religion which existed before."--ST. AUGUSTINE.

"Our love for what is old, our reverence for what our fathers
used, makes us keep still in the church, and on the very altar
cloths, symbols which would excite the smile of an _Oriental_,
and lead him to wonder why we send missionaries to his land,
while cherishing his faith in ours."--JAMES BONWICK.

COPYRIGHT,
1882.

COPYRIGHT RENEWED,
1910

Printed in U.S.A.

INTRODUCTION.

The idea of publishing the work here presented did not suggest itself
until a large portion of the material it contains had been accumulated
for the private use and personal gratification of the author. In
pursuing the study of the Bible Myths, facts pertaining thereto, in a
condensed form, seemed to be greatly needed, and nowhere to be found.
Widely scattered through hundreds of ancient and modern volumes, most of
the contents of this book may indeed be found; but any previous attempt
to trace exclusively the myths and legends of the Old and New Testament
to their origin, published as a separate work, is not known to the
writer of this. Many able writers have shown our so-called Sacred
Scriptures to be unhistorical, and have pronounced them largely
legendary, but have there left the matter, evidently aware of the great
extent of the subject lying beyond. As Thomas Scott remarks, in his
_English Life of Jesus_: "_How_ these narratives (_i. e._, the New
Testament narratives), unhistorical as they have been shown to be, came
into existence, _it is not our business to explain_; and once again, at
the end of the task, as at the beginning and throughout, we must
emphatically disclaim the obligation." To pursue the subject from the
point at which it is abandoned by this and many other distinguished
writers, has been the labor of the author of this volume for a number of
years. The result of this labor is herewith submitted to the reader,
but not without a painful consciousness of its many imperfections.

The work naturally begins with the Eden myth, and is followed by a
consideration of the principal Old Testament legends, showing their
universality, origin and meaning. Next will be found the account of the
birth of Christ Jesus, with his history until the close of his life upon
earth, showing, in connection ther