Newspaper Page Text
I
Copyright, 1913, by the
Star Company.
Great Britain Righta Reserved
American magazine Section
of fiear$r$ Sunday American, Atlanta, September 7,1913=
Berlin Savant’s Ingenious and Scholarly Argument
that the Fire with Which the Prophet Confounded the
Priests of Baal Was Produced by a Natural Agency
The Prophet Elijah Slaying the Priett*
of Baal.
Parnou* Painting by Juliut Schnorr
The Fire* Which Elijah Kindled on
the Altar Were Fed,
German Scientist* Say. by Petroleum.
Then Elijah put up his altar and "cut up the bullock in pieces and
laid him on the wood, and said. Fill four barrels with water, and pour
it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.” When Elijah prayed it
was after noon, when the sun was hottest. "And the fire of the Lord
fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones,
and the dust, and licked up the water that was In the trench.”
The Berlin professor argnes that if we substitute for the word
"water” In this passage the expression "thick water,” used in the
Book of the Maccabees, which has been shown to have been petroleum,
we have a natural explanation of the miracle. The woodwork of the
altar soaked with petroleum might easily have burst into flame be
neath the tremendously 'hot rays of the sun that often prevail in this
part of Palestine
The Beslln professor even suggests that the final event of Elijah's
life, his translation, to Heaven in a chariot of fire, was connected with
his experiments with petroleum. This miracle occurred, as described
in II. Kings, chapter II.. while Elijah was conversing with his disciple
Elisha. The disciple had asked the master, “Let a double portion of
thy Spirit rest upon me. • * *
"And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that be
hold, there appeared a chariot of Are and horses of fire, and parted
them both asunder, and Elijah went trp by a whirlwind into heaven.
* * * And the mantle of Elijah fell upon Elisha."
The Berlin professor’s explanation is that
some large vessels containing petroleum, or per
haps a volatile refined form of it, stood near
them. The hot sun set fire to the fumes and
caused a tremendous explosion, In which Elijah
seemed to ascend in a mass of fire, which ap
peared like a fiery chariot to the awe-stricken
beholder.
Elijah was at this time doubtless worn out
by his long struggles against crime and sin ir
the kings and the people. This final tragedy
may therefore 'be regarded as a noble and ma :
jestic ending to his heroic career.
“Elijah
and
the Fiery
Chariot.”
m
Oil Region
qf Southern
Palestine.
[RE the miracles of the Bible to be ex
plained as natural occurrences directed
to serve certain ends by the will of God 7
This is the argument of many modern
Biblical scholars. A professor of Biblical exegesis
in the University of Berlin has now furnished a
most interesting naturalistic explanation of the
remarkable miracles performed by the Prophet
Elijah in the Bible.
According to this professor the prophet dis
covered petroleum, which exists abundantly in
the Holy Land, was familiar with many of its
uses and confounded the priests of Baal by means
of it
The professor has found much evidence in the
Bible and scriptural works to support his theory
In the Book of the Maccabees, a part of the
Apocrypha highly valued by religious writers,
he found a reference to a substance called
"naphtha.” The book states that when the Jews
were taken into Persia the priest Neemias found
a liquid on the altar, and when the sun shone it
took fire. The book adds' “And Neemias called
this thing naphtha, which Is to say a cleansing,
but many men called it nephl ” (II. Maccabees.
Chapter I., verse 19. etc )
In another place, explaining where this iiauid
came from, the book says:
"For when our fathers were led into Persia
the priests that were then devout took the fire of
the altar privily and hid it in an hollow place of
a pit without water Now after many years,
when It pleased God. Neemias being sent from
the King of Persia, Bid send of the posterity of
those priests that had hid it to the fire but the,
found no fire, but thick water"
The oldest manuscript of the Book of the M
caibees is in Greek, the earlier texts having beer
lost. This is important, because it indicates G-.
the word "naphtha” used here has the same mean
ing as In other Greek writings.. It is no . . mi dental resemblance be
tween a Greek and a Hebrew word. This word ir known from other
Greek sources to have meant petroleum Clast,' authorities explain
that It was a combustible mineral oil obtained from Persia. When
the method of preparing naphtha from petroleum was discovered in
modern times the old Greek word was revived for It.
The frequent references to the <nfl mmsble qualities of this sub
stance support the theory that it was a form of petroleum. It ignited
under the rays of the sun. Petroleum burns spontaneously at a tem
perature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit- Terrifically high temperatures
occur in the Holy Land and the East. In the desert of Gobi a tem
perature of 167 degrees Fahrenheit has been recorded. It is possible,
however, that the ancient Hebrews used some refined form of petro
leum such as our naphtha or gasoline, which would he much more in
flammable. The explanation that the word means "cleansing” Is also
interesting, since benzine, product of petj^rum. is the most cleans
ing substance known. Petroleum is plentiful in southern Palestine.
The Book of the Maccabees was written about the second century
before Christ. If the Hebrew priests of that time were familiar with
petroleum it is possible that Elijah, who 1/ved between 896 and 874
B. C.. was a pioneer in its use.
Now, there are a great many passages in the Book of Kings deal
ing with Elijah s life that suggest the use of petroleum. It was during
the reign of King Ahab, when his Queen Jezebel had introduced the
wicked worship of Baal into Palestine, that Elijah, the great prophet
of Jehovah, encountered the priests of Baal and defeated them in a
trial of power,
Elijah challenged the heathen priests, telling them: “Take a bul
lock and lay it on wood and put no fire under, and I will dress the
other bullock and put no fire under. • * * call ye on the name of
your god3, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God th. ..
answereth by fire, let him be God.” (I. Kings, xviii., 23, etc.)
The priests of Baal called on Baal till noon, but no fire came.
Another Conception of Elijah’* Sacrifice
Catching Fire Under the Sun’* Ray*.
4 awarw- -rtj