the religion of babylonia and assyria-第2部分

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tion　of　which　her　religious　mind　was　capable；and　the　religious　fervour　of　the　Oriental　in　most　cases　leaves　that　of　the　European；　or　at　least　of　the　ordinary　Briton；　far　behind。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　later　period　in　Assyria。

Assyria　went　to　her　downfall　at　the　end　of　the　seventh　century　before　Christ　worshipping　her　national　god　A？？ur；　whose　cult　did　not　cease　with　the　destruction　of　her　national　independence。　In　fact；　the　city　of　A？？ur；　the　centre　of　that　worship；　continued　to　exist　for　a　considerable　period；　but　for　the　history　of　the　religion　of　Assyria；　as　preserved　there；　we　wait　for　the　result　of　the　excavations　being　carried　on　by　the　Germans；　should　they　be　fortunate　enough　to　obtain　texts　belonging　to　the　period　following　the　fall　of　Nineveh。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　In　Babylonia。

Babylonia；　on　the　other　hand；　continued　the　even　tenor　of　her　way。　More　successful　at　the　end　of　her　independent　political　career　than　her　northern　rival　had　been；　she　retained　her　faith；　and　remained　the　unswerving　worshipper　of　Merodach；　the　great　god　of　Babylon；　to　whom　her　priests　attributed　yet　greater　powers；　and　with　whom　all　the　other　gods　were　to　all　appearance　identified。　This　tendency　to　monotheism；　however；　never　reached　the　culminating　pointnever　became　absolute　except；　naturally；　in　the　minds　of　those　who；　dissociating　themselves；　for　philosophical　reasons；　from　the　superstitious　teaching　of　the　priests　of　Babylonia；　decided　for　themselves　that　there　was　but　one　God；　and　worshipped　Him。　That　orthodox　Jews　at　that　period　may　have　found；　in　consequence　of　this　monotheistic　tendency；　converts；　is　not　by　any　means　improbableindeed；　the　names　met　with　during　the　later　period　imply　that　converts　to　Judaism　were　made。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　picture　presented　by　the　study。

Thus　we　see；　from　the　various　inscriptions；　both　Babylonian　and　Assyrianthe　former　of　an　extremely　early　periodthe　growth　and　development；　with　at　least　one　branching　off；　of　one　of　the　most　important　religious　systems　of　the　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　chap