The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1873-1875, 1875-04-21

NO. Al
plishsd scholar had lately found an account Of the
building of the tower Of Babel and the Confusion of
Tongues. But that which he has now revealed Is no
less than long, copious and nearly complete mar
ratiye OF the Beginning Of the World with Creation
like nearly all these early Assyran records in
headed writing on those burnt cakes of clay with
which the public has now grown familiar. Mr.. Smith
relates the circumstances Of this singular trouvaile
that attends brave efforts. He the eve Of con.
cluding the excavations carried out for the Daily
Telegraph. when he found, among the very latest Of
like the Others ahd presented nothing at first sight in
It's language worth particular regard. He contented
himself with transcribing In his notebook the frst
few lines ofthe writing and then packed It up with
to the Museum other parts Of the collection engaged
his attention. and shortly afterwards the recognized
value Of :. the result obtained. induced
the Government to commission Mr.. Smith for a sec.
ond expedition which was rewarded, rs everybody
knows by . fresh and valuable accumulation Of an
cient muniments. These naturally engrossed his
time and tolls for while, till about month ago,
up at Kouyunjk in 18a dh closed to Mr. Smith that
he had before him among the first pages of that
antique history Of which the Deuge tablets formed
part. containing the Chaldean account Of the Crea
ton Of the World and OF Man, and going apparently
side by side with the Scrptural narration, but n,
greater dec0il, and eoith many additions. By the
astonishing skill SO often desribed In these columns
Mr.. Smith was able to learn from the tablets thus
suddenly become so valuable, combinations Of the
narrative from various sources including the former
collection in the Museum, and the result which he
announces Is q connected text extending from the
Creation to the Fal and Primal Curse thus present
ing to us an original version of Genesis as 1t was
kept on the sarced tabets-an editio prima Of such
extraordinary import and interest for all Christianity
A. 0.ls u.
tablet has increased many timesover the value Of the
collection which he brought home to us.
full translation Of these books Of clay, thus won
derfully preserved, will BY and BY be given. but
Meanwhile, however, Mr.. Smith has perused enough
of the collected slabsto furnish the public through
our columns, with general idea Of their contents
ana the ms. pom. wmGa @ arrests IS Ine Close
Like the Book of Genesis, these inscribed. tablets
speak Of an earth without form and voidn-a desc
late and empty chaos-in the age proceeding ''the
Beginning Like the Mosaic account, they tell us OF
an an evil agency in rebellion against God, which,
after Man had been produced as the noblest animat
ed work of the Creation, tempts him to his fall, aud
tate Of innocence But Mr.. Smith gives US gllmpses,
of very remarkable additions and expansions which
this Chaldean 'Book Of Genesis contains; for lxam
ple the primitive chaos is represented engenderng
man has already been overthrown from on high In
Miltonic warfare. ''warring in Heaven against Heay
ems matchless King" The Satan Of Chaldea has, in
his representation the mingled characteristics Of the
Aryan Indra, the Grecian Jupiter, and the Zoross
train Ahrman, riding in chariot through celestial
space, surrounded by the storms, with the lightning
playing before him, and welding thunderbolt for
a feminine power presiding over Chaos, named TisA-
lat or Fiamat In these tablets and identified by Mr.
Smith with the Thalatth Of Berons Tbs word 1Aa
zatta Thaass1 Is Greek for the SEQ, and pis.lat
productive force dominating the formless waterset
the unfinished shapeless things ard
unorganized nndeferential eoseons and monads; viii
not this cast singular light upon the legend Of the
foam. born Aphrodite 'mother Of men - Will It not
have striking interest for Darwnians, who may
discover in this most ancient of written cosmogonies
something to show that = the idea OF the Ascidian.
human existence, Is. after al, 900 years old Tue
Aphrodite seaborn Venus Of the Greek, is 1shtar.
Ashtaroth, Astarte Of Assyria and Phoencia; and
this word .sThalatth in Berosus, II translatior
from the Chaidean term, has obviously curious rap
port with .tthe waters" over which We are told the
Spirit of God moved. Besides all this the Kouyunik
tablets embrace relation OF the origin OF evil, OF the
fall of the wicked angels the natre Of the sepens
and the aspect Of the undeyeloped world, ali
ed or merely glanced at IN the Pentateuchal text
which, however, resembles thed 0haldean versaou
more nearly than does that Of Berosus. Could any
thing be Of absorbing novelty to the teuogana
scholars archRoogists and scientific men Of Chri&s
endom? |? A commentator says Of the first eleven
chapters Of the Book Of fGenesta they have an ~
terest md an Importance towhich other dodvme0s
Of antiquity can pretends II not absolutely the olde
book In the world It Il the oldest which lays anF
claim to being Trustworthy history. fthe religious
books Of other nations make any pretenaons % We
immeasurably inferior. Genesis Is neither Ike the
Veas collection Of hymns more or less sublime; nsr
like the Lendavesta, phiosophic speculation on ~
origin Of all things nor IKE me sh une
genealogical essay into standard treatise on ethical
philosophy. II is only our record Of the beginning