The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Part 25

Thy weapon is U-sum-gallu,[445] from whose mouth the breath does not issue, blood does not flow.[446]

Thy command is unchangeable like the heavens.

In heaven thou art supreme.

There are still plenty of mythological allusions in this hymn that take us back to a primitive period of thought, but it is a hymn prompted by the love and reverence that Nebo inspired. Its direct connection with the Nebo cult is shown again by the complementary character of each two lines. The whole hymn was probably adapted in this way to public worship.

Marduk, by virtue of his relationship to Ea, and by his independent position as the supreme G.o.d of Babylon, occupies a middle ground between Shamash, Ea, and Nusku on the one side, and such G.o.ds as Sin and Nebo on the other. Some of the hymns addressed to him end in incantations; others form part of the cult arranged for solemn occasions, when the praises of the G.o.d were sung in connection with sacrificial offerings.

In confirmation of the theory as to the relationship between magical texts and hymns above advanced, we find scarcely any difference in the grade of religious thought between these two cla.s.ses of Marduk hymns.

Both are equally distinguished by their fine diction. A hymn which celebrates Marduk as the restorer of the dead to life, and yet forms part of an incantation text, reads:[447]

O merciful one among the G.o.ds!

O merciful one who loveth to give life to the dead!

Marduk, king of heaven and earth, King of Babylon, lord of E-sagila, King of E-zida, lord of E-makh-tila, Heaven and earth are thine.

The whole of heaven and earth are thine, The spell affording life is thine, The breath of life is thine, The pure incantation of the ocean[448] is thine, Mankind, the black-headed race,[449]

The living creatures, as many as there are, and exist on earth, As many as there are in the four quarters, The Igigi of the legions of heaven and earth, As many as there are, To thee do they incline (?).

Thou art the _shedu_, thou art the _lama.s.su_.

Thou restorest the dead to life, thou bringest things to completeness (?).

O merciful one among the G.o.ds!

One scarcely detects any difference between such a hymn and those to Sin and Nebo. The lines are adapted, like the other specimens, for recitation by two parties. The last line forms a solemn close to a section of this hymn. In the section that follows, the same character is maintained till we approach the close, when the exorciser steps in and asks Marduk to

Expel the disease of the sick man, The plague, the wasting disease ...

and the various cla.s.ses of demons, _utukku, alu,_ etc., are introduced.

Compare this now with some pa.s.sages in a prayer addressed to Marduk:[450]

A resting-place for the lord (of E-sagila) is thy house.

A resting-place for the lord of E-makh-tila is thy house.

E-sagila, the house of thy sovereignty, is thy house.

May the city speak 'rest'[451] to thee--thy house.

May Babylon speak peace to thee[452]--thy house.

May the great Anu, the father of the G.o.ds, tell thee when there will be rest.

May the great mountain, the father of the G.o.ds,[453] tell thee when there will be rest.

Look favorably upon thy house, Look favorably upon the city, O lord of rest!

May he restore to his place the bolt Babylon, the enclosure E-sagila, the edifice E-zida,[454]

May the G.o.ds of heaven and earth speak to thee, O lord of rest.

Here we have specific references to Marduk. Everything about the city of Babylon is a.s.sociated with the G.o.d. The great G.o.ds pay homage to Marduk.

The whole hymn, conceived as a royal prayer to the G.o.d, clearly formed part of the ritual prepared for the great Marduk temple at Babylon. The hymn closes, as so many others, with a prayer on behalf of the king. The G.o.d is asked

To establish firmly the foundation of the throne of his sovereignty, So that he may nourish (?) mankind to distant days.

'Rest,' in the liturgical language, implied cessation of anger. Marduk, as the 'lord of rest,' was the pacified deity; and since it was a necessary condition in obtaining an answer to pet.i.tions that the G.o.d should be free from anger, the city, the temple, and the G.o.ds are represented as unitedly speaking to him--appealing to him to be at 'rest.' The production might, therefore, be called a 'pacification hymn.' The G.o.d has shown his anger by bringing on misfortune of some shape. His divine a.s.sociates are no less anxious than his human subjects to pacify the mighty G.o.d.

Pa.s.sing on to another G.o.d, a hymn to the storm-G.o.d, Ramman, enables us to specify the great terror that the G.o.d, as the general source of disturbances in the heavenly phenomena, inspired. The G.o.d is addressed[455] as

The lord who in his anger holds the heavens in his control, Ramman in his wrath the earth has shaken.

The mighty mountain--thou dost overturn it.

At his anger, at his wrath, The G.o.ds of heaven mount up to heaven,[456]

The G.o.ds of earth enter the earth.

Into the foundation of heaven Shamash[457] enters.

The ill.u.s.trations adduced will suffice to show the manner in which the Babylonians conceived the relationship between mankind and the G.o.ds. The element of fear alternated with that of love, and no matter how near the G.o.ds were felt to be, one was never certain of their good will.

Another feature of some of these hymns which calls for special mention is the introduction of the deity as himself or herself taking part in the dialogue. A hymn addressed to Ishtar, as the morning and evening star,[458] belongs to this cla.s.s.[459] It begins with a glorification of the G.o.ddess as the source of light, of being, and of earthly blessings.

The worshipper speaks:

O light of heaven who arises like fire over the earth, who art fixed in the earth, Thou art exalted in strength like the earth.

As for thee, a just path be graciously granted to thee When thou enterest the house of man.

A hyena on the hunt for a young lamb art thou, A restless lion art thou.

A destructive handmaid, the beauty of heaven, A handmaid is Ishtar, the beauty of heaven, Who causest all being to emanate, O beauty of heaven, a.s.sociate (?) of the sun, O beauty of heaven!

At this point the G.o.ddess speaks, through the officiating priest, who acts as the mediator:

For determining oracles[460] I have been established, in perfection have I been established.

For determining oracles of my father Sin, I have been established, in perfection have I been established.

For determining oracles of my brother Shamash, I have been established, in perfection have I been established.

Me has my father Sin fixed, to determine oracles I have been established, Shining anew in heaven, for determining oracles I have been established, in perfection have I been established.

From the regular repet.i.tion of the refrain at the end of each line, one is tempted to conclude that these utterances of the G.o.ddess were to be recited by an officiating priest with the a.s.sistance of a chorus of priests, to whom the refrain was a.s.signed, or it may be that the lines were alternately recited by the priest and the chorus. In the section that follows, this alternative character of the lines is more clearly indicated:

Full of delight is my majesty, full of delight is my supremacy, Full of delight do I as a G.o.ddess walk supreme.

Ishtar, the G.o.ddess of morning am I, Ishtar, the G.o.ddess of evening am I, (I am) Ishtar,--to open the lock of heaven belongs to my supremacy.

Heaven I destroy, earth I devastate,[461]--such is my supremacy.

The destroyer of heaven, the devastator of the earth,--such is my majesty.

To rise up out of the foundation of heaven, Whose fame shines among the habitation of men,--such is my supremacy.

Queen of heaven that on high and below is invoked,--such is my supremacy.

The mountain I sweep away altogether,--such is my supremacy.

The destroyer of the mountain walls am I, their great foundation am I,--such is my supremacy.

The hymn closes with a prayer that the anger of the G.o.d be appeased:

May thy heart be at rest, thy liver[462] be pacified.

By the great lord Anu, may thy heart be at rest.

By the lord, the great mountain Bel, may thy liver be pacified.

O G.o.ddess, mistress of heaven, may thy heart be at rest.

O supreme mistress of heaven, may thy liver be pacified.

O supreme mistress of the E-anna,[463] may thy heart be at rest.

O supreme mistress of the land of Erech, may thy liver be pacified.

O supreme mistress of the shining Erech, may thy heart be at rest.

O supreme mistress of the mountain of the universe, may thy liver be pacified.

O supreme mistress, queen of E-tur-kalama,[464] may thy heart be at rest.

O supreme mistress, queen of Babylon, may thy liver be pacified.

O supreme mistress, whose name is Nana, may thy heart be at rest.

O mistress of the house, lady of the G.o.ds, may thy liver be pacified.