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 Gull.
According to Translation
by Doctor Langdon.

The Garden of Eden. hore =,
ana Eve' was situated on the island =,
Dilmun In the Gulf of Persia jnstsod :,
mesopotamia, In the valley of the TIo-,.
! and the Euphrates, according to th. -
| lations in Nippur tablets made b,, -.
stephen bangdon, of Jesus Co,,auo. a..
loro' HIS translation has lust bea, :.
ceiVed by the University of Pen,s,,,,.S
MIA and Is published below for Tho a.,
time. Ae hrss
ihe discovery will prove OF great ~.
terest to theologians, biblical scho,...
ana Assyriologists and probably will -
suit In worldwide controversy vh,o.
may cause a complete revision of ~.
Book of Genesis.
According to DR.. Langdon's .ran,,,.,o.
Inc creation the Flood and the FAN Of
Man are found in his newly discoveros
taolets 1900 years before the tim. =,
MOSES MOSES ana 1900 years before the DAYS a,
Ezra VINO is believed to be the cornn,,ss ,
have Il. NO We no" z
WOMAN DIDN'T AID MANS FALL.
The part played by woman in the fan
OF man Is missing entirely from tho mar.
rative of the tablets. The tableta a,so
contradict the story Of the creation and
deluge as told In the Book of Genes,s
The facts disclosed in the translate,
OF Dr. Lansdon antedate in their results
all Hebraic literature by more than INN
years. The original text of the tabls,s
according to DR.. Langdon, was wrt,en
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 o{
the children of Israel from Egypt.
Dr. Langdon makes the following COM
ment on the translation: &
Inc tablet which contains thjs ra, d
markable account of the early SumerIan !
theology, concerning the origins of human
culture, has been almost completely r.. =
stored by the skilful museum author.
ties We have here finely written ak.
column tablet of about 240 lines, most ~
which are entirely intact. Written In
llturg1cal style the composition deservea
the rank of an epic, for 1t handles tbe
most profound problems which concern
humanity. It begins by describing the
land Of primeval bliss, which It locates al
and probably connected with the main.
land in prehistoric times. In this paradise
dwelt mankind, whom Nintud, the crea.
tress. with the help of Entil, had created.
In what way Is not said, but the verb ems
ployed 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. d,
lonian legends and great historians, rep.
resents man as fashioned by the gods. Fl
ANGRY WATER GOD SENDS FLOOD.
"In Paradise Enki. the water god and
lord of all wisdom. ruled over mankind
with his wife. After long period Enh
became dissatisfied with mankind be-.
cause he did not come unto him, which
I take 1t to mean that man did not renderF
unto the gods the homage due. For this:
reason Enki sends the flood, and fraii
men dissolve like tallow in the deluge.
but the King of Dilmun and cettginl.
pious ones are summoned to the shores
OF the river by Nintud. They embark on
q ship After the deluge the King Is
called Tagtug. the divine a name which.
Is most probably rendered into Semitic
by Nuhu Goods wrath is appeased). and
a gardener, and the wise Enh revealed
unto him wisdom. The Greek historians,
too, preserved this story in 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 a garden. names the trees
and plants and Is permitted to eat OF all
but the Cassia (apple) tree.
1.-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
ity. or this plant Tagtug was not to eat
for thereby he would attain eternal lFs:
Mankind until this time possessed ex-
trnme longevity, but not Immortality
Tagtug, however. on his own Initiative
takes and eats. He is cursed by Nintud
and becomes prey to disease and ordl-
nary mortality. Then In the original
Sumerian story Noah, the survivor OF thsf
food. Is the one who eats from the tree
of life. No woman is concerned in TINS
dsobedience, which resulted In our loss
OF perfect health and countless years
TRADITION OF THE SERPENT.
From certain sources which connecs
the Cassia with the serpent and ths
curse. / infer, however, that the Sumer-
ians had a tradition regarding the ser.
pent tempter which induced man 10 eat
from the tree of life. 1t Is possible, 100.
that from some other source we may ye'
obtain evidence that In Sumerian traal-
ton woman also figured in the innnhe
sin Our document, however mentions no
wife OF Tagtug. After the loss of eternA
bliss the estate of man evidently becams
painful and tortured therefore the soas
sent them eight divine patrons 10 cars
for the fields. to heal disease, and presio'
over the various arts"
It Is maintained by what are known
followers of the higher criticism thas
Genesis is a comparative book, in WhNa
three or four narratives have. been rather
crudely combined. Thus there are Two
accounts In the earlier chapters which az
not agree. and two accounts of the hooa
which are quite different, but easily sep
arated Nearly 40 years ago Geotss
Smith, the English scholar, found bap!,
lonian cyclundus. with an early account
Of the creation and the food These as ss
the University museum are at leasl ~
years old The higher critics insist lhss
the early chapters OF Genesis were msu'
up of documents containing the mylns
theology and folklore of the East ~
which Bayblonian and SumeTan lnhuehesi