Book 119

This fragment of the Babylonian Etana legend was first published in this brief paper by Morris Jastrow. The fragment is presented here in transliteration and translation along with the able textual commentary of an acknowledged leader among philologists. Following the presentation of the text, Jastrow also offers an interpretation of the text, suggesting where within the Etana legend the fragment fits. Line drawings and photographs of this singular fragment accompany the text of the article. Also included in this volume is a brief piece by Friedrich Delitzsch on Neo-Babylonian contract tablets.

Book 726

The tearing of garments and putting on sackcloth are common acts mentioned together in the Hebrew Bible. The author argues that these customs exhibit a tendency in religious observances to revert to the ways of an earlier time.