184: JASTROW — THE HAMITES AND SEMITES. [April 4, 



from the broadest standpoint possible to an ancient writer or to a 

 school of ancient writers with imperfect ethnological conceptions 

 and still swayed to a certain extent by various subjective factors. 



If, therefore, Japheth formed part of J's Volkertafel, we may 

 feel reasonably certain that it did not concern itself with such 

 nations as Gomer, Gog, Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah, to 

 mention only some groups with whom Hebrew history has nothing 

 to do, but at the most with such groups as Tarshish, Cyprus and 

 Tubal and Meshech, with whom at a certain period the Hebrews 

 had at least commercial relations. Leaving this question aside as 

 impossible of more definite determination, the remarkably inclusive 

 though compact character of P's list, drawn up from a point of view 

 which betrays no special interest in Hebrew history, suggests a for- 

 eign source for the list itself, or at all events points to foreign influ- 

 ences at work in its composition. 



The Priestly Code, being an exilic production, of which at least 

 the substantial elements were drawn up in Babylonia, it would be 

 natural to seek in it influences due to the Babylonian environment. 

 The earlier political relations of their own people with Egypt and 

 Assyria would be sufficient, with the rise of the historical sense, to 

 arouse in the minds of Hebrew writers an interest in nations lying 

 outside of their own immediate circle, but this interest would be 

 materially strengthened under such conditions as confronted the 

 Hebrew exiles settled in the Euphrates Valley. With the national 

 catastrophe putting an end for the time being to their own political 

 history, the Hebrews were in a peculiarly favorable position for 

 realizing what the world meant to a world-power such as Babylonia, 

 which had undertaken to still further develop the legacy of con- 

 quest and subjugation bequeathed to her by her rival Assyria, had 

 become in the sixth century. They found themselves in a country 

 which stood for the ideal of world conquest, and which had taken 

 decisive steps for many centuries toward the realization of this 

 ideal. The Assyrians and the Babylonians had come into direct 

 contact with distant nations to the north, south, east and west, and, 

 although their relationship to those nations had generally been 

 hostile, they had, yet, by the encouragement of international com- 

 merce brought about a closer affiliation between the peoples of the 

 ancient world, than is ordinarily recognized. It would have been 

 strange indeed if, under such surroundings, the Hebrews had not 

 b^en led to modify and enlarge their views of the complicated 



