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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
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
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