Trans. N. Y. Ac. Set. 108 Mar. 26, 



compared with the epoch of Ezra, and many centuries after the time 

 of Moses. 



As to the Hebrews being in Babylon, it is an historical fact that 

 those who returned to Judea did so with the most intense hatred of 

 every form of idolatry ; it is therefore incredible that they adopted 

 the religious myths of hated and despised idolaters and embodied 

 them in their own sacred books, even giving them the place of honor. 



As some will say, " however strange it may appear, nevertheless 

 the Hebrews did take the heathen myths and adopt them, for here they 

 are." This can be met only by a careful examination of the myths 

 and of the Creative account in Genesis. If the two are identical in 

 their teachings, then we may conclude that one was the source of the 

 other. But if their agreements are few and of little importance, if, eg., 

 both speak of earth and heavens, of plants and animals, such agree- 

 ment would be of little value, because by no possibility could a cos- 

 mogony be written and not speak of these. If at the same time their 

 disagreements are many and important, if in fact their statements are 

 radically opposite, then it is impossible that the one should have been 

 derived from the other. The paper then went into an extended com- 

 parison of the myths with the story in Genesis. The myths were 

 given in full, and their few resemblances to the Hebrew account, to- 

 gether with their many fiat contradictions were pointed out. For ex- 

 ample, the myths place the heavens and earth before the gods. Gen- 

 esis says, God was first. The whole first tablet is occupied with the 

 origin of the gods. The " beginning," it says, was that point in the 

 existence of the heavens and earth when the great gods began to be. 

 In Genesis, [the beginning is that point in the existence of God at 

 which the heavens and earth began to be. 



In the fifth tablet (all the others are missing, except possibly one lit- 

 tle fragment which says only this: "The foundation of the caverns of 

 rock thou didst form "), which is claimed to correspond to the fourth 

 period in Genesis, it is said that one of the gods arranged the stars 

 in three rows of constellations. Genesis says God made the stars. 

 The myth says that the god made a stair-case in the midst of the 

 earth. Nothing like this is found in Genesis. The myth gives great 

 prominence to the stars. Genesis says little of them. The myth makes 

 the month, and the moon in connection with its ofifice as a measurer 

 of months, by far the most prominent things in it. Genesis says abso- 

 lutely nothing about months — does not mention them." 



There is one more fragment. In this it is said that the gods made 

 " cattle of the field, and beasts of the field, and creeping things." This 

 is the only real resemblance to Genesis, and this could not well be 

 avoided if both were to speak of animals. 



