The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Part 31

Dreams.

It is, of course, not necessary to a.s.sume that the oracles of the G.o.ds were always delivered in the same formal manner, accompanied by elaborate ceremonies. The G.o.ds at times reveal themselves in a more direct manner to their favorites. In visions of the night they appear to encourage the a.s.syrian army by an oracle. On one occasion, when the army of Ashurbanabal approached a rushing stream which they were afraid to cross, Ishtar makes her appearance at night, and declares, "I walk in front of Ashurbanabal, the king who is the creation of my hands."[541]

The army, thus rea.s.sured, crosses the river in safety. On another occasion, Ashurbanabal, when threatened by the king of Elam, receives a message from Ishtar revealed to a seer in a dream at night. The seer--no doubt a priest--reports to the king:[542] 'Ishtar, dwelling in Arbela, came with quivers hung on her right and left side, with a bow in her hand, and girded (?) with a pointed, unsheathed sword. Before thee [_i.e._, the king] she stood, and like the mother that bore thee.[543]

Ishtar, supreme among the G.o.ds, addressed thee, commanding: "Be encouraged[544] for the fray. Wherever thou art, I am."'

In connection with the importance that the Babylonians and a.s.syrians, in common with all ancient nations, attached to dreams, divine messages thus revealed had a special significance fully on a par with the oracles that were formally delivered with an accompaniment of elaborate rites. A G.o.d appearing to one in a dream was a manifestation, the force of which could not be disputed. It mattered little to whom the dream was sent.

Ashur, on one occasion, chose to reveal himself to an enemy of Ashurbanabal with a message. He appears in a dream before Gyges, the king of Lydia, and tells him,[545] "Pay homage to Ashurbanabal, the king of a.s.syria, and by the power of his name conquer thine enemies." Gyges obeys and sends a messenger to the a.s.syrian monarch to inform him of the dream. Occasionally in this way a deity might appear to a king, but in general it was to the professional 'dreamer' rather than to the laity to whom oracles were thus sent. The message was not necessarily delivered in person by the deity. Sin, the moon-G.o.d, on one occasion writes his message on the moon's disc:

Against all who have evil designs And hostile sentiments towards Ashurbanabal, the king of a.s.syria, Will I send a miserable death.[546]

Every dream was of course sent by some G.o.d, but the dreams of others than those who acted as mediators between the G.o.ds and men were of a different character. They were omens. The G.o.ds would reveal themselves indirectly by means of pictures or symbols, and it would require the services of a priest again to interpret such symbols or omens. The G.o.ds were asked to send such dreams as might receive a favorable interpretation,[547] and when a dream came unsolicited, the G.o.ds were implored to convert the dream into a favorable omen.

In the case of dreams, it will be apparent, the dividing line between oracles proper and omens becomes exceedingly faint and it is very doubtful whether the Babylonians or a.s.syrians recognized any essential difference between the two. The suggestion has already been thrown out that there is a wider aspect to omens in the Babylonian religion than their employment in connection with sacrificial offerings. We have reached a point when it will be proper to take up this wider aspect.

FOOTNOTES:

[491] See King, _Babylonian Magic_, p. x.x.x.

[492] Harper's _a.s.syrian Letters_, no. 219.

[493] _a.s.syrische Gebete an den Sonnengott fur Staat und Konigliches Haus_ (Leipzig, 1893, 2 vols.).

[494] Knudtzon, no. 1.

[495] That the priest recites the prayer and not the king is shown by the frequent introduction of the king's name in the 3d person. See, _e.g._, Knudtzon, nos. 40-47.

[496] 2d month.

[497] 5th month.

[498] _I.e._, the priest is only asked for an oracle regarding the events of the next one hundred days.

[499] Various machines are mentioned. The precise meaning of the technical terms employed is not known.

[500] By invoking the a.s.sistance of the G.o.ds.

[501] Peacefully, by mutual agreement and the promise of favors.

[502] One is reminded of the Arabic phrase "Allah alone knows it," so frequently introduced in Mohammedan writings.

[503] Lit., 'Seen will it be seen, heard will it be heard?' The emphatic construction is identical with the one frequently employed in Biblical Hebrew.

[504] Knudtzon (p. 25) did not grasp the negative force of _ezib_. The word is a request that something might _not_ happen.

[505] Where the animal is to be inspected, probably the altar itself.

[506] In the Jewish ritual and many others, stress is laid upon p.r.o.nouncing the words of a prayer clearly and deliberately, especially such words as have a particularly sacred value.

[507] _a.s.syrische Gebete_, p. 50.

[508] Exactly of what nature cannot be ascertained. The text (Knudtzon, no. 29, rev. 15) is defective at this point.

[509] The prayer or the lamb.

[510] Lit., 'proceed.'

[511] Knudtzon, no. 66. Other examples are furnished in George Smith's _History of Ashurbanabal_, pp. 184, 185.

[512] A district to the northeast of a.s.syria; Knudtzon, no. 29.

[513] _Ib._ no. 107.

[514] _Ib._ no. 101.

[515] Four volumes comprising several hundred letters have already appeared under the t.i.tle, _a.s.syrian Letters of the K. Collection_ (London, 1896). For a good summary of the character of the a.s.syrian epistolary literature, see Johnston's article in the _Journal of the American Oriental Society_, xviii. 1, pp. 125-134.

[516] Harper, no. 77.

[517] _E.g._, Knudtzon, no. 124.

[518] Zimmern, _Busspsalmen_, p. 32. The popularity of the sun-cult in a.s.syria in connection with omens and oracles is probably due also in part to the influence of Marduk, who was, as we have seen, a solar deity.

[519] Lehman, _Sama.s.sumukin_, p. 42.

[520] See Ploss, _Das Weib_, pp. 594-606; also above, p. 267.

[521] IVR. pl. 61.

[522] _I.e._, Ishtar sends the wind with a clear message.

[523] 3d month.

[524] Perhaps a proverbial phrase, having the force of 'I nurture thee as thy own mother did.'

[525] Const.i.tuting the host of Ishtar, which is elsewhere referred to, _e.g._, IVR. 2d Ed. pt. 61, col. i. 27.

[526] Lit., 'the future or later things like the former.'

[527] Published by S. A. Strong, _Beitrage zur a.s.syriologie_, ii.

627-33.

[528] The opening lines, containing a reference to the Gimirrites, are imperfectly preserved.

[529] _I.e._, he is the greatest scion of the reigning dynasty.

[530] 'Lord of the court'--a t.i.tle of Ashur.