T H E OL D T E S TA M E N T

IN TH E L I GH T O F TH E RE L I G I O N O F

B AB YL O N I A AN D AS SY R I A
 AG E NT S
W MACM A C M A
GA T HE
AE E W
IL L N O P NY

“ mum
64 66 F I F T H V NU NE YOR K

S SS
,

UOX F OR D
ERS A E M
N I V E R I TY P R E
U
2 05 F L I N D L N . EL B O R NE

A
CA NAD MACM A C MWAES CA A A
T HE ILL N O P N Y OF N D . L TD.
37 R l C H M O N D S T R E E T T. T O R O N TO

“
a l l)MA CM A C M A M A
ILL N a: O P NY. L T D .

u mREE C A CU
M A C H I LL AN B U I L D IN G . B O B Y
W 30 9 B O Ba A ST T. L TT
‘

R } .

T HE OLD T E S T A M EN T
IN T HE L IG HT OF T HE
R EL I G IO N O F B A B Y L O N IA

A N D A S S Y R IA

°
J
c
“ EV A N S T HO M AS ,
B D
. .

M
e? ‘v
s

4
b

LO N DO N

AD A M A N D C H A R L ES B LA C K
1 909
 P R E FA C E

MY o bj ect is t o give a s umm a ry o f the recent dis

c o ve ri e s which h a ve been m a de in B a byl o ni a a nd

Assyri a a nd t o sh o w th a t the l a wgivers p o ets a nd

, , ,

p rop hets o f Isr a el h a d m a ny religi ous ide a s a nd e x

p e ri e nc e s which were held I n c o mm on with the B a by
l o ni a ns a nd Ass yri a ns The resembl a n ces a nd di ffer
.

e nc e s between the B a byl o ni a n a n d Assyri a n religi o us

liter a ture a n d the Old Test a ment n a rr a tives a r e
p o inted o ut , a nd I h a ve ende a v o ured t o sh o w the
rel a ti o ns which existed between the Old Test a ment
a nd the religi ou s liter a ture of th e B a byl o ni a ns a nd
Assyri a ns .

The quo t a ti ons which I h a ve given fro m th e B a by

l oni a n a nd Assyri a n t a blets a re on the wh ole c o
, , m
p a r a t iv e ly s ho rt b ut I h o p e th a t brevity ha s n ot d o ne
,

in j ustice t o the c on te x t My o bj ect is t o p re sent a

.

f a irly c o mp rehensive ide a o f the disc o veries th a t h a ve

been m a de on the b a nks o f the Tigris a nd the E up hr a tes ,

a nd t o S h o w th a t the Old Test a ment writers were in

debted t o the religi ous p e op les o f B a byl oni a a nd

Assyri a ; a n d in the l a st ch a p ter a n e ffo r t is m a de t o
st a te the rel a ti o n which e xists between the B a byl o ni a n

m
a n d Assyri a n inscri ti o ns a n d Biblic a l criticism
p .

I a well a wa re o f the limit a ti ons o f the b oo k which

,

is me a nt t o be c om p rehensive r a ther th a n e xh a ustive ;

a nd the re a ders w ho a r e desir o us o f o bt a i ni n g f u rther
knowledge c a n t urn t o m o re el a b or a te wo rks o n the
s ub j ect
.
Vi PREFACE

A reli a ble r é s um é o f the l a st fiv e a nd twenty ye a rs

.
- -
’

e x c a v a ti o n is t o be found in Mr C o rm a ck s b o o k o n .
’

E gypt i n A si a which is a p l a in a cc ount o f p re Biblic a l

,
-

Syri a a nd P a lest ine The b oo k ha s a v al ua ble bibli o

.

gr a p hy a t the end .

m
Referen ces a re m a de in f ootn o tes t o the a uth o rs t o
wh o m I a deep ly indebted a n d I feel th a t my in
d e b t e dne ss c a nn o t be a dequa tely exp ressed in terms
,

I h a ve h a d t o rely o n s o me of them fo r the tra nsl a tio ns ,

b ut h a ve used my o wn j udgment in the ch o ice o f

s ub j ect m a tter fo r this b oo k
-
.

My desire h a s been t o bring the s ubj ect within re a ch

o f the a ver a ge re a der s o a s t o m a ke it m o re widely
,

kn o wn a n d in th a t w a y t o a dv a nce the c a use o f truth

,

a n d righte ousness .

I believe th a t the religi ous liter a t ure o f the B a by

l oni a ns a nd Assyri a ns which re p r esents the f a ith a nd
,

ye a rning o f the hum a n he a rt o f l o ng l o ng a g o w a s , ,

p r o m p ted by the Cre a t o r o f the u nive r se F o r He .

h a th m a d e o f one every n a ti o n of men for t o dwell

o n a ll the f a ce o f the e a rth h a vi ng dete r mined their
,

a p p o i nted se a s o ns a n d the b ou
, nds o f their h a bit a ti on ,

th a t they sh ould seek Go d if h a p ly they might feel ,

a fter Him a n d find Him th o u

,
gh He is not fa r off fro m
,

e a ch one o f us for in Him we live a n d m ove a nd , ,

h a ve o ur bei ng ( Acts x vii 26 Ma x Miille r .

,

s a id We c a n he a r in a ll religi on s a gro a ning of the

s p irit a struggle t o c o nceive the inc on ceiv a ble t o
, ,

utte r the unutter a ble a l o ngi ng a fter the infinite a

, ,
”
l o ve o f Go d .

I h a ve t o a ckn o wledge the v a lua ble help rendered by

the kind friends wh o a ssisted me in the p r ep a r a ti on o f
this b ook .

J O HN E VAN S TH O M A S .

E SAT HAM , LON D ON ,

F ebr ua ry, 1 90 9 .
 C ON T E N T S

CA
H PT ER P A G E
1. THE BABY LON I AN AS S Y R I A N I N S C R I PT ION S
AN D

I I. BABYLON IA AN D AS S Y RIA
THE RE G OUS
I I I. LI I L I TER A TU RE O F BABY LON I A A N D

AS SY R A D I AN THE OLD TES TAM EN T

V C RE A T ON
I
‘
. I

V THE T AB ETS O C RE A T O
. L F I N

THE C RE AT ON AN D FA O M A
VI . I LL F N

VII . THE S ABBATH THE HERU B M N THE D E V S, C I ,

A D IL

V THE D E U G E
III . L

X THE C LA S S F Y N G O
I . THE N AT ON S
I I F I

X THE I S C R PT O AN C HRON O OG Y
. N I I NS D L

X THE T OWER O BAB E

I. F L

X FR M AB R A H AM TO J S EPH
II . O O

X THE N G S O S R A E
III . KI D J DA H F I L AN U

X THE AWS O M S ES THE G HT THE C OD E

IV. L F O IN LI OF

O H AMM R AB
F U I

X V THE TE M P E
. THE TE M P ES
L AN D L

X D E V OT A
VI . TER ATU RE
ION L LI

X VI THE S C R PT ON S AN H G HER C R T C S M
I. IN I I D I I I I

G E N ER A DEX L IN

N D EX O B B
I C AL PA S S AG E S
T I LI

v ii
 T HE O L D T E S T A M EN T
I N T HE L I G HT O F T H E R E L I G I O N O F

B A B Y LO N I A A N D A S S Y R I A

CHA P TER I
THE B AB Y LON I AN A N D AS S Y R I AN IN C S R IPTI ON S
UP t o fifty or sixty ye a rs a g o the e a rly history of the
origin of a ll things w as confined a lm ost entirely t o the
Old Test a ment B ut a n unexp ected light has a pp e a red
.
,

whi ch reve al s the hist ory of a ntiquity It seems a s if

.

B a byloni a Assyri a Egyp t Ph oenici a B a sh a n M oa b

, , , , , ,

Ar a bi a a nd other c ountries bec a me we a ry of conce al ing

, ,

their tre a s ur es F or a c onsider a ble time the Old Test a

.

ment was c onsidered as the so urce of li ght b ut disc overies

,

h a ve been m a de within c om p a r a tively recent ye a rs th a t

thr ow light on the Old Test a ment itself We p ossess .

fa cts unknown t o the men of a h undred ye a rs a g o .

The light we h a ve was hi dden from their eyes a nd the

m
,

Old Test a ent hist ory is tried in the light of the re

ce nt ly disc overed inscri p ti ons o f B a byl o ni a a nd Assyri a .

How w a s it disc overed ? Where w a s it f ound

After m uch l a b our by intelligent a nd sch ol a rly men ,
2 THE DESERTED CO UNT R Y

old t a blets were une a rthed a nd the inscri p ti ons ,

which they cont a ined were a t l a st tr a nsl a ted a fter m a ny ,

a fr u itless e ffort .

The m a nner in which the old t a blets were ent ombed

a nd p reserved for th ou s a nds of ye a rs is m ost wond erful ,

a n d the w a y the t ombs h a ve given u p their de a d is

equa lly m a rvell ous The de a d sh a ll be r a ised up is
.

as been p a rtly f u
”
a p r op hec
y w hi ch h lfi lled F a cts . ,

it is s a id , a re st ubb orn things a nd in this inst a nce,

they a re str a nger th a n ficti on At one p eriod B a byl oni a

. ,

Assyr i a a nd other countries were a d orned with be a uti

, ,

fu l p al a ces orn a te temp les a nd m a gnificent e di fices

, ,
.

B ut F ort une did not al wa ys smile on the inh a bit a nts .

Time did t o the old B a byl oni a ns a nd Assyri a ns wh a t it

ha s rep e a te dl y d one since History rep e a ts itself a nd
.
,

it bega n e a rly There wa s a rise a nd f a ll in the hi st ory

.

of the kingd oms When the l a nd w a s deserted with

.
,

no p e op le left t o t a ke ch a rge of the b u ildings a nd keep

them in a go od st a te of rep ai r the gr a nd edifices fell ,

int o r uins the sun the r a in a nd the fr ost gr ound them

, ,

int o d ust N othing rem a ined t o a ll outwa rd a pp e a r

.

a nce b u t old m ounds cl othed with green gr as s a nd

,

be a utiful fl owers S oon the centre of h um a n pr ogress

.

p as sed fr om the Mes op ot a mi a n V a lley westwa rd t o

the regi ons of S outhern E ur op e B a byl oni a a nd .

Assyri a were forg otten Their cities t oo re a red up on

.
, ,

p l a tf orms o f s un dried bricks a nd r a ised in s olid m a sses

-
,

of the s a me fr a ile m a teri al t o no gre a t height , ha d

g
 THE MO UND S 3

been r uined by fire a nd sword a nd gr a dua lly melted ,

a wa y u nder the disintegr a ting f orces of N a t ure until ,

they bec a me h uge a nd sh a p eless mo unds of e a rth ,

with out a nything t o identify them a s h a ving b een once

”
the a b ode of men 1
.

The mo unds a pp e a red like n a t ur a l elev a tions a nd ,

in t his m a nner the interior w a s preserved fr om t wo

destr uctive a gencies — th a t of ignor a nt men a nd the
r a v a ges of the a tmosphere The vivid imp ression .

m a de by thes e r ui ns ha s been strikingly des cribed by

La ya rd : The observer is now a t a loss t o give a ny
f orm t o the r ude he a ps up on whi ch he is ga zing .

Those of whose works they a re the rem a ins unlike the ,

Rom a n a nd the Greek h a ve left no visible tr a ces of

,

their civiliz a tion or of their a rts : their infl uence ha s

l ong S ince p a ssed a wa y The m ore he c onj ect ures the
.
,

m ore v a gue the res ul ts a pp e a r The scene a ro und is .

worthy of the r uin he is c ontempl a ting ; des ol a tion

meets des ol a ti on a feeling of a we s ucceeds to w onder
for there is n ot hi ng to relieve the mind to le a d t o h op e , ,

or t o tell of wh a t ha s g one by These h uge m ounds of .

Assyri a m a de deep er impressi on up on me ga ve ris e ,

t o more serio us tho ught a nd more e a rnest reflecti on ,

th a n the temples of B a ble c or the the a tres of

”
I oni a .
2

To exc a v a te the mo unds has been a very l a b orio us

A Hi story of Me B a b/loni a ns a nd A ssyr z a mG

m
'
1
, by ood spe e d , p. 1 4.
3
N i ne v eh a nd i ts Re a i ns, v ol. i, p
. . 29 .

I —Z
4 THE WRITING MATERIAL

work but the t as k of tr a nsl a ting the inscri p tions ha s

,

been fa r m ore a rduous The writing m a teri al was of

.

v a ri ous kinds The letters or ch a r a cters were incised

.

up on stone a nd met a l They a pp e a red on m a rbles of

.

p a l a ces on the
,
sm ooth s urf a ces of gems on p l a tes of ,

bronze a nd on silver im a ges There h a ve been dis

,
.

c over ed tr a ces of skins a s writing m a teri a l a nd a s ub ,

st a nce s omewh a t simil a r t o the p a p yr us of a ncient

Egyp t B ut a very fine cl a y w a s the m a teri a l m ost
'

extensively used which w a s very plentiful in B a by

,

l oni a ; a nd cl a y w a s gener a lly used in the a ncient

E a stern c ountries Gre a t c a re wa s t a ken in a nufa c
. m
t uring the cl a y whi ch w a s c a st int o v a ri ous f orms
, ,

v a rying in size After the cl a y ha d been p rep a red a

.
,

styl us w a s used t o imp ress the ch a r a cters Sometimes .

the m a teri al wa s in the sh a p e of cones a nd of b a rrel

sh a p ed cyli nders These t a blets were either dried in
.

the s un or b a ked in a furn a ce a nd thus the writi ng ,

bec a me s o p erm a nent th a t destr ucti on w as imp ossible

unless the t a blet w a s sh a ttered int o fr a gments This .

method bec a me s o prev al ent th a t pict ure writing -

,

whi ch wa s once in v ogue w as a b a nd oned , .

I m ust c onfine myself t o the disc overies th a t thr ow

light on the Old Test a ment Imp ort a nt disc overies .

h a ve been m a de in the l a nd of C a n a a n th a t thr ow a

gre a t de al of direct a nd indirect li ght up on the Old
Test a ment 1
The most v al ua ble tre a s ure une a rthed
.

1 Ca na a n ef a fir és I E xplor a tion r e cen te , by F a t

’ ’
he r Hug ue S V inc e nt
'

.
 TEL- EL-AMARNA TABLETS 5

in the l a nd of the Ph a r a ohs has been the Tel el Am a rn a - -

t a blets which h a ve bro ught C a n a a n int o cle a rer light

,
1
.

These t a blets p r ove th a t the l a ngua ge a nd the letters

of B a byl oni a were well kno wn to the C a n a a nites All .

the chiefs of C a n a a n a nd even of Cyp r us a vai led them

, ,

selves of the B a byloni a n writing a nd l a ngua ge a nd ,

wrote on the cl a y t a blets like the B a byloni a ns a nd ,

the B a byl oni a n t on g ue w a s the offi ci al l a ngua ge of

di p l om a tic interco urse from the E uphr a tes to the Nile .

It is evident th a t the B a byloni a n c ul t ure a nd liter a

t ure infl uenced Ca n a a n a nd other co untries fr om
2200 t o bey ond 1 400 B C It is very difli cult t o s a y to
. .

wh a t extent B a byl oni a di d exercise th a t infl uence .

“
It ha s often been s ai d th a t the inscrip tions of the
a ncient S u meri a ns a re with out m uch intrinsic v al ue ,

th a t they m ai nly c onsist of d ull v otive form ul ae a nd ,

th a t for gener a l interest the best of them c a nn ot be

c omp a red with the l a ter inscrip tions of the Semitic
m
inh a bit a nts of Mes op ot a i a This rep r oa ch for which
.
,

until recently there w a s consider a ble j ustific a tion ha s ,

been fin a lly rem oved by the working out of the texts .

up on G ude a s cylinders For pict uresque n a rr a tive

’

m
.
,

for we a lth of det a il a nd for striking si iles it would

, ,

be h a rd t o find their s up eri or in B a byloni a n a n d

Assyri a n liter a t ure They ar e in fa ct very rem a rk
.
, ,

a ble c om p ositi ons a nd in themselves j u

, stify the cl a im
Egyp t a nd We s te r n A si a i n tlze Lig fi t
1
Recent D iscov er i es ,
f
o

b y King a nd Hall.
6 S UME RIAN INFLUEN C E

m
th a t the Su eri a ns were p ossessed of a liter a t ure in
the pr op er sense of the term .

B ut th a t is not their only v a l ue for they give a ,

vivid p ict ure of a ncient S umeri a n life a nd of the ,

ide a ls a nd a ims which a ct ua ted the p e ople a nd their

r ulers .

B ut p erh a p s the m ost interesting c oncl usi ons t o b e

dr a wn fr om the texts rel a te to the infl uence exerted
b y the a ncient S umeri a ns up on Semitic beliefs a nd
p r a ctices It h a
. s o f c ourse l ong been
, recognized th
,
a t
the l a ter Semitic inh a bit a nts of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a
drew m ost of their c ult ure from the Sumeri a ns wh om ,

they displ a ced a nd a bs orbed Their system of writing .

,

the gener a l str uct ure of their temples the rit ual of their
“

,
.

worship the m a j ority of their religi ous c omp ositions

m
, ,

a nd m a ny of their g ods themselves a r e t o be tr a ced ,

t o a S umeri a n origin ; a nd uch of the inf orm a ti on

obt ai ned from the cylinders of Gude a merely c onfirms
or ill u str a tes the conclusi ons a lre a dy deduced from
other so urces 1
.
”

Our chief p urp ose in q uoting the a b ove p a ss a ge is t o

S h ow how di ffi c u lt is the t a sk of p r oving t o wh a t degree
one n a tion ha s infl u enced the beliefs a nd c ust oms of
a n other or in other w ords
, , to wh a t extent were the ,

C a n a a nites infl uenced by the B a byl oni a ns a n d As

syri a ns Th a t C a n a a n when inv a ded by the twelve
.
,

1 Eg yp t a nd We ster n A s i a i n ttze L zlg /zt o f R e ce nt D iscov er i e s,

b y K in g a nd Ha ll , p. 2 1 5 e t s e q.
 BABYLON IAN I NFLUENCE 7

tri b es of Isr a el wa s more or less p erv a ded by

,

B a byl oni a n cul t ure is beyond a do ubt

, And the
.

t a blets of Tel e l—Am a rn a ( ci rca 1 400

-
a re the
cle a rest evidence how well f ounded the cl ai m was a nd ,

how p rof ound a nd p enetr a ting the infl uence of B a by

l oni a over P al estine w a s d uring these d a rk a ges
’
.

Fr om these t a blets it a pp e a rs th a t B a byl oni a n w a s the

li ng ua fra nca of the le a ding n a ti ons of the E a st the ,

ch a nnel of offici a l comm unic a ti on between the p e oples

,

of Pa lestine Egyp t etc

, The m ore recent disc overies
, .

of La chi sh Gezer a nd Ta a n a ch sh ow th a t B a byl oni an

, ,

w as the l a ngua ge commonly used in Pa l estine not

m
,

erely for offici a l c orres p ondence b ut likewise for ,

p riv a te letters b usiness

, a cco unts a n d St a,te rec ords .

The evidence of l a ngua ge is not t o be lightly r uled out

of c ourt a s it is by B udde a nd Giesbrecht for ex a mple
, , .

The a n al ogy which the l a tter a dduces is indeed a n , ,

ill umin a ting ill ustr a ti on t o the c ontr a ry The use of .

French a s the l a ngua ge of di pl om a cy does not imply

p resent French d omin a ti on b ut d oes p oint t o a n e a rlier
,

p eri od when French infl uenc e w a s wides p re a d The .

hist ory of the eighteenth cent ury completely j ustifies

the a ss um ption The Tel e l Am a rn a letters be a r wit
.
- -

ness t o a simil a r pre v al ence of B a byl oni a n infl uence

in the old world The s pirit of the p e ople
. ay m ,

indeed rem ai n fresh a nd str ong under the dress of

,

a f oreign l a ngu a ge ; b u t the a d op tion of th a t dress

involves the a ccept a nce of m uch be sides — foreign
 8 HISTORY IMPERFECT

infl uence al s o in cl othing m a nners c ustoms a rt , , , ,

”
1
etc .

It is the B a byloni a n a nd Assyri a n liter a t ure th a t is

m ost intim a tely connected with s ome of the n a rr a tives
in the Old Test a ment The hist ory of B a byl oni a a nd
.

Assyri a w a s very defective until q uite recently The .

only so u rces of inform a ti on a t h a nd were the Old

Test a ment a nd the works of Herod ot us E usebi us .
,

Syncellus a nd Di odorus quote fr om other works a nd

, ,

a r e not reli a ble The first t w o were the only origin al

.

or direct so u rces a nd as they onl y refer t o p olitic a l

,

q uesti ons the hist ory of the B a byl oni a n religi on w a s

,

very me a gre indeed If a ll the inform a ti on c ont a ined

.

in the m ost a ncient s ources of the religi on of B a byl oni a

a nd Assyri a were collected together the res u lt would ,

be onl y a mere outline The inscri p ti ons of a ncient

.

B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a a re of the hi ghest v a l ue I n .

their light we c a n see how the civiliz a ti on of Greece

,

a nd R ome m a de s u ch a r a p id a nd wonderful p r ogress

in s uch a short p eri od And n ot only th a t b ut the
.
,

hist ory of Isr a el till the ret urn fr om c a p tivity c a n b e

rec onstr ucted t o a rem a rk a ble extent in the light of the
t a blets .

There is a n other thing th a t strikes us very forcibly

m
.

We p erceive the s a me fund a ent al princi ples in the

hist ory of a ncient B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a a s we witness
Ge ne si s, b y Go rdon, pp 66, 67 S ee
m
1 Tli e E a r ly Tr a d i ti ons f
o . .

B i ble S i de-L ig hts f r o tli e M ount of Gez er , l

b y M a ca iste r.
 THE VALUE OF THE D I SCOVERIES 9

in modern hist ory Kepler a s he l ooked on the

.
,

pl a net a ry system moving in a cc ord a nce with the l a ws

which he ha d disco vered s a w the expressiveness of the
,

system a nd excl a imed

, O God I re a d Thy tho ughts ,

a fter Thee He who ca n see the pl a ns a nd p rinci ples

of God re al ized in the a dv a ncement of the h u m a n r a ce
m
thro ugh the cent uries a y well excl a im : O God I ,

re a d Thy th oughts a fter Thee Until fa r into the

l a st cent ur y the Old Test a ment formed a world by
itself it s p oke of times t o whose l a test limits the a g e
of cl a ssic al a ntiquity only j ust re a ches a nd of p eoples ,

of wh om there is no mention or only a p a ssing ,

reference a m ong Greek a nd R om a n writers Fr om

, .

a b ou t 550 B C onwa rds the Bible w a s the only s ourc e

. .

for the hi story of the Ne a rer E as t a nd since its r a nge , ,

o f vision s p re a ds over the wh ole of the gre a t q u a dri

l a ter a l betwe en the Medi terr a ne a n a nd the Persi a n

G ulf from Ar a r a t to Ethi opi a it is full of pr oblems the
, ,

s oluti on of which would never p erh a p s h a ve been , ,

s uccessfully a chieved Now a t a stro ke the w a lls

.
, ,

th a t h a ve S h ut off the rem oter p orti on of the Old Test a

ment scene of a ction fa ll a nd a c ool quickening breeze
,

fr om the E a st a cc omp a nied by a flo od of light bre a thes

, ,

thr ough a nd illumin a tes the wh ole of the time h on oured -

B ook— all the m ore intensely bec a use Hebrew a ntiquity

from beginning t o end is cl osely linked wi th this s a me
”
1
B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a .

1
B a bel a nd B i ble, b y F . D e itz sc l h , pp 6, 7.
.
 C HAPTER I I
B AB Y L O N I A A N D A S S Y R IA
I WI LL give a very brief outline of the history of B a by
loni a a nd As syri a s o th a t the rel a ti on which existed
,

between the reli gi ons of these two c ountries a nd Isr a el

m a y be better u nderst ood The B a byl oni a ns a nd
.

the Assyri a ns were living in the regi ons of the Eu

p hr a t e s a nd the Tigris The B a byl oni a ns lived in the
.

s outhern p a rt — th a t is in t he v al ley of the E uphr a tes

,

a nd the Assyri a ns dwelt in the n orth e a st in the regi on -

,

which extended fr om the Tigris a s fa r a s the K urdish

M ount a in The north western p a rt of Mes op ot a mi a
.
-
,

the n orthern h al f of the E uphr a tes w a s the se a t of ,

v a ri ous empires which were one d a y ri val s a nd the next

da y the s ubj ects of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a 1

m
.

The B a byl oni a ns a nd the Assyri a ns bel onged t o the

s a e br a nch of the Semitic r a ce It is tr ue th a t the.

regi ons where thes e t wo p e oples lived differed a nd s o ,

did the p eoples thems elves They differed in h a bits

.

a nd m odes of th ou ght a s the districts differed fr om

,

e a ch other in n a t ur a l s urroundings There a re comm on .

1 R elig i on of B a by lonia a nd A ssy ri a , b y J a st ow

r , p . 26.
IO
 THE BABYLONIANS AND ASSYRIANS II

ch a r a cteristics b etween them a nd a lso m a rked di ffer

e nc e s
. The Ass yri a ns were r ough a nd more wa rlike
th a n the B a byl oni a ns a nd when they a tt a ined strength
,

it wa s used in the cons olid a tion of their milit ar y p ower

m
.

The B a byl oni a ns were a biti ous t o enl a rge their

d omini on b ut presented a m ore p e a cefu
, l ch a r a cter
th a n their neighb ours a virt ue which ind uced them to
,

c ultiv a te c ommerce a nd ind ustri al a rts Th ough their .

ch a r a cteristics di ffered in m a ny resp ects yet they ha d ,

m ore in common th a n in distincti on .

As we h a ve a lre a dy st a ted the B a byl oni a ns were a

,

br a nch of the gre a t Semitic r a ce a nd of a ll the divisions

there rem a in the Jews a nd the Ar a bs whi ch a re the ,

only imp ort a nt br a nches left There wa s a time when

.

the Semites were the most infl uenti a l of all the r a ces
on the f a ce of the e a rth Their infl uence wa s con
.

spi c u ou s in the f orm a tion of the Egyp ti a n civiliz a ti on .

History begins in B a byl oni a a nd not in Assyri a

m
, ,

a nd the oldest religi on is th a t of B a byl oni a It is i .

p ossible t o determine the time when the B a byloni a ns

bec a me fin a lly sep a r a ted from the Semitic stock a nd ,

settled in the v a lley of the E uphr a tes .

It is a deb a t a ble questi on whether there a re a ny

tr a ces of other p e ople h a ving settled beside the Semitic
B a byl oni a ns in the e a rli est hist ory of the v a ll ey of the
E uphr a tes The pr ob a bility is th a t there were other
.

settlers These non Semitic settlers w ho p receded the

.
-

B a byl oni a ns in the p ossession of the v a lley of the

12 S UMER AND AK KAD

E up hr a tes were c a lled S umeri a ns a nd Akk a di a ns .

The origin of the n a me is Sumer a nd Akk a d which a r e,

often f ou nd in B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n inscri p ti ons

’
in c onnecti on with the Kings titles As to the p recise
.

l oc a lity where they dwelt it is very uncert ai n whether

,

S umer w as in the n orth a nd Akk a d in the so uth or ,

Akk a d in the north a nd S umer in the s outh Of the .

t w o the f ormer s upp ositi on is the m ore p r ob a ble

m
, .

It a y be th a t they governed B a byl oni a a t one time .

It is believed th a t the Semites were ne a rly a s old a s

the S umeri a ns es p eci a lly in c ul t ure Perh a p s it is
, .

not s a fe t o sa y m ore th a n th a t the evidences we h a v e

tend t o prove the the ory th a t a p e ople of a di fferent

n a ti on a li ty dwelt in the v a lley of the E up hr a tes fr om
the e a rliest times kn own t o us Therefore the S e fnit e s
.

w ho settled in the l a nd did not i nh a bit the wh ole of

the c ountry but there dwelt by their side a n other
,

r a ce OI p erh a p s r a ces th a t p ossessed di fferent ch a r

, ,

a c t e ri st i cs
. N 0 p ositive p r oof is forthc oming th a t
S umer a nd Akk a d were ever emp l oyed or underst ood
in a ny other sense th a n ge ogr a phic al terms .

At every p oint we come a cr oss evidence of the

c omp osite ch a r a cter of B a byl oni a n c ult ure a nd t he
m
,

questi on o f the origin of the l a tter ay a fter a ll

, ,

res olve itself int o the p r op ositi on th a t the c ont a ct of

the di fferent r a ces g a ve the intellect ual imp et us which
is the first c onditi on of a f orwa rd m ovement in civiliz a
ti on ; a nd while it is possi ble th a t a t one st a g e the
 BEGINNING OF THE RELATION 1 3

gre a ter sh a re in the m ovement fa lls t o the non Semitic -

contingent the Semites s oon obt ai ned the intellect ua l

,

a sce n d a ncy a nd s o a bs orbed the non Se mitic elements

,
-

a s t o give the c u lt ure res ulting fr om the c ombin a ti on

the h om ogene ous ch a r a cter it presents on the s ur
’
1
fa ce f
Acc ording t o the f a cts a v ai l a ble a t the present time ,

the hist ory of B a byl oni a g oes b a ck t o the e ra a b out

L
4 0 0 0 B c when
. the
. v,a lley of the E up hr a tes w a s di v i d e d a »

int o St a tes p a rcelli ng N orth a nd S outh B a byl oni a

,

between them These St a tes gr oup themselves a ro und

.

cert ai n cities .

The chr on ol ogy of the p eriod fr om a bout 4000

to 2300 B C is uncert a in Fut ure di sc overies
. ay . m
bring forth new fa cts whi ch will thr ow light on the
p eriod .

It is h a z a rd ous to fix a d a te for the p eri od when the

‘

rel a ti on which existed between B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a

beg a n It w as a t one time th ought t o be a b out
.

1 5 00 B C Until recently little wa s kn own of the e a rly

. .

r ul ers a nd g overn ors of Ass yri a Th a t the l a nd w a s .

c ol onized fr om B a byl oni a a nd w a s origin al ly r uled a s ,

a dep endency o f th a t c ou ntry ha s been well known ,

for a c onsider a ble time ; b ut the e a rly hist ory of the

c ountry the c onditi ons under which the p e ople lived
, ,

a nd the st a te of its c a p it a l h a ve become kn own within ,

1
Tbe Re lig i on B a by loni a A ssy r i a , b y Ja w
m
f
o a nd s t ro , p 34.
. S ee
Tbe R eli g ion o
f i be S e i tes , b y W . R . Sm ith ,
u-
p I, e t
‘
se
q .
1 4 ASSYRIA INCREASES

very recent times The hist ory of Assyri a as a de

.

p endent St a te or p rovince of B a byl on m ust be p ushed

b a ck to a fa r m ore remote p eri od th a n wa s s upp osed .

And we sh oul d remember th a t the problem of Assyri a n

chron ology is for the e a rlier p eri ods fa r from being
, ,

1
solved .

It seems th a t a t first the t w o P owers were friendly ,

b ut the gr owing strength of Assyri a bec a me a men a ce

t o B a byloni a Ab out 1 300 B C the Assyri a n a rmy
. . .

a tt a cked the city of B a byl on a nd the two Powers ,

f ought h a rd until a b out 1 200 D O when Tig la t h ,

p ile s e r I ( 1 1.2 0 1 1 0 0-
one of the most noted Kings
of a ncient times c onquered B a byloni a The over
,
.

throw oi B a byl oni a w a s so c omplete th a t it bec a me

s ubj ect t o the Assyri a n Kings B a byl oni a m ust .

decre a se while its riv a l Assyri a incre a ses until a fter

, , ,

a l ong a nd sore str u ggle the old l a nd bec omes for a

,

time s ubj ect t o the younger The wh ole c ountry

”
2
.

n orth of Syri a a nd Mes op ot a mi a fr om La ke V a n t o ,

the Mediterr a ne a n Tigla t h pile se r s a ys he m a de of

,
-

on e m ou th th a t is he m a de t o give h om a ge t o
-
,

himself .

B a bylon w a s the civilizing Power Assyri a wa s .

we a k in t hi s fr om its origin t o its f a ll its chief ch a r a c

t e risti cs were energy a nd l ove of milit a ry p ower It .

1
A nna ls f
o t/ze K i ng s f
o A ssy r ia , b y B ud g e a nd K in g , p . I e t seg .

Eg yp t a nd Wester n A si a i n tbe L ig b i o f R ece nt D i scov e r ies , b y

K in g a nd Ha ll , p 38 8
. e t seq .

2 Tb e Relig i on f
o B a byloni a a nd A ssy ri a , b y j a strow , p 35.
 ‘
THE HI S TO RY OF BOTH AS ONE 1 5

s ought t o incre a se its p ower by c onst a nt wa rfa re The .

hist ory of Assyri a ca n be tr a ced b a ck t o a bo ut

8 00
m
1 B e .

The history of B a b yloni a a nd Assyri a a y be

rega rded as one fr om the t hi rd p eri od of B a by

lonia n a nd the sec ond p eriod of Assyri a n
,

from 1 1 0 0 B C till the fa ll of Assyri a 606

. ,

D uring these five cent uries the united Mesop ot a mi a n

Empire enj oyed the highest p rosp erity Assyri a rose .

t o be a n a ll embr a cing P ower during this p eriod

-
The .

Hittites were conquered Ph oenici a w ,a s overc ome a nd ,

s o w as Isr a el while J u d ah wa s indep endent only in

m
,

na e .

The cul t ure of B a byl on went t o Assyr i a The .

B a byloni a n temples were the m odels a ccor di ng to

which the Assyri a n temples were b uilt The liter a .

t ure of the s a cred cities of the so uth th a t ha d been

tre a s ured in the a rchives of the s a cred cities of B a by
l oni a were c op ied by the scribes of Assyri a a nd stored ,

in the p a l a ces of the Kings The c a pit al of Assyri a

.

m oved t owa rds the n orth D uring the reign of Ash ur

.

na sirp a l C a l a h bec a me the c a it a l in 8 8 0 B C inste a d

,
p , . .
,

of Ash u r And in the c ourse of time C al a h ga ve w a y

.
, ,

to Nineveh which wa s the centre of the gre a t Empire

,

d uring the reign of Tig la t h—pile se r I I ( 800 It

.

wa s d uring the reign of Ash urb a ni p a l ( 668—626 B e ) .

th a t the height of the Assyri a n p ower w a s re a ched

m
.

The King led his ight y a rmy t o the b a nks of the

16 THE BABYLO NIA N RELIGIO N END S

Nile a nd s ucceeded in obt ai ning a direct c ontr ol over

,

m
the a ffai rs of Egyp t .

Under Ash urb a ni p a l Nineveh bec a e the centre .

,

not only of milit a ry p ower b u ,t of liter a t ure a s well

.

The c uneif orm liter a t ure of B a byl oni a is collected for

the benefit of his p e ople .

So fa r as reli gion is concerned it c a me to a n end

,

when the second B a byl oni a n Emp ire fell The hist ory
.

of B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n religi on extends fr om

.

400 0 B C till a b out 550 B C

. . . An d when we de a l with
.

the rel a tion between the religi on of B a byl oni a a nd

Assyri a a nd the religi on of Isr a el we m ust begin with
,

B a byl oni a ; b ut t o a tt ai n the obj ect we h a ve in vi ew,

we sh a ll tre a t the religi ons of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a

a s one .
 CHAPTER II I

THE RELIGIOU S LIT ERATU RE OF B AB Y LON IA AN D

AS S Y RIA A N D THE OL D T S TAM E E NT

THE best g uide we h a ve t o the reli gi ous creeds of the
p peo le o f a ntiq uity is to be f oun d in their n a ti on al
li ter a ture The ori gin of Eg g /I onia n liter a t ure is
.

m
envel op ed in d a rkness We c a n st a te for cert a in th a t
.

it d a tes pri or t t he a g e of H a mm ur a bi b ut beyond

g fi - ,

th a t everyt hi ng is a questi on of c onj ect ure Ur

m
.
,

S ippur Ag a de Erid u Ni pp ur Ur uk a nd it
, , , , ay , ,

be La ga sh a nd l a ter on B a byl on were the gre a t

, , ,

centres of p olitic a l an d religio us th ought a nd a ctivi ty .

It w a s in B a byl oni a liter a t ure ha d its birth It

m
.

s pr a ng up in th ose cities where c om erce s a w the

light .

One p ec uli a r ch a r a cteristic worthy of note a b out a ll

the B a byl oni a n liter a t ure is its religi ous n a t ure In .

this the religi on of the Hebrew p e ople is very simil a r .

The lega l phr a ses inscribed on s uch h a rd a nd c old

m a teri al a s the c ontr a ct t a blets h a ve a reli gi ous c ol our .

It is like the Bl ue b ook h a ving a religi ous a tmosp here .

There was a re a son for thi s The scribes wer e pri ests
.
,

I 7 2
1 8 THE LITERAT URE PRO D UC ED
a nd every kind of c ontr a ct between p a rties w a s a re
ligi ous a greement . In p olitic a l b usiness a nd leg al
, ,

m a tters a n inv oc a ti on or a n a pp e a l to the gods w a s

B a byl oni a ns a nd even science w aS ElO

, t he d in a r e
lig i ous ga rb . It w a s believed th a t the st a rs ha d p ower
t o sh a p e a n d infl uence m a n s destiny
’
Medicine
. ,

a gai n w as in the h a nds of the priests

, It w a s a B a by
.

l oni a n belief th a t dise a se wa s c a used by a direct pres

ence in the body of a divine inflicti on or th a t it wa s ,

p resent on a cc ount of the infl uence of s ome p ernicio us

S p irit hiding there .M a gic of v a ri ous kinds w a s r e
s orted t o a s a c ure The B a byloni a ns a nd the p e oples
.

of a ntiquity incl uding the Jews a ttributed dise a ses

, ,

t o s ome s up ern a t ur a l a gencies ; b ut we a ttrib ute them

t o da y to s ome n a t ur a l c a uses to b e c ured by n a t ur al

-
,

me a ns The res ul t w a s th a t the B a byloni a ns th ough

.
,

s omewh a t a dva nced in the kn owledge of medicine ,

al wa ys as s oci a ted the me di cin a l remedies with a n

a pp e a l t o the g ods .

The inscri p ti ons sh ow cle a rly th a t the hi st oric al

li ter a t ure of the B a byl oni a ns w a s p r oduced by the re
ligi ous le a ders of the n a ti on under the comm a nd of the
,

r ul ers who were a nxi ous to express their deep sense

,

of dep endence u p on the gods o f the l a nd ; a n d this wa s

m a de the b a sis of the a uth ority whi ch the r ul ers e xe r
cis e d over the p e op le s o th a t no line of di stinction w a s
,

dr a wn between th e reli gious a nd t he sec ul ar in the

 CLASSIFICATION 1 9

life of the B a byl oni a ns a nd Assyri a ns a nd the s a me is ,

tr ue of the Jews
m
.

Wh a t a y be termed the reli gi ous liter a t ure in the

strict sense of the word m
a y be divided int o five
’
cl a sses a cc or di n g t o Professor J ast row s divisions
,

1 The m a gi c a l texts
. .

2 The hymns a nd p r a yers

. .

3 Omens a nd f orec a sts

. .

4 The c osm ol og y
. .

5 Epics a nd legends
. .

The first three groups h a ve a pr a ctic al sign ific a nce ,

while the l as t t wo a re distingui shed m ore by a dis

t inctly li ter a ry ch a r a cter The first three gr oup s
.

the m a gic al texts hymns a nd pr a yers omens a nd fore

, ,

c a sts — were p r od uced as occ a si ons dem a nded a nd there ,

w a s a mple re a s on why they sh ould be w ritten a nd ,

th a t a t a n e a rly a g e The inc a nt a ti ons whi ch ha d been

.

e ffective in sec uring a c ontr ol over the s pirit woul d

n a tur al ly bec ome p op ul a r a nd would be kep t for the
,

service of gener a ti ons yet t o c ome a nd these would ,

n a t ur a lly be c onnected with s ome temple or other .

Ri t ua ls grew in t hi s m a nner .

The rit ual s of v a ri ous tem ples once being fixed the ,

impulse to liter a ry c omp ositi on w oul d s till g o on in a n

a g e m ar ked by ment a l a cti vity The p r a ctic al p ur
.

p ose would be followed by the love of liter a ry ex

c e lle nc y. The connection with a nd a tt a chment to
, ,

2— 2
20 THE OLD TESTAMENT

p a rtic ul a r s a cred edifices or cert a in gods woul d I nspi re

e a rnest a nd gifted p riests t o further e fforts This is .

cle a rly seen in the st ory of Cre a ti on the epics a nd

“

legends th a t form the sec ond h a lf of the reli g i ous

r d ucti ns of B byl ni
m
o o a o a
p .

The R eli gi ous Li ter a ture of the Old Testa ent — S ome
a r e still of op ini on th a t we p ossess in the B ook of

Genesis the oldest tr a diti on of the origin of the world

m
,

the cre a ti on of a n a nd the beginning of the h um a n

m
,

r a ce On the other h a nd m a ny sch ol a rs c ontend

. ,

th a t the Old Test a ent cont a ins p r a ctic a lly n othing

th a t is origin a l Acc ording t o this view Isr a el m ust
.
,

n ot be rega rded as h olding a unique p ositi on a mongst

the n a ti ons of the world in th a t rem ote a g e ; n or c a n

it be a ffir med th a t tr a ditions th a t resemble th ose of
I sr a el were borr owed fr om the Old Test a ment ; a nd
the di fference c a n be a cc ounted for by a ss uming their
deteri or a ti on inthe p r ocess of being h a nded d own t o
the s uccee di ng gener a ti ons Politic a lly Isr a el did n ot
.
,

st a nd a l oof fr om her neighb ours but w a s infl uenced by

,

them Egyp t a nd B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a infl uenced

.

the c ult ure a nd p olitics of Isr a el a nd in the s a me w a y ‘

the religi ous views of the Jewish p eople were infl uenced
by B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a In the S p here of religi on
.
,

as in th a t of p olitics infl u, ences c a me p ouring in fr om

a ll sides on the p e op le w h o settled in P a lestine .It
di d not rem ai n un a ffected by the s pirit u a l p ossessi ons

of the C a n a a nites int o whose c ou

, ntry it ha d force d its
 ISRAEL INFL UENCED 21

wa y a nd est a blished itself V ery lively exch a nge of

.

ide a s m ust h a ve occurred a m ongst the p e ople of

a ntiq u ity a nd Isr a el w as p owerfully a ffected by them
, .

It is t oo l a te in the da y t o m ai nt a in th a t the Isr a elitish

reli gi on ha d no p oints of c ont a ct with the religi ous
beliefs of its neighbo urs b ut t o define ex a ctly the
,

n a t ure of the rel a ti on is not qui te e a sy .

The n a rr a tives in the first ch a p ters of the B ook of

Genesis h a ve a lwa ys pl a yed a very prominent p a rt in
the religi on of Isr a el— the st ory of the Cre a ti on of the
world a nd the Cre a ti on a nd the Fa ll of a n
, m .

It is within the sc op e of our t a sk t o p oint out the

elements which a re c omm on t o the religi on of b oth
B a byl oni a Assyri a a nd the Old Test a ent
-
m .It is a
very striking fa ct th a t the n a rr a tive in the B ook of
Genesis resembles the B a byloni a n tr a di tion .
 CHAPTER IV
C REATI ON
THE st ory of the Cre a ti on of the uni verse is in the Bo ok
of Genesis (i t o ii
. . T he ol ogi a ns h a ve t a ught a nd ,

religi ous p e ople h a ve believed th a t the a b ove n a rr a

.
,

tive is a tr ue pict ure of the order of Cre a ti on Th ough .

the reli gi ous c oncepti on of God cre a ting the world is

very high still the st ory c a nn ot st a nd the ligt ha i
, ,

h a ve shed up on it The fa cts

. .

recorded by b oth sciences a re a t v a ri a nce with the

n a rr a tive in the B ook of Genesis Astr on omy a nd.

ge ol ogy c a used serio us d oubts in the minds of sch ol a rs

as t o the a cc u r a cy of the s upp osed f a cts before a rch ae
ol ogy entered the field Arch aeol ogic al rese a rch in
.

B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a ha s br ought t o light the source

whence the st ory of Cre a ti on S pr a ng .

The p r ogress m a de in this br a nch of science wa s

very insignific a nt bef ore the ye a r 1 835 In th a t ye a r
.

M a j or Henry R a wlins on bega n t o dr a w c op ies of three

inscri ptions on Mo unt Behist un ne a r Re r a nsha
, m ,

P ersi a
.

In 1 842 Bott a b ega n to dig the mo unds of Mons ul

22
 VARIOU S TRA D ITIONS 23

in 849 Mr Henry
1 . La ya rd bega n to explore in Nineveh ,

a nd while there it d a wn ed up on him th a t some of the

n a rr a tives in the B ook of Genesis were bro ught fr om
B a byl oni a This pr oblem wa s definitely settled in
.

1 8 72 when the l a te Mr Ge orge Smith decl a red th a t he

,
.

ha d discovered on the t a blets a n a rr a tive th a t w ould

thr ow light on the story of the Del uge In the yea r .

1 8 76 he p u b lished in his b ook entitled Ch a lde a n

Genesi s a ll the inscri p ti ons th a t ha d been disc overed

a nd tr a nsl a ted Th ough the B a byl oni a n st ory of
.

Cre a tion is fr a gment a ry yet it is c omplete en ough t o

,

c onvince the intelligent a nd un prej udiced mind th at a

very intim a te rel a ti on existed between the st ory of
Cre a ti on in the Old Test a ment a nd the st ory of Cre a ti on
in B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n liter a t ure .

Fr a gments of the long epic p oem embodied cert a in

of the concep ti ons a nd beliefs c u rrent in B a byl oni a a nd
As syri a reg a rding the w a y in whi ch the universe c a e m
i nt o existence It is evident th a t there were other
.

c oncep tions a nd legends c oncerni ng the origin of a ll

things bec a use there is a nother st ory of the Cre a ti on
,

whi ch di ffers entirely fr om th a t of the epic The epic .

,

i
a cc ording t o Pr ofess or S a yce s view bel ongs to a l a te
,

1
d a te .

Pr ofess or J a strow is very interesting in this connec

tion Va ri ous tr a diti ons were c urrent in B a byl oni a
regar ding the m a nner in which the un ive rse c a me into
1 Le c ture s on Tbe Relig i on of tbe A ncie nt B a bylonia ns, p 38 5
. .
24 T RADITIONS EX P LAINE D
E
xistence The l a b ours of the theol ogi a ns t o system a
.

t iz e these tr a ditions did not s ucceed in bringi ng a b out

their unific a tion S omewh a t like in the Book of

.

Genesis where t w o versi ons of the Cre a ti on st ory h a v e

,

been c ombined by s ome edit or s o p ortions of wh a t were ,

cle a rly two indep endent versi ons h a ve been f ound

am ong the rem a ins of B a byl oni a n liter a t u re B ut .

where a s in the Old Test a ment the t w o versi ons a re

p resented in c o mbin a ti on s o a s to f orm a h a rmoni c
wh ole the t w o B a byloni a n versi ons contin ued t o
,

exist side by side There is no re a son t o s upp ose

.

th a t the versions were limited to t wo ; in fa ct a ,

v a ri a nt t o a n imp ort a nt epis ode in the Cre a ti on

st ory ha s been disc overed which p oint S t o a third
”
versi on 1
.

How to exp la in these different tr a di tions P The m ost

p r o b a ble ex p l a n a ti on is th a t the di fferent tr a diti ons
a r ose in the di fferent reli gi ou s centres in the v a lley of
the E uphr a tes .

There a re seven t a blet s in the B a byl oni a n Epic of

m
-

Cre a tion b ut m a ny of them a r e very fr a g ent a ry

,
.

They were disc overed in the lib ra ry oi Ash‘urba n ip a l

i

( 6 68 —626 B C
) a t K . o u u
y j n ik ( Nineveh ) Of c o urse it .

is well kn own th a t the libr a ry c ont a ined m a ny tr a n

scrip ts of e a rlier texts There c a n be no do ubt th a t
.

the c ontents of the t a blets d a te b a ck m uch fa rther

R e lig i on A ssy r i a , p 40 7 I ntr oducti on t o t/ze
m
1
f
o B a by loni a a nd . .

Li ter a ture f
o tb e Old Testa v
e nt, b y D r i e r, p . 6
.
 DATE OF THE LEGEN D S 25

th a n 700 B C Pr ofess or S a yce

. . is of opinion th a t they
a re as old a s 2200 or 2300 B C .

The q uesti on a s t o the d a te of the Cre a tion legends

is a very interesting one The legends a s expressed in .

the seven t a blets a re n ot ex a ctly the s a me a s they

were in their more primitive f orm a nd s o the d a te ,

which is as signed to the one c a nnot be as si gned t o

the other The t a blets Of the Cre a tion story whi ch
.

were written for the li br a ry of As h urb a ni p al a t Nine

veh ia IL B Q were n ot c omp osed in Assyri a in th a t
J
,

cent ury There a re cle a r tr a ces th a t the legends ha d

.

undergone tr a nsf orm a tion bef ore this p eri od Ash ur .

b a nip a l wa s the King of Assyri a a nd Ash ur w a s the ,

n a tion a l g od of the c ountry The Cre a ti on legends do .

not gl orify Ashur b ut M a rduk the g od of B a bylon

, , ,

whi ch p oints out cle a rly th a t the scribes m a de c opies of

older t a blets of B a byl oni a n origin t o be l a ced in the
p
li br a ry of their m a ster Ash urb a ni p al To a ssign a n
,
.

e a rlier d a te to the seven t a blets is only a m a tter of

m
c onj ect ure b ut it a y be fixed with a cert a in degree of
,

p r ob a b i lity The so u
. rces a t our dis p os a l a r e o nly i n

direct evidence a nd we c a n get a t a n a ppr oxim a te

,

d a te by considering the a g e of B a byl oni a n legen ds in

gener al a nd of the Cre a ti on legends in p a rticul a r
,
1
.

The Cre a ti on legends furnish intern a l evidence

which pres upp oses a l ong p eri od— in f a ct m a ny cen ,

1
The S ev e n Ta ble ts f C r ea ti on,
o b y L. W
. K in g , v ol. i,
.

p p. lxxii e t seq .
26 LEGEN DS TRA C E D B A CK

t uri e s of tr a diti on d uring which the legen ds

, ,

tho ugh derived p r ob a bly fr om comm on origin al s were ,

”
h a nded d own indep endently of one a n other .

The fight between M a rduk a nd Ti am a t ha s been

f ound up on two limestone sl a bs in the tem ple of Ninib
a t Nimr u d The temple w a s erected by Ashurna sirp al
.

( 884 860
-
Here is a direct p roof th a t the legend
existed t wo h undred ye a rs bef ore the erecti on of
Ashur b a nip a l s libr a ry
’
An d a gai n the fight between
.
, ,

M a rd uk a nd the m onster Ti am a t is often fo und re pre

sented up on cylinder se a ls the scene being in v a ried
,

tre a tment which implies v a ri a nt forms of the legend

, ,

a nd s o in di rectly f u rnishes evidence of the e a rly

ori gi n of the legend itself .

Fr om a n ex a min a ti on of the B a byl oni a n hist oric a l

inscri p ti ons which rec ord the setting up of st a t ues
,
-

a nd the m a king of tem p le f u rnit ure we a re en a bled ,

to tr a ce b a ck the existence of the Cre a ti on legends to

”
still e a rlier p eriods .

Am ong the t a blets f ound a t Tel l Am a rn a which

e — -
,

d a te fr om the fifteenth cent ury B C were fr a gments of. .

,

C op ies of t w o B a byl oni a n legends — the one c ont a ining

the st ory of Nerg al a nd Ereshkig a l a nd the other in ,

scribed wi th a p a rt of the legend of Ad a p a a nd the S outh

Wind . Fr a gments of legends h a ve a ls o been
recently f ound in B a byl oni a whi ch d a te fr om the end
of the p eri od of the First Dyn a sty of B a byl on a b out ,

2 1 00 B C .a nd the resembl a nce which these doc u ments

 SEMITI C LEGEND S 27

be a r t o cert a in legends previ o usly kn own from Assyri a n

c opies only is not only of a gener a l n a t ure b ut extends
,

even t o identity of l a ngua ge Th us one of the r e

.
,

c overed fr a gments is in p a rt a d uplic a te of the s o c a lled

m
-

Cut h a n Legend of Cre a ti on t w o others cont ai n

p h r as es f ound u p on the legend of E a a n d At a rha sis ,

while up on one of them a re tr a ces of a new versi on

of the Del u ge st ory.

Three fr a g ments of B a b yl oni a n legends which d a te

fr om a n e a rlier p eri od h a ve been disc overed— fr om the
time of the Kings of the Sec ond Dyn a sty of Ur bef ore ,

2 20 0 B C . These a nd a few other fr a gments sh ow

th a t e a rly Semitic a s Opp osed t o S umeri a n legends
, ,

were in existence a nd were c a refull y p reserved a n d

,

st udied in other cities of Mes op ot a mi a th a n B a byl on ,

a nd a t a p eri od bef ore the rise of th a t city to a p osition

of im p ort a nce u nder the Kings of the First Dyn a sty .

The evidence furnished by these recently disc overed

t a blets with reg a rd t o the d a te of B a byloni a n legends
m
m
in gener a l a y be a pplied t o the d a te of the Cre a ti on

m
legends While the origin of uch of the Cre a ti on
m
.

legends a y be tr a ced t o Su erianj g urce s it is cle a r

,

th a t the Semitic inh a bit a nts of Mesop ot a mi a a t a very

e a rly p eri od p r oduced their own versi ons of the c o m
sitions which they b rr wed modifying d u
m
p o o o , a n a g
e nt ing them t o s u it their own legends a nd beliefs
It is p ossible th a t the divisi on of the p oem int o seven
sections inscribed up on sep a r a te t a blets took pl a ce a t a
, ,
28 THE GAP S FILLE D

l a ter p eri od ( th a n the First D yn a sty when we a y , m

exp ect t o find copies of the Cre a ti on legends c orre
sp onding t o the legends menti oned a b ove
) b u be
m m
t
this a s it a y we a y c oncl ude with a c onsider a ble
, ,

degree of c onfidence th a t the b ul k of the p oem a s

, ,

m
we kn ow it fr om l a te Assyri a n a nd ne o B a byl oni a n -

c opies w a s c omp osed a t a p eri od

, t la teu h a n f

Only forty lines rem a in of one tr a diti on ; of the

o ther six t a blets h a ve been f ou nd There is unce r .

t a inty a s t o t w o p i e ces whether they bel ong t o the s a me

,

tr a diti on or rep resent a third tr a dition a s d oes a ,

fr a gment incl udi ng a di fferent a cc ount of the e pis ode

c ont a ined in the f ourth t a blet of the l a rger gr oup .

The t a blets c ont a ini ng in a ll t w ent yj hr ee fra g IQ Q IE

, L ,

give a f a irly c om plete descri p ti on of the B a byl oni a n

st ory of Cre a ti on a nd wi th the a ssist a nce of oth er
,

t a blets c onta ining a str onomic al hist oric a l a nd religi ous

, ,

texts a nd wi th the a id of a ll usi ons in cl a ssic al writers

,

s uch a s B e r ossus— a B a byl oni a n priest who lived a b out ,

a nd c ompiled a B a byl oni a n hi st ory a nd

m
30 0 B C . .
, ,
.

D a a s cius — a n other a uth or of a ntiq uity wh o lived ,

l

A D 600 ( the hist oric a l a cc u

. . r a cy of these a uth ors wi t h ,
'

the excep ti on of cert a in text ual c orr up ti ons which a re

insep a r a ble fr om works of the ki nd h a ve been c o , m
l t l est blished by the inscri ti ons on the t a blets )
p e e y a p .

1 Tb e S e v en Ta ble ts o f Cr e a ti on , b y L. W . K ing , v ol. i,

.

p. l xix
x e t se q .
 THE BAB Y LON IAN C OSMOLOG Y 29

So th a t wh a t is deficient in the t a blets ca n be fai rly well

filled in this m a nner .

The l onger tra diti on is the chief s ource for the B a by

loni a n story of Cre a ti on The inscri p ti ons a re written
m
.

in the rhyt h ic al form a nd the series is in fa ct a, , ,

Ma r duk ( Mer od a ch Jer i

d f
, He w a s the s u
. .
p re e
f
m
g o g _ §a yb lon .The c osm ol ogy the be g inni n g o ,

things an d the order of ( M on is onl y seco nda ry , w ,

o nly incident al ; the chief o bj ect is to gl orify M a rd u k ,

the he a d of the B a byl oni a n p a nthe on It p ict ures .

the gre a t g od of B a byl on in severe c onfli ct wi th the

owers of d rkness n d ch os — how M a rd u k s ubj ected
p a a a

all t hi ngs u nder his feet a nd s ucceeded in cre a ting a

world of order a nd light The p rimev al ch a os is p e r
.

s onifi e d in Ti am a t Ti am a t c orres p onds with the

‘
m
.

Hebrew w ord tekb the deep , ( Gen i This . .

ep isode describes Ma rduk s victory over Ti am a t the

’

p rimev al wa ter ch a os a nd the o versh a d owing p ower

,

of M a rd u k s p ers on a lity The glorific a ti on of M a rduk

’
.

being the m ai n theme implies th a t B a bylon w a s the

,

city where the e a rly tr a di tions obt a ined their li ter ar y

expressi on Strictly s p e a king it is m ore a cc ur a te t o
.
,

c a ll the p oem The Ep ic of M a rd uk th an The

Cre a ti on Epic .
”
To M a rd uk the he a venly b odi es owe
their exi stence Order a nd li ght ha d their origin in
.

him He t a kes t o himself functi ons whi ch a t one time

.

belonged to the other g ods Bel a nd Ea willingly

.
30 THE EPI C IMPERFE C T

a ckn owledge the s up eriority of M a rd uk ; Ann a nd the

m
o ther gre a t deities p a y h om a ge to him The e a rly .

m
B a by lonia tra ditions were m ore or less g ha ng erL i n
m
the a tt e p t t o p r a ise M a rd uk a nd this c ol ouring wa s
,

m a de by the the ol ogi a ns M a rduk 5 positi on w a s est a b

.
’

lishe d in the p op ul a r beliefs bef ore the theol o gi a ns

b e ga n t o execute the tr a nsform a ti on in the p opul a r
tr a ditions M a rd uk w a s a m ong the lat esi nf j he g ods
.

t o emerge int o p r ominence s o th a t the ch a n ges wr ought

m
,

in the ep ic of M a rd uk were c omp a r a tively l a te — s o e

cent ur ies l a ter th a n H a mm ur a bi who reigned s ome ,

where between 2400 a nd 2 000 B C ( a ccording t o . .

L W King 1 9 00
. .
,

Th a t The Epic of Cre a ti on is imp erfect is a cco unted

for by the f a ct th a t the m ai n pur p ose of the series is
to gl orify M a rduk ; a nd to a cc ount for the s uccessive
st a ges in the Cre a ti on of the universe is onl y sec ond a ry .

The gener al p oints a re t ouched up on a nd n othi ng m ore , .

To quote Pr ofess or J as tr ow M a ny det a ils a r e

omitted whi ch in a c osm ol ogic al e p ic c om p osed for the ,

s p ecific p urp ose of setting f orth the order of Cre a ti on ,

would h a rdly h a ve been w a nting In this resp ect .

,

the B a byl oni a n versi on a gai n resembles the Biblic a l

a cc ou nt of Cre a ti on whi ch is simil a rly m ar ked by its
,

brevity a nd it is a s signific a nt for its omissions a s for

,

wh a t it c ont a ins
”
1
.

As t o the f orm in which it is expressed E a chl ine i s

1 Tb e S e v e n Ta blets f
o C r ea ti on, b y L . W . K ing , v o l. i .
, p 40 9
. .
 I TS LITERA RY FORM 31

gq md i
pg g e g t wodivisi ons a
, nd a
, s a r ul e,f our o r eight
lines m a ke a st a nz a .The p rinci ple of p a r a ll elism is
intr od uced though not c onsistently c a rried out S o
,

the liter a ry f orm of The Epic of Cre a tion or The ,

Epic of M a rd uk evinces gre a t c a re not only by its

, ,

metric a l f orm b ut by its p oetic dicti on a s well The

, .

form of p a r a llelism is a ch a r a cteristic of both B a by

l oni a n a nd Hebrew p oetry .
 CHA PTER V
THE TAB L TS E OF C REATI ON
WE will ende a v our t o give a s umm a ry of the B a byl oni a n
c osm ol ogy th a t thr ows light on the st ory of Cre a ti on
given in the B ook of Genesis a nd then we will try t o ,

p oint o ut the simil a rity a nd the difference between

B a byloni a n tr a diti on a nd the Old Test a ment story , ,

a nd fin a ll y dr a w ou
, r concl usi on rega rding the rel a ti on
,

between the B a byloni a n a nd Biblic a l a ccounts of

Cre a ti on .

The first ta blet of which only a p ortion is preserved :

,
1

Wh e n a b ove h e a v e n e xiste d no t ,

Wh e n e a rth b e l o w ha d ye t no b e ing ;
Ap su w a s t h e f m
er ro t he fi rs t , the s ource of b o t h (hea v en

th )

g i g Tié mt th m th
a nd e a r ,

The ra n a e o e r of b ot h ,

B ut t h i w t w g th
e r a e rs
2
e re a e re d to eg th er in a m a ss,

l m f und in The S e v e n Ta ble ts of Cre a ti on,

m
1
A t ra ns a t io n ay be o

W g; J ll
m
by L . . K in L ig ht f r o t he E a s t, b y C . . B a ; The Old
Tes ta e nt i n the L ig ht of the H i s tor i ca l R ecor ds of A ssy r i a a nd
B a byloni a , b y T. G
P inc e s
. h R e lig i on of B a by lon i a a nd A ssyr i a ,
by M . J a s t ro w R e cor ds o f the P a s t, N e w S e r ie s , by A H . . S y
a ce

C re a t ion, b y Zi mm e rn, in the E ncy clope di a B ibli ca ; The M oni s t ,

l
A p r i a nd u , J ly 1 90 1 .
3
Aps ua nd Tia m a t.
 THE FIRST TABLET 33

N0 fi ld w
e as m k ar e d o ff, no so i 1 l wa s s e e n.

Wh e n none of the g o ds wa s as ye t produce d ,

N0 me m na e nt io ne d , no f
a te d e te r m in e d,

Th n w e r g d in th i t l ity
m m
e e c re a te d t he o s e r ota

La k h u a nd La kha uw e e te d r c re a .

Da y we nt b y
s ,
2

An h s nd K i hn
ar a w e c ea te d s ar er r

M a ny d y l p e d a s e a s ,
z

Anu[B l nd E w e e c e a t d]
e a a r r e ,
3

An h s a nd Anu
a r, ,

And the g od Anu,

Ea , o wh m
his a t e rs, [
his]b e f h g e tt e rs .

Here the p orti on bre a ks off We p erceive in this .

n a rr a tive the B a byloni a n gods gr a dua lly c ome int o

. m
existence Tiéi a t or the Deep st a nds for ch a os a nd
, ,

di sorder Aps u is a ssoci a ted wi th Ti am a t Aps u is

. .

the p ers onified gre a t Oce a n — the Deep th a t c overs

everythi ng Aps ua nd Ti am a t a r e re a lly syn onym ous
. .

Why sho ul d the t wo be c ombined Pr ofess or J a str ow

h olds the view th a t it is the introducti on of the the o
l ogic a l doctrine the as s oci a ti on of the m al e a nd
fem a le element in everyt hing c onnected with a cti vity
or with the life of the u niverse Sex pl a ys a very .

c ons pic uo us p a rt in life a nd so Aps u a nd Ti am a t ,

were p e rsonifi c a tions of this p rinci ple in the be ginning .

To the p op ul ar im a gin a tion Ti am a t was a h uge

m
,

m onster Te hO in Hebrew is the s a me a s the B a by

.

1 The te r mm ay m ea n
“
re e d
”
or m a rs h .

1
D l itz c h ll l h lk “
l
m p a ra e p ra se i e pe riod s e a pse d
e s nd re e rs a .

3 In t d f m D
se r e ro a a s c iu
’
x
s e t ra c t o f the or o f B e ross us w k on

B a by loni a .
34 MARD U K AND TIAMAT

m m
l oni a n Ti am a t ( B a byl oni a ti a tu ti a a t) D illm a n s a ys
m
.
,

of Te hO th a t it is f orm all y a nd s ubst a nti a lly the s a me

1
a s Ti am a t We he a r s ome echoes of the s a me ide a s
.

in the im a gin a ry p orti ons of the Old a nd New Test a

ment R a h a b Levi a th a n a nd the Dr a gon of a p oc a
.
, ,

lyp t ic visi ons bel ong t o the s a me cl a ss All these .

m onsters represent a p op ul a r a ttemp t t o pict ure the

ch a otic c onditi on th a t prev a iled bef ore the gre a t g ods
o bt a ined control a nd est a blished the order of he a venly

a nd terrestri a l p hen omen a Assyri ologists a cc ount

.

for the b elief th a t wa ter w a s the origin of the universe

'
by the fa ct t ha t the v a lley of the E uphr a tes flooded ,

by the he a vy r ai ns a nd l ooking like a s e a s uggested ,

it At the a ppr oa ch of s p ring a fter the winter r a ins

.
, ,

cl ouds a nd fl oods h a ving now di s a pp e a red the dry ,

l a nd a nd veget a ti on a pp e a r The B a byloni a ns believed

.

th a t they sa w in the B a byl oni a n v alley d uring the

winter a nd the s pring a pict ure of wh a t m ust h a ve
t a ken pl a ce in the first sp ring a fter a stren uous a nd
de a dly fight between M a rduk a nd the m onster Ti am a t ,

when the cre a ted uni verse c a me int o being 2

.

The s ucceeding p orti on of the first t a blet pict ures

h ow Ap s us tr a nquillity w a s dist urbed when he f ound
’

th at other gods h a d entered his d om a in— a very h um a n

exp erience s urely ! Being j e a l ous of his rights Aps u
, . ,

1 G e nesis , E ng lish t ra ns l tion ol i p

a , v . .
, .
58 ; The R elig i on f
o

B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , b y J t w pp 4 1 1
a s ro ,
.
, 41 2 .

“
1 C r e a tion in E ncy clop e di a B ibli ca , se c . 4.
 THE SE C OND TABLET 35

p ers u a ded Ti a m a t to j oin him in fighting for the

s uprem a cy B ut Ea s ubdued Aps u a nd Ti a m a t wa s

. ,

left to c a rry on t he str uggle single h a nded b ut -

,

s ucceeded in obt a ining a br ood of str a nge a nd hide ous

cre a t ures who fought on her side in b a ttle
, .

Aps udecl a res (line 38)

T h e ir wa y h a ll be de str y d
s o e

And y of wo
a cr h ll b e m a de
e s a .

Ti am a t s a ys (line 5 0)
“
Le t t he i r wa y b e m a de h a rd.

Line 55 oi seq. , we re a d
Oce a n [jre o ic e d ]at f
he r ; 1 his a c e b e ca e b ri m gh t
v l h e y pl
E i t ot te d a g g
a ins t the [ re a t] ods
”
g .

The S econd Ta blet — The inscrip ti ons cont a ined in

the second t a blet a re imp erfect There a re a few .

c omplete lines a nd a few fr a gments The s ubsequent .

t a blets t hr ow light on the sec ond a nd s o its c ontents ,

c a n b e determined t o a c onsider a ble extent The first .

rti on o f the sec ond t a blet m ust h a ve cont a ined

p o
’
Ansh a r s c a ll to a rms a g ai nst Ti am a t whi ch is fir st ,

sent t o An u a nd E a B oth refuse Then Ansh a r . .

described Ti am a t s rebelli on to M a rd uk It is the s a m e

’
.

descripti on a s the l a st p orti on of the fir st t a blet 2

Tia m at o ur m th e b e ll d g in t u
o r re e a a s s

A b a nd she c ll
o te d w
ec thfully g ing
,
ra ra .

1 Tia ma t .
1
The M oni st, b y the e d it or, Apri l , 1 90 1 .

— 2
3
36 THE THIR D TABLET

The Thi rd Ta blet — Ansh a r s p e a ks sends G a ga t o

m m
.
,

La kh ua nd La kha u t o inf orm them th a t Ti am a t is ,

p rep a ri n g for a c onflict a nd th a t She ha s a hide ous ,

br ood t o fight on her side th a t Ann a nd E a ha d been

invited t o fight a ga inst them b ut ha d refused It
'

,
.

r
p p o oses a b a nq uet of the gods a t wh i ch they sh a ll b e ,

a sked t o resign their p rer og a tives in f a vo u r of M a rd uk .

The b a nquet is held a nd s ucceeds , .

The F ourth Ta blet — The fo urth t a blet is a lm ost

p erfect . The 1 46 lines h a ve been preserved al most

entirely .

M a rduk is ex al ted a b ove the g ods M a rd uk s p oke .

,

To dem onstr a te M a rduk s power

’
a nd it w a s d one .
,

the gods give him a sign a nd he p erforms a mir a cle ,

.

A ga rment is l a id down in the midst of the gods .

Comm nd th t the
a a dre s s disa p pe a r !
Th n c mm nd t h
e o a at t he dre ss re t urn

M a rduk p erforms the t as k s uccessfully .

A s he g v e the c omm a nd th
a e dre ss d isa ppe a re d .
He spo k g e a a in a nd t he d re ss wa s t h e re .

This sign reminds us of Jehov a h s signs t o His

’

serv a nt M oses a s a pr oof of His p ower ( Ex od iv 2 . .

a nd it is t o be reg a rded a s indic a ting th a t destr ucti on

cre a ti on a re in M a rduk s p ower The gods
’

a nd .

rej oice a t this unmist a k a ble exhibiti on of M a rduk s

’

s tr ength With one voice they fr a ntic a lly excl ai m

.
,

M a rd uk is King ! The insigni a of r oya lty

 THE BATTLE 37

t hrone scep tre , , a nd a uthority— a re conferred up on

g
N o w g o a a inst Ti a a t c ut off he r i e m lf
w
Le t t he inds c a rry he r b ood t o idde n l h re g ions .

Then M a rd uk equi ps himself for the b a ttle The .

we a p ons f orm a str a nge v a riety— b ow a nd quiver ,

a nd the l a nce a nd cl ub the storm a nd the li ghtning ,

fl a sh Then Ma rd uk pr oceeds a nd c a pt ures Ti am a t

.

in a h uge net : 2

C ons truc ts a ne t wh
l ife of Tiam a t
e re with t o e n c osel the .

Th f u w ind h g
e ope d
r th t he ous ld n t e p
e ra s so a s c o sca e.

Th s uth nd the n th w ind the e t nd the w st w ind

e o a or s, as a e s,

He b ugh t to the ne t wh ich wa s the g ift of his fa th e r Anu

”
ro ,
.

To c om plete the outfit ,

He c re a t e s a de st ruc t iv e w ind, a storm , a h urric a ne ,

k
M a ing of the fo ur w inds s e v e n 3 d e struc t iv e a nd fa ta l one s

h l wind v
m
T en he le t o os e the s he c re a t e d , t he s e e n ;
To d e stro y th e l if f Tiam
e o a t, th y foll w d a fte
e o e r hi .

M a rduk h a ving the m ost p owerfu

, l we a p on in his
h a nd m ounts hi s ch a riot whi ch is dr iven b y fiery
m
, ,

stee ds He m a kes str a ight for the h ostile c a p The

. .

sight of him imp a rts terr or on a ll sides .

“
The l m e ne a
ord c o s re r w ith hi s e ye fi xe d upon Tiam a t ,

P ie r c ing w it h hi g l K in uhe rg ”
s a nc e con sor t .

Kingu st a rts b a ck in al a rm He c a nn ot end ure .

the m a j estic h a l o whi ch s urr oun ds M a rd uk Kingus .

’

1 The R e ligi on of B a byloni a a nd A ssy r i a , b y J a st ow r , pp 42 4, .

42 5 .

2 I bi d .
, p 426
. .

3 Addin g th re e to t he ordina ry w inds f om the fou di ections

r r r .
38 MAR D U K RE P ROA C HING TI AMAT

as soci a tes —
the m onsters — a re terrified a t their le a der s ’

disc o fit ure m Ti am a t a l one does not l ose her c our a ge

. .

M a rduk br a ndis hing his gre a t we a p on a ddresses

, ,

Ti am a t He rep r oa ches her for the h a tred S he ha s

‘

sh own t owa rds the gods a nd fe a rlessly c a lls her out ,

to the comb a t .

St a nd up I a nd t h o u, c o m e , le t us figh t .

the ch a llenge of M a rduk is finely

’
Ti am a t s a nger at

pict ured
“
Wh e n Tiam a t h e a rd th e se words ,

l e ft h
mh
S he a c te d a s p osse ss e d , he r se n se s er

Tié k wl
at s l r ie e d i d a nd oud ,
Tre mb l ing d h king d wn t an s a o o he r founda ti o ns ;
S he p ronounc e d an inc a nta tion, utte re d h e r s a c re d formul a .
”

M a rduk is undism a yed .

T h e n Tiam a t a nd M a r du , k hi f c e of the g od s, a d a nc e dv to wa rd s

o ne a no t h er

T h e y a dva n ce d to the c onte st, d re w nigh f figh t or .

The fight b etween the two is described vivi dl y , a nd

then
He l ft he l ik e a fl t [P]fi h into tw pa rt s ;
c e r a s o

The n h lf of h h
o e tu p nd m a de a cov e ing for the h e a v e n
a er e se , a r ,

S t b
e ab f it t ti n d a g u d
ar e ore , s a o e ar ,

C mm nd d th m n t t le t its w t e s i u f th
o a e e o o a r ss e or .

H me h d th ugh th h e a v n u v y d the g ns th e e f
a rc e ro e e , s r e e re io r o ,

S t d in f ont f th b y th b d f th g od Ea
oo r o e a ss, e a o e o e .

Th n B l m e u e d t h
e e t u tu
1
f th by
as r e s r c re o e a s s,

A g e t h ue
r a p y f it he f und d E h
o s , a co o ,
o e -
s a r ra

Th g e t h u E h
re a wh i h h b uil t th h a ve n
o se -s
a rra , c e as e e ,

H m d Anu B l E t inh b it
e a e th i
, ity e , a, o a as e r c
”
.

1
A t itl f M a duke R lig i n f B by l ni
o nd A y i
r by
. e o o a o a a ss r a ,

a t ow p 4 8
J s r , . 2 .
 THE FIFTH TABLET 39

It is evident th a t the c a nop y of he a ven is me a nt .

S uch is the en ormo us size of Ti am a t th a t one h al f of -

her body fl a ttened out s o a s to serve a s a c urt ai n

, ,

is stretched a cr oss the he a vens to keep the upp er

wa ters the wa ters a bove the fi r a rne nt as the m ,
’

B ook of Genesis p uts it — from c oming d own The .

a byss w a s the immense wa ters on which the e a rth

w as beli eved t o rest E sh a rr a is a p oetic a l design a -

ti on of the e a rth a nd signifies a s Jensen ha s s a tis , ,

fa c t orily shown h ouse of ful lness or home of

, ,
’

’
fertility To the B a byloni a ns the e a rth w as a h oll ow
.

hemisphere simil a r in a pp e a r a nce to the v a ul t of

,

he a ven b ut pl a ced bene a th it ( with its c onve x side

,

upwa rds ) a nd s upp orted up on the a bys s of wa ters

,

underne a th 1 ”
.

The F i fth Ta blet — The fifth t a blet describes the

cre a ti on of the sun the instit uti on of the
m
-
, ,

with its jays/elve onths There a r e only fr a g

~ n
.

ments of thi s t a blet .

He f m e d a sta ti n f the g e t gods

or o o r a

S ta s l ike unto th m lv b e fixe d the ig ns of the odia c

r e se e s, s z

He pp inte d th e y e
a o d iv iding it int se n ; a r, o a so s

Th tw lv m nt h — th e t
e e e f o h he t a t ione d
s re s a rs or e a c s ,

F m the d y wh n th y
ro a et ut unt t he e nd th e of
e e ea r s s o o re .

He f unde d f t the ta tion f N ib i [J up it ]t d e te m ine th e i

o as s o r er o r r

l im it s,

Th t non [ f th d y ]m igh t
a e o non m k e a m ist ke
e a s e rr, e a a .

Th t t i n of B e l nd E h e fix d b y hi
e s a o id a a e s s e,

Th e n pe ne d th g
o t do in h v n] n b th id
e re a or s ea e o o s es

1 Relig i on o
f B a by lonia a nd A ssy ri a , .b y Ja st ro w , p 431 . .
40 THE SE VENTH TABLET
The b a rrie r he m a de St ng to l e ft a nd ig h t
ro r .

[On l in m itte d]
mv
e e o

He ca use d the m n g od to h ine fo th m a de

oo s r , hi o e rse e r of

gghh m
r l ’

He a i te d hi , a b e in g o f ni gh t , to d e te r m ine da ys .
” 1

In the first lines of the seventh t a blet M a rduk is

descri b ed a s the bestower of pl a nting the cre a t or of ,
”

gr a in a nd pl a nts who c a used the green herb t o s pring

,

up . The Epic menti oned pr ob a bly the cre a ti on of

veget a tion a nd it is eq ua ll y p r ob a ble th a t this wa s the
m
,

s ubst a nce of the l ost fra g ents of the fifth t a blet 2

.

The S i xth Ta blet — The op ening a nd cl osing lines of

the sixth t a blet h a ve been recovered a nd it describes
m
,

the cre a ti on of a n .

Whe n M a rduk h w g od
m
e a rd the or d of the s,

His h e a rt p rom pt e d h i a nd b e de v is e d [a c unning pl a n] .

He Ope ne d his m outh , a nd unto E a [he s pa e ] k

m
,

[Th a t wh ic h] he ha d c o nc e iv e d inh is h e a r t he im pa rte d [

u nto h i ]
k
M y b l oo d w ill I t a e , a nd b one w ill I [fa s h ion]
w ill m k m n th t m n m
.

I w ill e te m
I a e y a , a a a .

h ll inh b it [the a th
f th g o d m
n wh
cr a a o s a a e r

Th a t th e vi y be sta b l i h e d a nd t h a t [th e i ]
h ine [m
e s r ce o e s a e s , r

s ry be s a

The S e ve nth Ta blet —

The seventh t a blet is a p oem
a ddressed by the gods t o M a rd u k It describes a nd .

celebr a tes his deeds a nd ch a r a cter— he is a ll p owerful -

,

b e ne fi ce nt comp as si on a te a nd j ust
,
M a rd uk a bs orbs , .

3
the excellences of a ll the g ods .

1 L i g ht f r o m
the E a s t , b y B a , p . 1 2 ll .

2 The S ev en Ta ble ts of Cr e a ti on , by K in g , pp 1, lv i, lv u
. .

3 I bid., pp . l xiii e t seq ., lxxxix .

 RESEMBLANCES 41

G od of lf
pure i e , t e y h ca ll ed m
[hi ]in the t ird p h l a ce , the b e a re r
o f pu fi
ri ca tion,

God of a fv ura b l e w ind,1 l ord of re sponse 1 a nd of m e rc y,

o

C re a tor of a b und a nce a nd fu ll ne ss, g ra nte r of b l e ssing s,

Who inc re a se s the t h ing s th a t w e re sm a ll ,

Wh o se fa voura b l e wind we e xpe rie nc e d in sore

m
d is tre s s,
h
T us le t t he m 11 s
pe a k a nd gl ify a nd b e
or ob e d ie nt to hi .

The gods rec a ll with gra tit ude M a rd uk s tri um ph over

’

Ti am a t his h um a ne tre a tment of Ti am a t s a ssoci a tes

’
.
,

k
M a n ind is e xh ort e d no t to f ge t M
or a rd u,k
Who m a nk ind ut f kindn s t w d th m
c re a t e d o o es o ar s e ,

T he m e iful n w ith wh m i the p we

rc o e, f g iving l ife o s o r o .

M y his d e d
a m in nd ne v e b fo g otte n
e s re a a r e r

B y h um nit y c e a te d b y hi h a nd
a , r s
”1
s.

M a rduk is the one who kn ows the he a rt of the gods ,

who r u
”
who g a thers the g ods t ogether les in ,

tr uth a nd j ustice .

We c ome now t o the resembl a nces a nd the di fferences

between the B a byl oni a n c osm ogony a nd the st ory of
Cre a ti on in the Old Test a ment a nd the c onnecti on ,

th a t exists between the B a byl oni a n a nd Biblic a l

a cco unts of C re a tion .

I .

We will note first of a ll the resembl a nces .

The gener a l outline of both is very simil a r B oth .

a cc ounts a re short a nd wh a t is omitted is a s striking

,

a s the contents .

1
A st a ndin g ph ra se for fv a o ur in g e ne l ra .
2
To p ra y e r.

3 The g od s . Re lig i on f
o B a bylonia a nd A ssyr i a , p 438 . .
42 D IFFEREN C ES
A wa tery ch a os is pres upp osed in the begin
n i ng a b ove it the d a rkness whi le the e ar th w a s
,

with out form a nd void .

In b oth the cre a tion of the universe b egins with the

cre a ti on of light The p owers of d a rkness ha d to be
.

cle a red by the gods of light before the B a byl oni a n g od

c ould begin his work a nd the he a ven a nd the e a rth
,

c a me forth
mm
.

Acc ording t o b oth tr a diti ons a fi r a e nt divides

,

the a byss of wa ters — the wa ters a b ove fr om the wa ters

bene a th The cre a tion of the he a vens a nd e a rth
.

t a kes p l a ce before the a pp ointment of the he a venly

b odies as me a s ures of time
m
.

And the cre a ti on of a n is the cr owning a ct of the

“
cre a t or
. The Epic of Cre a ti on being di vided int o ,

s even t a blets s uggests a c orres p ondence with the

,

seven d a ys in the Book of Genesis .

II .

The di fferences a re very striking The recurring .

f orm ul ae a s well a s the meth odic al di v isi on int o d a ys

, ,

e a ch with its p a rticul a r cre a tive a cts in the Bo ok of ,

Genesis a re not on the t a blets The B a byl oni a n st a ges

.

of Cre a ti on ar e not obvi ou s a nd they a pp e a r t o differ

,

fr om the order in G e nesis there the he a venly b odies

seem t o h a ve preceded the dry l a nd .

I n The Epic of Cre a ti on there a re m a ny g ods

 THE STORIES NOT IN D E PENDENT 43

olytheism demons a nd monsters — where as in Gen e sis

p , ,

there is b ut one God .

The myt hic al fe a t ures of the B a byl oni a n Epic h a ve

been c a refully sifted a nd ca n only be tr a ced in a few
,

sentences .

In the Epic ch a os precedes god ; in Genesis God is

b efore everyt hing .

The B a byl oni a n gods were either cre a ted or pro

duce d— we kn ow not how or when it w as with gr a d ua l
a nd gre a t e ff ort they s u cceeded to a scend beyond the
d a r kness a nd ch a os th a t enc omp as sed them In .

Genesis God s s uprem a cy is a bs ol ute a nd His word fin a l

’

m
.
,

It a y be s ai d th a t M a rduk held a very simil a r p ositi on .

The B a byl oni a n Epic throws li ght on the mor a l

as p ect of M a rd u m
k s ch a r a cter a nd the m or a l a d oni
’

m
ti ons t o the a n who is newly cre a ted Nothing is .

s a id in the Biblic al a cco unt a bo ut the m or a l ch a r a cter

of God nor of His will to a n
, m .

I II .

Wh a t is the rel a ti on between the B a byloni a n Epic

of Cre a ti on a nd the story of Cre a ti on in the first
C h a p ter of the B ook of Genesis ? Two st ories th a t
h a ve s uch striking resem bl a nces in ide a s a nd liter ar y
expressions c a nn ot be qui te indep endent .

One f a ct is ob v i ous the gre a t a ntiq uity of The Epi c

of Cre a tion on the t a blets is b e yond a do ubt a nd it is
44 D IFFERENT VIEWS
equa lly cert a in th a t the story of Cre a ti on a s rec orded
in the Old Test a ment is Of c om pa r a tively l a te d a te .

S o the B a byl oni a n the ologi a ns coul d not h a ve b orrowed

from Genesis .

The st ory in the B ook of Genesis is s o m uch better

th a n the B a byl oni a n tr a diti on which m a kes it very
,

di fficult t o beli eve th a t the l a tter wa s el a b or a ted fr om

the former It is m ore th a n p r ob a ble th a t the unique
.

m a j esty which is a ssigned to God in Genesis would be

a scribed t o M a rd u k if the writer or writers ha d the
,

first ch a p ter of Genesis before them .

It ha s been m a int a ined th a t the t wo a cc ounts of

Cre a ti on a re indep endent gr owths fr om a n old tr a di ti on
whi ch w a s c urrent a m ongst the a ncient Semitic
a nc estors of b oth Isr a elites a nd B a byl oni a ns .

Others a ga in h a ve a sserted th a t the a cc ount we

, ,

h a ve in the B ook of Genesis (i to ii

. is a n edi tion of
.

the B a byloni a n Epic of Cre a ti on with its p olytheistic

,

beliefs excl uded Acc or di ng t o the res ults of Bibli c a l

.

criticism the first ch a pter of Genesis is t a ken in a ll

, ,

m
p rob a bility fr om the p riestly writings a nd ha s been
, ,

either c o p osed by the priestly n a rr a t or or extr a cted

by him a nd edited from the a ncient tr a diti ons of
which the priestly gui ld were the rec ogni zed keep ers .

It is m a int ai ned by s ome th a t the Priestly D oc ument

in the Hex a teuch w a s c omp osed in B a byl on a fter the
fa ll of J er us a lem a nd th a t its a uth ors might h a ve ha d
,

a n a cc ess t o s uc h t a blets a s those of The E pic o f

 AN EARL Y INFL UEN C E 45

Cre a ti on or they might h a ve he a rd some s uch tr a di

,

ti ons from their neighb ours .

The obj ecti on to the first View is th a t the t wo

n a rr a tives resemble e a ch other too closely t o be wh olly
indep endent a nd t o the second th a t the s oci a l c o m
m
, ,

e rci al a nd
, p olitic a l c onnections between Isr a el ,

B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a were t oo intim a te for m a ny

,

cent uries before the exile t o s upp ort th a t view The .

disc overy of the Tel el Am a rn a t a blets ha s est a blished

- -

the fa ct th a t the infl uence of B a byl oni a n civiliz a ti on

ha d extended over Western Asi a incl uding Syri a a nd ,

P al estine before 2000 B C The B a byloni a n w a s the

, . .

l a ngua ge of di pl om a cy of Western Asi a a nd a t a ,

l a ter p eri od the St a tes in the v all ey of the E uphr a tes

rega ined their domini on over P al estine From the .

time of Jeh uuntil the c a p tivity the kingdoms of Isr a el

p ai d trib ute t o B a byl o n It is al m ost im p ossible
. to
believe th a t the B a byl oni a n tr a diti on w a s unkn own
t o Isr a el bef ore the exile — the f a ll of J er us a lem It is
m ore re as on a ble t o beli eve th a t the B a byl oni a n E pi c
of Cre a ti on w a s kn own in C a n a a n fr om a very e a rly
a ge ,a nd w a s p a rt of the folklore o f the co u ntry a nd ,

a t l as t of Isr a el The religi ous ide a s of Isr a el m odified

.

a nd devel op ed the tr a diti on a nd Genesis

(i t o ii , . .

ret ai ns the form in whch it w as exp ressed d uring the

o a u
exile fr m the th ors o the Priestly Document
f 1
.

1 “
M yth g S k
m
a nd Le e nd in t he a c re d in The Old
”
B oo s,

Te sta e nt The olog y, b y S h ul tz

c ,
v ol. i
.
, p . 24 e t s e q . Gn e es i s , by
W . H B e nne tt, p 71
. . .
 CHAPTER VI
THE C REATION AND FALL OF M A N

THE a cc ount of the Cre a ti on a nd F a ll of a n is given in m

the B ook of Genesis ) ii 46 t o iii . There is a di ffer
.

ence between the t wo a cco unts of the Cre a ti on In Genesis ,

a nd it is evident th a t there were di fferent tr a diti ons

a m ongst the Isr a elites a bout the cre a tion of the

universe In the sec ond a cc ount ( Gen ii ) the cre a ti on
m
. . .

mm
of a n p recedes veget a ti on a nd a nim a ls A S imil a r .

tr a diti on ha s been disc overed on a a i ent i a hle t

— 9 q q a cc ording t o H ommel
3 9 £ 4 0 0 0 B C . .
,
.

Thi s st ory of Cre a ti on is in t wo l a ngua ges S umeri a n ,

Akk a di a n a nd Semitic B a byl oni a n It d oes not rec ord

m
-
.

the c onflict between M a rd uk a nd Tié a t It is simp le .

a nd brief .The devel opment of a nim al life a nd the

devel op ment of civiliz a tion form a p r ominent p a rt in
this sec ond versi on It serves t o fill t o s ome extent the
.

ga p s in the first tr a diti on owing t o the imp erfect c on

,

diti on of the fifth t a blet a nd the entire l oss of the sixth .

It begins with the p eri od when the universe wa s n ot

yet in existence b ut the p eri od is S p ecified in s uch
,

a m a nner th a t one ha s a more definite c oncep ti on of

thi s a ncient time .

 ANOTHER TRADITION 47

Ac c ording t o this versi on onl y wa ter exists Men ,

.

a nd a nim al s h a ve n ot yet been cre a ted ; l a nd a nd

h ouses h a ve not c ome int o existence ; no gods h a ve

been cre a ted— a nd bec a use there were no gods there ,

were no temples .

There w a s a di st urb a nce in the se a : B a byl on w a s

built with its temple E sa g ila The g ods were
, ,
-
.

cre a ted— the Annuna ki ( the inferi or deities ) And then .

M a rd uk cre a ted men a nim a ls a nd the wild cre a t ures , ,

of the desert The E uphr a tes a nd the Tigris c a me t o

.

their pl a ces There were cre a ted the verd ure of the field
. ,

gr a ss m a rshes reeds ; the wild c ow with her y oung ;

, , ,

the young wild ox ; the ewe with her y oung ; the S heep ,

of the f old ; p a rks a nd forests ; a nd fin a lly h ouses a nd , ,

cities a nd Ni ppur a nd Erech with their tem ples

,
1
,
.

“
gh t h u e f th g d wa s not ye t b uil t on the b igh t pl a c e ;
The b ri o s o e o s r

No d g w nd n t
re e w re f md a o re e as or e ,

N b i k w
o l id not ny b i k e difi e e d
r c as a ,
a r c c
2 r ar
e ,

N h u
o o t d n it y b uil t
se e re c e , o c ,

N ity
o c d [A y i n m d ] no nim l c pt a b out
r e a re ss r a a e ,
a a s re

N ippur w a s n ot re a re d , E k ur 3 w a s
-
not e re c te d

E re c hw a s n ot r e a re d , E-Anna 4 n
o t e re c t e d ;
The d e e p 5 no t f m or e d, E ridu6 not r e a re d

The b ri gh t h o use , the h ou e s of th e g od s , not ye t u

constr c t e d a s a

d w ll ing
e .

G n i b y D iv p 52
e e s s, r e r, . .

2
C l y b ing th b u
a il d ing m te ri l in B byl ni
e e a a a o a.
3 B l t mpl
e
’
s t N ip pu
e e a r.

e m pl e f I ht h Ap su
4 T 5
t E o s ar a re c . .

0 Cit y d t E a t th m uth f th P e i n G ulf

sa c re o a e o o e rs a .

7 R li i n
ge f B by l ni nd A y ri b y J t ow p 445
o o a o a a ss a , as r , . .
48 CREATING MAN K IND

Then we h a ve a s omewh a t v a gue pict ure of dry

l a nd
h
mE fi dU
T e re wa s a Cha nng ly i thin thg h
se a .

h l
d

At t at ti e w rec t e d, E -S a g ila 1
wa s b ui t,
E -S a g ila in the m id s t of t he de e p ’
wh e re t he g o d of the glo r io us
a b o de
2
d w e ll s.
”

P r ofess or J as tr ow st a tes th a tthe mention of the

m
ch a nnel a pp e a rs t o imply th a t the wa ters were p e r
it t e d t o fl ow off in a cert ai n direction The c onc e p .

ti on would then be simil a r t o the view expressed in

Genesis where the dry l a nd a pp e a rs in c onsequence of
,

3
the wa ters being g a thered into one pl a ce ( Gen i . .

With the erecti on of Eridu a b ound a ry w as pl a ced ,

for the
”
deep a nd this pl a ce extended formed the
,

dry l a nd .

k
M a r du c onstruc t e d a n e nc l osure a round the w a te rs
He m a de dus t a nd h e a pe d it up w ith in the e nc l os ure
”
.

MaI dl d m a nkind
‘
L
C I Qa t e

M a n ind he k c re a t e d .

Aru u
r i c o nnected with Msa rd uk in the cre a ti on of

the h um a n r a ce :
The g o dd e s s Aruruc re a te d the se e d of m e n to ge the w ith r hi m .
“

M a rduk s cre a tive work is described further

’

The
The Ti
a ni m
g
a ls of the
r is a
fi l d th l iving c e tu f th fi l d h c t d
nd E u h t h
e

f m
,

d in t h
e

i l c g v
r a

e t he m
re s o

e r
e

a
e

e s,
,
e

a
re a e

p e ra e s p or e

g oo d na me s

1
Ea
’
s te mpl e in E r id u .
2
Ea .

p. 448 .
4
3 Re lig i on o f B a b yloni a a nd A ssj r i a , p 447
. .
 ORIGIN OF THE COSMOGON Y 49

S oil g
m a h e d a nd f e st he c
ra ss, the rs , r e , or re a te d

Th v d ue f th fi l d he p d u e d
er re o e e ro c

Th l nd the m
e a h th th i k t
s, a rs , e c e ,

Th w il d
e w w it h he y ung t h y ung w il d
co r o , e o ox ,

Th w w it h h
e e e y ung th h p of t he f l d
er o , e s ee o ,

P k ar nd f s a t o re s s,

Th g t nd w il d g oa t h b ough t f t h
e oa a , e r or .
”

H ouses a re b uilt a nd c it ies erected out of cl a y by

Ma rd uk :
House s he e re c te d, c itie s he b ui t, l
C itie s he b ui t, d l w ll ing
he pre pa re d ,
e s

N ip pur he l
b ui t , E - K ur b e e re c t e d ,
E re c h he b uil t , E -Anna he e re c t e d .

Pr ofessor J a str ow s ums this up f oll ows The as

new p oints derived from t hi s sec ond versi on a re

( a ) the det ai ls of the cre a ti on of the a nim a l a nd pl a nt
world ( 6) the mention of Ar ur u a s the mother of
,

m a nkind a nd ( c) the incl usi on of h um a n c ult ure in the

,

st ory of the beginning 1

.
’

Pr ofess or S a yce is of opinion th a t the B a byl oni a n

C osm ogon y ha d its origin in the city of Eridu a primi ,

tive se a p ort of the c ountry where l a nd w a s being ,

c ontin ually f ormed bec a use cl a y etc were de

, ,
.
,

p osited .

Professor Hommel m a int ai ns th a t the chi ef purp ose

is not t o give a n a cc ount of the cre a tion of m a nkind
a nd a nim al s b u t t o give a n a cc ount of the first f orm a
,

ti on of civiliz a ti on in B a byloni a a nd to show its ,

Difi ng fl
fi gl s p
.

1
Relig i on of B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , p 450 . .

4
50 THE C REATION OF MAN

The fr a gment recognized by Mr W L King cont a ins

m
. . .

a descri ption of the cre a tion of a n

k
M a rdu on h e a ring the w ord of the gods ,
m
His h e a rt urge d hi , a nd h e m a de [c unning pl a ns] .

He Op e ne d his m out h a nd [sa id ]t o the g o d E a

[Wh a t]he t h ough t out in his h e a rt he c o mm unic a te s
mg h my l m
m u m m
Le t e at er b o od a nd le t e b one ,

mm k h m
Le t e se t p a a n , a nd le t th e an

Le t e a e t en en d we ll ing
M a y th e se r v ice of the g ods b e e s ta b l ish e d , a nd a s for t he m
m lt wa y f th g od le t m h n[ge the ir pa th s]
le t
Le t e a er t he s o e s, e c a

l t t h e m b h on u d t w o le t t h e m b
we d him
As o ne e e o re ,
as e

a nd t h w o d he spa k e
'
Ea a ns re , e r .

There rem a ins a fr a gment of ten imp erfect lines ,

which pr ob a bly describes the c onsent of the other

g ods to M a rd uk s pr op os a l a nd w a s f oll owed pr ob a bly
’

, , ,

with a pict ure of the m a nner in which it w a s c a rried out 1

.

Eden is a B a byl oni a n word Edinn which me a ns , ,

pl a in or field
m g re a t a llnv ial
a pplied es p eci a lly t o the

pl a in
x
of B a
bylg i a w a tered by the E up h,r a tes a n d
Tigris S o Edgn is not a n a me for the ga rden itself
.
,

b ut for the regi on in which it la y 2

m m
.

Onyx is the Hebrew word S hoha a nd a y be the

m
,

S a a tu of the Assyri a ns 3
.

Two of the rivers n a med in Genesis int o which the

m
,

stre a m which a rose in Eden wa s p a rted a nd b e ca e f onr

1
The Old Tes ta m e nt i n the L ig ht of the H i stor i ca l Recor ds o f
A ssy r i a a nd B a by loni a , h
b y P inc e s, pp 28, 29 . .

1
I bi d , p p 70 -72
. . .

3
A uthor i ty a nd A r chd olog , p. 1 9.
 THE SERPENT 51

he a ds a re B a byloni a n the Hiddekel ( Ass I digla t

,
-
.
,

the Tigris ) a nd the Pe ra th ( Ass P ura t the E up hr a tes ) .

, .

Arch aeol ogy ha s thrown n o light on the other t w o

.

rivers menti oned Dr Driver s a ys of them : And

. .

when we ende a vo ur to identify the t wo rem a ining

rivers the Pis hon a nd the Gih on by wh a t we know
,

of the c ountries which they a re represented a s fl owing

a r ou nd they el ude our gr a s p
,
The rivers were prob .

a bly mist a ken for the se a ; if so it betr a ys ignor a nce ,

of the ge ogr a phy of the c ou ntry .

There is a pict ure on a n old B a bylonia n cylinder _

,

dep osited in the British Museum 1

It depicts t w o .

figures se a ted on either side of a fr ui t tree b oth stretch -

their h a nds t owa rds the tree while behind one of them ,

a serp ent is coiling u p wa rds which vividly p uts us ,

i n mind of the tempt a ti on a nd the fal l in Gen iii

m
. .

Its me a ning is d oubtful bec a use no inscri pti on a cc o ,

2
p an i es it Delitzsch . s a ys The Bible c ont ai ns th a t
be a utiful an d profo und story of the c orr upti on of the
w om a n by the serp ent — a ga in the serp ent ? There is
cert ai nly quite a B a byl oni a n ring a b out it Wa s it ,

p erh a p s th a t ser
, p ent the e a r liest enemy of the gods
, ,

seeking t o revenge itself up on the gods of light by

a lien a ting fr om them their n oblest cre a tion Or wa s
it th a t serp ent god of wh om in one pl a ce it is s a id
-
,

1
Cha lde a n Gn
e e si s , by Sm ith , p 9 1 ; L ig ht f r o
. m
the E a s t, b y
Ba ll ,p 2 5 E a r ly N a r r a tiv es
.
f
o Gene si s, b y H. E . R e , p 40 .yl .

9 B a be l a nd B i ble, p 55. .
52 LI K E AND UNLI K E

he destroyed the a b ode of life The pr oblem a s to

the origin of the Biblic a l st ory of the F al l is sec ond t o
n one in S ignific a nce in its be a rings on the history of
,

religi on a nd a bove a ll for New Test a ment the ol ogy

, , , ,

which a s is well kn own sets off a g a inst the first Ad a m

, , ,

thr ough wh om sin a nd de a th c a me int o the world the

m
,

sec ond Ad a m Perh a ps we a y be p ermitted t o lift

.

the veil a little Ma y we p oint t o a n old B a byl oni a n

.

cylinder se a l ? Here in the mid dl e is the tree with

m
-

h a n g ing fruit on the right the a n t o be rec ognized ,

by his h orns the symb ol of strengt h on the left the

, ,

wom a n b oth re a ching out their h a nds to the fr uit

, ,

a nd behind the w om a n the ser p ent Sh ould there n ot

.

be a c onnecti on between this old B a byl oni a n re pre

s e nt a t i on a nd the Biblic a l st ory of the F a ll

There a re striking resembl a nces a nd di fferences

between the sec ond t a blet of Cre a ti on st ory a nd the
a cc ou nt of the Cre a ti on a nd Fa ll of a n inthe B ook m
of Genesis

m
.

Ad a p a w as the first a n a ccording to the B a by

,

l oni a n tr a di tion The s on of Ea w a s endowed with

.

wisd om a nd kn owledge If Ad a p a w a s the s on of

.

E a why w a s he not imm ort al

,
Ad a p a w a s deprived
of imm ort a lity not by dis ob edience b ut thr ough
, ,

obedience t o the god E a .

Ad a m f orfeited imm ort al ity t hr ough his a m biti on

to be c o eq ua l with Go d— t o kn ow go od a nd evil He .

w a s sent out of the g a rden where grew the tree of life .

 THE TREE OF LIFE 53

Anu is s urprised th a t Ea S h ould al l ow Ad a p a to

a pp e a r in a p l a ce set a p a rt for the g ods .

Why di d Ea p ermit a n impure m ort a l t o see the

interi or of he a ven a nd e a rth ? He m a de him gre a t
”
1
a nd ga ve him f a me .

Ad a p a h a ving p ossessed the secrets of he a ven a nd

e a rth the gods m ust now a dmit him to their circle
,
.

The gods offer him f ood a nd wa ter of li fe Ea tells

m
.

hi th a t the food a nd wa ter of de a th wi ll be o ffered

him ; a nd Ad a p a refuses t o e a t a nd drink So Ea .

p revents m a n k ind g ai ning imm ort a lity .

Ad a m w as sent out of the ga rden of Eden a cc ording ,

t o the Bibli c a l n a rr a tive for this re a s on : And the

m
,

Lord God s a id Beh old the a n is bec ome a s one of

, ,

us t o kn ow goo d a nd evil a nd n ow lest he put forth

,

hi s h a nd a nd t a ke a ls o the tree of life a nd e a t a nd

, ,

live for ever Therefore the Lord God sent him f orth
fr om the ga rden of Eden t o till the gr ound from whence
,

he w as t a ken ( Gen iii 2 2

m
. .
,

While God is a s a n xio us a s Ea th a t a n S hould not

e a t of the tree of life God f orewa rned Ad a m where a s
, ,

E a deceived Ad a p a s o a s t o kee p him fr om e a ting

,
.

The fa ct th a t f ood a nd drink c onstit utes etern a l life

a cc ording t o the B a byloni a n tr a diti on a nd th a t the ,

s a me expressi ons a re used in the Old a nd New Test a

ment implies th a t there is a cl ose c onnecti on between
,

the t wo There a re other Biblic al expressions which

.

1 Relig ion f
o B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , p 5 50 . .
54 AFTER THE FALL

ca n be better understood in the light of the inscri p ti ons .

If wa ter of life is n ot a ct ua lly used in the n a rr a tive

in Genesis th a t is not a n a dequa te re a s on for believing
,

th a t there is no connecti on between them

Ad a m a fter the Fa ll m a de a ga rment for himself
, , .

Ad a p a a fter a cquiring kn owledge of the secrets

,

of he a ven a nd e a rth , is c omm a nded by E a t o p ut

on the ga rment th a t is offered him These two .

incidents imply a cl ose c onnecti on between the B a by

l oni a n tr a diti on a nd the story in the B ook of Genesis .

An other thing is very s uggestive God d oes n ot

m
.

desire a n t o ga in kn owledge ( Gen 1 11 5 ) E a a ll ows

. .

Ada p a t o kn ow al l the secrets in he a ven a nd e a rth .

And s o the weight of evidence p oints unmist a k a bly

t o the c oncl usi on th a t the st ory of t h e Cre a ti on a nd
m
F a ll of a n ha d its origin in B a byl oni a .
 C HA PTER V II
THE S AB B AT H , THE C HER U B IM , AN D THE D E V I LS
THE S a bb a th is pr ob a bly of B a byloni a n origin The 1

m
.

B a byloni a n word S ha ba ttu me a ns da y of rest of

Where the s a me expressi on is used else
”
the he a rt .

where it me a ns a d a y when the gods rested fr om

their a nger a da y for the p a cifi ca t ion of a god s wr a th
’
.
,

Acc or di ng t o a reli gi ous c al end a r for two m onths

( Assyri a n ) the d uties for the King a re p rescribed
, .

The 7th 1 4th 1 9 th 2 1 5 t 28t h a re entered a s fan our

m
, , , , ,

a ble da y or evil d a y it me a ns th a t the da y a y

bec ome either a cc or di ng to the n a t ure of its observ a nce
, .

The other six d a ys a re rega rded a s fa v our a ble On .

the d a ys menti oned a b ove cert a in Observ a nces m ust

be strictly kept On the 7t h d a y s upp lic a ti on t o
m m
,

Ma rd uk a nd S a rp a nit u a f a vo ur a ble day (sc ay, .

,

i t be) An evil da y The shepherd of m a ny n a ti ons

. .

is not to e a t me a t r oa sted by the fire or a ny fo od ,

p pre a red b y the fire The clothes o f his body he is

.

1
S ee “
S a bb th a
”
in H a s ti ng s ’
E ncy clop e di a B i bli ca R e li
S y
m
g i on of Egyp t a nd B a by loni a , b y a c e , pp 2 72 , 476 ; E xp osi tory .

vm
Ti es , N o e b e r, 1 90 6 : S ta ti stics of S a bba th-keepi ng i n B a by loni a ,
b y C H . W. o ns .
. J h
56 THE BAB Y LONIAN SABBATH

not to ch a nge fine dr e ss he is n ot t o p ut on

, .

S a crifices he is not t o bring nor is the King t o ride in ,

hi s ch a ri ot He is n ot t o h old c ourt nor is the p riest

m
.
, ,

to seek a n or a cle for hi in the h oly of h olies 1

The .

p hysici a n is not t o be br ou ght t o the S ick r o om 2

The -
.

d a y is not s u i t a ble for inv oking c urses 3

At night in .
,

the p resence of M a rduk a nd Isht a r the K in g is t o bring ,

his gift Then he is t o offer s a crifices so th a t his

m
.
,

p r a yer a y be a cce p t a ble .

The c omp a ris on with the Biblic a l S a bb a th n a t ur a lly

s uggests itself The ch oice of the 7t h d a y a nd t he
.

others rests in b oth c a ses u n the l un r c a lend a r

“

p o a .

An other simil a rity comm on t o b oth is the B a byl oni a n

evil da y a nd the p rec a u ,
”
ti ons prescribed in the
Pent a te uch a l c odes a ga inst kindling fires a ga inst ,

le a ving one s h ome a gai nst pr oductive l a b our These

’
.
,

p oint s a ys P r ofess or J a str ow t o the Hebrew S a bb a th

, ,

as h a ving been a t its ori gi n a n in a uspi ci ous d a y

“

on whi ch it w a s d a ngero u s t o S h ow oneself or to c a ll ,

the deity s a ttenti on t o one s existence Des pite the

’ ’
.

“
a ttem p ts m a de t o ch a nge this d a y t o one of j oy
( Isa 1viii
. - the Hebrew S a bb a th contin ued t o
.

ret a in for a l ong time as a tr a ce of its origin a ra t he r , ,

sev ere a nd s ombre a s p ect 4

.

1
Li t .
“
p l a c e of se c r e c y ”
. It f
re e rs h
to t a t p ort i on of the te m pl e
wh e re t he g o d s s a t e nt h ro ne d .

2 T h at is , of th e pa l a ce .
3 1 e. ,
. upon ’
one s e ne mie s.
1 R elig i on o f B a by loni a a nd A ssy ri a , pp 376-378 . .
 THE J EWISH SABBATH 57

There is one di fference between the B a byloni a n a nd

J ewish observ a nce of the S a bb a th Acc ording t o the .

Hebrew rites the observ a nce of the S a bb a th is binding

,

up on high a nd low— every one In the Pent a te uch .

the wh ole p e ople is h oly : a m ong the B a byl oni a ns the

King a l one is h oly ; a nd the Kin g by observing these ,

restricti ons ins ures the welfa re of his p e ople The

,
.

gods c a red little for in divid ual piety in B a byl oni a a nd

Ass yri a b ut the deities kep t a w a tchful a nd j e a lo us
,

eye on their e a rthly rep resent a tive 1

.

Dr Driver s a ys
. The S a bb a th it is true a ss umed , ,

a new ch a r a cter a m ong the Hebrews ; it w a s di vested

of its he a then a ssoci a ti ons a nd m a de s u bservient to

,

ethic al a nd religi ous ends b ut it origin a ted in B a by

l oni a If however this expl a n a tion of its origin be
.
, ,

correct then it is pl ai n th a t in the B ook of Genesis

,

its s a nctity is expl ai ned unhistoric a lly a nd a nte

’

d a ted Inste a d of the S a bb a th closing the week ,

.
,

b eing s a cred bec a use God rested up on it a fter S ix

,

d a ys work of Cre a tion the work of C re a ti on w a s

’

distributed a m ong six d a ys followed by a da y ,

of rest bec a use the week ended by the S a bb a th

, , ,

a lre a dy existed as a n instit uti on a nd the writer ,

wished t o a dj ust a rtifici a lly the work of Cre a ti on t o

it. In other words the week determined the ,

d a ys of Cre a ti on not the d a ys of Cre a tion the

,

week .

1
A uthor i ty a nd A r cha ology , p . 1 8.
58 THE C HER UB IM

THE C HER U B I M .

In the Book of Genesis ( iii 24) we re a d of Cher ubim

.
,

b ut no descri p tion is given of them A descri p ti on of

.

thes e he a venl y beings is given in Ezek i In B a by

m
. .

loni a the g ods empl oyed a ngels a nd e ss e ng e fs .

Dr Delitzsch m ai nt ai ns th a t the beli ef in Cher ubim

m
.

a nd Ser a p hi m a nd gu
, a rdi a n a ngels a ttending on an ,

a r ose in B a byl oni a A B a byl oni a n m on a rch ha d a t

m
.

his di sp os a l a host of messengers t o c onvey hi s c o

,

m a nds int o every country a nd it wa s th ought th a t the

,

g ods were not behind their e a rthly represent a tives in

this m a tter a nd th a t they m ust h a ve m ul tit udes of
,

a ngels or messengers to serve them The messengers

.

were quite unique in a pp e a r a nce they ha d the int e lli

m
gence of a n so were of h um a n form pr ovided with
, ,

wings to t a ke them thr ough the a ir wi th the god s

’

mess a ge t o e a rth They a re likewise p r ovided with

.

keen eyes a nd the s wift wings of the e a gle a s their ,

chief d uty is t o g ua rd the a ppr oa ch t o the g od They .

were end owed with strength the unc onquer a ble

strength of the b ull or the a w e ins piring m a j esty of
,
-

the lion The m essengers or a ngels o f B a byloni a a nd

.

’
Assyri a resemble the a ngels in Ezekiel s visi on Other .

represent a ti ons of a ngels h a ve been disc overed s uch ,

a s th a t from the p a l a ce of Ashu rna sirp a l whi ch ha s ,

a very striking resembl a nce t o ou r conce pti on of th e se

 DEVILS 59

he a venly beings which a re sent t o minister ( Ps xci 1 1 . .

M a tt iv 1 1 xviii
. .
,
.

This is a letter of c onsol a ti on t o the Queen mother -

fr om Apl a : M other of the King my l a dy be c on , ,

s oled An a ngel of gr a ce fr om Bel a nd Neb o

g oes with the King of the l a nds my l ord ,
.

A mess a ge in the writing a ddressed t o Es a rh a dd on

,

Ma y the gre a t gods a pp oint a gua rdi a n of he a lth a nd

life a t the S ide of the King my l ord , .

The words of Na b op ola sSa r the f ounder of the ,

Ch al de a n kingd om : To the l ordshi p over the l a nd

a nd p e ople M ar d u k c a lled me He sent a t utel a ry .

deity [Cher ub] of gr a ce t o g o a t my S ide ; in ever y

thi ng th a t I did he m a de my work s ucceed
, .

D EVI LS .

Dr Delitzsch is of opini on th a t the old B a byl oni a n

.

j on ce p t ion of Ti a m a t the p rimev a l enemy of the g ods

,

is preserved in the ide a of S a t a n which a pp e a rs sever a l

,

times in the l a ter a nd l a test b ooks of the Old Test a

’
ment a nd inv a ri a bly a s m a n s enemy a nd not a s
, ,

G od s ( J ob i et s eq 1 Chr on x xi 1 Zech iii 1

’
. . . . . .

These expressi ons owe their be ginning t o the B a byloni a n

belief in dem ons which al s o rec ogni zed a n i lu li
, u m
m ,

a n d g a llu or
”
or evil god , devil , B a s reliefs .
-

entitled The C onflict with the Dr a gon were dis ,

”

covered ou the wal ls of the Assyri a n p a l a ces which ,

60 THE CONFLI CT WITH THE D RA GON
a re cent uries older th a n the op ening ch a p ters in the
B ook of Genesis representing the c onflict between the
,

p o wer o f light a n d the p ower of d a rkness which is ,

res umed with e a ch ne w da y with every S pring a s it

,

begins a new 1
.

1
S e e B a be l a nd B i ble, pp. 53, 62 , 64, 1 20 , 1 2 1 , 1 22.
 CHA PTER VIII
THE D E LUG E
IN 1 8 72 B a byl oni a n story o f the Del uge w a s dis
a

c overed by George Smith in the libr a ry of Ashurb a ni p a l

a t K ou yunik This st ory ha s the a dva nt a ge of being
.

a lm ost c om plete It forms a n epis ode in the B a by

.

lonia n n a ti on al Ep ic which describes the expl oits of

m
,

Gilga esh the King a nd her o of Ur uk ( the Erech of

,

Gen x. . B e r ossus ha d p reserved a s umm a ry of

the tr a diti on of a fl ood a nd a cc or di ng t o his n a rr a tive
,

Kr on os wa rned Xisuthros the tenth a ntedil uvi a n King

, ,

th a t the hum a n r a ce would be destr oyed by a fl ood ,

a nd b a de him t o b u ild a gre a t Shi p where his f a mily

'

a nd friends w ou ld be s a fe It is interesting t o n ote

.

th a t the a cc ura cy of B e rossus n a rr a tive is c onfirmed

’

by the c uneiform inscrip ti ons .

The Ch a lde a n st ory of the Del uge forms the eleventh

b ook of the Ch al de a n Epic of Gilga mesh or Nimr od .

The story origin a ted l ong bef ore it f ound expression

in the Epic a nd is m uch older th a n 2200 R C the time
,

when the Epic t ook its present form .

The c ontents of the B a byl oni an legend a re as follows

Gilga mesh is s uffering from a disea se He visits his .

61
62 THE LEGEND

a ncestor Pa rna pishti , who is n oted for his wis dom m ,

a nd th a t is why he is c a lled Atr a h a sis the very

wise B e r ossus c a lls hi X isut hros which wo ul d be
. m ,

in its p rim a l form H a sis Atr a Gilga mesh exp eriences -

.

m a n y a dvent ures a nd crosses the Wa ters of De a th

m m
, ,

before he s ucceeds to see Pa rna pisht i The old a n .

ha s a very y outhful a pp e a r a nce a nd being a sked a s

m
,

t o the re a s on P a rna pisht i n a rr a tes the story of the

Fl ood a nd how for his godliness his life ha d been
p reserved fr om destr u cti o n a t the time o f the Fl ood .

The gods ha d a t one time decided t o destr oy the city

m
of S u ripp a k by a fl ood b u t E a w as a nxi ous t o preserve ,

the life of Pa rna pisht i The g od did not vent ure t o .

reve a l the secrets of the gods a n d yet wa s e a ger t o

wa rn P a rna pisht i of the imp ending do om E a the m .
,

d f wisd om devised wise c ou nsel He a pp e a red t o

m
g o o .

P a rna pishti in a dre a m while a sleep in a reed hut one -

night a nd a ddressing the reed hut he s p oke a s

, ,
-
,

1
f ollows 1
R e e d hut, R e e d hut, Wa ll Wa ll , ,

R e e d hut, iste n l Wa ll pe rc e ive

m
, ,

0 a n of S hur ipp a k , S on of U ba ra tulu,

F ra m
h u b uil d a h ip
e a o se , s

F ke y u p p ty C n id y u lif
orsa o r ro er , o s er o r e,

L v b h ind ll p
ea e e i n v y u l if
a o sse ss o s, sa e o r e.

B ing up int th m id t f t h
r h ip th
o d f l if
e f ev y s s o e s e se e o e o er or t.

A f s th h ip wh i h th u h l t buil d
or e s c o s a ,

L t it f m b l ng
e s or e o

And it b dth nd it h igh t h ll b of the

s re a a me me u s e s a e sa as re .

U p n th d p t h n l un h it
”
o e ee e a c .

S e e Th M n t b y the E d it
1 Ap il 1 9 1 p 5
'

e o is ,
o r, r ,
0 ,
. 0 1.
 B UILD ING OF THE ARK 63

Pa rna pisht i mcom rehends these kindly suggesti ons

p
of Ea , a nd pr oceeds
with his work a cc ordingly Lest .

his fell ow citizens bec ome s us pici ous he is a dvised

-
,

to tell them th a t he wa s going down to the oce a n to

live with Ea bec a use Bel w a s unfriendly to the deity
of the e a rth a nd he wo u l d infl uence Bel to bestow rich
,

blessings up on the p eople

m
.

P a rna pishti w a s seven d a ys b u ilding the a rk It .

me a s ured 1 20 c ubits in height a nd 1 20 c ubits in

bre a dth cont a ining six st ories e a ch with nine cross
,

p ar titi ons It w a s covered with t a r inside a nd out

m
. .

When it w a s completed Pa rna pishti t ook a ll his ,

ossessions into the h ld — silver a nd g old a nd all kinds

p o ,

of seeds of living beings hi s fa mily his serv a nts , , ,

a nim al s of the field a nd al s o a rt ifi c e rs of a ll s orts

m
.
,

The Del uge c a me a nd P a rna pishti entered the

m
,

shi p It filled hi with a l a rm The descri pti on is

. .

impressive a nd forcible .

h
T is d a ysb ’
k
re a
1
Wa s I f
a ra id o f

To se e t he da yl ig h t 1
I s h udde re d

I e nt e re d l c k e d it d ;
t he s h ip , I o s oo r

T th g v n
o e f th h ip T P uu B l to the
o er or o e s , o z r- e , l
sa i o r,

I onfi d d th
c k e T g th e w it h ll it
e ar n t e nt s
, o e r a s co .

A n
s soo th fi t Gl w f d wn pp d
as e rs o o a a e a re ,

R f m th h iz n A b l k C l ud
ose ro e or o ac o .

R mm n “ w
a th u
a nd ing 1
In th m id t f it
as er e s o .

N e b a nd M d uk
o W e m h ing in f nt
ar er a rc ro

N inib c m f th a C u ing the t m t o bu t

e or , a s s or rs .

1
L . W . K in gt l
ra ns a t e s
“
s to r m ”
for “
da y a nd da yl igh t .

3
Ri mm on : the sto r m g od .
64 THE FLOOD DESCRIBE D
The Anunna i 1 f up the to h e k Li te d rc s,

B y t h i h n t h e y ill um in t d th e l nd
e r s ee a e a .

H d d d u t wh i l
a a
’
s R t th e k y
s -
r os e o s ,

And the l igh t f d y Wa Ch ng d into nigh t

o a s a e
”
.

The destr uctive elements — th under lightning st orm , , ,

r a in — a re uncontrolled Then the wa ters rose a s in .

b a ttle storm up on t he p eople How s plen di dl y it is .

p ortr a yed !
g hb
l ng e
m
N ot o ne sa w His ne i o ur a ny o r.

N0 l ng w o er e re r e c o g niz d Th p pl f o h e a ve n a bove
e e eo e r ,

Th g d b
e mo s e co e a ra f id of th d l ug e e e,

Th y fl d a nd
e e rose up to Anus h e a v e n ’
.

The gods could not st a nd the a wf ul terrors of the

scene they c owered like d ogs .

Isht a r the l a dy of the g ods h a ving c onsented to it

, , ,

repro a ched herself a nd cried like a wom a n in tr a v ai l

,

a t the destr u cti on of m a nkind Annuna ki sh a red in .

her l a ment a ti on
h g a n l ike a w m n in th oe
I s ta r ro s o a r s,

Th l ft y g d d
e o c i w ith l ud v i e
o e ss r es o o c ,

Th w l d f ld ha b e m
e or o m o f l y s co e a a ss o c a .

Th t I h oul d h v
a s nt d t t h i e v il a m ong the g ods
a e a ss e e
2
o s

Th a t wh n I nt d t o t h i e v il
e a ss e e s ,

I w f
as the d e t u t i n f my wn c e a tue s
or s r c o o o r r 3

Wh t I e t d wh e i it ?
a cr a e , re s

Lik o m a ny fi sh it
e s fill the s a ,
4 s e .

The st orm a pp e a rs t o h a ve g ot b eyond the contr ol

of the gods a nd n one b ut Bel a ppr oves of the wide
,

s pre a d destr ucti on th a t has been wr ought 5

.

1 The se ve n e vil spi it r s of h W ld

the N e t er or .

3 S p ken
o or o rd e re d. M y m nk ind
3 a .
4
k
M a n ind .

5
f nd A s y r b y J a st row
'

R elig i on o B a by lonia a s ia , , p . 50 2 .
 THE GOD S WEEPING 65

The gods
g th e w ith th Annun ki w pt w ith he
, to e r e a , e r.

T h g d in t h i d p
e o s, i n t d wn t w
e r p e re s s o , sa o o ee ,

P d th i l ip t g th
re ss e e rw v wh e lm e d with g i f
s o e e r, e re o e r r e

Th t m c ul d n l ng b q ui te d
e s or o o o er e e .

F i d y
or s x nd nigh t s
a s a

Wind in t m h u i n w e p t l ng ;
ra s or , rr c a e s a o

Wh n th e v nth d y iv d th t m b g n to m od a t
e se e a a rr e e s or e a er e,

Wh i h h d w g d
c a nt t l ik a g t ho t
e a co es e a re a s .

Th a qu
e se i t d d w n w ind nd a in t m
e e o d , a r s or c e a se .

P a rna pisht i mdescribes the destruction

I l k
oo d o w n upon the s e a , a nd
ed a de my v i e m und o c re so ,

B ut a ll the p e op e l
ha d re turne d 1 t o e a rt h g in a a

I wind w
o p e ne d t he o , t h l igh t f ll u
e p on my c h e e k
e ,

And b w d d w n
o Ie o , sa t nd w pt
a e .

T sfl w d v
ea r my f c
o e o er a e,

I l ok d do wn upon the w l d— n ugh t b ut

o e or a se a .

B ut
s oon the wa ters bega n to diminish a nd the l a nd
bega n to a pp e a r

f
A te r t w lv d
e e o ub l e h o urs 2
an is l a nd a ppe a re d ,

The s h ip pp a roa c h e d the m o unta in N isir ”

.

Nisir me a ns p r otecti on or s a lv a ti on . Beros

s us ha s K ordyai c M ount ai ns .

At t is h m ount a in, the m o unt N isir, the b oa t st uc kf a st .

”

The bo a t rem ai ns in this p ositi on for six d a ys ;

on the seventh d a y Pa rna pishti wished to kn ow m
whether the se a ha d a b a ted enough for him t o le a ve the
shi p .

1 Turne d t o l y c a .

3 An ar my m a ch’
s r f u
o f o rte e n h ou rs .
66 LEAVING THE AR K
Wh e n the se v e nt hd a y ca m e,

I p ut out a d o ve a nd le t he r g o
v
The d o e fl e w h ith
h h er a nd t it e r ;

B ut th we re n t ing p l
as a nd sh c m e b
o re s k -
a ce , e a ac .

Th n I p ut u
e t w ll w nd l t h g ;
o a s a o a e er o

Th e s w ll w fl w h ith nd t h ith
a o e er a e r,

B ut t h we re n t ing p l
as nd he ca m e b c k
o re s -
a ce, a s a .

Th n I put ut
e v n nd le t he g
o a ra e a r o.

Th e ra v n fl w w t he w te d
e e , sa a rs e c re a se ,

Sh e a pp h e d wing nd c a k ing b ut e turne d no m o e

roa c
,
ca a ro ,
r r .

P a rna pisht i mleft the

o ffered a s a crifice of a rk , a nd

str ong fr a nki ncense on the t op of the mount ai n t o all ure

the gods
The g do s inh l d th d u
a e e o o r,

The g do s inh l d t h
a e we t dou e s e o r,

T he g do s crow de d l ik e fl i a ound the es r s a cri fice .

There w a s a scene Isht a r the l a dy of the gods .

, ,

a pp e a red in their midst a n d sw ore th a t Bel the ,

origin a t or of the Del u ge sh oul d h a ve no sh a re of the ,

s a crifice At the m oment Bel enters a nd vents his

.
,

a n ger bec a use the pl a nned destr ucti on w a s not c omplete

In a nger he a sks
Who is h
t e re t a t h ha s e s ca p e d w ith hi l ife ? s

N0 one w a s to s urv iv e t he de struc tion

Ninib tells the fa ct th a t Ea e ffected the rescue of

P a rna pisht i m
T h e n o p e ne d Ea his m out h a nd spa k e,

H e s a id in a nswe r t o th e h e ro B e l
H o Th o uw ise s t o f the od s, t h ouh e ro g
How fool ish w a st th outo produc e a d e l ug e
 NO DEL UGE AGAI N 67

U po n t h e s inne r v i it hi in
s s s

U p on the vi i c o u v i it hi v i e
s s s c ,

B ut s h w l ng uff
o o -
s e rin g a nd do no t e x te r m ina te ,

Ha v e pa t ie nce a nd do n ot de stro y a ll
Ea tells Bel th a t he might u
p nish sinners in some
o ther wa y

Inste a d ofl g b rin in g g on a de u e ,

L t li n
e m nd d im ini h m nkind
o s co e a s a
1
.

I n t d f b ing ing on
s ea d l ug
o r a e e,

L t t ig
e m nd d im ini h m nk ind
e rs c o e a s a .

I n t d f b ing ing n
s ea d l ug
o r o a e e,

L t f m in c m
e a nd m it the l nd
e o e a s e a .

I n t d f b ing ing on
s ea d l ug
o r a e e,

Le t p til n e c m a nd wa st th l nd
es e c o e e e a .

Ea confessed th a t he wa s the indirect c a use of s a ving

P a rna pishti m
N ot h v I v l d th c unc il of the g t god
a e re ea e e o re a s

To th v e y w i
e n I se nt d e m
r se o t h u he h a
e r a s, s e rd of the c ounc i l
f th g d
”
o e o s.

Bel is rec onciled a nd is willi ng t o render some help

m
,

t o the s a ved an .

There a re t w o other texts of the B a byloni a n Del uge .

The t a blets a re fr a gments a nd in so fa r a s they h a ve ,

been underst ood they seem t o a gree with the versi on

f ound in Ashurb a nip a l s libr a ry whi le the third versi on
’

m
m
,

is s upp osed t o be wr itten a t the time of A iz a g ug a ,

a b out 2 200 a nd it di ffers m a teri a lly in det ai ls .

Wh a t wa s s a id of the striking resembl a nces between

the B a byl oni an tra di ti on of Cre a ti on a nd the story in
1 N ot de stro y it e nti e ly r .
68 RESEMBLANCES

Genesis is equa lly m a rked in the B a byl oni a n Assyri a n

-
-

story of the Fl ood which is p a r a llel t o th a t we re a d

,

in Gen vi t o ix It is imp ossible t o im a gine th a t the

. . .

t w o stories a r e q u ite unconnected AS a m a tter of fa ct

.

the c uneiform inscri p ti ons h a ve di scl osed a resembl a nce

which p oints t o no other c oncl usion th a n th a t the t w o
a r e dep endent

m
.

P a rn a pisht i is the tenth in descent fr om the first

m an N oa h is the tenth in descent fr om Ad a m .

The c a use of the Fl ood in b oth st ories is a scribed t o

the sins of m a nkind .

The purp ose of the Deluge in b oth n a rr a tives wa s

t o p unish sin

m
.

The re a s on why P a rna pisht i w a s s a ved w a s his

iety N h w reserved f the s me re s on
m
p . o a a s p or a a .

P a rna pisht i w a s f orewa rned of wh a t w a s to t a ke

l ce No h t h d visi on of wh a t w a s t o h a en
m
a a oo a a
p .
, , pp .

P a rna pisht i w a s instr ucted t o b uild a n a rk a nd r e

m
,

ce iv e d the p l a ns a nd me a s u rements N oa h w as c o
m
.

a n de d t o b u ild a n a rk a nd pl a ns a nd me as urements
,

were gi ven t o him

m
.

The seed of life of all kinds went with Pa rna pisht i

int o the a rk The s a me went with N oa h
. .

The wa ters c overed a ll the high m ount a ins a nd it is ,

a sserted th a t everythi ng living w a s destr oyed excep t

the things th a t ha d found S helter in the a rk The .

s a me f a cts a re n a rr a ted in both stories

m
.

Pa r n a i sh t i sent f orth three birds — the sw a ll ow the

p ,
 THE ANTI Q UITY OF THE LEGEND 69

d ove a nd the r a ven— t o find out if the Deluge ha d

,

s ubsided from the e a rth The d ove t urned b a ck to

.

the a rk the r a ven flew a wa y The d ove is menti oned

,
.

m
t wice in the B ook of Genesis .

After the Del uge ha d s ubsided Pa rna pishti o ffered

a s a crifice on the t op of the m ou nt a in ; s o did N oa h
m
.

Bel blessed Pa rna pishti a nd p r omi sed th a t he

,

would never a gai n destr oy the world b y a fl ood God .

mm
m a de the s a me c oven a nt with No a h .

Isht a r uplifted the r a inb ow in the fi r a e nt which ,

a n a ncient B a byl oni a n hymn c a lls the b ow of the

Del uge God m a de a c oven a nt wi th N oa h a nd
.
,

p l a ced the b o w in the cl oud .

Dr G A Smith s a ys
. . .
1
th a t the B a byl oni a n st ories
were pr ob a bly in existence a t a very e a rly d a te— a b out
3000 B C It thr ows no li ght up on the d a te of the
. .

st ory in Genesis We a re ign or a nt of the time a t whi ch

.

the Hebrews received these st ories while in their

Biblic a l f orm they exhibit s o m a ny di fferences fr om the
B a byl oni a n as t o m a ke it p r ob a ble th a t the m a teri a ls
were used by the writers of the Pent a te uch a l d ocu
ments only a fter l ong tr a diti on within a Hebrew
a tm os p here .

It is evident th a t the a cc ount of the Del uge in the

B ook of Genesis c a nn ot be the origin a l The B a by .

l oni a n Assyri a n version is m uch older Its d a te m ust

-
.

1 M ode r n Cr i ti ci s m
a nd the P r ea chi n g f
o the Old Testa m
e nt ,

pp 61 , 62
. .
70 THE BIBLICAL STORY

be fixed in the remote p as t when Isr a el did not exist .

It would be a gre a t err or t o a ssert th a t the Biblic a l

n a rr a tive of the Flood is only a c op y of the tr a di ti on
discovered on the t a blets The Isr a elitish S pirit is
.

bre a thed int o the Isr a elitish tr a diti on Religi ous .

th ought like geni us is n ot self s ust a ining not self fed

, ,
-
,
-
.

Geni us to bec ome full gr own m ust borrow from the

,
-
,

s ources of the p a st a nd present Geni us like Socr a tes

.
, ,

is a citizen of the world Sh a kesp e a re ha d t o dr ink

.

fr om m a ny a well And Wordsworth Milt on a nd

.
, ,

Tennys on went t o green p as t ures a nd la y d own by the

still wa ters Their geni us needed light a nd stimul us
.

which c ould only be derived fr om other men s res ources

’

And wh a t is tr ue of geni us is e q a lly tr ue of the religi on

of Isr a el .
 CHAPTER IX
THE C LAS S I FY I NG OF THE N ATI ON S

THERE is in the B ook of Genesis ( x ) a t a ble of the chief

.

n a tions with wh om t he a uth ors were a cqua inted The.

n a tions n a med in the ch a p ter a re m ore or less cl osely

rel a ted t o e a ch other And the c ompiler w a nts t o
.

a ssign Isr a el its rightfu l pl a ce a m ong the n a ti ons of

a ntiq u ity His ultim a te obj ect is t o give a n a cc oun
. t
of the hist ory of the ch osen p e ople He felt c omp elled
.

t o sa y something a b out the gr owth of other n a ti ons ,

t o tr a ce the origin of a ll b a ck t o a c omm on s ource a nd ,

t o S h ow how Isr a el s pr a ng fr om them After m a king

.

this cle a r he c onfines hi mself entirely t o the descend a nts

of Shem a nd f a rther o n t o a s p eci a l br a nch of the f a mily
,

of Ter a h fr om which Abr a h a m sp r an g

, .

The princi ple of the cl a ssific a tion a d op ted by the

c ompiler is n ot purely ethn ol ogic a l in the strict sense
,

of the w ord ; the p e oples or tribes imp lied in it a s

cl osely rel a ted by f a mily ties a re not s o rel a ted a t a ll .

The gene al ogic a l t a ble is merely a pict uresq ue c on

m
v e nt i ona l fas hi on of exp ressing ge o gr a p hic a l a nd p oli

tic a l rel a tionshi ps th ough the gene a l ogies a y h a ve

, m
been underst ood liter a lly by s o e re a ders In the .

71
72 No FAMILY RELATION

c a se s uch a set of ge ogr a phic al st a tistics a re a der

of

who tho ught he h a d further or m ore c orrect inf orm a

ti on would m a ke a d di ti ons or c orrecti ons in the m a rgin ,

a nd s ome of these wou ld a fterwa rds be C opied into the

. m
text Hence we a y exp ect to find here not only ,

extr a cts fr om the origin a l sources a nd edit ori a l m a tter ,

b ut al so other a d di ti ons a nd m odific a ti ons ( see verses

1 8 , 1 9 ,

The C a n a a nites ha d no bl ood rel a ti on with the -

Egyp ti a ns ( verse The Hittites ha d n o ra ci a l c on

ne ct ion with the C a n a a nites ( verse El a m a nd the
Assyri a ns were n ot c onnected by bl ood S o th a t other .

c onsidera ti ons th a n th a t of f a mily rel a ti onshi p d omi

na t e d the c om piler .

All th a t ca n be s a id of B a byloni a n a nd Assyri a n

di sc overi es in thi s c onnect i on is th a t they c ont a in
m m
n u er ous n a es of p e oples a nd tribes which ill ustra te
m a ny of the n a mes c ont ai ned in this ch a rt b ut there
m
,

is no f ounda ti on for the a ss u pti on th a t the n a mes

c ont ai ned in this cl a ssific a ti on ha d their origin in

m
B a byl oni a As syri a -
.

Gomer is a n Assyri a n n a e Gimirr a i a r a ce fre ,

quently menti oned by Es a rh a dd on (68 1 668 B C ) -

.

he S pe a ks of h a ving defe a ted the Gimirr a i Ashur .

b a nip a l ( 668 625 B C ) st a tes th a t these pe ople inv a ded

-
.

Lydi a in the d a ys of Gugu the fa m ous King of Lydi a ,

( 7 53
68 -
6
1 Gn
e e sis , b y B e nne tt, p . I 59 .
 NIMROD 73

Ma da ha s been di scovered on the t a blets whi ch is

m
,

the s a e a s M a d a i the Medes ( verse , It is often

mentioned from the time of Ad a d nira ri ( 8 1 2 783 - -

Tub a l a nd Meshech a re the Ta b a li a nd Musku of

the inscripti ons Ta b a li is menti oned first by Sh al
m
.

a ne se r II ( 8 60 8 25)
. Muskuis menti oned by Tig la th
-

il I (
m
p e s e r . 1 1 0 0

Yavan is the n a e by which the Greeks were kn own

t o S a rgon ( 722 705 -

Cush ( verse 6) a re a p e ople dwelling on the south of

Egyp t a nd a re the K ush or Kesh which a re often
,

menti oned in the E g yp ti a n inscrip tions It is doubtful .

whether the n a me Cush of verse 8 is the s a me a s

the Cush of verses 6 a nd 7 The simil a rity of n a me
m
.

a y h a ve misled the c omp iler .

Nimrod . Dr Driver s a ys
. Up on Nimr od
( verse 8) a rch ae ol og y ha s a t p resent thr own no light
s pe cul a tion ha s been busy with hi ; a nd his n a me ha s m
not hi therto be en fo u nd on the monuments Nor d oes .

a rch ae ology know of a ny one n a me which it c a n c onnect ,

a s verses 1 0 1 1 connect Nimr od b oth with the fou

, nda ,

tion of B a byl oni a n ci v iliz a ti on a nd with its extensi on

t o Nineveh B a byl on a s we kn ow from a dyn a s tic
.
,

list di sc overed by Mr T G Pinch es in 1 8 80 a m ong the

. . .

tre as ures of the British M use um p ossessed a line of ,

eleven Kings of one of wh om— Kh a mm ur a bi — r ul ing

,

2 376 2333 B c ; a nd the c ontr a ct t a blets fr om this

- . .

p eri o d which rel a te to the s al es lo a ns the letting , ,

74 NINE VEH

of h ouses fields a nd g a rdens a dop ti on, m a rri a ge in

, , ,

herit a nce etc S h ow th a t s ociety w a s a lre a dy hi ghl y

, .
,

o rga nized a nd th a t lega l f orm a lities were h a bit ua lly

o bserved .

Erech ( Gen x It is n a med a s a city of Nimr od s

. .

kingd om ( now Wa rk a ) It w a s the c a pit a l of a mighty .

King Lug a l z a g gisi whose inscri p ti ons h a ve been dis

,
-
,

c overed a nd whose r ul e w as st a ted to h a ve re a ched

,

as fa r a s the Mediterr a ne a n S e a a nd th a t before ,

4000 R C.

Nineveh is first mentioned a b out 1 80 0 B C when . .

,

under the r ule of p riest kings The e a rliest Assyri a n -

.

Ki n g kn own t o us lived a b out 1 45 0 B C . .

C a l a h ( verse 1 2) w a s built by S ha lrna ne se r I a bout .

1 300 B C
. .

The oldest c a p it a l of Assyri a w as h owever neither , ,

Nineveh nor Ca l a h b ut a city c a lled Assh ur a b out ,

sixty miles s outh of Nineveh on the west b a nk of the ,

Tigris (now K al a t sherk a t) ; this th ough n ot men’

-
,

t ione d in Gen x 1 1 is often n a med in the inscri p ti ons

. .
,

of the Assyri a n Kings a nd w a s n ot p e rm a nently s u p er ,

se d e d by Nineveh till the ninth cent u ry B C In the .

m
li ght of these f a cts it becomes imp ossible t o p l a ce the
beginnings of i p eri a l p ower a t B a byl on a nd Nineveh
within the lifetime of a single a n B ut the t w o br oa d m .

fa cts which Gen x 1 0 1 1 express— n a mely th a t . .

, ,

B a byl on w a s a n older se a t of civiliz a ti on th a n Ni neveh ,

a nd th a t Nineveh w a s a s we might s a y a y ou nger , ,

 ’
ASSYRIA S HERITAGE 75

c olony s pr ung from it — a re unquesti on a bly correct : not

,

only did Assyri a a cq u ire p olitic al imp ort a nce m uch

it wa s,
m
l a ter th a n B a byl on b ut a s the mon uments a ls o S h ow
ore over

up on the older st a te
,
,

1
.
”
,

dep endent s oci ally a nd m a teri a lly

,

1 A uthori ty a nd A r cha olog y, p. 30 .

’
 CHAPTER X
THE I N S C R IPTI ON S AN D C HR ON OLOGY 1

E X CAVATI ON S were c a rried out in Ni ffer in 1 887 under ,

the a uspices of the University of Pen nsylva ni a Niffer .

w a s a m ound sit ua ted t o the s outh e a st of B a byl on -

on a br a nch of the E up hr a tes After t w o ye a rs .

s uccessful exc a va ti ons a gre a t temple dedic a ted t o the

g o d Bel w a s disc o vered The a rchives. o f the temple
E kur were well st ocked with the offici a l legal d ocuments ,

d a tin g chiefly fr om 1 700 t o 1 200 B C when the city . .

,

w a s a t the height of its gl ory .

It sh ould be remembered th a t our p resent kn owledge

of the hist ory of B a byl oni a d a tes b a ck to a b out
0 0 0 B C F or the p eri od extending fr om a bo ut
4 . .

to the chr on ol ogy is u ncert ai n

2
0 0 0 2 30 0 BC
4 . .

Of the str uggles a nd c a mp a igns of the e a rlier Kings

Of the First Dyn as ty of B a byl on we kn o w little for , ,

al th ou gh we p ossess a c onsider a ble n umber of lega l

a n d c ommerci a l d oc u ments of the p eri od we h a ve ,

rec overed n o strictly hist oric a l inscrip ti ons Our m a i n .

1 S ee G e n iv
.
7 4,
. 1 -2
v . 1 - 32 , x i. 1 0 -32 .

2 R elig i on o f B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , b y J a st ro w , p 36

. .

76
 TABLETS DATED 77

so urce of inform a ti on is the d a tes up on these d oc u

ments whi ch a re not d a ted by the ye ar s of the rei g ning
,

King but on a system a d opted by the e a rly B a byloni a n

,

Kings fr om their Sumeri a n predecess ors In the l a tter

.

p eri o ds of B a byl o ni a n hist ory t a blets were d a ted in

the ye a r of the King who w a s reigning a t the time the
d oc ument w a s dr a wn up b ut thi s S imple system ha d
,

n ot been a d op ted a t thi s e a rly p eri od In pl a ce of

.

this we find th a t e a ch yea r was cited by the event of

gre a test imp ort a nce which occ urred in th a t ye a r .

This event might be the c utting of a c a n al when the ,

ye a r in which this t ook pl a ce mi ght be referred t o a s

the ye a r in whi ch the c an al n a med Ai khe g a llu w a s
-

cu t or it might be the b uilding of a temple a s in ,

the d a te form ul a the ye ar in whi ch the gre a t temple

-
,

of the M oon god w as bu

-
ilt or it might be the c on

q uest oi a city s uch a s the ye a r in which the city of

,

Now it will be obvious th a t

’
Kish w as destr oyed .

thi s system of d a ting ha d m a ny di s a dv a nt a ges An .

event might be of gre a t imp ort a nce for one city while ,

it might never h a ve been hea rd of in a n other district

th us it s ometimes h a pp ened th a t the s a me event w a s
not a d op ted thr ou gh out the wh ole c ountry for de sig
n a ting a p a rtic u l a r ye a r a nd the res ult w a s th a t
,

di ffere nt systems of d a ting were emp l oyed in di fferent

p a rts of B a byl oni a .M oreover when a p a rtic ul a r

,

system ha d been in use for a consider a ble time it

m
,

required a very g ood em ory t o ret ai n the order a nd

78 FIXING DATES

p eri od of the va ri ous events referred t o in the d a te

f orm ul ae so a s to fix in a m oment the d a te of a d o cu
m
,

e nt b its menti n f n f them In order t o a ssist

y o o o e o .

themselves in their t a sk of fixing d a tes in t hi s m a nner ,

t he scribes of the First Dyn a sty of B a byl on drew up

lists of the titles of the ye a rs a rr a nged in chron ologic a l
,

o rder u nder the reigns of the Kings to which they

referred . Some of these lists h a ve been rec overed ,

a nd they a r e of the gre a test a ssist a nce in fixing the

chr onology whi le a t the s a me time they furnish us

,

with c onsider a ble inf orm a ti on concerning the hist ory

of the p eri od of which we sh ou l d other wise h a ve been
1 ”
in ign or a nce The a bove gives a n idea of the B a by
.

l oni a n system of d a ting .

In settling all pr oblems c onnected with e a rly

Ch a ld aea n chr on ol ogy the st a rting p oint w a s a nd in
,
-
,

fa ct still is the p eri od of S a rgon I of Aga de in as much

,
.
,

as the d a te of his reign is settled a cc ording t o the

,

reck oning of the scribes of N a b onidus a s a b out ,

3 8 0 0 B .C It
. is tr ue th a t t h i s d a te h a s been c a lled in
questi on a nd ingeni ous s uggesti ons for a mending it
h a ve been m a de by s ome writers while others h a ve ,

rej ected it a lt ogether h oldi ng th a t it merely rep resented

,

a gu ess on the p a rt of the l a te B a byl oni a ns a nd could ,

be s a fely ign ored in the chr on ol ogic a l schemes which

they brought for wa rd B ut ne a rly every fresh dis
.

Eg et a nd We ster n A s i a i n the L ig ht
1
f
o Recent D i scov er i es ,
g
b y K in a nd Ha , p 243e t seq. ll .
 TRADITIONS CONFIR MED 79

c ov e ry m a de in the l a st few ye a rs ha s tended to confirm

s ome p oint in the tr a diti ons c urre nt a mong the l a ter
B a byl oni a ns with rega rd t o the e a rlier history of their
c ountry .C onsequently reli a nce a y be pl a ced with
, m
incre a sed c onfidence on the tr uth of s uch tr a di ti ons
a s a wh ole a nd we , a y contin u m
e to a ccep t th ose st a te
ments which yet a wa it c onfirm a tion fr om documents
more ne a rly c ontem p or a ry with the e a rly p eri od t o
which they refer It is tr ue th a t s uch a d a te a s th a t
.

a ssigned by N a bonid u s to S a rgon is not t o be rega rded

a s a bs ol u tely fixed for N a b onidus is obvio usly S p e a king
m
,

in round n umbers a nd we a y a llow for s ome min or

,

in a cc ur a cies in the c al c ul a ti ons of his scribes B ut it .

is cert ai n th a t the l a ter B a byl oni a n priests a nd scribes

ha d a we a lth of hist oric al m a teri al a t their dis p os a l
which ha s not come d own t o us We a y therefore . m , ,

a cce p t the d a te given by N a b onid u s for S a rgon of

Ag a de a nd his son Na r am Sin a s a pp r oxim a tely -

a ccu r a te a nd this is a ls o the opinion of the m a j ority of

,

”
writers on e a rly B a byl oni a n hist ory 1
The tendency .

a t p resent is t o fix the d a te of S a rg on 1 000 ye a rs

2
l a ter
m
.

One kingd om ha d done a wa y with a n u ber of sm a ll

st a tes a nd a rt c ult ure a nd civiliz a ti on were in a highly
, , ,

devel op ed st a te .

1
Eg ypt a nd Weste r n A si a i n the L ig ht o f Re ce nt D i scov er i es ,
g ll
b y K in a nd H a , p . 1 8 5 e t seq .

2 K in
, g y
M e e r, a nd ot e rs. h
80 THE TEMPLE AT NI P P UR

u
By the s bstit uti on of a gre a t a nd comp a ct empire
for the sm a ll riva l p rincip a lities int o which the country
w a s p a rcelled out a nd by the rem a rk a ble im pulse given
,

to al l bra nches of a ctivity a nd by the full exp ressi on ,

i n a ll directions of a rt a c ul t ure a civiliz a ti on the slow

, , ,

devel opment of which ha d o ccupied the p revious cen

t urie S — n a y, millenni ums — it m a rks a c ul min a ting
”

p oint in the history o f the a ncient E a st 1

.

The old temp le a t Nipp u r up on whi ch other ,

b uildings were erected is s upp osed t o h a ve been b uilt

,

n ot l a ter th a n 7000 t o 6000 The v a ses be a ring ,

l ong inscrip ti ons p resented to the s a nct ua ry of Nipp ur

,

a t a bou t 4000 B C b y the Lug al z a ggIS I a nd the n umer

.
-
,

ou s sc u lp t ured stones wi th inscri ptions rec ording the

,

p iI bli c b u ildings their, vict ories a nd their v o tive ,

m
offerings whi ch h a ve come down t o u
,
s fr om the Kings

of La gas h (now Telloh) a nd which m ust belong sub

,

st a nt i a lly t o the s a e a g e a fford concl usive evidence

,

th a t the a ct ual beginni ng of a rt a nd Civiliz a ti on in

B a byl oni a precede 4000 by m a ny cent uries not ,

t o s a y by m a ny millenni a It is p a rticul a rly observa ble

.

th a t the ar t of writin g th ough the ch a r a cters a re,

a rch a ic in typ e a n d decidedly r u

, der th a n th ose which
a pp e a r a t a l a ter a g e is a lre a dy a t the d a te j u st men
m
, ,

”
3
t ione d f a ili a rly p r a ctised
,
.

To t urn as ide for a moment to Egyp t 2

Expl or a ti ons .

1
L ig ht fr o m the E a s t, b y B a ll , p 53.
.

2 A uthor i ty a nd A r chaeolog y, p 33 . .
 EG Y PT 81

in th a t c ountry te a ch us a simil a r less on The d a te .

of Menes the first hist oric al Kin g of Egyp t is fixed by

, ,

Pr ofessor Petrie a t 4777 B C B udge a t 4400 B C . .

, . .

Exc a v a ti ons h a ve sh own th a t civiliz a ti on wa s very

a dv a nced in th a t p eri od The pyr a mids of the Fo ur th
.

Dynas ty ( 39 8 8 B C ) were highly a rtistic a nd rem a rka bly

.

finished Tr a ces h a ve been disc overed in the V alley

.

of the Nile of a r a ce th a t dwelt there bef ore the

time of Menes which w a s t ot a lly unlike the Egyp ti a n

r a ce
.

Egypt j oins with B a byloni a a nd Assyri a in pr oving

m
th a t the origin of a n m ust d a te fr om a p eri od fa r
m ore rem ote th a n th a t assigned t o him in the Old
Test a ment .

Inscri p tions in thr ee entirely di fferent l a ngua ges

h a ve been disc overed Sumeri a n B a byl oni a n a nd
-
, ,

Egyp ti a n All bel ong t o a n a g e c onsider a bly e a rlier

.

th a n the d a te given in Bibli c al chr onol ogy

Pr ofessor S a yce s a ys of the chr onol ogy th a t it is
the skelet on a s it were on which the flesh of hist ory
, ,

S ome of the e a rly Old Test a ment events a re

”
is l a id.
1

desi gn a ted t o us a s bel onging t o the a g e of Abr a ha m ,

the a g e of Exodus or t o the M os ai c a g e

, We seek in .

va in for a chr on ol ogy in the Old Test a ment till the reign
o f D a vid a nd even a t th a t c omp a r a tively l a te p eri od

m
,

we a re more in the re a l of prob a bilities th a n of fa cts .

The e a rly hi st ory of the Hebrews is like the e a rly his tory
1 The E a r ly fl i s tory f
o the Hebr e w s p, . 1 41 et se q .

6
82 B IBL I CAL D ATA
of the Egyp ti a ns in th a t it ha s n o chron ol ogy The .

Egypti a ns me a s ured time by dyn as ties before the rise

of the Eighteenth Dyn a sty a nd fr om th a t p eri od d a tes
,

were used The only trustworthy method by whi ch

.

d a tes c a n be fixed t o the events of the p a tri a rch a l

p eriod or the Exod u s is to find synchr o nism
t a b ul a r a rra ngement of c ontemp or a ry events between
the Hebrews a nd the d a ted hist ory of other p e oples or
n a tions .

Th a t it is diffi cul t t o h a rmonize the Bibli c al d a t a

a nd t o f orm a c onsistent whole is m a de evident by the

n umber of Biblic a l chr on ol ogies th a t h a ve been c o m

p iled. It is no longer p ossible t o t a ke the Old Tes t a
ment d a t a as a reli a ble b a sis There a rem a ny re a s ons
.

th a t m a ke it imp ossible Who c a n believe th a t men

.

a ct u ally lived nine h u ndred ye a rs or m ore ? And it

m
is equall y imp ossible t o believe th a t a n w as cre a ted
a t so l a te a d a te a s th a t fixed by the chr on ol ogy of the

Old Test a ment Th a t the hi st oricity of these n u bers

. m
is incredible d oes n ot do a wa y with the fa ct th a t the
au th or ha d a n obj ect in View He pr ob a bly ha d a
.

theory a nd built up on it
,
The r ound n umber ten as
.

the n umber of gener a ti ons in the first p eri od of the

’
world s hi st ory p oints t o a the ory It is n ot e as y t o
.

get a t hi s the ory on a cco un t of the di fferences in the

texts which h a ve been h a nded d own t o us
m
.

There a re re a lly three systems which a re inco

a tible a nd we sh all n a me them briefly
p ,
.
 THREE TEXTS 83

1 .The M a ss oretic Hebrew text is one It m a kes the .

p eriod fr o m the Cre a tion t o the c a ll of Abr a h am

s ol a r yea rs or
,
l una r ye a rs This n umber of
.

ye a rs is divided a s f oll ows ye a rs extending fr om

the Cre a tion t o the Deluge an d 400 ye a rs fr om the Flood
,

to the c a ll of Abr a h a m .

2 The Sep t u
. a gint is the second system of chron ology .

According to thi s reck oning s ola r yea rs or

l un a r yea rs ela psed between the Cre a tion a nd the
Fl ood whi ch a re divided as f oll ows :
, ye a rs ex
tending fr om the Cre a ti on to the birth of No a h a nd ,

600 ye a rs fr om th a t d a te to the Del uge ; a nd

m
a re

reck oned from the Deluge to the c a ll of Abra h a .

3 . The S a m a rit a n text is the third system o f c hr o n

ology . The p eri od is di vided int o t w o equa l p a rts of
ye a rs e a ch ye a rs fr om the Cre a t ion to the
birth of the s ons of N oa h a nd , c omprising the
rest of the p eriod .

In the section which describes the ten p a tri a rchs

we h a ve a pp a rently a B a byl oni a n infl uence ; the ten
p a tri a rchs seem t o c orres p ond t o the ten B a byloni a n
Kings who reigned in the a ntedil uvi a n p eriod 1
The .

Ch a lde an a cc ount as signs 1 68 myri a ds of yea rs t o the

Cre a ti on of the world where a s the Biblic a l tr a diti on
,

a ssigns 1 68 h ou rs seven d a ys for the s a me event .

m
How t o expl a in t his rem a rka ble c oincidence which
is a t the s a e time a contra dicti on ? The Biblica l
1
Gn
e esis , by G unk l e , p . 1 2 1 et seq .
84 THE C OSMOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

st a tement is in keep ing with the Jewish c onception of

’
G od s p ower in Cre a ti on The ide a is th a t God a cc o
. m
p li sh e d in o ne ho u r wh a t the Ch al de a n legend a scribed
to ye a rs .

It is rem a rk a ble th a t the n umber of weeks in the

ye a rs of Genesis is the n umber of fi v e ye a r
m
-

p eri o ds in the Ch al de a n s u ye a rs )
1
Further .

more En och the seventh in the Biblic a l list corre

, , ,

sp onds t o the seventh B a byl oni a n King who w as c all ed ,

by the sun g od int o his p resence a nd instructed in the

-
,

secrets of a str onomy a nd a str ology ?

We never find a settled e r a a definite d a te from ,

which ye a rs were c oun ted a t the very beginning or , ,

even a t a n e a rly p eri od of a n a tion s hi st ory If

’
.
,

a nyt hi ng of this kind ha s seemed to a pp e a r in e a rly

times (sever al n a tions h a ve a ttemp ted to obt ai n a

s a tisfa ct ory chr on ol ogic al meth od) it ha s a lwa ys t urned
ou t t o be in the highest degree uncert a in or re a lly t o ,

rest on l a ter c a lcul a tions The Hebrews a re no e x ce p

.

ti on t o this r ule .

It is Obvi ous th a t all these systems ( Ma ssoreti c

Hebrew text Sep t ua gint a nd the S a m a rit a n text) a re
, , ,

like the chron ol ogic al systems of the Egypti a ns the . ,

B a byl oni a ns or Hindus mere a r tifici al schemes of a n

, ,

as tr on omic al ch a r a cter a nd di ffering fr om the l a tter

,

only in their m ore m odest c omp u t a ti on of time For .

M a rti s l h l gy in E ncycq fia di a B i bli ca .

mH
’
1 a rt ic e C ro no o ’

2
S e e Old Tes ta e nt i s tory , b y H . P . Sm ith , p . 23.
 THEI R UNTR USTWORTHINESS 85

historic al p urp oses they a re worthless an d indic a te ,

merely th a t the m a teri al s for a chr on ology were entirely

wa nting The a ges a ssigned to the p a tri a rchs before
.

the Flo od for ex a mple st a nd on a level with the reigns

, ,

of the ten a ntedil u vi a n Kings of Ch al de a whi ch were ,

extended over 1 20 s a ri or ye a rs The p ost , .

dil uvi a n p a tri a rchs ar e in no be tter p ositi on ; indeed ,

one of them Ar p h a x a d is a ge ogr a phi c a l title a n d the

m
, , ,

Sep t ua gint interp ol a tes a fter hi a cert ai n K a in a n of ,

wh om neither the Hebrew nor the S a m a rit a n text

”
1
knows a nyt hi ng .

After the c a ll of Abr a h a m we a re not on an y more

s ure footing The gre a t a g e of Abr a h a m Is a a c a nd
.
, ,

J a c ob is m a rvellous very improb a ble though not quite

, ,

imp ossible a nd the d a tes recorded in the n a rr a tives

,

d o n ot al wa ys a gree There a re a pp a rent a nd t o my

m
.
,

in d re al c ontr a di ctions between cert ai n st a tements

, .

The birth of Is a a c was rega rded a s a n extr a ordin a ry

event on a cc ount of his fa ther s Old a g e b ut forty yea rs
’

m
,

l a ter six children a re b orn t o Abr a h a a fter the dea th

o f S a r a h ( Gen xxv 1 Agai n a ccording t o the chron
. .
, ,

ology of Gen xxv 26 xxvi 34 xxxv 28 Is a a c must

. .
, .
, .
,

h a ve been lying up on his de a th bed for eighty ye a rs -

.

Then a gai n explicit st a tements a re m a de with

, ,

rega rd t o the p eri od the Isr a elites were in Egyp t In .

Gen xv 1 3 Abr a h a m is t old : Kn ow of a s urety th a t

. .

thy seed sh a ll be a str an ger in a l a nd th a t is not theirs ,

1 The E a r ly H i story of the Hebr e w s , p . 14

3
.
86 IN C ONSISTENCIES

a nd S h all serve them a nd they sh al l a ffl ict them four

h un dred ye a rs .
”
In Ex od xii 40 we ar e t old . Now .

th e s oj ourning of the chil dren of Isr a el who dwelt in ,

Egyp t wa s four h undred an d thirty ye a rs

, There is .
”

a discrep a ncy betwee n thes e two a cc ou nts .

In Ge n xv 1 6 it is st a ted th a t
. . in the fourth
gen er a ti on th ey sh all come hither a ga in — th a t is ,

the children of Isr a el sh ould ret urn int o Ca n a an .

Acc ording t o this n a rr a ti ve the wor ds were s p oken t o

Abr a h a m an d the fourth gener a ti on wa s t h a t of
m
,

J oseph hi self B ut this d oes not t ally with other

m
.

st a te ents a nd s o s ome men m a ke the st a tement t o

,

refer t o Moses an d A a r on a s the fo urth gener a ti on ,

fr om Levi B ut a s a m a tter of f a ct Mos es a nd A ar on

.
, ,

did not c ome a ga in to P al estine an d the gene a logy

m
,

of the d a ughters of Zel opheh a d ( Nu xxvii 1 ) m a kes . .

the gener a ti on th a t did enter C a n a a n the seventh from

J oseph .

Time in f a ct c an n ot be reckoned by gener a tions

m
, ,

we do not kn ow how m a ny li nks in the ch a in a y h a ve

been dr opp ed : s on is Semitic i diom being fr e
m
,

quently equiv al ent t o des cend an t while the n a es a re ,

o ften merely ge ogr a p hic al like Gile a d a nd M a chir in

,

the Gene al ogy of Zel opheh a d a nd therefore h a ve no ,

chr on ologic a l v al ue
”
1
.

The c a s e is no be tter with the chr on ol ogy of the

interv al th a t e xtends fr om the Exod us t o the b u i l di n g
1 The E a r ly H i story o f the He brew s, p . 1 44.
 THE N UMBER FORTY 87

of the Temple of Solom on We h a ve here indeed a .

, ,

check in 1 Kings vi 1 which m a kes the b uilding of the

.

Temple begin in the 48oth ye a r a fter the Exod us but ,

this n umber m a kes its a pp e a r a nce a t a time when the

Temple of S ol omon wa s no m ore It be a rs more over . ,

the cle a r im press of being a rtifici a l for it pl a i nly co unts ,

from Moses t o D a vi d twelve gener a tions of forty ye a rs

e a ch which we c a n e a sily identify a s follows : Mos es
, ,

J oshua Ot hniel Ehud Deb or a h Gideon Jephth a h

, , , , , ,

S a ms on Eli S a m uel S a ul a nd D a vid If the n um be rs

, , , , .

in the Bo ok of J udges a re a dded we h a ve 41 0 ye a rs , .

It le a ves seventy ye a rs for the s oj o urn in the wilder

ness the j udgeshi p of Eli a nd S a uel the reigns of S a ul
, m ,

a nd D a vid a nd the first f ou

, r ye a rs of S ol omon ! I
need not enter into disc us si on of the uns uccessful
meth o ds which h a ve been a d op ted t o overcome or
a cc ou nt for thi s p a lp a ble diffi c ult y 1
.

Th a t the n umber 480 h owever ha s re a lly been , ,

b a sed on the n umber forty seems pr ob a ble Forty .

ye a rs in Hebrew idi om merely signified a n inde t e r

min a te a nd unknown p eri od of time a nd the Mo a bite ,

st one sh ows th a t the s a me i di om exi sted al s o in the

M oa bite l a ngua ge Mesh a s a ys in t he inscri pti on
.

Omri took the l a nd of Medeb a a nd [Isr a el]dwelt in ,

it d uring his d a ys a nd h al f the d a ys of his s on a lto ,

gether forty ye a rs The re a l length of time wa s not

.

1 The E a r ly His tory f the He br e w s

o , p . 1 42 e t seq . C h rono o l gy
in E ncyclopd di a B i bli ca
'

.
 88 CORRECT CHRONOLOGY

mre th n fifteen ye rs Thus Abs a l om is s ai d in

m
o a a .
,

2 Sa . xv 7 t o h a ve a sked p ermissi on t o le a ve
.
,

Jer us al em a fter forty ye a rs

”
1
a lth ough the length of ,
”

time w a s little m ore th a n t w o ye a rs The p eri od of .

forty ye a rs whi ch meets us a ga in a nd a ga in in the

,

B ook of J udges is simply the equiv al ent of a n unkn own

,

length of time : it den otes the wa nt of m a teri a ls a nd

the c onsequent ign or a nce of the writer Twenty the .
,

h al f of forty is equa lly a n expressi on of ign or a nce a nd

,

the only d a tes a v a il a ble for chr on ol o gy a re th ose which

represent a definite s p a ce of time like the eight ye a rs
m
,

of Ch ush a n risha t hai s oppre ssI on of Isr a el or the S ix

’
-
,

ye rs o J e pht ha h s j udg e ship

f
’
?
a

For Hebrew chr on ol ogy we m ust l ook outside the

Bible itself At cert a in p oints Hebrew his t ory c omes
.

int o t ouch with the m on ument a l rec ords of Egyp t ,

B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a a nd if we a re t o d a te the events

, ,

it rec ords it m ust be by their ai d F or a l ong p eri od

, .

Egyp t w a s with out a chr on ol ogy a nd in thi s resp ect ,

it w a s in the s a me st a te as the Isr a elites B ut we a r e .

on s u rer gr ounds in B a byl oni a a nd Assyr i a In B a by .

l oni a d a tes were fixed by the reign of the Ki ngs a nd the

events of the severa l ye a rs of e a ch reign The g re a t .

c ommerci a l rel a ti ons of the c ountry a nd the c ontr a cts ,

th a t were c onst a ntly m a de between p a rties me a nt ,

th a t ex a ct d a ting w a s a necessity in the l a nd The .

1 S m v
o e e rsio ns re a d
“
f
o ur .

2 The E a r ly H i story o
f the H ebr ew s, p . 1 45 e t se .
q
 ASSYRIAN CHRONOLOGY 89

Assyri a ns were m ore p recise in their b usiness tr a ns

a cti ons th a n even their neighbo u rs the B a byl oni a ns
a nd of a ll the Orient al n a ti ons the hist oric a l instinct

w a s m ore highly devel op ed in the Assyri a ns th a n in

a ny of the others . And a t a n e a rly a g e a n a ccur a te
system of chr on ol ogy ha d been devised B ut the lists
.

hithert o disc overed a re of a comp a r a t ively l a te d a te ,

a b ou t 1 000 B C a nd fr om 9 09 to 666 B C we h a ve a
. . .

1
reli a ble rec ord of t 1me .

1 The E a r ly H i story of the He br ew s, p . 1 47.

 CHA PTER XI
THE TO WER OF B AB EL
THE st ory of the Tower of B a bel ( Gen xi 1 9) s uggests
m
-
. .

th a t it c a e from B a bylon N 0 simil a r B a byl oni a n

.

legend ha s been discovered We h a ve in thi s st ory

.
,

I n the interp ret a ti on of the w ord B a bel a n ex a m ple ’

of th a t c u ri ous e t yrnologiz ing which I h a ve s o often

referred to ~
.Pr op erly B a bel or B a b ilu t o give the
,
-
,

’
o rdin a ry B a byloni a n f orm me a ns , the ga te of God .

It is here interp reted a s mea ning c onfusi on 1 ”

M a nkind settled in B a byl oni a a s one c omm unity ,

h a vin g one l a ngua ge in c omm on The inh a bit a nts

.

decided t o b uild a city a nd a tower th a t they might keep

t ogether . B ut Y a hweh p erceived a d a nger in th a t
they might bec ome t oo p owerful ; he m a de them sp e a k
different l a n g ua ges s o th a t they c oul d not under
,

st a nd one a n other they were s ca ttered over the fa ce of

,

u
”
the e a rth . Hence the city w a s c lled conf si n
a o 2 .

Simil a r stories of one origin a l l a n gua ge a re cited from

other folk l ore
-
.

It is ev ident fr om the n a rr a tive in Genesis th a t the

1 E a r ly H e bre w S tory , b y Pe te rs, p . 260 .
2 G e nesi s , b y B e nne t t .

go
 THE TOWER LO C ATED 91

B a byloni a n c ult ure a nd a nti quity m a de a deep impres

sion up on the minds of the Isr a eli tes .

It is difficul t to sa y for cert ai n wh a t t ower is referred

to. It ha s often been s upp osed to be the Ziggur a t
( or Zikk ur a t fr,o m the verb z u kkuru to elev a te ) , ,

which is a m a ssive p yr a midic a l t ower a scending in ,

st a ge like terr a ces with a tem ple a t the t op

-
,
1
This .

is now c a lled B irs Nirnroud It stood in the immedi a t e

.

neighb ourho od of B a byl on a t B orsipp a In one of .

his inscri p ti ons Neb uch a dnezz a r s a ys of this Zigg ur a t

th a t a f ormer King ha d b uilt it a nd c a rried it up t o the
height of forty t wo ells but ha d never c ompleted it
-
, .

It ha s l ong since fa llen into dec a y Any tr a veller in.

B a byl oni a m ust h a ve observed t hi s striking r ui n in the

immedi a te neighbour h ood of the c a p it al a nd a s he ,

p ondered o ver the me a ning of these str a nge str uct ures
in gener al he must h a ve a sked hi mself in p a rtic ul a r
,

o ou
why this tower of en rm s size as never finished
w ?

Dr Peters s a ys th a t two di fferent q uesti ons a re

.

a nswered in this B a bel st ory as we h a ve it whi ch

, ,

s uggests th a t we h a ve t wo st ories c ombined in one .

One questi on : Why d o men S p e a k di fferent l a ngua ges

If a ll p e ople h a ve descended fr om the s a e a n why mm ,

d on t they h a ve one a nd the s a me l a ngua ge ? The

’

sec ond question : Wh a t is the origin a nd purp ose of

th ese mighty p yr a mids th a t exi st in the l a nd
1 R e lig i on f B a by loni a
A ssy r i a , p . 61 5 e t
nd
'

o a se
q .

3
E a r ly Hebr e w S tory , p. 2 61 .
92 TWO Q UESTIONS ANSWERED
Now whether the tra veller drew the a nswer to the
,

first question out of hi s own im a gin a ti on or whether ,

the p e ople of the c ountry ga ve him the tr a diti on we ,

c a nn ot sa y B ut the a nswer is f ound in a story

.

)
’

( c o mm o n in other myth o l o gies of m a n s ins olent

a mbiti on t o m a ke himself eq u al t o the g ods t o c ontend ,

with them a nd t a ke p ossessi on of he a ven itself

, Ma n .

s ought this obj ect by erecting a t ower in step s one

a b ove the other God i nterfered c onfused the l a ngua ge
.
,

of the men s o th a t they c ou ld not sp e a k one t o a nother ,

a n d then sc a ttered them int o di fferent n a ti ons

1

m
.

The other p a rt of the st ory which a y h a ve been a

,

p a rt a t first of a sep a r a te legend is b a sed on a wr ong ,

interpret a ti on of the word B a bel The me a ning

m
.

a y h a ve been pu t int o it a nd not derived fr om it

m
, .

It a y h a ve been a n a ttem pt t o expl ai n the c onditi ons

th a t existed a t the time In the city of B a bel or B a byl on
.

men fr om all p a rts of the kn own world met Di ffer .

ent c ust oms a nd l a ng ua ges c a me with the men Ta king .

this city all in al l it m ust h a ve been a c onfusi on of

,

t ong ues There wa s a mixt ure in the l a ngua ges

. In .

the di fferent qua rters of the city itself there were the
s a me c onditi ons on a sm a ller sc a le a s in the world a t
, ,

l a rge In the origin a l st ory the c onfusi on of t ongues

.

w as br ought a b out p ossibly by the g ods b ut when it ,

bec a me p a rt of the religi on of Isr a el God c a used the ,

c onfusi on .

1 E a r ly He br e w S tory, pp . 261 , 2 62.

 ’
TRAVELLERS TALES 93

As I h a ve s ai d n o p a r a llel myth or legend ha s yet

,

been found in the B a byl oni a n records a nd indeed this , ,

st ory s ounds r a ther like tra vellers t al es t old by S i mple

’

b ut p io us Isr a elites who ha d visited the dist a nt l a nd

,

m
of B a bylon a nd br ou ght h ome t a les of its wonders an d
their expl a n a ti on of the s a me p a rtly a s they he a rd them
,

there p a rtly a s they themselves exp ounded the

”
1
.
,

1 E a r ly He bre w S tory , p . 2 63.

 CHAPTER XI I
FROM AB RAHAM TO J OS E P H
WE will limit our observ a ti ons t o Gen xi 27 32 . .
-
.

And H a r a n died before his fa ther Ter a h in the l a nd

of his n a tivity , in Ur of the Ch a ldees ( verse
Ur ( Ass Uru) w a s a n imp ort a nt C ity a nd much
.
,

m ore a ncient th a n B a byl on Tw o of the e a rly Kings

.

of Ur— Ur b a u a nd hi s s on D u
-
ngi ( a bout 2800 B C ) . .

h a ve left engr a ved cylinders numerous b uildings , ,

works of a rt in Ur a nd in the s urr ounding t owns Ur .

w a s a n imp ort a nt c ommerci al centre The E uphr a t es

m
.

r a n a lm ost by its ga tes a nd formed a me a ns of c o

m
,

unica t ion wi th Upp er Syri a while the city ha d r oa ds

,

th a t j oined it with So uthern Syri a a nd with Ar a bi a .

The well kn own g od of Ur w a s Sin the m oon g od

m
- -
.
,

The Ch a ldees ( Heb K a sdi )

. Profess or S a yce is
.

of opini on th a t the w ord Ch a ldees did n ot bel ong

1
o ri gi n a lly t o U r a nd th a t it is of Pa lestini a n a dditi on

m
.
,

K a sdi is the Hebrew word for Ch al dees a nd the ,

B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n f orm is K al du Ch al

m
d a ns
'

It is a tribe which is often menti oned in

1
m
M onu e nts, p . I 58 e t seq .

94
 HARA N 95

the inscri pti ons from 880 B C The Ch al dees settled . .

a t th a t time in L ower B a byl oni a ( the Persi a n G u l f is

c a lled the se a of the l a nd of K al dtI a nd a s they
'

devel op ed in stren g th a nd infl uence they gr a dua lly

m oved i nl a nd In 721 B C Mer od a ch b a l a d a n
. King
. .
-
,

m a de himself for twelve ye a rs

”

of the l a nd of K aldfi ,

King of B a bylon a nd ultim a tely under Na b op olas sa r ,

6
( 5 52 -
60 a nd Neb uch a dnezz ar 0 5 6
( 4 1 B C ) the
6 -
.

K al dtI bec a me the r uling c as te in B a byl oni a 1

‘

H ar a n (verse 28) Thi s w ord ha s presented a gre a t

de al of di ffi culty The initi a l letter ( He) of this
.

n a me in Hebrew is different fr om th a t ( Heth) of the

p l a ce H a r a n in verses 3 1 32 Nevertheless it h a s,
.
,

been s upp osed th a t the one is a c orr up ti on of the other ,

”
2
a nd th a t thi s H a r a n is the pl a ce p ers onified This .

is a d oubtful the ory we a re uncert ai n whether H a r a n

m
is the n a e of a pl a ce a p eople a de ity or a n indi , , ,

vidual
m
.

It is true th a t a n a ncient city n a ed H a r a n or

Kh a rr a n has been disc overed Its site is on the b a nk .

of the B eli kh a trib ut a ry which r uns int o the

,

E up hr a tes If we c omp a re Gen xxiv 1 0 An d the

m
. . .

serv a nt t ook ten c a els of his m as ter a nd depa rted ,

for all the goods of his m a ster were in his h a nd : a nd

he a rose a nd went t o Mes op ot a mi a unt o the city of
, ,

N a h or —wi th Gen xxvi i 43 Now therefore my son

. .
, ,

1
Gn e e si s , b y D ri ve r, p . 1 41 Gn e esis, b y B e nne tt, p . 1 73.
2 Gn e e s i s, by D r iv e r, p . 1 41 .
9 6 AN IM PORTANT CITY

o bey my v oice a nd a rise flee thou t o La b a n my brother ,

”
t o H a ra n it a pp e a rs th a t Kh a rr a n wa s in Mes op o
m m
-

t a mi a in the Hebrew A r a N a ha ra i
, , Ar a m -

( or Syri a ) of the two rivers 1

The Egyp ti a n inscrip .

ti ons menti on this regi on under the n a me Na ha rina

m
,

a nd the Tel e l—A a rn a letters ( a b ou t 1 400 under

m m
-

the n a mes Na khri a a nd Na ri a The Hebrew .

desi g n a ti on is cle a rer th a n the Engli sh The regi on .

north e as t of Pa lestine wa s inh a bited l a rgely by

m m
-

Ar ae a n ( or Syri a n) tribes a nd Ar a m of Na ha r a i ,

den otes th a t p a rt of the regi on which la y between the

t w o rivers whether the rivers me a nt be the E up hr a tes
’

a nd the Tigris in the u pp e r p a rt o

,
f their c ou rses or a s , ,

others think m ore p r ob a ble the E u p hr a tes in its u pp er,

c ourse a nd the H a b or ( 2 Kings xvii xviii now

m
. .
,

the Kha b our a river fl ow g i nt o the E uphr a tes from

,

the n orth s ome dist a nce t o the e as t of the B e likh

,
.

Kh a rr a n w a s a very imp ort a nt city for th ous a nds of

ye a rs though there is n othing rem a ining of it excep t
,

a few m ou nds a nd the rem a ins of a mediev al c a stle .

The n a me frequently occurs on the Assyri a n t a blets .

Sin the M oon god wa s worshipp ed here And N a b o

,
-
,
.

n a id the l a st King of B a byl on ( 555 5 38

’

,
rest ored -
,

a cc ording t o two of hi s inscri p tions the tem ple of the ,

?
M oon g od in Ur a nd Kh a rr a n
-

It is st a ted th a t Abr ah a m s h ome w a s in Ur a nd th a t

’

he left Ur a nd settled in Ca n a a n B ut Gen xi 28 . . .

‘
1 A uthor i ty a nd A r cha ology , p 37. .
2 I bi d .
,
p .
38 .
 UR 97
’

st a tes th a t Ur wa s the l a nd of Abr a h a m s birthpl a ce ,

where a s in Gen xxiv 7 the s a me words a re a pplied

. .

( a s a pp e a rs fr om a c om p a ris on of verse 4 a nd xxvii 43) .

t o Kh a rr a n ; a nd a ls o other p as s a ges in Genesis c onvey

the ide a th a t the writers t ook Kh a rr an t o be the

dwelli ng pl a ce of Abr a h a m s ki ndr e d Tw o tra diti ons
’
-
. ,

s a ys Dr Driver seem t o h a ve been c urrent with rega rd

.
,

t o the p rimitive h ome of the Hebrews one c onnecting ,

them with Ur in S outh B a byl oni a the other c on

m
, ,

eeting them with Kh a rr a n in N orth West Mes op o

m
-
,

t a i a It sh ould be n oted tha t the n a mes of Hebrew

.

or C a n a a nitish p ers ons who resided in B a byl oni a even ,

before the a g e of Abr a h a m h a ve been disc ove red on

,

c ontr a ct t a blets a nd it serves t o p r ove th a t gre a ter

,

s oci a l a nd c ommerci a l interc our se existed between

B a byl oni a a nd the West th a n w a s th ought p ossible a t
on e time B ut it c a nn ot be p ositively s ai d th a t
.

Abr a h a m migr a ted from Ur N othi ng t o th a t e ffect .

h a s been disc overed hithert o in the inscri p ti ons .

LOT S RE S C U E
’
.

In the B ook of Genesis ( xiv ) we h a ve a n a cc ount of .

t he resc ue o f Lot a nd his retin ue .

Verses 1 1 2 F our Ki n gs fr om the E a st defe a t the

-
.

five Kings of the V a lley of the J orda n ( Sod om a nd

G om orr a h) The five Kings a re defe a ted in the V a le
of Siddim The c onquer ors s p oil the cities a nd Lot
.
,

is c a rried a wa y c a p tive .
 8
’

9 LOT S RESC UE

In this ch a p ter we de al with rec ords th a t a re t o

s ome extent c onfirmed by the B a byl oni a n inscrip ti ons .

Th a t Amr a p hel King of Shin a r ; Ari och King of Ell as a r

, ,

Ched orl a omer , King of Ela m ; a nd Tid a l King of

m
,

n a ti ons were hist oric al p ers on a ges a y be a ss umed a s

,

a cc u r a te. They a re not myth ol ogic al ch a r a cters It .

is very pr ob a ble th a t Ela m wa s a t one time the gre a test

p ower in the co untries th a t la y e as t of the E uphr a tes ,

which verses 5 9 a nd 1 7 im ply ; a nd it is quite likely

.
, ,

th a t the d omin a nt p ower of the e a stern c ountri es held

a cert ai n swa y over Pal estine d u ring the s a me p eri od ,

a nd wa rlike exp e diti ons simil a r t o the one described in

this ch a p ter were not unc omm on Th a t the f our .

E a stern Kings n a med in this ch a p ter were c ontem

p o r a r i e s is p r ob a ble a nd a lso th,at El a w a s the m o st m
d omina nt p ower of the f our a t the time To th a t .

extent the inscri pti ons c onfirm the a uthenticity of this

1
n a rr a tive .

Whether these E a stern Kings undert ook a j oint ex

p e di t i o n a g a inst P al estine or a g a inst the Cities
, o f
S od om a nd Gom orr a h a nd whether a battle w a s ,

f ought in the mysteri ous V a lley of Siddim which w a s ,

n oted for its slime pits we c a nnot s a y The inscrip

-
, .

ti ons neither c onfirm nor deny the n a rr a tive No .

menti on is m a de by a ny t a blet of Abr a h a m Lot or , ,

Melchizedek .

The m on uments a ga in th ough th e y h a ve

, ,

1 Gn
e es is , b y B e nne tt , p . 1 8 5.
 NO LIGHT FROM THE INSCRI PTION S 99

m
thr own so e light on the Kings n a m e s menti oned in
’

Ge n xiv 1 a nd h a ve sh own th a t it would be no i

. .
, m
ossib ili ty f r a B a byl oni a n or El a mite King of the
p o

twenty third century B C t o undert a ke a n exp editi on

-
. .

t o the F ar West th a t no mention of the pa rti cula r

,
.

exp editi on recorded in Gen xiv they c onsequently .

,

f urnish no indep endent corr ob or a ti on of it nor do ,

they c ontrib ute a nything t o neutr al ize t he impr ob a

bilit ies which rightly or wrongly h a ve be en s upp osed
, ,

t o a tt a ch t o det a ils of it They thus fa ll fa r short

.

of dem onstr a ting its hi st oric al ch a r a cter ( Mr Grote . .

l ong a g o p ointed out the fa ll a cy of a rguing th a t beca use

a given p ers on wa s historic al therefore a pa rtic ul a r
m
,

expl oit a ttributed t o hi by tra diti on wa s hist oric a l

likewise ) And still less do they dem onstr a te th a t the
m
.

r Ole a ttrib u ted t o Abr a h a in the s a me ch a p ter is

hi st oric al The evidence for b oth these fa cts rests a t
.

p resent s olely up on the evidenc e of the B ook of Genesis

itself Up on the s a me testim ony we
. a y believe m
Melchi zedek t o h a ve been a hist oric a l figure wh ose ,

mem ory w a s h a nded d own by tr a diti on ; b ut no evi

dence of the fa ct is a fforded by the tr a diti on a l inscrip
”
1
ti ons
m
.

Hence ar ch ology by itself d oes not a t p resen t .

est a blish the a uthenticity of the wh ole ch a p ter It is .

tr ue as we h a ve s a id th a t cert a in Kings menti oned

, ,

here a re sh own t o be hist oric al p ers on a ges ; b ut we

1
Gn
e esi s, b y D ri v e r, pp . x l ix, l .
 1 oo JOSEPH

c a nn ot therefore c onclude th a t the wh ole a cc ount is

a cc u r a te hist ory a ny m ore th a n we ca n a rg ue th a t Sir
,

Wal ter Sc ott s A nne of Gei erstei n is thr ough out a c orrect
’

a cc ou nt of a ct ua l events bec a use we kn ow th a t Cha rles

the B ld o a n d M a rga ret o Anj ou were re al p e ople
f 1
‘
.
”

Sch ola rs a re divided a s t o the hist oric a l v al ue of the .

ch a p ter S ome a re incli ned t o a ccep t it a s s ubst a n

.

t ia lly a rec ord of fa cts ; others find li ttle or n othing

hist oric a l beyond the n a mes of the four Kings ; while

others occu p y p ositi ons intermedi a te b etween these
’
extremes 1
.

J OS EP H ?

Acc ording t o Biblic al criticism m ore th a n one a uth or ,

ha s written the st ory of J osep h 3

If s o it is m ore . .
,

di ffic ult t o underst a nd the hist ory of J osep h To keep .

strictly t o the t itle of this b ook one sh oul d not enter

the l a nd of Egyp t a t a ll B ut we wish t o m a ke a . .

digressi on in this brief tre a tment of the ever fas cin a ting -

st ory of J oseph These ch a pters give a n insight i nt o

.

s ome of the c ust oms the events of Egyp ti a n hist ory , ,

Egyp ti a n s oci a l a nd p olitic a l life a nd Egyp ti a n liter a ,

t ure which a re c onfirmed by the Egyp ti a n inscrip ti ons .

J oseph s exp eriences with P otip h a r a nd his wife

’

) e held by m a ny schol a rs t o be
( Gen xxxix
.
7 e t s e q. a r .

1
G e nes i s, by D ri e r, pp v . 1 8 5- 1 87.
2
S ee G e ne s is i , xxx x l . .

3
J o s e ph ,
'

in Ha s t in g s
’
B i ble D i cti ona ry ; in t h e E ncy clop e di a
B i bli ca ; The B ook o f G e ne s i s , b y D ri v er ; Ge nes i s , b y B e nne t t .
 AN UP AND BATA 1 01

a versi on of a n Egyp ti a n r om a nce entitled The T a le

of the Tw o Br others The t al e c a n be tr a ced b a ck t o
.
”

the Eighteenth Dyn a sty a nd it is m ai nt ai ned th a t the ,

r om a nce is gr a fted t o a n Isr a elitish trib a l her o F or the .

c om plete t al e we m ust a sk the re a der to t urn elsewhere 1

.

There were two br others— the elder An up the younger ,

B a t a — who were m uch a tt a ched t o e a ch other B a t a .

m a n a ged Anup s a ffa irs with g re a t s uccess One d a y

’
.

when they were pl oughing together B a t a c a me to the

h ouse for some seed le a ving An up in the field Anup s
’
.
,

wife tempted B a t a with out s uccess a nd when An up ,

ret urned in the evening his wife t old him th a t B a t a

ha d outr a ged her An up r ushed out t o kill B a t a who
.
, ,

h owever wa s pr otected by Re the S un g od a nd a t l a st

, ,
-
,

c onvi nced An up of his inn ocence where up on An up ,

went h ome a nd killed his wife The end of the st ory .

resembles the end of the st ory of J os ep h B a t a ha d .

a n a dvent u r ous c a reer which is ch a r a cteristic of f a iry

,

t a les a nd ultim a tely bec a me the King of Egyp t

,
.

The c onditi ons of the semi Asi a tic r ule of Amen

m
-

hot e p IV a nd his a pp a rently Semitic Vizier J a nha u

.
, ,

m
’
seem t o be reflected in the story of Joseph s pr om oti on
t o f a v our a nd his g ov e r ne nt of Egyp t The his . .

t ori a n ( or st oria n) of J oseph wa s fa mili a r a ls o with , ,

the p ec uli a r a gr a ri a n conditi ons of Egyp t d a ting fr om ,

a still e a rlier p eri od b ut c onnected by him with the

,

1
L if e i n A nci ent Egypt , b y E r m a n, En lisg ht ra ns a t io n , l p 378
.

m
et se q ; Egypt i a n Ta les , b y P e t rie ii .
, p 36
. et s eq ; M on u
e nts , by S y a ce , p . 20 9 e t seq .
1 02 EGY PTIAN N AMES

her o of his st ory The Egypti a n n a mes used in the

.

n a rr a tive on the other ha nd a pp e a r t o bel ong t o a

, ,

much l a ter p eri od not e a rlier cert ai nly th a n 1 000 B C

, , , . .

m
’
Alt ogether we h a ve in Joseph s st ory a m ost i nteresting
c o bin a ti on of elements from v a ri ous s ources a nd
p eri ods wove n t ogether wi th s uch a rt a s t o give a
,

vivid person a l n a rr a tive

, .

The fa cts which the E g ypti a n inscripti ons h a ve

discl osed fa v our the the ory th a t the st ory of J oseph
w a s written in a c omp a r a tively l a te p er i od It is not .

st a ted which Ph a r a oh r uled a t the time Nor is it

m
.

st a ted in Ex odus The Egyp ti a n n a e Za phna th

.

P a ne a h a nd other simil a r n a mes h a ve been dis

-

covered for the first time in the Twentieth Dyn a sty

( 1 300 b ut oftener in the Twenty Sec ond Dyn a sty -

( 1 000 Asna t h a nd other n a mes were f a mili a r

in Egypt a nd h a ve been found on the t a blets l a ter
,

th a n the a g e of J oseph.
It is very seld om th a t Asn a th
.

is met with e a rlier th a n the Twenty Seco n d Dyn a sty -

.

The c ombin a tion in a single n a rr a tive of n a mes a ll

, , ,

otherwise r a re or u nkn own a t a n e a rly p eri od is re

m
,

m a rk a ble ; a nd th ough fut ure disc overies a y c orrect

the inference it is imp ossible not t o feel th a t it cre a tes
,

a p res u
”
mpti on a ga inst their being hist oric a l 1
.

We must a dmit th a t while a rch aeol ogy ha s richly

,

m
illustr a ted the p ossibility of the m ain outline of the
B ook of Genesis fr om Abr a h a t o J ose ph it ha s not ,

1
A uthori ty a nd A r cha olog y, p 5 2 . .
 NO LIGHT FROM THE TABLETS 1 03

one whit of pro of to Offer for the pers on a l existence or

ch a r a cters of the Pa tri a rchs themselves B ut .

a midst a ll the cr owded life we p eer in v ai n for a ny

tra ce of the fa thers of the Hebrews we listen in v a in ,

for a ny menti on of their n a mes This is the wh ole

m
.

ch a nge a rch ology ha s wr ought : it ha s given us a

b a ckgr ound a nd a n a tmos phere for the st ories of
Genesis ; it is un a ble to rec a ll or t o certify their , ,

”
1
her oes .

1 M ode r n Cr i ti ci s m an d the P r ea chi ng f

o the Old Tes ta m
e nt

by G . A . Sm ith , pp . 1 0 1 , 1 0 2.
 CHAPTER XII I
THE KI NGS OF I S RAE L AN D J U DAH
TH OUG H the inscrip ti ons thr ow s ome light on the
foreign tribes or pl a ces or d e ities which a r e rec orded
in the b ooks which st a nd between the Pent a te uch a nd
the B ooks of Kings yet the hist ory of them rem a ins
,

in obsc urity . D uring the wh ole p eri od fr om Meren

p t a h t o the divisi on of the kingd om under Reh ob oa m
there is no menti on up on the m on uments a t present
,

kn own either of the Isr a elites in gener al or of indi

, ,

vidua l le a ders or Kings or of a ny of the foreign wa rs

,

or inv as i ons by which during this p eri od the Old

, ,

Test a ment describe s them a s being a ss ai led . S o fa r

a s the inscri p ti ons a r e c oncerned the hist ory of Isr a el
,

during the entire p eri od is a bl a nk 1

.
”

B ut the ep och th a t c overs the B oo ks of Kings is

di fferent . On a M oa bite inscripti on a re the n a mes of
Omri a nd Ah a b . It is evident th a t there were very
intim a te rel a ti ons between Assyri a a nd Isr a el a nd
J ud a h fr om 9 00 B C The di rect rel a ti ons between
.

Assyri a a nd the other t w o n a ti ons during th a t p eri od

1 Author i ty a nd A r cha olog y, p . 80 .

104
 OMRI AND AHAB 1 05

s urp a ssed a nything th a t went bef ore so fa r a s we c a n

,

tell Assyri a n S plend our w as a t its height ; a nd the

.

Kings of Assyr i a in t heir freq uent milit a ry expediti ons

, ,

often c a me int o h ostile rel a ti on with the t ribes of

Western As i a And for th a t re as on occ a si ons pre
.

sent e d themselves for the Kings of Isr a el and J ud a h

t o be menti oned by n a me or for public events t o be
,

inscribed in the Assyri a n a nn al s which a re rec orded

in the Old Test a ment .

The light of the t a blets c a nn ot be c onfined t o the

p eri od c overed by the Kin gs ; the inscri p ti ons s upp ly
v al ua ble inf orm a ti on th a t sheds a fl ood of light up on
the p r ophetic a l writin gs of the Old Test a ment res p ect
ing the p olicy an d m ovements of the Assyri a n Kings ,

a nd serve t o ill u min e m a ny a n obscure s a ying a nd a

d a rk p a ss a ge .

The first Hebrew n a mes th a t h a ve been disc overed

on the Assyri a n t a blets a re Omri a nd Ah a b ; fr om th a t

time onwa rds the n a mes of Benh a d a d ( who w a s King

over Syri a d u ring the reign of Ah a b ) Jehu H a z a el , , ,

Pe k a h Aha z a nd Hezeki a h a re menti oned There a r e r e

, , .

’ ’
c orded Tig la t h pile se r s inv a si on of Pa lestine S a rg on s
-
,

c onquest of S a m ar i a Syri a s overthr ow by Senn a

’

c he rib a nd his m a rch a s fa r as Jer u

,
s al em the trib u te ,

which he levied a nd his dis a pp e a r a nce in the directi on

,

of the N orth .

Biblic a l criticism ha s not c a st a ny d oubt up on the

n a mes n or the fa cts which a re n a rr a ted in these b ooks
, .
1 06 THE DATES OF THE BOOKS OF K INGS

The critics h old th a t the B ooks of Kings were c om piled

fr om well kn own c ontemp or a ry hist ories
-
The critics .

a re of op ini on th a t l a ter interpol a ti ons h a ve been

inserted which a re of less hist oric al v a l ue — na rr a tives
1
th a t receive no light wh a ts oever fr om the inscri pti ons .

Wh a t critics h a ve j udged t o be l a te a nd prob a bly of ,

less historic v a l ue h a ve been cert a in n a rr a tives for

, ,

which a rch aeol ogy has n o evidence t o o ffer as well a s ,

the fr a mework in which the e di t or ha s b ound the wh ole

hist ory a nd s up p lied out of a gener al scheme a
, , ,

chr on ol o gy fr om the st a ndp oint of a l a ter a g e a re

, ,

lig i ous sentence on e a ch m on a rch s reign

’
?

The chr on ol ogy of the Bo oks of Kings is in a cc ur a te .

Even the chr onology of the di vided kingd om a fter

the de a th of S ol om on in S pite of the synchr onisms the ,

c ompiler of the B ooks of Kings has ende a v oured t o

est a blish be tween the Kings of J ud a h a nd th ose of
Isr a el ha s been the des pa ir of hist ori a ns a nd scheme
, ,

a fter sc heme has been p r op osed in order t o m a ke it ,

self consistent
-
The Assyri a n m on uments h owever
.
, ,

h a ve now c ome t o our help

”
3
F or while testifying .
,

t o the re a lity of Omri Ah a b Jeh u a nd s ome of their , , ,

s uccess ors a s well a s of the le a di n g events of the

,

1
I . a n d I ] B oohs . of Ki ng s, b y P ro f
e sso r S kinn er se e t he
t t
uc io n
m
ro d

m
In .

2 M oder n Cr i ti cis a nd the P r ea ching of the Old Tes ta e nt, p 66 . .

3 The E a r
ly H i s tory of the H e br e w s , by S a y c e , p 1 46 F or the . .

g
c h ron ol o y o f t he H e b re w k g
in do m s, se e The P r op he ts of I sr a e l,
by W . R ob e rt son Sm ith , p . 1 45 e t seq ., 40 4, 4 1 5 e t seq.
 C HRONOLOGY COMPARED 1 07

hi st ory it ha s sh own from the c ontemp or a ry Assyri a n

,

d a t a th a t the chr on ol ogy a pproxim a tely c orrect s o

m
,

fa r a s the di st a nce of one an or event fr om a n other

is concerned ha s been pl a ced by the editor fr om twelve
,
’

t o twenty ye a rs t oo e a rly— obvio u sly in order t o fit

it int o the gener a l system a d opted by the Hebrew ,

editors of reck oning the ye a rs fr om Ex od us t o the

,

fa ll of the first Temple a nd the ret urn fr om Exile

”
1
.

The a cc ur a cy of the c a n ons c a n in m a ny c a ses be

checked by the inf orm a ti on whi ch we p ossess inde
p endently o f the reigns o f m a ny o f the Kings a s o f ,

Tig la t h pile se r S a rgon a nd Se nn a cherib

-
, , Th us fr om .
,

9 0 2 B C . the Assyri
. a n chr o n ology is cert a in a nd p re

cise Reducing n ow the Assyri a n d a tes t o ye a rs B C

.
,

a nd c om p a ring them with the Biblic a l chr on ol o gy ,

s ome seri ous discrepa ncies a t once reve a l themselves ,

the n a t ure a nd extent of which will be most cle a rly

u (see p
”
2
p erceiv e d by a brief t a b l a r syn op sis .

M a nifestly Dr Driver s a ys
, . a ll the Biblic a l ,

d a tes e a rlier th a n 734 B C a re t oo high a nd m ust b e . .

,

c onsider a bly red uced ; the t w o events a lso in Heze

ki a h s reign the fa ll of S a m a ri a a nd the inv a sion
’

, ,

of Senn a cherib which the Biblic al writer tre a ts a s

,

se p a r a ted by a n interv a l of eight ye a rs were sep a ,

r a ted in re a lity by a n interv a l of twenty one ye a rs -

.

The f a ct itself a grees with wh a t ha s l ong been

1 m
M ode r n Cr i ti cis a nd the P r ea chi ng of the Old Tes ta m ent, p 66
. .

2
A uthor i ty a nd A r cha olog y, p 1 1 8 ’
. .
1 08 A TAB ULA R SYNOPSIS
'

erceived by critics — viz th a t the chr on ol ogic a l

m
p .
,

system of the B ooks of Kings d oes n ot for p a rt of

‘

the origin a l d oc uments preserved in them b ut is the ,

work of the c ompiler a nd sh ows signs of h a vi ng been ,

a rrived a t thr ou gh c omput a ti on fr om the regn a l ye a rs

of the s u ccessive Kings the err ors which it dis pl a ys
m
,

being due t o the f a ct tha t either the d a t a a t the c o

is p os a l or his c a lc ul a ti ons were in s ome c a ses
'
’

p iler s d
”
incorrect 1
.

g
R e i n of A a b h
h m
A a b na e d a t the B a t t e of K a r a r l k
g
R e i n of e u J h
Tr ib ut e of e u J h
g
R e i n of M e na e h m
M e na e h m m e ntione d b y Tig la th
p ile s e r
g
R e i n of P e a kh
kh h
P e a d e t rone d b y Ti g la th- p ile se r
R e ig n o f A a hz
h zm
A a e ntio ne d b y T ig la th- pile se r
zk h
He e ia s a c c e s sion
’

Fa ll S m
of a a r ia in H e e ia
’
s si t zk h xh
In v a s ion of S e nna c h e r ib in He z e
ki h f u t
a
’
s o r e e nt h ye ar
4

1
A uthor i ty a nd A r chce olog f
, p . 1 1 9.
2
A c c or d in gt o ot h er a uth or itie s, 733 or 7 2
3 .

3
2 K in g xviii
s . 1 0.
1
1 bi d., 1 3.
 CHAPTER XIV
THE LA WS OF M OS E S I N THE L I GH T OF THE C OD E OF

H AMM U RAB I
THE C ode of H a mm ur a bi is und oubtedly one of the
finest c odes of l a ws in the hist ory of the h um a n r a ce .

It c a me t o light during the m onth of December a nd

J a nuar y 1 9 0 1 1 9 0 2
, M J de M orga n of the French
-
. . .
,

Expl ora ti on Exp editi on disc overed the t a blets in ,

El a m a t Sus a which is sit ua ted on the b a nks of the

, ,

E up hr a tes The El a mites were the gre a t rival s of

m
.

B a byl oni a for cent ur ies It a y be th a t a n El a mite

.

c onquer or c a rried off the st one fr om the temple of

S ipp ar a in B a byl oni a
, .

The a ntiquity a nd the origin a l ch a r a cter of the la w

of M oses c a n n o l onger be m ai nt ai ned The C ode of .

H a mm ur a bi b ea rs a very striking resembl a nce t o it in

m a ny wa ys b ut it is m uch older th a n the la w of M oses

m
.
,

The C ode w as en a cted by H a mm ur a bi the gre a t a nd ,

ighty Ki ng of B a byl on It d a tes fr om a b out .

b ut o n the b a s is of hi s recently disc overed chr onicles

m
-
,

Mr L W Kin g n ow brings the da te of H a m ur a bi

. . .

d own t o a b out 1 9 00 ( the d a te is d oubtf ul ) The Ci vil .

1 C hr o
ni cles concer ni ng E a r ly B a by loni a n K i ng s , v o l. i
.
p. 1 36

e t seq.
1 09
1 10 THE CODE AND THE LAWS

Code of H a mm ur a bi is inscribed up on a block of bl a ck

di orite a nd in size it is r a ther m ore th a n two metres
,

high c ont a ining a b out

, words The la w en a bles us
.

t o obt a in a very cle a r insight int o the a dv a nced st a te of

civiliz a ti on whi ch was p reva lent a bout 2000 B C in the . .

S outh of B a bylon The ideal of equi ty which preva iled

.

a m ong the p e ople in th a t rem ote a g e w a s s u rprisingly

high . It is evident tha t in th ose e ar ly times the s a me
funda ment a l p rinciples prev ai led a s were c urrent a t a
l a ter a g e in Isra el The life of the Isr a elites unde r
.

Mose s w as m uch simpler th a n th a t of the B a byl oni a ns

under H a mm ur a bi . The l a tter w a s fa r more com
lic ted d dv a nced One striki ng inst nce is the
'

p a a n a . a

a dv a nced st a ge s u rgery m ust h a ve re a ched in medic a l

science . If a p a tient di es thr ough a n un s uccessful
op er a ti on the s u rgeon m ust p a y a he a vy fine a nd his
m
,

licence is forfeited The d isc overy of the Code of Ha

m
.

ura b i has est a blished the f a ct beyond the sh a dow of

a d oubt th a t it is m u ch older th a n wh a t is c omm only
c a lled the la w of M oses We d o not wish t o imply
.

for a m oment th a t the y ounger c ode of l a ws w a s b or

ro wed from the older . Wh a t we d o a ffi rm is tha t the
s a me sense of j ustice a nd mercy exists b ut a re di ffer
,

e ntly a ppli ed in the t w o c odes bec a use the circ um

, ,

st a nces of the Code of H a mm ur a bi were very di fferent

fr om th ose of the time of M oses And on the wh ole
m
.
, ,

it a y be th a t a m ore hum a ne tendency is devel op ed in

some of the p r ovisions of the la w of Isr a el .
 HAMM URABI 11 1

The cerem oni al la w is c ons picuous by its a bsenc e

fr om the Co de of H a mm ura bi As there is no tr a ce
m
.

1L
o f it it
, a y be cl ai med th a t the la w of Isr a el is olde r .

There a re a t le a st t wo weighty obj ections t o this Vi ew .

The oldest l a ws of Isr a el the B ook of the Coven a nt

, ,

c ont a ins no directi ons concerning rites a nd cerem oni es

in rel a ti on t o the s a crifices t o be observed a t the public
worshi p ge ner a lly And al so it is well known th a t the
.

”
s a crifici a l rites of Isr a el as we sh a ll S how elsewhere
‘

, ,

di ffer not fr om the c ustoms observed in the E a st in

olden times . And for th a t re as on the Isra elite c ult us
c ould be den ounced by the pr ophets of Isr a el a nd J ud a h
a s he a then .As a m a tter of f a ct the cerem oni al law
,

o f Isr a el bel ongs t o the c omm on st o ck of n a ti ons of

a ntiq u ity
.

The inscri p ti on ha s forty f our c ol umns a nd f a lls

-
,

int o three divisi ons S omething like 700 lines a re

.

dev oted by the King t o describe his titles his gl ory , ,

a nd b e ne fi c e nt deeds for his e le his w rs hi o f the

p po o p ,

g ods a nd incident ally n a ming the cities a nd districts

,

in his d omini on a nd m a ny interesting glimpses int o

,

l oc al c ults He wishes well for th ose who sh oul d pre

m
.

serve a nd esteem hi s m on ument b ut decl a res i pre

,

c a ti ons for a ny who S h oul d d a m a ge or rem ove it .

H a mm ura bi imm ort al ized himself not as Al ex a nder ,

the Gre a t by c onquering the world b ut a s a wise j ust , , ,

a nd str ong r u ler He b uilt m a ny new temples reb uilt

m
.
,

a nd ren ov a ted m a ny old ones ; he o ened c a n a ls i ~

p ,
1 12 AGRIC ULT URE

p r ovedthe s oil relieved distresses p r o cl ai med the

, ,

right up held the la w a nd his l a ws m a de the life a nd

, ,

p p erty of his s ubj ects sec ure

r o .

THE CO D E .

We will quote fr om the l a ws of H a mmur a bi which

thr ow light on the l a ws of M oses The C ode of Ha m
m m
.

ura bi ha s been tr a nsl a ted a nd a y be f ou

,
nd in a
c onvenient form in The Oldest C ode of L a ws i n the
World, by c H w J ohns ; The on Testa e nt i n the
. . . m
Li g ht f the Hi stori ca l R ecords of A ssyri a a nd B a by
o

loni a App endix b y T G Pinches The L a ws of M ose s

m
m
, . .
,

a nd the C ode of H a ura bi by S A C ook The order

,
. . .

in whi ch the l a ws st and is defective a nd we will try t o

m
,

cl a ssify s o e of them under their pr op er titles .

A gri culture .

In B a byl oni a a gricult ure formed a n imp ort a nt p a rt

in the lives of the inh a bit a nts a nd the C ode c ont a i ns
,

imp ort a nt l a ws which set forth the rel a ti on between

l a ndlord a nd ten a nt ; the l a ws define the c onditi ons
under which rec overy of wa st e l a nd c a n be effected ;
they st a te the wa ges fixed by the h a rvester or for the
hire of a c a rt The l a n dl ord of this a g e s upp lied i ple
. m
ments a nd oxen t o his ten a nts a nd received in ret urn
,

a fixed p r op ortion of the p r ofits derived fr om them .

S uch a system ha d its a dv a nt a ges a nd dis a dva nt a ges ,

 V IRGIN SOIL 113

so l a ws were en a cted which s a fegua rded the interests

of b oth p a rties .

m m
If a a n ha s hired a a n t o reside in his field
m
25 3 .

a nd h a s f urnished hi seed ha s entrusted him the oxen

,

a d h rnessed them f c ultiv ting the fi ld— if th a t

m
n a or a e

a n has st olen the c orn or pl a nts a nd they h a ve be en

,

seized in his h a nds one sh all cut off his h a nds

,
.

2 54 If he ha s t a ken the seed w orn ou

.
,t the oxen ,

from the seed which he has h oed he sh a ll rest ore .

Very interesting a re the l a ws which regul a te the

p ya m ent for the c u
l tiv a tion of virgin s oil The.l a nd

l ord c oul d n ot cl ai m rent until the exp ir a ti on of f our

ye a rs The owner sh a red then in the s a me pr op orti on
.

a s the till er of the s oil .

60 . m
If a a n ha s gi ven a field t o a ga rdener t o pl a nt
a g a rden a nd the ga rdener has pl a nted the ga rden
, ,

four ye a rs he S h all re a r the ga rden ; in the fifth ye a r the

owner of the g a rden a nd the gar dener sh al l sh a re

equa lly ; the owner of the ga rden S h a ll cut off his S h a re

a nd t a ke it .

C a n als were used very extensively in the c ountry as

a me a ns of tr a nsit or irriga ti on The di kes ha d t o
.

be c onst a ntly strengthened an d kep t in good re p a ir s o ,

as n ot t o be a seri ous men a ce t o the pr oduce of the l a nd .

C a relessness in thi s res p ect c a rried with it he a vy

pen a lties .
I I4 P OSSESSIONS

53 . If a a n has m
neglected t o stren g then his b a nk
of the c a n al ha s not stren gt hened his b a nk a bre a ch
, ,

ha s op ened out itself in hi s b a nk a nd the w a ters h a ve

m
,

c a rried a wa y the me a d ow the an in wh ose b a nk the ,

bre a ch ha s been op ened S h a ll render b a ck the c orn

which he has c a used t o be l ost .

5 4 If he is not a ble to send b a ck the corn one sh a ll

m
.
,

give hi a nd his goods for m oney a nd the p eople of ,

the me a dow wh ose corn the wa ter ha s c a rried a wa y S h a ll

S h a re it

m must be s ld int
.

Th a t is the , an o o S a l very .

P ossessi ons

m
.

If a wild bull in his ch a rge ha s gored a a n

m
2 50 .

a nd c a used hi t o die th a t c a s e has n o remedy

m
.
,

25 1 If the ox ha s p ushed a a n by pushi ng ha s

.
,

m a de kn own his vi ce a nd he ha s n ot blunted his h orn

m
, ,

ha s not sh ut up hi s ox a nd th a t ox ha s gored a , a n of

gentle birth a nd c a used him t o di e he sh a ll p a y h a lf a ,

min a of silver .

And for a S a l ve it wa s one - third :

gentlem a n s serva nt h e S h al l
’
If third
m
25 2 . a , a
p y one -

of a in a of S ilver .

Ex od x xi 28 3 2 If the ox wa s wont t o gore an d

. . .
,

its pr op ensity ha d been testified t o the owner a nd he ,

ha d not kep t it secured the o wner was p ut t o de a th , .

B ut if a r a ns om wa s l ai d up on him he must p a y wh a t ,
 SLAVES 115

w as dem a nded For a m al e or fem al e sl a ve thirty

. ,

S hekels w a s t o be p a id t o the m a ster Gre a ter v a l ue .

is a tt a ched t o the life of a S l a ve th a n in the C ode of

H a mm ur a bi .

m
If a a n ha s c a used either a pa l a ce sl a ve or
m
1 5 20
-
.

p a l a ce m ai d or a S l a ve o f a p o or a n or a p o o r m an s
m ai d t o g o out of the ga te he S h a ll be put t o de a th
m
.
,

If a a n ha s h a rb oured in his h ouse a m a nserv a nt or

a m ai dserv a nt fu gitive from the p a l a ce or a p oor a n
, , m ,

a nd h a s not p rod u ced them a t the c omm a nd of the

c omm a nd a nt the owner of th a t h ouse sh a ll be p ut
,

t o de a th
m
.

If a a n ha s c a p t ured either a m a nserv a nt or a

m ai dserv a nt a fugitive in the op en country a nd ha s
m
, , ,

driven hi b a ck t o hi s m a ster the owner of the sl a ve ,

sh a ll p a y him two S hekels of silver .

If th a t sl a ve will not n a me his own er he sha ll drive ,

him t o the p al a ce a nd one sh a ll inquire int o his p a st

, ,

a nd c a u s e him t o ret u rn t o hi s owner .

If he c onfine th a t sl a ve in his h ouse a nd a fterwa rds

m
,

the sl a ve has been seized in his h a nd th a t a n S h all be ,

p u t to de a th .

If the S l a ve has fled fr om the h a nd of his c a p t or th a t

m
,

a n sh all swe a r by the n a me o f God t o the owner of

the sl a ve a nd sh all go free

, .

Deut xxiii 1 5 1 6 The la w w a s very di fferent in

. .
, .

Isr a el Thou sh a lt not deliver unt o his m a ster a

.

8— 2
1 16 THIEVES

servan t which is esc a p ed from his m a ster unt o thee

he sh al l dwell with thee in the midst of thee in the
, ,

p l a ce which he sh all choose Within on e o f thy ga tes

where it liketh him best th oush al t not oppress him .

L a ws rel a ting t o the p rotecti on of sl a ves a nd

a nim a ls fr om cr u elty or inj ury ( 245 248) a re m ore -

p rob a bly fr a med with the intent to ins ure their p r o '

t e c t i on as p r op erty where a s in the Hebrew legisl a ti on

,

the a n a logous inj uncti ons s p ring r a ther fr om feelings

of p u re kindness The further a nce of tr a de a nd c o
. m
merce t ogether w ith the pr otecti on of p r op erty a nd
,

the m ai nten a nce of p e a ce h a ve temp ered the B a by

,

l oni a n l a ws with j ustice al th ough the p en a lties for

,

their infr a ction a re frequently severe a nd br ut al 1 ”

m
.

The Code of H a m ur a bi a s w ell as the L a ws of ,

M oses were severe on the thief in the night

, .

m
If a a n ha s c a rried on briga nd a ge a nd ha s
m
22-25 . ,

been c ap t ured th a t a n sh all be p ut t o de a th

m
.
,

If the b rig an d ha s n ot been c a ught the a n who ha s ,

been des p oiled sh a ll recount before God wh a t he ha s

lost a nd the city a nd govern or in wh ose l a nd a nd
,

district the briga nd a ge t ook pl a ce sh a ll render b a ck to

him wh a tever of his w a s l ost .

If it was a life the city a nd govern or sh a ll p a y one

,

min a of silver t o his p eop le .

1 The L a w s of M oses a nd the Code f Ha

o m
mu ra bi , b y S . A C oo
. k ,

p . 27 5
 TRADE 1 1 7

If in m a n s h ouse a fire ha s b een kindled a nd a

’

m
a ,

a n w ho has c ome to extingu ish the fire ha s lifted up

hi s eyes to the p rop erty of the owner of the house a nd ,

has t a ken the p r op erty of the o wner of the house th a t

m
,

a n sh a ll be thrown int o th a t fire .

Ex od xxii 1 4
. .
-
. m
If a a n S h a ll ste al a n ox or a
sheep an d kill it or sell it he sh all p a y five oxen for
, ,

a n ox a nd f ou
, r sheep for a sheep If the thief be f ound .

bre a king in a nd be smitten th a t he die there sh a ll be

, ,

n o blo o d gu iltiness for him If the sun be risen up on

-
.

him there sh al l be bl ood gui ltiness for him for he

”
-

sh ould m a ke full restit uti on if he h a ve n othing then ,

he sh al l be s old for his theft If the theft be fo und in

,
.

his h a nd al ive whether it be ox or a ss or S heep he sh al l , , ,

pa y d ouble
.
.

8 .If the thief has n a ught t o p a y he sh a ll be p ut ,

to
de a th in Ex odus he sh a ll be s old .

Gener al c a ses of l ost or st olen p r op erty a re tre a ted

a t length in the C ode of H a mm u r a bi ( 9 where a s
they a re very S h ort in the La ws of M oses ( Exod ..

xxii .

Tra de .

The shipp ing tr a de formed a n im p ort a nt p a rt in the

life of the B a byl oni a ns Fr om a c ommerci al p oint o f
.

vi ew the inh a bit a nts of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a led a

very stren uous life Towns a nd cities were j oined to
.
11 8 DEEDS

gether by c a n a ls M a ny of the m odern meth ods of

.

c ommerce ca n be tr a ced b a ck t o B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a .

It wa s very di fferent in Isr a el a t first The modern .

Jew loves c ommerce b ut a ncient Isr a el des p ised it

,
.

m
Their ide a s were sim ple a nd their meth ods were very
, .

p ri i tive In this they sh a red the wa ys which were

.

c ommon to all the e a rly S emites B usiness w a s .

tr a ns a cted in B a byl oni a a nd Ass yri a on wh a t is com

m ouly termed in modern life strictly b usiness lines
”
.

In B a byl on no b usiness was legal unless a deed ,

dr a wn up a nd d uly S igned ha d m a de it so b ut when

,

Abr a h a m ha d p a id the price which m a de him m a ster

of M a chp el a h the b ar g ai n wa s concl uded a nd nomen
, ,

ti on m a de of a ny written document .
”

There w as a cle a r underst a nding b etween the mer

ch a nt a nd his a gent .

1 01 If where he has gone he ha s not seen prosp erity

.
,

he sh a ll m a ke up a nd ret urn the money he to ok a nd ,

the a gent S h a ll give t o the merch a nt

m
.

1 22 If a a n sh a ll give silver gold or a nything

m
.
, ,

wh a tever t o a a n on dep osit all wh atever he sh a ll ,

give he sh a ll S how to witnesses a nd fix bonds a nd S h a ll ,

give on dep osit .

Lev vi 2 et seq
. . If a ny one sin a nd c ommit a tresp a ss
.
,

a ga inst the L ord a nd de a l f a lsely with his neighb ou

, r
in a m a tter of dep osit then it sh all be if he h a th ,

s inned a nd is g ui lty th a t he sh all rest ore

, the dep osit
 ADMIN ISTRATION OF J USTI C E 1 19

which w a s c ommitted to hi m
he sh a ll even rest ore
it in full a nd S h a ll a dd the fifth p a rt more theret o
,

unto him t o wh om it a pp ert a ineth sh a ll he give it ,

in the da y of his be ing found guilty .

”

1 23.If with out a witness a nd bonds he has given on

dep osit a nd where he has dep osited they keep dis
,

p ting him this c a se ha s no rem e dy

u , .

The p ower of the lender wa s m

li ited by sever a l
S eci al l a ws 268 et
p (

m
The A d i nistra ti on of j ustice .

The meth od of a dministering j ustice w as m ore

a dv a nced in B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a th a n it w a s a m ongst

the primitive Semites In B a byl oni a a j udge presided a t

.

e a ch c ourt b ut the p rimitive Semites ha d n o j udge The

,
.

j udge ha d t o be present s ometimes when hi s sentence

w a s exec uted First of all he ha d t o see if there w a s a
.
,

true bill If the j udge w a s sa tisfied th a t there were

.

s ufficient re a s ons for further legal pr oceedi ngs then ,

he ga ve orders th a t witnesses must a pp e a r before a

given da te The term witness ha d more th a n one
.

me a ning ; e a ch pl ai nti ff m ust be hi s own counsel t o

p le a d hi s own c a se .

The ga te of the city w a s the pl a ce of j udgment in

a ncient B a byl oni a a nd in Isr a el ( 1 S a vii 1 6 ; m . .

J o b xxix 7 et
. In l a ter times the B a byloni a ns
 PLUN GED I N TO THE RI VER
‘

1 20

b uilt temples a t the city ga tes a nd tr a nsferred the ,

tri al s t o the tem ple co urts .

Cert a in c a ses were comm on b oth t o the B a byl oni a ns

a nd the Isr a elites Wh ere there wa s a l a ck of evidence
.

or other c a u ses t o prevent the c a ses being tried by

a ny hu m a n meth od then they were tr a nsferred to t he
,

decisi on of the deity in a tri al by orde al The wom a n .

s us p ected of infidelity to her h us b a nd w a s c as t up on

the wa ters of the river If she sh ould fl oa t S he was
.
,

deemed not guilty ; b ut if she s a nk a nd w as drowned ,

it wa s c onsidered a S ign of divine ve nge a nce br ought ,

a b ou t thr ough her unfa ithfulness

m m
.

2 .If a a n ha s p ut a s p ell up on a a n a nd has not ,

j ustified hi mself he up on wh om the S p ell is l ai d sh al l

,

to the h ly river ; he sh a ll plunge into the holy

m
g o o

river a nd if the h oly river overc ome hi he who wove

m
, ,

the s p ell up on hi sh all t a ke to himself hi s h ouse If

m
.

the holy river m a kes th a t a n to be innocent a nd ha s ,

s a ved him he who l a id the S p ell up on him sh a ll be p ut

,

t o de a th He who p lunged into the h oly river sh a ll

.

t a ke t o hi mself the house of him who wove the s p ell

up on him
m
.

1 32 If a wife of a
. a n on a cc ount of a n other m al e
has ha d t he finger p ointed a t her a nd ha s not bee n ,

c a ught in lying with a n other m al e for her h usb a nd ,

she sh a ll pl unge i nt o the h oly river .

5 If a j udge ha s j udged a j udgment decided a

.
,

decisi on gr a nted a se al ed sentence a nd a fterwa rds

, ,
 THE FAMILY 1 21

ha s altered his j udgment th a t j udge for the a lter a tion

, ,

Of the j u dgment th a t he j udged one S h a ll put him t o ,

a cc ou nt a nd he sh a ll p a y twelvef old the p en a lty which

,

w a s in the s a id j udgment a nd in the as sembly one ,

sh a ll exp el him fr om his j udgrn e nt se a t an d he sh a ll -

,

n ot ret u rn a nd with the j udges a t a j udgment he sh al l

,

not t a ke his se a t .

Ex od xxiii 6 et seq Th oush al t not wrest the j udg

. . .

ment of thy p oor in his c a use Keep thee fa r from a .

fal se m a tter a nd the inn ocent a nd righteous sl a y th ou

not for I will not j ustify the wicked And thou sh al t .

t a ke no gift for the gift blindeth the wise a nd ,

p erverteth the words of the righteo us .

The F a m
ily Rela ti onship .

The C ode of H a mm ur a bi S h ows cle a rly th a t wom a n

w a s rega rded a s a n in feri or being t o an Wom a n m .

c oul d tra de a nd do b usiness on her own a cc ount or ,

in p a rtnership She c ould a ct as witness or pl ai ntiff

.

in the la w c ourts She c oul d h old pr op erty of her own

-
. .

a nd dis ose of it as she liked With rega rd t o the

p .

p ositi on of wom a n in B a byloni a a nd Isr a el Delitzsch ,

s a ys The wom an in Isra el is the pr op erty of her

p a rents a nd l a ter on of her husb a ndf; she is a v al ua ble
, , ,

element for purp oses of work on wh om in m a rried , ,

li fe a l ar ge p a rt of the la rgest b usiness of the h ome

,
 1 22 THE S TAT US OF WOMAN

is imp osed a b ove a ll she is a s in Isl a , inc omp etent

, m ,

t o t a ke p ar t in the pr a ctice of the c u l t us In the c a se .

of the B a byl oni a ns a ll this w a s m a n a ged di fferently

a nd b etter . It is j ust in the d om ai n of questi ons

c oncerning w omen th a t it ca n cle a rly be seen how
p rof oundly B a byl oni a n c ult ure ha s been infl uenced
by the non Semitic civiliz a ti on of the Sumeri a ns
”
- 1
.

And S a yce rem a rks In the old Sumeri a n hymns

m
°

the wom a n t a kes precedence of the a n The Semitic

m
.

tr a nsl a ti on inva ri a bly reverses the order the one ha s

‘ ’ ’
fem a l e a nd a le the other m a le a nd fem al e ; a nd
,

this is reflected in the p ositi on of the goddess Isht a r ,

who origin al ly a goddess the e qual of the g od bec a me

, , ,

ch an ged into the m al e deity in S outhern Ar a bi a a nd

”
M oa b .
2

B ut it will u ltim a tely be m a de cle a r th a t the

wom a n notwithst a nding t hi s is the legal ch a ttel of
m m
m
, ,

the a n even in the C ode of H a ur a bi a nd when all ,

evidence has been reviewed it will be f ound th a t her ,

p o siti o n is sc a rcely m ore inde p end e nt t ha n it w a s in

e a rly Ar a bi a n li fe The the ory therefore of a
.
, ,

S umeri a n (non Semitic) st a te of cult ure where wom a n s

’
-

p o siti o n w a s p erfec t ly inde p endent m u st be reg a rded

as q u
3 ”
esti on a ble for the present .

1
B a be l a nd
B i ble, p 20 2 . .

m
2
The R e lig i on of A nci e nt A ssy r i a a nd B a by loni a , p 1 36
m
. .

3
The L a w s of M oses a nd the C ode of H a ur a bi , pp 72, 73 . .

S ee Eg yp t a nd I/Ves te r n A s i a i n the L ig ht of R ecent D iscov er ie s ,

b y K in g a nd Ha ll , p . 2 65 e t seq .
 IMMORTALITY 1 23

1 63 . m
If a a n ha s m a rried a wife a nd S he ha s not ,

gra nted him children th a t wom a n ha s gone t o her fa te ;

m
,

if his fa ther in la w has ret urned hi the d owry th a t

m
- -

th a t a n b ro ught t o the h ouse of his fa ther in la w - -

,

her h us b a nd sh a ll h a ve no cl ai m on her m a rri a ge

rti n it b l ngs t the ho u se of her f ther fors th
m m
p o o : e o o a oo .

1 30 If a
. a n ha s forced the wi fe of a an who has

not kn own the m a le a nd is dwelli ng in the h ou,

s e of
her fa ther a nd has la id in her bosom a nd one ha s
m m
, ,

c a ught hi th a t , a n sh a ll be killed ; the wom a n

herself sh a ll go free .

Ex od . xxii . 1 6 is di fferent : the c a ses a re not p a r llel

a .

There a re di fferent punishments for a dultery .

Intercour se with a m a n s own mother is punished

’
1 57
.

by b urni ng b oth
m
.

m
1 29. If the wife of a an ha s been c a ught in lying
with a n other m a le one sh a ll bind the a nd thr ow
,

them int o the wa ters

m
.

1 55. If a a n has betr othed a bride t o hi s s on a nd

his son ha s not kn own her a nd he has l a id in her b os om
m
, ,

a nd one has c a u ght him th a t a n one sh all bind a nd

,

c a st him into the wa ters

m m
.

1 5 4 If a a n ha s known his d a u ghter th a t a n ,

one sh a ll exp el fr om the city

m
.

1 5 8 If a
. a n a fter his f a ther has b een c a u
, ght in ,

the bos om of her th a t br ought him up who ha s b orne

m
,

children th a t a n sh a ll be cut fr om hi s f a ther s h ouse

,
’
.
1 24 WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

The La w of Moses
Lev xx 1 1 oi se q If a a n lieth with his fa ther s wife
. . . m ’

or d a ughter in la w b oth of them sh a ll be p ut to de a th

- -

m
.

1 4If a a n t a ke a wife a nd her m other they sh a ll

.
,

be b urnt with fire b oth he a nd they

m
.
,

1 7 If a a n S h a ll t a ke his sister they sh a ll b e c ut off

m
. .

a n sh a ll lie with his u

’
20 2 1
, If a . ncle s wife hi s ,

brother s wife they sh a ll be childle Ss

’
.
,

To P rotect the Wi dow a nd the F a therless .

1 72. If her h usb a nd did not give her a settlement ,

l
one sh a l p a y her her m a rri a ge p orti on a n d fr om the
'

goods of her h usb a nd s house she sh a ll t a ke her S h a re

’

like one son If her sons worry he r t o le a ve the h ouse

.
,

th e j udge sh a ll inquire int o her re as ons a nd sh al l la y ,

the bl a me on the s ons th a t wom a n S h all not go out

of her h u sb a nd s h ouse
’
.

If th a t wom a n has set he r fa ce t o le a ve the settle ,

ment whi ch her husb a nd ga ve her she sh a ll l ea ve t o

“

her sons the m a rri a ge p orti on fr om her fa ther s house

’

she sh all t a ke a nd she sh a ll m a rry the h usb a nd of

,

her ch oice .

1 77 If a widow whose children a re yo u

. ng ha s set
her f a ce t o enter int o the h ouse of a n other with out ,

c onsent of a j udge she sh a ll not enter When S he,

.

enters int o the h ouse of a n other the j udge sh a ll inquire ,

int o wh a t is left of her f ormer h u sb a nd s h ouse a nd

’

,
 RELIGION 1 25

the ho use of her former husb a nd t o her la ter h usb a nd ,

a nd th a t wom a n he S h al l entr ust a nd c a use them t o

receive a deed They sh all keep the h ouse a nd re a r
.

the little ones Not a utensil sh a ll they give for

.

m oney . The b uyer th a t ha s b ought a utensil of a

wid ow s s ons sh a ll l ose his m oney a nd S h al l ret urn the
’

p p erty t o its owners

r o .

De ut xxiv 1 7 Tho ush a lt n ot wrest the j udgment

. . .

of the str a nger n or of the f a therless

,
n or t a ke the ,

’ ”
wi d ow s r ai ment for pledge .

De ut xxvii 1 9
. . Cursed be he th a t wre st e th the
.

j udgment of the str a nger fa therless an d wid ow , ,

.

We c a nn ot rec a ll a ny la w in the Old Test a ment

which is s o definite on the q uesti on of j ustice t o the
wid ow a nd the fa therless a s the l a ws th a t were in force
in the d a ys of H a mm ur a bi .

R eligi on .

It is s ai d th a t reli gi on is a bsent from the C ode of

H a mm ur a bi where a s it forms a n imp ort a nt p a rt in
,

the La ws of M oses Tw o t hi ngs ca n be s a id in reply

.

to th a t st a tement : ( 1 ) The C ode of H a mm ur a bi ha s

t o d o with the p e ople a s citizens ; it is a civil Code .

The letters of H a mmur a bi p r ove th a t the King w a s

intensely religi ous The temples were h ono ured in
.

st it ut ions in the l a nd d uring his ill ustri ous reign It .

1 26 SHAMASH

the temple s d uty to p r ovide the r a nsom necess a ry

’
wa s
t o p roc ure the rele a se fr om c a p tivity of a n a tive of
the town within wh ose wal ls it w a s sit ua ted 32 .

If in his h o use there is no me a ns for his r a ns om ,

he sh a ll be r a ns omed fr om the tem p le of hi s city

if in the temple of his city there is not me a ns
for his r a ns om his field his ga rden a nd his h ome
, , ,

sh a ll not be given for his r a ns om ( 2) B a byl oni a ha d

.

its s a cred b ooks a nd they fa ll int o three cl a sses The

,
.

B a byl oni a n Cerem oni a l La w is p a rtly kn own t o us

thr ough reli g io us texts hymns p enitenti a l ps a l s
, , m
,

a nd m a gic al te xt s a nd inc a nt a ti ons And they cl os ely.

resemble the C eremoni al La w of Isr a el in s ome things .

Ther e a re resembl a nces a nd di fferences between the

C ode of H a mmur a bi a nd the La w of M oses .

The C ode of La ws w a s not invented by the fa mous

Ki ng a nd p resented t o a gr a teful p e ople They were .

c odified cust oms And their devel op ment c a nn ot be

“

limited within a short p eriod The p eri od m ust h a ve

.

extended fa r behind H a mm ur a bi The l a ws develop ed.

fr om c ust oms a nd a c onsider a ble length of time m ust

,

b e al lowed for a ny custom to become fixed a nd bindin g

on a ll the p eople The l a ws c ont a ined the decisi ons of
.

the j udges on S p eci al c a ses which were bro ught before

them .

H a mm ur a bi is represented receiving the l a ws fr om

the sea ted sun god Sh a m a sh the j udge of he a ven a nd
-
,
 THE GOD OF IS RAEL 1 27

e a rth The sun g od Sha m a sh w a s the g od of la w wh ose

m
-
. ,

children a re c a lled J ustice a nd Ri ght Ha

” ”
1

m
.

ur a bi himself t a kes credit for the l a ws b ut a d dresses ,

m
the B a byl oni a n g od before a nd a fter the C ode The .

”
gre a t gods h a ve chosen e he decl a res ; a nd a ga in
m
, ,

I a H a mm ur a bi t o wh om Sh a m a sh ha s entr usted
,

j udgment He ch ooses it in a w a y which reminds

.

us stri kin gly of the l a st two ch a p ters of the B ook of

De uter on omy ; blessings rich a nd plentiful a r e the
h a pp y lot of those who keep his l a ws b ut terrible ,

c urses a re he a p ed up on him w ho despises their

au
?
th ority
’

M oses wa s Isr a el s l a wgiver The civil l a ws c ont a in .

m a ny of the decisi ons of the j udges ; nevertheless it ,

is a sserted th a t Mos es received the la w on Mount

Sin ai fr om God in the s a m e wa y a s H a m ur a bi re m
c e iv e d his C ode fr om Sh a m a sh The re a s on why Sin a i .

w a s ch osen w a s p r ob a bly this the Hebrews rega rded

Sin a i in the s a me light a s the Greeks rega rded Oly p us . m .

It w a s the Olymp us of the Hebrew p e op les the ,

e a rthly se a t of the Godhe a d a nd a s s uch it c ontinued ,

t o be rega rded by the Isra eli tes even a fter their settle
ment in Pa lestine ( J udg v 4 This immem ori al
. .
,

s a nctity of Sin a i it wa s th a t led t o its being selected

a s the ide a l scene of the giving of the La w not con ,

”
3
versely .

1
B a be l a nd B i ble, p . 1 88 .
2
The I nterpr eter , J an aru y , p 56 1 90 5, . .

3
H i s tory of I s ra e l a nd j uda h, b y e llha u W
se n, p . 20 .
 1 28 THEIR RELATION

Wh a t is the c onnecti on between the L a ws of Moses

a nd the C ode of H a mm u r a bi On this questi on there
a re di fferences of opini on We h a ve a lre a dy seen
.

th a t while Isr a el w a s in C a n a a n the p e ople le a rnt h ow

t o m a ke use of old B a byl oni a n legends And we S h a ll .

see l a ter on th a t the Jewish Temple its rit ua lism etc , , .

,

bore gre a t resembla nce t o the B a byl oni a n temples .

Liter a ry resembl an ce exists between the La ws of M oses

a nd the Code of H a mm u r a bi Ma ny of the l a ws a re
.

the s a me the phr a se ol ogy in pl a ces is very simil a r .

It is imp ossible t o sa y a t present how intim a te is

the c onnecti on between them .

It is m ore th a n p r ob a ble th a t the La ws of M oses a s ,

well a s the instit uti ons a nd c ust oms m a nifested th ose ,

elements which on a cc ount of their vit a lity received

, ,

strong a ckn owledgment a fter the n a ti on ha d settled in

C a n a a n a nd then w
,
ere tr a ced b a ck t o M oses a s their
p r o genit o r And
. in o rder t o incre as e the s a cred ch a r a cter
of the l a ws they were tr a ced b a ck t o Jeh ov a h Himself
,

a s the chief L a wgiver .N ob ody a sserts th a t the Ten

C omm a ndments were b orr owed even p a rti a ll y fr om , ,

B a byl oni a ; stress r a ther is l a id on p ointing out tha t

s uch c omm a n dments a s the fifth sixth a nd seventh , ,

owe their origin t o a n instinct of self p reserv a ti on -

c omm on t o the h um a n r a ce
”
1
. Mr J ohns reg a rds the
.

Hebrew l a ws a s an indep endent recensi on of a ncient

c ust om deep ly infl uenced by B a byl oni a n la w
,
?

pp 1 90 1 9 1
1 B a bel a nd B i ble . .
, ,

2
Ha sting s B i ble D i cti ona ry ,
'
e xt a v l um
r o e, p 61 2
. .
 CHAPTER XV
THE T EMPL E A N D THE T EMPLE S
BY the temple is me a nt the tem ple of S ol om on a nd ,

by the temples th ose of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a The

,
.

religi ous a rchitect ure of B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a w a s

ch a r a cterized by its h ugeness Cl a y w a s t he m a teri al
.
,

which w a s b a ked by the a cti on of the sun or fire a nd ,

c oul d be e a sily m oul de d int o a ny sh a p e The tem ples

.

were of c onventi on al sh a p e The str uct ure ca n be

.

tra ced b a ck l ong bef ore the d a ys of H a mm ur a bi The .

tem ples of Assyri a were erected on the s a me a rchit e c

t ur al pl a ns a s th ose of B a byl oni a There wa s n ot the
.

s a me necessity for the Assyri a ns t o use cl a y a s b ui lding

m a teri a l for their tem ples The c ountry w a s well
.

s up plied with h a rd st ones which were very a bund a nt

,

in the m ount a in ous districts clos e t o Assyri a These

.

s uit a ble st ones were used for st a t ues a lt a rs a nd t o

, ,

dec or a te the interi or a nd exterior of their fine edifices .

The tem ples were s olid b ut not be a utiful sq ua re a s a

,

r ule with the f our c orners in the directi on of the f our

,

c a rdin a l p oints One noteworthy fe a t ure a b out the

.

B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n tem ples w a s their height .

1 29
1 30 ABODES OF DEITY

Come let us b uild a city a nd a t ower th at sh a ll re a ch

,

up t o he a ven a re the a mbiti ou

, s words a ttri b uted to
the B a byl oni a ns a nd Assyri a ns in the Va lley of Shi n a r
( Gen xi
. . The height of the temples wa s the pride
of both Kings a nd p eople The temple wa s t o be a
.

high pl a ce in a liter al sense Pr ofess or J a strow thinks

.

th a t the B a byloni an temples were intended t o be

imit a tions of m ount a ins .

’
E a ch t own of imp ort a nce ha d its high pl a ce for ,

the Semites like Indi a ns a nd Persi a ns Greeks a nd

, ,

R om a ns l ooked on m ount ai ns a nd hills a s the f a v ourite

,

a b odes of deity The very n a me of Mo unt Herm on

.

den otes its s a cred rep ut a ti on ; M ount Pe or ha d its

B a al or divine owner C a rmel ( 1 Kings xvii 1 9 ) a nd
m
.
,

the M ount of Olives ( 2 S a xv 32 ; 1 Kin gs xi 7) . . .

were h oly pl a ces In an a ncient s ong ( Deut xxxiii

. . .

1 8 et se ) Zeb u l n d Iss ch r c ll the eo les t the

m
q . o a n a a a p p o

m ount a in (p ossibly Ta b or ) th a t they ay offer

,

s a crifices of righteo usness Now Hebrew writers

.
,

were we ll a wa re th a t the C a n a a nites ha d rec ognized

the s a nctity of these pl a ces bef ore the a dvent of Isr a el ,

a nd the De u teron omist ( xii 2) urges this a s a re a s on

.

for their destr ucti on F or a ges h owever they were

.
, ,

tre a ted in a more c oncili a tory s p irit The belief a rose .

th a t they ha d been h a ll owed n ot by l oc al B a al s b ut , ,

by Jeh ov a h who ha d m a nifested Himself there t o His

,

f a v ourite serv a nts the a ncest ors of the tribes We

,
.

h a ve a fine ex a mple in Gen xxviii 1 0 20 of the c on . .

-
 HIGH P LA C ES 1 31

s umm a te with which a n a ncient s up erstition is

a rt

t ra ns fi g u
’

r e d int o a revel a ti on of Isr a el s God These .

loc al wors hips which it woul d h a ve been h a rd or r a ther

, ,

im p ossible to er a dic a te a t once were m a de s ubservient

, ,

1
to a higher religi on .

The B a byl oni a ns a ssoci a ted the gods with the m oun
t a ins
. It wa s a n a t ur al a ss oci a tion of ide a s a ccord ,

ing ly th a t led the B a byl oni a ns to give to their temples

,

the f orm of the dwelling which they a scribed to their

gods The temple in s o fa r as it was erected to serve
.
,

a s a h a bit a tion for the g od a nd a h om a ge t o him w a s ,

t o be the re prod uction of the c osmic E K ur a m oun -

,

t a in house on a sm all sc a le a mini a t ure K har s a g

’

, ,

K urkur a the birthpla ce of the g ods

”
2
, Temp les h a ve .

been di sc overed h a ving n a mes in which the ide a of a

m ount ai n is intr oduced The n a me Zikkur a t or tower
.
, ,

”
me a ns a high edifice or l ofty p e a k It w as a .

tower which resembled a m ount a in on a sm a ll sc al e .

The high edifice of the B a byl oni a ns c onveyed the

m
s a e ide a a s th a t which led the C a n a a nites a nd Hebrews
to c a ll their temples high pl a ces .
”

The gener al pl a n of the temples w a s a like every

where There w a s the gre a t c ourt op en t o the sky
.
, ,

a nd s u rr ounded by C loisters a nd c ol onn a des Here .

were the h ouses of the p riests a nd other ministers of

the temple the libr a ry a nd sch ool sh ops for the
, ,

1 H e br ew Re lig i on , b y A ddis .

2 Relig i on f
o B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , p 61 3 . .

— 2
9
1 32 PLAN OF TEMPLES

m a n uf a ct ure a nd s a le of v otive obj ects even the st a lls ,

wherein the a nim a ls were kep t which were intended for

s a crifice In the centre of the c ourt st ood a n al t a r
.

of s a crifice with l a rge v as es for the p u

, rp oses of a bl uti on
by the side of it a s well a s a se a or b a sin of wa ter
, ,

which derived its n a me fr om the fa ct th a t it w a s a

m
sy b ol of the primev a deep The p urifying effects
.

of the w a ter of the deep were tr a nsferred t o th a t

of the mimic se a a nd the worshi pp er wh o entered the

m
,

temple a fter wa shing in it bec a e cerem oni a lly cle a n .

The resembl a nces p ointed out by Pr ofess or S a yce

between the temple a nd the temples a re very striking .

In the b uilding a nd restor a ti on of tem ples a nd p a l a ces

by Neb uch a dnezz a r I I we see a n ex a mple which w a s
.

p a rti a lly f ollowed by S ol om on where the c ompleti on,

of the b u i ldings is f oll owed by p r a yer uttered by the

King a nd the s a me w a s d one by the Isr a eli tish King
,

( 1 Kings v .

The temple of S ol om on like the B a byl oni an temples

, ,

ha d its t w o c ourts its ch a mbers for the p riests its

, ,

s a nct u a ry a nd its H oly of H olies

, The temp le a nd.

the temples were extern al ly mere rect a ngul a r b oxes ,

with out a rchitect ur a l be a uty or v ar iety of design .

The temple of S ol om on ha d no t ower They a greed .

in their f urnit ure The t w o a lt a rs were in the B a by

.

l oni a n temp les a nd in the tem ple a t Jer us al em The .

mercy se a t a nd t he t a ble of shew bre a d were inthe

- -

tem ple a nd the temples The br onze s e a of S ol om on

.
,
 PRIESTS 1 33

with its twelve oxen ha d its m odel in B a byl oni a

, .

The t win p ill a rs kn own a s Y a kin a nd B oa z ( 1 Kings

,

vii
. th a t fl a nked the g a tewa y of the c ourt in
’
S ol om on s temple a re p a r al leled by the t wo l a rge
m
,

brick c ol u ns a t the entr a nce t o the Nippur Court a nd ,

a ls o in the tem p le a t Erid u .

The p al a ce of the Hebrew King a dj oine d the tem ple ,

in which he Cl a imed the right of offering s a crifice a nd ,

so w as the p al a ce of Neb u ch a dnezz a r a t B a byl on .

The br onze serp ent which Hezeki a h destr oyed ha d

its im a ge in the bronze serp ents erected in the ga tes of
the B a byl oni a n temples .

The intern al dec or a tion of the s a nct ua ry wa s simil a r

in B a byl oni a a nd Jer us a lem .

The well kn own Hebrew a rk wa s repl a ced in B a by

-

l oni a by a S hi p The S hi p w a s dedic a ted t o the g od

.

or g oddess wh ose im a ge it c ont a ined a n d w a s o ften of ,

c onsider a ble size B ut in Assyri a the S hi p devel op ed

.

int o a n a r k .

The temple a nd the temples were served by a n a rmy

of p riests .The high priest w a s the he a d of them who
-
,

in the rem ote p as t p erformed the functi ons of a King

in B a byl oni a The g od delega ted his p owers t o the
m
.

high p riest a nd a ll owed hi

-
, t o exercise them on e a rth .

The p riest was the medi um t hr o ugh wh om the deity

c oul d be a ppr oa ched a nd in the a bsence of the deity
,

the high priest t ook his pl a ce Pr ofess or S a yce p oints

-
.

ou t th a t a new term w as needed t o t a ke the p l a ce of

1 34 PROPHETS AND SEERS

pa tesi which ha d a secul a r as well a s a religi ous sig nifi

,

c a nce The new term wa s s a ng u which m ore es p eci a lly

.
, ,

in the Assyri a n p eri od me a nt a chief priest Every

,
-
.

gre a t s a nct ua ry ha d its chief priests w ho c orres p onded

-
,

to the He brew s ons of A a r on with a high p riest or

mm
-
, ,

sa ng a -
a ku a t their he a d
, Under them were a l a rge
.

n umber of s ub ordin a te priests a nd temp le ministers the ,

s a crifi ce rs the p o u
, rers of lib a ti ons a nd the a n ointers ,

with oil . There were b a kers ch a nters wa ilers , , ,

c a rriers of the a x e a nd of the sp e a r s ooths a yers etc , , .

The prophets of Isr a el a nd those of B a byloni a a nd

Assyri a ha d s omewh a t different functi ons They .

gener a ll y decl a red the will of He a ven t o m a nkind

s ometimes they pre dicted the fut ure The B a byloni a n .

r
p p o hets a cc o m p a nied the a rmy in the fiel d ; they
p o u red o ut lib a ti o ns ; they f ormed a cl as s a p ar t a ,

”
c ollege of pr ophets In this they resembled the pro
.

p h e t s of Isr a el .

The B a byl oni a n seer w a s q uite di fferen t from the

r
p p o het . The distincti on between the t w o w a s n ot

cle a rly defined in Isr a el The B a byl oni a n seer foretold

.

the fut ure which wa s m a de known t o him thr ough

,

visi ons a nd tr a nces Ash urb a n i p al n a rr a t es how be

.

fore the Ela mite Wa r a fter he ha d pr a yed for the a id

,

a nd p rotecti on of Isht a r a seer sle p t a nd dre a med

,

a prophetic dre a m ; a visi on of the night did Isht a r

reve al unto him He rep e a ted it t o me s a ying

.
,

Isht a r who dwelleth in Ar b el a c a me down a nd on

, , ,
 SACRIFICES 1 35

the right h a nd a nd on the left h ung (her ) q uivers ; in

her h a nd she held the how ; she drew the S h a rp w a r
sword a nd held it bef ore her Like a m other S he .

s p e a keth with thee she c a lleth thee Isht a r the q ueen

, ,

of the g ods a pp ointeth for thee a d oom

, Ea t f ood .
,

drink wine m a ke m usic ex a lt my divinity until I

, , ,

m a rch a nd the w ork of mine is a ccom plished I will .

’
give thee thy he a rt s desire ; thy fa ce sh a ll not gr ow
’

p a l,
e thy feet sh a ll not t otter The m a in difference .

between the prophet a nd the seer is the m ode of

revel a ti on It w a s necess a ry th a t b oth should be
.

with out b odily blemish .

The resembl a nce between the B a byl oni a n pr ophet

a nd the Hebrew prop het is not cle a r In Isr a el the .

pr ophet a nd the p riest were q uite di fferent there w a s

no s uch distincti on in B a byl oni a In B a byl oni a the .

p r ophet the m a gici a n a nd the necrom a ncer were

, ,

cl osely as s oci a ted where a s in Isr a el they were not

, .

Prophetesses a s well as priests were empl oyed in

, ,

the tem ple a nd in the temples It w a s m ore s o in .

B a byl oni a th a n in Isr a el It w a s a wom a n only who .

h a d the privilege of entering the s a cred shrine of Bel

Mer od a ch a t B a byl on ; unm a rried women were c ouse
cr a ted t o Isht a r a s well a s t o the S un god
,
-
.

S a crifices were offered in the temples G oa ts a nd .

kids shee p a nd l a mbs oxen a nd c a lves fish a nd s ome

, , , ,

kinds of birds were a m ong the s a crifices o ffered t o t he

,

g ods .
 1 36 RESEMBLANCES

The sc a p eg oa t w a s driven int o the d e sert like the

Hebrew Az a zel .

The gods dem a nded the fi rst fr uits of wh at they ha d

m
-

given t o a n .

( It is n a t u r a l t o think o f s a crifice a s a n offering to

the gods Hesiod rega rds it a s s uch in the well kn own

.
-

line , Gifts p ers ua de the gods gifts p ers ua de a ugust

,

kings
m
.

As t o h u a n s a crifice Pr ofess or S a yce is of op ini on

,

th a t it wa s pr a ctised in B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a AS

in Isr a el s o al s o in B a byl oni a a nd Assyri a h um a n
, ,

s a crifice seems t o h a ve dis a pp e a red a t a n e a rly a g e .

”

Tithe ha d its origin in B a byl oni a an d w a s rigoro usly

,

exa cted for the s up p ort of the temples a nd priests a nd

s o it w a s in Isr a el .

There a re simil a rities a nd di fferences between the

Levitic a l la w a nd the B a byl oni a n rit ua l The Hebrew .

tord h w a s derived fr om the B a byl oni a n tertu The .

technic a l words of the M os a ic la w rec ur in the rit ua l

texts of e a rly B a byl oni a The Old Test a ment word
.

hipper a t onement
,
is the Assyri a n ku
,
qbpuru a nd ,

the w ord korbdn ,gift or benev olence ; wa s the

s a me a s the Assyri a n word g urba nnu .

We wish t o p oint out the resembl a nces b etween the

rit ua l of the tem ples a nd the tem ple 1
.

A l a rge n umber of expressi ons rel a ting t o s a crifice

were c omm on t o b oth the temples a nd t he t e ple
'

m .

1
S e e R itu al in E ncy clopce di a B i bli c a .
 NAT URE OF SACRIFICES 1 37

In bl oody s a crifices the s a me s p ecies of a nim a ls were

em pl oyed s uch a s ox sheep g oa t Preference w a s
, , ,
.

given t o a nim al s of a ye a r old ; s a crifices of a m ore

a dv a nced a g e were r a re Fem al e a nim a ls were used
.

in the tem ples for p urifi ca t ions where a s in the tem ple
m
,

they were used for sin o fferings ( Nu xv . .

The offering of defective a nim al s w a s a ll owed in the

tem ples for purp oses of a ug ury b ut in the tem ple for ,

free wi ll offerings ( Lev xxii

-
Gener a lly s p e a king
. .
,

the temples a nd the temple required the victim t o be

with out blemish .

As in the temples the sa ttukku , the regul a r a nd

o blig a t ory s a crifi c e — w a s a t the r oot of the rit u al a n d ,

s o it w a s in the tem p le ( in the Priestly Code a n d m ore

s o in Ezekiel ) ; the ta i d the regu m

l a r d ai ly o ffering
, ,

w a s m a de st a t ut ory a nd w a s the centre of the whole

,

divine service .

Unbl oody s a crifices which were system a tic ally used

,

in the tem ples were comp osed of v a ri ous m a teri al s

, ,

s uch a s wine wa ter oil ; b ut their empl oyment in the

, ,

tem ple wa s only excepti on al The incense o ffern .

w a s unkn own in the tem ple in the a g e of e a rly Isr a el .

It is deno unced by Jeremi a h ( vi 20) as a modern a nd .

ou tl a ndish inn ov a ti on The unknown a uthor of .

Is a i a h lxv 3 n a mes B a byl on a s the l a nd in which

.

s a crifices a re o ffered in gar dens an d incense offered up on

bricks The incense o ffering of the temple af ter the E xile
m
.

a
y h a ve b een borr owed fr om the tem ples of B a byloni a .
1 38 THE F UNDAMENTAL IDEA

There a re striking p oints of di fference between the

rit ual of the tem ples a nd the temple .

In the veget a ble offerings of the temple only th ose

p r od ucts a r e menti oned which a re the res u l ts of tr ouble
a nd work which re p resent a right of riv a te r erty
, p p p o .

H oney cre a m milk a nd frui t occur often a s o fferings

, , ,

in the tem ples b ut never a m ong th ose of the tem ple

,
.

The wine lib a tion is no l onger a n indep e n dent offering

in the Priestly Code a nd in Ezekiel it is p r ohibited
m
,

a lt o gether It a y h a ve been pr ohibited on a cc ount

m
.

of a b u ses c onnected with it ( 1 S a i . As rega rds

.

bl oody s a crifices offerings of fish a nd ga me s uch a s

, ,

geese p e a c ocks a nd p he a s a nts were excluded fr om

, , ,

the temple rit ua l Fish a nd g a me bel ong t o Y a hwe

.
,

a nd thu s were not a ppr opri a ted a s s a crifici a l gifts The .

fish a nd ga me offerings a re frequently menti oned on

the B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n t a blets a s being in gre a t
fa v our in the temp les
m
.

The fund a ent a l ide a underlying s a crifice is not the

s a me in the temp le a nd the temples The Hebrew
.

s a crifice in its older form ga ve a sp eci al devel op ment

t o the ide a of a s a cr a l c omm uni on between God a nd
the worshipp er a s represented in the a ct of offering ;
the c ul t us of the temples presents no tr a ce of this All .

the m ore p rominent is the concep tion of the purifi ca

t ory a nd p r opiti a t ory ch a r a cter of s a crifice whi ch c omes
int o the foreground in the Priestly Co de a nd Ezekiel ,

which is c onsp icuous in the c ult us of the B a byl oni a n

 CI RC UMCISION 1 39

m
temples We a y a ss ume th a t the sin a nd tresp a ss
.

offering of the Hebrew tordh al th ough a ll th a t we ,

know of their techniq ue is wh olly of p ost exilic d a te -

,

were entirely of Isr a elitish growth .

In the rit ua l of the pr ophets i nstr ucti ons were given

m
for the s a crifice of a l a b a t the ga te of the h ouse
the bl ood is to be sme a red on the lintels a nd d oor
p osts a
,
s well a s o n the h uge im a ges th a t gua rded
the entr a nce The s a me pr a ctice is still in v ogue in
.

Egypt .

Circ umcisi on w a s not univers a l a m ong the Semites ,

for it d oes not seem th a t the Assyr i a ns pr a ctised it b ut ,

still it w as c omm on t o sever a l Semitic r a ces a s a pp e a rs

, ,

fr om J eremi a h ( ix 25 26 R V ) which is the cl a ssic a l

.
, , ,

p a ss a ge on the s ubj ect It w a s a lso in vog

. ue a m ong
s ome of the non Semitic r a ces not a bly the Egyp ti a ns
-
, .

The Hebrew cerem ony however devi a ted fr om the , ,

p rimitive form in the m a tter of a g e a nd the Bedo uin , ,

who circ umcise boys not inf a nts a re ne a rer the

, ,

origin a l ide a for the Ar a bic verb me a ning to cir

m
,

c u cis e signifies in Hebrew t o contr a ct a ffi nity by

m a rri a ge The origin of the rite a m ong the Hebrews

.

is o bscure a nd a s t o its origin a l me a ning very diver

,

gent views h a ve be en held which we need not enter ,

1
int o here .

1 “
m
C irc u c ision in E ncy clofi a dia B i blica ; The E a r ly H is tory
o S y
f the H e bre w s, b y a c e, p 31 e t se q H e br e w R e lig i on, b y
. .

Add is, p 43 e t seq .

.
1 40 FASTS AND FEASTS

The t a bern a cle of the c on grega ti on or tent of

meeting w a s of B a byl oni a n origin
m
.

A n u ber of the festival s of the c a lend a r a nd the ,

d a tes on which they were held in Isr a el c a me fr om ,

B a byl oni a .

The three gre a t fe a sts of the B a byl oni a n a g ric ul

t urist resembled th ose of Isr a el a n d these a re sup
m
,

p le e nt e d by o ther fe a sts b y the Isr a elites a n d the

B a byl oni a ns .

F a sts a nd fa st d a ys a s well a s fe a sts were c omm on in

, ,

B a byl oni a a nd s o they were in Isr a el In the B a by

, .

lonia n p enitenti a l p s a lms f a sting is often a ll uded to .

“
It is imp ossible n ot t o be str uck a s Pr ofess or ,

S a yce rem a rks by the m a ny p oints of simila rity

,

between the B a byl oni a n rit ua l and a rr a ngements of

the tem ples a nd th a t which existed a m ong the Isr a el
ites The temple of S ol omon in fa ct w a s little m ore
. , ,

th a n a repr od ucti on of the B a byl oni a n s a nct ua ry 1

.
”

1
The Re lig i ons f
o A nci ent Eg yp t a nd B a by loni a , p 470 . .
 CHAPTER XVI
D EVOTIONAL LI T ERATU RE 1

H YM N S
m
.

TH AT m a ny of the h y ns p reserved in Ashurb a nip a l s

’

libr a ry a re in a fr a gment a ry st a te is most unf ort una te .

C onsequently n othing more th a n the gener a l c onte nts

c a n be obt a ined The circ umst a nces in which the
m
.

hy ns were c omp osed a re unkn own t o us for th a t

re a s on N 0 d a te ca n be as signed t o a ny of the hymns
.

excep t it c a n be b a sed up on intern al evidence A

m
.

c ollecti on of hy ns w a s m a de a t different times F or

m m
.

m
inst a nce a c ollecti on of hy ns a ddressed t o Sh a as h
,

ha s been f ound a nd sever al hy ns a ddressed t o

,

M a rduk h a ve been preserved Hymns were c omp osed .

for s p eci al o cc as i ons a ddressed t o the gre a t gods of

,

B a byl oni a but a ll of them were not c om p osed in

this w a y S ome b e a r intern a l evidence of being merely
.

S p or a dic p r od ucti ons c om p osed for other p urp oses

,

th a n th a t of being pl a ced in a rit ua l .

The hymns a ddressed t o Sh a m a sh a re the best

th a t h a ve been yet p ublished The t w o princi ples.

1
S e e Re lig i on f
o B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , b y J a s tro w , pp . 2 53-406.

1 41
1 42 PRAYERS

th a t r un thro ugh these hymns a re j ustice a nd

righte ousness .

1
Here is one
O S un God in the
- m idst
h e v n a t thy tting 2
of a e se ,

Ma y th n lo u
e e of the p u h
c s rev n g e e t th e ; re ea e r e
3

Ma y th e g t f h v e n pp
a e o h th e e
ea a roa c

Ma y the di c t ing g od the m e e ng e who l ov e s t h e e

re , ss r , d ire c t thy
w a y.
I n E -b a bb a ra , the se a t o f v
thy s o e re i nty, thy supreg m a cy rise s

l ike the wn
da .

M a y A, the e w if wh m th
o oul ov e st, co m e b e fore t h e e w ith j oy

M a y thy h ea rt b e a t re st ; 4
M a y the gl ory of thy d iv inity b e e s ta b l ish e d for t h e e
m
.

O Sh a m a sh ! w a rrior h e ro, a y t h o ub e e xa l te d

m
0 l ord of E -b a bb a ra , a s t h o u a rc he st , a y thy cour s e b e dire c te d
,

m
D ire c t thy p a th , m a rc h a l ong the p a th fixe d for thy c ours e G)
m
.

O Sh a a sh j udg e of the w orl d, d ire c tor of its l a w s a rt th ou .

P RAY ER S .

Pr a yers were used when festiv al s were cele br a ted in

h on our of the deities when temples or s a cred st a t ues ,

were dedic a ted t o the g ods or on secul a r occ as i ons s uch , ,

a s the c ompleti on of the b u il di ng of a c a n a l G ude a .

( a bout 3000 2800 a fter finishing a st a t u

-
e t o his
g od Nin g irsu offered the f oll owing S imple a nd e a rnest
-
,

p r a yer

0 K in g wh, os e g r e a t s tr e n g th th l e a nd c a nnot e nd ure

N in g irsu
- g ra nt to G ud ea , who ha s b ui t t is l h h o use , a g oo d a tef l ”

J t w
m
1
S e e R e lig i on f
o B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , by a s ro p 30 2
,
. .

2
It ay be “
h iz or o n.
3 “ M a y it s pe a k t th
o e e of pe a c e .
1 M a y thy a n g er d e p a rt ”
.
 TO MERODACH 1 43

All the st a t ues of G ude a h a ve the h a nds f olded on

the bre a st in the m a nner of Orient al serv a nts a wai ting
,

a token of the King s c ontin u a l worshi p a nd

’
orders

m
,

service S o we a re t old ( 2 S a
. vii 1 8) th a t D a vid . .

went in a nd sa t be fore the Lord .

The pr a yers of Nebuch a dnezz a r a re very impressive

a n d rem ar k a ble for their elev a tion of th ou ght a nd
felicity of dicti on His inscriptions a re ch a r a cterized
.

by the pr a yer with which they inv a ri a bly close .

Whether he is buil ding a c a n al im pr oving the wall s of ,

B a byl on erecting or rep a iring a temple he al wa ys a dds

, ,

t o the descri p ti on of the a chievements a p r a yer t o some

g o d
, in which he as ks for divine gr a ce a n d the blessings

of l ong life a nd
p ros p erity
1
.

To Mer od a ch my lord I pr a yed I lifted up my

, , ,

h a nds . Mer od a ch l ord wisest of the gods glori ous

, , ,

p rince ! Th ou it w a s who m a dest me a nd with the ,

s overeignty of a ll m a nkind didst invest me ! Like

de a r life I love thy l ofty im a ge a b ove thine own city ,

B a bylon I h a ve a d orned n o t own in a ny pl a ce Like

,
.

a s I love the fe a r of thy godhe a d ( a n d ) reg a rd the ,

l ordshi p fa v our th ou the li fting up of my h a nds

m
,

he a r my pr a yer I a the p a tr on K ing th a t rej oiceth

thine he a rt ; the pr udent minister the p a tron of a ll ,

thy cities By thy c omm a nd 0 merciful Merod a ch

m
.
,

a y the h ou se th a t I h a ve b uilt end ure for ever '

m a y I s a tisfied be with the f u llness of it ; a nd therein
1
L i g ht fr o m
the E a s t, b y B a ll, p . 20 4.
1 44 PRAYERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

m I c me
ay o grey h a irs a nd be s a tisfied with chil
to ,

dren ! Ma y I receiv e therein the rich trib ute of the

ki n gs of the regi ons of a ll m a nkind ! fr om h oriz on t o
zenith — the p l a ces of the rising s un— a y I own n o m
enemy h a ve n one t o m a ke me a fr a id ! Let m y off
,

s p ring therein r ule the bl a ck he aded f old for everm ore

-

The pr a yers present m a ny striking p a r a llels t o the

p hr as e ol ogy of the Old Test a ment .

Curses were expressed in the f orm of p r a yers

m
.

A ong the p r a yers a s well a s the hym ns disc overed

, ,

on the t a blets s ome a r e l oftier in s p irit th a n others

,

they c ont a in a higher level of religi ous th ought a nd ,

more p r on ounced ethic a l tendencies .

The o fferi ng of pr a ise t o the g ods wheth e r it w a s for ,

vict ory gr a nted or for a f a v our sh own c a lled f orth the ,

best a nd p urest sentiments o f which the individ ua l

w a s c a p a ble In this we see tr a its of the h um a n a s p e cts
.

of religi on The a ffecti ons of the p etiti oner a re be

.

f r a yed in the p etiti on he o ffers t o the deities We .

u
’

p erceive the a ttrib tes th a t reflect the w orshi pp er s

dis p ositi on r a ther th a n t he god s view of the purp os e

’

a nd a i mof existence
1
.

PE N ITE NTI A L PS ALM S .

By the p enite nti a l ps a hn s is me a nt th ose where a

re a t str a i n is l a id up on p a cifyi n g the g o d a ddressed
g
- .

1 Re lig i on of B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , b y J a s tro w , p . 29 8 .

 PENITENTIAL PSALMS 1 45

It wa s b a sed up on the primitive belief th a t misfort unes

were the res ul t of divine wr a th The B a byl oni a ns
.

believed th a t tr a nsgressions c ould be a toned for only

by a pp e as ing the a nger of the god B ut with this
.

rigid creed a lofty a nd a comp a r a tively p ure ethi c al

'

s pirit w a s cherished a mong the B a byloni a ns Inc a n .

t a t ion f orm u l ae were res orted t o by the s ufferer when

f oll owed by ba d fort un e or smitten with dise a se N ot .

o nly did he a d op t th a t co u rse b ut he t urned in p r a yer

,

t o the p a rtic u l a r g od who sent the evil a nd a pp e a led

,

th a t his wr a th sh oul d t urn a wa y .

Such events a s defe a t in wa r were a scribe d t o divine

wr a th The p ers on a l t one cont a ined in most of the
.

p enitenti al p s al ms m a kes them a ro

pp p ri a te t o circ um
st a nces in which the individ ua l w as inv olved a s well
a s the n a ti on. And s o the ps a hn s c a me t o p ossess a
n a ti on a l imp ort a nce
.

AS the belief wa s prev al ent th a t we al or woe dep ended

m
up on the rel a ti onship between a n an d g od wh a t wa s
,

c onceived a nd expl a ined a s the a nger of the g od

p r omp ted the indivi d ua l a nd the n a ti on t o a gre a ter
c onsecr a ti on a nd ze a l in sec uring the l ove of the g od .

The element of l ove is introduced explicitly or is ,

cle a rly im pli ed s o as to form the necess ar y c omplement

,

to the conception of the divine wr a th .

The p enitenti al ps a lms m a nifest the ethic al a nd

religi ous beliefs of the B a byloni a ns a t their bes t No .

where is the ethic a l S ide more cle ar ly sh own th a n in

10
1 46 GOD S ANGER
’

the ide a of sin expressed in them S uch misfort un es

.

of life which c ou ld n ot be a ttr ib uted t o the p resence

of evil S p irits , but r a ther t o the wr a t h of the g od
.
,

br ought a deep sense of guilt t o the individua l And .

the B a byl oni a n believed t h a t c on sci ously or unc on

,

sc i ou sly he m u
, st h a ve tr a nsgressed a ga inst the g od .

Thi sf a ct reminds us of the theol ogy of J ob s c omf orters

’

a nd m a ny of the Ps a lms .

AS t o whether the god w a s re a lly j ustified in being

a ngry did n ot seem t o h a ve tr ou

m
bled the B a byl oni a ns ,

or whether the p u nis h ent inflicted on them w a s in

p pr o o rti o n t o the wr o ng d one did n o t seem t o h a ve
p pe r lexed them . T o the B a byl oni a n it w a s n ot essen

ti a l th a t the deity S h ould be j ust th ough he wa s

‘

o ffe n ded it w a s quite en ough th a t the g od w a s offended

thr ough the omissi on of cert a in rites or thr ough a mis
,

t a ke in the p erf orm a nce of rites or s omething else

,
.

To the p enitent t w o things st ood out distinctly : the

wr a th of the g od a nd the d uty of a pp e a sing th a t wr a th .

It c a nn ot be s a id th a t the B a byl oni a n a nd Assyri a n

e
p p o le g o t bey ond this conce p ti o n b
, u t this c o nvicti on
w a s q uite suffi C I e nt t o convince them th a t their mis

f ort un es were c a used by s ome offence The evils

m
.

which overt ook the individual s uffi ced t o c onvince hi

th a t he ha d sinned a ga inst the g od It wa s w ithin this
m
.

r a nge of th oughts the p enitenti a l ps a l s of the B a by

l oni a ns m oved a nd ha d their being .

It brings t o mem ory the Hebrew concepti on of sin

 SIMI LARITY 1 47

th a t it is a missing of the m a rk h a ving missed in ,

some wa y kn owingly or unkn owingly t o c om ply with

, ,

the c omm a nds of the g od under wh ose p r otecti on one

lived S ome sh a rp a wa kenings br ought h ome t o him
.

the st a rtling c onvicti on th a t he ha d missed the m ar k .

Dise as e misfort une defe a t dr ought del uge st orms

, , , , , ,

destr ucti on fi na nci al l osses disc ord in the h ome de a th

, , , ,

were s ome of the messengers th a t t old the individua l

or the n a ti on th a t the f a v ou r of the deity ha d been
forfeited an d th a t it sh ould be sec ured a ga in At the .

s a me time we m ust a dmit th a t wit hin this s omewh a t

,

a nd s o m
n a rr ow circle there w as ro om for ethic a l p r ogress
e of the p enitenti al ps al ms of the B a byloni a ns
a re in t one a nd s u
,

bst an ce w orthy t o be c omp a red wi th

“
,

the Ps a hn s of the Old Test a ent ; a nd the B ook of m

J o b a n d other p o rti ons o f the Old Test a ment co uld be
re a d with e di fi c a t ion in the light of the ide a s c ont a ined
in the B a byl oni a n ps al ms which a re the fl owers of the
,

B a byl oni a n reli g i ous liter a t ure .

The B a byl oni a n ps al ms a s well a s the He brew

,

Ps alms h a ve one simil ar ity comm on t o both : m ore

,

a dv a nced c oncep tion s o fa r fr om setting a side rimi

,
p

m
tive on e s c a n live a nd t hrive in the s a me a tm os phere
,

with the old It a y be more so in the B a byl oni a n

.

p s a lms .

The Assyri a ns a dop ted these psa hns a s they did the
other fe a t u res of the religious liter a t ur e of the B a by
loni a ns a nd enriched the c ollecti on by p r od ucti ons o f
,

I O— Z
1 48 THE PENITENT

their own which however follow closely the B a by

, , ,

1
l oni a n typ e .

Here is a ps a lm where the p enitent a ddresses his

g oddess
l v full gh ll up h
f him
, thy se r a nt , of s i s , ca on t ee
f v nt p a ye
inn d d th ou
n th t m
wh h
I f t h ul k t up n m
The er e r
pt
r o o as s e o a c ce .

o oo n l iv
es o a a , a a e s.

0 ll p w ful m i t
a - o s f m nk ind
er s re s o a ,

M e iful n t wh m it i g d t tun wh h e
rc o e, o igh s !o s oo o r , o a rs s
”

The priest intercedes on his beh a lf

His g od a nd godde s s b e ing a ngr y w ith h i , he c a ll s upon th e e m
Tu t
r n o w a r d s h i t hy c o un t e na nc m
e , t a e h ol d o f h is h a nd
”
k .

It w a s diffi cul t s ometimes to kn ow whether the sinner

ha d offended a g a inst a g od a goddess or a ga inst , ,

sever a l gods S ometimes the sinner c ould only guess

.

wherein his offence c ons isted bec a use it wa s s ome mis ,

f ort une th a t br ought h ome t o him his sense of guilt .

N o p a rticul a r g od in m a ny c a ses c oul d be sp ecified .

0 t h a t the w th f my l d h e a t e tu n t its f m e nditi

ra o or
’
s r r r o or r co on

0 t h t th g d wh i unkn w n b p ifi d !
a e o o s o e ac e

0 th a t th g dde e unk n w n b p ifi d
o ss o e ac e

0 t h a t t h g d k no w n
e ounk nown b e p ifi d or ac e

0 th a t th g dde e kn wn o unkn wn b e p cifi d

o ss o r o a e

0 t h a t the h t f my g od b e p a c ifi d
ea r o e

0 th a t th g od o g dd
e kn wn o unknown b p c ifi e d
r o e ss o r e a

The in t h a t I h v omm itte d I k now not

”
s a e c .

Fas ting is res orted to by wa y of p en a nce

F o od I h v n t e te n
a e o a

C l ea r w t I h a ve n t d unk
a er o r .

1 R e lig i on of B a by loni a a nd A ssy r i a , by J a s tr o w , p 31 7

. .
 A PRAYER TO ISHTAR 1 49

The sinner describes his wretched st a te

Inste a d of ood, f I ea t bitte r te a rs
Inste a d of w k th w t s of m i e y
da te - ine , I drin e a er s r

my d ink I h a ve b itt w t
I am
F or r er a e rs

I ns te d of c l o th e
a e nv e l p e d in s in
s, o .

A PRAY ER To I S HTAR .

Mr L W King s a ys th a t the text of this pr a yer t o

. . .

Isht a r both from the be a uty of its l a ngua ge a nd fr om

,

its p erfect st a te of preserv a tion is one of the finest ,

B a byl oni a n reli g i ous c omp ositions th a t has yet been

rec overed The p r a yer is a ddressed to Isht a r in her
.

ex a lted p osition a s the goddess of b a ttle a nd she is

identified here a s Irnini (i a nd she 15 a d dr essed .

( i 1 2) a s Gut ira Mr King s a ys th a t in the c ourse

m
. . .

of ti e Isht ar w a s identified by the B a byloni a ns

a nd As syri a ns with other goddesses a nd when s o ,

identified she a bs orbed their n a mes titles a nd , ,

a ttrib u tes
m
.

The pr a yer a y be divided a s follows Lines 1 -41 ,

a descri p tion of the

p ower a nd s plend our of the goddess .

Fr om line 42 onwa rd the s uppli a nt expresses his p e r

s on al p etiti ons describing his st a te of a ffi ict ion a nd
,

p r a ying for deliver a nce Lines 1 07 a nd following .

c ont a in a r ubric a nd directions for the p erf orm a nce of

cert a in ceremonies a nd for the due recit a l of the
p yer
r a .

1
R elig i on f
o B a by lonia a nd A ssy r i a , b y J a st ro w , p 322
. .
1 50 HER ATTRI B UTES

We ca n only give a selecti on fr om this un i que p r a yer

we m ust refer the re a der to Mr King s tr a nsl a tion for a
’

1
complete version of it .

We find it e xtremely di ffic ult to m a ke a selection .

1. y unto th e l dy of l a die g odde ss of g dde

I pra e, a s, o sse s

2. O Ish t q ue n of a ll p pl di t
a r, ef m nk ind ! eo e s, re c re ss o a

3. O I nini t h u a t a i e d n h igh m i t e s of the p i its of

r , o r r s o ,
s r s s r

h e ve n ; a

4. Th u a t m igh t y th u h t sove e ig n powe e x l te d is thy

o r , o as r r, a

na m e !

5. Th ua t the l igh t of h e v e n nd a th 0 v l i nt da ugh te

o r f a a e r , a a r o

the M oon God -

.

1‘

Th o u w ie lde st the s ce pt re a nd the d e c ision, the c ontro l of

e a rt h a nd h ave en

( The ide a is th a t the scep tre represents the contr ol

of e ar t h a nd the decision th a t of he a ven ) .

Anu, B 61, h v e a i e d th n h igh ; mong the g d

a nd Ea a r s ee o a o s

h ve th y m d g t thy d m ini n
a e a e re a o o .

Th e y h v x l t d t h m ng ll th S pi its of h e a ve n ; th e y
a e e a e ee a o a e r

h v e m de thy nk p m in nt
a a ra r e -e e .

At the t h ugh t f thy n m t h h e v n a nd th e th q ua k

o o a e e a e e ar e ,

The g d t mb l o nd the p i it
s re f th e a th fa l te
e, a s r s o e r r.

M nk ind p a y e th h om g unto thy m igh ty na m e

a a e ,

F o t h ua t g
r o t nd t h ou t x l t e d
r re a ,
a ar e a .

t
h uj udg t th c u e f m
a: a: a:

n w it h j u t i e nd igh te u ne

Th ou l k t wit h m e y n th v i l nt m
T o es e a s o a s c a r o s ss

oo es n nd t h u e t te rc o e o e a , a o s st

igh t th un uly v y m ning

r e r e er or .

a: a: a:

1 The S ev en Ta ble ts ( f Cr ea t ion , e d ite d by L . W . K in g , p . 223

e t se q .
 HER INF LUENCE 1 51

O t h ougl orio us one , th a t ra g e st a m ong the sp ir its of h v ea e n,

th a t sub due st a ng ry g ods ,

T h at h a st po w v
e r o e r a ll p r inc e s , t ha t cont rolle s t the s c e ptre

of k ing s,

Th a t op e ne st the b ond s of a ll h a nd m id a s,

Th high th t a t
a t a r t r a ise d o n t bl i h e d— O v a l i nt , a r fi mly e r s a s a

I h t a g e t is thy m ig h t 1
s r, r a

B igh t t
r h f h a v n nd e th l igh t f ll dwe ll ing
orc o e e a ar , o a s,

Te ib l in the figh t ne wh ca nn t b opp e d t ng in the

rr e , o o o e os ,
s ro

b tt l e ! a

0 wh i lw ind th a t e t a g a inst the f e a nd c u

’

r , t te st o fi the
roa r s o

m ig h ty l
O fu iou I h t a
r umm one r of a m ie s !
s s r, s r

it

Wh e re thoul ooke st in p it y the de a d ml v an i es a ga in , the s ic k

is he l a ed ;
The ‘
a filic te d is sa ve d f m ro his af fli c t io n wh e n he be h ol de th
t hy f a ce

I , thy v
se r a nt, sorr o wful , si gh ing , a nd in d is tre ss, c ry unto
h
m
t ee.

k ut my l dy nd a pt my up pl ica t ion
ym
Loo n o e, O a , a c ce s

ly pit nd h e k n unt my p y
m
Tru e , a ar e o ra er I
C ry unto I t i e nough I l
“
sp irit
”
e, s nd le t t hy a be a p p e a se d

it

g m e c y ? Th e n le t thy pi it be a ppe a se d
M a y th ine y e s e t w it h f v u up n m
Is a n er r s r

With thy gl i us e ga d t uly in m e c y l ok up n m

e r s a o r o e

P ut a n e nd t th e v il b e w itchm e nts of my b od y l t m
or o r r r r o o e

o e e b e h ol d e

t hy c l e a l igh t ! r

4!

M y h e a rt h th t ke n w ing nd h a th fl own a w a y l ike a

a a , a

th e h vn ea e s

I m n l ik cl v nig h t a nd d y

I m
oa e a o e, a .

a m a d d l a te nd I w p b it t ly
e e so , a ee er

Wit h g i f nd w e my pi it i di t
r e a ed o s r s s r e ss .

Wh a t h a v e I don 0 my g od a nd my g dde s ? e, o s
1 52 S UP P LI CATIO NS

f my g od o my godde s th a t t
h th b e f ll e n m
68. Is it b e ca use I e a re d not r s ro uble
a a e

‘
ha v e b e h e l d O my l dy da ys m onth of so w
’

I , a , of a fil ic tion, s rro ,

y f m i f tun
e a rs o s or e

I h v e b h l d O my l d y l a ugh t t um il a nd e b e ll ion
y h ve m d n nd f m
a e e , a , s e r, r o ,
r .

D t h nd m i
ea a se r a a e a e o e

M y n d i g ie v ou g ie vou i my h um il i tion
ee s r s, r s s a

Ov my h ou my ga te a nd my fi ld i ffl ic ti n p ue d
er se , , e s s a o o r

f th or .

lve my sin m
D isso
m
y iniq uity my t n g e ion nd my offe nce !
,
ra s r ss a
, ,

F g iv y t an g c p t my uppl i ti n
S e c ue my d l ive a nce a nd l t mb e l ove d nd
or e i n r s re s s o ,
ac e s ca o

r e r , e e a c a re fully
m m
t e nd e d !
G uid my f ot te ps in the l ight th a t a m ong
e o s , en I ay
gl iously e k my w y
or s e a

T h oua t the ul e : le t t h n my to h fl m e f th
r r r , e ,
rc a or

M y my c t t d t e ng th b e oll e t e d 1
M y th e f l d b e w id a nd m
a s a e re s r c c

a y my p n b e b ol t d f

unto m
a o e, t 1 e e as

R e ive the a b a e m e nt of my c unt e na nce g iv e

ce s y o , e ar

p ay
T uly pit y m
r er

r e nd [ c e pt my su , p p l i ti n ]
a a c ca o

H w l ong 0 my l d y w ilt t h ub e a ng y a nd thy f ce b tu n d

o ,
a , o r a e r e

aw y a

H w l ng 0 my l dy w il t th ou a g e a nd thy pi it b e full
o o ,
a , r s r

f w a th ?
o r

I nc l in thy n k wh i h [i t une d]a w y f m my a ff i

e ec , c nd s r a ro a rs, a

ity b fo e my f
lv ing w te s f the iv r m
et p o p
s r s er ; e r a ce

A b y th
s e so y t h ine
a ng b
r o r e , a a er e

d i s lve d !
my I t mpl l ik the g und
s o

M y m igh ty f
w oth with m
oe s a ra e e ro

And th o who a se e m y e t th ouf

re r c int s ub a s or e o

m i ion nd c u h b n th my f t l
ss a r s e ea ee

Le t my p a ye a nd my u r p pl i a ti n com e unto t h
r s c o ee ,
 ISHTAR EXALTED I 53

g m e y be upon m
ee t m
And le t thy
b e h l d min the st
re a t rc e ,

T h a t th who o se y m g nify t hy o e r a a

n m
And th t I m
a e,

1 0 2. a y gl orify thy g odh e a d a nd thy m igh t b e f

a ore

m nkind a

I hts i ex lt d
ar I ht s i qu n a e s ar s ee

M y l dy i e x l t e d
a M y l dy i q u n !
s a a s ee

I nini th v l i nt d ug h t e
r , ef th M n God h a th not
a a a iv a l ro e oo -
, a r

The pr a yer of Isht ar strikes us a s being very si il a r m

t o some of the best sentiments expressed in the Old

Test a ment a nd we c a nn ot help thinking th a t the

,

dev oti on al li ter a t ure of the B a byloni a ns a nd Assyri a ns

w as known t o the Hebrews .

Dr R W Rogers in his recent b ook gives a few

. . .
, ,
1

striking p as s a ges from the Old Test a ment in order t o

show the infl uence th a t the B a byl oni a n Cre a ti on St ory
exerted over the p oets a nd p r ophets of Isr a el

OJ h v h G d f ho t
e o a , o o s s,

Wh i m igh ty n l ik unt Th e O J h v h ?
o s a o e, e o e , e o a

And Thy f ithful ne is und b ut Th e e

a ss ro a o .

Th u ul t th p id e f th
o r es e r o e se a

Wh e n the w v th f i Th ou t ll t th m
a es e re o a r se , s i es e .

Th uh t b k e n R h b in pi e s o n th t i sl in

with th a mf Thy st e ng th
o as ro a a ec s, a e a s a

Th uh to tt d Th in
as ne m isc a e re e e es e r o r .

Th h e v n
e Th in th
a e th l i Th in
s a re e, e ear a so s e

Th w l d nd th full n
e or th af Th uh t f und d th m
e e ss e re o , o as o e e .

The n rt h nd the
o uth Th ouh a t c e a t d th m
a so , s r e e
”
.

P S lxxxix 8 1 2 . .
-
.

1
TIre Religi on of B a byloni a nd A ssy n a , pp i 37
’

a . 1 33- .
1 54 RAHAB

'
This p oet ha s he a rd of Tia a t a nd her st ory Here m .

Ti am a t is c a lled R a h a b a nd it is not M a rduk b ut , ,

J ehov a h who ha s sl a in her J ust a s the elder Be l or

, .
,

Ellil wa s dis pl a ced a s we h a ve seen by M a rduk s o

, , , ,

here M a rduk is displ a ced by Jehova h He h a s broken .

’
R a h a b in p ieces Na y more : He ha s sc a ttered His
.
,

enemies — th a t is the help ers of R a h a b And then

, .
,

then a fter He ha s defe a ted R a h a b He cre a tes the

, ,

world It is cert a inly the B a byloni a n Ti am a t a nd

.

M a rd uk st ory which this p oet ha s in his mind a nd is

using p o etic a lly t o glorify J eh ova h

r i n
,

we h ve j ust seen in the B

And be it ob
served he is foll owing ex a ctly the s a e order of pr o
byl ni n st ry
.

m ,

g e s s o a s a a o a o

fi rst the c onflict then the cre a ti on , .

The p oet who wr ote t he B ook of J ob wa s influenced

by the B a byl oni a n myths which he utilized t o describe ,

the mighty works of J eh ov a h

He st irre t h up th
w it h Hi p we e se a s o r,

A nd b y Hi und t n d ing H
s m it th th ough R h a b
e rs a e s e r a .

B y H i S p i it th h v n
s r g ni h d
e ea e s a re ar s e

H i h nd h th p ie
s a d th a w ift e p nt rc e e s s r e
”
.

J OB xxv i 1 2 1 3 . , .

will not w ithd a w H i ge

m
G od r s an r

The h lp e f R ha b d
e rs o a o s toop unde r Hi .

J OB ix . 1 3.

Am os s p a ssing a llusi on t o them shows th a t he

’
wa s
infl uenced by these legends In describing the . i m
p otence of the sinn ers t o esc a p e the pr ophet s a ys ,
 LEVIATHAN r 55

“
hough th e y h ide t h e m lve s in the t p f C a rm el I w ill
T se o o ,

s h nd ta k e th e m ut t h e nc ; nd though th e y b b id f om
e a rc a o e a e r

M y igh t in the b t t m of the

s a th e n w ill I c mm nd the
o o se , ce o a

pe nt a nd it h ll b it th m A M OS i 3
l ” -
se r , s a e e . x. .

And in a fine p a ss a ge in t he Ps a lter levi a th a n is

p l a inly en o ugh the figure of Ti am a t
my K ing f ld
Ye t Go d is o o ,

Wo k ing lv ti n in th m id t of the a rth

r sa a o e s e .

Th udid t d iv id th sea b y Thy t e ng t h

o s e e s r

Th ub e k t the h e a d
o r af th e m n t in the w t
es s o e s a- o s e rs a e rs .

Th ub k t the h ea d of l e vi th n in pi ce s
Th oug v e t him
o re a es s a a e

t be foo d to t h p e pl e inh b it ing th w il de

a s o e o a e r

n e s s.

Thoud id t c le v f unta in a nd flood

s a e o

Th ud i d t up m igh ty iv
o r e s r e rs .

Th d y i Th in th nig h t a l
e a s is Th in e, e so e

Th uh t p e p
o d th l igh t nd th
as r un a re e a e s .

Th uh t
o t ll th b d e
as f th
se th
a e or rs o e ear

Th uh t m d summ nd w int e
”
o as a e er a r.

P S l x iv . x . 1 2 - 1 7.

Here is p roof enough th a t these B a byl oni a n myths

were in current circul a ti on in Isr a el a nd th a t p oets ,

a n d p r op hets knew how to a dorn their mess a ge with

them .

1
The se rpe nt me a ns Ra hab .
 CHA PTER XVI I
THE I N S C RIPTI ON S AN D H IGHER C R ITI C I S M
WHAT a re the e ffects of the disc overies which h a ve been
m a de in B a byloni a a nd Ass yr i a up on the res ults of
Biblic a l criticism ? Wh a t be a ring ha s the one up on
the other m
The inscri p ti ons a y h a ve t wo kinds of
testim onies a direct testim on y a nd a n indirect testi
m ony The direct testim ony is decisive ; the v a l ue of
.

the indirect testimony dep ends on whether it is suffi

c ie nt ly circ umst a nti a l a nd p recise t o m a ke the settle
ment of a cert a in q uesti on highly p r ob a ble To quote .

1
Dr Driver 1
. Ex a mp les of the direct testim ony of
a rch ae ology h a ve been f u rnished by the B ooksof K ings ,

th ough as it h a pp ens thes e h a ve rel a ted m ostly t o

, ,

p o ints on which there h a s been n o contr o versy a nd on ,

which the Biblic al st a tements h a ve not been q ues

t ione d It woul d be a n exa m ple of the second kind of
m
.

a rch olog ica l testim ony if t o t a ke a n im a gin a ry c as e

, ,

the B ook of Genesis ha d described the p a tri a rchs a s

visiting va ri ous pl a ces inh a bited b y tri b es to which
there were no references in l a ter b ooks of the Old
1
A ut/zor z ty nd A r c/twolog y , pp
’

a . 1 44, 1 45.

I 56
 METHODS UNSCIENTIFIC 1 57

Test a ment b ut which the evidence of the m on uments

,

ha d n ow sh own t o be c orrectly l oc a ted ; under s uch

circ umst a nces the a greement with the f a cts wo uld be
str ong evidence th a t the n ar r a t or drew his inform a ti on
fr om tr ustworthy s o urces In c as es of the third kind
m
.

of a rc h ologic al testimony if its v al u, e is t o be estim a ted

a right a ttenti on m u
,
st be p ai d t o the circumst a nces of
the individ ua l c a se In the a bstr a ct a ga in there
.
, ,

is n o re a s on why Hebrew n a mes of a p a rtic ul a r t yp e

should not h a ve been f ormed a t a n e ar ly p eriod ; b ut
if a n ind ucti on fr om m a teri al s s upplied by the Old
Test a ment itself renders the fa ct doubtful the circ um
,

st a nces th a t other Semitic n a ti ons fr a med n a mes of this

kind a t a n e a rly p eriod d oes not pr ove th a t the Hebrews
did the s ai ne .

The meth ods of S a yce a nd H ommel a re imp ossible

a nd u nscientific We c a nnot c oncl ude th a t bec a use
.
,

the Egyp ti a ns a nd the B a byl oni a ns a nd the C an a a nites

were civilized a nd knew how t o wr ite a nd the like the
, ,

Hebrews therefore di d the s a me We c a nn ot estim a te

, , .

the civiliz a ti on of the r ude S a xons when they c on

q uered Brit ai n by our kn owledge of the Britons whom
they conq uered The S a x ons drove out the Britons
. ,

a ccep ting from them neither their civili z a tion nor their

religi on In t hi s p eriod s ucceeding their conquest of

m
.

civilized Brit ai n we kn ow th a t the S a xons were , u

lettered he a then al th ough the country which they ha d
,

c onquered w a s b oth civilized a nd Christi a n Wh a t .

1 58 CRITICISM NOT DISPROVED

b th h ve d ne is this
o a o Professor S a yce in The E a rly ,
'

Hi story of the He bre ws has tried t o c a rry b a ck into

,

rem ote a ntiquity the hist ory a nd religi on of Isr a el .

B oth h a ve dr a wn a p ict ure of p rimitive civiliz a ti on of

B a byl oni a Egyp t a nd Ar a bi a a s we kn ow it fr om the
, , ,

mon uments a nd h a ve urged th a t since these co untries

, ,

with which Isr a el c a me into c ont a ct ha d re a ched a

consider a ble degree of civiliz a ti on a t the time of M os es ,

therefore of necessity Isr a el ha d d one the s a me They

, , .

h a ve m a de m uch use of the revel a ti on of the Tel e l -

Am a rn a t a blets in rega rd to the revela ti on of Pal estine

bef ore the entr a nce of the Isr a elites If the c ountry .

which the Isr a elites c onquered p ossessed a high

civiliz a ti on ; if the l a nd out of which the Isr a elites
m
c a e— n a mely Egyp t— p ossessed a high civiliz a ti on
,

if the l a nd with which Isr a el w a s connected— n a mely ,

B a byl oni a a nd Ar a bi a — p ossessed a high civiliz a tion ,

then the Hebrews m ust h a ve been civilized c a p a ble of ,

p rod ucing codes o f la w a nd a religi

, on al re a dy highly
devel op ed a t the time th a t they entered C an a a n .

Professor S a yce a nd Dr H ommel h a ve m a int a ined

1
.

th a t the inscrip tions h a ve disp roved m a ny of the con

clu s i ons of the critics Wh a t ha s str uck us is the
.

p r a ctic al a greement th a t e xists between Pr ofess or

S a yce a nd a Biblic al critic like Dr Driver We fa il . .

to see th a t there is a ny re a l di fference between the two

eminent schol a rs with regar d t o the hist oric al v a l ue of
1 A ncie nt He bre w Tr a diti on illustr a ted by Me M onu m
e nts .
 ADMISSIONS 1 59

the Old Test a ment Profess or S a yce believes th a t our

.

knowledge of B a byl oni a goes b a ck to eight or nine

th ous a nd ye a rs a g o a n op ini on which c a n n ot be
”
1
,

h a rm onized with the chron ology of the Old Test a ment .

The c onsistent ex a gger a ti on of n umbers on the p a rt

of the Chr onicler sh ows u s from a hist oric a l p oint of

view his uns upp orted st a tements m ust be received

with c a uti on . He c a red a s little for history in the
m odern E urop e a n sense of the word a s the Orient al of
to da y who considers himself a t liberty t o embellish
-
,

or m odify the n a rr a tive he is re p e a ting in a cc ord a nce

2
with his fa ncy or the m or a l he wishes t o dr a w from it .

The a cc ount [of the c onquest of B a byl on]given by

the B ook of D a niel is a t v a ri a nce with the testim ony of
the inscrip tions .D a ri us the Mede is in f a ct a re
, ,

fl e ct ion int o the p as t of D ar i us the son of Hyst a spe s

m
.
,

The s a me m on u ent al evidence which ha s vindic a ted

the hist oric al a cc ur a cy of the Scrip t ur a l n a rr a tive in
other pl a ces ha s here pr onounced a gai nst it The story .

of Belsh a zz ar s f a ll is not historic al in the modern sense

’

of the word history 3

.
’

Profess or S a yce it is to be observed though he

, ,

c omes forwa rd ostensibly a s a n enemy of criticism

m
,

nevertheless m a kes a d issions which sh ow th a t he

rec ognizes m a ny of its concl usions t o b e tr ue Thus he .

m
1

m
Re lig i on A nci e nt Eg ypt a nd B a by lonia , p 260
o f . .

2
H ig he r Cr i ti ci s a nd the M onu ents , p 464 . .

3 I bi d , pp 526, 528, 531

. . .
1 60 TWO ABRAHAMS

not only a sserts the c ompil a t ory ch a r a cter of the

Pent a teuch (E a rly History of the He brews, pp 1 29 .
,

1 34 , b ut in Genesis he finds (p 1 32 et seq ) t w o . .

gr oups of n a rr a tives a nd t w o Abrah a ins —the one a n

Abr a h a m born in one of the centres of B a byl oni a n
civiliz a tion who is an a lly of Amorite Chieft a ins a nd
, ,

wh om the Hittites of Hebr on a ddress a s a mighty

p rince ( the Abr a h a m of Gen xiv a nd of P) ; the
m
. .

other a n Abr a h a of the B e d a vvi n c a m p fi r e a n om a d -

,

wh ose h a bits a re th ose of the r ude indep endence of the

desert wh ose wi fe kne a ds the bre a d While he himself
, ,

kills the c a lf with which his guests a re entert a ined

( the Abr a h a m of J a nd E) The f ormer n a rr a tive
.

he c onsiders th ough up on very questi on able gr ounds

, ,

to h a ve been b a sed up on c ontemp or a ry documents ;

the l a tter t o h a ve been like the t a les of their old heroes
rec ounted by the nom a d Ar a bs in the d a ys bef ore
Isl a ma s they s a t a t night r ou nd their c a mp fir e s -
.

The det a ils a nd s p irit of the story h a ve necess a rily

c a ught the c olour of the medi um thr ough which they .

h a ve p a ssed ( p All the p rinci p al det a ils of

’
.

the p a tri a rchs lives a re c ont a ined in J a nd E ; b ut if

’

these n a rr a tives were h a nded d own for gener a ti ons by

n om a d reciters r ound their c a m p fire s wh a t better -
,

g ua r a ntee of their hist oric a l tr uth d o we p ossess th a n

if their mem ory ha d been preserved in the m a nner
s upp osed a bove 1

1 Gn
e e si s , b y D ri v er p li
. .
 HISTORI CAL BACKGRO UND 1 61

It is a stonishing how Profess or S a yce a grees with

the Vl e WS of the Higher Critics but it is more wonderf ul ,

how he condemns them ! 1

The c onserva tive theo
log i a ns welcome Dr S a yce a s D a niel c ome t o j udg
.

ment but a fter re a di ng his works c a refully they m ust

,
”

see th a t he gives as m uch s a tisfa ction a s P orti a ga ve

2
t o Shylock .

No inscrip ti ons h a ve proved th a t Moses wrote the

wh ole of the Pent a teuch a s it is in the Bible or ,

t h a t the story of B al a a m is liter all y tr ue or th a t ,

Is a i a h wr ote the whole of the b o ok th a t g oes by th a t

n a me .

Th a t a st ory a ccur a tely reflects geogr a phy d oes

not necess a rily me a n tha t it is a re al tr a nscri p t of
history— else were the Bo ok of J udi th the tr uest an m
ever wrote inste a d of be ing wh a t it is a p retty p iece
, ,

of fiction M a ny legends a re wonderful photogr a phs

m
.

of scenery And therefore let us a t once a d it th a t

m
.
, , ,

while we a y h a ve other re as ons for the hist oric al

truth of the p a tri ar ch al n a rr a tives we c an not p rove ,

t his on the ground th a t their itiner a ries a nd p l a ce

m
n a es ar e correct Or a gai n th a t the Book of Josh ua
.
, , ,

in m ar king trib al b ound ar ies g a ve us a det a iled list ,

of towns the mos t of which we ar e a ble to identify

, ,

d oes not pr ove a nyt hin g a b out the d a te or a uthorshi p

of these lists nor the f a ct of the deli b er a te p a rtition
,

1 S e e M onu me nta l F a cts a nd Hig he r C r

i ticis m
F a nci es .
9 The N e w Wor ld , M a rc h , 1 89 9 , p 30 . .
1 62 THE CA V E OF MACHPELAH

of the l a nd in J osh ua s time Ag a i n th a t Isr a el s

’ ’
.
,

c onquests under M oses on the e a st of the J ord a n wen t

s o fa r n orth a s described is not p roved by the dis
,

c ov e ry in these d a ys of the v a ri ou s t owns mentioned .

In e a ch of these c a ses a ll th a t is p r oved is th a t the

n ar r a tive w as written in the l an d by someone who
knew the l a nd a nd this has never been c al le d i n
,

question The d a te the a cc ur a cy of the n a rr a tive

“

.
, ,

will h a ve t o be disc us sed on other gro unds 1

.
”

The f a ct th a t the inscri p tions throw light up on other

a ncient n a ti ons d oes not p r ove the history of Isr a el .

Pr ofess or S a yce s a ys I h a ve long since p ointed out

t ha t the det a ils of the p urch a se of the cave of M a chp el a h .

by Abr a h a m a re in strict conformity with the re q uiré

ments of B a byloni a n commerci al la w a s it w a s a d !

ministered in the Abr a h a mic a g e The la w which .

lies behind the n a rr a tives of Ge nesis is the la w not of ,

M oses b ut of Kh a mmur a b i Thus the a cti on of S a r a h

, .

in gi ving H a ga r to Abr a h a m a nd of R a chel in giving

Bilh ah to J a c ob When they themselves were childless
”
2
w a s in strict a cc ord a nce with the B a byloni a n c ode

m
m
.

It is tr ue th a t Ha ur a bi s code of l a ws w a s nine
’

h undred ye a rs older th a n w a s in f orce for

a ges a fter the de a th of M oses b u t n ot hing is s ai d on
,

the t a blets a b out Abr a h a m p ur ch a sing the c a ve of

m
M a chp el a h S a r ah a y h a ve given H a ga r t o Abr a
.

G Sm ith
Hi stor ica l Ge og r aphy of the Holy La nd, p
mm
1 08.

m
’
1
. A . s .

M onu e nta l F a cts a nd H ig her C ti cis F a nci es , p 80

'

2 . .
 J OSEPH S NAR RATI V ES
’
1 63

ha m
, a nd m
R a chel a y h a ve given Bilh a h t o J a cob b ut ,

the inscrip ti ons h a ve no rec ord of the events

m
.

The a rgu ent whi ch ha s been a dva nced to sh ow

th a t the n a rr a tive of the p urch a s e of the gr a ve of
M a chp el a h ( Gen xxiii ) is the work of a contemp ora ry
. .

h a nd bre a ks down completely .The expression s

all eged in p roof of the a ssertion a re not confine d t o

the a g e of H a mm ur a bi ; they one a nd all occ ur in ,

s ome c as es rep e a tedly in the p eriod of the K ings a nd

, ,

even l a ter : they c onsequently furnish no evidence

m
th a t the n a rr a tive wa s written a t a ny e a rlier d a te
There is no a ntecedent re a s on why Abr ah a sh ould
not h a ve p urch as ed a plot of gro und ne a r He bron fr om
the n a tive inh a bit a nts of the pla ce ; b ut t o s upp os e
th a t this is proven or even m a de p rob a ble by a rch ae
, ,

ology is simply t o misinterpret the evidence whi ch

,

it f urnishes As rega rds the J osep h n a rr a tives it is

.
,

undeni a ble th a t they h a ve a n Egyp ti a n colo uring ; they

c ont ai n m a ny a llusions to Egyp ti a n us a ges a nd insti
t ut ions which c a n be ill ustr a ted from the Egyp ti a n
,

m on um ents Moreover a s K ittel ha s p ointed out

.
, ,

this colo uring is common to both J a nd E As it is .

impr ob a ble th a t two writers wo u l d h a ve a dded it

m
indep endently it a y be inferred th a t it was inherent
,

in the c ommon tr a diti on whi ch b oth repres ent Thi s

m
.

is a circ u st a nce tending to show th a t in its origin

the Egypti a n element w as considera bly a nterior t o
either J or E a nd incre a ses the prob a bility th a t it
,

1 1— 2
1 64 GENE RAL TERMS
rests ultim a tely up on a found a tion in f a ct Ou the
'

other ha nd the extent of the Egyp ti a n colouri ng of

,

these n ar r a tives m ust not b e overestim a ted nor m ust ,

the conclusi ons dr a wn from it be e x a gger a ted The .

a llu sions a re not of a kind t o p rove close an d p ers on al

'

cogniz a nce of the fa cts des cribed instit utions ofli cia ls , ,

etc a re des cribed in g ener a l terms not by their s p ecific

-
.
, ,

Egypti a n n a mes Egyp t it m ust b e remembered w a s

.
, ,

not fa r dist a nt from Ca n a a n a nd as the p r ophecies of , ,

Is ai a h for inst a nce show there w as frequent inter

, , ,

c our se b etween the two countries dur ing the mon a rchy .

Is a i ah in the single ch a p ter ( xix ) which he devotes

, .

to E g ypt sho ws c onsider a ble acquai nt a nce with the

,
“

p ec u l i ar ities of the country It is a c omp lete ill us ion .

t o s upp ose th a t the J osep h n a rr a tives c a n b e shown

by a rch aeol ogy to b e contemp or a r y with the events

recorded ( notice in this c onnection t he a bsence of
p a rtic ul ar s in the n ar r a tive which a contem p or a ry
w ou l d a lmost n a t ur al ly mention s uch a s the p erson a l ,

n a me of the Ph a r a oh a nd the pl a ce in Egyp t a t whi ch ,

he held his Court : t he n a mes P otiph a r etc c a n , .

,

h a rdly be g e nuine a ncie nt n a mes) or tr a nsl a ted from a

'

hier a tic p a pyr us The st a tement th a t the Egyp t

1
.

which these n ar r a tives bring before us is in p a rtic ul a r

t h a t of he Hyks os a g e is destit ute of fo u
'

t nd a tion
2
.
”

It is hi ghly p ro b a ble th a t the cr itics who doubt

1 S a yce ’
s The E a r ly Hi story o f the H e brew s, p 9 0.
f
i .
p . 9 3.
1
D iv e
’
r rs Genesis, p l e t . seq .
 BOTH A RE HANDMA IDS 1 65

the p resence of a ny hist oric al b as is for the n a rr a tives

of the p a tri a rchs a re u l tr a scep tic al ; b ut their sc e p t i
m
-

c is c a nn ot a t le as t a t present be refuted by the testi

, ,

m ony of the mon uments 1

.
”

A gre a t de a l of the illustr a tion a fforded b y the

mon uments rela tes t o fa cts of l a ngua ge t o ide a s , ,

instit utions a nd l oc al ities b ut these a s a r ule a r e of

, , ,

a p erm a nent n a t u re a nd unt il they c a n be pr oved to

, ,

be limited to a p ar tic ul a r a g e their occ ur rence or ,

mention in a gi ven n a rra tive is not eviden ce th a t it

p osses ses the v a l ue of contemp or a ry testimony
”
2
.

The inscrip tions a re not a t enmity with Higher

Criticism nor is Higher Criticis m j e al ous of Arch aeology
, .

The best feeling exists be tween them a nd the Ol d

Test a ment B oth a re h a n d a ids working t ogether in
. m
their se a rch a fter tr uth .

1 A uthor i ty a nd A r cha olog y, Edite d b y D r i

’
v e r, p. I 50 .

2
[bid , p . 1 51 .
 G E N E RA L I NDEX

A A R ON , 86 A s hurn a s irp a l, 1 5, 2 6, 5 8
A a r on son of, 1 34 A si a 1 0 5
l
, ,

A b ut i on 1 32 A sn a t h , 1 0 2
m
,

Ab r a h a , 7 1 , 8 3, 8 5, 8 6 9 8 , 9 9 . A ssh ur 74
y
,

1 60 A ss ri a , 2 8 , 1 0 , 1 3 1 4, 20 , 2 2 ,
m
, ,

A b r a h a i c a g e , 1 62
A b sa o l m 88 A y i n p w
ss r a 5 o er, 1
y A y i n
,
u
A b ss 88
”
39 ss r a 7 s, 2 , 10, 2,
m A y i l gi t
,

Ad a , 5 3 ss r o o 34 s s,
A d a p a 2 6, 5 2 , 5 3 A t n my
s ro o 22
l y At n m nt
, ,
"
A d ut er 1 23 o 36
e e 1
g At h i
, ,

A ade, 1 7 ra 7 6 a s s, 2 2
g Az z l
,

A e nt 1 1 8 a 36 e 1
g l
, ,

A ri c u t ur e , 1 1 2
A ha b 1 0 4 B l 3
a a s, 1 0
B b l 9
,

A ha z 1 0 5 a e 0
kk T w
, ,

A a d ia ns , 1 2 f 9
o er o 0
l B b yl n 4
,

A t a r , 1 32 a o7 47 74 . 1 . 1 . .

m ul t u
A m
m
m
A e n h ot e p I V 1 0 1
i z a g ug a 67
l
A ra p h e , 9 8
,

B b yl ni
a
c f
Fi t D yn t y f 76
o8
5
rs
a
re o

2,
,

as
1

10,
o ,

1
.78
14 20 ,
3
gl
, , , ,

A n e s, 58
m
A n i al s 46 i v il i z t i n m 4 9 8 0
c a o
k l ng u g f 8
, , ,

Anunn a i 4 7 64 , ,
a a es o , 1
A n sh a r 35 , 36 Low 95 er,
B b yl ni n D l ug th x
,

A n n . 30 . 35 a o a e e, o er t e ts
A n up 1 0 1 , of th e , 67
A p s u, 33. 34 . 35 43od s ,
a g
Ar c h i e s 1 5
m
A ra b s 1 1 , 1 60
Ar c h olog y 2 2
v
,

,
m
in s t e n 8 3
on a r c h 5 8
l
r it ua 1 36
,

,
,

y l ug
, ,

Ar ioc h , 9 8 s t or o f t he D e e, 61
Ar k t h e , 6 3 68 , 1 33 yl
B a b oni a n s, 2 , 1 0 , 1 6, 84 8 8,
x
, , ,

Ar p h a a d , 8 5
A r uru, 4 8 Ba aa l m 6 1 1 ,

A s hur 1 5 2 5 B a n q ue t 36
h l
, , ,

A s ur b a n ip a 1 6 2 5 , 72 . 1 34 B a s in 1 32
l y l f
, , ,

A shur b a n ip al s ib r a r , 2 4, 2 5 , B a s -re ie s 59
’
,

26, 6 1 , 67, 1 4 1 B a ta 10 1 ,
1 68 GENERAL INDEX
B e hi st oun M ount , 2 2 , C re a t ion , B ab yl oni a n s t or y of ,
B e l. 2 9 . 59 . 64 . 76. 1 54 23
B e l -M e r od a c 1 35 h C ut he a n lg e e nd o f, 2 7
l f lg Ep i f
,

B e ie s , re i i ous , 1 4 5 C re a t i on c o 24, 30 , 4 2

m
, , ,

B e li kh 9 5 45
l h zz nd F ll
,

Be s a a r , 1 59 C r e a t ion a a of a n, 21,
B e nha d a d 1 0 5 46
lg
,

B e r os sus 2 8 6 1 6 5
lh
B i a h 1 62
B irs N i r oud , 9 1
,

m
, , ,

Of
e

s t or
m
y
e nd s , 2 5 , 2 6
a n, 40 , 50
o f, 20 , 2 2 , 2 5 , 32 , 1 53
z
B oa , 1 33 C re e ds 17
m B ib l i l
,

B ot t a 2 2 C r it i c is ca 44, 1 00 , 1 0 5,
m
, , ,

B r it i sh M us e u 73 1 56
z h ig h
,

B r on e se a 1 32 , C r it i c s , 6 e r, 1 1
se rp e nt s , 1 33 C urse s 1 44 ,

B ud d e , 7 C ush 7 3
g f yl
,

B ud e ; Pr o e ss or , 81 C ind e r , 5 1

l h
C a a , 1 5, 74 D ma a s c us , 2 8
C a n a an , 4 6 4 5 , , l
D a ni e B o o o f 1 59 , k ,

C a n a a ni t e s 2 0 72 1 57 D a r i us t h e M e d e 1 59
l
, , , ,

C an a s , 1 1 3 1 1 4 D a r i us t h e s on o f H ys t a sp e s, 1 59
ml k
,

C a r e , 1 30 D a r ne s s 4 2
m l v
,

C e r e on i a la w , 1 1 1 D a i d 8 1 8 7, 1 43
m y
, ,

C e re oni e s 1 49 D a s 42
h
, ,

C ha lde a n Ge ne s i s 2 3 D e b or a 87
l
m
, ,

C ha d e e s 9 4 ,
D e ep ”
t h e , 33 ,

C he . 2 9 . 43 e it y 1 33 1 4 6
, ,

C h a r i ot 37 a b od es o f 1 30
l m l z
, ,

C h e d or a o e r , 9 8 D e it sc h D r 5 1 5 8 59 1 2 1
l g
.

m
, , , , ,

C h e r ub i 58 e u o t he 2 3 6 3 8 3
l g l y m l y
, , , , ,

C hr on o o i c a s s t e 108 C h a d e a n s t or of t he , 6 1
l gy m
,

C hr ono o , 1 3, 78 , 8 1 , 8 6, 1 06 , D e on s 5 9
g
,

7 10 D e M or a n M J , . .

B ib l i l 8
,

ca 1 D e p osi t 1 1 8
C h l d n 78 my k
, ,

a ea D e ut e r ono B oo of 1 2 7
H b w 88 f w l
, , ,

e re D i f e re nc e b e t e e n t h e r it ua o f
k f King m l m l
,

i h th i m
f th B
o e oo s o s, 1 06 t h e t e p e s a nd t h e Te p e ,
C hu h s a n -r s 88 a a 1 38
C i um i i n w y
,

rc 39
c s o 1 D iffe r e nc e s b e t e e n t he B a b
l m g y
,

C it i es , 47 oni an c os o on a nd
C i v i l i z t i n 3 8 46 4 9 y
C l y 49
a
Cl i t
.

o s e rs ,
a

9 .
o
12
1
,

1
, , , t he s t or

w
m
of C r e a t ion in
t h e Old Te st a e fi t , 42
b e t e e n t he sec ond t a b e t l
3
C mm nd m nt
o a T n 8 e s, e 12 o f C r e a t i on st or y a nd t he
C mm
,

C
o
oo k S A
7
e rc e , 8 1
1 12
, 1 1 a c co u
an d a F ll
of m
nt o f t h e C r e a t ion
a n in t h e
C m g n y 49 k G
.
,

os o o B oo of e n e s is 5 2
C m l gy llm
, ,

os o o 9 1 Di a n 34
C v n n t 69
, ,

o e a D iod or us 8
C v n nt B k f th 1 1 v
, ,

o e a , oo o e, 1 D isc o e r ie s 1 ,

C re a t ion 5 7 ,
D i se a se , 1 8 1 4 5 ,
 GENERAL INDEX 1 69

v
D i i ne ra t 1 45 w h G g 36
a a,
v
D o e , 69
,

G d
ar e ner ,
3 1 1
g G m t 54
m
D r a on . 34
D re a , a 62 , 1 34
v
,
ar
G l gi 7
ene a o
G i B k f
en ,

e s, 1
D r i e r , D r , 5 1 , 5 7, 73, 9 7, 1 56, e ne s s , oo o 1 56
fi t h pt k
. ,

1 58 rs c a e rs o f t h e B oo
D un i . 9 4 g f o 21

y G l gy
,

D n a s t ie s, 8 2 eo o 22
Gz 7
,

e er,
B a 2 9 35, 5 3, 62 , 66 Gid 8 7 e on,
E
,

d e n 50 5 3
,

G i b ht 7
es re c
Gih 5
, , ,

E di n u 50 on , 1
E gy
,

p t , 7 1 6, 2 0 7 3, 8 0 , 8 8 1 00 , G il g m h 6
a es 1
Gi mi i 7
, , , ,

1 64 r ra 2
Eg l g g
,

yp t i a n a n ua e , 8 1 God . 22. 4 3. 44 . 5 3. 5 7. 59 . 8 4.
E gy p t i a n s . 72 . 8 4 . 1 5 7 38
I
E h ud 8 7 ,
G od d ess ,
49 1
E k ur , 76, 1 31 C o rn e r ,
7 2
El m
a , 7
2 98 1 09 G m h 98
o orr a
El m G
,

S e e Wa r
,

it e Wa r
,

a 8
re e c e ,
G k 73
.

El m
a it e s , 1 0 9 re e s,
E li 8 7 Gud 4 ea 1 2
Ell Gud yl i d
, ,

il 1 54
'
ea s c n e rs , 5
E h G ugu 7
,

n oc , 8 4 2
E G uilt 46
,

p ics 1 9 1
E
, ,

p ic o f C r e a t ion . S e e C r ea G ut ira ,
1 49
t i on
E h 47 74
re c H b
a or , 96
E h k ig l 6 H g
. .

r es a 2 a a r, 1 62
E id u 7 H l
,

E
r
-S
g il a
E h d d n 59 7
sa r
47
. 33

a
1
a .
.

o
1

2
a o,
a m
mu
37
ra b i , 1 7, 30 , 7 3 , 1 10, 1 1 1 .

, ,

E h
-
s a rra
39 C od e o f, 1 09 , 1 10, 1 1 2, 1 26 ,
E up h t
,

ra n 34 4 s es . 1 0 . . . 4 7. 9 6 1 62
E u b iu 8 l
,

se s, e t t e rs of, 1 25
Exil t h 45 7 37
e, e, 10 1 H n 95
a ra
Ez ki l 38 H i At 6
, , ,

e e 1 a s s- ra 2
H l 5
, ,

F ll f m
az a e 10
H b w 57
,

a on th S C a e. ee re a t ion e re s, 1
F ll t h 5 H m n M unt 3
,

a e, 2 er o o 1 0
F m il y t h H d tu 8
, , ,

a e, 121 e ro o s,
F t 4 H z ki h 5 33
,

a s s, 1 0 e e a 10 1
F th l H z ki h ign 7
, ,
’
a er e ss ,
4 12 e e a s re 10
F t 4 H id d k l 5
,

e as s, 1 0 e e 1
F t iv l 4 H i gh p l
,

es a s, 1 0 3 3 a ce , 1 0, 1 1
Fi m m nt 39 42
r a e H ind u 8 4 s,
Hi t y 1
, ,

fl ood 7 0 s or 1, 1
Food f d t h 5 3 H itt it 7 6
, ,

o ea e s, 2, 1 0
f l if H ly f H l i 5 6 3
,

o 53 e, o o o e s, 1 2
F H ly Ri v
,

t
or e ca s s , 9 1 o er, 1 20
F nkin n 66
ra ce se , H mm l P f
o 46 e r o e ss or , 49 , 1 57
Fugit i v H ou 47
, ,

5 e, 11 se s ,
1 70 GENERAL INDEX
H usb an d 1 24 K in g l uvi n 8 5
s , a n t e di a
Hymn k f 6 56
, ,

s, 1 9 , 141 B oo s o 10 1
C h n l og y B ok
, ,

H yst a sp e s 1 59 f thro o o e o s
Ch n l gy
,

of S ee ro o o
K ing u 37
.

I mm or t a it , 5 2 l y
Kit t l 63
, .

I nca nt a t i on 1 4 5 e 1
Kn wl d g 54
, ,

I nc e n se 1 37 o e e,
fi l y
,

I n d e it 1 20 K ord ya ic M ount a ins 6 5

K
, ,

I nscr ip t i on, M oa b it e 1 0 4 ,
r ono s 6 1 ,

I nscr ip t ions, 8 1 5 6, 1 59 . , 1 62 K urd ish M ount a in , 1 0

1 65
I rnin i , 1 49 h
L a c is h 7
‘

g
,

I sa a c , 8 5
I sa ia h 1 6 1 ,

I sht a r 5 6 64 66, 1 22 , 1 34
L a a sh , 1 7
L a k ha u 36
L a k h u 36
m
m ,

y
, , , ,

pra er t o, 1 49 L a nd , 48
Is al m 1 22 L an d ord 1 1 2l
l g g
, ,

I sra e 7, 8 , 1 0, 1 5 20 , 45 70 , L a n ua e s 9 1
y H y
, , , ,

L a a rd e nr 3 23
g
, , ,

p r op h e t s o f, 1 53 L e e nd s 1 9 2 3 1 6 1
l w
, , ,

I sr a e it e s , 8 5 , 1 58 L e nd e r t he p o e r of t he , 1 1 9
,

L e t t e r 59
J b 85 6 v
J h m
,

a co 1 2 Le i, 8 6
v h
, ,

an u a 10 1 L e i a t a n 34
J t w P f v l
, ,

a s ro r o e ss or , 19 2 3, L e it ic a la w 1 36
y
, , ,

L ib r a r 1 31
Jhvh 8 3 g
,

e o a 12 1 0, 1 54 L i ht 4 2
J hu 4 5 5
, , ,

e 10 Lit er a t ur e 8 1 5 , 1 6 1 7-2 1 , 2 3
J
, , , , ,

e ns e n ,
39 L ot . 9 7. 9 8
J p ht h h 8 7 8 8
e a L ug a l z a g g i si 74 , 8 O
-

J u lm 5 y
, , ,

er sa e 10 L di a , 72
Jw
,

e 8
s, 1 1 , 1
a c hp e lah 1 1 8 , 1 62 , 1 63
J ob 1 46
k
, ,

B oo of 1 4 7, 1 54 ada 73
J M a gi c a l t e xt s 1 9
.

H W
,

ohn s C 1 1 2 , 1 28
J M a gi c ia n 1 35
, . . ., ,

or d an 1 62
J ph 8 6 M a n kind 48
, ,

os e 1 0 0 , 1 63, 1 64
J hu 8 7 M a rd uk . 2 5 2 6
, , ,

os a . . 29 . 30 . 36. 40 .
k f 6
,

B oo o 1 1
J ud h 4 M a rd uk s p ow e r m
,
’
a 10 a s1 g n t o de on
J ud g B k f
, ,

e s, oo o 8 7 88 st r a t e , 36
J ud g m t p l M a ssor e ti c He b r e w x
, ,

en a ce of 1 1 9 t e t , 8 3, 8 4
J udit h B k f
, ,

oo o 1 61 M e d ic ine 1 8
Juti
, , ,

s 9 ce , 1 1 M e dit e rr a ne a n 1 4 ,

M e lc his e d e k 9 8 ,

K a in a n 8 5 M e nes 8 1
M e r c h a nt 1 1 8
, ,

K a ld fi 9 4
K a sd i
Kp e
94
l
m
er ,
,

,
M e rc y s e a t 1 32
M e re np t a h
-
,

103
9
Ku ku
,

Kh a r sa g - r ra 1 31 M e r od a c h 1 4 3
Ki g M e r od a c h b a l a d a n
,

W
,

n L 30 , 5 0 , 1 0 9 , 1 49
-
95
Ki g
, . .
,
,

n s, 1 5 M e s ha 8 7 ,
 1 71
GENERAL INDEX
M es h e c h 73 C urve . 50
M es op ot a m i a 1 0 1 4 2 7
,
O t hn ie , 8 7 l
M e s o ot a mi a n Empir e 1 5
, , ,

p ll y P a l a c e 1 33
,

Pa l a c e s 2 1 5
a e 2 ,

M esse ng e rs 58
,

, ,

M is fort un es 1 4 5 Pa l es t ine 7 9 8 58
,
,
1 0 5, 1
P a p yr us 1 64
, ,

Mis s e d t h e Ma rk 1 47
,
”

P a ra ll e l is m 31
m
,
,

M ona r c h 58 62 6 5 68
,

M onsul 2 2 P a rna p ish t i

,
, , ,

M ont hs 39
,
P a tr i a rchs 1 0 3 1 56 1 60 , , ,
,
P a t r i a rc h s t e n 8 3
M oon 39 ,

k
,
,

M os e s 36 8 6 8 7. 1 1 0 1 27. 58 : Pe a h 1 0 5
, , , .
1
P e nns ylv
,

a ni a , ni e rsit of , 76 U v y
t he La w of, 1 09 . 1 10. P e nt a t e uch 1 60 , 1 6 1 ,

1 26
P e or , M oun t , 1 30
M ound s 2 P e ra t h 5 1
3 ,

M ount a in
, ,
Pe t e rs , D r 9 1
M usk u 73
,
1 31
P e t rie Pro e ss or , 8 1
,
f
,
P h a r a oh 1 0 2 1 64
y
, ,

N a b on a id 9 6
’ P h si c i an 56
y
,

P i e t 68
,

N a b onid us 79
N a b op olas s a r , 59 9 5
,
,

Pinc h es Mr . T ,73 1 1 2 . G ,

Pish on 5 1
,

N a h a r ina 9 6 ,

m P oe t s 1 5 3
,

N a r a -S in 79
ly m
,

Po t he is
,

N a t ions 7 1 43 ,

N e b o 59
,
Pos se ssions 1 1 4 ,
,

N e b uch ad n e a r , 9 1 , zz 9 5, 1 32 , P ot ip h a r 1 64
y
,

Pr a e r , 1 32
1 43
m
N e cr o a nc er , 1 35
gl
N er a 2 6
y
Pr a e rs 1 9 1 4 2
ly
Pr i est C od e 1 38
, ,

m
,

d oc u e nt , 44 4 5
,

N e t . 37 ,

N e w Test a e nt 34 m Pr i es t s . 1 7. 79 . 1 33
f
N i f e r 76
,
h ou se s o f 1 31
y
,

l Pr op e rt 1 1 6 1 1 7, 1 2 1
mv
,

Ni e 1 6 8 1
h
, ,
,

N i r od 7 3
,
Pr op e t e sse s , 1 35
N in e e h , 1 6 2 3 74
,
Pr op h e t s 1 34 1 35
lm
, ,

P s a s 1 46 1 4 7
, ,

N in-g ir s u 1 42
l
, ,

P e nit e nt i a 1 40 , 1 44
,

N ini b 66 ,
,

N ipp ur . I 7. 4 7. 8 0 m
Punish e n t 1 46
y m
,

N i pp ur C ourt 1 33 ,
P r a id s , 8 1
N is ir 6 5
N oa h
,

68 8 3 , , Q u n m
eet h 59 -
o e r,

Ob e d ie n c e 5 2 R hl 6
ac e 1 2

R h b 34 54
,

v S h
,
1
O b se r an c e of t he a bb a t , 57 a a . .

ff
O e r in s e et a b e 1 38g vg l R inb w 69
a o
Rn m 6
,

m
, ,

12
O ld Te st a e nt , 1 8 , 9 20 , a so
R v n 69
,
, ,

a e
1 44 . 1 5 3
lv
O i e s M ount of 1 30
R wl in n M j
a
,

so ,
a or He nr y ,
22

lym
, ,

R
p us 1 2 7
e, 10 1
O
m
O e ns 1 9
,

R d h ut 6
ee - 2
Rhb m 4
,

m
,

e o oa 10
O ri 1 0 4 ,
1 72 GENERAL INDEX
Rl e a t i on t he B a b
b et w e en y S ulec 8 a r, 1
l on i a n p ic of C r e a t i onE S e e r,
34 1
a n d t he st or y
of C r e a t i on in S mit 1
e 1 8 es, 1
-
1 2, 1 1 19 1 30 , 1 39
fi h k S mi t i B b yl ni n
, , ,

t h e r st c a p t e r of t he B oo of e c- a o a 46
G b li f 6
,

e ne si s . 4 3 e e s,
R lg
e i i on , 1 6 , 1 7, 20 , 1 2 5 l g nd 7 e e s, 2
R e nt , 1 1 3 ra c e , 10
R m l
ese b a n c e s b e t e e n t he B a b w S e nn a ch e r ib , 1 0 5 , 1 0 7
loni a n c os o on a nd t e m g y S e p t ua i nt , 8 3, 8 4 g
st or y
o f C r e a t i on i n t h e S e ra p i 58 hm
m S
,

Old Test a e n t , 4 1

m w
b e t e e n t he C od e o f Ha
ura b i a nd the L a w o f
m e rp e nt , 5 1
S e x 33
S m
,

h a l a ne ser I , 74 .

Mo s e s , 1 2 6 h lm
S a a n e se r I I , 7 3 .

w
b e t e e n t he r it ua of t he l S m
ha a sh 1 2 6, 1 4 1
m l m l m
,

t e p es a n d t he Te p e , S he 71
w
,

1 36 S h e -b re ad , 1 32
m l
b e t w e e n t he t e p e s a nd
t h e To
w
lo, 1 32
b e t e e n t e s e c ond t a b e t
m l
S hin a r , 1 30
h
S ip 6 1 6 5
S hoha , 50
,

m ,

of C r e a t i on st or a n d t he y S h op s 1 31
m
,

a c c ou
a nd
n t o f t h e C r e a t ion
a of
B oo of e nesi s, 5 2
F ll
a n i n t he
k G
m S id d i , 9 7
S in t h e Moon-g od , 9 4, 9 6
,

S i na i M ount 1 2 7
R l m k
, ,

i t ua s , 1 9 S ins o f a n ind 68
R g . W , R
,

o er s , D r 1 53 . . S ip p a r i a , 1 0 9
R m
o e, 8 S ipp ur 1 7
R l v
,

uin s , 2 S a e, 1 1 5 1 1 6
m G
,

S it h , D r . A , 69
G g
. .

S b b t h 55 5 1
a a m
S it h Mr . e or e 2 3, 6 1
S ifi 69 m
, , , ,

a cr ce , S od o , 9 8
hum n 36 a 1 l m
S o o on , 1 32
l mb 39 m l
,

f o a a 1 Te p e of 8 7, 1 29
S ifi ll
, ,

a cr 56 35
ce s, 1 S p e , a , 1 20
bl d y
,

37 oo38 1 1 S t a rs 1 8
un b l ood y 37
, , ,

1 S ta t es 1 3
S m i
,

a
a
S m n 87
a
ar
so
5
ar a 7
S m it n t xt 8 3 8 4
,

a
10
e
,
10

, ,

S
m
S t on es 1 2 9
S u e n a n -A
m
a d i a n , 46
u e ria n a n ua e , 8 1 l g g
kk
S mu l 8 7 lg
,

a e e e nd s , 2 7
S h 6
,

ar a 1 2
p r e d e c e ssors 7 7
g S m
m
, ,

S a r on . 79 . 1 05 u e ri a ns 5 , 1 2, 1 2 2 ,

S a rp a nit u 55 S un 39
g y
, ,

S a t a n 59 S ur e r 1 10
S l
, ,

au 87 S ur ip p a k 62
S y Pr o fe ss or Sw l w
, ,

a ce , 5 2 3 49
1 81 a l o , 68
Sy ll
, , , , ,

9 4 . 1 2 2 . 1 32 . 1 33. 1 36. 1 40 . n c e us 8
y h m
,

1 5 7, 1 5 8 1 59 , 1 6 1 , 1 62 S n c r onis , 8 2
S g
,

c a p e oa t 1 36 S yri a , 1 4, 1 0 5
l
,

S c h oo 1 31
h
,

S ci e nc e , 1 8 Ta a n a c 7
S l
,

crib e s, 1 5, 1 7, 78 , 79 Ta b a i, 73
 GENERAL INDEX
Ta bl e t s , c ont ra c t , 1 7
U ni v e 46r se ,

of C re a t i on, 2 , 2 4, 28 , 77, U r . 1 7. 9 4 . 9 6. 9 7
1 38 , 1 44 U r -b a u 9 4
U k
,

Ta bl et , t h e fi rst , 32 ru 1 7 61
, ,

t h e se cond , 35 , 5 2
V a n La e 1 4 k
t h e t h ir d 36 Vg , ,

f h e e t a t i on 40 46
,

t he ourt , 36
V
, ,

is ion t o N oa h 68
t he t h , 39 fif V isi ons 1 34
, ,

t h e s ix t h , 40
,

v Wa r
m
t h e s e e nt h , 40 1 4 5.
m
Te l-e l-A a rn a , 5 , 7, 26, 4 5 El
.

a it e , 1 34
l e tt e rs , 9 6 W a t e r,
47
l
t a b e t s , 1 58 Wa t e r of d e a t h 5 3
T mp l lf
,

15 1 9 es , 2 , 2
e , o f i e . 5 3. 54
T n nt
e a 2 1 1 Wa t e r s of D e a t , 6 2 h
Ter h 7 1
,

a W w
id o 1 24
T xt 7 f
,
,

e 2 Wi e 1 20
Thi f
,

W
,

6
e 1 1 i t n e ss , 1 1 9
Ti m at
,

a 6 9 33 2 ,
2 , , 35 , 37 , 38 ,
W mno a 121
W it ing m
,

l
,

r a t e ri a 4
T d l 98
,

i a ,

Ti g la t h -p ile se r I 1 4, 73 X isut hr os 6 1 ,

Tig la t h-p iles e r I I 1 5

v Y hw h 9
m
in as i on 0
’
e
Ti la t h piles er s a
Y kin 33
-

g
,

a le st 105 a 1
Y a va 73
e ,

g
,

Ti ri s . 1 0 . 4 7. 9 6 n,

Tit e 1 36h ,
Z a p h e n a t h -P a -n e a , 1 0 2 h
Tr a d e 1 1 7 ,
l
Z e op h e h a d 8 6
Tr a n c e s, 1 34
gg k
,

Tub a , 73 l Z i ura t , or Zik ura t , 9 1

 I NDE X TO B I B L I C A L PA S S A G E S

G EN E I SS xxv iii .
p 1 30
1 0 - 20 , . V 11 . 2 1 , p . 1 33
xxxv
.

28 p 8 5 x i. 7 p 1 30
i 1 1 4 , pp 44 4 5a
22 ,
.
. .

xxxix xv
- .
, ,
. . ,

7 e t seq p 1 00 ii 1 9 p 1 30
i 2 , p 29 .
. . . , .
,
. .

i 9 . p 48
;
.
EX OD US . 2 K ING S
p 46
.

v
.

ii 4b -iii 2 4 p 46
.
iv 2 8 p 37.
,
.
.
-
,
. xv u x iii . 1 1, p 96.

x ii 40
p 86
ii 2 4 p 58
S
. .

C H R ON I C L E
,
. .
,
x x i 2 8 32 1
p 1 14
-
i ii p 5 1
.
. .

xx
,
. .
,

111 S . P 5 4 i i 1 -4 p 1 1 7 x i 1, 59
. .
p
xx
, . .
°

111 ii 6 e t se q p 1 21
2 3 P 53
.
2 2 . .

xx
,

-ix 68 i i 9 p 1 17 .
J OB
p
. .
V1
xx
,
. . .
,

x , p 71
. .
ii 1 6 p 1 2 3 .
, .
i e t se q p 5 9
. . .
,
,

N 2 p 73
N 6 . p p 72 . 73
,
.
L E VI TI C
.
US .
i x 1 3 p 1 54
xxv
.

i 1 2 1 3 p 1 54 .
, .

xx
, ,

N 6 . 7. p 73 v i 2 e t se q p 1 18 i x 7 et se q p 1 1 9 '
. . .

xx
, . . .
,

H 8 " P 73 1 1 e t s eq , p 1 24 . .

P S AL M S
°

N 1 0 p p 6 1 , 74 xxn 23 p 1 37
.
.
,
.
.
,

N 1 1 : P 74
N M B ER
'

U S lxxi v . 1 2- 1 7 p . 1 55
lxxxix
,
.
N I O I I Pp 7 3 74 8-1 2 p 1 53
xv
'
) : 7 . .
,
2 7 p 1 37
N 1 2 p 74 x ci . 1 1 ,
. .

p 59
. ,
, .

N 1 5 . P 72 xxv fi 1 p 86 .
,
.

X 1 8 » 1 9 : 2 4 P 72
D E TE R ON O M
:
U Y .
I S A AH I .

X L 4) P 90 x ix . , 64 1
i 1 5 16 p 1 1 5 p .

xi 4 p .

x i 2 7 32 p 9 4
1 30 ,

x ii 2 , p
.

1 30
. , , .

lv iii 1 3, p 5 6
. .

lxv
. .

xi 28 pp i 1 7 p 1 25 xx v . .
.
3 p 1 37 ,
.

xxx
,

X 1 31 » P 9 5
K 1 32 P 9 5
. 1
iii ,
p 1 30
18 et seq
.
.

J ER EM I AH .

i 2, 29
X 1V 7 9 9 1 50
JU p .
9
.
PP ° . .
D GE! v i . 20 , 37 p 1
x iv 1 p 99
.
. .
,

x iv 1 -1 2 p 9 7
.
V 4 5 p I 27 .
'
) : ’
ix ., 2 5 26 p , , . 1 39
,

1 7 p 98
x iv 5 9
v
x 1 3. p 8 5
. ,
I S M EL
, ,
.

A U .
Ez E x I E L .

xv 1 6 p 86
.
i 1 4 p 1 38 .
.
, . i .
, p 58 .

x
,

xiii p 1 63 v ii 1 6

v
Xx i 4. P 97
., p 1 19
.
.
, .

AM O S .

XX 1V 7. P 9 7
2 M EL SA U .
i x . 3. p . 1 55
xv
x 1 10 p 95 v ii 18 p 1 43 . .

Z E CH A AH
xv
. .

xxv
,
RI
1 -2 p 8 5 7 p 88
.
. .

xv
. . ,
,

x xv 2 6, p 8 5 32 p 1 30 . . , . 1 11 . 1 et seq . , p .
59
xxv 1 34 , p 8 5 .

M ATTH E W
x
.

1 K 1NGS ST
x v ii 1 9 p
.
2 5
. .
1 . ,
.

xx v ii 4 3 p 9 5 v iv . 1 1 p .
59
x v iii
. . ,
,

XXV IJ 4 3 P 9 7 . VI 1 , p 87 :
' . . . 1 0, p 59.

B I LL I N G A N D S ON S u , mR , P INT E RS , G UI LD F O D . R
 THE B E S T S HOR T HIS TOR Y OF A N C I E N T E G YP T

T H E S TO R Y O F T HE P H A R A O H S
B Y R EV J A M E S B A I K IE .

A E L ES COP E
,

UT H O R 09
"TH ROUG H T HE T

f m
.

Co nta ining 32 u f ll p g Ill u t

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ro o o ra s a nd ll t
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in the Te t x .

La rg e cr own 8vo ., cloth, g i lt top . P rice ne t ( post free price

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