BABYLON IN THE DAYS OF NEBUCHADREZZAR. 205 



read indicated a certain atmosphere in the days of Nebuchadrezzar 

 in Babylon which exactly agreed with that depicted in the Book of 

 Daniel. 



He considered that this was much more reliable evidence that 

 the book was written when it professed to be than the critics' 

 contention that certain words in it were of a later date, as these 

 might easily have been modernized in transcription. 



The Author's Reply. 



I rather doubt whether, in the wording of Gen. xi, 4, we can infer 

 an allusion to the Zodiac. A tower, whose top " is in the heavens," 

 is probably rightly regarded simply as " a very high tower." The 

 stages of the Tower of Babel were most likely coloured, as the 

 President has said, with emblematic colours typifying the seven 

 heavenly bodies which have paths among the stars. I do not think 

 the colours can still be recognized, though the temple-tower of 

 Sargon's great foundation, now known as Khorsa^bad, is said to have 

 shown the tints in question. 



To all appearance Nebuchadrezzar, like many another king of 

 his race, was a boaster. Nevertheless, we must regard the Baby- 

 lonian words for " to build " as including also the idea of 

 rebuilding. 



According to the list of gods in part xxiv of Cuneiform Texts from 

 Bab. Tablets, pi. 49, the god of silver was Anu, the god of gold 

 Enlilla (the older Bel), the god of copper Ea, and the god of lead 

 Nin-a-ni- ... As Enlilla was " Merodach of lordship and 

 dominion," it may be supposed that Nebuchadrezzar was regarded 

 as " king of lordship and dominion," and on that account called 

 "the head of gold." It may here be noted that these divinities 

 indicate the " ages " of the Babylonians, the silver preceding the 

 gold because silver was known to them at an earlier date. 



Dr. Schofield has also called your attention to the contract for 

 the hat on p. 1 99. The article in question was of the kind designated 

 kiibsu, and was of a shape similar to those of certain of the gods. 

 From the British Museum tablet K. 1249, these seem to have been 

 an indication of rank. The tablet in question speaks of a Jcubsu 

 which had belonged to a certain Remanni-ilu, who had been killed, 

 and his clothes, together with his head-dress, taken away by a 



