Mayi] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1894.presideovergood fortune. Possibly we have in the designation
Gada Semitic adaptation of the Accadian Gud, as a title of
Merodach,who assigns and determines the fate of men and nations.
Asherahis known to have representedthe female principleof
Natureaccordingto the conceptions of Canaanitish religion. She
was associated with Baal in the worship of the "high places,"
and her symbol was even set up in the temple of Jerusalem
(2 Kings xxiii, 6). Amongthe planets she was Venus. As the
goddessof reproductionshe is naturally mentionedon the auspicious
occasionof a birth in our passage of Genesis ; and Leah's second
exclamationis thus seento afford an exact parallelto her first. It
shouldbe added that the expression in the uncorrected text occurs
nowhereelse in the Old Testament; a fact which confirms the
suspicionof corruption whichwe have baseduponothergrounds.
Thelast instance of this general un;tyof representation which
I will now noticeis also contained in the narrative of the Elohist.
WhenJacobis going to visit the sanctuary at Bethel, he orders his
familyand all his dependents to put away theirforeigngods; and
theysurrender "allthe foreign gods in their possessionand the
talisman rings they wore in their ears; and Jacob buried them
underthe terebinth hardby Shechem." (Gen.xxxv,1-4.) " The
foreigngodsthat are among you 1" Rachel and Leah's partiality
for the gods of Harran was evidently not an isolated fact in the
early history of Jacob-Israel. Such phenomena undoubtedly
conflictwith the old belief, still so widely prevalentin this country,
that Israel enjoyedfromthe very outseta purely monotheisticfaith
foundeduponspecialobjectiverevelationsof a nature so wonderful,
so impressive to sense, and so overwhelming to reason as to leave no
roomfor cavilor suspenseof judgmentor, in short, any mentalattitude
save that of unqualified acceptanceand unquestioning submission.
Speakingas a sincere Catholic,but also as one whose conviction
is that the highest interestof Religion is truth, I do not hesitate to
say that the Old Testament itselfis in manifold contradictionwith
thatuncriticalexegesiswhich arbitrarilyignorestoo many of the
mostoriginalfactsand features of its unique recordsto be worthy
evenof the serious considerationof earnest seekersaftertruth.
One can of course respect honest ignorance, even honest
prejudice; and it is not impossible to sympathise withreligious
mindsmadeuneasy by the haunting fear that the final issue of
criticismmay be to reinforce irreligioustendencies,and to arm with
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