Take for instance all that strange and picturesque episode of Hagar: see the splendid contrast between the craft and commercial guile of his dealings in Egypt and with Abimelech, and the simple, straightforward godliness of his later years.No, all those difficulties only attract me.
Do you happen to know--of course you would know--do those German books, or the others, give anywhere any additional details of the man himself and his sayings and doings--little things which help, you know, to round out one's conception of the individual?"Again the priest and the doctor stole a furtive glance across the young minister's head.It was Father Forbes who replied.
"I fear that you are taking our friend Abraham too literally, Mr.Ware," he said, in that gentle semblance of paternal tones which seemed to go so well with his gown.
"Modern research, you know, quite wipes him out of existence as an individual.The word 'Abram' is merely an eponym--it means 'exalted father.' Practically all the names in the Genesis chronologies are what we call eponymous.
Abram is not a person at all: he is a tribe, a sept, a clan.In the same way, Shem is not intended for a man;it is the name of a great division of the human race.
Heber is simply the throwing back into allegorical substance, so to speak, of the Hebrews; Heth of the Hittites;Asshur of Assyria."
"But this is something very new, this theory, isn't it?"queried Theron.
The priest smiled and shook his head."Bless you, no!
My dear sir, there is nothing new.Epicurus and Lucretius outlined the whole Darwinian theory more than two thousand years ago.As for this eponym thing, why Saint Augustine called attention to it fifteen hundred years ago.In his 'De Civitate Dei,' he expressly says of these genealogical names, 'GENTES NON HOMINES;' that is, 'peoples, not persons.'
It was as obvious to him--as much a commonplace of knowledge--as it was to Ezekiel eight hundred years before him.""It seems passing strange that we should not know it now, then," commented Theron; "I mean, that everybody shouldn't know it."Father Forbes gave a little purring chuckle.