Hisconsort,however,wasnamedNin—sun(orNin—gul)。
Lugal—Du—azaga,\"thekingofthegloriousseat。\"——Thefounderofêridu,\"thegoodcitywithintheAbyss,\"probablytheparadise(oraparadise)oftheworldtocome。AsitwastheaimofeverygoodBabyloniantodwellhereafterwiththegodwhomhehadworshippeduponearth,itmaybeconjecturedthatthiswastheparadiseinthedomainofêaorAa。
Mama,Mami。——Namesof\"theladyofthegods,\"andcreatressoftheseedofmankind,Aruru。Probablysocalledasthe\"mother\"ofallthings。AnothernameofthisgoddessisAma,\"mother。\"
Mammitum,Mamitum,goddessoffate。
Mur,oneofthenamesofAdduorRammanu(HadadorRimmon)。
NanaorNanaawastheconsortofNeboatBorsippa,butappearsasaformofI?tar,worshipped,withAnuherfather,atErech。
Nin—aha—kuku,anameofêaorAaandofhisdaughterasdeityoftherivers,andthereforeofgardensandplantations,whichwerewateredbymeansofthesmallcanalsleadingtherefrom。Asdaughterofêa,thisdeitywasalso\"ladyoftheincantation。\"
Nin—azu,theconsortofEre?—ki—gal,probablyas\"lordphysician。\"HeisprobablytobeidentifiedwithNerigal。
Nin—igi—nagar—si,anamesomewhatmoredoubtfulastoitsreadingthantheothers,designatesêaorAaas\"thegodofthecarpenter。\"Heseemstohavebornethisas\"thegreatconstructorofheaven\"or\"ofAnu。\"
Nin—mah,chiefgoddessofthetempleê—mahinBabylon。ProbablytobeidentifiedwithAruru,andthereforewithZer—pan?tum。
Nin—?ah,adeitywhosenameisconjecturedtomean\"lordofthewildboar。\"Heseemstohavebeenagodofwar,andwasidentifiedwithNirigorênu—rê?tuandPap—sukal。
Nin—sirsir,êaasthegodofsailors。
Nin—sun,aspointedoutbyJastrow,wasprobablythesameasI?tarorNanaofErech,whereshehadashrine,withthem,inê—anna,\"thehouseofAnu。\"Herendershername\"theannihilatinglady,\"[*]
\"appropriatefortheconsortofasun—god,\"forsuchheregardsLugal—
bandaherspouse。KingSin—gasidofErech(about3000B。C。)referstoherashismother。
[*]Thisisduetothesecondelementofthenamehaving,withanotherpronunciation,themeaningof\"todestroy。\"
Nun—urra。——êa,asthegodofpotters。
Pap—sukal。——AnameofNin—?ahasthe\"divinemessenger,\"whoisalsodescribedasgod\"ofdecisions。\"Nin—?ahwouldseemtohavebeenoneofthenamesofPap—sukalratherthanthereverse。
Qarradu,\"strong,\"\"mighty,\"\"brave。\"——Thisword,whichwasformerlytranslated\"warrior,\"isappliedtoseveraldeities,amongthembeingBêl,Nergal,Nirig(ênu—rê?tu),and?ama?,thesun—god。
RagimuandRamimu,namesofRimmonorHadadas\"thethunderer。\"ThesecondcomesfromthesamerootasRammanu(Rimmon)。?uqamunu。——Adeityregardedas\"lordofwatercourses,\"probablytheartificialchannelsdugfortheirrigationoffields。
Ura—gala,anameofNerigal。
Ura?,anameofNirig,underwhichhewasworshippedatDailem,nearBabylon。
Zagaga,dialecticZamama。——Thisdeity,whowasagodofwar,wasidentifiedwithNirig。Oneofthistitleswas/bêlparakki/,\"lordoftheroyalchamber,\"or\"throne—room。\"
ZaraquorZariqu。——Astherootofthisnamemeans\"tosprinkle,\"hewasprobablyalsoagodofirrigation,andmayhavepresidedoverceremonialpurification。Heismentionedinnamesasthe\"giverofseed\"and\"giverofaname\"(i。e。offspring)。
Theseareonlyasmallproportionofthenamesfoundintheinscriptions,butshortasthelistnecessarilyis,thenature,ifnotthefullcomposition,oftheBabylonianpantheonwilleasilybeestimatedtherefrom。
Itwillbeseenthatbesidestheidentificationsofthedeitiesofallthelocalpantheonswitheachother,eachdivinityhadalmostasmanynamesasattributesandtitles,hencetheirexceedingmultiplicity。Insuchanextensivepantheon,manyofthegodscomposingitnecessarilyoverlap,andidentificationofeachother,towhichthefaith,initsprimitiveform,wasastranger,wereinevitable。Thetendencytomonotheismwhichthiscausedwillbereferredtolateron。
Thegodsandtheheavenlybodies。
Ithasalreadybeenpointedoutthat,fromtheevidenceoftheBabyloniansyllabary,thedeitiesoftheBabylonianswerenotastralintheirorigin,theonlygodscertainlyoriginatinginheavenlybodiesbeingthesunandthemoon。ThisleadstothesuppositionthattheBabylonians,bearingthesetwodeitiesinmind,mayhaveaskedthemselveswhy,ifthesetwowererepresentedbyheavenlybodies,theothersshouldnotbesorepresentedalso。Bethisasitmay,theotherdeitiesofthepantheonweresorepresented,andthefullplanetaryscheme,asgivenbyabilinguallistintheBritishMuseum,wasasfollows:
AkuSinthemoonSinBi?ebi?ama?thesun?ama?
DapinuUmun—sig—êaJupiterMerodachZib[*]Dele—batVenusI?tarLu—limLu—bat—sag—u?SaturnNirig(acc。toJensen)
BibbuLubat—gudMercuryNeboSimutuMu?tabarruMarsNergalm?tanuAlltheabovenamesofplanetshavetheprefixofdivinity,butinotherinscriptionsthedeterminativeprefixisthatfor\"star,\"
/kakkabu/。
[*]ThisisapparentlyaSumeriandialecticform,theoriginalwordhavingseeminglybeenZig。
MoonandSun。
Unfortunately,alltheaboveidentificationsoftheplanetswiththedeitiesinthefourthcolumnarenotcertain,namely,thosecorrespondingwithSaturn,Mercury,andMars。Withregardtotheothers,however,thereisnodoubtwhatever。Thereasonwhythemoonisplacedbeforethesunisthatthesun,asalreadyexplained,wasregardedashisson。Itwasnoteworthyalsothatthemoonwasaccreditedwithtwootheroffspring,namely,Ma?uandMa?tu——sonanddaughterrespectively。As/ma?u/means\"twin,\"thesenamesmustsymbolisethetwohalves,or,aswesay,\"quarters\"ofthemoon,whowerethusregarded,inBabylonianmythology,ashis\"twinchildren。\"
JupiterandSaturn。
ConcerningJupiter,whoisintheabovecalledDapinu(Semitic),andUmun—sig—êa(Sumerian),ithasalreadybeennotedthathewascalledNibiru——accordingtoJensen,Merodachashewhowentaboutamongthestars\"pasturing\"themlikesheep,asstatedintheBabylonianstoryoftheCreation(orBelandtheDragon)。ThisisexplainedbyhimasbeingduetothecomparativelyrapidandextensivepathofJupiterontheecliptic,anditwouldseemprobablethatthenamesofSaturn,/Kaawanu/and/Sag—u?/(theformer,whichisSemiticBabylonian,meaning\"steadfast,\"orsomethingsimilar,andthelatter,inSumerian,\"head—firm\"or\"steadfast\"——\"phlegmatic\"),toallappearanceindicateinlikemannerthedeliberationofhismovementscomparedwiththoseoftheplanetdedicatedtothekingofthegods。
Venusatsunriseandsunset。
Afragmentofatabletpublishedin1870givessomeinterestingparticularsconcerningtheplanetVenus,probablyexplainingsomeasyetunknownmythologicalstoryconcerningher。Accordingtothis,shewasafemaleatsunset,andamaleatsunrise;I?tarofAgadé(AkadorAkkad)atsunrise,andI?tarofErechatsunset:I?tarofthestarsatsunrise,andtheladyofthegodsatsunset。
Andinthevariousmonths。
I?tarwasidentifiedwithNin—si—annainthefirstmonthoftheyear(Nisan=March—April),withthestarofthebowinAb(August—
September),etc。InSebat(January—February)shewasthestarofthewater—channel,Ik?,whichwasMerodach’sstarinSivan(May—June),andinMarcheswanherstarwasRabbu,whichalsobelongedtoMerodachinthesamemonth。Itwillthusbeseen,thatBabylonianastronomyisfarfrombeingasclearaswouldbedesired,butdoubtlessmanydifficultieswilldisappearwhenfurtherinscriptionsareavailable。
StarsidentifiedwithMerodach。
ThesamefragmentgivesthecelestialnamesofMerodachforeverymonthoftheyear,fromwhichitwouldappear,thattheastrologerscalledhimUmun—sig—êainNisan(March—April),DapinuinTammuz(June—
July),NibiruinTisri(September—October),?arru(thestarRegulus),inTebet(December—January),etc。ThefirstthreearenamesbywhichtheplanetJupiterwasknown。
Asfortheplanetsandstars,soalsofortheconstellations,whichareidentifiedwithmanygodsanddivinebeings,andprobablycontainreferences,intheirnamesanddescriptions,tomanylegends。InthesixthtabletoftheCreation—series,itisrelatedofMerodachthat,aftercreatingtheheavensandthestationsforAnu,Bêl,andAe,\"Hebuiltfirmlythestationsofthegreatgods——
Starstheirlikeness——hesetupthe/Lumali/,Hedesignatedtheyear,heoutlinedthe(heavenly)forms。
Hesetforthetwelvemonthsthreestarseach,Fromthedaywhentheyearbegins,……forsigns。\"
AspointedoutbyMr。RobertBrown,jr。,whohasmadeastudyofthesethings,the\"threestars\"foreachmonthoccurononeoftheremainsofplanispheresintheBritishMuseum,andarecompletedbyatabletwhichgivestheminlist—form,inonecasewithexplanations。Untiltheseareproperlyidentified,however,itwillbeimpossibletoestimatetheirrealvalue。ThesignsoftheZodiac,whicharegivenbyanothertablet,areofgreaterinterest,astheyaretheoriginalsofthosewhichareinuseatthepresenttime:——
MonthSignEquivalentNisan(Mar。—Apr。)TheLabourerTheRamIyyar(Apr。—May)/Mulmula/andtheBullofheavenTheBullSivan(May—June)/Sib—zi—anna/andthegreatTwinsTheTwinsTammuz(June—July)/Allul/or/Nagar/TheCrabAb(July。—Aug。)TheLion(ordog)TheLionElul(Aug。—Sep。)TheEarofcorn(?)TheearofCorn(Virgo)
Tisri(Sep。—Oct。)TheScalesTheScalesMarcheswan(Oct。—Nov。)TheScorpionTheScorpionChisleu(Nov。—Dec。)/Pa—bil—sag/TheArcherTebet(Dec。—Jan。)/Sahar—ma?/,theFish—kidTheGoatSebat(Jan。—Feb。)/Gula/TheWater—bearerAdar(Feb。—Mar。)TheWaterChannelandtheTailsTheFishesParallelsinBabylonianlegends。
The\"bullofheaven\"probablyreferstosomelegendsuchasthatofthestoryofGilgame?inhisconflictwiththegoddessI?tarwhenthedivinebullwaskilled;/Sib—zi—anna/,\"thefaithfulshepherdofheaven,\"suggeststhatthisconstellationmayrefertoTammuz,thedivineshepherd;whilst\"thescorpion\"remindsusofthescorpion—menwhoguardedthegateofthesun(?ama?),whenGilgame?wasjourneyingtogaininformationconcerninghisfriendEnki—du,whohaddepartedtotheplaceofthedead。SirHenryRawlinsonmanyyearsagopointedoutthatthestoryoftheFloodoccupiedtheeleventhtabletoftheGilgame?series,correspondingwiththeeleventhsignoftheZodiac,Aquarius,ortheWater—bearer。
Otherstar—names。
Othernamesofstarsorconstellationsinclude\"theweaponofMerodach’shand,\"probablythatwithwhichheslewthedragonofChaos;\"theHorse,\"whichisdescribedas\"thegodZ?,\"Rimmon’sstorm—bird——Pegasus;\"theSerpent,\"explainedasEre?—ki—gal,thequeenofHades,whowouldthereforeseemtohavebeenconceivedinthatform;\"theScorpion,\"whichisgivenas/I?haratantim/,\"I?haraofthesea,\"adescriptiondifficulttoexplain,unlessitrefertoherasthegoddessofthePh?niciancoast。Manyotheridentifications,exceedinglyinteresting,awaitsolution。
Howthegodswererepresented。Oncylinder—seals。
Manyrepresentationsofthegodsoccur,bothonbas—reliefs,boundary—
stones,andcylindricalandordinaryseals。Unfortunately,theiridentificationgenerallypresentsmoreorlessdifficulty,onaccountoftheabsenceofindicationsoftheiridentity。Onasmallcylinder—
sealinthepossessionoftheRev。Dr。W。HayesWard,MerodachisshownstridingalongtheserpentinebodyofTiawath,whoturnsherheadtoattackhim,whilstthegodthreatensherwithapointedweaponwhichhecarries。Another,publishedbythesamescholar,showsadeity,whomheregardsasbeingMerodach,driveninachariotdrawnbyawingedlion,uponwhoseshouldersstandsanakedgoddess,holdingthunderboltsineachhand,whomhedescribesasZer—pan?tum。Anothercylinder—sealshowsthecorn—deity,probablyNisaba,seatedinflouncedrobeandhornedhat,withcorn—stalksspringingoutfromhisshoulders,andholdingatwofoldearofcorninhishand,whilstanattendantintroduces,andanotherwithathreefoldearofcornfollows,amancarryingaplough,apparentlyasanoffering。Onanother,abeautifulspecimenfromAssyria,I?tarisshownstandingonanAssyrianlion,whichturnshisheadasiftocaressherfeet。Asgoddessofwar,sheisarmedwithbowandarrows,andherstarisrepresenteduponthecrownofhertiara。
Onboundary—stones,etc。
Ontheboundary—stonesofBabyloniaandtheroyalmonolithsofAssyriatheemblemsofthegodsarenearlyalwaysseen。Mostprominentarethreehornedtiaras,emblematic,probably,ofMerodach,Anu,andBêl(theolder)。Acolumnendinginaram’sheadisusedforêaorAe,acrescentforSinorNannar,themoon—god;adiscwithraysfor?ama?,thesun—god;athunderboltforRimmonorHadad,thegodofthunder,lightning,wind,andstorms;alampforNusku,etc。Abird,perhapsahawk,stoodforUtu—gi?gallu,adeitywhosenamehasbeentranslated\"thesouthernsun,\"andisexplainedinthebilingualinscriptionsas?ama?,thesun—god,andNirig,oneofthegodsofwar。TheemblemofGal—alim,whoisidentifiedwiththeolderBêl,isasnarlingdragon’sheadformingtheterminationofapole,andthatofDun—a?agaisabird’sheadsimilarlyposed。Onaboundary—stoneofthetimeofNebuchadnezzarI。,about1120B。C。,oneofthesignsofthegodsshowsahorse’sheadinakindofshrine,probablytheemblemofRimmon’sstorm—bird,Z?,theBabylonianPegasus。
Otherdivinefigures。
Oneofthefinestofalltherepresentationsofdivinitiesisthatofthe\"Sun—god—stone,\"foundbyMr。HormuzdRassamatAbu—habbah(theancientSippar),whichwasoneofthechiefseatsofhisworship。Itrepresentshim,seatedinhisshrine,holdinginhishandastaffandaring,hisusualemblems,typifyinghispositionasjudgeoftheworldandhisendlesscourse。ThepositionofMerodachassun—godisconfirmedbythesmalllapis—lazulirelieffoundbytheGermanexpeditionatthemoundknownasAmranibn’Ali,ashealsocarriesastaffandaring,andhisrobeiscoveredwithornamentalcircles,showing,inallprobability,hissolarnature。InthesameplaceanothersmallreliefrepresentingRimmonorHadadwasfound。Hisrobehasdiscsemblematicalofthefiveplanets,andheholdsineachhandathunderbolt,oneofwhichheisabouttolaunchforth。Merodachisaccompaniedbyalargetwo—horneddragon,whilstHadadhasasmallwingeddragon,typifyingtheswiftnessofhiscourse,andanotheranimal,bothofwhichheholdswithcords。
CHAPTERV
THEDEMONS:EXORCISMSANDCEREMONIES
Goodandevilspirits,godsanddemons,werefullybelievedinbytheBabyloniansandAssyrians,andmanytextsreferringtothemexist。
Naturallyitisnotinsomecaseseasytodistinguishwellbetweenthespecialfunctionsofthesesupernaturalappearanceswhichtheysupposedtoexist,buttheirnatureis,inmostcases,easilyascertainedfromtheinscriptions。
Toallappearance,theBabyloniansimaginedthatspiritsresidedeverywhere,andlayinwaittoattackmankind,andtoeachclass,apparently,aspecialprovinceinbringingmisfortune,ortormenting,orcausingpainandsickness,wasassigned。Allthespirits,however,werenotevil,eventhosewhosenameswouldsuggestthattheircharacterwassuch——thereweregood\"liersinwait,\"forinstance,aswellasevilones,whoseattitudetowardsmankindwasbeneficent。
The/utukku/。ThiswasaspiritwhichwassupposedtodothewillofAnu,thegodoftheheavens。Therewasthe/utukku/oftheplain,themountains,thesea,andthegrave。
The/al?/。Regardedasthedemonofthestorm,andpossibly,initsorigin,thesameasthedivinebullsentbyI?tartoattackGilgame?,andkilledbyEnki—du。Itspreaditselfoveraman,overpoweringhimuponhisbed,andattackinghisbreast。
The/êdimmu/。Thisisgenerally,butwrongly,read/êkimmu/,andtranslated\"theseizer,\"from/êkemu/,\"toseize。\"Inreality,however,itwasanordinaryspirit,andthewordisusedforthewraithsofthedeparted。The\"evil/êdimmu/\"wasapparentlyregardedasattackingthemiddlepartofaman。
The/gallu/。AsthiswordisborrowedfromtheSumerian/galla/,whichhasadialecticform,/mulla/,itisnotimprobablethatitmaybeconnectedwiththeword/mula/,meaning\"star,\"andsuggestingsomethingwhichisvisiblebythelightitgives——possiblyawill—o’—
the—wisp,——thoughothersareinclinedtoregardthewordasbeingconnectedwith/gala/,\"great。\"Inanycase,itsmeaningseemstohavebecomeverysimilarto\"evilspirit\"or\"devil\"ingeneral,andisanepithetappliedbytheAssyriankingA??ur—bani—aplitoTe—umman,theElamitekingagainstwhomhefought。
The/?lulimnu/,\"evilgod,\"wasprobablyoriginallyoneofthedeitiesofTiawath’sbrood,uponwhomMerodach’sredemptionhadhadnoeffect。
The/rabisu/isregardedasaspiritwhichlayinwaittopounceuponhisprey。
The/labartu/,inSumerian/dimme/,wasafemaledemon。Thereweresevenevilspiritsofthiskind,whowereapparentlyregardedasbeingdaughtersofAnu,thegodoftheheavens。
The/labasu/,inSumerian/dimmea/,wasapparentlyaspiritwhichoverthrew,thatbeingthemeaningoftherootfromwhichthewordcomes。
The/ahhazu/,inSumerian/dimme—kur/,wasapparentlysocalledas\"theseizer,\"thatbeingthemeaningindicatedbytheroot。
The/lilu/,inSumerian/lila/,isgenerallyregardedas\"thenight—
monster,\"thewordbeingreferredtotheSemiticroot/l?l/or/layl/,whencetheHebrew/layil/,Arabic/layl/,\"night。\"Itsorigin,however,isSumerian,from/lila/,regardedasmeaning\"mist。\"Totheword/lilu/theancientBabyloniansformedafeminine,/lil?thu/,whichenteredtheHebrewlanguageundertheformof/lilith/,whichwas,accordingtotherabbins,abeautifulwoman,wholayinwaitforchildrenbynight。The/lilu/hadacompanionwhoiscalledhishandmaidorservant。
The/namtaru/wasapparentlythespiritoffate,andthereforeofgreaterimportancethanthosealreadymentioned。ThisbeingwasregardedasthebelovedsonofBêl,andoffspringof/Ere?—ki—gal/orPersephone,andhehadaspousenamed/Hu?—bi—?aga/。Apparentlyheexecutedtheinstructionsgivenhimconcerningthefateofmen,andcouldalsohavepowerovercertainofthegods。
The/?êdu/wereapparentlydeitiesintheformofbulls。Theyweredestructive,ofenormouspower,andunsparing。Inagoodsensethe/?êdu/wasaprotectingdeity,guardingagainsthostileattacks。Erechandthetempleê—kurawereprotectedbyspiritssuchasthese,andtooneofthemI?um,\"theglorioussacrificer,\"waslikened。
The/lamassu/,fromtheSumerian/lama/,wassimilarincharactertothe/?êdu/,butisthoughttohavebeenofthenatureofacolossus——awingedman—headedbullorlion。Itisthesecreatureswhichthekingsplacedatthesidesofthedoorsoftheirpalaces,toprotecttheking’sfootsteps。InearlyBabyloniantimesagodnamedLamawasoneofthemostpopulardeitiesoftheBabylonianpantheon。
Aspecimenincantation。
Numerousinscriptions,whichmayberegardedasdating,intheirorigin,fromaboutthemiddleofthethirdmillenniumbeforeChrist,speakofthesesupernaturalbeings,andalsoofotherssimilar。OneofthemostperfectoftheseinscriptionsisalargebilingualtabletofwhichaduplicatewrittenduringtheperiodofthedynastyofHammurabi(before2000B。C。)exists,andwhichwasafterwardsprovidedwithaSemiticBabyloniantranslation。Thisinscriptionreferstotheevilgod,theevil/utukku/,the/utukku/oftheplain,ofthemountain,ofthesea,andofthegrave;theevil/?êdu/,theglorious/al?/,ordivinebull,andtheevilunsparingwind。Therewasalsothatwhichtakestheformofaman,theevilface,theevileye,theevilmouth,theeviltongue,theevillip,theevilbreath;alsotheafflicting/asakku/(regardedasthedemonoffever),the/asakku/
whichdoesnotleaveaman:theafflicting/namtaru/(fate),thesevere/namtaru/,the/namtaru/whichdoesnotquitaman。Afterthisarementionedvariousdiseases,bodilypains,annoyances,suchas\"theoldshoe,thebrokenshoe—lace,thefoodwhichafflictsthebodyofaman,thefoodwhichturnsineating,thewaterwhichchokesindrinking,\"etc。Otherthingstobeexorcisedincludedthespiritofdeath,peoplewhohaddiedofhunger,thirst,orinotherways;thehandmaidofthe/lilu/whohadnohusband,theprinceofthe/lilu/
whohadnowife,whetherhisnamehadbeenrecordedorunrecorded。
Themethodofexorcisingthedemonscausingallthesethingsiscurious。Whiteandblackyarnwasspun,andfastenedtothesideandcanopyoftheafflictedperson’sbed——thewhitetothesideandthetoporcanopy,theblacktothelefthand——andthen,apparently,thefollowingwordsweresaid:——
\"Evil/utukku/,evil/al?/,evil/êdimmu/,evil/gallu/,evilgod,evil/rabisu/,/labartu/,/labasu/,/ahhazu/,/lilu/,/lilithu/,handmaidof/lilu/,sorcery,enchantment,magic,disaster,machinationwhichisnotgood——maytheynotsettheirheadtohishead,theirhandtohishand,theirfoottohisfoot——maytheynotdrawnear。Spiritofheaven,mayestthouexorcise,spiritofearth,mayestthouexorcise。\"
Butthiswasonlythebeginningoftherealceremony。ThegodAsari—
alim—nunna(Merodach),\"eldestsonofêridu,\"wasaskedtowashhiminpureandbrightwatertwiceseventimes,andthenwouldtheevillier—
in—waitdepart,andstandaside,andapropitious/?êdu/andapropitious/labartu/resideinhisbody。Thegatesrightandlefthavingbeenthus,sotosay,shutclose,theevilgods,demons,andspiritswouldbeunabletoapproachhim,whereverhemightbe。\"Spiritofheaven,exorcise,spiritofearth,exorcise。\"Then,afteraninvocationofêrê?—ki—galandI?um,thefinalparagraphwaspronounced:——
\"Theafflictedman,byanofferingofgraceInhealthlikeshiningbronzeshallbemadebright。
Asforthatman,?ama?shallgivehimlife。
Merodach,first—bornsonoftheAbyss,Itisthinetopurifyandglorify。
Spiritofheaven,mayestthouexorcise,spiritofearth,mayestthouexorcise。\"
Ritesandceremonies。
Asmaybeexpected,theBabyloniansandAssyrianshadnumerousritesandceremonies,theduecarryingoutofwhichwasnecessaryfortheattainmentofthegracedemanded,orfortheefficacyofthethankstenderedforfavoursreceived。
PerhapstheoldestceremonyrecordedisthatwhichUt—napi?tim,theChald?anNoah,madeonthe/zikkurat/orpeakofthemountainafterthecomingforthfromtheshipwhichhadsavedhimandhisfromtheFlood。ThePatriarch’sdescriptionofthisceremonyisshort:——
\"Isentforthtothefourwinds,IpouredoutalibationImadeanofferingonthepeakofthemountain:
SevenandsevenIsetincense—vasesthere,IntotheirdepthsIpouredcane,cedar,andscentedwood(?)。
Thegodssmelledasavour,Thegodssmelledasweetsavour,Thegodsgatheredlikefliesoverthesacrificer。\"
Followinginthefootstepsoftheirgreatprogenitor,theBabyloniansandAssyriansbecameamostpiousrace,constantlyrenderingtotheirgodsthegloryforeverythingwhichtheysucceededinbringingtoasuccessfulissue。Prayer,supplication,andself—abasementbeforetheirgodsseemtohavebeenwiththemadutyandapleasure:——
\"Thetimefortheworshipofthegodswasmyheart’sdelight,ThetimeoftheofferingtoI?tarwasprofitandriches,\"
singsLudlulthesage,andallthepeopleofhislandwereonewithhiminthatopinion。
ItisnoteworthythattheofferingoftheChald?anNoahconsistedofvegetableproduceonly,andtherearemanyinscriptionsreferringtosimilarbloodlesssacrifices,anddetailingtheritualusedinconnectiontherewith。Sacrificesofanimals,however,seemtohavebeenconstantlymade——inanycase,offeringsofcattleandfowl,inlist—form,arefairlynumerous。Manyacylinder—sealhasarepresentationoftheownerbringingayounganimal——akidoralamb——
asanofferingtothedeitywhomheworshipped,andintheinscriptionsthesacrificeofanimalsisfrequentlyreferredto。Oneofthebilingualtextsreferstotheofferingofakidorsomeotheryounganimal,apparentlyonbehalfofasickman。Thetextofthis,wherecomplete,runsasfollows:——
\"Thefatlingwhichisthe’head—raiser’ofmankind——
Hehasgiventhefatlingforhislife。
Hehasgiventheheadofthefatlingforhishead,Hehasgiventheneckofthefatlingforhisneck,Hehasgiventhebreastofthefatlingforhisbreast。\"
Whetherhumansacrificeswerecommonornotisadoubtfulpoint。Manycylinder—sealsexistinwhichtheslayingofamanisdepicted,andtheFrenchAssyriologistMenantwasofopinionthattheyrepresentedahumanofferingtothegods。HayesWard,however,isinclinedtodoubtthisexplanation,andmoreevidencewouldseem,therefore,tobeneeded。Heisinclinedtothinkthat,inthemajorityofcases,thedesignsreferredtoshowmerelythevictimsofdivineangerorvengeance,punishedbythedeityforsomemisdeedorsin,eitherknowinglyorunknowinglycommitted。
IntheAssyriangalleriesoftheBritishMuseum,A??ur—nasir—apli,kingofAssyria,isseveraltimesshownengagedinreligiousceremonies——eitherworshippingbeforethesacredtree,orabouttopourout,apparently,alibationtothegodsbeforedepartinguponsomeexpedition,andpriestsbringingofferings,eitheranimalorvegetable,arealsorepresented。A??ur—ban?—apli,whoisidentifiedwith\"thegreatandnobleAsnapper,\"isshown,inbas—reliefsoftheAssyrianSaloon,pouringoutathank—offeringoverthelionswhichhehaskilled,afterhisreturnfromthehunt。
CHAPTERVI
PROBLEMSWHICHTHESTUDYOFFERS
Monotheism。
AsthematterofBabylonianmonotheismhasbeenpubliclytoucheduponbyFried。Delitzschinhis\"BabelundBibel\"lectures,afewwordsuponthatimportantpointwillberegardedinallprobabilityasappropriate。Ithasalreadybeenindicatedthatthegivingofthenamesof\"thegodshisfathers\"toMerodachpracticallyidentifiedthemwithhim,thusleadingtoatendencytomonotheism。Thattendencyis,perhaps,hintedatinaletterofA??ur—ban?—aplitotheBabylonians,inwhichhefrequentlymentionstheDeity,butindoingso,useseithertheword/?lu/,\"God,\"Merodach,thegodofBabylon,orBêl,whichmayberegardedasoneofhisnames。Themostimportantdocumentforthismonotheistictendency,however(confirmingasitdoesthetabletofthefifty—onenames),isthatinwhichatleastthirteenoftheBabyloniandeitiesareidentifiedwithMerodach,andthatinsuchawayastomakethemmerelyformsinwhichhemanifestedhimselftomen。Thetextofthisinscriptionisasfollows:——
\"……isMerodachofplanting。
Lugal—aki—……isMerodachofthewater—course。
NirigisMerodachofstrength。
NergalisMerodachofwar。
ZagagaisMerodachofbattle。
BêlisMerodachoflordshipanddomination。
NeboisMerodachoftrading(?)。
SinisMerodachtheilluminatorofthenight。?ama?isMerodachofrighteousthings。
AdduisMerodachofrain。
Ti?pakisMerodachoffrost(?)。
SigisMerodachofgreenthings(?)。?uqamunuisMerodachoftheirrigation—channel。\"
Herethetextbreaksoff,butmusthavecontainedseveralmoresimilaridentifications,showinghowatleastthemorethoughtfuloftheBabyloniansofoldlookeduponthehostofgodswhomtheyworshipped。
Whatmaybethedateofthisdocumentisuncertain,butasthecolophonseemstodescribeitasacopyofanolderinscription,itmaygobackasfaras2000yearsB。C。Thisistheperiodatwhichthename/Yaum—?lu/\"JahisGod,\"isfound,togetherwithnumerousreferencesto/?lu/asthenamefortheonegreatgod,andisalso,roughly,thedateofAbraham,who,itmaybenoted,wasaBabylonianofUroftheChaldees。Itwillprobablynotbethoughttooventuresometosaythathismonotheismwaspossiblytheresultofthereligioustrendofthoughtinhistime。
Dualism。
Damascius,inhisvaluableaccountofthebeliefoftheBabyloniansconcerningtheCreation,statesthat,liketheotherbarbarians,theyrejectthedoctrineoftheoneoriginoftheuniverse,andconstitutetwo,Tauthé(Tiawath)andApason(Apsu)。Thistwofoldprinciple,however,isonlyapplicabletothesysteminthatitmakesoftheseaandthedeep(forsucharethemeaningsofthetwowords)twopersonages——thefemaleandthemalepersonificationsofprim?valmatter,fromwhichallcreationsprang,andwhichgavebirthtothegodsofheaventhemselves。Asfarasthephysicalconstituentsofthesetwoprincipalsareconcerned,theirtenetsmightbedescribedashaving\"materialisticmonism\"astheirbasis,butinasmuchastheybelievedthateachofthesetwoprincipalshadamind,thedescription\"idealisticmonism\"cannotbeappliedtoit——itisdistinctlyadualism。
AndMonism。
Divestedofitsidealisticside,however,therewouldseemtobenoescapefromregardingtheBabylonianideaoftheoriginofthingsasmonistic。[*]Thisideahasitsreflection,thoughnotitsreproduction,inthefirstchapterofGenesis,inwhich,verses2,6,and7,waterisrepresentedasthefirstthingexisting,thoughnotthefirstabodeoflife。ThisdivergencyfromtheBabylonianviewwasinevitablewithamonotheisticnation,suchastheJewswere,regardingastheydidtheDeityasthegreatsourceofeverythingexisting。WhateffectthemovingoftheSpiritofGoduponthefaceofthewaters(v。2)wassupposedbythemtohavehad,isuncertain,butitistobenotedthatitwastheland(vv。11,12)whichfirstbroughtforth,atthecommandofGod。
[*]Monism。Thedoctrinewhichholdsthatintheuniversethereisonlyasingleelementorprinciplefromwhicheverythingisdeveloped,thissingleprinciplebeingeithermind(/idealisticmonism/)ormatter(/materialisticmonism/)。(Annandale。)
Thefuturelife。
ThebeliefinafuturelifeisthenaturaloutcomeofareligiousbeliefsuchastheBabylonians,Assyrians,andmanyofthesurroundingnationspossessed。Ashasbeenshown,aportionoftheircreedconsistedinhero—worship,whichpre—supposesthattheheroesinquestioncontinuedtoexist,inastateofstillgreaterpowerandglory,aftertheconclusionoftheirlifehereuponearth。
\"ThegodBêlhatesme——Icannotdwellinthisland,andintheterritoryofBêlIcannotsetmyface。IshalldescendthentotheAbyss;withAamylordshallIconstantlydwell。\"Itiswiththesewordsthat,bythecounselofthegodAa,Ut—napi?timexplainedtothosewhoquestionedhimthereasonwhyhewasbuildingtheshiporarkwhichwastosavehimandhisfromtheFlood,andthereisbutlittledoubtthattheauthorofthestoryimpliedthatheannouncedtherebyhisapproachingdeath,orhisdeparturetodwellwithhisgodwithoutpassingthedreadportalsofthegreatleveller。ThisbeliefinthelifebeyondthegraveseemstohavebeenthatwhichwascurrentduringthefinalcenturiesofthethirdmillenniumbeforeChrist——whenamandied,itwassaidthathisgodtookhimtohimself,andwemaythereforesuppose,thattherewereasmanyheavens——placesofcontentmentandbliss——asthereweregods,andthateverygoodmanwasregardedasgoinganddwellingevermorewiththedeitywhichhehadworshippedandservedfaithfullyduringhislifetime。
Gilgame?,thehalf—divinekingofErech,whoreignedduringthehalf—
mythicalperiod,onlosinghisfriendandcounsellor,Enki—du,setouttofindhim,andtobringhimback,ifpossible,fromtheunderworldwherehewassupposedtodwell。Hisdeath,however,hadnotbeenlikethatofanordinaryman;itwasnotNamtaru,thespiritoffate,whohadtakenhim,noramisfortunesuchasbefallsordinarymen,butNerigal’sunsparinglier—in—wait——yetthoughNerigalwasthegodofwar,Enki—duhadnotfallenonthebattlefieldofmen,buthadbeenseizedbytheearth(apparentlytheunderworldwherethewickedareismeant)inconsequence,seemingly,ofsometrickortrapwhichhadbeenlaidforhim。
Thegodswerethereforeprayed,inturn,tobringhimback,butnoneofthemlistenedexceptêa,whobeggedhimofNerigal,whereuponthelatteropenedtheentrancetotheplacewherehewas——theholeoftheearth——andbroughtforth\"thespirit(/utukku/)ofEnki—dulikemist。\"
Immediatelyafterthiscomethewords,\"Tell,myfriend,tell,myfriend——thelawofthelandwhichthousawest,tell,\"andtheanswer,\"Iwillnottellthee,friend,Iwillnottellthee——ifItelltheethelawofthelandwhichIsaw,……sitdown,weep。\"Ultimately,however,thepersonappealedto——apparentlythedisembodiedEnki—du——
revealssomethingconcerningtheconditionofthesoulsintheplaceofhissojournafterdeath,asfollows:——
\"Whomthousawest[die]thedeath(?)[of][*]……[Isee]——
Intheresting—placeof……reposing,purewatershedrinketh。
Whominthebattlethousawestkilled,Isee——
Hisfatherandhismotherraisehishead,Andhiswifeupon[himleaneth?]。
Whosecorpsethouhastseenthrowndownintheplain,Isee——
His/edimmu/intheearthreposethnot。
Whose/edimmu/thousawestwithoutacaretaker,Isee——
Theleavingsofthedish,theremainsofthefood,Whichinthestreetisthrown,heeateth。\"
[*](?)\"Thedeathoftherighteous,\"orsomethingsimilar?
Itisnaturallydifficulttodecideinapassagelikethis,thedifferenceexistingbetweenaman’s/utukku/andhis/edimmu/,buttheprobabilityis,thattheformermeanshisspiritualessence,whilstthelatterstandsfortheghostlyshadowofhisbody,resemblinginmeaningthe/ka/oftheEgyptians。Toallappearancetheabodedescribedaboveisnottheplaceofthepunishmentofthewicked,butthedwellingofthoseaccountedgood,who,ifluckyinthemanneroftheirdeath,andthedisposaloftheirbodies,enjoyedthehighesthappinessinthehabitationoftheblest。Theotherplace,however,isotherwisedescribed(itoccursintheaccountofI?tar’sdescentintoHades,andintheseventhtabletoftheGilgame?series——thelatterdifferingsomewhat):——
\"UponthelandofNo—return,theregionof……,[Set]Istar,daughterofSin,herear。
ThedaughterofSinsetthenherear……
Uponthehouseofgloom,theseatofIrkalla——[*]
Uponthehousewhoseentrancehathnoexit,[?]
Uponthepathwhosewayhathnoreturn,Uponthehousewhoseenterersaredeprivedoflight,Wheredustistheirnourishment,theirfoodmud,Lighttheyseenot,indarknesstheydwell,Clothedalso,likeabird,inadressoffeathers。
Uponthedoorandboltthedusthathblown。\"
[*]OneofthenamesofNergal。
[?]Or\"whoseenterergoethnotforth。\"
Sevengatesgaveaccesstothisplaceofgloom,andtheporter,asheletthevisitorin,tookfromher(thegoddessI?tarinthenarrative)
ateachanarticleofclothing,until,atthelast,sheenteredquitenaked,apparentlytypifyingthefactthatamancantakenothingwithhimwhenhedieth,andalso,inthiscase,thathehasnotevenhisgooddeedswherewithtoclothehimself,forhadtheyoutweighedhisevilones,hewouldnothavefoundhimselfinthatdreadabode。
OnthearrivalofI?tarinHades,Erê?—ki—galcommandedNamtaru,thegodoffate,tosmiteI?tarwithdiseaseinallhermembers——eyes,sides,feet,heart,andhead。Asthingswentwrongontheearthinconsequenceoftheabsenceofthegoddessoflove,thegodssentamessengertoeffectherrelease。WhenhereachedthelandofNo—
return,thequeenoftheregionthreatenedhimwithallkindsoftorments——thefoodoftheguttersofthecityweretobehisfood,theoil—jarsofthecity(naptha?)hisdrink,thegloomofthecastlehisresting—place,astoneslabhisseat,andhungerandthirstweretoshatterhisstrength。Thesewereevidentlythepunishmentsinflictedthere,butasthemessengerthreatenedwasadivineone,theywereprobablynotputintoexecution,andheobtainedhisdemand,forI?tarwassetfree,receivingbackateachgate,inreverseorder,theclothingandornamentswhichhadbeentakenfromherwhenshehaddescendedthither。ItisuncertainwhetherTammuz,forwhomshehadgonedown,wassetfreealso,butasheisreferredto,itisnotimprobablethatthiswasthecase。