half circle, the two signs both standing for the same letter, as was subsequently proved. The eighth sign, a mouth, representing r, is not found in Ptolemy, and the ninth, a hawk,a, is the same with the sixth in the same word. This name is followed by the sign of the feminine gender.* Thus five letters were verified, and the whole stock of supposed letters increased to twelve. Champollion proceeded to read other names of kings and private individuals, and appellations of the deities of Egypt, and also explained grammatical forms. In fine, he conclusively showed that hieroglyphic writing was made up of a mingling of ideographic and phonetic signs. His 'Précis' first appeared in 1824. Subsequent investigations in Italy were made public in a letter to his patron, Duke de Blacas. In 1828 and 1829 he made a visit to Egypt, and afterwards collected the results of all his investigations with reference to the language of Egypt, in his "Grammaire Egyptienne," which at the time of his death, in 1831, was ready for publication. Since his death, the fundamental principles of interpretation, as established by Champollion, have been variously tested by Salvolini, Leemans, Rosellini, Wilkinson, Lepsius, and others, and may now be considered as incontrovertible. Lepsius, who is at the present time in Egypt, pursuing his investigations, has done much for the cause of Egyptian philology by correcting errors in details, and by placing many of the principles of interpretation on a more philosophical basis. In fine, although much remains to be done, we think it cannot be doubted, that not only the true method of interpretation is at last found, but that the principles of the phonetic system, and indeed many of the details as above given summarily and imperfectly, are so well established that all coming Kirchers and De Gebelins cannot mystify, nor all future Klaproths gainsay them.

By these discoveries, new generations seem to have arisen from the dead, and we behold them in "every and of every department of life." We know even less, in some respects, of the comforts and discomforts of the present occupants of the Nilevalley than of those who dwelt there three thousand years ago. No harem walls concealed from view the domestic and social enjoyments and miseries of this ancient nation, as now among the followers of the false prophet. We can almost hear the sound

*See Champoll. Letter to M. Dacier in Sept. 1822; also Greppo's Essay, Eng. Trans. p. 197.

.

of the lash of the taskmaster as he stands to urge on the poor brickmaker of Thebes, and see the contortions of the captive dragged after the chariot of Remeses, as an offering to his god. We can go with the subjects of the Pharaohs to deposit their king or their priest in his last home, or to the altar where 'fanatic Egypt and her priests' deposited their offerings, or poured out their libations to Osiris, Isis, Orus, and their train of wandering gods, disguised in brutish forms.' But the interest of these discoveries is not limited by the bounds of one nation, although that nation be one of the most ancient and wonderful of which we have any records. The history of neighboring countries was more or less involved with that of ancient Egypt. The Pharaohs carried their conquests south to Ethiopia, and east over a great part of Western Asia. Of these conquests we have. minute representations in the paintings and hieroglyphics. One inscription may here be adduced as an example. This is chosen not only for the confirmation of Scripture history which it furnishes, but also for its interest in reference to chronology.

In 2 Chronicles 12: 2-9 it is said that Shishak (Heb. P) king of Egypt entered Judea with a large army, and captured the walled towns of Judah, and plundered the temple of Jerusalem, and made the people tributary to Egypt. In accordance with this account, a cartouche is found on the walls of the temple at Carnac, surmounted by the very common designation of the Pharaohs, "Son of the Sun," and containing in phonetic characters the words Amon-mai Shshnk, beloved of Amon, Sheshonk. The king, as is usual on the tablets representing the victories of the kings of Egypt, is offering his prisoners, in this case, from more than thirty vanquished nations, to the deity of the temple. To each is attached an oval, showing what district. or town he represents. In one of these are the hieroglyphics which stand for I, U, D, H, M, A, L, K, with the sign of the land, which Champollion and Rosellini supposed to mean kingdom of Judah. Although Wilkinson doubts whether this is correct, he does not hesitate to say that this king is the Shishak of the Scriptures.

The Bible, especially the historical and some of the prophetic parts of it, receives various confirmation and illustration from these discoveries in Egypt. Famine compelled the progenitors of the Jewish nation to take refuge in the dominion of the Memphian kings. By their long abode there, their subsequent history and their institutions were necessarily much influenced.

But the limits of the present article do not allow an extended discussion of these points. As far as the Pentateuch is concerned, at least, it has already been done by others. The utility of the investigations of hieroglyphic language in a philological point of view, will not escape the notice of those who are familiar with the Hebrew and its cognate dialects. Its similarity to those languages is striking in many points. Sometimes it agrees with the Hebrew, when that differs from the Aramæan and the Coptic. At other times it agrees with these where they differ from the Hebrew. It seems certain that it belongs to the same general family of languages with those of Western Asia, and its undoubted antiquity also enhances its value in comparative philology.

Every student of the Bible, every one interested in the early history of his race, will bid those now making investigations among the tombs of Egypt, or in the museums of Europe, 'God speed. The discovery of the key to these concealed treasures, seems to have been just in season to save them from oblivion. For the condition of many of the monuments is that of ruin. The hand of time has pressed heavily upon them, but the hand of the spoiler more heavily. Scythian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, and Turk, have all labored to despoil that long line of kings, extending even to the fabulous reign of the gods, of their rightful honors. The sands of the desert, and even the sacred river, false to its faithful worshippers, have emulated them. The opening of those dark and silent abodes of the dead, where a gleam of light nor a breath of air has penetrated since the royal seal was first placed upon them, hastens the decay, already, far advanced. Pillars are splitting and slipping from their bases, ceilings are falling in fragments, and the paintings are peeling off in scales. What then is done in this department of archæology must be done quickly.

ARTICLE VII.

THE PATRIARCHAL RELIGION, AS Developed in the BOOK OF JOB.

From the Introduction to Barnes's Job.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

We are happy to have the privilege of presenting to our readers, in advance, an extract from the Introduction to a Commentary on the Book of Job, by ALBERT BARNES, now in the press of Leavitt & Trow.

It presents a clear and condensed view of the religion of the patriarchs in the time of Job, and gives promise of a rich treat for the scholar and the Christian in the Commentary itself.-ED.

On the supposition that this book was composed at the time supposed, then it is an invaluable document, in regard to the nature of the patriarchal religion. We have comparatively few notices on that subject in the book of Genesis, and this volume supplies a chasm which it is of the greatest importance to fill up in order to understand the history of the world. We may suppose, without impropriety, that the mind of Job was imbued with the principles of religion, as then understood by the patriarchs; that he was acquainted with the traditions which had come down from more remote periods; that he was apprised of the revelations which had then been communicated to mankind, and that he practised the rites of religion which were then prevalent among the true worshippers of God. If this is so, then it will be of interest and importance to bring together, in a brief compass, some of the notices of the patriarchal religion scattered throughout this book.

(1.) The existence of one Supreme God, the infinitely wise and glorious Creator of all things. In the entire book, God is spoken of as one, nor is there an intimation by any of the speakers that there is more than one God. There are no allusions to a good and an evil principle contending in the universe, nor any trace of the doctrine, which subsequently became prevalent in the East, that such contending principles existed. No sentiments occur, like those which were afterwards embodied in Persia respecting the existence and conflicts of Ormuzd and Ahriman

(see Creuzer, Symbolik und Mythologie, Erster Band, 226 seq.; and Neander, Geschichte, 2, a. 219 seq.,) or what became subsequently the doctrine of the Manichæans. The religion of the book of Job is, throughout, a pure theism. This fact is remarkable, because the subject of the controversy, the mingled good and evil in the world, was such as constituted the foundation of the argument for dualism, subsequently, in a considerable portion of the Oriental world.

The characteristics ascribed to God in this book, are such as are everywhere attributed to him in the Bible, and are far above any conceptions which prevailed of him at any time among Pagan philosophers. He is almighty, ch. 5: 9. 6:4. 9:512, et al. He is omniscient, ch. 11: 11. 21: 22. He is wise, ch. 12: 13. 24: 1. Inscrutable, ch. 11: 7-9. 36: 26. Invisible, ch. 9:11. He is the Supreme Governor of the world, and the regulator of its concerns, ch. 5: 9-13. 8: 4-6. He is the Creator of all things, ch. 4: 17. 10:8-11. 35: 10. 38: 4-10. He is perfectly pure and holy, ch. 15: 15, 16. 25: 5, 6. He is eternal, ch. 10: 5. He is a spiritual being, ch. 10: 4. He is gracious, and is ready to forgive sin to the penitent, ch. 5: 17 -27. 11: 13-19. 22:21-23. 33: 23-28. He is a hearer of prayer, ch. 33: 26. 12: 4. 22:27. He is the dispenser of life and death, ch. 4: 9. 10: 12. 33: 4. He communicates his will by revelation to mankind, ch. 4: 12-17. 33: 14-17.

In these, and in numerous other passages in the book, the existence and attributes of the One Supreme God are stated with perhaps as much clearness as in any part of the Bible, and in a manner infinitely superior to any statements respecting the divine character and perfections in any other ancient books, except those of the Scriptures.

(2.) The universe was created by this one great and glorious God. It was not the work of chance; it was not the creation of any inferior beings; it was not eternal. A single passage is all that is necessary to be referred to on this point-a passage of unequalled sublimity, ch. 38: 4-11

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Declare if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?

Or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?

Or who laid the corner stone thereof?

When the morning stars sang together,

And all the Sons of God shouted for joy?