New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-17
CLAY ON DELUGE TABLET
New Yale Professor Questions
Or. HiIDreCht.
rBy Telegraph TO The Tribune. }

Philadelphia. April 1s.-Dr. A T. Clay.
o. the University Of Pennsylvania faculty
issued a challenge to-day 20 Dr. Herman
' Hilprecht 20 prove his claims for The
"deluge tablet" taken from the ruins Of
the Temple Library st Nippur. and about
which controversy IS now waginz.
Dr.. Clay was recently called 70 Yale O.
occupy the chair % AssyrioIogy. founded
By J. PierDout Morgan. FIe leaves the INT
vfrsity OF P-rnsy yania az the close OF this
term
In his statement to-day d.. Clay says that
IL Dr. Pinchss. Of England. ever wrote 9n
Enforcement OF the Illprecht deluEe tab
le-. he must have since changed his mind.
as he or. Cay has received letter from
DIT Pinches on the subject dated later than
the article he is said 20 have written fer
The London Times.
The statement OF d.. Clay in part TO-
lows
In proving that this fragment was writ
70 beLors the reign Of Rim-Sin. c. be-
tween 2l51 and 20O5 2. g.. Professor Hill
precnt advances several Arguments, all OF
which 1 desire 20 refute
De says the fragment was found inter
mingled with the later and undated tablets
or the lowest OF three strata Of Tablet
Hln.' While therp IS much PROOF 20 show
Jndt Dr. Haynes, the direct o- OF the exca-
III.
did not keep records o. the places Of dis
COvery OF the tablets. 7 need only quote
professor Hllprechr against himself t-EX-
ptOratlOl IN Bible Lands" page 504I 70
prove my point Dr. Haynes excavated IN
practically every quarter OF the city on
his last campaign, except az the site which
Eas lately been declared 20 contain the
Temple Library The fact has been well
established that with the exception Of a
Few tablets Dr. Haynes packed I'd the
thousands discovered before Professor Hil-
ord of their pr0veuiencs.
7 say that tablet was written n the cas-
site period, between 100 and ISU 3 e.
Having constructed the hrsL and only sign
list OF this period, and having published
more texts OF this period than al other
scholars combined. ] feel / have right
70 make this declaration. and feel con
strained 20 do so. disUI easing the ego
o. IL Is 70 ne. And while ] have gone 80
far. let me add that, although they have
not yet beer issued, I have In the course
Of preparation Two volumes OF texts from
- "a - - -
announced II the university series Also,
have done considerable work on volume
Of early SuTerian texts belonging 70 q
private library IN New YORK, which VIII
appear in the autumn.
The fragment represents a tablet which
was doubtless copy OF an carrier age
perhaps even earlier than Is claimed fO- II.
Most OF the early features OF the tablet
We're dropped. for example the dnal IN,
Ike the movable nun in Greek. Besides the
tanned the m IL is only preserved in one
other word OF the fragment. namely.
"sirim." No other conclusion. therefore,
can be arrived az than that the fragment
belongs 20 a period several centuries later
than the dated tablet possessed by J. P.
Morgan.
I challenge the protector o. this 20 pro
dUce the views OF reputable scholars in
support OF his own. As President Ward
Of the Oriental Society summed up the
opinion OF the Orfentalists who were pres
eur. the fragment does not have ANY
fresh Importance as confirmation Of the
Genesis story Of the food" We need NOT
wait for the opinions Of foreign scholars
on this question. There is no occasion 20
belittle the Hebrew scholarship Of America
on such a simple question. There are hun
dreds who are competent 70 test Il. even
besides those occupying chairs in our great
universities and theological serninsries
What sense would tree bearing fruit in
stead OF its number" in the Genesis pas
saEes have7 As 7 said. n j. on this the
'epOChaT' Biblical value OF this fragment
sta ndS CT falls.
Until this Is eSts hliShed more accurately
l. surely Is a waste OF time 70 consider
the restoration taken rom the Bible. OF
The question whether Israel borrowed TIE
RahvfOUiau zt0rv