THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN: The Story of Ahikar Intro
THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN
Translated in the late 1800's
by
Dr. S. C. Malan and Dr. E. Trumpp.
Translated into King James English from both the Arabic version and the
Ethiopic version which was then published in The Forgotten Books of Eden in
1927 by The World Publishing Company.
THE STORY OF AHIKAR
part of the "Forgotten" books of Eden
WE HAVE in The Story of Ahikar one of the most ancient sources of human thought
and wisdom. Its influence can be traced through the legends of many people, including
the Koran, and the Old and New Testaments.
A mosaic found in Treves, Germany, pictured among the wise men of the world the
character of Ahikar. Here is his colorful tale.
The date of this story has been a subject of lively discussion. Scholars finally
put it down about the First Century when they were proved in error by the original
story turning up in an Aramaic papyrus of 500 B. C. among the ruins of Elephantine.
The story is obviously fiction and not history. In fact the reader can make its
acquaintance in the supplementary pages of The Arabian Nights. It is brilliantly
written, and the narrative which is full of action, intrigue, and narrow escape
holds the attention to the last. The liberty of imagination is the most precious
possession of the writer.
The writing divides itself into four phases:
(1) The Narrative.
(2) The Teaching (a remarkable series of Proverbs).
(3) The Journey to Egypt.
(4) The Similitudes or Parables (with which Ahikar completes the education of
his erring nephew).
