New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-06
THE DATE OF THE CREATION.
CONFLICT OF THE GREEK AND HEBREW YER
sroNs OF GENESIS BABYr>oNIAN
INSCRIPTIONS.

INSCRIPTIONS.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The statement OF your correspondent MI.
Wcstbrook that the septuagInt shows the creation
OF man to have occurred at a considerably carrier
period than that indicated In the Hebrew text OF
the Old Testament Is undoubtedly correct but does
not In the least affect the main argument, which
IS (,s stated ir The Tribune Of the iAh ult) that
Biblical records AMI modern scientific conclusions
are wholly nj variance on this subject
Mr. Wcs,brook says February 26): 'rhe Septua-
gint gives the age (of the world 10 the beginning
Of the Christian era) as 5,sI2 years and as man.
male and female. was created the sixth day, there
IS room for further extension to accommodate tho
archacologsts when they prove that further ex-
tension Is necessary
The length Of the creation days, whether these
be taken to mean actual days Of twenty-four hours.
the text seems 20 imply or acons has no bear
Ing whatever the subject. The number OF years
elapsing between tho creation of the first man ana
the birth OF Abraham Is stated most precisely IN
the genealogies Of the nth and eleventh chapters
Of Genesis. The Hebrew text, corresponding 10 the
authorized English version, gives this PERIOD as
1915 years. and the figures In part based upon
the astounding statement Genesis " 32) that Noah
200 years old at the time Of the birth OF his
three sons Stem. Ham and Japheth. The Greek
Scptungint the text OF which, according TO Or.
Harper Of the University of Chicago. is very cor
rupD gives 3.H2 years while the Samaritan Penta-
touch takes middle course and gives In In lsJ9
the Rev. r. c. Shimeall. q member OF the New
York Presbytery. wrote a somewhat elaborate
treatise entitled "Our Bible Chronology" In which
nc cndcavorcd to prove that the Hebrew text was
authentic and the other spurious: but his
work Is 80 hopelcssly of date In the light Of
recent discoveries that II is now almost worthless
a a book OF reference.
Briefly stated. then there a difference OF nearly
1900 years between the dates given In the Greek
and the Hebrew versions Of Genesis while fur-
Their discrepancy occurs in the New Testament
gencaloges Of Matthew and Luke. IL We accept
the figures given In tho Scptuagint the creation of
man must have occurred less than 6co years be-
fore the beginning CT the Christian era. But now
come Professors Sayce and Hilprecht. who assure
US that the date OF the founding of the temple of
Bel. In Nippur was somewhere between 5000 and
1900 H. c., possibly earlier" and that there
are monuments indicating n long anteccdent civil
ization Moreover. since the narrative in Geresis
implies that the fall Of man. by which death came
into the world. occurred later than 5000 y. c..
how to account for the fossils and other
geologic prehistoric evidences that man and
beast lived and died ages before that timeP
Desperate attempts have been made by certain
thcologans to prove that the Biblical accounts Of
the Creation and Flood antedatc the Babyoni1n
cuncform monuments. but withou. success. The
advance sheets of the Polychrome Bible assign 80
Il. &. the date of the most ancient Judaic docu-
fnent. Saycc tells W. thdt so exact II tne
ism of IDEAS between the narratives and so pre-
cisely similar Is the order OF the creative acts de-
scribed In them. that II Is impossible not 10 believe
In u connection between the two II should be
noted, also. thnt there two BabylonlIn ac-
counts of the Creation. corresponding in many DC
tails the two Hebrew accounts In the first ana
second chapters of Genesis In both OF these. as
well in the story OF the Flood. polytheism pa"s
a prominent part. Sayce admits as an obvious
fact and DIR. Savage pointed out In a recent ser,
al the Church of the Messiah. that traces or
this poytheism 10 be found In the use OF the
word ElOhm Uhc pluraD in the very first verse OF
Genesis. Jahveh. or Yahway. occurring further on.
In Pcrsia alone do find any evidence OF mono
theism In prehistoric times
Your correspondent Mr.. Westbrook. misquoes
an extract from the preface TO Craigs "Assyrian
and Babylonan Religious Texts by changing
gods TO God" In conformity with his idea that
the worship OF the true God prevalent in
Chadsa in the days of Shem. But there Is no
authority whatever for this; We find. on the other
hand. that Babylonan deity. Tammuz or Dumu-
ri c'son Of life'l who descended into Hades was
mourned by Jewish women In the north gate of the
Temple at Jerusalem. even as late as the time OF
Ezekiel Ezekiel VII. "a. The Hebrew teraphm. or
household gods Genesis xXx 49, "a; Judges XVII
8: Hosea IT, t. Zachariah T. D. cOrrespondcd 10 the
Assyrian clay images which were placed in palaces
etc 10 protect the buildings and TO be consulted as
oracles. A II. ",
New-York, March 1. 1897