CONTENTS.

VOL. I.

First Series.

THE OLD TESTAMENT.

PAGE

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.

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 Torah . .

:

18

· 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.

PAGE

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 . . . . . . . .

LETTER VIII.

Origin of non-Hebrew civilisations-Babylonians and Turanians-

Kouyunjik and Accadian tablets . . . . . .

111

Egyptian chronology and antiquity–Testimony of Manetho-Dogmas

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

-Creation legends. .

.

123

LETTER X.

Cuneiform accounts of creation and deluge–Zoroastrian accounts of

thein-Hebrew ideas of Monotheism a disguised Polytheism :

146

THE NEW TESTAMENT.

LETTER XI.

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

on miracles

.

. .

167

LETTER XII.

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

tion of Gospel of St. John . . . . . .

181

LETTER XIII.

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

203