The Chaldeans were undoubtedly great admirers of nature at the time we first hear the name of Abraham mentioned in connection with the Bible, about the year 1921 B.C.

The people had already arrived at a high degree of civilization. The country belonged to the Assyrian empire under Ninus the Jupiter, 2069 B.C. How long this section of country had been populated, and its inhabitants under a proper form of government, we have no record—in all probability, for many centuries.

The Chaldeans had already invented a judicial astrology, which was transmitted to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The science of astronomy was known to them, and of it there are records as early as 2234 B.C. The science of arithmetic was used by them—in all probability invented by them; concerning it we have nothing recorded. The kingdom of Babylon existed 2245 B.C. An art of architecture of some kind was already in use among its people, as we see from the fact that they had built important structures. We have no records as to the proficiency they had arrived at in any other branch of science or art. That the art of writing was known to them is probable, otherwise they could not have recorded certain facts about astronomy. The credit of first using hieroglyphics, 2212 B.C., is given to Athates, or Hermes, the Egyptian.

The correct division of the days of the week, the months, and the seasons may probably have been known to them, though the Jews take the credit.

That these Chaldeans were great observers will not be disputed—otherwise they could not have discovered the fixed stars, planetary system, etc. That they must have had considerable intellectual qualities—perceptive powers and skill in reasoning—developed will be admitted, inasmuch as they were the inventors of astrology, and of what more we have no knowledge.

They were great admirers of nature. We may infer that from the fact that they were students of astronomy, acute and close observers of nature.

What myths or fables they had, we have at the present time no idea. We have no historical knowledge of these people. We know very little of their manners, culture, science, arts, degree of civilization.

Other events occurred about that period. A Phoenician colony under Partholani landed in Ireland 2048 B.C.

In 2207 B.C. the government of China was established—it had an imperial dynasty. Fohi was the Chinese monarch.

In 2089 B.C. Sicyon was king of Greece.

In 2188 B.C. Egypt was established.

In 2085 B.C. Egypt was conquered by the shepherd kings of Phoenicia.

In 1998 B.C. Ching Hong teaches the Chinese the art of husbandry, and the method of making bread from wheat and wine from rice.

In 2095 B.C. pyramids and canals in Egypt. The science of geometry begins to be cultivated.

In 2100 B.C. sculpture and painting are employed to commemorate the exploits of Asymandyas.

We have no difficulty in arriving at a conclusion that considerable progress had been made in the art of government, in the political and social world, in the arts and sciences, and also in the moral and religious departments of life.

As to whatever myths and fables they had, of their origin we know very little, or I may say nothing. The story of the creation and the deluge is in all probability native to the soil. The deluge was in all likelihood a local affair—an overflow of the river Euphrates or the Gulf of Persia. Whether it rained forty days and nights or more, water enough could not fall to the ground to do any serious damage, beyond the locality where it occurred. It would be not amiss even for the most pious, God-fearing man to understand that the rainwater that falls to the surface of the earth was originally taken from the waters that are found on the surface of the earth. The actual quantity of water on the earth was no more after the flood, or after any flood, than before. The water changes position from one locality to another; it does not increase or diminish in quantity, whether it consolidates, evaporates, or liquefies. Whatever elementary form it may assume, the law of gravitation holds its elements down to mother earth.

The idea entertained by many theologians, that the whole earth was covered with water, is absurd. We have not water enough on the surface of this earth to serve any such purpose. This problem is just as feasible as trying to drown a man in two inches of water—attempting to cover the entire earth with the water that is upon it.

From historical evidence we gather that the people that inhabited this region occupied their time chiefly with raising cattle, and were prone both to the observation of nature and to superstition.

The nervous system had at this time undergone considerable training and culture. Their faculties were already developed. They discussed and reasoned about current subjects, especially about those subjects which were nearest and dearest to them—religion and politics. And we are still discussing the same subjects with as much eagerness, acrimony, and hate as these Chaldean shepherds did.

They were adorers of nature, which was perfectly in harmony with their occupation. The beauties, the phases, the phenomena of nature, these they could not explain. Ignorant of their character and composition, not understanding the natural, they reasoned themselves into conclusions that there must be a power beyond that sets all these things in motion.

They knew nothing of God. In all probability they created nothing new, but may have modified whatever was handed down to them by their fore-fathers—notions, customs, well-outlined rules of conduct, observances, policy, government, etc.

The wiser and best-instructed portion of the community selected those things that to them were most beneficial, and for which they thought they ought to be grateful—in their wonderment and admiration they made selection of that which was to them most striking—and this gradually led to a systematization of certain qualities, certain excellences.

All things in nature are object-teachers. When we have seen a thing several times, we know it—learn its qualities, etc. So the forefathers of the Chaldeans, admiring nature, came to recognizing what was best, either in themselves or round about them.

In order to present these ideas, powers, and excellences in the most striking manner to the senses, symbolic representations, or typical forms, were made, about in the same or similar manner as playthings are made to instruct and amuse children.

All the idols and mythological gods are drawn from nature, associated and endowed with such qualities as the human beings had from time to time attained.

The motives that suggested these were just as pure as any motives are now.

We have symbols and idols among us at this day, four thousand years later. It makes no difference whether it is Christ on a stick, the Virgin Mary on a canvas, or the sacred heart of a saint, it amounts to precisely the same thing; it is object-teaching—an object-lesson.

These Chaldeans had any number of symbols and idols, and men were assigned to watch and guard them. They had their ceremonies, their gowns or priestly garbs; they had their places for worship, out of doors or indoors—everything that gave beauty, dignity, and sanctity to their performances. In short, we may conclude that they had what may be called an established religion, with ceremonies, sacrifices, idols, as well as social, moral, and political rules to govern them.

There was dissension in those days as there is now. Men differed, argued, discussed; and differences arose. New ideas were intolerated then, as they are now. The old would not yield to the new. Wrangling, anger, passion, jealousy, led to new formations, antagonistic to the old. The old systems had in all probability grown corrupt, domineering, cruel, selfish, and rapacious. A reformation of some kind was in order. Men of ability and sagacity began to grow skeptical as regards the quality and ability of these numerous idols. Something similar is agitating the world to-day. Doubtless it is always to be found.

Abraham was an agitator, a reformer, if you will. Josephus thus speaks of him (Chap. VII): “He was a person of great sagacity, both for understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not mistaken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to renew and to change the opinions all men happened then to have concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish this notion: That there was but one God, the creator of the universe; and that as to other (gods) if they contributed anything to the happiness of men, each of them afforded it only according to his appointment, and not of their own power. His opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happened to the sun and moon and all the heavenly bodies. ‘If,’ said he, ‘these bodies had power of their own, they would certainly take care of their own regular motions; but since they do not preserve such regularity, they make it plain, that so far as they coÖperate to our advantage, they do it not of their own abilities; but as they are subservient to him that commands them, to whom alone we ought justly to offer our honor and thanksgiving.’ For which doctrines when the Chaldeans, and the people of Mesopotamia, raised a tumult against him, he thought fit to leave that country.”

In other words, he was driven from his country for sedition and heresy, when he was seventy-five years old. He settled down in a land called Canaan, where he built an altar, and performed a sacrifice to God.

In this manner Abraham began to cultivate a reformation and religion among his own people, who were quite numerous.

The Egyptians at this period were in a flourishing condition. Canaan was invaded by famine. So Abraham went down to Egypt, “both to partake of the plenty they enjoyed, and to become an auditor for their priests, and to know what they said concerning the gods; designing either to follow them, if they had better notions than he, or convert them to a better way, if his own notions proved the truer.”

At this time, too, much dissension, quarrel, and antagonism existed between the religious orders, and Abraham was not going to lose such an excellent opportunity. Josephus describes the condition of affairs as follows: “For whereas the Egyptians were formerly addicted to different customs, and despised one another’s sacred and accustomed rites, and were very angry one with another on that account, Abraham conferred with each of them, and confuting the reasoning they made use of, every one for their own practices, he demonstrated that such reasoning was vain and void of truth; whereupon he was admired by them in those conferences, as a very wise man and of great sagacity when he discoursed on any subject he undertook; and this not only in understanding it, but in persuading other men also to assent to him. He communicated to them arithmetic, and delivered to them the science of astronomy,” etc.

Finding perhaps that he could not make proselytes he returned to Canaan. He there divided the tract of land between himself and Lot, each one pursuing his own particular course, Abraham with his notions and Lot with his, unable to agree.

An incident worthy of notice occurred. The Assyrians made war on a number of kings, the Sodomites and Lot among them. The Assyrians conquered, and Lot, among the rest, was made captive. Abraham, with three hundred and eighteen men, pursued the Assyrians, slew them, captured all they had, and gained a signal victory—thus showing that Abraham was a power.

Lot’s affairs with his daughters we pass over, since they have no special interest for us.

Abraham had several wives or women, by whom he had a number of children. He had six sons by Katurah, Ishmael by Hagar, Isaac by Sarah, etc.

None of the sons adopted his method of thinking except Isaac, who at the age of twenty-five was to have been sacrificed to God. Isaac, being a mild-mannered young man, generous, and obedient to his father’s will, readily consented. Upon that, Abraham changed his mind. Isaac then became the heir both of his property and of his ideas concerning God.

Abraham had two brothers, Nahor and Haron. Haron left a son, Lot, and two daughters, Sarai and Milcha. Nahor married Milcha and Abraham married Sarai. In this manner the family concentration began. And when Isaac was forty it was decided that he should marry the granddaughter of his brother Nahor, Rebeka, the sister of Laban.

Isaac in turn made choice of Jacob as heir to his ideas and property—who took flight on account of Esau, and landed safely at his uncle Laban’s house in Mesopotamia. Jacob married Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel, as well as their handmaids, Zilpha and Bilhah. Now, Laban and his family were idolators. So were Esau and his family. Rachel took along with her the images of the gods which, according to their laws, they used to worship in their own country, etc. Jacob raised his children strict to the rules laid down by his grandfather and father; and the views as regards the rites of worship and circumcision, as well as God in the abstract with all the carnal passions and emotions of man that formerly were the attributes of the idols, as also the sacrifices.

The story of Joseph is too well known to be repeated. It is quite enough for our purpose that a famine drove this Jacob’s family, as it did Abraham, to Egypt, where they increased and multiplied during a period of nearly four hundred years; that Joseph was famous in the land, and the king gave Jacob and his children leave to live in Heliopolis—for in that city the king’s shepherds had their pasturage.

This in brief is the story, stripped of the peculiar phraseology, which no doubt was in those days customary.

The trouble had begun with Terah, Abraham’s father, who hated the Chaldeans; and the Chaldeans returned the same with interest, I suppose. So they moved to Haran in Canaan and settled down on a tract of land, by the right of squatter sovereignty, as it would be called in our times. Terah, the first squatter, turned this land over as a heritage to his son, Abraham; Abraham to Isaac, and Isaac to Jacob. In this manner it became the promised land, the heritage of their fathers.

It is no easy matter to suppress and eradicate a practice, a habit, a custom, once firmly ingrafted in a community. Prohibit it as much as you will, it will be done secretly. So after circumcising the Hamerites and Shechemites, the sons of Jacob slaughtered them, on account of the seduction of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He and his family had to leave for fear of their neighbors, so Jacob told his household to put away the strange gods that were among them, and “be clean and change your garments,” he said (Gen. xxxv, 2).

This abstract idea of God that Abraham called into life was not so firmly rooted as might have been expected. The taint of the ancient gods more or less remained among them and occasionally cropped up here and there in a most prominent manner. For four hundred years we hear nothing of God or his workings—whether the Jews flourished or were oppressed—nor have the other descendants ever made mention. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob call on this imaginary god when in an emergency, when some task has to be accomplished, some journey has to be undertaken, or a battle has to be fought.

During the whole of the period they were in Egypt, notwithstanding they were sorely oppressed, this God paid no attention to them, until a man arose that produced a great crisis in the affairs of this people, in the destiny of this family which had grown into a nation. This was really the first reformation—that is, modification—of the existing religious practices—their numerous gods, perhaps their rites, etc. The sacrifices the Jews retained, with most of the usages and priestly rituals.

How many reformations or modifications had taken place before Abraham the reformer, we do not know; and how long these gods (they were very numerous) were in existence we know still less.

The evolution of these idols, the existing gods, did not take place all of a sudden. It may have taken thousands of years for anything we know. It required considerable mental training to produce them. Intelligence had assumed some importance, because the people had become proficient in argument, skillful in reasoning, and observers of nature.

The ordinary barbarian possesses no such capabilities. His brain is not sufficiently cultured. So long as his wants are amply supplied, there is no necessity to exert himself, the nervous system lies inactive, and this inactivity involves the perpetuation of ignorance.

We may reasonably presume that these Chaldeans, these shepherds, had through many centuries of slow culture acquired the knowledge they possessed, the customs and habits they practiced, the laws they promulgated, and the rules of conduct enacted both for social and political purposes.

And any innovation on the established laws was resisted and punished, pretty much as it is to-day. So when Abraham, or Terah his father before him, started the reformation, it caused a good deal of commotion and alarm. The upholders of the settled state of affairs were shocked. Anger, passion, partisanship, ran their course then, as they do now. These idolators were just as intolerant then as Christians are to-day. It was either submit or leave. Thus Abraham’s and Terah’s leaving the land of their fathers and settling on a tract of land where they could cultivate their new idea, their new God, was without any special act, without miracle, without supernaturalism, without mystery, perfectly human, perfectly natural.