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 Ador
and Eve, was situated on the island =,
Dllum In the Gulf of Persia instead Of
Messopotamia, in the valley of the TIpr,,
and the Euphrates, according to the ravo-
lations In Nippur tablets made by Dr
stephen Langdon, of Jesus College. Nv
ford His translation has Just been ro-
ceived by the University Of Pennsv,va.
MIA and is published below for the 1r.e
time.
The discovery will prove of great In
terest to theologians, biblical scholar,
and Assyriologists and probably will re-
suit in worldwide controversy which
may cause complete revision of the
Book Of Genesis.
According to DR.. Langdon's trans,atio,
The Creation tho Flood and the Fall of
Man are found in his newly discovered
tablets 1900 years before the time or
Moses and 1900 years before the davs 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 fail
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 DR.. Langdon antedate in their results
all Hebraic literature by more than 1900
years. The original text of the tablets.
according to DR.. 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:
The tablet which contains this re.
markable account of the early Sumeran
theology, concerning the origins of human
culture, has been almost completely re-
stored by tlN slsilful museum authori-
ties. We have here finely written six
column tablet of about 2iO 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 by describing the
land of primeval bliss, which it locates at
Dilmun an island in the Persian Gulf
and probably connected with the main
lanu IN prehistoric tlfneS. IN TINS paradise
dwclt mankind, whom Nintud, the crea-
tress, with the help of Entil, had created.
In what way is not said. but the verb em-
ploycd in one passage suggests a fashions
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
lonan legends and great historians rep
&c CHI 1,,.t tI,n CI1c
ANGRY WATER GOD SENDS FLOOD.
I'm Paradise Enk the water god and
lord of all wisdom, ruled over mankind
with his wife. After n long period Enlri
became dissatisfied with mankind be-
cause he did not come unto him, when
I take it to mean that man did not render
unto the gods the homage due. For this
reason Enlii sends the flood. and frall
mon dissolve like tallOW in the deluge.
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 Tagtug, the divine, name when
is most probably rendered into Semitic
by Nuhu Goods wrath Is appeasedD, ana
this Tagtug lives in a garden, is himself
a gardener, and the wisc Enkt revealed
unto him wisdom The Greek historians,
too, preserved this story in the legend OF
Cannes, who rose from the Persian Gull
to teach men wisdom I'm primeval times.
and so Tagtug, as in the Hebrew story OIL
Noah. plants garden, names the trees
and plants and is permitted to eat of all
but the Cassia (apple) tree.
"The Cassia I'm Sumerian documents Is
the herb of healing, as well as in Semluc
and Greek medicine. The legends III re-
gard to 1t probably told of its being the
plant which bestowed absolute immOrtal-
t,r MIA Tgpt1Ip not to eat,