MORRIS JASTROW, JR. . xiii 



Another early notable contribution in Assyriology was a fragment 

 of the Irra Myth published in the University of Pennsylvania Series 

 in Philology. This was followed by the publication of a fragment 

 of the Etana Legend from the Library of Ashurbanapal, which had 

 found its way into private hands. It was his good fortune to dis- 

 cover also in private hands a second fragment of this important epic, 

 which he published in 1909. His translation and interpretation of 

 these inscriptions, as well as several others, and in particular a large 

 and important " Assyrian Medical Tablet in the possession of the 

 College of Physicians," Philadelphia, fully demonstrated his ability 

 to handle original inscriptions in a masterly manner. 



Jastrow was early attracted to the study of the religion of Baby- 

 lonia and Assyria. He was the founder and secretary until his 

 death of the Committee of American Lectures on the History of 

 Religion, and published one of its monographs. He was the editor 

 of a Scries of Handbooks on the History of Religions; and was the 

 author of " Religion of Babylonia and Assyria," which appeared in 

 1898, as the second volume in the series. This work of 780 pages 

 was a most ambitious undertaking, being largely pioneer in char- 

 acter; but it was carried out so successfully that it remained the chief 

 treatise upon the subject until it was supplanted by his larger work, 

 " Die Religion Babyloniens und Assyriens," which appeared in seven- 

 teen parts between the years 1903 and 191 3. It was originally in- 

 tended that this work should be a translation into German of his 

 English treatise ; but while engaged upon its revision he not only kept 

 pace with new discoveries, but he was prompted to make a fuller 

 study of the divination texts than had previously been made, with 

 the result that his work grew to such proportions that three large 

 volumes, comprising over 1,700 pages of closely printed text, were 

 required for the presentation of his researches. In this field of in- 

 vestigation Jastrow achieved his greatest results. By his linguistic 

 work and interpretation, light was thrown upon hundreds of hitherto 

 obscure words and passages in the omen texts, many of which he 

 translated for the first time. In this field he had the opportunity of 

 utilizing his wide range of knowledge, and showing his bent of mind 

 by correlating in a remarkable manner the customs of other peoples. 



