the religion of babylonia and assyria-第3节

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　　　　　　　　　　　　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　Babylon；　of　the　position　of　capital　of　all　Babylonia；　leads　one　to　suspect　that　the　kingly　rank　of　his　father　êa；　at　an　earlier　period；　was　due　to　a　somewhat　similar　cause；　and　if　so；　the　still　earlier　kingship　of　Anu；　the　god　of　the　heavens；　may　be　in　like　manner　explained。　This　leads　to　the　question　whether　the　first　state　to　attain　to　supremacy　was　Dêr；　Anu's　seat；　and　whether　Dêr　was　succeeded　by　êridu；　of　which　city　êa　was　the　patronconcerning　the　importance　of　Babylon；　Merodach's　city；　later　on；　there　is　no　doubt　whatever。　The　rise　of　Anu　and　êa　to　divine　overlordship；　however；　may　not　have　been　due　to　the　political　supremacy　of　the　cities　where　they　were　worshippedit　may　have　come　about　simply　on　account　of　renown　gained　through　religious　enthusiasm　due　to　wonders　said　to　have　been　performed　where　they　were　worshipped；　or　to　the　reported　discovery　of　new　records　concerning　their　temples；　or　to　the　influence　of　some　renowned　high…priest；　like　En…we…dur…an…ki　of　Sippar；　whose　devotion　undoubtedly　brought　great　renown　to　the　city　of　his　dominion。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Was　Animism　its　original　form？

But　the　question　naturally　arises；　can　we　go　back　beyond　the　indications　of　the　inscriptions？　The　Babylonians　attributed　life；　in　certain　not　very　numerous　cases；　to　such　things　as　trees　and　plants；　and　naturally　to　the　winds；　and　the　heavenly　bodies。　Whether　they　regarded　stones；　rocks；　mountains；　storms；　and　rain　in　the　same　way；　however；　is　doubtful；　but　it　may　be　taken　for　granted；　that　the　sea；　with　all　its　rivers　and　streams；　was　regarded　as　animated　with　the　spirit　of　êa　and　his　children；　whilst　the　great　cities　and　temple…towers　were　pervaded　with　the　spirit　of　the　god　whose　abode　they　were。　Innumerable　good　and　evil　spirits　were　believed　in；　such　as　the　spirit　of　the　mountain；　the　sea；　the　plain；　and　the　grave。　These　spirits　were　of　various　kinds；　and　bore　names　which　do　not　always　reveal　their　real　charactersuch　as　the　/edimmu/；　/utukku/；　/？êdu/；　/a？akku/　（spirit　of　fevers）；　/namtaru/　（spirit　of　fate）；　/al？/　（regarded　as　the　spirit　of　the　south　wind）；　/gallu/；　/rabisu/；　/labartu/；　/labasu/；　/ahhazu/　（the　seizer）；　/lilu/　and　/lilithu/　（male　and　female　spirits　of　the　mist）；　with　their　attendants。

All　this　points　to　animism　as　the　pervading　idea　of　the　worship　of　the　peoples　of　the　Babylonian　states　in　the　prehistoric　periodthe　attribution　of　life　to　every　appearance　of　nature。　The　question　is；　however；　Is　the　evidence　of　the　inscriptions　sufficient　to　make　this　absolutely　certain？　It　is　hard　to　believe　that　such　intelligent　people；　as　the　primitive　Babylonians　naturally　were；　believed　that　such　things　as　stones；　rocks；　mountains；　storms；　and　rain　were；　in　themselves；　and　apart　from　the　divinity　which　they　regarded　as　presiding　over　them；　living　things。　A　stone　might　be　a　/b？t　？li/　or　bethela　〃house　of　god；〃　and　almost　invested　with　the　status　of　a　living　thing；　but　that　does　not　prove　that　the　Babylonians　thought　of　every　stone　as　being　endowed　with　life；　even　in　prehistoric　times。　Whilst；　therefore；　there　are　traces　of　a　belief　similar　to　that　which　an　animistic　creed　might　be　regarded　as　possessing；　it　must　be　admitted　that　these　seemingly　animistic　doctrines　may　have　originated　in　another　way；　and　be　due　to　later　developments。　The　power　of　the　gods　to　create　living　things　naturally　makes　possible　the　belief　that　they　had　also　power　to　endow　with　a　soul；　and　therefore　with　life　and　intelligence；　any　seemingly　inanimate　object。　Such　was　probably　the　nature　of　Babylonian　animism；　if　it　may　be　so　called。　The　legend　of　Tiawthu　（Tiawath）　may　with　great　probability　be　regarded　as　the　remains　of　a　primitive　animism　which　was　the　creed　of　the　original　and　comparatively　uncivilised　Babylonians；　who　saw　in　the　sea　the　producer　and　creator　of　all　the　monstrous　shapes　which　are　found　therein；　but　any　development　of　this　idea　in　other　directions　was　probably　cut　short　by　the　priests；　who　must　have　realised；　under　the　influence　of　the　doctrine　of　the　divine　rise　to　perfection；　that　animism　in　general　was　altogether　incompatible　with　the　creed　which　they　professed。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Image…worship　and　Sacred　Stones。

Whether　image…worship　was　original　among　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians　is　uncertain；　and　improbable；　the　tendency　among　the　people　in　early　times　being　to　venerate　sacred　stones　and　other　inanimate　objects。　As　has　been　already　pointed　out；　the　｛diopetres｝　of　the　Greeks　was　probably　a　meteorite；　and　stones　marking　the　position　of　the　Semitic　bethels　were　probably；　in　their　origin；　the　same。　The　boulders　which　were　sometimes　used　for　boundary…stones　may　have　been　the　representations　of　these　meteorites　in　later　times；　and　it　is　noteworthy　that　the　Sumerian　group　for　〃iron；〃　/an…bar/；　implies　that　the　early　Babylonians　only　knew　of　that　metal　from　meteoric　ironstone。　The　name　of　the　god　Nirig　or　ênu…rê？tu　（Ninip）　is　generally　written　with　the　same　group；　implying　some　kind　of　connection　between　the　two　the　god　and　the　iron。　In　a　well…known　hymn　to　that　deity　certain　stones　are　mentioned；　one　of　them　being　described　as　the　〃poison…　tooth〃＇*＇　coming　forth　on　the　mountain；　recalling　the　sacred　rocks　at　Jerusalem　and　Mecca。　Boundary…stones　in　Babylonia　were　not　sacred　objects　except　in　so　far　as　they　were　sculptured　with　the　signs　of　the　gods。＇？＇　With　regard　to　the　Babylonian　bethels；　very　little　can　be　said；　their　true　nature　being　uncertain；　and　their　number；　to　all　appearance；　small。　Gifts　were　made　to　them；　and　from　this　fact　it　would　seem　that　they　were　templestrue　〃houses　of　god；〃　in　fact　probably　containing　an　image　of　the　deity；　rather　than　a　stone　similar　to　those　referred　to　in　the　Old　Testament。

＇*＇　So　called；　probably；　not　because　it　sent　forth　poison；　but　on　　　　　account　of　its　likeness　to　a　serpent's　fang。

＇？＇　Notwithstanding　medical　opinion；　their　phallic　origin　is　doubtful。　　　　　One　is　sculptured　in　the　form　of　an　Eastern　castellated　fortress。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Idols。

With　the　Babylonians；　the　gods　were　represented　by　means　of　stone　images　at　a　very　early　date；　and　it　is　possible　that　wood　was　also　used。　The　tendency　of　the　human　mind　being　to　attribute　to　the　Deity　a　human　form；　the　Babylonians　were　no　exception　to　the　rule。　Human　thoughts　and　feelings　would　naturally　accompany　the　human　form　with　which　the　minds　of　men　endowed　them。　Whether　the　gross　human　passions　attributed　to　the　gods　of　Babylonia　in　Herodotus　be　of　early　date　or　not　is　uncertaina　late　period；　when　the　religion　began　to　degenerate；　would　seem　to　be　the　more　probable。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　adoration　of　sacred　objects。

It　is　probable　that　objects　belonging　to　or　dedicated　to　deities　were　not　originally　worshippedthey　were　held　as　divine　in　consequence　of　their　being　possessed　or　used　by　a　deity；　like　the　bow　of　Merodach；　placed　in　the　heavens　as　a　constellation；　etc。　The　cities　where　the　gods　dwelt　on　earth；　their　temples；　their　couches；　the　chariot　of　the　sun　in　his　temple…cities；　and　everything　existing　in　connection　with　their　worship；　were　in　all　probability　regarded　as　divine　simply　in　so　far　as　they　belonged　to　a　god。　Sacrifices　offered　to　them；　and　invocations　made　to　them；　were　in　all　likelihood　regarded　as　having　been　made　to　the　deity　himself；　the　possessions　of　the　divinity　being；　in　the　minds　of　the　Babylonians；　pervaded　with　his　spirit。　In　the　case　of　rivers；　these　were　divine　as　being　the　children　and　offspring　of　Enki　（Aa　or　êa）；　the　god　of　the　ocean。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Holy　places。

In　a　country　which　was　originally　divided　into　many　small　states；　each　having　its　own　deities；　and；　to　a　certain　extent；　its　own　religious　system；　holy　places　were　naturally　numerous。　As　the　spot　where　they　placed　Paradise；　Babylonia　was　itself　a　holy　place；　but　in　all　probability　this　idea　is　late；　and　only　came　into　existence　after　the　legends　of　the　creation　and　the　rise　of　Merodach　to　the　kingship　of　heaven　had　become　elaborated　into　one　homogeneous　whole。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　An　interesting　list。

One　of　the　most　interesting　documents　referring　to　the　holy　places　of　Babylonia　is　a　tiny　tablet　found　at　Nineveh；　and　preserved　in　the　British　Museum。　This　text　begins　with　the　word　Tiawthu　〃the　sea；〃　and　goes　on　to　enumerate；　in　turn；　Tilmun　（identified　with　the　island　of　Bahrein　in　the　Persian　Gulf）；　Engurra　（the　Abyss；　the　abode　of　Enki　or　êa）；　with　numerous　temples　and　shrines；　including　〃the　holy　house；〃　〃the　temple　of　the　seer　of　heaven　and　earth；〃　〃the　abode　of　Zer…　pan？tum；〃　consort　of　Merodach；　〃the　throne　of　the　holy　place；〃　〃the　temple　of　the　region　of　Hades；〃　〃the　supreme　temple　of　life；〃　〃the　temple　of　the　ear　of　the　corn…deity；〃　with　many　others；　the　whole　list　containing　what　may　be　regarded　as　the　chief　sanctuaries　of　the　land；　to　the　number　of　thirty…one。　Numerous　other　similar　and　more　extensive　lists；　enumerating　every　shrine　and　temple　in　the　country；　also　exist；　though　in　a　very　imperfect　state；　and　in　addition　to　these；　many　holy　places　are　referred　to　in　the　bilingual；　hist