TITLE PAGE

PREFACE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION,

How the Cuneiform Inscriptions were deciphered.—Grotefend’s guess. — Lassen and Rawlinson’s studies. — Discoveries of Botta, Layard, George Smith, and Rassam. — Certainty of our present knowledge.

CHAPTER II.

THE BOOK OF GENESIS.

Recent discoveries, especially in Babylonia and Assyria, have thrownmuch light on Genesis. — The Accadians. — An Assyrian account of the Creation. — The Babylonian Sabbath. — Traces of an account of the Fall. — Site of Paradise. — “Adam” a Babylonian word. — The Chaldean story of the Deluge. — This compared with the record in Genesis, — The Babylonian account of the building of Babel. — The light thrown by the Assyrian inscriptions on the names in Gen. X. — Gomer; Madai; Javan; Cush and Mizraim; Phut ; Canaan; Elam; Asshur; Arphaxad; Aram; Lud; Nimrod. — The site of Ur. — Approximate date of the rescue of Lot by Abraham. — Egypt in the time of Abraham. — Records of famines. — The date of Joseph’s appointment as second ruler in Egypt. — The Tale of the Two Brothers. — Goshen.

CHAPTER III,

THE EXODUS OUT OF EGYPT.

Egypt during the sojourn of the Israelites. — The travels of an Egyptian officer through Palestine before the time of Joshua. — Recent excavations at Tel el-Maskhfta. — Discovery of the treasure-chambers built by the Israelites. — Date of the Exodus fixed. — Origin of the word Jéhovah. — The rite of circumcision. — Origin of the name Moses. — Illustrations of Hebrew law and ritual from Phoenician and Assyrian monuments. — Tablet describing the duties of a priest of Bel. — The sacrificial tariff of Marseilles. — Phœnician texts found in Cyprus

CHAPTER IV.

THE MOABITE STONE AND THE INSCRIPTION OF SILOAM.

The alphabet of Egyptian origin. — Discovery of the Moabite Stone. — Translation of the inscription. — Points of interest raised by the inscription. — Discovery of the Siloam inscription.—The translation. — The date, — Its bearing upon the topography of Jerusalem.

CHAPTER V.

THE EMPIRE OF THE HITTITES.

Discovery of traces of an ancient Hittite Empire. — Scripture references to the Hittites. Professor Sayce’s discovery. — The inscriptions at Hamath. — The Hittite race.—Hittite art.

CHAPTER VI.

THE ASSYRIAN INVASIONS.

Capture of Jerusalem.—Shishak.—Shalmaneser II. — Inscription describing the campaign of his sixth year. — Correction of the Biblical chronology. — The worship of Rimmon. — War against Hazael. — The black obelisk. — Rimmon-nirari. — Tiglath-Pileser II. — The fall of Arpad. — Menahem pays tribute. — Alliance of Ahaz with Assyria, — Capture of Samaria and of Damascus. — Destruction of Samaria. — Sargon, Cuthah, and Sepharvaim. — Merodach-baladan. — Invasion of Judah by Sargon. — True interpretation of Isaiah x. and xi. — Sennacherib’s invasion. — His account of it. — The Biblical account.— The date. — The Lachish bas-relief. —Jewish policy in Hezekiah’s reign. — Hezekiah’s public works. — The will of Sennacherib. — Esarhaddon’s reign. — Explanation of 2 Chron. xxxiii. 2 — Isaiah xix. — Reign of Assur-bani-pal. — Date of the fall of Assyria. — Chronological table of events described in the chapter.

CHAPTER VII.

NEBUCHADREZZAR AND CYRUS.

Rise of the Babylonian Empire. — Media, — Pharaoh-Necho. — The battle of Carchemish. — Nebuchadrezzar ascends the throne. — The splendour of Babylon. — No monuments yet discovered recording Nebuchadrezzar’s Jewish and Syrian campaigns. — Evil-Merodach. — Clay documents recently discovered in Babylonia. — New light thrown on the Empire of Cyrus. — The cylinder of Cyrus. — Cyrus not a monotheist. — The Babylonian King of Isaiah xiv. — Cyrus not a King of Persia at all — Babylon not besieged by Cyrus. — How Cyrus came to let the Jews return. — Correspondence between the language of Cyrus and of Scripture. — “The god who raises the dead to life.” — Prayer after a bad dream. — Babylonian penitential psalms. — A translation of one of them. — Chronological table of the events of the chapter

APPENDIX I.

The text of the treaty between the Hittites and Ramses II (Dr. Brugsch’s translation).

APPENDIX II.

List of the months of the Assyrian year.

APPENDIX III.

Translation of a cylinder of Nabonidos, King of Babylonia, containing the name of Belshazzar.