they established themselves firmly in the hilly country, the Canaanites continued to hold the plains. A long period of war and disorder only ceased when, under the Israelite king, David, Canaanites and Israelites were fused into one people. After the year 1000 B.C. Hebrew culture, and especially Hebrew religion, were nominally dominant.

About the same time that the Hebrews entered Canaan, the Philistines seem to have conquered the maritime plain near Gaza. These Philistines were not Semites but Aryan seafarers. Probably they came from the coast of Asia Minor near Crete, that centre of an early and wonderful civilisation revealed by the discoveries of Sir Arthur Evans. Old Testament history shows plainly that David used the Philistines in establishing his kingdom; and archæologists hold that through Philistine influence "a remnant of the dying glories of Crete" contributed to the progress of Hebrew culture.

Moses

Whence did the Hebrews get their religion, and what was its original character? The questions are difficult to answer. Renan asserted that the Semite of the desert, "living where nature is so uniform, must be a monotheist." But there is no evidence for this theory; and all other Semites, when they reached countries like Syria and the Euphrates valley where nature is luxuriant, quickly developed an elaborate and sometimes gross polytheism. We must accept the Biblical tradition that in the wilderness, from Moses, the Hebrews received the germ of that moral monotheism which has been of incalculable value to mankind. Moses must have been supremely great, a natural leader of men and a religious genius. His mind must have been creative, his character austere, his religious insight profound. As the Hebrew prophets, from Elijah in the ninth century onwards, developed Hebrew monotheism, they believed themselves to be the true heirs of the Mosaic tradition. Their strength lay

in their conviction that they were fighting to preserve the best elements of Israelite culture from contamination by ideas and practices of Canaanite origin.

It cannot be held that Moses had derived his religion from Egypt. The Egyptians practised circumcision; but Moses, and those of his followers who were born in the wilderness, were uncircumcised. Further, the prophets believed that they were true to the teaching of Moses in proclaiming that Jehovah was God of the whole earth; and most certainly there is no echo in the Ten Commandments of the many gods of Egyptian polytheism. Nowhere does the difference between Egyptian and Israelite religion appear more markedly than in connection with the doctrine of a future life. Neither in the teaching of Moses, nor in that of any great Hebrew prophet before the year 600 B.C., is there mention of a life after death or of judgment to come; but Egyptian religion is dominated by such beliefs. In fact, the originality of Moses, the independence of his religious insight, his direct inspiration, appear unchallengeable. When the Jews in later ages appealed to the authority of Moses, they rightly claimed that Moses was the source of the faith that made the Jewish nation.

Professor Kennett believes that monogamy was an element in the ethical system of Moses. "There is not a hint, in any of the prophets, to suggest that they approved of polygamy, and there are several passages that imply monogamy. Here, again, is probable that the prophets' ideas about marriage belong to the general tradition of the teaching of Moses."

The earlier books of the Bible result from so many combinations and alterations at different times that it is hard to form a definite opinion as to this and many other questions. For instance, we find it difficult to show conclusively that Moses was a monotheist. The first commandment, "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have none other gods but me," proves that the Hebrews were to worship Jehovah and Him alone. But was He

"MOSES BREAKING THE TABLES OF THE LAW," BY REMBRANDT VAN RYN Moses, alike prophet, lawgiver, and statesman, prepared the way for Hebrew unity and Hebrew monotheism.

"AND THERE WAS A GREAT CRY IN EGYPT," BY ARTHUR HACKER, A.R.A.

In the Feast of the Passover the Jews still commemorate the death of the first-born which preceded their exodus from Egypt.

merely the God of the Hebrews, just as other nations had their tribal gods; or was He the one and only God of the whole earth? Probably Moses, like the great prophets in subsequent centuries, held the latter view; but popular opinion, after the fusion of the Israelite and Canaanite races, thought it natural that different peoples should have different gods. So, apparently without offending public opinion, Solomon built "an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the mount that is before Jerusalem," together with other altars to heathen deities. Alike in this action and in his polygamy we see popular Canaanite custom struggling successfully against the higher Israelite ideal. So far from being surprised at this uprising we remain amazed that it was not permanently successful. The census statistics of David and Rehoboam indicate that the population of the early monarchy was 1,300,000. A few thousand Israelites of the Exodus could not possibly have increased to such a number in a couple of centuries. The people over whom David ruled must have been largely of non-Israelite origin, and the Bible records tell us explicitly that in his army foreigners were numerous. In fact, "the numbers of Israel were enlarged by accretion.” May we not deem it "providential" that Hebrew religion in Palestine did not suffer the same sort of corruption as the religion which the Aryan invaders brought into ancient India?

To understand the Hebrew prophets and their fierce indignation against Canaanite worship we must bear in mind that with such worship was associated the religious immorality which disgraces Southern Indian temples at the present day. They were fired by a moral indignation against cruelty and lust. The Canaanites and Phoenicians spoke practically the same language as the Hebrews: all were Semites. "Hannibal is just 'the grace of Baal.' Put Jah (Jehovah) for Baal, and you have the Hebrew Hananiah; or, reverse the word, and you have Johanan, the Greek Ioannes and our John." But Phoenicians and Carthaginians had no ethical or religious message for mankind. The