DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.15#0036
46 THE GREAT PYRAMID.
secure by building the pyramid, depended in some
way on his adopting this course. The visitors from
the East may have refused to give their assistance
on any other terms, or may have assured him that
the expected benefit could not be obtained if the
pyramid were erected by idolaters. It is certain,
in any case, that they were opposed to idolatry ;
and we have thus some means of inferring who they
were and whence they came. We know that one
particular branch of one particular race in the East
was characterised by a most marked hatred of
idolatry in all its forms. Terah and his family, or,
probably, a sect or division of the Chaldsean people,
went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the
land of Canaan—and the reason why they went forth
we learn from a book of considerable historical inte-
rest (the book of Judith) to have been because 'they
would not worship the gods of their fathers who
were in the land of the Chaldasans. The Bible
record shows that members of this branch of the
Chaldsean people visited Egypt from time to time.
They were shepherds, too, which accords well with
the account of Herodotus above quoted. We can
well understand that persons of this family would
have resisted all endeavours to secure their
acquiescence in any scheme associated with idola-
trous rites. Neither promises nor threats would
secure by building the pyramid, depended in some
way on his adopting this course. The visitors from
the East may have refused to give their assistance
on any other terms, or may have assured him that
the expected benefit could not be obtained if the
pyramid were erected by idolaters. It is certain,
in any case, that they were opposed to idolatry ;
and we have thus some means of inferring who they
were and whence they came. We know that one
particular branch of one particular race in the East
was characterised by a most marked hatred of
idolatry in all its forms. Terah and his family, or,
probably, a sect or division of the Chaldsean people,
went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the
land of Canaan—and the reason why they went forth
we learn from a book of considerable historical inte-
rest (the book of Judith) to have been because 'they
would not worship the gods of their fathers who
were in the land of the Chaldasans. The Bible
record shows that members of this branch of the
Chaldsean people visited Egypt from time to time.
They were shepherds, too, which accords well with
the account of Herodotus above quoted. We can
well understand that persons of this family would
have resisted all endeavours to secure their
acquiescence in any scheme associated with idola-
trous rites. Neither promises nor threats would