Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-10-12
Where Was Eden z


Sir Henry lsawlinson, before the Royal
Society of London, on the site of the
Garden of Eden, was editorally noticed
in the Ledger. That distinguished AS
syrian explorer asserted that he had de-
ciphered the word eden" in some of the
hieroglyphics or cuneitorm inscriptions
on the ruins of Nineveh, aud that it was
a name given to Babylon; whence, he
argued that, the last named ancient city
had been built on that spot where Adam
and Eve resided in their state of inno-
cence. This conclusion has not been
generally received, Notwithstanding the
high reputation of the author. 1t is a
matter o. controversy whether the sacred
narrative is to be understood literally or
allegorically. The Rev. w. A. Scott, OF
San Francisco, in an Interesting paper
just published, ADOPTS the strictly literal
sense. His arguments are perhaps as
concise au embodiment of reasoning on
behalf of the literal Interpretation OF
Scripture as could be furnished. The
first of them is that Eden was the name
of country wherein everything needful
to man was produced, and that this name
was descriptive Of it, signifying ga land
of pleasure" The second is that the
Garden Tor as the Greeks called it, "Par-
adise") was not Eden itself, but only a
portion of it. And thirdly, that this
garden was euSf,odrd of the writer's To-
cation; all which appears to be clear,
from the text, "and the Lord God plant
ed garden, eastward, in Eden" The
author Of the narrative, standing in Syria,
would look eastward when he turned in
the direction of Mesopotamia which
was the name given to the country lying
between the rivers Euphrates and Tigrls
and that this was the probable site of
the cradle of the human race is confirmed
by what follows: Sand river went out
of the country Of Eden to water the
Garden Paradisr and from thence il
was parted, and became into four heads. "
These heads OF streams are respectively
named Pson, Gihon, Hiddekel and Eu-
pirates, in the narrative. The first of
these DIR. Scott identifies with the Phases
or Hays of latter times. Its source is
near the head of the Euphrates, and 1t
flows north.westerly seven hundred
miles, into the Black Sea. The second
is the Araxes, which rises ten miles from
the source of the Euphrates, and flows a
thousand miles, little north of east, in
TO the Caspian Sea. The third, "lhe
great river which is Hiddekel," Daniel
X, 4, is generally admitted to be the
Tigris And as to the fourth [Euphra,
tesl there is no dispute about it. Now
all these four rivers have their sources in
the highlands of Armenia, and as it is
stated that it was from the garden that
they parted and became four heads" it
follows that the site OF Paradise was
that portion of Armenia in which these
sources are found. DR.. Scott advances
three objections to the theory that the
face of the Garden of Eden was SO
changed by the flood as to be irrecovera
bly, lost. In the first place, he says, it is
by no means certain that Noah's flood
was universal, in the strict meaning OF
that word but in arguing this he vic
lates his own principle OF adhering to
the strictly literal meaning of the text
for il is clear from the two narratives
which are given in Genesis of the delnge
that it was supposed to be universal
1. e., extending all over the surface of the
globe. In the second place, he mentions
that the universality OF the deluge is
disputed by almost every geologist. And
in the third place, and this is his strong
est argument, it is Inconsistent with the
narrative, written hitter the deluge, &c
say that the site of Eden is lost. The
four rivers remain, and their sources car
be seen in Armenia. Why should they
still exist, and yet the land in which
they spring have changed entirely? Ara
rat is there as it was in the days o.
N oah, before the flood. In truth, there
has been no such transformation of the
soil as certain theologans have asserted.
Man has changed. This region lay be
tween the Persian Cult and the Caspian
Sea, where now the wild Arab roam,
about; the cities are desolate, aud the
cruel despotism of the Persian aud the
Turk "hath dried up realms to deserts. y
1t must be said, however, that the
word "Eden" (signiiying "delights'' il
manifestly used in various meanings in
other portions of the scriptures, some
times TO denote people, again to denote
country, and again as the name of a
person, and finally in number of ways
inconsistent with the idea Of literal in
terpretation.