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ancient Germans, from which Easter, the festival, is said to he derived, 
is a problematical question ; but I think there can be little doubt that 
the Astarte of the Carthaginians was connected with the Ashtoreth of 
the Scriptures. Passing on to a later period of history we ought to find 
many traces of these Hebrew names in the history of Babylon and Assyria. 
The word Babylon itself connects us with very early times if wc look for its 
derivation. Of course two derivations are given — one is “ confusion,” and 
the other makes it the gate of the god Hu ; but, whichever is adopted, it 
certainly connects the histories together. In Jeremiah, 1. 2, the Prophet 
plays with the names Bel and Merodach : — “Bel is confounded ; Mero- 
dach is broken in pieces.” In the Book of Ezra a number of Persian 
proper names, expressed in Hebrew characters, are found sufficient to 
enable the philologist to compose comparative alphabets of the two lan- 
guages. I have but culled a few proper names from a few of the books 
of the Old Testament. But the fortuitous coincidences which may thus be 
shown between the statements of the sacred historians and other histories 
corroborate the truth of both. It is to be wished that some writer would 
take as a model Paley’s Horen Paulinen, and compose a similar work upon 
the Old Testament. Broad, obvious, and explicit agreements would prove 
little ; but a plurality of examples would convince the incredulous, and the 
minuteness, circuity, or obliqueness of the undesigned coincidences would 
establish the genuineness of the writings and the authenticity of the nar- 
ratives. 
Mr. Hormuzd Kassam. — I feel that I am labouring under a disadvantage 
after the learned lecture we have just listened to, and, therefore, anything I 
may say will necessarily be of a superficial character. In the few remarks 
I wish to offer I will endeavour to connect the past with the present usages 
in the land of the Bible, because, knowing as I do from my travels and 
the discoveries I have made, I think every one, either in this or any other 
country, will be able to comprehend more forcibly the truth of the Bible by 
merely riding through the country and examining the languages of the 
different races, and seeing the marvellous connexion which still links them 
with each other. AVith reference to the question of Biblical names, we ought 
to remember that, with very few exceptions, all the Semitic languages, such 
as the Hebrew, the Chaldean, and the Arabic, contain words which have a 
meaning ; and it is very remarkable that, if you begin with Genesis and end 
at the old dispensation, we shall find that every name has a connexion with 
an attribute of a God, whether it is connected with idolatry or the worship of 
Jehovah. It is the same way in the present day amongst the different 
nationalities referred to. AVe must take into account the three distinct sects 
Avhich exist in the East, and which have occupied a conspicuous position in 
regard to the inspired Book. I allude to the Jews, the Christians, and the 
Alohammedans. Amongst these nationalities we find that in most cases 
every person is named according to the tenet of his sect. Amongst the 
Christians, men and women are named after their saints ; the Jews take 
their names from the Pentateuch or the Prophets, such as Isaac, Moses, 
