Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-16
ANCIENT TABLETS
LOCATE ANEW The
GARDEN OF EDEN
Mans First Home Was on
Island in Persian Gulf
According to Translation
by Doctor Langdon.

h"0 S"t ueh vi hueT, nome OF Adam
and Eve, was situated on the island or
Dilum in the Gulf of Persia ins.cad or
Messopotamia, in the valley of the 1igri-
and the Euphrates, according to the rsv.-
lations in Nippur tablets made by DR..
stephen Langdon, of Jesus College. ox.
ford. His translation has lust been "a.
ceived by the University of Pennsv,va-
MIA and is published below for the ar,s
time.
The discovery will prove OF great in.
terest to theologians, biblical scho,a,<
and Assyriologists and probably will 70.
suit in a worldwide controversy vhic,,
may cause a complete revision Of In,
Book Of Genesis.
According to DIR. Langdon's translation.
The Creation, the Flood and the Fail OF
Man are found in his newly discovered
tablets 1900 years before the time Of
Moses and 1900 years before the dsys OF
Ezra, who Is believed to be the compile,
of most Of the Old Testament as we now
have IL
WOMAN DIDN'T AID MANS FALL.
The part played by woman in the fail
Of man is missing entirely from the mar
ratiye of the tablets. Tho tablets also
contradict the story of the creation and
deluge as told in the Book of Genesis.
The facts disclosed in the translation
OF DR.. Langdon antedate in their results
all Hebraic literature by more than 1000
years. The original text of the tablets.
according to DR.. Langdon, was written
by priest Of the town of Nlppur, in
the valley Of the Euphrates, more than
400 years before Abraham and more than
1900 years previous to the departure Of
the children of Israel from Egypt.
DR.. Langdon makes the following COM
ment on the translation:
Tho tablet which contains this re-
markable account of the early Sumerian
theology, concerning the origins of human
culture. has been almost completely re-
stored by the skilful museum authors
ties. We have here finely written six
column tablet of about 2i0 lines. most Of
which are entirely intact. Written in
litursical style the composition deserves
the rank of an epic, for 1t handles the
most profound problems which concern
humanity. 1t begins by describing tho
land of primeval bliss. which it locates at
Dllmun. an island in the Persian Gulf.
and probably connected with the MAIN
land In prehistoric times. In this paradise
tress, with the help of Entil, had created.
In what way is not said, but the verb em-
ployed in one passage suggests fashion,
ing with the hands of some sort. From
other passages we might infer that men
were born as the natural offspring OF
Nintud and Entil, the earth god but
Semitic tradition as we have it in Baby
lonian legends and great historians rep-
resents man as fashioned by the gods.
ANGRY WATER GOD SENDS FLOOD.
I'm Paradise Enld tho water god and
lord of all wisdom. ruled over mankind
with his wife. After long period Enkt
became dissatisfied with mankind be-
cause he did not come unto him, which
take It to me an that man did not render
unto the gods the homage due. For this
reason Enlti sends the flood. and frail
men dissolve like taIlow in the deluge.
but the King Of Dilmun and certain
pious ones are summoned to the shores
of the river by Nintud. They embark oh
a ship. After the deluge the King Is
called Tagtug. the divine, name which
is most probably rendered into Semitic
by Nuhu Goods wrath is appeasedl' anu
this Tagtug lives in a garden. Is himself
a gardener. and the wise Enki reVeal"'
unto him wisdom. The Greek historians.
too. preserved this story in the legend or
Cannes, who rose from the Persian "ulL
to teach men wisdom in primeVai times:
and so Tagtug, as in the Hebrew story OF
Noah. plants a garden, names the tieyS
and plants and is permitted 10 eat OF AIT
but the Cassia tapple) tree.
"The Cassia i'm Sumerian documents
the herb of healing. as we'll as in SrmlOc
and Greek medicine. The legends IN re-
gard TO it probably told of It's belhg l,a
plant which bestowed absolute immolto
ttNar aG M hIs
for thereby he would attain eternal nc
Mankind until this time possessed en-
trcme longevity. but not inmortdmtEt
TaRtug, however, on his own lnitlath1
takes and eats. He is cursed by Nlhtuu
and becomes a prey to disease anu oiu
nary mortality. Then in the orlslhL
Sumcrian story Noah, the survivor OF Lno
flood. is the one who eats from the " "
of life. No woman is concerned III t"Is
dlsobedience, which resulted In our 10"
OF perfect health and countless years
TRADITION OF THE SERPENT.
"From certain sources which CONNER
the Cassi1 with the serpent ana tr'
curse. | infer, however, that the suhe.
ians had n tradition regarding the So
pent tempter. which induced man 70 ea'
from the tree of life. 1t is possible TO-,
thar from some other source we may E.'
obtain evidence that In Sumellsh ut..
tion "A woman also figured In the iHhl,'o
sin. Our document, however menuohs
wife OF Tagtug. After the loss or e'elm%
bliss the estate of man evidently became
painful and tortured. therefore the sons
sent them eight divine patrons 10 "a "a
f0r the fields. to heal disease ana P''
over the various arts.
IT is maintained by what are known
followers OF the higher criticism ",
Genesis Is a comparative book IN VIZ
three or four narratives have been rain,
crudely combined. Thus there are W.
accounts in the earlier chapters Mhl'n "a
not agree, and two accounts OF tho Hogu
which are quite different, but easily ser
arated Nearly 40 years ago GeoL -
smith. the English scholar, found paO,
loniau cyclundus. with an early aecours
OF the Creation and the Flood, These ~
the University museum are at least ~
Years old. The higher critics insist '.I.
the early chapters OF Genesis were n9u'
up OF documents containing the Wylhr,
theology ana folklore OF the East -
which Bayblouian and Sumcran lhh"tH-'
is predominant.