Conjectural observations on the origin and progress of alphabetic writing / [Anon].

  • Davy, Charles, 1722-1797.
Date:
1772
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Conjectural observations on the origin and progress of alphabetic writing / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/154 (page 13)
    world to the time of the Exodus; and iince we know that every letter of the He¬ brew alphabet (except o, which like the Grecian 0 was not required to its comple¬ tion, its power being only the combined powers of n and n) is contained within the Decalogue, written upon the tables of ftone ; it inclines us rather to believe, that a knowledge of the elemental founds was fupernaturally imparted to Mofes immediately after the firft: defeat of the Amalekites*, (upon which occafion wri¬ ting is firft mentioned in the Scriptures) and that he invented thofe literal charac¬ ters, which were afterwards communi¬ cated to the Ifraelites at the delivery of the Law, If feme learned men, parti¬ cularly fome of the Fathers, have been of opinion that the knowledge of alphabetic writing was either fupernaturally im¬ parted to our firft parents, or difcovered very foon after the Creation by the effort of their own powers $ their opinion refts upon the proofs they have produced, or upon * Exod« xvU.