A Class-Book of Biblical History and Geography: with numerous mapsOsborn, H. S. (Henry Stafford)
History
A Class-Book of Biblical History and Geography: with numerous maps
Osborn, H. S. (Henry Stafford)
Bible -- History of Biblical events -- Textbooks
=13. The geography= of the country, =local remains=, and other facts
may furnish us with evidence for or against. In one chapter of the book
it is stated that there was an old castle in which William lodged the
night before the battle, and that there is from it no view north, but a
fair view towards the south.
We visit Hastings and find the remains of an old castle, and we see
high hills on the north and none on the south. Herein we see some
corroboration of the history. But now some one shows that there is no
evidence that any battle ever was fought at Hastings, and the oldest
manuscripts sustain the objection, and show that the battle of the
conquest was fought at a place called Senlac.
This now throws a doubt upon the whole history. There is contradiction,
perhaps error. We go back to the study of the manuscripts and we find
that a more recent collator of the history of the conquest, writing
with a view to readers of his own times, introduced the new name,
“Hastings,” as better understood than another name, Senlac, and all
subsequent copyists followed his manuscript.
But the early name, “Senlac,” is found nowhere, while it still remains
true that no battle was fought at Hastings. Additional doubt shadows
the whole history. But now in a monastery an old manuscript is found,
written centuries ago, describing some of the old abbeys, among which
one is mentioned named “Battle Abbey,” followed by a short explanation,
stating that it is located at the village called “Battle,” quite
near Hastings. The last part is an interpolation in the manuscript,
and evidently written many years after the writing of the original
manuscript, and both authors are unknown.
We now visit the village of Battle, near Hastings, and find
local traditions handed down in connection with an old abbey still
remaining and built upon the spot where Harold fell. Arrow-heads and
fragments of battle-axes are found and are shown to us; the former
are found scattered over the hills only on one side. This corroborates
another statement, that the Normans used bows and arrows, while the
Anglo-Saxons used only battle-axes.
All these discoveries strengthen the links in the chain of evidences
between facts and their history, until all doubts are cleared away and
even the “validity of doubt itself is doubtful.”
=14. Just such a course= of research, of discovery, and of success in
final vindication has attended almost every historical announcement in
Scripture.
=15. At the close= of the Canonical period, whatever books made up
the Canon were so rigidly guarded ever afterwards in every way, by
memorizing, by commentary and paraphrase, by increasing the copies in
manuscripts, and by numbering letters and words, that it is impossible
that any material difference exists between them and the books which
make up the Old Testament of the present day. These books have not
been changed in any important respect during the 2,200 years which have
transpired since the close of the Canon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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