The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-31
Prehistoric Cities.
philadelphia Ledger. J

A lecture on ''rhe Discoveries at Nippur
and Their Bearing the Bible'' was given
by the Rev. John r. Peters before the
Church Club at Horticultural hall last even
ing. Mr. Peters first related the work done
by the University of Pennsylvania's expe-
dition to Babylonia, of which he was the
first director, and which was afterward car
ried on under the leadership OF MI. j. II.
Haynes. The expedition found at Nippur an
antiquity that surpassed all expectations.
Although back Of 1000 B C. it must be under
stood that all chronology is yet conjee-
tural; at the same time, the lecturer said,
it was his opinion that the date of 2cGG B. g.
for the founding of Nippur is decidedly
conservative one.
Mr. Peters described the character Of the
temple at Nippur and its various reconstruc-
lions as revealed by the spade, and then
gave history of the country, following
which he considered the relations of Baby
Ionian and Hebrew civilization, and what
Light the excavations made at Nippur have
thrown on Bible history. Continuing Nj.
Peters aid, ia part, that ON Babylonia the
great work of codifcation and collection of
their older literature was accomplished by
the Jews, and after the return from captivi-
ly DdDSAOlld IGAlldluco IHG nOlllO OIL Inc
most numerous. most wealthy and probably
the most highly cultivated portion of the
Jewish people for long period The dis
coveries in Assyria and Babylonia have
shown that there was both a much more
ancient and also much deeper connection
between the two peoples than would proba :
bly, be realized from the Bible accounts
alone
Roughly speaking, all of the earliest He
brew literature has its parallels in Babylo-
MIA. The excavations at Nippur have added
to what was already known of Babylonian
antiquities from the Bible, not SO much in
dividual new facts as an increase of the
general understanding of the subject The
Bible is full of little points, which, now
that more is known of Babylonia, show
points of contact with that region, and
nothing has thrown more light in general
upon the understanding of the Old Tesla
ment than Babylonian exploration. What
the explorations show in regard to til g an
tiquity of civilization in Babylonia Itself
thlows new light upon the history of the
world before the time of Moses and bra
ham, and gives a new conception of the
setting of the Old Testament.
1t is in general direction, rather than in
particulars that to the present m oment
the discoveries at Nippur have been valu-
able to the Bible student, but something
else they have also shown is that it may be
expected from the soil of Palestine itsell
may be made discoveries which will throw
direct light upon the pages OF the Old Tes-
lament, giving us documents contemporary
with prophets and kings, possibly ever
bearing their seal and impress. "We have
reason to expect said Mr. Peters, ''thai
when we put the spade into Palestian soil al
a sufficient number of places we shall OBJ
tain there also records similar, but of {
later date, to those found at Nippur, which
will settle many questions which vex the
Bible student at the present time.''