304 THE V£N. ARCHDEACON POTTER, M.A., ON THE INFLUENCE 



Professor Sayce in 1898 discovered in the British Museum 

 a tablet of the period of Khammurabi, in which occur the words 

 " Yahweh is God " ; also in the Kassite period (1500 B.C.) occur 

 the words I-au-bani, "Yahweh is creator," and in a letter 

 written about 1450 B.C., found at Taanach, occur the words 

 Akki-Ja-nu — (like Ahijah) — " Jehovah is brother." 



Kogers mentions this, and adds that there can be no doubt 

 that the Divine name Jehovah is not a peculiar possession of 

 the Hebrews, but that " coming from outside there poured into 

 it such a flood of attributes as no priest had dreamed of in his 

 highest moments of spiritual insight." Driver says, "the 

 origin of the name Yahweh is still uncertain." In Exodus iii, 

 13, we read, " thus shall ye say unto the children of Israel, 

 ' I am ' hath sent me unto you." This is an E. passage. In 

 Exodus vi, 3 (a P. passage), we read, " by my name Yahweh was 

 I not known to Abraham, Isaac, and tfacob." These two 

 passages imply that the name originated in the time of Moses. 

 But in Genesis ii, 4, 5 (a J. passage), we read, " the Lord God 

 (Jehovah, or I am) made the earth and the heavens," and in 

 verses 7 and 8, " the Lord God formed man out of the dust, 

 and the Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden," apparently 

 implying that the name Jehovah came from the creation times. 



Nebuchadnezzar's prayer to Merodach (about 606 B.C.), 

 written during the Israelitish captivity, shows striking simi- 

 larities to Jewish religious thought, " Oh, Merodach, firstborn 

 of the goddess, who didst create me, and hast entrusted to me 

 the sovereignty over hosts of men, accept the lifting up of my 

 hands," and in another prayer, found on a clay cylinder, occur 

 the words, " Oh, Prince, thou that art from everlasting, Lord 

 of all that exists, I the Prince who obey thee, am the work of 

 thine hands," 



In the prayer of Assur-nazir-pal I. about 1800 B.C., i.e., five 

 centuries before Moses, Istar is described as " the merciful 

 goddess, who loves justice." He prays that "through her 

 turning towards him his heart may become strong." " Thou 

 didst preserve for me the sceptre of righteousness ; thou hast 

 granted unto the faithful salvation and mercy. Look on me 

 with compassion ; grant me forgiveness." 



The prayer of Lugal-Zaggisi (about 3500 B.C.*), says, " Oh 

 Enlil the king of the lands, may Anu to his beloved father speak 

 my prayer, to my life may he add life, and cause the lands to 

 dwell in security." In a hymn to Shamash the Sun God, first 



^ Or 2800, according to King. 



