NTZm MOUNTAINS 313 



doubt in deciding on which side the borrowing lay. The 

 biblical narrative is indeed a Jahvistic or monotheistic 

 edition of the Chaldean. To this conclusion the most 

 distinguished Assyrian scholars have been led. I need 

 only mention here Professor Sayce, whose opinion is 

 expressed on page 119 of his work on " The Higher 

 Criticism and the Monuments," published by the Society 

 for Promoting Christian Knowledge, during the current 

 year (1894). 



The Chaldean story certainly reduces the flood to much 

 smaller dimensions, and so far brings it nearer the range 

 of probability ; the rain lasted only seven days, and the 

 waters have subsided sufficiently at the end of a fortnight 

 for Sitnapistim to land. They do not cover all the high 

 mountains, and the stranding of the ship on mount Nizir 

 when the flood was at its climax gives us a maximum 

 height, which it cannot have exceeded; for if this 

 mountain had been deeply submerged it could not have 

 arrested the passage of the ship. The height of the Nizir 

 mountains is about 1,000 feet above the sea-level, which 

 still leaves room for a very respectable flood. 



The scepticism which prevailed in the middle of this 

 century with regard to legend seems to have given place 

 to an almost equally great credulity. The older argument 

 seemed to be that the presence of some obviously un- 

 veracious statements in a legend condemned the rest, 

 want of faith in some was want of faith in all ; while the 

 more modern view would appear to be that since so many 

 discredited legends have been found to enshrine some 

 important truth, all are to be assumed trustworthy till 

 they are proved otherwise. 



It may be in this spirit that Suess * has elaborately 

 discussed the Chaldean legend as though it presented 



* E. Suess, " The Face of the Earth." Oxford, 1904. Cap. i. 

 p. 17. 



