THE HOLY SCRIPTURES claim to be God's; messages to mankind in all the world, and through all generations; and testimonies to the truth and validity of this claim have been springing up and multiplying ever since those messages were first delivered to men. Every successive age has produced not only additional proofs, but proofs peculiar to itself; of their Divine Origin. And our own age has been fruitful beyond any that went before both in the development of new testimonies, and in the recovery of old and lost ones. Every branch of modern science, every field of modern research, every pursuit which has been made the subject of modern study, has yielded both numerous and diversified corroborations of the Sacred Record. While the Bible makes everything speak for God, God, in these last days, has made everything speak for the Bible—even "the stone has cried out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber has answered it," that prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
These widespread testimonies and corroborations, so diversified in their sources, so striking in their character, and many of them so marvelous in their preservation and discovery and interpretation—all these, collected and methodically arranged, cannot but compose a volume of interest and importance unsurpassed in the estimation of every intelligent Christian reader. This will be evident from the following statements.
THE NATURAL SCIENCES have supplied numerous and remarkable confirmations of many of the fundamental truths taught in the Bible, such as these: that there is a God; that there is but one God; that the world was created, and had a beginning; that its formation was a progressive work carried on through so many days or stages; that the order in which it was fashioned and planted and peopled was that indicated in the first chapter of Genesis; that all nations of men have been made of one blood; that the Deluge of Noah was but one of many similar cataclysms that had occurred before; that all mankind were once of one speech or language; that they scattered to cover the whole earth from one common center. Science, while it offers demonstrative evidence of all this, also bears clear testimony to the truth and correctness of the Bible statements and allusions in regard to a multitude of other natural facts in the sea, on the land, and in the heavens.
Another wide and fruitful field of corroborative evidence we have in the ANCIENT LITERATURE which has come down to us. This embraces not only the voluminous productions of the early Christian Fathers, but also the Greek and Roman Classics-the History, Poetry and Philosophy of men who were the contemporaries of the Inspired Authors; of Seneca and Lucan, rho occupied distinguished positions at Rome at the very time when Paul was detained there a prisoner in chains; of Pliny and Statius and Martial, who were witnesses of the persecutions which banished John to Patmos, and gave Ignatius to be devoured by lions; of Cicero, Terrence and Plautus, who flourished during the first and second century B.C.; of Plato and Xenophon, who were coeval with Nehemiah and. Malachi: of Thucidydes, Herodotus and Euripides, who traveled and studied and wrote still earlier; of Sophocles and Æschylus and Pindar, who composed their works within the same half century that Haggai and Zechariah delivered their prophecies; of Pythagoras, Phocylides, Theognis and Anacreon, who were the contemporaries of Ezra, Esther and Daniel of Sappho and Alceus, who lived in the days of Jeremiah and. Ezekiel; of Mimnermus, Tyrtæus, Callinus and Hesiod, who flourished in the period embraced in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles; of Homer, who composed his Odyssey and Iliad when Solomon sat upon the throne of his father David; of Linus, Musæus and Orphæus, who lived in times still anterior. The writings of these and of others who lived in ages equally remote, furnish a great number and variety of corroborations of scenes, events, characters, laws, practices, wars, commerce, famines, captivities, pestilences, idolatries, crimes, etc., which are related or described in the Bible. And not a few of these ancient authors are eminently interesting and important to us, as, in following the thread of their discourses and narratives, they unconsciously relate the minute and complete fulfillment of numerous prophecies concerning cities and kingdoms, nations and individuals. As these writers must have been in total ignorance that any such predictions had ever been uttered, their testimony to their accomplishment is placed beyond all doubt and all suspicion.
The mystic RECORDS OF EGYPT, likewise, present a rich mine of Scripture evidences. These have been preserved to us in the Hieroglyphics graven on her temples, tombs and obelisks, some of which date back as far as the days of Abraham; and in her Papyri, as old as the Hebrew exodus. Both these, after having faded out of the knowledge and memory of the world, and remained sealed for thousands of years, have of late been successfully studied and translated into the speech of living men, and have thus revealed to us ages of history running parallel with that of the Sacred Volume, and bearing many notable testimonies to its truth. Egypt has also been found rich in Relics of greatest antiquity and most interesting nature; among these have been recognized various articles named or described in the early chapters of Scripture history. Besides all this, in that ancient Land, there have been bequeathed and handed down to us, from times equally remote, great numbers of graphic Pictures, clear in their outlines and fresh in their colors, exhibiting Egyptian life in all its grades and phases and occupations, and which both illustrate and confirm the Scripture narratives of Abraham's visit there, of Joseph's rule, of the Hebrews' bondage, of their deliverance by Moses and Aaron, and of numerous other events of later dates.
As on the banks of the Nile, so along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, corroborative evidences of highest antiquity and importance have been brought to light still more recently in ASSYRIAN SCULPTURES AND INSCRIPTIONS. On the eastern bank of the latter river a cluster of irregular hillocks had been known from time immemorial. These were covered with grass and weeds and bushes such as prevailed over the surrounding regions. On their summits villages had been built, and on their slopes vineyards had been planted, and fields of barley sown and harvested for centuries. They appeared like natural elevations, and by the natives were regarded as old as creation. But something now more than thirty years ago the idea dawned upon the mind of one or two intelligent Europeans of making an examination and a search into these hillocks.
Accordingly, shafts were sunk and tunnels were drilled into them at various points; and lo! what had been deemed natural hills were discovered to be through and through vast mounds of ruins—here was the site of "Nineveh, that great city"—here were entombed in their ashes her palaces, and temples, and monuments, once the pride of kings and the glory of the East. After protracted toil the pavements of streets and the walls of edifices were traced and cleared; and a Botta, a Layard, a Rawlinson, walked through the halls, rested in the courts, and wandered through the galleries, once occupied by Sargon, and Sennacherib, and Esarhadon. In these they found a vast number and variety of relics, tablets and statuary of 'greatest interest.
On the marble-paneled walls were Sculptured Pictures of objects and scenes pertaining to public and private life—battles, sieges, engines of war, chariots of pleasure, hunting expeditions, smoking altars, kings upon their thrones, captives in their chains, officers at their posts, and craftsmen at their toil. Not a few of these have furnished proofs of Scripture statements that had been disputed, and flashed unexpected light upon passages that had ever been regarded as doubtful or obscure.
But the most precious and important of all the discoveries made have been the Cuneiform Inscriptions, which have put us in possession of a large part of the early literature of Chaldea. From the ruins of Nineveh, and also from those of Babylon, Ur, Accad and Erech, there have been exhumed a very great number and variety of Tablets, Cylinders and Obelisks, all crowded with these inscriptions, often cut in characters clear and compact as those upon the printed page. In one instance, the remains of an extensive library, supposed to have originally contained no less than 10,000 inscribed tablets, were discovered lying together in a fragmentary condition, embracing (as afterward appeared) the collected records of many preceding centuries. At first discovery these strange writings were sealed and silent mysteries; 'none could read them, none divine their significance. But at length, though written in languages and in characters that long ages since had passed out of the knowledge and memory of all the living world, by insight and perseverance beyond example in human history, they were deciphered and translated into the languages of the present day. Some of them have been found to record histories that run back to the age of the earliest Patriarchs; others embody the account handed down to that age of the Creation, the Deluge, and the Tower of Babel; others relate the movements of armies that invaded the Land of Israel, and the amount of spoil and number of Captives they carried away from Samaria and Jerusalem; and others still record the laws, the political precepts, the science, the philosophy and the religion of the time. Altogether these Assyrian Sculptures and Inscriptions furnish a number and variety of testimonies to the truth of the Scriptures that are equally marvelous and convincing. Having lain buried for full twenty-five centuries, they are as so many witnesses risen from the dead, whose testimony can neither be gainsaid nor resisted.
The systematic SURVEY AND EXPLORATION OF BIBLE LANDS, which have been made within a few years, have supplied another important contribution to the sum of Scripture evidences. These were undertaken at the expense and under the direction of Christian Associations, and conducted by companies of learned men and professional engineers, selected for their skill and experience, and equipped with the most perfect and costly instruments, as well as all other conveniences necessary for their work. The survey was carried on upon the same method of exact observation and triangulation as that adopted in surveying the coast and country in England. The whole "wilderness of Sinai" was thus accurately measured and mapped. The course of the Israelites through it was traced out; and many of their successive stations and halting-places, including the Wells of Elim, the waters of Marah, and the mount of the Law, were identified. Palestine also has been surveyed and mapped in like manner: the extent of its plains, the height of its mountains, the course of its streams, the indentations of its coast, and the depth of its lakes, have been carefully determined; its rocks and soil, its vegetation and living tenants have been patiently studied; the return and temperature of the seasons, the fall of rain, and even the directions of the wind have been registered. From all this there have been gathered scores and hundreds of happy evidences to the uniform correctness of Scripture statements and allusions respecting localities, distances, scenery, productions, climate, etc., of the Bible Lands.
Much also has of late been accomplished for the confirmation of Scripture by INDIVIDUAL ENTERPRISE. Men of intelligence and ample means—men versed in ancient languages and literature—men of science and observation—animated by Christian benevolence, or commercial enterprise, or love of learning and discovery, have made their way into every region and province on which the light of Revelation originally shone. They have stood where either prophet, priest, or king ever stood; their eyes have rested on the same natural phenomena; their ears have taken in the same sounds from wind and flood; and their nostrils have inhaled the odors of the same fields. They have gazed on the Oriental heavens; they have contemplated Oriental scenery; they have studied Oriental life. Some have tarried and devoted themselves to determine the sites and to delve into the ruins of cities whose names and histories have come down to us in the Sacred Volume; or, to search out the caves and explore the dark recesses that served for refuge to holy men of old; or, to scale perilous heights in order to read and copy rock-inscriptions that have survived the storms of fifty, sixty, and even seventy generations. Others have gone forth with the nomad tribes of the desert, followed their flocks, traveled with their caravans, eaten in their tents, drank from their wells, lodged in their khans, and in the heat of day rested beneath the shade of their vines and fig trees. Others still have directed their chief attention to their social spirit and religious rites, their marriage songs and funeral wailings, their maxims and daily proverbs, their imagery of speech, and their idiomatic forms of expression. All these have returned laden with the rich results of their respective industry—results that have served either to confirm or to illustrate the sacred Scriptures at a thousand different points.
Such is the “cloud of witnesses," such the numerous and diversified testimonies we have to the truth of the inspired writings. In short, it may now be safely affirmed that the materials are at hand—in other words, that evidences enough have already been actually discovered for the satisfactory confirmation of nearly every narrative, passage, fact, and event of essential importance in the whole Bible. But these testimonies and confirmations are widely scattered through a multitude of books—books treating of different subjects, written for different ends, and composed in different languages—and are, therefore, to a large extent out of the reach of the general reader. The great desideratum in this field has been, and still is, to have these multitudinous and diversified evidences collected and conveniently arranged. By this means only can a great part of them be made generally accessible; and in this way only can they be rendered available in their full and fair force to establish the credibility of the sacred volume as a whole.
This is the task which the writer has undertaken in the present Work, namely, To gather from all the foregoing sources, and from others, all known testimonies, of whatever nature, that serve to confirm the Inspired Book; and to arrange them in a convenient order for readers in general. Here are presented all the most important and direct evidences in support of the Bible which have been developed by the historian, the classical scholar, the astronomer, the geologist, the geographer, the archaeologist, the ethnographer, the philologist, the chemist, the zoologist, the botanist—in a word, by the student of nearly every branch of modern science and research.
This mass and variety of proofs and confirmations, it will be no presumption to say, have been reached and brought together by a course of reading and investigation far more extended than the circumstances of multitudes of Bible readers will permit them to hope to pursue for themselves. To this class, such a volume as the present, it is believed, cannot but prove both interesting and profitable.
The plan of the work is simple, and needs but little explanation. The passages of Scripture which receive confirmation are taken and produced in the book in the order in which they stand in the Bible throughout. Immediately under each of these passages are placed the testimonies to its truth or correctness. Each testimony is given in the exact words of its author or source, and followed by a full reference to the chapter or page of the work where it may be found, so that the reader can readily verify the evidence for himself.
At the close of the Volume is placed a complete Index of the subjects mentioned in it, and also a list of the principal authorities, inscriptions and documents whose testimonies are adduced in it. The names of modern writers are followed by the Titles of their works which are quoted. To the names of the ancient authors is annexed, as nearly as can be ascertained, the date or period at which they flourished, as upon this, in many instances, the value of their testimony must depend.
Of the need and importance of a work of this character the writer entertains no doubt. To the Christian, whatever contributes to illustrate or confirm the teachings of God's Word is always welcomed, always interesting. And with them who are not Christians, no class of evidences will have greater weight than such as are presented in this book. Here are placed upon the stand Witnesses whom they can neither charge with prejudice, nor suspect of partiality. Here are produced evidences that none can refute, and none deny, unless they deny the testimony of their senses. In the hope, therefore, that the light of facts accumulated through so many ages, and scattered over so many lands, thus concentrated into one focus, will serve to dissipate the doubts of the unbelieving, and to confirm the faith of the Christian, this Work, the product of years of toil, is now respectfully commended to the prayerful and candid consideration of both. H. W. M.
“How long will man, vex Heaven with unjust complaints? Will he never open his eyes to the light, and his heart to the insinuations of Truth and Reason? This Truth everywhere presents itself in radiant brightness, and he does not see it! The voice of Reason strikes his ear, and he does not hear it! Unjust man! if you can for a moment suspend the delusion which fascinates your senses; if your heart be capable of comprehending the language of argumentation, interrogate these ruins! read the lessons which they present to you! And you sacred temples! venerable tombs! walls once glorious! the witnesses of twenty different ages appear in the cause of Truth herself!... O names, forever glorious! celebrated fields! famous countries! how replete is your aspect with sublime instruction! How many profound truths are written on the surface of this earth! Ye places that have witnessed the life of man in so many different ages, unveil the causes of his misfortunes, teach him true wisdom, and let the experience of past ages become a mirror of instruction, and a germ of happiness to present and future generations."—VOLNEY'S Ruins of Empires.
"The Shasters of the Hindoos contain false astronomy, as well as false physiology; and the Koran of Mohammed distinctly avows the Ptolemaic system of the heavenly bodies; and so interwoven are these scientific errors with the religions of these sacred books that when you have proved the former you have disproved the latter. But THE BIBLE, stating only facts, and adopting no system of human philosophy, has ever stood, and ever shall stand, in sublime simplicity and undecaying strength; while the winds and the waves of conflicting human opinions roar and dash harmlessly around, and the wrecks of a thousand false systems of philosophy and religion are strewed along its base."—PROF. EDWARD HITCHCOCK'S Highest Use of Learning.