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* NOV 8 1911 *,
A
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S'
DivisioQ
Section
EL.
THE AMERICAN LECTURES
ON THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS.
I. Buddhism. — The History and Literature of Bud-
dhism. By T. W. Rhys-Davids, LL.D., Ph.D.
II. Primitive Religions. — The Religions of Primitive
Peoples. ByD. G. Brinton, A.M., M.D., LL.D., Sc.D.
III. Israel. — Jewish Religions. Life after the Exile.
By Rev. T. K. Cheyne, M.A., D.D.
IV. Israel. — Religion of Israel to the Exile. By Karl
BUDDE, D.D.
V. Ancient Egyptians. — The Religion of the Ancient
Egyptians. By G. Steindorff, Ph.D.
VI. Religion in Japan. — The Development of Re-
ligion in Japan. By George W. Knox, D.D.
VII. The Veda.— The Religion of the Veda. By
Maurice Bloomfield, Ph.D., LL.D.
VI II. Babylonia and Assyria. — Aspects of Religious
Belief and Practice in Babylonia and Assyria. By Morris
Jastrow, Jr., Ph.D.
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
AMERICAN LECTURES ON THE
HISTORY OF RELIGIONS
4^^ NINTH SERIES, 1910
Aspects of Religious Belief
and Practice in
Babylonia and Assyri^rr^foF
* NOV 8 1911 *
Morris Jastrow, Jr., Ph.D.
Professor of Semitic Languages in the University of Pennsylvania.
With 54 Illustrations and a Map
and
Chronological Lists
of the
Rulers of Babylonia and Assyria
G. P. Putnam's Sons
New York and London
Ebe f^nicfter&ocftec press
1911
Copyright, iqii
BY
MORRIS JASTROW, Jr.
Ube ftnfcfierboclter preee, Ikcxo Vorit
^0
HORACE HOWARD FURNESS
TO WHOSE LOVING AND ENDURING FRIENDSHIP
I OWE MORE THAN WORDS CAN TELL,
THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.
" More is thy due, than more than all can pay."
PREFACE
WHEN the American Committee for Lectures on
the History of Religions kindly invited me
to deliver a course of lectures under its auspices, I
hesitated at first for various reasons, but was led to
accept by the consideration that the invitation would
afford an opportunity to summarise in a popular and
(I trust) a readable form the results of recent re-
searches on some aspects of the religion of Babylonia
and Assyria, in which I was privileged to have a share.
The importance of the extensive omen literature of
Babylonia and Assyria, very imperfectly known until
a few years ago, is now generally recognised, and I
feel that no apology is necessary for devoting two
of the lectures to the two chief aspects of this litera-
ture — divination through the liver, and divination
through the observation of the heavens. Both forms
of divination have wide and significant bearings on
the general history of religious rites and beliefs.
Through hepatoscopy, a definite link has been estab-
lished between the Euphratean culture and the
Etruscan civilisation, with the Hittites, apparently,
as the mediating factor. The Babylonian astrologers
vi Preface
are the "fathers" of all who seek to read the future
in the stars; and as I write these lines, Prof. Franz
Cumont's valuable paper on "Babylon und die
Griechische Astronomie" (Neue Jahrbiicher fiir das
Klassische AUertum, i Abt., Band XXVII., pp. i-io)
comes to hand, to emphasise the debt that even Greek
astronomy owes to the results obtained by the Baby-
lonian priests, actuated though these were, at least
up to a late period, solely by the supposed bearings of
the study of the movements of heavenly bodies on
human destinies.
So steady is the increase in the material for the
study of the Baby Ionian- Assyrian religion, and so
unceasing is the activity of the band of scholars in
this country and Europe who are devoting them-
selves to the interpretation of this material, that it
becomes necessary from time to time to recast our
views of the pantheon and the cult. I have, there-
fore, availed myself of this opportunity to present
in outline a picture of the chief deities in the systema-
tised pantheon, with due regard to the manner in
which the original traits of these deities were over-
laid with the attributes accorded to them because of
the political position assumed by the centres in which
they were worshipped. While many problems still
remain to be worked out, I venture to hope that my
presentation of the pantheon will be regarded as an
advance upon previous attempts.
Preface vii
Our knowledge of the local cults in the earlier
periods before the tendency towards centralisation
set in is still very defective, but the broad subdivisions
of the cult are now clear ; and we are also in a much
better position than some years ago to sketch the
general character of the temple architecture of both
Babylonia and Assyria, thanks, chiefly, to the work
done at Nippur, Babylon, and Kalah-Shergat (or
Ashur). Through the Hammurapi Code, in con-
junction with the numerous business documents of
all periods, we are able to trace the development of
ethics, and the application of ethical principles to the
practical affairs of life. So far as the limitations of a
single lecture allow, I have tried to do this in the
concluding chapter, which may therefore be regarded
as an illustration of the actual influence exerted by
the religion upon the life and thought of the people.
Throughout, I have kept in mind to distinguish
between the popular religion and the somewhat ar-
tificial form given to it in the official cult, largely
through the attempts of the priests to bring the
current beliefs into accord with theological specula-
tions, unfolded in the schools attached to the temples.
How far I have succeeded in doing so, it will be for
others to judge, but I am convinced that for a proper
understanding of the religion under discussion, we
must differentiate more sharply than has hitherto
been done between these two currents of thought —
viii Preface
the popular and the speculative. In the views of
life after death, the contrast between what the people
believed and the way in which the priests partly
justified and partly modified these beliefs is particu-
larly instructive.
The illustrations have been carefully chosen and
will, I trust, aid in elucidating the subject. Special
attention should be called to the explanatory com-
ments added to the illustrations in which I have
endeavored to give the data necessary for their
interpretation.
My profound thanks are due to my esteemed friend
Prof. C. H. Toy for the careful revision that he has
given to my manuscript, in the course of which he made
a large number of valuable suggestions, bearing both
on the matter and on the form of presentation, while
that dearest and rarest of men, who has been my
"guide, philosopher, and friend" during my career,
and who has permitted me to grace this volume by
inscribing his name on the dedication page, has added
to the heavy debt that I already owe him — a debt too
large for me to even pay the interest thereof — by
submitting the manuscript to a final and critical
examination. How much this has meant, those who
know Dr. Furness need not be told.
My thanks are also due to Dr. George B. Gordon,
the efficient director of the Museum of Archaeology
of the University of Pennsylvania, for his kindness
Preface ix
in placing at my disposal the Museum material for a
large number of the illustrations in this volume.
The index is the work of my pupil, Dr. B. B.
Charles, Research Fellow in Semitic Languages at
the University of Pennsylvania, to whom I am under
many obligations for the care, time, and thought that
he has bestowed on the task.
My wife has, as on former occasions, read proof
and assisted in various other ways in the preparation
of the volume. Deep as are my obligations to her
for this direct aid, what she has done by her loving
and continuous sympathy with my work has been a
help and a source of strength too great (and too close
to my heart) to be expressed in words
Lastly, as I write these lines I recall with pleasure
and gratitude the sympathetic audiences that list-
ened to the story of the long-forgotten past, now so
largely restored to us. If some of my hearers should
also be among my readers, I hope that the written
word will strengthen the bond of sympathy created
by the spoken one.
M. J., Jr.
University of Pennsylvania,
March, I9II.
ANNOUNCEMENT
THE American Lectures on the History of Re-
ligions are delivered under the auspices of the
American Committee for Lectures on the History of
Religions. This Committee was organised in 1892,
for the purpose of instituting "popular courses in the
History of Religions, somewhat after the style of the
Hibbert Lectures in England, to be delivered by
the best scholars of Europe and this country, in
various cities, such as Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn,
Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and others."
The terms of association under which the Com-
mittee exist are as follows :
1. The object of this Association shall be to pro-
vide courses of lectures on the history of religions, to
be delivered in various cities.
2. The Association shall be composed of delegates
from institutions agreeing to co-operate, with such
additional members as may be chosen by these
delegates.
3. These delegates — one from each institution,
with the additional members selected — shall con-
stitute themselves a Council under the name of the
xii Announcement
"American Committee for Lectures on the History
of Religions."
4. The Council shall elect out of its number a
Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
5. All matters of local detail shall be left to the
co-operating institution under whose auspices the
lectures are to be delivered.
6. A course of lectures on some religion, or phase
of religion, from an historical point of view, or on a
subject germane to the study of religions, shall be
delivered annually, or at such intervals as may be
found practicable, in the different cities represented
by this Association.
7. The Council (a) shall be charged with the
selection of the lecturers, (b) shall have charge of the
funds, (c) shall assign the time for the lectures in
each city, and perform such other functions as may be
necessary.
8. Polemical subjects, as well as polemics in the
treatment of subjects, shall be positively excluded.
9. The lectures shall be delivered in the various
cities between the months of September and June.
ID. The copyright of the lectures shall be the
property of the Association.
11. The compensation of the lecturer shall be
fixed in each case by the Council.
12. The lecturer shall be paid in instalments after
each course, until he shall have received half of the
Announcement . xiii
entire compensation. Of the remaining half, one
half shall be paid to him upon delivery of the manu-
script, properly prepared for the press, and the second,
half on the publication of the volume, less a deduc-
tion for corrections made by the author in the proofs
exceeding 15% of the cost of the plates.
The Committee as now constituted is as follows:
Prof. Crawford H, Toy, Chairman, 7 Lowell St.,
Cambridge, Mass.; Rev. Dr. John P. Peters, Treas-
urer, 227 W. 99th St., New York City; Prof. Morris
Jastrow, Jr., Secretary, 248 S. 23rd St., Philadelphia;
Pa.; Prof. Richard Gottheil, Columbia University,
New York City; Prof. Robert F. Harper, University
of Chicago, Chicago, 111.; Prof. Paul Haupt, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md,. ; Prof. E. W.
Hopkins, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. ;
Prof. F. W. Hooper, Brooklyn Institute, Brooklyn,
N. Y.; Prof. G. W. Knox, Union Theological Semi-,
nary, New York City; Prof. Edward Knox Mitchell,
Hartford Theological Seminary, Hartford, Conn.;
President F. K. Sanders, Washburn College, Topeka,,
Kan.; Prof. H. P. Smith, Meadville Theological
School, Meadville, Pa.
The lecturers in the course of American Lec-
tures on the History of Religions and the titles of
their volumes are as follows :
j894-i895:—Pfof. T. W. Rhys- Davids, Ph.D.
Buddhism^
xiv Announcement
1896-1897: — Prof. Daniel G. Brinton, M.D., LL.D.
Religions of Primitive Peoples.
1897-1898:— Rev. Prof. T. K. Cheyne, D.D.
Jewish Religious Life after the
Exile.
1 898-1 899:— Prof. Karl Budde, D.D
Religion of Israel to the Exile.
1904-1905: — Prof. George Steindorff, Ph.D.
The Religion of the Ancient Egyp-
tians.
1 905- 1 906: — Prof. George W. Knox, D.D., LL.D.
The Development of Religion in
Japan.
1906-1907: — Prof. Maurice Bloomfield, Ph.D.,
LL.D.
The Religion of the Veda.
1907-1908: — Prof. A. W. Jackson.
The Religion of Persia.'
The present course of lectures, the ninth of the
series, was delivered by Prof. Morris Jastrow, Jr.,
Ph.D., Professor of Semitic Languages at the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, who has devoted many years
of special study to the Religion of Babylonia and
^ This course, by special arrangement with the Committee,
will form part of Prof. Jackson's volume on the Religion of
Persia in the series of "Handbooks on the History of Religions,"
edited by Prof. Morris Jastrow, Jr., and published by Messrs.
Ginn & Company of Boston. The volume is expected to appear
in 1912.
Announcement xv
Assyria. In 1898 Prof. Jastrow published the first
comprehensive work on the "Rehgion of Babylonia
and Assyria" as Volume I. of the "Handbooks on
the History of Religions" edited by him. In 1903
he began the publication of the revised German trans-
lation, which is practically a new work. The one
volume of the English edition has been enlarged to
two substantial volumes in the German form, in
order to embody the additional material brought to
light during the last decade. It is the intention of
Prof. Jastrow to follow the German edition by a sup-
plemental volume, to be published simultaneously in
English and German, on "The Temples, Cult, and
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria." Besides a large
number of papers on special points connected with
the religious beliefs of Babylonia and Assyria, or
with the elucidation of religious texts, Prof. Jastrow
is also the author of the article on the "Religion of
Babylonia and Assyria" in the supplemental volume
of Hastings's Dictionary of the Bible.
Other publications of Prof. Jastrow include The
Study of Religion, London, 1901 ; The Grammatical
Works of Abu Zakarijja Hajjug, Leiden, 1897; and
a large number of philological and archaeological
articles, bearing chiefly on Assyrian, Hebrew, and
Arabic, and published in technical journals of this
country and Europe.
The lectures in this course were delivered before
xvi Announcement
the Lowell Institute, University of Chicago, Meadville
Theological School, Union Theological Seminary,
Brooklyn Institute, Drexel Institute, and the Johns
Hopkins University.
John P. Peters,
C. H. Toy,
Committee on Publication.
February, 1911.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface v
Announcement xi
Lecture I. — Culture and Religion . 1-62
Antiquity of Civilisation in the Euphrates
Valley, 2. Sumerians and Akkadians, 3. Gen-
eral Character of Early Religion, 12. Enlil and
Nippur, 18. Rise of Semites, 20. Sargonand
Naram-Sin, 21. Ur Dynasty, 24. Amorites
and Hittites, 15. First Dynasty of Babylon,
30. Hammurapi, 31. Marduk as Head of the
Pantheon, 37. Rise of Assyria, 41. Ashur-
banapal's Library, 46. Ashur, Chief God of
Assyria, 50. Fall of Assyria and the Neo-
Babylonian Empire, 54-55. Cyrus' Conquest
of Babylon, 59. Zoroastrianism and Greek
Culture, 60.
Lecture II. — The Pantheon . . 63-142
Selective Process, 63. Enlil, Chief God of
Nippur, 68. Enlil and Jahweh, 72. Ninib,
God of Nippur, 75. Anu, God of Uruk, 81.
Marduk, God of Babylon, 86. Ea, God of
Eridu, 88. Anu, Enlil and Ea, 90. Nebo, God
of Borsippa, 95. Monotheistic Tendency, 103.
Nergal, God of Cuthah, 106. Shamash, God
of Sippar, 108. Sin, God of Ur and Harran,
xvii
xviii Contents
PAGE
112. Adad or Ramman, 117. Ashur, Chief God
of Assyria, 121. Goddesses, 124. Ishtar, 126.
Ishtar as Goddess of War, 133. Ishtar as
Goddess of Love, 135. The Mother Cult, 141.
Lecture III. — Divination . . . 143-206
Voluntary and Involuntary Divination, 144.
Inspection of Liver, 147. The Liver as the
Seat of the Soul, 148. Liver, Heart, and Brain,
151. The Sheep's Liver, 156. The bdrit or
"Inspector," 162. Specimens of "Liver Di-
vination," 174. Etruscan and Hittite Hepato-
scopy, 190. Greek and Roman Hepatoscopy,
193. Other Forms of Divination, 201.
Lecture IV. — Astrology . . . 207-264
Basis of Astrology as an Early Form of
Science, 209. Moon and Sun, 211. The Five
Planets, 217.
Jupiter = Marduk
Venus = Ishtar
Saturn = Ninib
Mars = Nergal
Mercury = Nebo
Constellation and Stars, 227. Weather Sci-
ence, 231. System of Astrological Divination,
234. Astrology and Astronomy, 251. Persian
and Greek Influences, 252. Greek and Medi-
aeval Astrology, 255.
Lecture V. — The Temples and the Cults. 265-350
The Temple as the Dwelling of a Deity, 265.
Temple and Palace, 268. Temple Administra-
Contents * xix
PAGE
tion and Organisation, 273. Temple Archives
and Temple Schools, 276. The Zikkurats or
Temple Towers, 282. Omen Texts, 297. In-
cantation Rituals, 299. Ethical Spirit in In-
cantation Rituals, 307. Exorcising of Evil
Spirits, 309. Water and Fire as Purifying
Elements, 312. Lamentation Rituals, 319.
Penitential Hymns, 327. Prayers to the Moon-
God, 333. Tammuz Cult, 343. Ishtar and
Tammuz, 347.
Lecture VI. — Ethics and Life after Death.
351-418
Primitive Views of Life after Death, 351.
Names of the Nether World, 354. The Nether
World in the Gilgamesh Epic, 357. Methods
of Burial, 359. Fear of the Dead, 362. Man's
Forfeiture of Immortality, 363. The Pantheon
of the Nether World, 365. Nergal and Eresh-
kigal, 368. Ishtar 's Descent to the Nether
World, 370. Absence of Ethical Factor in Views
of Life after Death, 372. The Gilgamesh Epic
and Ecclesiastes, 375. General View of Baby-
lonian and Assyrian Ethics, 377. Attitude of
Rulers, 384. Ethical Precepts, 387. Ethics of the
Hammurapi Code, 391. The Lex Talionis in
the Code, 394. Family Ethics, 396. Business
Ethics, 403. Defects of Ethical System, 408.
Judgment of Hebrew Prophets, 410. Baby-
lonian-Assyrian Influence on the Hebrews, 412.
Chronological Lists . . . -419
Index 449
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Pl. I. Map of Babylonia and Assyria, show-
ing sites of principal cities.
Frontispiece
Pl. 2 . Sumerian Types — Ur Nina, patesi of
Lagash and his family {c. 2gy5 B.C.) 8
Pl. 3. Gudea, patesi of Lagash (c. 2350 B.C.) 13
Pl. 4. Specimen of Eariy Babylonian Art . 15
Stone Libation Vase of Gudea,
patesi of Lagash {c. 2350 B.C.).
Pl. 5. Specimens of Eariy Babylonian Art. 16
• Fig. I . Silver Vase of Entemena,
patesi of Lagash (c. 2850 B.C.).
Fig. 2. Sculptured Base.
Seal Cylinders of various periods 17-18
Stele of Naram-Sin, king of Agade
(c. 2500 B.C.) . . . . 22
Bas-relief of Naram-Sin ... 23
Semitic Types ... .. 32
Fig. I. Portraits of Hammurapi,
king of Babylonia (c.1958-1916
B.C.).
Fig. 2. Assyrian Type.
xxi
Pl.
6-7.
Pl.
8.
Pl.
9.
Pl.
10.
xxii Illustrations
PAGB
Pl. II. Sargon,kingof Assyria (72 1-705 B.C.),
with high official ... 44
Pl. 12. Esarhaddon, king of Assyria (680-669
B.C.), with two royal prisoners . 46
Pl. 13. Ashurbanapal, king of Assyria
(668-626 B.C.), with his queen
in the garden of the palace at
Nineveh ..... 48
Pl. 14. Types of Enlil, the chief God of
Nippur, and his consort Ninlil . 69
Pl. 15. Types of Gods .... 92
Fig. I. Conflict of Marduk with
the monster Tiamat.
Fig. 2. Marduk, the chief God of
Babylon and head of the later
Babylonian Pantheon.
Fig. 3. Adad (or Ramman) , the God
of storms, thunder, and lightning.
Pl. 16. Fig. I. The sun-god Shamash, seated
in his shrine . . . .109
Fig. 2. Clay model, representing the
cult of the sun-god (Susa) . 109
Pl. 17. Types of Gods. Fig. i. Seal Cylinder
showing Sin the moon-god . . 113
Fig. 2. Seal Cylinder, showing Ea,
the God of water, chief deity of
Eridu . . . . .113
Fig. 3. Procession of Gods . 113
Illustrations xxiii
PAGE
Pl. 1 8. Fig. I. Symbols of Ashur, the chief
God of Assyria . . .121
Fig. 2 . Votive Statuettes from Lagash 121
Pl. 19. Types of the Goddess Ishtar . -137
Fig.i . Ishtar as the goddess of war.
Fig. 2. Ishtar, the mother goddess.
Fig. 3. Ishtar, the goddess of love.
•
Pl. 20. Fig. I . Drawing of sheep's liver, with
Latin and Babylonian terms for
chief parts .... 181
Fig. 2. Omen School Tablet from
Ashurbanapal's Library, showing
the finger-shaped appendix to
upper lobe of liver . . .181
Pl. 21. Fig. I. Clay model of sheep's liver
(Babylonian, c. 2000 B.C.) . . 191
Fig. 2. Bronze model of liver (Etrus-
can, c. 3d century B.C.) . . 191
Pl. 22. Boundary Stones, showing symbols
of the Gods .... 230
Pl. 23. Fig. I. The two Zikkurats of the
Anu-Adad Temple at Ashur . 291
Fig. 2. Stage-tower at Samarra . 291
Pl. 24. Fig. I. Plan of the Temple of Enlil
at Nippur .... 293
Fig. 2 . Plan of the Anu-Adad Temple
at Ashur 293
xxiv Illustrations
PAGE
Pl. 25. Fig. I. Exorcising Demons of Disease 309
Fig. 2. Types of Demons . . 309
Pl. .26. Fig. I. Ashurbanapal, king of Assyria
(668-626 B.C.), in a lion hunt, and
pouring a libation over four lions
killed in the hunt . . . .318
Fig. 2. Kneeling Winged Figures
before the Sacred Tree . . .318
Pl. 2"]. Winged Figure with Palm Branch and
Spotted Deer .... 339
Pl. 28. Fig. I. Votive Tablet of Ur-Enlil,
patesi of Nippur (c. 3000 B.C.) . 340
. Fig. 2. Babylonian Type of Gilga-
mesh, the Hero of the Babylonian
Epic. . • .. . . . 340
Pl. 29. Votive offerings from Lagash . .341
Pl. 30. Fig, I. Lion of Babylon . . . 344
Fig. 2. Dragon of Babylon . 344
Pl.. 31. Stele of Eannatum, patesi (and king)
of Lagash {c. 2930 B.C.) . . 360
Fig. I. Mutilation of the Dead.
Fig. 2. Dead arranged in rows for
burial.
Fig. 3. Burial of Dead.
Pl. 32. Babylonian Coffins . . . . 362
Fig. I. . EarHer Type — showing
' . . bath-tub shape.
Fig. 2. Later Type — slipper-shaped
coffins.
Illustrations xxv
PAGE
Pl. 33. Assyrian Type of Gilgamesh, the
Hero of the Babylonian Epic . 374
Pl. 34. Code of Hammurapi, king of Baby-
lonia {c. 1958-1916 B.C.) . . 392
Aspects of Religious Belief and
Practice in Babylonia and Assyria
LECTURE I
Errata
p. 432, 1. 2. The first word should read Ur-Pasag.
p. 436, 1. 9. For Aytim II, read Agttm II.
p. 439, 1. 9. For Nabu-shumlibur, read Nebo- ^turer
shumlibur. 'es on
the religion of Babylonia and Assyria would have been
comparatively simple. He could have told all that
was known or that he knew in a single lecture, and
could have devoted the remaining lectures to what
he did not know— an innocent form of intellectual
amusement, sometimes indulged in by lecturers of
all times. During the past five or six decades, how-
ever, the material for the study has grown to such an
extent that it is no longer possible, even were it
desirable, to present the entire subject in a single
course of lectures.^ It is my purpose, therefore, in
^ This full treatment has already been furnished by the author
X
i^iiittS.
•'AT .s: .1 ,s:i^ .q
' .fV.4^ .q
Aspects of Religious Belief and
Practice in Babylonia and Assyria
LECTURE I
CULTURE AND RELIGION
FIFTY or sixty years ago the task of a lecturer
called upon to deliver a course of six lectures on
the religion of Babylonia and Assyria would have been
comparatively simple. He could have told all that
was known or that he knew in a single lecture, and
could have devoted the remaining lectures to what
he did not know — an innocent form of intellectual
amusement, sometimes indulged in by lecturers of
all times. During the past five or six decades, how-
ever, the material for the study has grown to such an
extent that it is no longer possible, even were it
desirable, to present the entire subject in a single
course of lectures.^ It is my purpose, therefore, in
' This full treatment has already been furnished by the author
I
2 Religion in Babylonia and Assyria
the present course to restrict myself to setting forth
the more salient features in the beliefs and prac-
tices of a religion of antiquity that well merits the