CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH. 263 



At this stage of the discussion I may state as a main result 

 of my own investigations that at the very root of the rash and 

 hasty, but elaborate and ingenious hypotheses, that are sapping 

 the belief of modern criticism in all ancient authorities whether 

 sacred or profane, from Herodotus and Manetho to the Biblical 

 Historians and Prophets, there lies one radical evil habit, which 

 is gradually but surely undermining the slow but scientific 

 method of historic investigation, namely, the assumption of the 

 truth of some one datum, which however probable is not 

 proved, and on it building a superstructure, which ultimately 

 collapses, because its foundation is not on a rock. Haste for 

 ephemeral popularity and fear of being anticipated are replacing 

 the Keplerian patience and Newtonian exhaustiveness of our 

 forefathers. For instance, Schrader denies the existence of any 

 gap in the Assyrian eponym list ; Sayce, Driver, Cheyne (I 

 mention only such authors as are generally read in England), 

 adopt the consequent disparagement of the Old Testament 

 history, which I have in this paper endeavoured to refute ; 

 Oppert invents a new king and advocates the baseless notion of 

 dethronements and restorations of Israelite kings ; Budge 

 introduces a second siege of Jerusalem shortly before the death 

 of Sennacherib, all baseless fabrics built on some fanciful 

 assumption. 



I might mention many more such instances, but will content 

 myself with one. It seems so plausible that the great Barneses 

 II should be the oppressor of the Hebrews, and his successor 

 the Pharaoh of the Exodus, that hardly a dissentient voice is 

 audible on this matter. One consequence is that the whole 

 Hebrew history from Moses to Solomon has to be condensed into 

 two centuries, or thrown over altogether. I need hardly say 

 that to me such a hypothesis is totally incredible ; and that I, 

 as I have shown in my Eyiiptian Chronology, prefer tlie older 

 authorities, the book of Judges, and Manetho to Josephus and 

 his modern followers. 



I now give a general table for all the kings of Judah and 

 Israel. 



S 



