OF BABYLONIAN CONCEPTIONS ON JEWISH THOUGHT. 335 



Mr. Curwen rightly asks for a distinction between the inspiration, 

 e.g.^ of Tennyson or Darwin, and that of St. Paul and Isaiah. It is 

 difficult to define. Yet I fancy both are real, but one being moral 

 and spiritual stands on a higher platform. 



As regards the higher criticism, I gave a few instances of its 

 arguments on pp. 312 and 314, beginning "the pre-exilic period," and 

 " as an instance " — no one has attempted to refute these, so I must still 

 consider them and others " extraordinarily convincing." 



Dr. Thomas accuses me of attributing error to our Lord, while he 

 admits " limitations or imperfections of knowledge"; the words I 

 used were : " Our Lord himself must have been limited in his 

 historical and scientific knowledge, etc., if his human knowledge 

 was imperfect,'" etc. These are Dr. Thomas's own words, which 

 apparently he accepts. How then does he make good his charge 

 of " lack of thinking out a subject to its conclusion." 



I entirely agree with Chancellor Lias's claim to a right " to criticize 

 the critics," and fully appreciate his desire to find the truth. May 

 I again remind him that his belief " that religions tend to decay 

 rather than develop " is an argument for investigation into twentieth- 

 century beliefs. 



The following communication from the Rev. John Tuckwell, 

 M.R.A.S., was received after the foregoing was in print, but at 

 the request of the Council and with the consent of Archdeacon 

 Potter is now inserted : — 



Were I to reply fully to this paper I should require not five 

 but fifty minutes ; I must therefore put what little I am permitted 

 to say in as few words as possible. Manifestly, if the author is to 

 present to us correct views of " The Influence of Babylonian 

 Conceptions on Jewish Thought," he must have correct views of 

 Babylonian conceptions. As I happen to have read through the 

 whole of the Creation Tablets, the Bilingual Story of the Creation, 

 the Deluge Tablets and many others in the original cimeiform, let 

 me point out a few of the mistakes which the author has made by 

 quoting from prejudiced or untrustworthy sources : — 



i. It is not correct to say (p. 301) that Tiamat is "the personifica- 

 tion of chaos and darkness." In Tablet I, 4, she is called Muummu 

 Tiamtu mu-iimma-alUda-at, " the Raging Ocean, the female-producer." 

 The idea of " chaos " is neither in the Hebrew nor the Babylonian. 

 It is a Greek word and conception. In the Hebrew, especially, 



