Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/65

* MOSES. 51 MOSES. the last — the death of the (irst-born — is sent, Fharaiih gives Moses and Aurou jjcrniission to dejiait with the Israelites. The latter, loaded Willi presents from tlie Kgyptians, and carrying with them the bones of Joseph, start on their jonrney. Pharaoh follows in pursuit with GOO ehariols, but Aloses lifts up his rod. An angel plaees himself between Israel and the pursuers and the latter perish. The people, fed by bread from heaven, reach Horeb, where Yahweh appears amid thunder and lightning, and delivers to the people the Ten Commandments. (See Deca- LOGL'E. ) Mo.ses and Josluia ascend the Jlount and during their absence Aaron makes a golden calf for the people, l^pon the return of Jloses and Joshua, they see the people dancing around the calf, and in anger Jloses breaks the two tal>Ies. Jloses returns to Y'ahweh, intercedes on behalf of his people, and receives laws which he communicates to the people. Jethro visits Jloses and suggests the apiiointment of subordinates to assist in the government of the people. Miriam and Aaron revolt against Moses and are pun- ished ; Amalek attacks Israel and is completely routed: Dathan and Abiram rebel against Moses and are swallowed up by the earth. The people reach Kadesh, where Miriam dies. Jloses urges Israel to invade Canaan, and 12 men are sent out to survey it, who bring back discouraging re- ports so that the people ask Moses for a leader to take them back to Egypt. Because of the complaints of the people at their hardships, fiery serpents are sent as a plague ; Moses makes a brazen serpent by looking at which the sufferers are healed. Yahweh announces to Moses that he is about to die, and .Tosluia is appointed as his successor. Moses delivers final laws and ex- hortations and dies in the land of Jloab. His burial place is ind<nowTi. The Priestly narrative brings Aaron into con- stant association with Moses, but ignores Miriam. ■ God speaks to Jloses and Aaron in Egypt ; the former is at tlie time eighty years old — the lat- ter eighty-three. Six plagues are wrought in a miraculous y by Jloses and Aaron in the pres- ence of Pharaoh and his magicians, who at first are able to perform the same miracles. The Israelites leave Egypt to observe the Passover festival. They are pursued by Pharaoh, and Moses stretches out his liaiid over the sea, the waters of which are divided and afford a pass.ige for Israel. After the Israelites reach the farther shore, Jloses again stretches out his hand, the waters return and the Egj'ptians are drowned. After long wanderings, the people come to Sinai, wlierc Yahweh appears. Moses ascends into the cloud that hovers over the mountain and receives instruction from Y'ahweh regarding the taber- nacle and its furniture, and the duties of the priests and their vestments. He also obtains two tablets of stone. Moses and Aaron proceed to organize the nation and its worship. A census is taken, and the people leave the wilderness. Korah and 2.50 princes rebel against Jloses and Aiiron and a sign is given by Y'ahweh — the blos- soming of Aaron's rod — proving the choice of Aaron and his family for the priesthood. .Toshua, Caleb, and ten others are sent to survey Canaan. The ten bring hack discouraging reports against which .Toshua and Caleb protest. Y.ihweh ap- pears and announces that .Toshua and Caleb alone of the grown men shall enter Canaan; the ten are stricken with death. A second census is taken by -Moses and Eleazar. Joshua is appuinted the successor of -Moses, who, after delivering hnal laws, ascends Jlount Nebo, and dies at the age of one hundred and twenty years in the full pos- session of all his faculties. The Book of Ueuteronomj', taken up with the linal adilresses and ordinances given by Jloses, adds nothing to the above traditions of his career. A general survey of these narratives reveals certain features in the career of Jloses that must luive become permanently fixed in the minds of the people, before the attempt was made to adjust the figure to the pragmatic theory w-liich guides the Old Testament writers in their survey of the past. These are: (1) his presence in Egypt : (2) his association with Jlidian and the cult at Horeb or Sinai (q.v. ) ; (3) his leadership of certain clans. The popular reminiscences of a sojourn of the Hebrews in Egj'pt point to the presence at one time in that land of some of the clans that afterwards formed part of the Hebrew confedera- tion. ( See Jews. ) These clans subsequently left Egypt and returned to the wilderness, whence they originally issued. Joining other clans at Horeb (or Sinai), they adopted a eult which ex- isted there. The mountain was a sacred one and the deitj' who dwelt on the top was known as Y'ahweh. The relationship of Jloses to these incidents depends upon the question whether he is to be regarded as an individual or as the rep- resentative of a clan. It must be confessed that at times Jloses is spoken of as though he were merely the eponymous ancestor of a elan, and yet, taking all things into consideration, the balance of evidence is in favor of the assumption that there was an individual by the name of Jloses, of whom some faint reminiscences survived, and who gradually became the favorite personage to whom all traditions, legends, and myths asso- ciated with the exodus from Egypt and the birth of the nation — traditions, legends, and myths coming to the Hebrews from various sources and at various times — were attached. The result of this process lies before us in the majestic figure of Jloses as portrayed in the union of the three 'strata,' already outlined. BiBLiOGR.PUY. Consult the histories of Penan, Stade, Guthe, Kittel, Wellhausen, Winckler, Piepenbring, etc. ; also the commentaries on Exodus and Xumbers enumerated in the articles upon these books; Kiienen, Rrliriioii of Israel, vol. i. (Eng. trans. Edinburgh, 1874-73) ; Budde, RcUriion of Israel to the Exile (New York, 1899) ; Driver in Authority and Archa'olorjj/, pp. .54-79 (London, 1899). For the mass of additional legends that gathered around Jloses. see Beer, '"Das Leben Jloses nach Auflfassung der jiidischen Sage," ill Jahrbuch fiir die Geschichte der ■hidcn uiid des Jiide}ithums, vol. iii. (Leipzig. ISfiS) ; Weil, liihiisclie Leffenden der MuKelminmer (Frankfort, 1845: Eng. trans, under the title The Bihle, the Koran, and the Talmud, London. 1840). MOSES. A colossal statue in the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli. Rome, one of the most fa- mous works of Jlichelangelo. The gigantic fig- ure is seated in the attitiide of one about to spring to his feet. The left hand is pressed to the body to restrain his indignation at the wor- ship of the golden calf, at which he appears to