Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-06-23
DeIuge Tablet Controversy.

Tho controversy over the Delnge"
tablet the discovery OF which Was
announced In sensational manner
by Professor Hilpreeht a short time
/ ago. has been transferred TO the other
side Of the ocean. Or. r. q. Pinches
% London whose supposed endorse
ment Of Professor Hilprecht was
swidely quoted. has stated 10 a CORES
pondcnt Of the sun that he now ae-
ccpts the arguments Of Professors
Barton and Clay for the Kassite
period, which. instead of making the
new fragment the oldest version. a.
centuries later than the tablet in J.
Picrpont Morgans library Now an
other scholar oil eminence comes
along and almost without qualifiea
ton endorses the attitude taken 10y
Professor Barton ana Clay and other
American and European scholars. III
is Professor Carl Bezoid. who holds
tie chair for Assyriology at the Uni
Ncreity Of Heidelberg and who is re-
sarded as one Of the leading Assyri
oloeists of Germany Professor Be
zold Is particularly competent 10
speak with authority on the literary
productions OF Babylonia and Assyria,
because Il was he who WAS selected
by the authorities Of the British Mu-
scum 20 prepare the catalogue II the
great library of King Asufhanapal
t66S-G26 -. C.1, collected by the king
and discovered by Layard in the
ruins ~ the kings palace about filty
years ago Professor Bezold spent
more than ten years on this vast un-
dcrtaking which was published By |
the British Museum in five large vol |
umes. and in the preparation ~
which Dr Bczold examined ana stud |
led about 10000 fragments ol clay
tablets, constituting the remains Of |
this royal library
Professor Bczoids article on the |
subject appears in the Frankfurter
Zeilung, the editors OF which re- |
qucstcd him to give his opinion So |
that laymen might have some guild |
ancc In The matter Professor Bezold |
admits that the new fragment is a bit |
OF the dcluge story. but it Ia so small |
q bit that there is little more 10 be |
said. He does not accept any of
Professor liilprccht's restoratIons of |
lines. and. moreover, shows that the |
professor translatlons Of the parts
preserved are quite defective In
stead OF tianslating the second line |
n win loosen and adding the con-
fines of heaven and earth" rs Pro-
fessor iiilprecht does Dr, Jlezold pre-
feis tho one word 20 he read on this
line "a the loosening ~ the han or
The like. which gives q totally differ
ent meaning ana disposes Of the pro-
posed restoration. The word In the
wclfth line which Hilprecht trans
atcs number IN Razold SAYS may
mean "as' or crown" ass we'll and 50
he professor proceeds line for line.
leaving little oi HiIprecht's render
ug intact
As to the date Professor Bezold
'ays cmphatically that there is not the
slightest warrant FOR placing ii at 2i00
H. &. and he is OF the opinion that
Professor Barton aud Professor clay
have shown that II NAV belong - iiie
Kassite period. Even more emphatic
S The professors denial that fhe new
fragment has any special bearing m
he Biblical versions of the Delu4e. II
idds nothing To our knowledge uf Tie
hetween the Biblical and
8a bylonian stories Professor ftslld
'egards with contempt tiilprcchts
ttemnt to bring about close rasai-
FL between the new fragment and The
'Priestly Code of Genesis. iis. cn.-f~
tahly suggests that HiIprechts +un.
ucky idea. as he calls il, 10 render
he Hebrew phrase instead Of a num-
,er in place Of according 70 their
,iud" should be covered with eternal ,
ilcnce," and then adds some caustie
emarks on the ahsurdity of suOppA
ne any special relationship bc'wsva
his fragment and the "Prlcsily :
odd" which was not written tiil Tie
nd of the sixth century =. e.
incidentally Professor Bezoid stAs =
hat he has reasons for questioning q
iilprechts statement th. the tapi~t E
vas unpackcd ana examined fnr The [
irst time IN October, 1908. Bezsla's j.
uryey ana summary viii rrobab.v he
cearded as the fual verd vr ~ 9
cholarshlp on the subiect-New York g
an