Professor Jastrow as an Assyriologist

Bloomfield's Religion of the Veda, Steindorf's Religion of the Ancient Egyptians, Cumont's Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans, and Hurgronje's Mohammedanism, have appeared. Professor Jastrow's own contribution to the series has already been mentioned. It is a remarkable series; each, like the volumes of the series which Professor Jastrow edited, is the work of an eminent specialist. The giving of these lectures and the publication of the volumes have done much to educate American people, and have placed within the reach of all an authoritative and readable outline of the great religions of the world. The task of speaking of the products of Professor Jastrow's many-sided abilities in other fields falls to others. His work in the field of which we have been speaking illustrates one of the finest traits of his character-his stimulating influence upon other scholars and his generosity in appreciating their work. The eminent men who wrote the books mentioned above felt this influence, and the humble and obscure worker, however small his contribution, found in Professor Jastrow, if his contribution possessed any merit, a cheering and encouraging critic and friend. America has had but one other scholar (the late Professor C. H. Toy of Harvard) whose stimulating influence called forth from others a degree of labor at all approaching that which Professor Jastrow elicited. Such men stand far above their contemporaries in the scholarly influence which they wield. They evoke in others a devotion to the search for truth which multiplies many fold the mere labor of their own hands. It is one of life's highest privileges to have known them. The world seems poor without them. Their memory is a precious treasure

Ancient Near East History · Historical Astronomy and Related Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy