, 1881-07-08
ElnsYEH AND THE BIBLE.
NO. /.

Says the celebrated Layard who
made his reputation exploring the
ruins of Nineveh: "In secular hiss
tory we meet with only three Assyr-
ian mouarchs OF whose deeds we
have any account, Minus, Semiramis
and Sardanapulus. Above thirty
generations elapsed between Semir-
amis and Sardanapulus, yet of these
kings nothing has been preserved
| but doubtful names. Much has been
written about these three monarchs
and fabulous stories related, and the
names of Nineveh and Assyria have
/ been familiar to US from cur child
hood in connection with the Scri p
lures, yet it is only when we ask our.
/ selves what we really know concern
/ ing them that we discover our igno-
rance of ali that relates to their his
tory and even geographical posi-
| tion."
Such was the state of knowledge
until about forty years ago, when
new discoveries began to be made IN
that region, which opened a vast
treasure house of infor nation to the
world. Between 1910 and 1850 Nj.
Botta, French explorer, and A. ID.
Layard, under the employ of the
British museum, made excavations
in the ruins of some Of those old
cities and the result has not alone
given knowledge, hut has been strik'
ingly confrmatory CT the Bible.
Says Philip Smith, author of his
tory of Assyria, Babylon and other
Eastern countries: Every new As
syrian discovery is more and more
confirmative OF Scripture history.
So striking has this been from the
very beginning that the writer re-
members when his own skepticism
took the form of doubt, whether
the concord of interpreters might
not be explained by their use to an
extent of which they were unscon.
scious,) of the common key of which
they were possessed in Scripture his
tory, but the results obtained have
long since outgrown any possibility
of being thus explained"
Beginning with the earlier history
we find the name of Nimrod as a
mighty hunter. His name has been
preserved as the name of many
places near Nineveh, as Birs nimrud,
a citadel of Nlmrod, Tel nimrud,
Suhr ell nimrud and the like.
The tower of Babel has been con-
sidered as curious piece OF history !;
but recent discoveries show that
there is other evidence as to lis truth
than that found in the Bible. Among
the inscriptions of Nineveh have
been found one which gives an &C
count of the rebuilding of it bv
Nebuchadnezzar, then calling it the
Seven Lights of the Earth. This is
great mound called Birs-nimrud.
Having spoken of the gods Nero
danh and Nebo, by whom he was
created and from whom he received
the power of government, and of a
tower and pyramid which he alone
built, ne says: "We say for the other,
that IS, dnis edifice, the house OF the
Seven Lights, the most ancient mon
ument OF Borsippa, former king
built it, but he did not complete its
head. Since a remote time people
had abandoned it, without order ex-
pressing their words. Since that
time the earthquake and the thunder
had dispersed its sun dried clay; the
bricks in the clay had been split, and
the earth of the interior had been
scattered in heaps. l did not change
the site or take away the foundation
stone. In a fortunate month, an
auspicious day, undertook to build
porticoes around the the crude brick
masonry, and the casing of burnt
bricks. / set my hand to finish it,
and to exalt its head"
More recent discoveries give a
translation of the tradition of the
building Of the tower Of Babel, of
which the following extracts are Civ
en-: Babylon brought to subjection,
small and great he confounded their
speech. Their strong place, (tower)
all day long they founded; to their
strong place in the night entirely he
made an end. In his anger also
word thus he poured out: to scatter
abroad he set his face. He gave his
command, their counsel was con.
founded"
rHe rAnHrI a. ArAu,.a