the ancient Orient. "When I am animated by this wish" (here is Johnson again to relieve the tedium of this long preface), "I look with pleasure on my book, however defective, and deliver it to the world with the spirit of a man that has endeavoured well." The Bodleian Library, Oxford, September 13, 1911. ROBERT W. ROGERS. I. THE CREATION 1. THE STORY OF CREATION1 When above the heaven was not named, And beneath the earth bore no name, And the primeval Apsu, who begat them And Mummu and Tiamat, the mother of them all,5 Their waters were mingled together, And no field was formed, no marsh seen, When no one of the gods had been called into being, And none bore a name, and no destinies [were fixed] Then were created the gods in the midst of [heaven], 10 Lakhmu and Lakhamu were called into being Ages increased. 1 The text is published by King, in Cuneiform Texts, xiii. See further for additional fragments, King, The Seven Tablets of Creation, where also are to be found transcription, translation, and a valuable commentary. Earlier editions, which are still valuable, are Heinrich Zimmern, in Gunkel, Schöpfung und Chaos, pp. 401ff.; Delitzsch, Das Babylonische Weltschöpfungsepos. (Abhandlungen der Sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, Bd. xvii, 1896); Jensen, in Schrader's Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, vi, 1, pp. 2ff.; Winckler, Keilinschriftliches Textbuch zum Alten Testament, 3te Auf., pp. 94ff.; Bezold, Die Schöpfungslegende (Kleine Texte für theolog. Vorlesungen und Uebungen. Litzmann, Heft 7, Bonn, 1904); P. Dhorme, Choix de Textes Religieux Assyro-Babyloniens, pp. 2ff. The literature in explanation of this difficult text and of its relations to the religion of Israel is very extensive. The following may be mentioned: Jastrow, The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (1898), pp. 407ff., and Die Religion Babyloniens und Assyriens (1904-1912); A. Loisy, Les Mythes Babyloniens et les Premiers Chapitres de la Genèse (1901); A. T. Clay, Light on the Old Testament from Babel (1907); Rogers, The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, especially in its relations to Israel (1908). e-nu-ma e-liš la na-bu-u ša-ma-mu šap-liš am-ma-tum šu-ma la zak-rat Mu-um-mu Ti-amat mu-al-li-da-at1 gim-ri-šu-un 5 mê-šu-nu iš-te-niš i-hi-ku-u-ma gi-pa-ra la ki-is-su-ra su-sa-a la še-' e-nu-ma ilâni la šu-pu-u ma-na-ma 10 (ilu) Lab-mu u (ilu) La-ha-mu uš-ta-pu-u [. a-di ir-bu-u i- [. 1 Variant mu-um-ma-al-li-da-at, British Museum, No. 93015. • King's restoration, accepted by Ungnad, but with a query. Anshar and Kishar were created, and over them. ... Nudimmud, whom his fathers, his begetters He was exceeding strong 20 There was no rival So were established and ... the great gods. But [Tiamat and Apsu] were in confusion In confusion 25 Apsu was not diminished in might And Tiamat lapsed into silence Their way was not good, they Then Apsu, the begetter of the great gods, 30 Summoned Mummu his messenger and said unto him "O Mummu, messenger that rejoicest my heart, Come, let us go unto Tiamat." An-šar u (ilu) Ki-šar ib-ba-nu-u e-li-šu-[nu ur-ri-ku ûmê us-si-[su (ilu) A-nu1 a-pil-šu-nu [da-ni]-nu [. 15 An-šar (ilu) A-num [. -] u (ilu) A-num ut-[. (ilu) Nu-dim-mud ša abê-šu a-lit-[ti-šu pal-ka uz-nu ha-sis e-[im-ku gu-uš-šur ma-a-di-iš [. 20 la i-ši š[a]-ni-na [...] in-nin-du-ma e-šu-u Ti-[amat u Apsû 25 la na-ši-ir Apsû [. u J u Ti-amat [šu]-ka-am-mu-ma-[at im-has-sa-am-m[a i]p-še-ta-šu-un [. la ta-bat al-kat-su-nu šu-nu-[t]i i-ga-me-la i-nu-šu Apsû za-ri ilâni ra-bi-u-tim 30 is-si-ma (ilu) Mu-um-mu suk-kal-la-šu i-zak-kar-šu Mu-um-mu suk-kal-li mu-tib-ba ka-bit-ti-ia al-kam-ma și-ri-iš Ti-amat i-ni-[il-li-ik] 1 Some copies read num. J |