The _Chinese_ also, had a legend of the sun standing still,[91:9] and a legend was found among the _Ancient Mexicans_ to the effect that one of their holy persons commanded the sun to stand still, which command was obeyed.[91:10]
We shall now endeavor to answer the question which must naturally arise in the minds of all who see, for the first time, the similarity in the legends of the Hebrews and those of other nations, namely: have the Hebrews copied from other nations, or, have other nations copied from the Hebrews? To answer this question we shall; _first_, give a brief account or history of the Pentateuch and other books of the Old Testament from which we have taken legends, and show about what time they were written; and, _second_, show that other nations were possessed of these legends long before that time, _and that the Jews copied from them_.
The Pentateuch is ascribed, in our _modern_ translations, to _Moses_, and he is generally supposed to be the author. This is altogether erroneous, as Moses had _nothing whatever_ to do with these five books. Bishop Colenso, speaking of this, says:
"The books of the Pentateuch _are never ascribed to Moses in the inscriptions of Hebrew manuscripts, or in printed copies of the Hebrew Bible_. Nor are they styled the '_Books of Moses_' in the Septuagint[92:1] or Vulgate,[92:2] _but only in our modern translations_, after the example of many eminent Fathers of the Church, who, with the exception of Jerome, and, perhaps, Origen, were, one and all of them, very little acquainted with the Hebrew language, and still less with its criticism."[92:3]
The author of "The Religion of Israel," referring to this subject, says:
"The Jews who lived _after_ the Babylonish Captivity, and the Christians following their examples, ascribed these books (the Pentateuch) to Moses; and for many centuries the _notion_ was cherished that he had really written them. _But strict and impartial investigation has shown that this opinion must be given up_; and that _nothing_ in the whole Law really comes from Moses himself except the Ten Commandments. _And even these were not delivered by him in the same form as we find them now._ If we still call these books by his name, it is only because the Israelites always thought of him as their first and greatest law-giver, _and the actual authors grouped all their narratives and laws around his figure, and associated them with his name_."[92:4]