The Creation of God, Jacob Hartmann [e manga reader TXT] 📗

made general of the Egyptian army when he was about thirty-five or thirty-seven years of age. In 1531 B.C. he fled from Egypt and arrived at Midian. He made the acquaintance of a priest named Raguel or Jethro—his future father-in-law, for he married Zipporah, Jethro’s daughter.

Aaron, his brother, three years older, being born 1574 B.C., must have been a man of considerable influence. He remained during Moses’s absence in Egypt. The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt took place in 1491.

Daring his forty years’ stay with Jethro he minded his cattle near Mount Sinai, where many supposed wonders are related to have occurred.

That Moses was not idle is self-evident. A man of that particular type could not remain inactive. What took place between him and Aaron or between him and Thermutis his stepmother is not recorded in history. That some systematic organization did take place is very probable. That all followed in the ordinary course of human events, is to be presumed. And that the plans were laid and matured, how these people were to be molded into a nation, and in what manner they were to leave Egypt, we cannot have a reasonable doubt.

It is more than likely that after the successful conquest, he was fired with the ambition to become a ruler himself. Envy and jealousy prevented his ever assuming the crown of Egypt, but what was to hinder him becoming the head and leader of his own people? In his solitary wanderings about Mount Sinai, he was inspired with the thought of delivering his own people, especially as the Pharaoh, his former protector, was dead. Having all the necessary material at hand in court and out of court, he proceeded to carry out his plans.

Moses was the man who created Jehova. Ex. vi, 3: “And I appeared unto Abraham and Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God almighty; but by my name Jehova was I not known to them.” Not likely! Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were of little or no culture. They were herdsmen who simply differed from their neighbors by substituting an imaginary God for the numerous images and idols that were then in fashion. They had not the remotest idea of the meaning of the God they worshiped, such as Moses now put into the word God. It was no longer a mere abstract copy with him—a thing to dispute, to reason, to argue about. To Moses it became a stern reality. The brain, the nervous system, the senses, the faculties, had undergone a revolution during the four hundred years. Moses, with all the scholastic advantages, raised and educated to rule and govern man and nations, ambitious for power, a great general, a man of determination and force, a man that was capable of plotting against plotters, conspiring against conspirators, who deliberately and shrewdly went to work to organize his people—he conceived then the idea that the simple old-fashioned Adonay—Lord—had lost its importance, being a common-place, every-day God among the Hebrews. He invented the unpronounceable Jehova. It makes little difference whence it is derived, whether from Io, Jovis, Jupiter, etc.

Jehova and Mount Sinai are inseparable. Moses knew every stone and crag about that mountain. A man does not live near a mountain, especially a man of great vigor, action, and intellect, but that he observes every nook, every spot, every footpath, and every turn. The conception of Jehova originated at Mount Sinai; and later the power, the establishing and the realization, of his ambition, of his Jehova, took place.

The miraculous pretensions and the wonderful workings that appear in the scriptural phraseology were no doubt necessary for the purpose of carrying out the scheme Moses had concocted. In modern times we can regard it only as a very peculiar method of writing up a history.

Moses had his emissaries and leaders among his people. When they were told about the wonderful occurrences about Mount Sinai, and what the Great Jehova said to Moses, the story was rehearsed and repeated—about the promised land, their preservation, their liberty. Of course, what could they do otherwise than yield? Their hopes were elated, and they were really interested, and believed that the God of their forefathers had sent Moses as their deliverer.

Moses had already their confidence by his past history. The hero, the great conqueror of the Ethiopians, the savior of Egypt—that alone was an immense prestige. But when it was announced that the Jehova, the Lord God, etc., had said this and that to him, that he commanded him to do this and that, where is the miracle, where is the wonder, that they obeyed?

When Moses found that the Hebrews would be obedient to whatsoever he should direct, as they promised to be, and were in love with liberty, he began his negotiations with the king of Egypt, who had but lately received the government.

As to his contest with the Egyptian priests in performing their respective tricks, called miracles, what wonder that these ignorant creatures believed, when we find stupid people enough of all nations that believe in the miraculous cures of an old rag, purporting to have belonged to Christ or some one else? Whatever was done, and how it was done, we shall never know. That there was nothing supernatural about the transaction is absolutely certain. The people may have believed it to be supernatural, as many millions believe to this day. You may believe a circle to be square, but that does not make it so. The untutored brain is surprised at a trifle, astonished at what it does not understand, and regards every new trick as a miracle.

Neither Abraham, Isaac, nor Jacob could perform miracles. They had no use for them, knew nothing of them, and really had not the talent to produce them. Miracles had not been invented, or become the fashion.

Moses was undoubtedly a proficient master of the magic arts, and accomplished his purpose thereby. After all, those performances were simply a side-show. He knew the strength of his people. A general of his capacity does not undertake a task of that magnitude without calculating the convincing force to back his demands. Six hundred thousand men on foot—besides children and women—organized under leaders, and no doubt equipped and ready for any emergency—an army of that size means a revolution of no small importance to a state. To avert greater danger, Egypt let them go.

Henceforth Moses is the imperial master of the situation, the dictator, the ruler, the lawgiver, as determined as he is imperious—“I am the Lord thy God.” And the man Moses knew what he was talking about, and the class of people he was talking to. He was the organizer of the nation, the creator of Jehova, the intimate of God. No other man throughout the Bible before or after Moses pretended to talk with God face to face except Moses. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord (Ex. xxiv, 2). And he took every care that no other man should discover his secret workings. “I am that I am;” that is Moses. “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Ex. iii, 14). Who but a man accustomed to command and be obeyed would dare use such language?

Moses was fully familiar with the locality; and Mount Sinai, where he developed his scheme, he would permit no one to approach. “Take heed to yourself that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it; whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death” (Ex. xix, 12). He would brook no nonsense. He kept these poor ignoramuses in constant terror, in constant dread, of his Jehova. These precautions were used, and terrible things threatened, so that no one should intrude upon his privacy on the mountain, and no doubt were necessary in order to secure his success.

We have no clear account of the manner in which these people left Egypt. The population must have numbered close upon three millions. This is entirely omitted. What God said to Moses, and Moses said to God, is continually repeated, but historical facts are wanting. We learn one important fact, however—they did not leave poor. When they departed from Egypt this multitude had to be kept busy, otherwise they would lose confidence in Jehova and in Moses, and relapse into making images.

What kind of a God was this Jehova? In Ex. xxxi we find him giving directions about working in brass, silver, gold, furniture, designating who should work at it; but God himself turns stone-mason—in verse 18 we find two tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written by the finger of God. If God had a finger, he had a whole hand. If he had one hand he may have had two. To write needs practice, sight, brain, and all other parts belonging to a man. No doubt, when the tables, etc., were written, it was done by a man.

As to the Ten Commandments, they were not new with Moses. They were a codification of Chaldean and Egyptian laws.

The day of rest was recognized long ago in those slave-making days. It was a principle of economy, power-saving. Six of the Commandments are natural laws and are instinctively obeyed even among lower animals. All other laws were adopted from recognized customs and usages of the people, mostly taken from the Egyptians, with some few alterations, perhaps, suitable to the existing emergency.

When this Republic was founded, there were actually no new laws made, but old laws modified to suit our case; thus the Constitution was framed. Moses did precisely the same thing. The laws were the recognized habits, practices, customs, laws, usages, long established among the nations in that region. And God, or Jehova, had as much to do with the framing of them as he had with the Constitution of this nation.

Leviticus may be truly called the cookery-book of Jehova. Just think of it, that God himself told them what to select and how to cook it. They were instructed to forsake the idols or the images of God, but retained the grosser barbaric practices of sacrificing. The detailed account given of the bill of fare is interesting. For a full description we beg to refer the reader to Leviticus.

Human nature was strong in Moses. He did what any man high in the affairs of a state would do. He installed his own relations into office—first his own tribe, the Levites. These were immediately installed as a permanent bureaucracy, as well as aristocracy. They were the rulers, lawmakers, preachers, doctors, etc. (Num. i, 47, et seq.). His brother Aaron and his sons were at once installed in the permanent offices. A hereditary aristocracy was established and consecrated as priests of the nation (Lev. viii). And the tribe of Levi were also selected to minister unto the priests, Aaron and sons.

The actions of this supposed God are very curious, and even amusing. He assumes so many shades of color, character, and passion, just as a man would under various degrees of excitement, disappointment, and discontent. “Whenever Moses found it necessary to act with promptness and resolution he found it convenient to use his Lord God, Jehova, and usually with excellent effect. But when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebel Moses gives God advice (Num. xvi, 15). “And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord: Respect not thou their offering.” He at once suppresses the rebellion with a strong hand