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.

The Garden OF Eden, home Of Adam
and Eve, was situated on the island of
Dimun in the Gulf of Persia instead y,
Mesopotamia, in the valley of the Tigrls
and the Euphrates, according to the reye-
I lations in Nippur tablets made by DIR.
Stephen Dangdon, of Jesus College, ox.
ford. His translation has just been re.
ceived by the University of Penngylva.
MIA and is published below for the first
time.
The discovery will prove of great in.
terest to theologians, biblical scholars
and Assyriologists and probably will re-.
suit In a worldwide controversy which
may cause a complete revision OF tho
Book of Genesis.
According to DR.. Langdon's translation.
The Creation, the Flood and the Fall Of
Man are found in his newly discovered
tablets 1900 years before the tlme or
Moses and 1900 years before the days of
Ezra who Is believed to be the compiler
of most of the Old Testament as we now
have It,
WOMAN DIDN'T AID MANS FALL.
The part played by woman in the fall
of man Is missing entirely from the mar
rative of the tablets. The tablets also
contradict the story Of the creation and
deluge as told in the Book of Genesis
The facts disclosed in the translation
of DIR. Langdon antedate in their results
all Hebraic literature by more than 1000
years. The original text of the tablets,
according to DIR. Langdon, was written
by priest of the town of Nippur. 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 Sumerlan
theology. concerning the origins of human
culture, mas been almost completely re-
stored by the skilful museum authori-
ties. We have here finely written six
column tablet of about 2i0 lines. most Of
which are entirely intact. Written In
liturgical style the composition deserves
the rank of an epic, for it handles the
most profound problems which concern
humanity 1t begins hy describing the
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
dwe!t mankind, whom Nintud, the crea-
tress. with the help of Entil had created.
In what way Is not said but the verb em-
ployed In one passage suggests a fashion,
ing with the hands cf some sort From
other passages we might infer that men
were born as the natural offspring OF
Nntud and Entil the earth god, but
Semitic tradition as we have 1t in Baby
lonian legends and great historian rep
rescnts man as fashioned by the gods.
ANGRY WATER GOD SENDS FLOOD.
"In Paradise Enki the water god and
lord of all wisdom ruled over mankind
with his wife. After a long period Enkl
became dissatisfied with mankind be-
cause he did not come unto him. which
l take 1t to mean that man did not render
unto the gods the homage due. For this
reason Enki sends the flood, and fraIl
men dissolve like tallow in the dcluge,
but the King of Dilmun and certain
pious ones are summoned to the shores
of the river by Nintud They embark on
a ship. After the deluge the King Is
called TaEtug, the divine, a name which
Is most probably rendered into Semitic
by Nuhu GODS wrath is appeasedl, and
this Tagtug lives in n garden, Is himself
a gardener, and the wise Enk revealed
unto him wisdom. The Greek historians,
too, preserved this story i'm the legend Of
Cannes. who rose from the Persian Gulf
to teach men wisdom in primeval times, .
and so Tagtug. as in the Hebrew story Of
Noah. plants n garden, names the trees
and plants and Is permitted to eat of all
but the Cassia tapple) tree,
THE Cassia in Sumerian documents Is
the herb of healing, as well as in Semitic
and Greek medicine The legends in re-
gard to 1t probably told of its being the
plant which bestowed absolute Immortal- e.
ity. OF this plant Tagtug was not to eat
for thereby he would attain eternal life
Mankind until this time possessed eX-
trrme longevity, but not immortality
Tagtug however, on his own initiative
takes and eats He Is cursed by Nintud
and becomes q prey to disease and prdi-
nary mortality. Then In the original
Sumerian story Noah, the survivor Of the
flood. is the one who eats from the tree
of life, No woman is concerned in this
dlsobedIence which resulted In our loss
of perfect health and countless years.
TRADITION or THE SERPENT
From certain sources which connect
the Cassia with the serpent and the
curse. | infer, however. that the Sumer-
ians had a tradition regarding the SER
pent tempter, which induced man to eat
from the tree of life II Is possible, too,
that from some other source we may vet
obtain evidence that in Sumorian tradl-
tiOn a woman also figured In the infinite
sin. our document. however, mentions no
wlfc of Tagtug. After the loss of eternal
bliss the estate of man evidently became
painful and tortured therefore the gods
sent them eight divine patrons TO care
for the fields to heal disease, and preside
over the various arts"
II is maintained hv what are known as
followers OF the higher criticism that
Genesis is a cOmuarative book i'm which
three or four narratives have been rather
Crudely combined Thus there are two
accounts In the earlier chapters which do
not agree, and two accounts of the flood
which are quite different. but easily sep-
aTatCd Nearly 10 years ago GEORGE
Smith the English scholar, found Baby
lonau cyclundus, with an early account
of the creation and the food These at
the University museum are at least l5O
years old, The higher critics insist that
the early chapters of Genesis wer, made
up Of documents containing the myths.
theology and folklore of the East, in
which Baybonian and Sumerian influence