The record-union., 1898-02-22
STORY OF THE DELUGE.
Tablets Discovered Dating Seven
Centuries Before Moses.

Inc announcement Dy GeTe Scnell,
the French Assyriologist who has given
SO much time to study of the collec-
tions in the museum at Constantinople,
that he has discovered Babylonian
account of the deluge much older than
Moses, was so interesting to the bibli-
cal student that we asked the dscov-
erer for an account of it. He kindly
consented and his account, the first
thus far published in America, and, we
think, in Europe, will be of no little
interest.
Every biblical scholar knows that the
Hebrew account cf the deluge found
in Genesis has been paralleled by two
Babylonian accounts, one that OF Be
rosus, a Babylonian historian, whose
narrative has been handed down to US
by early Greek Christian writers, and
the other that found on AsSyrian tab
lets by George Smith. Both resemble,
and yet both differ from the Genesis
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 We're, until the diScov-
cry of the Tel-el-Amarna tablets, in
clined 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 Assurbanipals library
nf of inn MT
but it did not assure US of the age Of
the deluge story among the inhabitants
of the Euphrates Valley; for it was on
tablets written in Assurbanipals reign,
that is scarce six hundred years before
Christ. To be sure, these were said
to be copied from tablets in Babylonian
libraries, but We did not know how
old these original tablets We're Be-
sides. the deluge story was on the elev-
enth tablet in long poem, compiled
in twelve books, one for each month,
in a quite artificial way, and might be-
long. 10 a comparatively late period of
religious and literary syncretism. The
original Babylonian tablets, from which
the Assyrian copies We're made, were
much desired.
Now Pere Scheil has made the discov-
cry. To be sure, the record on the
tablet does not amount to much, it is
such a fragmentary bit; but it is large
enough to make 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 214o
B. c. That is, we have here a precious
bit Of clay on which was written
poetical story of the deluge seven cen
turtles before Moses and about the
time of Isaac or Jacob. That is enough
TO make the discovery memorable. We
learn positively that the story of the
deluge was familiar TO the common
people of Babylonia, and, therefore, of
all of the East from Syria to Persia.
Professor Sayce has lately stated,
misapprehending Pere Schen's oral an
nouncement, that the new text verbally
agrees with that discovered by George
Smith, showing the care and accuracy
with which the document was preserv
ed from generation to generation, with
no change even in the form of a
single word" This is not the fact. This
is an entirely different reduction, and
Pere Scheil suggests that different cities
would have their different poetical edi-
tions 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 was also from the Sippara
edition, for Berosus tells US that Xisu-
thrus (Noah) before the flood, buried
in Sippara the records of the world 5
antediluvian history. The cuneiform
account discovered by George Smith
seems to have originated in the city of
Surippak; at any rate, the Noah of
There are in that account no such pass
ages as we have In this new fragment,
which shows that we have to do with
another version, we do not know how
old, for it is itself copy from a partly
effaced original.
This text is in poetry. 1t proves that
the poetic construction was fixed more
than two thousand years before Christ
Each line is divided into two hemis-
tichs. as in Hebrew poetry.
The fragment is large enough to show
that it is poem full of polytheistic and
mythical details, of which the Genesis
version has been thoroughly purged,
giving US tale purely monotheistic,
absolutely ethical, and fit to give relig-
ious instruction to an unscientific peo-
pie in the infancy of civilization.-New
York Independent.
Couxiderafe Rov