terminus 

 a quo of J. E." he writes, ' is more difficult to fix. . . . We 

 can only argue from our view of the progress of the art of writing 



. . . or of the probability that they would be written down 

 before the impulse given to culture under the monarchy had taken 

 efl'ect." Introd., pp. 121, 122, 124. 



Thus crudely do the critics ignore the literary environment of 

 the Israelites in Egypt, so amply revealed by archceoiogy, and 

 elect to start the literary history of the people from zero. And 

 yet of course in Egypt in those days — as had been so from 

 immemorial time — writing was in most general use for all the 

 common purposes of life. The " tale of bricks " would no doubt 

 be given to the task-masters of the Israelites in writing ; the 

 temple walls were inscribed with sculptured records ; and 

 literary culture, and elaborate ritual, surrounded the Israelites 

 on every side. 



Did the leaders of the Israelites when they crossed the Eed 

 Sea instantly forget all the culture and learning of the land of 

 Egypt which they had just left, so that neither Moses nor any 

 other among them rose to any literary effort beyond the most 

 primitive and rude ? " Writing mainly upon stone," is the 

 most that Wellhausen would admit ; — songs handed down " by 

 word of mouth only," is all that he would allow even to times 

 long after Moses ; whilst what Dr. Driver thinks of literature 

 in Israel in the Mosaic age may be fairly gauged by the passage 

 already cjuoted, where in "discussing the date of " J E " he talks 

 of the probability that songs would have been written down 

 he/ore the iiivjjidse gixen to culture under the moncirchy had taken 

 effect. 



