第3章

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。