THESE LETTERS

ARE

Dedicated

ΤΟ

CHARLES GEORGE BARRINGTON.

CONTENTS.

VOL. I.

First Series.

THE OLD TESTAMENT.

LETTER I.

Discussion on existence of God-Plan of subject-Analysis of religious

belief-History of English New Testament-Collection of versions

of Bible-Original not to be found-Jews adhere to Talmudic

version-No text before time of Ezra-Odessa manuscript of Old

Testament

LETTER II.

PAGE

Pentateuch most sacred of Scriptures-Discovery by Hilkiah-Sacri-

ficial ritual abolished-Jews ignorant of Book of Law-Elohistic

and Jehovistic conceptions-Narrative of ark and of flood-Arith-

metical objections-Moses on Torâh

LETTER III.

Revelation implies action of God-Immorality of Jewish records-

Canaanites and Midianites ill-treated by God of Old Testament

-Legend of Elisha-Legend of Balaam-No experimental proof of

First Cause

LETTER IV.

Fulfilment of prophecy-Character of prophet-Prophecies unful-

filled-Especially of Christ-Immanuel-Analysis of prophecies

in Psalms-Rejection of books of Chronicles and Daniel

LETTER V.

Monotheism of Hebrews-Duke of Argyll on fate-Early stages of

religious worship-Belief in animism

VOL. I.

b

LETTER VI.

Contrast of theories of Max Müller and Herbert Spencer-Old San-

skrit ideas of God-Chinese ideas of God

LETTER VII.

Origin of philosophic opinion-Language an origin of religious ideas

--Forms of religion of China-Zoroastrianism-Assumed date of

Zoroaster

PAGE

LETTER VIII.

Origin of non-Hebrew civilisations-Babylonians and Turanians—
Kouyunjik and Accadian tablets

LETTER IX.

Egyptian chronology and antiquity-Testimony of Manetho-Dogmas

of Egyptians in relation to the Trinity and Osiris-Deluge legends

-Creation legends

LETTER X.

Cuneiform accounts of creation and deluge-Zoroastrian accounts of

thein-Hebrew ideas of Monotheism a disguised Polytheism

75

THE NEW TESTAMENT.

LETTER XI.

New Testament silent on personal existence of God-Hume's argument

on miracles

LETTER XII.

Authenticity of Synoptic Gospels-Matthew-Mark-Luke-Rejec-

tion of Gospel of St. John

LETTER XIII.

128

146

Relation of New Testament to legendary and mythological phases of

other religions-Chinese, Hindu, Thibetan, and Greek analogies

-Doctrine of Logos-Christianity and Buddhism-Death of

Jesus

167

181

203