The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-29
BAByl0NIAN LITERATURE

Prof Delitzsch. who holds the chair o.
Assyriology in the Berlin University a nj
Is perhaps the leading living authorit,
on Babylonian literature. recently deliv
! cred lecture In the German capital on
recent additions to knowledge made 10y
| cuneiform inscriptions. and from this dis
course. as reported by the Kreutz-Zeit
ung OF Berlin, the Literary Digest give.
The following outlines:
Babylonia is, the native land OF the
| clay-ts blet literature of the pictures made
In burned clay, OF the angels OF the
Cherubim and the Seraphim. Some OF
the pictures found on these tablets cor
respond exactly 10 Our Biblical concep-
ton of these beings. Demons, too. and
devils are pictured in the most abhorrent
shapes and forms. Then. too contests
between the angels OF light and those of
darkness are vividly pictured OF inesti-
mable value are the royal libraries which
nave been unearthed, the royal archives
ana other remnants OF important ntera-
ture. On eight and even ten-sidsd clay
rrisms the kings caused the history of
their rcigns to be impressed; but every
thing else was described. written by a fine
stylus on moist and soft clay, which was
then hardened by being burned The pri-
vate library OF King Shalmaneser shows
that the people of that period thought
and felt much as we do now. One cour-
TIER assures the king that he daily prays
Tor his prosperity and for his life and
that OF his royal mother An old servant
asks the king. on two tablets, TO appoint
his son page and assures his royal mas
ter that, il this wish IL granted he will
tln a nlafg IL
On the large tablets OF the pablic IL
braries We have the whole wisdom OF the
Babylonians. In the epic OF creation we
nave essentially the same ideas that are
found in Genesis. anu the Dab.lonian
story of the deluge makes the impression
OF greater originality oven than the Bib-
Heal report. The same fundam entail ethi-
cal thoughts. the same walls of sorrow
an drepentance. the came searching FOR
the Psalms OF me old Testament we find
also i'm the hymns OF the Bahylonians As
is the case I'm the Old Testament the
priest asks the man who is suffering
from disease concerning his sins, whether
he has approached the wife OF his neigh
Dor or has failed TO observe the law of
love.
Then we lind an abundance or business,
ana marriage contracts. and Of learned
discourses. which give clear idea of
the cdlture ot tnat ase. We are told that
the son-ir-law ot X man receives not only
tho daughter. but also number OF head
of cattle House rent ~ that time was
quoted at pricse ranging from II 10 ~
marks ts2A to s2l.so). One of the mos,
valuable finds OF art was made In tho
palace of Ncbucha dnezzsr, namely, OF
the image Of white lion with yellow
fnane. burned iu clay. the image being
formed OF large number OF tablets
Very remarkable is the fact that Baby
lonian civilization remained practically
~ standstll for more than seventeen
wears Most remarkable too
Is tho fact that the Babylonians. who
like all Semites. were originally monothe-
lists, for more than three thousand years
rracuced the Worship OF images and the
most pronounced polythcism. This Is IN
be sttributed To- the influence OF the Sum
ncrans, 10 whom also wa arc indebted
Tor the division OF the hour Into 50 min
ites. and for the division OF the zodiac
nto gn degrees. We can survey the evi-
icnces of this culture up 90 the NTH nail
ennlum before Christ by the lisht Of this
wonderful cuneiform literature. "A- 10
rom the top OF the tower OF Babel. saws
Dchtxsch In closing his discourse. I'VE |
AN lock upon the nations Of the earth. /
lut We see especially IN ftis heavenly 1
slor" That Cod. before whom = thousand \
ears arc as cuc dav. which passed 10 4
esterasy sn5 AZ watch In ,..e AisA," |