St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-02-25
A Full Account of the Deluge.

A Full Account of the Deluge.
The announcement by Pere Scheil, the
French Assyriologist who has given so
much time to study of the collections IN
the museum at Constantinople, that he
had discovered Babylonian account OF
the deluge much older than Moses, was
so interesting to the biblical student that
we asked the discoverer for an account oil
it. He kindly consented and his account,
the first time thus far published in Amer.
ica and we think, in Europe, will be OF
no little interest. Every biblical scholar
knows that the Hebrew account OF the
deluge found in Genesis has been paral-
leled by two Babylonian accounts, one
that Of Berosus, Babylonian historian.
whose narrative has been handed down
to us by early Greek Christian writers,
and the other that was found on Assy-
rian tablets by George Smith. Both re.
semble, and yet both differ from the Gen.
esis story. Biblical critics have differed
as to the age of the biblical story, the
more conservative holding that being
written by Moses, it is older than his
time and was incorporated by him into
the book of Genesis, while the newer
school of critics were, until the discovery
OF the Tel-el- Amarna tablets. inclined to
believe that the story was borrowed from
Ninevah or Babylon at the time OF the
captivity or not long before it, at which
time the book OF Genesis was written.
The discovery by George Smith of a
full poetical account of the deluge, on
tablets in King Assurbanipal's library at
Nineveh, was OF immense interest; but
it did not assure us of the age OF the
deluge story among the inhabitants of
the Euphrates valley; for it was on tab
let's written in urbanipal's reign, that
is scarce 600 years before Christ. To be
sure, these were said to be copied from
tablets in Babvlonian libraries, but we
did not know how old these original
tablets were. Besides, the deluge story
was on the 18th tablet in long poem,
compiled in IL books, one Tor each
month"; in quite artificial way, and
might belong to comparatively late
period OF religious and literary syncret-
ism. The original Babylonian tablets,
from which the Assyrian copies were
made. were much desired.
Now Pere Scheil has made the dis
covery. To be sure, the record on the
tablet does not amount to much. it is
such iragmentary bit; but it is large
enough to make it sure that the tablet
contained the story of the deluge; and,
most fortunately, the most important
part of all is preserved, the colophon,
with the date. 1t is dated in the reign Of
Ammi- zaduga, king Of Babylon; and we
know that he reigned about 2140 B. c.
That is, we have here precious bit OF
clay on which was written a poetical
story of the deluge, seven centuries be-
fore Moses and about the time of Isaac
or Jacob. That is enough to make the
discovery memorable. We learn posi-
lively that the story of the deluge was
familiar to the common people OF Baby
lonia and therefore Of all the East from
Syria to Persia. "
Prof. Sayce has lately stated, misap-
pretending Pere Scheil's oral announce
1nent, that the new text verbally agrees
with that discovered by George Smith,
showing the care and accuracy with
which the document was preserved from
generation o generation, with mo change
even in the form Of single word" This
is not the fact. The reader will see that
this is an entirely different reduction
and Pere Scheil suggests that different
cities would have their different poetica
editions OF the story. This fragment be-
longs to the story current at Sippara
where the fragment was found; and we
may suppose that the account given by
Berosus tells us that Xisuthus (Noab)
before the food, buried in Sippara tn,
records of the worlds antediuvian his
tory. The cuneform account discovered
by George Smith seems to have origin
ated in the city of Surippak; at any rate
the Noah of that story came from Sur
ikpak. There are in that account nj
such passages as we have in this new
fragment. which shows that we have tt
do with another version, we do not know
how old, Tor it is itself a copy from ;
a partly effaced original.
This text is in poetry. 1t proves tina
the poetic construction was fixed NOR
than 1000 years before Christ. Eacl
line is divided into two hemistichs, as il
Hebrew poetry. Literary form was nj
unfamiliar thing in the time of Abraham
We learn nothing more from the frag
ments than we knew before as to he orr
gin of the deluge story. The histor'
neither OF Egypt or Babylon finds an.
place Tor an historical deuge. The frag
ment is large enough to show that it i
poem full Of polythestic and mythica
details. of which the Genesis version ha
been thoroughly purged, giving us tai
purely monotheistic, absolutely ethica
and fit to give religious instruction to a
unscientifc people in the infancy OF civil
ization.-[ New York Independent.