the religion of babylonia and assyria-第2节

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　ancient　world。　It　is　not　so　important　for　modern　religion　as　the　development　of　the　beliefs　of　the　Hebrews；　but　as　the　creed　of　the　people　from　which　the　Hebrew　nation　sprang；　and　from　which；　therefore；　it　had　its　beginnings；　both　corporeal　and　spiritual；　it　is　such　as　no　student　of　modern　religious　systems　can　afford　to　neglect。　Its　legends；　and　therefore　its　teachings；　as　will　be　seen　in　these　pages；　ultimately　permeated　the　Semitic　West；　and　may　in　some　cases　even　had　penetrated　Europe；　not　only　through　heathen　Greece；　but　also　through　the　early　Christians；　who；　being　so　many　centuries　nearer　the　time　of　the　Assyro…Babylonians；　and　also　nearer　the　territory　which　they　anciently　occupied；　than　we　are；　were　far　better　acquainted　than　the　people　of　the　present　day　with　the　legends　and　ideas　which　they　possessed。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　II

　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　RELIGION　OF　THE　BABYLONIANS　AND　ASSYRIANS


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Sumero…Akkadians　and　the　Semites。

For　the　history　of　the　development　of　the　religion　of　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians　much　naturally　depends　upon　the　composition　of　the　population　of　early　Babylonia。　There　is　hardly　any　doubt　that　the　Sumero…Akkadians　were　non…Semites　of　a　fairly　pure　race；　but　the　country　of　their　origin　is　still　unknown；　though　a　certain　relationship　with　the　Mongolian　and　Turkish　nationalities；　probably　reaching　back　many　centuriesperhaps　thousands　of　yearsbefore　the　earliest　accepted　date；　may　be　regarded　as　equally　likely。　Equally　uncertain　is　the　date　of　the　entry　of　the　Semites；　whose　language　ultimately　displaced　the　non…Semitic　Sumero…Akkadian　idioms；　and　whose　kings　finally　ruled　over　the　land。　During　the　third　millennium　before　Christ　Semites；　bearing　Semitic　names；　and　called　Amorites；　appear；　and　probably　formed　the　last　considerable　stratum　of　tribes　of　that　race　which　entered　the　land。　The　name　Martu；　the　Sumero…Akkadian　equivalent　of　Amurru；　〃Amorite〃；　is　of　frequent　occurrence　also　before　this　period。　The　eastern　Mediterranean　coast　district；　including　Palestine　and　the　neighbouring　tracts；　was　known　by　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians　as　the　land　of　the　Amorites；　a　term　which　stood　for　the　West　in　general　even　when　these　regions　no　longer　bore　that　name。　The　Babylonians　maintained　their　claim　to　sovereignty　over　that　part　as　long　as　they　possessed　the　power　to　do　so；　and　naturally　exercised　considerable　influence　there。　The　existence　in　Palestine；　Syria；　and　the　neighbouring　states；　of　creeds　containing　the　names　of　many　Babylonian　divinities　is　therefore　not　to　be　wondered　at；　and　the　presence　of　West　Semitic　divinities　in　the　religion　of　the　Babylonians　need　not　cause　us　any　surprise。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　Babylonian　script　and　its　evidence。

In　consequence　of　the　determinative　prefix　for　a　god　or　a　goddess　being；　in　the　oldest　form；　a　picture　of　an　eight…rayed　star；　it　has　been　assumed　that　Assyro…Babylonian　mythology　is；　either　wholly　or　partly；　astral　in　origin。　This；　however；　is　by　no　means　certain；　the　character　for　〃star〃　in　the　inscriptions　being　a　combination　of　three　such　pictures；　and　not　a　single　sign。　The　probability　therefore　is；　that　the　use　of　the　single　star　to　indicate　the　name　of　a　divinity　arises　merely　from　the　fact　that　the　character　in　question　stands　for　/ana/；　〃heaven。〃　Deities　were　evidently　thus　distinguished　by　the　Babylonians　because　they　regarded　them　as　inhabitants　of　the　realms　aboveindeed；　the　heavens　being　the　place　where　the　stars　are　seen；　a　picture　of　a　star　was　the　only　way　of　indicating　heavenly　things。　That　the　gods　of　the　Babylonians　were　in　many　cases　identified　with　the　stars　and　planets　is　certain；　but　these　identifications　seem　to　have　taken　place　at　a　comparatively　late　date。　An　exception　has　naturally　to　be　made　in　the　case　of　the　sun　and　moon；　but　the　god　Merodach；　if　he　be；　as　seems　certain；　a　deified　Babylonian　king；　must　have　been　identified　with　the　stars　which　bear　his　name　after　his　worshippers　began　to　pay　him　divine　honours　as　the　supreme　deity；　and　naturally　what　is　true　for　him　may　also　be　so　for　the　other　gods　whom　they　worshipped。　The　identification　of　some　of　the　deities　with　stars　or　planets　is；　moreover；　impossible；　and　if　êa；　the　god　of　the　deep；　and　Anu；　the　god　of　the　heavens；　have　their　representatives　among　the　heavenly　bodies；　this　is　probably　the　result　of　later　development。＇*＇

＇*＇　If　there　be　any　historical　foundation　for　the　statement　that　　　　　Merodach　arranged　the　sun；　the　moon；　the　planets；　and　the　stars；　　　　　assigning　to　them　their　proper　places　and　dutiesa　tradition　　　　　which　would　make　him　the　founder　of　the　science　of　astronomy　　　　　during　his　life　upon　earththis；　too；　would　tend　to　the　　　　　probability　that　the　origin　of　the　gods　of　the　Babylonians　was　not　　　　　astral；　as　has　been　suggested；　but　that　their　identification　with　　　　　the　heavenly　bodies　was　introduced　during　the　period　of　his　reign。


　　　　　　　　　Ancestor　and　hero…worship。　The　deification　of　kings。

Though　there　is　no　proof　that　ancestor…worship　in　general　prevailed　at　any　time　in　Babylonia；　it　would　seem　that　the　worship　of　heroes　and　prominent　men　was　common；　at　least　in　early　times。　The　tenth　chapter　of　Genesis　tells　us　of　the　story　of　Nimrod；　who　cannot　be　any　other　than　the　Merodach　of　the　Assyro…Babylonian　inscriptions；　and　other　examples；　occurring　in　semi…mythological　times；　are　/En…we…dur…an…ki/；　the　Greek　Edoreschos；　and　/Gilgame？/；　the　Greek　Gilgamos；　though　Aelian's　story　of　the　latter　does　not　fit　in　with　the　account　as　given　by　the　inscriptions。　In　later　times；　the　divine　prefix　is　found　before　the　names　of　many　a　Babylonian　rulerSargon　of　Agadé；＇*＇　Dungi　of　Ur　（about　2500　B。C。）；　Rim…Sin　or　Eri…Aku　（Arioch　of　Ellasar；　about　2100　B。C。）；　and　others。　It　was　doubtless　a　kind　of　flattery　to　deify　and　pay　these　rulers　divine　honours　during　their　lifetime；　and　on　account　of　this；　it　is　very　probable　that　their　godhood　was　utterly　forgotten；　in　the　case　of　those　who　were　strictly　historical；　after　their　death。　The　deification　of　the　kings　of　Babylonia　and　Assyria　is　probably　due　to　the　fact；　that　they　were　regarded　as　the　representatives　of　God　upon　earth；　and　being　his　chief　priests　as　well　as　his　offspring　（the　personal　names　show　that　it　was　a　common　thing　to　regard　children　as　the　gifts　of　the　gods　whom　their　father　worshipped）；　the　divine　fatherhood　thus　attributed　to　them　naturally　could；　in　the　case　of　those　of　royal　rank；　give　them　a　real　claim　to　divine　birth　and　honours。　An　exception　is　the　deification　of　the　Babylonian　Noah；　Ut…napi？tim；　who；　as　the　legend　of　the　Flood　relates；　was　raised　and　made　one　of　the　gods　by　Aa　or　Ea；　for　his　faithfulness　after　the　great　catastrophe；　when　he　and　his　wife　were　translated　to　the　〃remote　place　at　the　mouth　of　the　rivers。〃　The　hero　Gilgame？；　on　the　other　hand；　was　half　divine　by　birth；　though　it　is　not　exactly　known　through　whom　his　divinity　came。

＇*＇　According　to　Nabonidus's　date　3800　B。C。；　though　many　　　　　Assyriologists　regard　this　as　being　a　millennium　too　early。


　　　　　　　　　　　　The　earliest　form　of　the　Babylonian　religion。

The　state　of　development　to　which　the　religious　system　of　the　Babylonians　had　attained　at　the　earliest　period　to　which　the　inscriptions　refer　naturally　precludes　the　possibility　of　a　trustworthy　history　of　its　origin　and　early　growth。　There　is　no　doubt；　however；　that　it　may　be　regarded　as　having　reached　the　stage　at　which　we　find　it　in　consequence　of　there　being　a　number　of　states　in　ancient　Babylonia　（which　was　at　that　time　like　the　Heptarchy　in　England）　each　possessing　its　own　divinitywho；　in　its　district；　was　regarded　as　supremewith　a　number　of　lesser　gods　forming　his　court。　It　was　the　adding　together　of　all　these　small　pantheons　which　ultimately　made　that　of　Babylonia　as　a　whole　so　exceedingly　extensive。　Thus　the　chief　divinity　of　Babylon；　as　has　already　been　stated；　as　Merodach；　at　Sippar　and　Larsa　the　sun…god　？ama？　was　worshipped；　at　Ur　the　moon…god　Sin　or　Nannar；　at　Erech　and　Dêr　the　god　of　the　heavens；　Anu；　at　Muru；　Ennigi；　and　Kakru；　the　god　of　the　atmosphere；　Hadad　or　Rimmon；　at　êridu；　the　god　of　the　deep；　Aa　or　êa；　at　Niffur＇*＇　the　god　Bel；　at　Cuthah　the　god　of　war；　Nergal；　at　Dailem　the　god　Ura？；　at　Ki？　the　god　of　battle；　Zagaga；　Lugal…Amarda；　the　king　of　Marad；　as　the　city　so　called；　at　Opis　Zakar；　one　of　the　gods　of　dreams；　at　Agadé；　Nineveh；　and　Arbela；　I？tar；　goddess　of　love　and　of　war；　Nina　at　the　city　Nina　in　Babylonia；　etc。　When　the　chief　deities　were　masculine；　they　were　naturally　all　identified　with　each　other；　just　as　the　Greeks　called　the　Babylonian　Merodach　by　the　name　of　Zeus；　and　as　Zer…pan？tum；　the　consort　of　Merodach；　was　identified　with　Juno；　so　the　consorts；　divine　attendants；　and　children　of　each　chief　divinity；　as　far　as　they　possessed　them；　could　also　be　regarded　as　the　same；　though　possibly　distinct　in　their　different　attributes。

＇*＇　Noufar　at　present；　according　to　the　latest　explorers。　Layard　　　　　（1856）　has　Niffer；　Loftus　（1857）　Niffar。　The　native　spelling　is　　　　　Noufer；　due　to　the　French　system　of　phonetics。


　　　　　　　　　　　　How　the　religion　of　the　Babylonians　developed。

The　fact　that　the　rise　of　Merodach　to　the　position　of　king　of　the　gods　was　due　to　the　attainment；　by　the　city　of　Baby