"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries
ANCIENT BABYLON
("Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne...Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen" Isaiah 47:1, 3;
"And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD" Jeremiah 51:44-45;
"Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known" Matthew 10:26;
"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" Ephesians 5:6-14;
"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities...with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth" Revelation 18:4-5, 22-24.)
(Note: In order to better comprehend the copyrighted © information below, you need to realize that Mesopotamia - the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - was also known as Babylonia (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, p 11, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). This means that all living within that vast territory, including the Sumerians, Asyrians and the Chaldeans, were all part of ancient Babylon.)
In the Beginning The Babylonian Creation Epic declares that in the beginning, before man, the earth, the planets, the stars, or anything else was created, there existed nothing but a primordial celestial ocean or cosmic body of water of chaos and complete darkness from which all things were created. At some point in time a god manifested himself within this celestial body of water, then another god emerged and still another until this celestial body of water became comprised of three different gods named Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu.
Apsu made up all the fresh sweet water and was male in gender; Tiamat composed all the salty water and was female in gender; and Mummu was ungenderd and composed “the deep” itself (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mummu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummu, accessed 6-25-12), as well as “the waves” upon its surface (Babylonian Mythology, at http://library.thinkquest.org/25535/Babylonian.htm, accessed 6-25-12) and all the mist or watery vapor “rising from the two bodies of water and hovering over them” (The Babylonian Genesis: The Story of the Creation, p 3, by Alexander Heidel, 2nd edition, volume 133 of Phoenix Books under Archaeology, Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1951).
Apsu was “the oldest of” these three deities (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). This then implies that Apsu was the first god to be manifested, and then out of himself he brought forth the female goddess Tiamat, and then together they “conceived” and brought forth their offspring god Mummu (Babylonian Mythology, at http://library.thinkquest.org/25535/Babylonian.htm, accessed 6-25-12; Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mummu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummu, accessed 6-25-12; also Ancient/Classical History - Babylonian Gods and Goddesses, by N.S. Gill, at http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/egypt/a/babygodsindex.htm, accessed 6-25-12). This god Mummu was ungendered and became the servant or “vizier” (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mummu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummu, accessed 6-25-12), “chamberlain/intermediatory” of Apsu and Tiamat, as well as a “craftsman” (Ancient/Classical History - Babylonian Gods and Goddesses, by N.S. Gill, at http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/egypt/a/babygodsindex.htm, accessed 6-25-12, also Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mummu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummu, accessed 6-25-12). This means that since Mummu represented this deep itself, was servant and intermediatory of both Apsu and Tiamat, and a craftsman as well, then Mummu was depicted as being “the womb” of Tiamat (The Babylon Creation, Enuma Enlish, Tablet 1, B1.18, lines 5-6, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sumer_anunnaki/esp_sumer_annunaki01aa.htm, accessed 6-25-12; also http://dev5.mhhe.com/textflowdev/genhtml/0073523976/1.2.htm, also http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/ANE/enumaelish.htm) from which all other gods and life itself were later produced.
As each of these three gods were actually a different manifestation of this cosmic water, and all three gods combined together made up this celestial body itself, then this indicates that this celestial water was at one time just one single huge divine body of water, which then manifested and divided itself in succession into a “trinity” of gods (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mummu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummu, accessed 6-25-12).
When Apsu and Tiamat sexually united with each other, and “had mixed their waters together...then gods were born within them” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). This indicates that only a god can bring forth other gods, which then further reveals that in the beginning this original celestial body of water was itself a manifestation of a single supreme god. Then this one supreme god decided to divide into other lesser parts, which included a male and female division so that creation through their sexual union could begin. Yet even though these three god-divisions were each given their own names – Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu – this one single original god who was himself this celestial water went unnamed.
Apsu became known as the “begetter” or “father” of the gods, and Tiamat became known as the “maker” or creator or “mother” of the gods, the one “who bore them all” in her huge watery womb of Mummu (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). All of the gods lived inside and within this celestial water of Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu, or in other words, they composed part of their divine substance and thus were just extensions of them. In turn, since Apsu, Tiamat and Mummu themselves were just manifestations or divisions of this one single supreme god, then they, as well as all that were created from them, were actually just extensions of this one original unknown god, and all these lesser deities composed part of his divine substance, meaning that he himself was in all his creation.
But soon these lesser created gods became restless within the waters, and began making waves which disturbed the peace of Apsu and Tiamat (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Apsu grew angry and wanted them all to “perish” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12), but Tiamat was more peaceful and passive and lovingly declared that “even though their ways are so grievous, we should bear it patiently” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Yet even though Tiamat was peaceful and loving, she was gradually looked upon by the other gods as being “wicked” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12), a god of chaos and disorder. Soon they became “disrespectful” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and began referring to their mother as being the great dragon lady of the salty waters, and called her “the Old Hag” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). They really wanted to live under a different order of rule, and finally decided to rebel against their maker and creator’s authority.
Tiamat discovered their plot, and began creating “a new brood” within her of “monsters” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Some of these monsters were described by the Babylonian priest Berosus as being human looking with “the legs of goats, horns on their heads, others had horses' hooves. Others had the rear half of a horse and the front half of a human. Some had the hybrid [Arm. yushkaparik] appearance of a horse and a bull. Also born [g22] were bulls with human heads, dogs with quadripartite bodies having the flippers of a fish and a fish's tail sprouting from the hindquarters. [There were] horses with dogs' heads as well as humans and other creatures with horses' heads and/or human forms and the extremities of fish. In addition there were diverse sorts of dragon-shaped creatures, hybrid fish, reptiles, snakes, and many types of astonishing creatures of differing appearance” (Berosus, book 1, from How the Chaldeans Chronicled [their past], by Alexander Polyhistor, cited in The Chaldean Chronicle , by Eusebius, Chapter 5, at http://rbedrosian.com/euseb2.htm, accessed 1-5-17).
Some of these monsters Tiamat created were “enormous” titans (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). She “bore giant snakes” filled with fangs and venom; colossus and “ferocious dragons with fearsome rays” who never retreat; a gigantic rabid dog; an enormous bison (Gudalim); a huge horned serpent; and aggressive non-descript Umu demons as well. Some of these titanic monsters were created like the other hybrid monsters; monsters such as the Lahmu-hero or Lamassu, which had a human head, a body of an ox or a lion, and bird's wings; or the Mushussu dragon, which had the neck and head of a viper with horns as well as a crest, a scaly dragon body, front legs of a lion and hind legs of an eagle with talons, a long tail ending with a scorpion’s stinger; or the Scorpion Man, which was half man and half scorpion; or the Kulili or Kulullu, which was half man and half fish - like a merman; or the Kusariqu or Kusarikku, which was half-man and half bison or bull; or the Uguallu-demon, which had a lion’s head, a man’s body with the feet of a bird; or the Goat-Fish, which was part fish - part goat (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12; http://www.atkinslightquest.com/Documents/Religion/Legends-Folklore/Sumerian-and-Akkadian-Deities.htm, accessed 4-25-16; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Um%C5%AB_dabr%C5%ABtu; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahmu; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu%C5%A1%E1%B8%ABu%C5%A1%C5%A1u; http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html).
All these great and colossus monsters were created to join with the loyal gods to “march into battle together” against the rebellious gods (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). To lead her great army in battle, Tiamat “cast the spell” and “promoted” Quingu - also called Kingu - to be the “greatest in the gods' assembly” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12) among the loyal gods. She “conferred upon him leadership of the army” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and “gave him the Tablet of Destinies” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12) over all created beings. Even though Kingu was the “son” of Apsu and Tiamat (The Complete Dictionary Of Symbols, under Marduk, p 303, by Jack Tresidder, Illustrated edition, Chronicle Books, 2005; and Notes About the Sumerian and Babylonian Religions, by Gwenhwyfar Aine, at
http://www.paganspace.net/profiles/blogs/notes-about-the-sumerian-and), yet he was not highly exalted or considered powerful by the gods, but was considered “clumsy” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). But Tiamat went ahead and “set him upon a throne” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12), declaring that his “word shall be law” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12) and thus granting him anyway the “Anu-power” – or the power to make uncontestable law (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). The majority of all the gods decided to remain loyal to Tiamat, “rallied” “to her side” (Enuma Elish, Book 2, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_2.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and joined her army under Kingu’s command.
Realizing that it would be very difficult to defeat Kingu and his army, and then overthrow their creator-god without a wise and skillful leader, these rebellious gods sought out and then selected a god named “Bel” - also called “Marduk” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12) to be “their champion” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12) and leader. Even though other gods claimed to be Marduk’s parents, yet it was really “inside Apsu, [that] Marduk was created...[and] was born” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). This meant that Kingu and Marduk were actually brothers. But unlike Kingu having to be made powerful, Marduk was created as the “highest among the gods”, and his “godhead was doubled” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk was “the perfect one” (Enuma Elish, Book 2, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_2.htm, accessed 7-25-12), “knowing all wisdom” (Enuma Elish, Book 2, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_2.htm, accessed 7-25-12), the “cleverest of the clever, sage of the gods”, and in regards to the other created gods, he was naturally “elevated far above them, [and] was superior in every way” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
In realizing this, the rebellious gods willingly set up and exalted Marduk as the rival of his brother Kingu. They declared Marduk’s word to be law or granted him the “Anu-power”, gave him “sovereignty over the whole universe” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12), proclaimed him “lord” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12) and “king” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and then gave him a “throne” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
Marduk actually had a prior history of disturbing the peace among the gods, which began shortly after he was born. At one point he was causing such trouble among them that they were “unable to rest, [and] had to suffer”, to the point that he even “stirred up Tiamat” herself (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Since Marduk already had a history of stirring up trouble against Tiamat then he gladly accepted the rebellious gods proposal to become their Champion in “leading a rebellion of the gods against Tiamat” (see Nimrod, Mars and the Marduk Connection, by Bryce Self (http://ldolphin.org/Nimrod.html), upon one condition: that after fighting for them and overthrowing Tiamat, Kingu and their army, then he was to be recognized as the supreme god over all the gods and the one undisputed ruler over the entire universe ((Enuma Elish, Book 3, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_3.htm, and Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). To this condition they all agreed.
One reason why Marduk agreed to be their leader in rebellion “of his own free will” (Enuma Elish, Book 3, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_3.htm, accessed 7-25-12) was because he was angry that the creator had not exalted him, but had instead exalted Kingu and “appointed him to rites of Anu-power, wrongfully his” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk also contended that the Tablet of Destinies given to Kingu were “wrongfully his” as well (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
After being made the champion and leader of all the rebel beings, Marduk wasted no time in planning and carrying out the battle strategy against Kingu and the creator, and went forth all ablaze and riding in a chariot with lightning bolts leading the way to war against them.
At first Tiamat did not want to fight, but after several spirited words from Marduk, the battle was finally begun (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). In the end, Marduk successfully defeated and then forever killed Tiamat, liberating all the gods, and then he triumphantly “stood on top of her” dead dragon body (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk then turned his attention against Kingu and his army, which were quickly “scattered”, then “surrounded” and “defeated” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Then they “had to bear his punishment, [being] confined to prison” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk then takes the Tablet of Destinies from Kingu and makes them his own (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
Creation of Earth and Mankind After this Marduk has the message of his great victory over Kingu and Tiamat spread far and wide as being the “good news” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk then creates “a new world order” (see Newsfinder, March 13, 2009, article: Marduk Creates the World from the Spoils of Battle (http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/marduk_creates_the_world_from_the_spoils_of_battle/) by dividing up “the monstrous shape” of the body of Tiamat, and then he “created marvels from it” (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12). From “half of her” body he formed the roof or dome of the stary heavens (Enuma Elish, Book 4, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_4.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and above this heavenly roof there existed a “mass of water, a heavenly ocean, which the solid dome of Heaven supported and kept in its place so that it might not break through and flood the Earth” (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 31, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12). From the rest of Tiamat Marduk then creates the stars of the Milky Way, the 12 constellations, the sun, moon and planets including earth, and on the earth springs and rivers of waters, including “the Euphrates and the Tigris” (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12), as well as plants and animals, etc. Thus the great mother creator god does not really die, but actually becomes the substance that makes up the entire universe, and thereby the creator god is actually found in everything.
After creating all this, Marduk then grants positions to several hundred different deities to tend to the stary heavens and to the earth, exalting three gods in particular – Anu, Ellil, and Ea to reign over them all (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12). He then establishes the orderly movements of the stars, sun, moon and planets to mark the passage of time and provide the earth with night, day and seasons, dividing these into a 7 day week, 12 months of 30 days each, making a year of only 360 days (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
Then Marduk brings Kingu and the rest of his enemies out of prison to be sentenced. Kingu is condemned “for his crime” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12) of fighting against Marduk, and then Marduk spills his blood forever killing him (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). The rest of the gods are released to be Marduk’s servants (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
After accomplishing all this, Marduk is fully recognized as the savior of the gods (see Order and History..., p 81, by Eric Voegelin, Maurice P. Hogan and Ellis Sandoz, University of Missouri Press, 2001), the one who brought new order out of chaos, the one who holds the destiny of all created beings in his hands, and is indeed the king and supreme god over all the universe (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
Marduk then tells the assembly of gods that the center of the entire universe and capital of the new world order was to be “Babylon, home of the great gods” (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12), that in Babylon he would “make my house to be a luxurious dwelling for myself” (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and in Babylon “we shall make it the centre of religion” (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Thus Babylon was to become the center of a one world government and a one world religion. Also in Babylon there was to be a “shrine” built (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12). This shrine and luxurious house was also known as the “tower of babel” (see Online Encyclopedia LookLex, under Enuma Elish, at http://looklex.com/e.o/enuma_elish.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
“The last significant action taking place, before the naming and praising of Marduk, is the creation of Babylon. When it is done, Marduk invites all the gods to a great banquet, where the new world order is confirmed, and the gods vow to obey Marduk: ‘Thus they granted that he should exercise the kingship of the gods and confirmed for him mastery of the gods of heaven and earth.’ Enuma Elish, [book 6].” The Babylonian Creation Myth, by Stefan Stenudd, (http://www.stenudd.com/myth/enumaelish/enumaelish-5.htm, accessed 5-13-12).
Marduk is now not just a regular god, but he is the king, master and god “of the gods of heaven and earth” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). He had forever defeated Kingu and Tiamat and now assumed their positions as the one and only supreme god over all the universe. Marduk had obtained the “Anu power” and so “His word is firm, his command cannot alter; No god can change his utterance” (Enuma Elish, Book 7, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_7.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Marduk could bring back to life any “with his pure incantation” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), or “destroys those who oppose him” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Thus all the universe must unerringly follow and obey his every order and command as absolute law (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12). All were to “trust in him” and in no other god (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12). This was because all were to recognize that Marduk was their “Lord, that...[had] set us free” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), he was “THE SON, THE MAJESTY OF THE GODS”, and “in his bright light” they were to “walk forever more” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). The gods shouted “Let us elevate the name of the son, the warrior, Our champion who looks after us!” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
All this praise and exaltation made Marduk so overjoyed that “he made up his mind to perform miracles”, and mankind was then created on the earth (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). But the creation of mankind was not so easy. It required the following: “Let one god be slaughtered, then...mix clay with his flesh and blood. Let that same god and man be thoroughly mixed in the clay. Let us hear the drum for the rest of the time. From the flesh of the god let a spirit remain, let it make the living know its sign, lest he be allowed to be forgotten, let the spirit remain” (The Epic of Atrahasis, line 208-217, at http://www.livius.org/as-at/atrahasis/atrahasis.html#The_Great_Flood, accessed 12-10-11). So then while mankind was created from clay or dirt, yet it required the divine flesh and life’s blood of a god in order to give mankind flesh and life, and the god’s spirit would continue to live forever as part of that human being. Thus the Babylonians believed that mankind was made up of a body and an immortal spirit, and while life lasted they would “hear the drum” beat (or heart beat) of life (The Epic of Atrahasis, line 227, at http://www.livius.org/as-at/atrahasis/atrahasis.html#The_Great_Flood).
But the real reason why so much was sacrificed in order to create mankind was so human beings could do all the “druggery” of “forced labor” on the earth which the gods once had to do. So now with mankind doing such work as “digging watercourses”, “canals”, “wells”, “rivers”, etc. (The Epic of Atrahasis, line 240-242, at http://www.livius.org/as-at/atrahasis/atrahasis.html#The_Great_Flood, accessed 12-10-11), then the gods themselves were set “free” from work and could therefore “be at leisure” and rest (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12; also The Epic of Atrahasis, line 240-242, 245 at http://www.livius.org/as-at/atrahasis/atrahasis.html#The_Great_Flood).
After the creation of mankind, they “did not know about wearing clothes; they went about with naked limbs in the land. Like sheep they ate grass with their mouths and drank water from the ditches” (Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Sheep and Grain, lines 23-25, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr532.htm, accessed 4-23-12). As such, mankind needed guidance, and Marduk became “as [a] shepherd over...his creation” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), teaching them all that they needed to do to survive and thrive as an intelligent people. Mankind were then charged to always “revere him”, to always “be mindful of him, and name him as their god” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). They were to remember that Marduk was the “Giver of cereals and flocks”; “producer of grain...Who brings rain of abundance over the broad earth, and makes vegetation grow profusely”; “the Producer of riches and abundance”’ and the “One who maintains pure ploughland in the countryside” (Enuma Elish, Book 7, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_7.htm, accessed 7-25-12). And to help mankind know how to revere him, Marduk “designed its cults, created its rites” (Enuma Elish, Book 5, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_5.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
In gratitude, mankind were to build shrines to Marduk’s glory to where he was the only god recognized as “their righteous shepherd” (Enuma Elish, Book 7, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_7.htm, accessed 7-25-12). In these shrines the ritual worship services were established which included incense burning where one could “smell the qutrinnu-offering” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and in which all the people were to assemble in honor of Marduk, chant and “speak in worship and sing his praises” (Enuma Elish, Book 7, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_7.htm, accessed 7-25-12). In faithfully doing these things Marduk promised that he would take care of and “look after their shrines”, as well as “make their chant joyful” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Yet not only were offerings to be brought to Marduk at these shrines, but also could the “nindabu-offerings be brought [to] their god (and) their goddess” who would intercede for them to Marduk (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
The gods themselves then spent 2 years building up Babylon from “mud bricks” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), including the huge “ziggurat” or tower, and did “build high the shrine” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12). They also “founded a dwelling for Anu, Ellil, and Ea likewise” (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12), the three special gods or helpers of Marduk, and also connected their own personal “individual shrines” with this sacred temple at Babylon (Enuma Elish, Book 6, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_6.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
The last part of this Babylonian Epic ends with at least 50 different names all being attributed to Marduk, including his assuming names which had already been attributed to other gods, such as the moon god “Sin [which] is Marduk the illuminator of the night” (Enuma Elish, Book 7, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_7.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
The main theme of this Babylonian Epic is that Marduk and Kingu were both brothers as well as sons or princes of the supreme god; that god unjustly favored and exalted Kingu on a throne over Marduk, which made Marduk jealous. Then a warfare between the two occurred; Marduk was victorious, god was dethroned and the decision overturned. Marduk then took over Kingu’s exalted throne as well as assuming god’s supreme place of rulership, thus becoming the one supreme god himself.
This Babylonian Epic brings out that “Marduk achieved power by means of a religious revolution, and his victory established a new order and a new way of looking at the universe” (see World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, p 151, by Donna Rosenberg, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1993), so that he can indeed be worshipped among his followers as the supreme god over all.
The Supreme God The one supreme god of the Babylonians we discovered was called Bel or Marduk. “Marduk literally means ‘bull calf of the sun,’...[and] he was also a deity of fertility” (see Online New World Encyclopedia, under Marduk, at http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Marduk, accessed 5-13-12). Marduk had 4 eyes and 4 ears (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12), or in other words he was a “double-headed sun god” (see Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology, under Marduk, cited on Answers.com website, at http://www.answers.com/topic/marduk, accessed 5-13-12, and Marduk being “the two-headed sun god”, cited on Encyclo Online Encyclopedia, under word Marduk, at http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Marduk, accessed 5-13-12). One of his heads was male and the other was female. Thus Marduk was both male and female at the same time – or dual in nature. That is why Marduk was “described as [being] both father and mother” or “lord/lady” (see Intertextuality in Ugarit and Israel, p 123, by Johannes Cornelis de Moor, Brill, 1998; see also, Die akkadische Gebetsserie “Handerhebung”, p 74-75-78-79, by E. Ebeling, Berlin, 1953, and Creation Accounts in the Near East..., p 18-21, by R.J. Clifford, Washington, 1994).
Marduk was also able to breathe fire (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and had a halo of “five fearsome rays clustered above” his head (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). He was the god of light and of the sun, god of war, and also the god of storm, including every manifestation accompanying a storm, such as lightning and wind, thus being in control over the air.
Now some of the other names that Marduk also became known by in the mystery religion of Babylon were Merodach, or Baal, or Belus (see Britannica On-line Encyclopedia, under Marduk, at www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/364416/Marduk, accessed 7-25-12; The Babylonian Legends of Creation, by E.A. Wallis Budge, 1921, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/blc/blc06.htm, accessed 7-25-12; and Wikipedia On-line Encyclopedia, under Belus, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belus_(Babylonian), accessed 7-25-12). He was also worshipped as the planet Jupiter (see Science Awakening, vol. II, p 59, by Bartel L. van der Waerden, Leyden, 1974; Die Kosmologie der Babylonier, p 131, 134, by P. Jensen, Strassburg, 1890, cited in In the Beginning, Chapter titled The Worship of Jupiter, by Immanuel Velikovsky, at http://www.varchive.org/itb/jupiter.htm, accessed 7-25-12; and Triple Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, by Ashgrove, at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lightandlife/triple.htm, accessed 7-25-12), “the greatest of the stars” (see Die Kosmologie der Babylonier, p. 117, by Jensen; Zeitschrift fuer Assyriologie II, 214ff, by Lehmann, cited in In the Beginning, Chapter titled The Worship of Jupiter, by Immanuel Velikovsky, at http://www.varchive.org/itb/jupiter.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
“In the Babylonian system, Jupiter, the largest and brightest planet, was known as the star of Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon.” The First Christmas, p 18, edited by Sara Murphy, published by the Biblical Archaeology Society, 2009, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/35041187/Christmas, accessed 7-25-12.
“In ancient Babylon, Marduk was honored as king of the gods and quite specifically associated with the planet Jupiter....[In] The role of Jupiter-Marduk was preeminent in Babylon, for he was credited with the world's creation, bringing order out of chaos.” Astronomy of Babylon, by Ahmad - IRIS, at http://volker-doormann.org/asssky.htm, accessed 7-25-12.
Since the Babylonians believed that their supreme god was both male and female, then in actuality this supreme god impregnated himself and gave birth out of himself to other gods. This idea of the gods giving birth out themselves without participation of a completely separate deity of the opposite sex was not limited alone to their supreme god. The male god Anu “in his own nature begot Nudimmud-Ea” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12). And this mono-procreative ability was not just limited to male deities, but was also carried over to goddesses. For instance, the goddess Aruru impregnated herself and “fathered Enkidu” giving “birth [to him] in terror and in fright without a single cry of pain” (Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet 1, column 2, lines 77-83, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh01.htm, accessed 3-8-12). The goddess Nammu, who “is a goddess without a spouse, [who has] the self-procreating womb” (Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 13, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994), also “[Without] the sperm of a ma[le] she gave [birth] to offspri[ng.,]...to the [em]bryo” (Hymn of Nammu, cited in The Harps that Once...Sumerian Poetry in Translation, p 157, translated by Thorkild Jacobsen, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987). And the mother goddess Ninhursag gives birth to eight different healing goddesses without sexual intercourse with any male (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 56-58, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12).
– Duality
Duality As the Babylonians believed that their one supreme god was dual in nature, and thus had created the universe on this dual principle of his own nature, then they came to believe that this duality was needed in order for the universe and all living things to exist. So male needed female, light needed darkness, good needed evil, etc., in order for the universe to properly function, and should one principle become more powerful than the other, then it would imbalance the universe.
This is why Marduk is depicted as not only being good and doing good, but also being evil and doing evil. For instance: Marduk rebels against and then kills his own mother Tiamat, as well as his own brother Kingu (Enuma Elish, books 1, 5-6, at Looklex Encyclopedia website, under Enuma Elish, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12); Marduk commits adultery against his two wives Nana (or Inana or Ishtar) and Sarpanitum (or Zarpanitum) (Handbook To Life In Ancient Mesopotamia, under word Nana, p 122, and under word Sarpanitum, p 125, by Stephen Bertman, illustrated, reprint, Oxford University Press, 2005) with his consort or mistress the goddess Belit (or Beltiya) (Avalon Project, Glossary of God and Definitions, under Belit, at http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/codeind1.asp, accessed 5-7-12); etc.
– Characteristics
Characteristics It was not just Marduk that was depicted as being both good and evil, but other gods as well. For instance,
– Lying: the god Dumuzid instructing Inana – the goddess of all women – how to lie (Sumerian Tablet of A Tigi to Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana H), Segment A, lines 11-19, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr40808.htm, accessed 4-27-12).
– Deceit: Enki giving Inana the ability to deceive (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 17, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983). The god Anu was called “the supplanter” (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
– Treachery: Enki giving Inana “the art of treachery” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 17, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983).
– Slandering: Enki giving Inana “the art of forthright speech” as well as “the art of slanderous speech” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 17, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983).
– Strife: Enki giving Inana the ability of “kindling of strife” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 18, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983). “Discord” and “warring” among the gods (Enuma Elish, Book 1, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_1.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
– Rape: the god Enlil raped the goddess Ninlil (see Gods & Goddesses, Part 1 - Ladies of Passion, Magick, Courage, Wit and Power, under Ninlil, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/, accessed 5-13-12, and The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character, p 146-147, by Samuel Noah Kramer, The University of Chicago, 1963); the mostly god Gilgamesh ravished lots of girls (see Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 1, column 2, lines 52-56, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh01.htm, accessed 3-8-12).
– Fornication: the god Sin with the goddess Ningal (see Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 249, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994); the mostly god Gilgamesh with lots of girls (see Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 1, column 2, lines 52-56, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh01.htm, accessed 3-8-12).
– Adultery: male god Enki cheating with many women against his wife Nintu (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 57, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12); the wife Ninlil cheating with the god Samas against her husband Enlil (se Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 249, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994); Inanna cheating with scores of different males and such against her husband Marduk/Tammuz (see Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 87, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994).
– Murder: female goddess Inanna heaping “up human heads like piles of dust” (Sumerian Tablet on Enki and the World Order, line 445, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr113.htm, accessed 4-27-12).
– Homosexuality:
- men with men: Gilgamesh with Enkidu (see Homosexuality in the Ancient Near East, beyond Egypt, by Bruce L. Gerig, at http://epistle.us/hbarticles/neareast.html, accessed 3-8-12);
- women with women - goddess Inanna with other women goddesses (see Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 87, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994).
– Bestiality: the goddess Ishtar with birds, wild animals – such as lions, domestic animals – such as horses (see Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter VIII - Deified Heroes: Etana and Gilgamesh, p 176, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba14.htm, accessed 2-29-12).
– Incest:
- father/daughter - Enki (father) with Ninsar (daughter) (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 57, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12); Enki (father) with Ninkur (daughter) (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 57, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12); Enki (father) with Uttu (daughter) (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 57, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12).
- mother/son - Tiamat (mother) with Kingu (son) (Enuma Elish, book 1 and book 3, published in the Encyclopedia of the Orient, at http://looklex.com/e.o/texts/religion/enuma_elish_3.htm, accessed 5-7-12); and Ishtar (mother) with Tammuz (son) (see Tammuz and Ishtar: A Monograph Upon Babylonian Religion and Theology, p 10, 12, 15, by Stephen Langdon, Oxford University Press, 1914, at http://archive.org/stream/tammuzandishtar00languoft/tammuzandishtar00languoft_djvu.txt, accessed 5-7-12).
– Unrestrained appetite: god Enlil eating 8 plants in one sitting which made him very ill (see Plate XIII titled Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-God, cited in Sumerian Mythology, Chapter 2, p 57, by Samuel Noah Kramer, Revised Edition, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1961, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum07.htm, accessed 3-14-12); etc.
As the Babylonians saw these various good and evil actions being committed by their gods, then why couldn’t they also follow such a dual example in their own lives? As a result of this duality, evil was not looked upon as being really sinful, but was something that could be indulged in, or because that is how their supreme god had created the universe and all things in it – including themselves, and this is how all the rest of their gods were depicted as acting.
But what about if the conscience of any Babylonian should bother them over any of the evil and immoral actions of their gods, and then should question whether these same actions should be permitted to be practiced among their own people? These consciencious people were then reminded of this Babylonian teaching: “What (seems) proper to oneself is an offence to a god, What (seems) despicable in one's own heart is proper to one's god” (cited in Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 112, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). This particular belief effectively silenced all conscience, eliminated all sense of modesty and decency, destroyed morality, which then allowed all Babylonians to fully participate in such evil and immoral actions, because, after all, who knows better than the gods? So as “there were certain forms of action obviously pleasing to the gods, and others displeasing and liable to incur the gods' wrath” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 112, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11), then the only way to know for sure how to act was to deny their own conscience, implicitly obey the teachings of the priests, and to look to the gods themselves for examples to pattern their own character after.
All gods into One As Marduk was exalted as the supreme god over all, and had even assumed the names of other deities, this then meant that Marduk was really the god and power hidden behind these deities. This, of course, was a great mystery, but it also meant that he could be worshipped as these deities.
“There was a strong henotheistic tendency at work in the Assyrio-Babylonian pantheon, so that a large number of deities were treated as manifestations of Marduk: he had fifty names.” Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology, under Marduk, cited in Answers website at http://www.answers.com/topic/marduk, accessed 5-14-12.
“Besides absorbing the prerogatives of Ea and Bel, Marduk was also imbued with the attributes of other of the great gods, such as Adad, Shamash, Nergal and Ninib, so that...Marduk was the only real deity recognized, and that the other gods were merely the various forms under which he manifested himself.” Encyclopedia Britannica, under Marduk, vol 17, p 698, 1911, cited online at http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/MAL_MAR/MARDUK_Bib_MERODACH2_.html#ixzz1uEt8rdL1, accessed 5-7-12.
This meant that the Babylonian pantheon of deities were just different manifestations of their one supreme god Marduk, and Marduk was the father and sustainer of all his creation! And since Marduk had assumed the names of these deities, this then meant that Marduk could be worshipped as these deities – even if these deities had been Marduk’s father, or children, or were even female!
Given the unlimited abilities of this Babylonian supreme god, it was not surprising to find that Bel or Baal was worshipped as the father of the sun god, as the sun god himself, and even as “a moon god” (Myths of Babylon and Assyria, p 51-52, by Donald A. MacKenzie, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2004), and all of these were of different deity names. Thus even though the Babylonians believed in “some ‘65,000’ different deities” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 234, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n331/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12), yet all of these gods and goddesses were visible manifestations of just one god – Marduk. So while to the casual on-looker, the worship of these pagan Babylonians appeared to be polytheistic – as they saw them worshipping many different deities, yet in reality it was monotheistic – as they were just worshipping one god manifesting himself in many different forms.
This concept of just one god being worshipped through many different divine manifestations was more easily seen through another Babylonian belief referred to as the Trinity.
The Trinity Bel was also depicted as being accompanied with three main deities who were his companions or helpers. These three companion helpers were known as “Shamash, Sin, and Ishtar guardians of the firmament, which they thereafter patrolled as the Sun, the Moon, and Venus” (see Babylonian Astrology at http://numberonestars.com/life/babylonian_astrology.htm, accessed 7-25-12). Thus just like Anu, Ellil and Ea – the three deities in the Creation Epic that Marduk exalted above the several hundred other deities to help keep the heavens in harmony, so Shamash, Sin, and Ishtar were appointed by Bel as his helpers to patrol the heavens and keep things in harmony. And "There were [more] triads of gods" in the Babylonian mystery religion than just these (Babylonian and Assyrian Religion, p 14-40, by S.H. Hooke, Norman, Oklahoma, 1963).
This connection of the supreme god Bel or Marduk with a triad or trinity of deity companions or helpers, is an important identifying factor to the Babylonian mystery religion. But in reality the three deity helpers were just revealing three different aspects of this one supreme god since he was hidden behind them all.
“A hymn of Assurbanipal addresses Marduk as carrying the identity of the three highest gods as personal properties: ‘You hold the Anu-ship, the Enlil-ship, the Ea-ship.’” Cited in Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide, p 26, by Sarah Iles Johnston, Harvard University Press, 2004.
But this idea goes even further. This is because Bel or Marduk was just the visible form of the supreme god which all the people worshipped. The hidden form of the supreme god, the god behind the scenes, the god manifesting himself as the celestial water who then divided himself into three different manifestations, remained unknown and hidden in the background. Thus the supreme god which the Babylonian worshipped remained unknown in his hidden form, but was known as Bel or Marduk in his revealed form. So as there was a god behind the scenes which remained invisible and hidden, then by worshipping Marduk or any of the other gods or goddesses representing Marduk, the people were also thereby worshipping this hidden god, although ignorant of this fact. So while it was a mystery that by worshiping any of the deities the people were actually worshiping their supreme god Marduk, yet it was an even greater mystery that by worshiping Marduk they were actually worshiping this one supreme unknown hidden god! Thus in worshiping Marduk the Babylonian people were really worshiping this unknown hidden god whom Marduk, as well as all the rest of his male and female deity manifestations, ultimately represented, even though they did not realize it.
Time and Calendar Since the Babylonians worshipped the sun, moon and stars which they believed all circled around the earth, they believed that it was Marduk who “divided both space and time into a 360 [60x6] degree circle” (see New Year's Celebration and Renewal, by the Zodiac Master, at (http://thezodiac.com/weird/newyearsday.htm). This 360 circle of the heavens was further divided into 36 separate sections of 10 degrees each. These 36 sections were then connected with 36 different gods, and the “36 gods were called decans because each rules over 10 degrees of the zodiacal circle (On the Trail of the Serpent, p 27, by Murl Vance, Oriental Watchman Publishing House, 1991). They also believed that there were seven “wandering stars” or planets – including the sun and the moon – and above these were “the fixed stars” (see The Book of Earths: The Babylonian Universe, p 55, by Edna Kenton, 1928, republished by Forgotten Books). These fixed stars were divided into 12 groupings of stars or constellations which were collectively referred to as the Zodiac.
The Babylonians also established a calendar that had exactly 360 days for a year, and the year was divided into 12 months of 30 days each. The first month of each new year was determined “when a new crescent moon was first sighted low on the western horizon at sunset” (Wikipedia, On-line encyclopedia, under Babylonian Calendar, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_calendar, accessed 12-22-11), “after the completion of the old lunar year” (Sumerian Astronomy and Calendars, by Ellie Crystal, at http://www.crystalinks.com/sumercalendars.html, accessed 1-12-12). As the actual solar year contained 365 days and not just 360, the Babylonians added “5 days at the end of the year to bring the total to 365 days” (see Encyclopedia.com, citing article on Predictions of End of the World: Keeping Track of Time, by Arthur V. Johnson II, 2002 (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407500106.html, accessed 5-13-12). They also “divided the day into 24 hours, each hour into 60 minutes, each minute into 60 seconds” (see An overview of Babylonian mathematics, by J.J. O'Connor and E.F. Robertson (http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Babylonian_mathematics.html, accessed 4-5-12).
The Babylonians also named each of the 12 months after a different one of their gods (see Twelve Gods and Seven Planets, by Ken Gillman (http://cura.free.fr/decem/10kengil.html, accessed 1-19-17), then connected these 12 months with the 12 constellations or signs in the Zodiac wheel, and then connected each of the 12 Zodiac signs with the 36 star divisions of the 360 degree heavenly circle (for the identification of these 36 stars see Researches into the Origin of the Primitive Constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians and Babylonians, volume 1, p 336-342, by Robert Brown, published by Williams and Norgate, 1899). Thus each one of the 12 Zodiac signs or constellations would have 3 different decans/gods appearing in it for that particular 30 day god/month, a different decan/god ruled every 10 days or 10 degrees, which continued to be the case in each of the succeeding 11 god/months of the year (see History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, volume III (Part A), Chapter I – Ancient Chaldea, p 14, by Gaston Maspero, London, The Grolier Society Publishers, 1918, at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17323/17323-h/v3a.htm, accessed 5-13-12).
Sacred Day of Worship As the Babylonians believed that their supreme god Bel had established the seven day week, they then named each day after one of the seven planets, assigned each planet to one of their gods, and then arranged them in this order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. They further assigned each planet/god to rule over various hours of each day, beginning with Saturn who ruled over Saturday.
“The planet gods, in their traditional order, took turns presiding over the hours. For example, Saturn controlled the first hour of Saturday, to be followed by the other six gods until the seventh hour. The cycle began again with Saturn on the eighth, fifteenth and twenty-second hours. The twenty-third and twenty-fourth would be dedicated to Jupiter and Mars, and the first hour of the [next] day would fall to the Sun god, the next in sequence. The Sun god therefore presided over the day [of the sun or Sunday].” Wonders of the Past! Ancient Inventions, p 496-497, by Peter James and Nick Thorpe, Ballantine Books, NY, 1994.
Since the Babylonians worshiped Marduk as Jupiter, and since Saturn is close to Jupiter in position and size, they came to view Saturn as being an earlier supreme god, that had become a rival and enemy of Jupiter/Marduk. Marduk then defeated the god of Saturn and slew him. This slain god of Saturn then descended into the underworld to become the antagonistic “demoniac elder god”, “the ghost of the dead sun” who ruled the underworld and was responsible for death and destruction (see Myths of Babylon and Assyria, p 302-303, 314-315, by Donald A. Mackenzie [1915], at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba19.htm, accessed 7-25-12).
The Babylonians delegated the color of black to represent the god of Saturn (see Myths of Babylon and Assyria, p 302-303, 314-315, by Donald A. Mackenzie [1915], at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba19.htm, accessed 7-25-12), and he was viewed as being exactly the opposite of what Marduk was. As Marduk was the god of the light, then Saturn was the god of the darkness; as Marduk was the god of life, then Saturn was the god of death.
“The ancient Chaldeans called Saturn the Black Sun, Lord of Death.” Hunab Ku: 77 Sacred Symbols for Balancing Body and Spirit, p 178, by Karen Speerstra and Joel Speerstra, The Crossing Press, 2005.
“Babylonian astrologers considered Saturn the same as their Black Sun (the solar god entombed) and addressed him as ‘Lord Saturn the cold, the dry, the dark, the harmful...crafty sire that knows all wiles, who is deceitful, sage, understanding, who causes prosperity or ruin’.” Saturn, by http://old-mage.com/Meanings/S/saturn.htm, accessed 7-25-12.
As Marduk defeated and killed Kingu, who then went to rule over the underworld of darkness and death, so Marduk was depicted as Jupiter and Kingu as Saturn. So, the day of the sun, or Sunday, was presided over by Bel/Marduk – the supreme sun-god, and became known as his special day. It was on this first day of the beginning of each new week that Marduk’s devoted followers would set aside their work and busy schedules in order to honor and worship him. While each Saturday, was presided over by the god of Saturn – the chief rival and enemy of Bel/Marduk, and was known as his special day. It was on the seventh day of the ending of each week that Marduk’s devoted followers would try to avoid since they viewed this god as being a “harmful...crafty...deceitful” god who causes “ruin”. Thus to the Babylonians each Sunday – the holy day of the Marduk – was special and viewed as a day of prosperity and good luck, while each Saturday – the holy day of Kingu – was maligned and viewed as being a day of trouble and bad luck.
This exaltation of the first day over the seventh day in Babylon’s mystery religion was very evident in the construction and symbolism of their ziggurat towers or temples of worship. These towers and temples, especially the “great ziggurat at Borsippa was called ‘The Stages of the Seven Spheres’; each story was dedicated to one of the seven planets known to Babylonia, and bore a symbolic color. The lowest was black, as the color of Saturn; the next above it was white, as the color of Venus; the next was purple, for Jupiter; the fourth blue, for Mercury; the fifth scarlet, for Mars; the sixth silver, for the moon; the seventh gold, for the sun. These spheres and stars, beginning at the top, designated the days of the week” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IX, p 255, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n353/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). This meant that the day of the sun or Sunday was at the very top of their ziggurat tower or temple, while Saturday was at the very bottom. Thus every time a Babylonian or any other person saw their ziggurat towers and temples, this teaching of the exaltation of Sunday far above and over Saturday became reinforced and further ingrained into their minds without even a word needing to be spoken.
Death, Hell and the Afterlife We learned earlier that the Babylonians believed that all humans were created with a physical body and an eternal or god-spirit. With this belief they reasoned that when a person died only their fleshly body ceased to exist, but their spirit continued living on as an “etemmu” which means a “ghost or shade” or “soul” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). After death, this person’s spirit or ghost or shade or soul would enter the “Netherworld” or “Underworld”, referred to as “Irkalla or Aralu” (Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, under word Ereshkigal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ereshkigal, accessed 2-1-12), or in other words was “hell” (Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XII, col 1, Line 70, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh12.htm, accessed 12-11-11).
The “shade” was a ghostly double of that dead human person, with the same looks, senses, feelings, emotions and thoughts as they had while living. This is why when “the spirit of Enkidu [the dead best friend of Gilgamesh] issued forth” from the underworld, both Gilgamesh and Enkidu instantly recognized each other and “They embraced and...Communed together, mourning” over his death (The Epic of Gilgamish, Tablet 12, Lines 86-87, p 59, tr. by R. Campbell Thompson, 1828, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/eog14.htm, accessed 12-11-11).
In contrast to the land of the living where the sun does shine, Hell was just the opposite – it was “the land of darkness”, “the house of shadows” (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11), as well as being “a place full of horrors” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p 581, by Morris Jastrow, Jr., Boston, 1898). None who entered the Underworld could take any possessions with them – not even their clothes, as the “ancient decree is that none but the nude shall enter Aralu” or Hell (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, p 238, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n335/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). That is why when the goddess Ishtar was depicted as finally arriving in the Netherworld, she was totally naked (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11).
Nor was there any food to eat, or water to drink in Hell. So all that the inhabitants could do to try and satisfy their endless hunger or to quench their never ending thirst was “To eat clay as food, [and] to drink dust as wine” (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11). That is also why the Underworld was known as “the house of dust” (Examining the Afterlife in Early Babylonian and Assyrian Religions, p 1, by Paula Marie Staunton, 2007, at http://www.helium.com/items/378814-examining-the-afterlife-in-early-babylonian-and-assyrian-religions, accessed 12-3-11).
For the vast majority of the dead there was little hope of ever leaving Hell and resuming their physical life in the land of the living. That is why the Underworld was also known as “the land of no return,” “the house without exit for him who enters therein” (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11).
The Underworld of Hell was ruled over by a pantheon of gods of the dead, especially the male god Nergal, and his co-ruling wife was the goddess Ereshkigal, who was also known as Allat or Allatu or even Irkalia itself (Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, under word Ereshkigal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ereshkigal, accessed 2-1-12; and Examining the Afterlife in Early Babylonian and Assyrian Religions, p 1, by Paula Marie Staunton, 2007, at http://www.helium.com/items/378814-examining-the-afterlife-in-early-babylonian-and-assyrian-religions, accessed 12-3-11; and Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, under word Nergal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergal, accessed 2-1-12). Nergal was known as the "raging king", the "furious one" (Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, under word Nergal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergal, accessed 2-1-12), and he was also the god who presided over and controlled “fire” (Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, List of War Deities section, under word Mesopotamian Mythology, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_deities, accessed 7-25-12). As such, Nergal was known as "the burner" (Wikipedia, online Encyclopedia, under word Nergal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergal, accessed 2-1-12). So Nergal, this “fiery god of destruction” (Wikipedia online Encyclopedia, under word Nergal, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nergal, accessed 2-1-12), this furious and raging king, was the god who ruled over all the inhabitants of the dead within Hell, and so any of the dead who should happen to get on the wrong side of “the burner” king would obviously feel his hot displeasure.
But his wife Ereshkigal was no friend to the dead either. She was the goddess “from whom come diseases and evil” (The History of Religions, p 357, by Edward Washburn Hopkins, The Macmillan Company publishers, 1918), also of sterility (Ishtar's Descent into the Underworld, by HistoryWiz, at http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/ishtarsdescent.html, accessed 2-2-12). Ereshkigal was also known for her sadistic hatred, because she caused “sixty” different diseases (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11) to inflict her own sister Inanna or Ishtar until she finally succumbed and died, and then her “corpse was hung on a hook” on the wall of Ereshkigal’s palace (Sumerian Tablet of Inana's Descent to the Nether World, line 172, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm, accessed 4-27-12; also Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns From Sumer, p 60, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, Harper-Collins Publishers, 1983).
Now quite ironically, this queen of the dead was also in control of “the bag containing the waters of life” (Wikipedia online Encyclopedia, under word Ishtar, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar, accessed 2-2-12). Thus Ereshkigal controlled exactly who could obtain these “waters of life” (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-14-11), and who could thus be brought back from the dead. Yet she very seldom allowed any of the dead this freedom of drinking from these waters as she greedily did not want to lose any of her subjects.
These two ruling gods of the dead also had helpers, which included both “male and female demons” who were depicted as bird-like beings (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11), who possessed “great strength and fierceness” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p 581, by M. Jastrow, Jr., Boston, 1898, at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20758/20758-h/20758-h.htm, accessed 2-1-12). Obviously these gods and demons were not friendly to their dead subjects, but could “brutally and sadistically” assault and torture them (Examining the Afterlife in Early Babylonian and Assyrian Religions, p 2, by Paula Marie Staunton, 2007, at http://www.helium.com/items/378814-examining-the-afterlife-in-early-babylonian-and-assyrian-religions, accessed 12-3-11), just as Ishtar was “tortured also by her dark sister who hangs her upside down and assaults her” (Examining the Afterlife in Early Babylonian and Assyrian Religions, p 2, by Paula Marie Staunton, 2007, at http://www.helium.com/items/378814-examining-the-afterlife-in-early-babylonian-and-assyrian-religions, accessed 12-3-11).
Now once a person had died, the Babylonians believed that they were taken into a temporary holding place of existence where they were greeted by “the watcher and the turnkey [or jailer]” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 30, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). They were to then wait in this temporary place like limbo until “Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld and Stern Judge of Souls (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12), along with the “great gods” – “The Anunnaki” and “Mammetum, she who forms destiny” – had met together, decided their fate and then passed judgment upon them (The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 10, column VI, lines 33-34, translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs, at http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab10.htm, accessed 1-18-12). These gods “established Death and Life, but they did not make known ‘the days of death’” (The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 10, column VI, line 35, translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs, at http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/tab10.htm, accessed 1-18-12). So these gods established or determined “death and life” to the dead, not life and death to the living. Thus “the life here mentioned, can refer only to life after death” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 30, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12), “i.e. whether a man is to be restored to life or not” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 31, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12), and the days of death “can refer only to the days that the dead man must pass in the underworld”, although these days are not made known (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 31, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12).
So the Babylonians believed that “Death was a passage to another kind of life” (The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p 556, by M. Jastrow, Jr., Boston, 1898, at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20758/20758-h/20758-h.htm, accessed 2-1-12), and the way to enter into that new life beyond was to physically die in this life. Thus the quicker one died, the faster they would enter into that new life. It has not yet been discovered in any of the archeological artifacts just what the death rate was among the Babylonian populace; nor any ancient statistics showing the various age groups who died in any given Babylonian year. Although suicide was generally discouraged through the belief that an unnatural or untimely death placed one in a very unfavorable position in Hell, yet there must have been many who decided to escape from this life and enter into the life beyond much faster through some means other than by just letting nature take its own course. And one of the easiest ways would have been sacrificing your life in warfare by trying to kill as many enemies as possible at one given time. Thus instead of your suicide death being looked upon unfavorably, it would instead be looked upon as heroic.
In fact, one way to avoid being forever stuck in hell was to become a hero in the military, and if heroic enough perhaps even be granted to live forever with the gods in Dilmun.
– Dilmun
Dilmun Dilmun was the “Sumerian home of paradise” (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Dilmun, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun, accessed 1-3-17). It “was the land of immortality” (Aramco World Magazine, vol 31, #2, March/April, 1980, Article - The Sumerian Connection, by Jon Mandaville, at http://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198002/the.sumerian.connection.htm, accessed 1-3-17); the home and “paradise of the gods” (Penn Museum Expedition Magazine, vol 6, Issue 3, May, 1964, article - The Indus Civilization and Dilmun, the Sumerian Paradise Land, by Samuel Noah Kramer, at https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-indus-civilization-and-dilmun-the-sumerian-paradise-land/, accessed 1-3-17). It was “a land described as “pure,” “clean,” and “bright,” (Penn Museum Expedition Magazine, vol 6, Issue 3, May, 1964, article - The Indus Civilization and Dilmun, the Sumerian Paradise Land, by Samuel Noah Kramer, at https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-indus-civilization-and-dilmun-the-sumerian-paradise-land/, accessed 1-3-17), as well as “virginal” and “pristine” (see Enki and Ninhursaga , t.1.1.1, lines 3-4, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t111.p1#t111.p1, accessed 1-3-17).
In Dilmun there was no night; no disease (such as affected the eyes); no sickness (such as a headache, or even menstration); no old age, or death, or sorrow (see Enki and Ninhursaga, t.1.1.1, lines 20-28, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t111.p1#t111.p1, accessed 1-3-17). In this paradise “The lion did not slay, the wolf was not carrying off lambs” (see Enki and Ninhursaga, t.1.1.1, lines 13-14, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t111.p1#t111.p1, accessed 1-3-17), and the animals did not steal food from any of the inhabitants even though left outside and unguarded (see Enki and Ninhursaga, t.1.1.1, lines 16-18, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t111.p1#t111.p1, accessed 1-3-17). All was peaceful and quiet in this paradise of the gods (see Enki and Ninhursaga, t.1.1.1, lines 26-28, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t111.p1#t111.p1, accessed 1-3-17).
But Dilmun was not just a home for deities who were inherently immortal. “The Sumerians believed that the gods as well as mortal men whom they had been gifted with immortality dwelt in “paradise in Dulmin” (Sumerian Epic of Paradise, p 8, by Stephen Langdon, published by The Penn University Museum, I9I5, at https://archive.org/stream/sumerianepicpar00langgoog/sumerianepicpar00langgoog_djvu.txt, accessed 1-3-17). This meant that certain mortal followers of the gods could be granted immortality and be transported to live in paradise. But how?
The “Sumerian hero of the flood” - Sisit/Ziudsura/Antathrasis - was granted immortality “because of preserving the animals and the seed of mankind”, and “because of his worship of the gods” (Berosus, book 1 or 2, from How the Chaldeans Chronicled [their past], by Alexander Polyhistor, cited in The Chaldean Chronicle, by Eusebius, chapter 7, g35-36, at http://rbedrosian.com/euseb2.htm, accessed 1-5-17), and the gods then transported him to live in “the land Dilmun” (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Dilmun, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun; The Flood story, t.1.7.4, Segment E, lines 8-11, at
http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.7.4&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t174.p1#t174.p1, accessed 1-3-17).
Other examples of mortals being favored of the gods with immortality were: The sage and fisherman Adapa was offered immortality by the god Anu for his heroic works among the Mesopotamians (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Sumerian Epic Heroes, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Sumerian_epic_heroes and Adapa, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adapa, accessed 1-3-17).
The hero Tartug, also called Ziudgiddu, the king (who might be the same as Sisit/Ziudsura/Antathrasis) “was raised to the station of a god” and “received eternal life and lived in the mountain of Dilmun” due to his exploits (Sumerian Epic of Paradise, p 7-8, 54, by Stephen Langdon, published by The Penn University Museum, 1915, at https://archive.org/stream/sumerianepicpar00langgoog/sumerianepicpar00langgoog_djvu.txt, accessed 1-3-17).
Many Sumerian kings were deified due to their heroic exploits for their people and kingdom (see The Museum Journel, vol 8, #3, September, 1917, p 167, article A New Tablet of the Cult of Deified Kings in Ancient Sumer, by Stephen Langdon, published Quarterly by The Penn University Museum, September, 1917, at click here, accessed 1-3-17).
In addition to Sisit/Xisuthrus obtaining immortality, his “wife, a daughter, and the [g34] navigator” “who descended with him from the ship” were also granted immortality, and “those did not appear to anyone” past that point in time (Berosus, book 1 or 2, from How the Chaldeans Chronicled [their past], by Alexander Polyhistor, cited in The Chaldean Chronicle , by Eusebius, chapter 7, g34-35, at http://rbedrosian.com/euseb2.htm, accessed 1-5-17). So because of the help, assistance, support and encouragement of Sisit’s wife and daughter, as well as the excellent and heroic skill of the navigator/pilot to guide and steer the ship through the ferocious flood and bring all inhabitants safely to shore, and it was also because of their association with Sisit, that they “shared in this honor” of immortality and “had gone to dwell where the gods dwelled” (see Berosus, book 1 or 2, from How the Chaldeans Chronicled [their past], by Alexander Polyhistor, cited in The Chaldean Chronicle , by Eusebius, chapter 7, g36, at http://rbedrosian.com/euseb2.htm, accessed 1-5-17).
These above stories and examples of the gods transporting those who were dedicated worshipers, heroes and even common mortals who were very supportive and in close association with these heroes “to live as an immortal among the gods” in Dilmun (Penn Museum Expedition Magazine, vol 6, Issue 3, May, 1964, article - The Indus Civilization and Dilmun, the Sumerian Paradise Land, by Samuel Noah Kramer, at https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-indus-civilization-and-dilmun-the-sumerian-paradise-land/, accessed 1-3-17), were very well known by most all Babylonians. This worked to kindle in their hearts a hope that the gods might also grant them immortality and transport them to live in paradise if they would also become a dedicated worshiper, do some great and heroic deed, or even just zealously support and be associated with some who did these heroics. You can then understand why some Babylonians would be so willing and zealous to show their dedication in worship of the gods no matter what was required of them – even offering up their life to please them; or why common Babylonian soldiers would try to heroically distinguish themselves on the battle field by boldly taking fool hardy risks; or even why common Babylonians would zealously seek to attach themselves with heros and serve them in whatever capacity needed; because their zealous worship, or their heroics, or even just their attachment to these people, just might be enough to attract the attention of the gods and then all would be rewarded with eternal life in paradise!
– Reincarnation and Resurrection
Reincarnation and Resurrection Even though the Babylonians believed that the dead person’s physical body had died while their immortal spirit continued living on, yet they also believed that it was possible that the dead could be restored back to physical life through some means – such as reincarnation or resurrection.
Reincarnation was very much believed among the Babylonians, and that is one reason why various aspects of “their religion and mythology points to it as a central tenet” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). In the Babylonian mystery religion, reincarnation was thought to be a way to purify one from evil and bad deeds until they reached the state of perfection. It was taught by a master Babylonian to a “future priest-king” in training that when “a man dies, all that he has done is presented to him, to see if he regrets his actions or not. If he regrets and pines for the things that he failed to do or the errors he has made, then this is a weight he must carry into his next time of living....the assessors of hell visit upon each man his crimes, and according as he loves them or hates them, he will be attracted to the same events, time without end, till the actions of his life will be without blemish” (The Phoenician Letters, 4th letter on Nergal, page 41, by Wilfred Davies and G. Zur, Mowat Publishing, Manchester, 1979, at http://meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Ancient_religions/Mesopotamia/Summerian/sumerian_religion_and_eternal_re.htm, accessed 1-23-11).
Being allowed to return to the land of the living either through resurrection or reincarnation was, of course, only if Ereshkigal, who controlled the waters of life, as well as the great gods desired it – especially Marduk. Marduk was known as “the restorer of the dead to life” and “the merciful one, with whom rests the power to restore life” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 33-34, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Thus Marduk, as the supreme god over all, could overrule Ereshkigal’s desire to keep the dead as her subjects. This is one reason why Marduk took the tablets of destiny away from Kingu and kept these for himself – so that he had control over who could be brought back to physical life again!
– Location of Hell
Location of Hell The place of Hell itself was located within “a great cavern” (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 35, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12) which existed deep within the earth, probably near or at its center. This is why “Gilgamesh...[had] to descend halfway to Hell through the bowels of earth" before he was finally able to communicate with “Enkidu's shadow [as it] rose [from Hell] slowly toward the living” (See Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XII, col 1, Lines 97-98, 104 at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh12.htm, accessed 12-12-11).
Hell itself was also “bordered on or was surrounded by ‘water’" (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 17, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12). This meant that the “part of the netherworld which adjoined the water was ‘marshy’ and ‘moory’” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 53, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12). There was also at least one "‘river of the netherworld’, which was full of fearfulness” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 25, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12).
This meant that when one was entering into Hell, it became necessary to board onto a ship or boat in order to travel over “the Waters of Death” (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 35, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12). As the “marshy condition made the landing of the ship, on which the dead were conveyed to the netherworld, difficult, and the progress over it hazardous” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 53, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12), then “There had to be also a ‘ferry-man’ or ‘men’ who brought the ship with its occupants safely to the netherworld” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 26, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12), and of course this ferry or boat man needed to be paid for his services. In fact, “One of these ferry-men was the god of the city of Bas” which was Negal (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 26, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12).
The Babylonian concept of Hell was that it was “divided into ‘seven divisions’” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 15, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12). Each of these seven divisions “was surrounded by a wall with two gates (one in the west and one in the east)”, which were guarded and “presided over by two gate-openers, one of whom stood at the outside and one at the inside of the gate. Each of these ‘seven divisions’ has also a ‘watch-dog’”, which were known as “the seven dogs of Gula” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 15, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12). With seven different walls protected with such guardians meant that Hell was built “like a fortress”, and thus was also known as the “walled in place of the dead” (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 53, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt, accessed 1-9-12). So for one trying to get into or out of Hell, they first had to appease both gate-keepers as well as each watch dog on each of these seven different walled divisions (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, accessed 12-14-11).
Since Hell was a gloomy subterranean realm believed to be deep inside the earth, then the closer one would get to the center of the earth, the closer they would be to the realm of the dead. This meant that if one desired to contact the dead, they needed to get beneath the surface of the earth, and the deeper they went the better their chances for successful communication. Thus caves and underground caverns were looked upon as possible entry ways into Hell itself if they went deep enough. But especially those subterranean places which appeared to continue on without ending, or perhaps, due to their narrowness were impossible to explore further and yet the passage could be seen continuing on, were sought out as the best places for possible communication with the dead.
But even though Gilgamesh had descended half way to Hell itself, yet without the help of the gods he still could not have communicated with the dead. That is why the gods “Opened, then, a hole in the earth, and the spirit of Enkidu issued Forth from the earth like a wind” before Gilgamesh and his friend could see, embrace and commune with each other (The Epic of Gilgamish, Tablet 12, Lines 85-86, p 59, translated by R. Campbell Thompson, 1828, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/eog14.htm, accessed 12-10-11). So those who desired to communicate with the dead believed that they needed to go as far as that cavern or cave allowed, and then hope that all their sacrifices had been proper, that they had worshipfully given and performed all that was necessary and required for the gods to allow them to then successfully communicate with the dead.
The reason why communication with the dead was desirable was so one could gain information on a whole slew of topics. But especially were these two following different questions most frequently asked: 1) - What it was like after death? This is shown when Gilgamesh was finally able to speak to his dead friend, he said: “‘Speak to me please, dear brother,’ whispered Gilgamesh. ‘Tell me of death and where you are.’ ‘Not willingly do I speak of death,’ said Enkidu in slow reply. ‘But if you wish to sit for a brief time, I will describe where I do stay’” (Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XII, col 1, Lines 104-114, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh12.htm, accessed 12-10-11). And 2) - What does the future hold? This is shown when “Gilgamish, having failed to learn the secret of eternal life is now reduced to calling up his dead friend to know the worst which he may expect” (The Epic of Gilgamish, Tablet 12, Line 1 Footnote, p 57, translated by R. Campbell Thompson, 1828, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/eog14.htm#fr_157, accessed 7-25-12).
– Experiences in Hell
Experiences in Hell Even though no possessions could be taken by the dead into Hell, yet not all its dead inhabitants were equal with each another. Some dead were better off than others, as the Babylonians believed that “one’s quality of life in the Netherworld” varied depending on the quality of one’s earthly life (Spirit and Reason, p 313-314, by Dale F. Launderville, Publisher Baylor University Press, 2007). For instance: the quality of life in the Netherworld varied between those who died naturally, those who died suddenly, and those who died in war (see Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 12, lines 134-141, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh12.htm, accessed 12-10-11).
These differences were also clearly seen when dealing with one who had died. There were certain ceremonies which needed to be performed as well as particular offerings provided so that the dead could make it safely into the Underworld and be at ease. Should all these necessary things not be done, then that dead one would be worse off.
“The dead required to be cared for, to have libations poured out, to be fed...The duty of giving offerings to the dead was imposed apparently on near relatives....the eldest son performed the funeral ceremony: a dreadful fate therefore awaited the spirit of the dead Babylonian man or woman without offspring.” Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 70-71, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11.
Not only were the Babylonians very careful to properly bury their dead, but were also very careful in trying to prevent or at least delay decay of their loved ones through various means of preservation or embalming. These embalming techniques included the application of “kingly oil”, “salt” and “honey” to the body (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 49-50, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12; also Herodotus: a new and literal version from the text of [Johann Christian Felix] Baehr, p 86, translated by Henry Cary, published by Harper, 1848). After going through such carefulness in burial and preservation, along with all the necessary food, money and other items to make their journey to the underworld successful, then there would be “pronounced a powerful spell to prevent the violation of the tomb by robbers” especially over the tombs of royalty or other important dead persons (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 49, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12).
But even though the Babylonians believed that the dead were most likely in Hell forever, yet they also believed it was possible for the dead to briefly revisit the land of the living. And if they were to do so, then it was mostly for purposes of trying to “accomplish the destruction of mankind and his works” (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11). The Babylonians believed this possibility existed in only one of two different ways: 1) – By their spirit or ghost being allowed to visit the living, or 2) – By their actual temporary escape from Hell.
– Ghosts, Spirits, Demons
Ghosts, Spirits, Demons1). By far the most common, and sometimes even lengthy, escape of the dead from Hell was in their ghostly or spirit form, whether visible or invisible. “Ghosts and evil spirits wandered through the streets in darkness; they haunted empty houses;...they hastened, moaning dismally, across barren wastes searching for food or lay in wait for travellers”, or would prowl “through the streets or enter houses searching for scraps of food and pure water” (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, 70-71, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11). One Babylonian text mentioned that these demons “In caves of the earth do they dwell, In waste places of the earth do they suddenly appear” (cited in Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103-104, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
Also, “From the point of view of the average Assyrian or Babylonian, there might be demons almost anywhere” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11) since they “hid in strange crannies, slipped through doors or even through bolts and sockets” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Demons “were especially likely to be found in the desert, which was why the desert was such a dangerous place to wander around in. Graveyards and ruined buildings were other favoured lurking places...[And] they were likely to try to take up residence in a newly built house, to the harm and inconvenience of the human owners” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
These demons did not always have to appear as themselves, but “could take all kinds of forms” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 110, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965 A.D., Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11), such as various animals or birds, or even hideous monsters. “They could lie down in the form of an ass to wait for a man to approach, or run about the city at night in the shape of a fox, or go around in packs like hounds, or slither along the ground like snakes....they could creep into a house through a crack in the door or blow in like a draught. They were capable of unbelievably swift movement, and are described as flitting past like shooting stars” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 111, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). “The ‘shedu’ was a destructive bull which might slay man wantonly or as a protector of temples....the ‘alu’ was a bull-like demon of tempest, and there were also many composite, distorted, or formless monsters which were vaguely termed ‘seizers’ or ‘overthrowers’” (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11).
In addition to these demons assuming various shapes and forms, different spirits and ghosts could “inhabited the bodies of animals and were ever hovering near....When the owl raised its melancholy voice in the darkness the listener heard the spirit of a departed mother crying for her child. Ghosts and evil spirits...fluttered through the evening air as bats;...they came as roaring lions and howling jackals, hungering for human flesh” (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11).
Some spirits were believed to be more intense than others in their efforts to harass and trouble the living. This was because either their life had been one of great prosperity and love, or their death had occurred under unwanted circumstances.
“Death chilled all human affections; it turned love to hate; the deeper the love had been, the deeper became the enmity fostered by the ghost. Certain ghosts might also be regarded as particularly virulent and hostile if they happened to have left the body of one who was ceremonially impure. The most terrible ghost in Babylonia was that of a woman who had died in childbed. She was pitied and dreaded; her grief had demented her; she was doomed to wail in the darkness; her impurity clung to her like poison. No spirit was more prone to work evil against mankind, and her hostility was accompanied by the most tragic sorrow....
“The Babylonian ghosts of unmarried men and women and of those without offspring were also disconsolate night wanderers. Others who suffered similar fates were the ghosts of men who died in battle far from home and were left unburied, the ghosts of travellers who perished in the desert and were not covered over, the ghosts of drowned men which rose from the water, the ghosts of prisoners starved to death or executed, the ghosts of people who died violent deaths before their appointed time....the spirit of the dead Babylonian man or woman without offspring...[etc.]” Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 69-71, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11.
But not all ghosts and spirits of the dead “were considered harmful to mankind” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 106, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). Some spirits were believed to be basically good, who “served to protect human beings, and the colossal bulls and lions which were placed outside Assyrian palaces represented protecting spirits of this kind” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). Other spirits, identified as the “friendly guardians and the protecting genii of the E-kur [temple of Enlil]” were also thought to “stand by” and benefit those whom they desired to protect from harm (Sumerian Tablet of An Adab to An for Lipit-Eštar, line 50, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.5.3#, accessed 4-23-12).
Also, it was not uncommon for a Babylonian to pray and appeal to “the ghosts of my family” for special help in various areas (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 106, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). This was because the “ghost of a person decently buried and properly provided with funerary offerings was potentially [thought to be] well-disposed, and, being in touch with the authorities of the Underworld, could usefully be invoked on behalf of his still living kindred” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 106, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
– Zombies
Zombies2). Although it was believed to be much more possible for spirits and ghosts of the dead to haunt or even help the living, yet the Babylonians also believed that there existed a possibility that the dead could actually escape from the confines of Hell and themselves visit the land of the living. Should this occur, the dead would not appear as a spirit or ghost, but would re-enter and re-inhabit their own fleshly body that had been buried. So although these dead escapees would still be dead, yet they would have full control over their bodies. As such these living dead, or what we term Zombies today, would re-emerge from their graves with their fleshly bodies in various stages of decomposition. Since they could not be killed as their bodies were already dead, then they basically could do whatever they wanted to among the terrified inhabitants of the earth.
One of the first things these Zombies would do was to find something to eat to finally satisfy their hunger, and what could be better to eat than the first human you came across, or perhaps had purposely sought out because they had mistreated you when you were alive!
This possibility of the dead escaping Hell to become Zombies on earth was believed to exist only through the determined power of the gods. The goddess Ishtar, when determined to visit Hell, told the gate-keeper of the first door that “If thou openest not the gate to let me enter, I will break the door, I will wrench the lock, I will smash the door-posts, I will force the doors. I will bring up the dead to eat the living. And the dead will outnumber the living" (see Descent of the Goddess Ishtar Into the Lower World, taken from The Civilization of Babylonia and Assyria, by M. Jastrow, 1915, http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm, accessed 12-15-11).
Yet “the ancient myths mostly appeared to teach that the life of man was decided not by righteous gods bound by their own moral laws, but by the arbitrary interplay of the uncertain tempers of the leaders of the pantheon” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 112, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). This arbitrariness of the Babylonian gods was clearly seen with the goddess Inanna/Ishtar. It was written of her: “Inana, you destroy what should not be destroyed; you create what should not be created” (Sumerian Tablet on Enki and the World Order, line 446, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr113.htm, accessed 4-27-12). So since their gods were unpredictable, the Babylonians really feared that one of their gods would indeed allow Zombies of their dead enemies to appear unexpectedly who would then try to harm them or their loved ones. They especially feared that this could occur at any time during the night, since the dead dwelled where the sun does not shine and thus preferred the time of darkness in which to do all their mayhem.
– Protection from Ghosts, Spirits, Demons, Zombies
Protection from Ghosts, Spirits, Demons, Zombies In order to help prevent these Ghosts, spirits, Demons and even Zombies from harming them, the Babylonians were taught to placate the dead by sacrificing to them. These sacrifices usually included offering different foods and drinks, in hopes that the dead would remember their kindness and leave them and their loved ones alone (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 70-71, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11). Another way was to try and charm them “away by performing magical ceremonies, or by invoking the gods to thwart them and bind them” (Myths of Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter IV titled “Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts, p 65, by Donald A. MacKenzie, 1915, at http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/mba/mba10.htm, accessed 12-3-11). And who better for the common people to seek this needed help but from the priests who claimed to be in direct contact with these gods themselves, and thus better able than the people were to gain the god’s favors and protection.
Priesthood The priesthood within the Babylonian system of mystery religion was specifically designed to where the priests and the common worshipers were divided from one another. Although the main work of the priesthood was to serve the people and the gods, yet they were not elected by, nor governed by, the people themselves. Also, only those who had been chosen and trained as priests were permitted to deal with any of the various aspects of their religious beliefs – especially with regards to all dealings with the gods, whereas none of the common people were allowed to do so. This meant that even though the people might fully understand how to perform the same work as the priests, or knew how to teach the same beliefs, or exactly what words to say in regards to the gods, yet they were not permitted to do so because they were not priests.
The priesthood thus became a completely separate, higher and more powerful ruling class in Babylonian society in which the common worshippers themselves had no control over. The common people could not perform the same priestly tasks, and especially could not personally come before the gods without the priest. And it is this “distinction between priest and layman [which] is characteristic of this Babylonian religion” (Encyclopeadia Britannica, under word Babylon, Vol. 2, p 861, 1948).
– High Priest and the Sacred Magical Number 666
High Priest and the Sacred Magical Number 666 Above the common people, as well as the priests themselves, ruled the high priest. The high priest was considered to be the one closest to the gods, and thus the one expected to receive the most favors from the gods. In order to try and live up to this high expectation, the high priest, above all other priests, needed to have something of a supernatural and all powerful magical ability in order to coerce or outright force these gods to perform his will. And just such a powerful magical device was developed for him.
As we have learned, the Babylonians were very fond of certain numbers, and in fact considered some particular numbers to be sacred in their ritual worship and religious practices. Since the circle of the heavens was divided into 360 degrees, and since their lunar calendar year had 360 days, which was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, 24 hours to each day, with each hour having 60 minutes, and each minute being 60 seconds long, then the common dividing factor for each of these numbers was the number 6. Thus the Babylonians believed that the number 6 was especially sacred.
As they had 36 high deities that were ruling in the heavens, they therefore were believed to have great power, and were thus feared. These high deities made up their pantheon which consisted of 37 in number, including Baal/Marduk. To further identify each deity, and also to try and better control each one of these gods or goddesses, the Babylonians assigned a different number from 1 to 36 to each of these high deities, and left Baal unnumbered among them since he was supreme god over them all.
Since each of their high deities now had their own special number, and the priests were in charge of contacting the gods at any time of the day or night to either obtain their favors, or ask for wisdom, foretell the future, or to placate their wrath, etc., then they needed to have all of these deities with them at all times. So what they did was to take a clay disk, mark out a perfect square on it, then divided that square into 6 vertical columns with 6 horizontal rows. This made a total of 36 separate squares which were then numbered, so that each of their 36 deities had their own particular square with their own particular number in it. The 6 columns and 6 rows made a total of 12 separate pathways which were representative of the 12 signs of the Zodiac.
Yet the Babylonians did not number each square in an ascending sequence beginning from 1 through 36, but arranged these numbers in such a way that when you added up the sum total of the 6 different numbers appearing in each row it would total exactly 111 each, and the same 111 number occurred when you added up the sum of the 6 different numbers appearing in each of the 6 columns. Thus when you added up the total for each of the 6 rows of 111 each, you found the grand total was exactly 666! The same 666 numbered total was found by adding up each of the 6 columns of 111 as well. Now on the other side of this clay disk they placed the sun symbol of their supreme god Baal/Marduk, since he controlled all the 36 gods represented on the reverse side (click here to view Solar Seal #1, Solar Seal #2, and each side by side).
“The Babylonians were the principle developers of astrology, as we know it today. In their worship system, they had 37 supreme gods, and one of these, the god associated with the sun, was supreme over all the other gods. These people believed that numbers in some way had power over the gods they worshiped. However, they had to create numbers that they could assign to the gods so that they could have power over them. To do this, they counted their gods and assigned a count number to each of the 36 lesser supreme gods, and then added up all of these numbers (from one to 36) and assigned the sum to the sun god. The first god they counted got the number one assigned to it, and the second god they counted got the number two assigned to it, and so on up to all 36 lesser supreme gods. Now, if you have not guessed it by now, the sum of the numbers from one to 36 totals 666, which they assigned to the god associated with the sun....
“Now, the amulets had to be as powerful as possible, so in order to increase its power, they arranged these numbers in such a way that the sum of any given row, column, or diagonal is 111, and therefore the sum of all six rows or all six columns was 666. This was supposed to provide extra protection, including from the god associated with the sun, since this god's sum was present on the amulet....
“Note that any given column, row, or diagonal adds up to 111. The ancient Babylonians wrote these numbers out on a small clay tablet, and after drying and baking it to make the writing permanent, they would hang it on a support and wear it around their neck.” Origin and History of the Number 666, at http://www.666man.net/666religionhistoryoverview.html, accessed 5-23-12.
This clay disk amulet became known as a “sun seal” or “solar seal”, and the squares of the 36 gods became known as the “magic squares”. It was considered to be the most powerful magical amulet ever created because on this single disk all of Babylon’s high deities were combined and represented through the number 666; all of the power of these Babylonian high deities was combined and represented through the number 666; all the might of the 12 signs of the Zodiac was combined and represented through the number 666, and their supreme god Baal was the one in complete control of all this power. Thus the number 666 was considered to be the sacred number representing their supreme sun god Baal/Marduk himself.
It was considered so sacred that only the high priest could wear and use this sun seal as they sought to contact, to seek help from, and even try and control the gods. Thus it became an indispensable aid in performing and conducting their sacred mysteries and ritual practices. Without its use, it was considered nearly impossible to contact, get help from, or even attempt to control their gods, and thus it, as well as the 666 number of the sun god Baal/Marduk, became inseparably identified with the mystery religion of Babylon.
– Church - State
Church - State As the priests were believed to be closer to their gods than the common people could ever be; as the priests were the only ones who could control, to some extent, the supernatural forces just by their word given through magical incantations and spells, and since the priests were the only ones the people could look to for help in avoiding superstitious fears, then they were to be highly respected and implicitly obeyed. This fact made the priests very rich and very powerful.
As the king and his governmental leaders needed to make sure that they did everything correctly in order to conduct their business properly for the good of the kingdom and therefore needed guidance and counsel from the gods, and the priests were the only interpreters of the will of the gods, then "religion and politics became more inextricably linked" (Toward the Image of Tammuz, by Jacobsen, cited in When Time Began, p 356, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). The kingdom of Babylon became a state government totally united with the church. It was a kingdom that was ruled by their god Marduk, but was controlled by the priests since they alone knew the will of Marduk. Even though the king of Babylon ruled on the throne, yet he wielded his power under guidance of the high priest of the state-church because he, of all priests, knew better what the will of Marduk was.
One very clear example of this fact was that the Babylonian “king was not really king in the eyes of the people until he was invested with royal authority by the priests, ‘took the hands of Bel,’ and conducted the image of Marduk in solemn procession through the streets. In these ceremonies the monarch was dressed as a priest, symbolizing the union of church and state...” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 232-233, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n331/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). And at times, even a “priest of An, who is fitted for pure prayers rites, whom you summoned from the holy womb…, has been elevated to lordship over the Land; he has been installed as shepherd” or king! (Sumerian Tablet of A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, lines 2-4, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12). Thus irregardless of whether the king was an actual priest or not, “Babylonia remained in effect a theocratic state, always ‘under the thumb of the priests’” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 233, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n331/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12).
This, of course, made the Babylonian high priest very rich and extremely powerful. And as it was the high priest who knew, more than any other, what the will of the gods were, his word “was considered to be infallible” (Truth Matters, Chapter 9 “The Wine of Babylon, p 217, by Walter J. Veith, Amazing Discoveries Publisher, 2007). In respect of his exalted position and knowledge of the gods, he “was addressed as 'Your Holiness'” (Truth Matters, Chapter 9 “The Wine of Babylon, p 217, by Walter J. Veith, Amazing Discoveries Publisher, 2007), and his will and commands were carried out to the letter just as if they were the voice of Marduk himself.
Now since the Babylonian religious system placed a distinction between priests and laymen, and also functioned where authority flowed downward from one man (high priest) at the top and then through a chain of command until it reached the mass of common worshipers below, their religious organizational system formed a hierarchy and in shape resembled a pyramid.
Offerings and Sacrifices It was the main work of the Babylonian priests within this religious hierarchy to act as mediators between the people and the gods. It was their duty to assist the worshippers in approaching the gods through prayers, offerings and sacrifices, and also to help them with whatever problems or troubles they were facing – either physically or supernaturally. And most importantly, it was the priests duty to keep their Babylonian gods happy with the king, with the state government, and with the nation as a whole. This was mainly accomplished through the different types of offerings and sacrifices which all the priests made to these gods.
Since none of the Babylonian gods themselves would directly and audibly speak to these priests, including the high priest, then the only way to ascertain if they were pleased or sad, happy or angry, was by observation of things which these gods controlled and ruled over.
As the various Babylonian gods controlled all aspects of nature, whether on earth below or in the sky and stary heavens above, then by observing the actions of these animate or inanimate things, and interpreting whether these actions indicated a blessing or a curse, the priests would be able to determine the disposition of the gods and then know exactly what sacrifices and offerings were appropriate to use.
For instance: if the rains came on time and the nation’s food crops were growing well, then the gods controlling these were obviously happy. Then the priests would offer sacrifices and gifts appropriate to keep these gods happy. But if the rains were not on time, or a drought was in effect and thus the food crops were suffering, then the priests knew that the gods controlling these were obviously unhappy, and would then offer appropriate sacrifices to try and appease them. And the greater the natural calamity or disaster, the greater the need to offer more abundant or more costly sacrifices in order to prove to these gods their great and sincere need of help.
There were various kinds of offerings and sacrifices which the priests offered to the gods. These offerings and sacrifices included incense, articles of food and drink, precious metals and valuables, living creatures, and even humans. We will examine each of these in more detail. (Note: The footnotes in this Offering and Sacrifices section provide the English translation of the Sumerian text, and then provides the reference and link to the entire text. In Appendix A, we have provided just the ancient statements from Sumerian literature translated into English to support our findings. The numbers appearing first in the references below correspond to the numbers of these Appendix quotes.)
– Incense
Incense “Incense offerings” (#3 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 10th kirugu, lines 196, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12) to the gods were usually made by burning various aromatic substances, such as oils, resins, or plants. These incense oils included “Sweet oil...mixed oil, pressed oil, aromatic oil, cedar oil for offerings” (#1 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Grain and Sheep, lines 105-106, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr532.htm, accessed 4-23-12), as well as “Incense resin” such as “aromatic resin, ligidba resin and first-class resin” (#2 - Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 110-111, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12); and “cedar resin” (#4 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 8, line A8.12 (cumulative line 206), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12). Also plant materials such as “juniper, the mountains' pure plant” were used (#4 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 8, line A8.11 (cumulative line 205), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12. See also #3 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 10th kirugu, line 196, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12).
All of these oils and resins were placed in an “incense burner” and lit (#6 - Sumerian Tablet of The Home of the Fish, Segment A, line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.9.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12), which then “filled it [the temple] with the smoke of incense” (#5 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section 4, lines B4.4 (cumulative lines 889), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12) and with the aromatic fragrance and scents which are “beloved of the gods” (#7 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Ninisina (Ninisina B), line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.22.2#, accessed 4-23-12).
– Food and Drink
Food and Drink The various types of food and drink were placed in “cultic vessels” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12). Some of these vessels were either “offering-bowls” (#3 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 10th kirugu, line 197, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12) – especially for wet or liquid offerings, while others were “baskets” for dryer offerings (#15 - Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2.d14, line 21, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.6.1.02&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=c6102.D.2.d14.20#c6102.D.2.d14.20, accessed 4-20-12). The sizes of these cultic offering bowls and baskets were of various sizes, ranging from small to “huge” (#11 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), 4th kirugu, line 44, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr432e.htm, accessed 4-23-12).
The different types of food items offered to the gods were quite varied, and were of the best “pure” quality that could be obtained (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 13, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12). These “food offerings” (#13 - Sumerian Tablet of An Adab to An for Lipit-Eštar, line 51, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.5.3#, accessed 4-23-12) were normally obtained from the “rich produce of the land”, and thus consisted of anything that could be grown; such as “wheat, hulled barley” (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, line 76, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12), as well as other “grain” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 11, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12), and items produced from grain including “malt” (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, line 75, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12), and “flour” (#6 - Sumerian Tablet of The Home of the Fish, Segment A, line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.9.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12) which was ritually used by being “sprinkled” (#8 - Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, line 250, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12), and also “bread” (#11 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), 4th kirugu, line 45, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr432e.htm, accessed 4-23-12) and “cakes” (#27 - Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, line 393, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12), including sweet “date-syrup cakes” made “from pastes of honey mixed with ghee [or clairfied butter]” (#12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), lines 157-158, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12).
There were also “fruit offerings” (#23 - Sumerian Tablet of The Song of the Hoe, line 42, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.5.4#, accessed 4-23-12) of various kinds, offered to the gods, including “gipar fruit, fig-cakes...dates,…and small grapes” (#10 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 3, lines B3.22-23 (cumulative lines 880-881), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12; and #12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), lines 150-151, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12). Also “pale honey exported from the mountains” was offered (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 16, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12; and #12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), lines 157, 159, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12), as well as other “harvest crops”, such as “small beans and large beans gathered in piled-high baskets,...onions and shallots, seed turnips, cardamom”, etc. (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, lines 75-78, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12).
Besides these, other food offerings consisted of dairy items, such as “butter from holy cows...and yellow cream” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 17, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12; also #16 - Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, line 20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12), “cheeze” (#10 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 3, line B3.22 (cumulative line 880), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12; and #12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), line 150, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12), and “eggs” (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, line 74, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12).
The drink and liquid offerings were usually libations which were poured out to the gods as an offering. These different kinds of liquid items that were offered were also quite varied, and consisted of both drinkable and non-drinkable substances.
Non-drinkable liquid offerings consisted of various kinds of offering oils, such as “fish oil and bird oil” (#15 - Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2.d14, line 21, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.6.1.02#, accessed 4-23-12).
The various kinds of drinkable libation offerings consisted of “pure water” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 21, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12; and #8 - Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, line 250, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12; and #14 - Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: from Susa, Proverb MDP 27 91 and MDP 27 92, line 1, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/proverbs/t.6.2.2.html, accessed 4-23-12); “syrup, ghee,...sour milk,” (#10 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 3, line B3.22 (cumulative line 880), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12; and #12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), line 150, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12), as well as fresh “milk” (#13 - Sumerian Tablet of An Adab to An for Lipit-Eštar, line 51, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.5.3#, accessed 4-23-12) and “sweet-smelling milk” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, line 11, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12).
But the most abundant and especially coveted drink offerings were “alcoholic” in nature, and this drink of the gods were of a variety of different kinds and preparations. Alcoholic drinks such as, “glistening wine, very sweet emmer beer fermented with pure substances, pure…powerful beer made doubly strong with wine, a drink for your lordship [moon god Nanna]; double-strength beer, superior beer, befitting your holy hands” (#9 - Sumerian Tablet of A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, lines 11-14, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12; #10 - Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 3, line B3.22 (cumulative line 880), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12; #11 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), 4th kirugu, line 42, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr432e.htm, accessed 4-23-12; #13 - Sumerian Tablet of An Adab to An for Lipit-Eštar, line 51, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.5.3#, accessed 4-23-12; and #24 - Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment H, lines 242-248, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm, accessed 4-22-12). There was also offered libations of “dark beer,...light emmer beer, [and] wine for drinking which is pleasant to the taste” (#27 - Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 375-377, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12; and #12 - Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), lines 152-154, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12).
But it was not just within the temples that the priests could perform these offering and sacrificial rituals and ceremonies, but also outside in the high places of the sacred groves of trees located “on the mountain” (#8 - Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, line 251, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12), or just in places of higher elevation than the surrounding areas, such as “on the roofs” of various buildings, including “the rooftops of the dwellings” (#25 - Sumarian Tablet, A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan, line 144, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12). These sacred places could also be found located on “the pure places of the plain, at its good places” (#25 - Sumarian Tablet, A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan, line 143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12).
One of the main reasons these food and drink offerings were provided to the gods was because it was believed that “As you [the god] eat, flax comes into being, grain comes into being. As you drink, early floods come into being in the rivers” (Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), lines 34-35, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.32.e#, accessed 4-26-12). Thus the more food and drink offerings that were brought to the gods, the more hope was generated in the hearts of the people that these same gods would favor the growing season with an abundance of water and appropriate weather so that an abundant harvest could be reaped.
In order to provide the gods with a constant and seemingly never ending supply of food and drinks, the temples themselves had their own “cow-pen” so that “butter and milk” could be freely obtained and “brought in” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 28, lines A28.3-4 (cumulative lines 759-760), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12), as well as their own bakery where “From its huge oven, great cakes and croissants come” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 28, lines A28.5-6 (cumulative lines 761-762), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12). And since the special drink of their gods was alcoholic in nature, then especially did these temples themselves have their own “wine-cellar” stocked with so much wine that it was like “a mountain oozing wine” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 28, line A28.11 (cumulative line 767), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12), as well as their own “brewing vats” (Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), 7th kirugu, line 76, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.32.e#, accessed 4-26-12), so that “from its brewery as much beer comes as the Tigris at high water” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 28, lines A28.12-13 (cumulative lines 768-769), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12). In fact, the Sumerians “are recognized as the first civilized culture to brew beer” (Article titled Antique Soda & Beer Bottles, published at http://mysite.verizon.net/vonmechow/sodahist.htm, accessed 4-26-12). All these various kinds of food and drinks were kept fresh and “available day and night; to [try and] wake from sleep the noble one” and beloved god or goddess of the temple “by offering food and drink” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 7, lines B7.7-9 (cumulative lines 966-968), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12).
– Precious Metal and Gems
Precious Metal and Gems Besides the giving of offerings of incense, food and drink, the worshipers could also give to the gods more valuable items, including precious metals, such as “copper” (#16 - Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, line 20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12; #19 - Sumerian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade, (Old Babylonian version), lines 136-143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-26-12), “silver” (#18 - Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, line 481, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12; and #19 - Sumerian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade, (Old Babylonian version), lines 136-143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-26-12), and especially “offerings of refined gold” (#17 - Sumerian Tablet of The Rulers of Lagas, line 114, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.2&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12; also #16 - Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, line 20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12; #18 - Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, line 481, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12; #19 - Sumerian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade, (Old Babylonian version), lines 136-143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-26-12; and #20 - Sumerian Tablet on The Death of Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma A), line 108, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2411.htm, accessed 4-23-12). But also offerings of “precious stones”, “gems” (#19 - Sumerian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade, (Old Babylonian version), lines 136-143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-26-12; #21 - Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A28.14 (cumulative line 770), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12) and “jewelry” (#20 - Sumerian Tablet on The Death of Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma A), line 107, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2411.htm, accessed 4-23-12). This meant that the “storehouse” of many of the temples of the gods “is full of gems, silver and tin” (#21 - Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A28.14-17 (cumulative lines 770-773), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12), as well as other valuable and costly treasures.
– Fish, Fowl and Animal
Fish, Fowl and Animal But even though such a vast variety of incense, food, drink, oil and valuables were offered to the Babylonian gods in order to try and make them happy, yet they required even more. As all of these above items and offerings were lifeless, the gods further desired the life of living things to be given them as sacrificial offerings.
The types of living things which could be given to the gods as a sacrificial offering were not limited to just a few creatures, but could include quite a variety from either the fish, fowl or animal kingdoms.
For instance: from the fish kingdom there were both varieties of “sea fish” as well as freshwater fish, such as “carp”, that were provided as offerings to the gods (#22 - Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2,d13, lines 17-19, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.6.1.02#, accessed 4-23-12; also #16 - Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, line 20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12).
As the Babylonians themselves consumed over 25 different varieties of feathered fowl (see Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History, p 158, by J.N. Postgate, reprinted, illustrated edition, Publisher Psychology Press, 1994), then it is likely that any of these, especially the “Esig birds”, could be offered and sacrificed to the gods (#22 - Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2,d13, line 17, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.6.1.02#, accessed 4-23-12; also #16 - Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, line 20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12). There were even brought “birds [still] brooding in their nests, taken together with their eggs” as offerings (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, line 74, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12).
But by far, the greatest sacrificial offerings of living creatures that could be brought to the Babylonian gods were from the animal kingdom. Such animals as “cattle and sheep of the hill, fully grown wild rams, deer and stags,…sheep, long-fleeced barley-fed sheep, thick-tailed sheep. Pigs grown fat in the midst of the reedbeds, porcupine, tortoise, turtle” were just some of many varieties that were offered and sacrificed to the gods (#26 - Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, lines 71-73, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12). There were also offered “goats” (#27 - Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 380-382, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12), as well as “kids” of goats (#23 - Sumerian Tablet of The Song of the Hoe, line 42, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.5.4#, accessed 4-23-12).
Now historians differ among themselves as to whether or not the Mesopotamians really sacrificed animals to their gods. But instead of citing from historians in this area, let us instead quote directly from the writings of these Mesopotamians themselves since they would know whether or not they did in fact sacrifice animals to their gods.
“Zi-ud-sura the king prostrated himself before Utu [the sun god]. The king sacrificed oxen and offered innumerable sheep.” Sumerian Tablet of The Flood Story, Segment D, lines 10-11, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr174.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
“He [the king] shall recite great prayers. The king shall slaughter bulls, shall sacrifice sheep. He shall pour beer from a bowl. He shall have the šem and ala drums sound, and have the sweet-sounding tigi instruments play. The foreign lands shall declare my [goddess Inana’s] greatness. My people shall utter my praise.” Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment H, lines 242-248, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm, accessed 4-22-12.
“...in the sanctuaries of mankind, incense offerings like a forest of aromatic cedars are transmitted to her [goddess Inanna]. They sacrifice alum sheep, long-haired sheep, and fattened sheep for her...they carry out purification rites for her.” Sumarian Tablet, A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan, lines 145-147, 149, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
“[King] Gudea left Iri-kug [temple] a second time; he sacrificed a perfect bull and a perfect kid.” Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section 18, lines A18.7-9 (cumulative lines 489-491), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
“He [king Gudea] entered the shrine of E-ninnu [temple] with raised head like a bull and sacrificed there faultless oxen and kids.” Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section B18.19-20 (or cumulative lines 1239-1240), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
Thus it is plain from their own sacred writings that the Babylonians did indeed offer up animal sacrifices to their gods and goddesses. And it was not always just raw flesh that was provided for their gods to eat!
“As the sun was rising..., [king] Lugalbanda, invoking the name of Enlil, made An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursaja sit down to a banquet at the pit, at the place in the mountains which he had prepared. The banquet was set, the libations were poured -- dark beer, alcoholic drink, light emmer beer, wine for drinking which is pleasant to the taste. Over the plain he poured cool water as a libation. He put the knife to the flesh of the brown goats, and he roasted the dark livers there. He let their smoke rise there, like incense put on the fire. As if Dumuzid had brought in the good savours of the cattle pen, so An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursaja consumed the best part of the food prepared by Lugalbanda. Like the shining place of pure strength, the holy altar of Suen...” Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 371-388, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
While the above text refers to these burnt or roasted animal sacrifices occurring in the sacred high places and groves of the mountains, yet it shows that it was not always raw sacrificial flesh that the Babylonian gods were happy to receive. In fact, it was the Babylonian gods themselves that revealed to their followers that they desired such burnt and roasted animal sacrifices in the first place!
“Zangara, the god of dreams, himself like a bull, bellowed at [king] Lugalbanda. Like the calf of a cow he lowed: ‘Who will slaughter a brown wild bull for me? Who will make its fat melt for me? He shall take my axe whose metal is tin, he shall wield my dagger which is of iron. Like an athlete I shall let him bring away the brown wild bull, the wild bull of the mountains, I shall let him like a wrestler make it submit. Its strength will leave it. When he offers it before the rising sun, let him heap up like barleycorns the heads of the brown goat and the nanny goat, both the goats; when he has poured out their blood in the pit -- let their smell waft out in the desert so that the alert snakes of the mountains will sniff it.’
“Lugalbanda awoke -- it was a dream. He shivered -- it was sleep. He rubbed his eyes, he was overawed. He took his axe whose metal was tin, he wielded his dagger which was of iron. Like an athlete he brought away the brown wild bull, the wild bull of the mountains, like a wrestler he made it submit. Its strength left it. He offered it before the rising sun. He heaped up like barleycorns the heads of the brown goat and the nanny goat, both of the goats. He poured out their blood in the pit so that their smell wafted out in the desert. The alert snakes of the mountains sniffed it.” Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 348-370, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
As the Babylonian gods desired not just raw flesh, but also burnt and roasted flesh from the various kinds of animal sacrifices whose lives were offered up to them, then it seems quite clear that both kinds of these sacrificial meats were also supplied to these gods from within their temples themselves, and not just from the various outdoor sacred shires and altars. And, of course, the greater the necessity for their gods to awaken and intervene to benefit some Babylonian individual, or one of their temples or even their nation, meant the greater need there was for more abundant sacrifices and offerings to be made.
– Human
Human This need for increased sacrifices and offerings especially arose during times of severe calamities, such as drought, famine, floods or wild fires. During such extreme times it was believed that a more valuable and costly sacrifice than just the life of animals was required in order to appease the wrath of the gods. And the most costly sacrifice of all, was of a human!
Adrammelech was an Assyrian/Babylonian “sun god worshipped at Sippar. Infants were burnt in sacrifices to him” (Article titled: An In Depth Look At Some of the Ancient Near East's Gods and Demons from the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Persian Cultures, published at Ancient Worlds website, under Mesopotamia, at http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/909625, accessed 4-18-12. Further proof of this fact can be found at Encyclopedia Mythica, Mesopotamian Mythology section, under word Adrammelech, at http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/adrammelech.html, accessed 4-19-12; Online Study Dictionary, under word Adrammelech, Net Bible website, at http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Adrammelech, accessed 4-19-12; Mesopotamian Mythology, The Gods of Sumer & Babylon, under word Adrammelech, on God Checker website, at http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/mesopotamian-mythology.php?deity=ADRAMMELECH, accessed 4-19-12; and Answers.com Online website, under word Adrammelech, at http://www.answers.com/topic/adrammelech, accessed 4-19-11). This infant sacrificed “to the Sun-god” was usually “a first born child” (Beware It's Coming - The Antichrist 666, by William Josiah Sutton, published by W.F.G. Inc. p 44-45). And since infants were burnt by the Babylonians to their gods, then you know that when the life of these innocent victims failed to bring about the needed change, then the life of older human victims were sacrificed to the gods, since the value of an adult was considered to be of more value to the gods than an infant.
As these human sacrifices occurred during times in which it was necessary to appease this sun god’s great wrath, and since Adrammelech was a god of the sun, and therefore just another manifestation of Marduk, then the life of these human sacrifices were really being offered up to their one great and supreme sun god, as well as to the one hidden god behind Marduk!
– Daily Rituals
Daily Rituals The usual daily work of the priests involved the following: before the priests could perform any services in the temples they first had to “perform correctly the hand-washing rites” in the sacred and holy water (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section 10, line A10.7, (cumulative line 254), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-30-12). It was considered to be one of “his divine duties...to let hands always be washed” so that everything the priests did would be “with holy hands” (Sumerian Cylinder of The building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section 6, lines B6.24-26 (cumulative lines 957-959), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12). In fact, the Babylonians even had a god who was “the lord of the pure hand-washings” (Sumerian Cylinder of The building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section 7, lines B7.10 (cumulative line 969), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-26-12). This meant that the priests feared that if they did not do “the exact performance of hand-washing” (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B), line 133, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02#, accessed 4-23-12) before performing each and every food or drink offering, sacrifice, or other services then they would be in danger of offending the gods and risk suffering their displeasure. So even though their hands were clean and not dirty, they still needed and were expected to wash their hands anyway so as not to risk offending the gods.
After the priests had properly washed their hands, and now had holy hands, they then were able to perform their usual daily work, where they “tended the cult statues, made sacrifices and offerings, performed rituals, prayers, and songs. A meal was served to the statues, and then their fingers cleansed in a bowl of water. The meal was then sent to the king - conferring some of the god's sacred blessing upon him” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12).
– Statues
Statues To the Babylonians, their “statues were the gods” themselves (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). Even though the Babylonians believed their gods dwelt everywhere and were not limited by space, yet physically “the gods inhabited the statues” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). So wherever these statues were placed, these depicted gods were themselves thought to be in that area and thus would protect it. Therefore they “protected the city in which they dwelt” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12), the temple in which they were honored, the door or gate at which they were placed to guard, etc.
All the different kinds of offerings and sacrifices that were given for the gods were placed before these statues and shrines all throughout the day, and were allowed to remain overnight so that the gods could partake of any and all they wanted to. But what happened to all these offering and sacrificial items that would always remained uneaten, undrunk, and unused by these gods? All that remained was taken away by the priests, and much of it was then used by them to feed and support their families, which included the sacred “water provided for water libations was drunk” obviously by them (Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: from Susa, Proverb MDP 27 91 and MDP 27 92, line 1, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/proverbs/t.6.2.2.html, accessed 4-23-12). Thus the priesthood and their families became very well fed and very well off financially.
Classifications of Priests But not all Babylonian priests were limited strictly to the offering of sacrifices to the gods, or officiating at temple rituals and yearly festival services. Nor did they have all the same services to perform or religious ceremonies to conduct. There were several “categories of priests” (Babylonian Religion, by Dr. M.D. Magee, at http://www.askwhy.co.uk/judaism/0235Marduk.php, accessed 5-13-12) within the Babylonian system of mystery religion which specialized in different areas. Some priests were specially devoted to observing the signs in the heavens and then interpreting what these signs or omens meant. Others were specialized in areas such as interpreting natural phenomena; interpreting dreams; treating disease; casting out demons; protecting from evil spirits, ghosts, demons; etc. We will now briefly examine these few specialized areas, beginning with celestial phenomena.
– Priests who Interpreted Celestial Phenomena - Astrology
Priests who Interpreted Celestial Phenomena - Astrology The Babylonians held that the “course of events was believed to be in the hands of the divine powers, and things happened because the gods had decided that they should. If the gods already knew what was going to happen, it was a reasonable assumption that in some circumstances they would give a glimpse of future events to human beings” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 107, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
As their most important gods were connected with various constellations, stars and planets, then they were now able to directly see and examine all their gods in the various celestial bodies of the night sky throughout the year. Thus the “light rays sent forth from the planets were magical glances by which the gods guided activities on Earth. Their influence was predetermined beyond the possibility of doubt by the special traits of the particular god....Each planet's name carried with it the entire body of legend which the old religion had attached to the god” (Babylonian Astrology, cited at http://numberonestars.com/life/babylonian_astrology.htm, accessed 5-13-12). Thus the Babylonians believed they could find out what the will of their gods were by correctly observing and then interpreting all these heavenly signs.
These heavenly signs were viewed as messages and omens indicating either good or bad luck, prosperity or ruin, favor or disfavor, and all under control of the gods themselves. Some examples of the omens derived from particular celestial alignments were: “If (the moon) becomes visible on the 30th day and is dim, and stands in opposition (with the sun) on the 13th or the 14th day: the market will decrease” (Hunger Uruk I 94: line 18, cited in Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 40, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998). Or: “If Jupiter attains positive latitude in the region...and Mars...stand below Jupiter and disappears from the sky, or attains negative latitude: the market will increase and the people will speak the truth” (Hunger Uruk I 94: lines 9-14, cited in Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 43, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998. See also Mesopotamian Astrology: An Introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian Celestial Divination, p 170-171, by U. Koch-Westenholz, Copenhagen: Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, 1995). Or: “If the moon becomes visible on the first day [of the week]: reliable speech; the land will be happy. If the day reaches its normal length: a reign of long days. If the moon at its appearance wears a crown: the king will reach the highest rank” (State Archives of Assyria, volume 8, Report #10, cited in Wikipedia, on line Encyclopedia, under word Enuma Anu Enlil, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enuma_anu_enlil, accessed 2-22-12). Or: “When the Sun reaches its zenith and is dark, the unrighteousness of the land will come to naught”; or “When in the month Sivyan Venus shall appear in Cancer, the king will have no rival” (When Time Began, p 357, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11).
Those who were in charge of correctly interpreting what all these celestial signs, messages and omens really meant were the temple priests. Their sacred Ziggurat tower or temple was literally named the “Temple of the Seven Transmitters of Commands from Heaven to Earth”, referencing that the seven planets/gods were transmitting messages from the celestial heavens depending on where their particular position was located in the sky. So the Gods, “through signs and omens, actively guided” all affairs of life (Toward the Image of Tammuz, by Jacobsen, cited in When Time Began, p 356, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11), whether governmental, church or even common individuals.
Thus to the Babylonians “divine worship became equivalent to astronomy, astronomy equivalent to searching out the will of the gods. In observing the movements of the planets and their relationships to one another, the priest was performing the highest rite of his religion” (Babylonian Astrology, cited at http://numberonestars.com/life/babylonian_astrology.htm, accessed 5-13-12).
Thus “Nothing could be known...except by divine revelation; and this revelation came only through the priests” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, p 262-263, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n361/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Therefore “No king would undertake a campaign or advance to a battle, no Babylonian would risk a crucial decision to begin an enterprise of great moment, without employing a priest or a soothsayer to read the omens for him” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243-244, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12).
Not only were the priests involved in guiding the governmental affairs of Babylon through interpreting these celestial signs and omens, but they were especially involved in guiding the affairs of the populace as well. If a person wanted advice from the gods, then the particular celestial alignments for that day became significant in how to advise them. For instance: “Would a certain person, not necessarily the king, recover from an illness? Will the pregnant mother bear a healthy child?” (When Time Began, p 358, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). These were some of the questions which the priests claimed they could answer depending on the signs in the heavens and the omens derived therefrom.
– Horoscope
Horoscope But more than this: since each day of the week was named after a particular god/planet (or wandering stars), and as each month of the year was named after a different god/constellation (of fixed stars), then each day of the entire year was different than the previous depending on how the alignment of the planets were in relation to the signs of the Zodiac. This meant that guidance from their gods for any person could be discovered depending on what day of which month in which year they had been born on.
For instance: “if a child is born on such-and-such a date” (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 15, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998), then the heavens predicted that either good or bad luck would follow them, and sometimes throughout their entire life. So “the situation of the heavens at the time of a birth came to be regarded as significant for the future of an individual” (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p x, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998).
An example of such horoscopic birth omens were: “(If) a child is born in Taurus, the Bull of Heaven (is) Great Anu of heaven: That man will be distinguished, his sons and daughters will return and he will see gain” (BM 32224 ii lines 13-15, cited in Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 14, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998).
This meant that the astronomical data which the Babylonian priests recorded of the heavens was being used by them in an astrological manner in order to guide the affairs of state and populace. This in turn meant that all these omens of either good or bad luck which the priests generated from these celestial positions were an early form of the horoscope. Thus both astrology as well as the horoscope were essentially born in Babylon, and this “basic idea of predicting the life of a person on the basis of astronomical phenomena associated with the birth day was originally Babylonian” (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 2, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998).
In addition to astrology and the horoscope originating in Babylon, since the Babylonians were the first to determine “from a calendar date something of relevance for an individual bear[s] relation to the tradition of the menologies and hemerologies in which actions, such as marrying, laying the foundation of a house, or ‘going out the gate,’ on particular dates were determined to be propitious or unpropitious” (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 15, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998). Thus even these areas originated in Babylon.
– Fortune Telling
Fortune Telling Along with such birth day horoscopic omens, there were also other omens dealing with celestial events occurring sometime after a person was born. For instance: “(If) a child is born and during his infancy a solar eclipse occurs: He will die in a foreign city...and the house of his father will be scattered” (BM 32488 obv., line 10, cited in Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 14, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998). Or: “[a child is born and...] there will be anger in his heart...for 3 years whatever he takes will not remain in his hands, (then) he will keep his own property and will see a profit” (BM 32304 ii lines 6, 8-10, cited in Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 14, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998).
But this assumed ability of fortune telling meant that careful and detailed observation and derived information needed to be recorded and kept on hand, not only of celestial alignments, but also of the time and date of ones birth. An example of the details kept of ones birth was “The child was born on the 22nd day in the 11th hour (in the daytime)” on this month in this year (Hunger Uruk collection, I 94, line 18, cited in (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 38, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998). Some of these celestial recordings, found in a collection of some 70 clay tablets referred to as Enuma Anu Enlil, dealt with the “behaviour of the moon”, noting “its relation to planets and stars, and such phenomena as lunar haloes and crowns” and “eclipses”, as well as the “behaviour of various stars and planets” and their positions in relation to each other on each night of the year (Wikipedia online Encyclopedia, under word Enuma Anu Enlil, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enuma_anu_enlil, accessed 2-22-12). Yet it was not just night time phenomena throughout each year that was recorded, but also “solar phenomena”, noting “its colour, markings and its relation to cloudbanks and storm clouds when it rises”, including “eclipses”, as well as other “weather phenomena and earthquakes, [with] special attention being devoted to the occurrence of thunder” (Wikipedia online Encyclopedia, under word Enuma Anu Enlil, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enuma_anu_enlil, accessed 2-22-12). All these were noted and recorded according to their time, date and year of occurrence.
All this detailed documentation and recording of all these celestial details as each year came and went meant that over time there were tens or even hundreds of thousands of different notations all carefully recorded on clay tablets which were available for examination by the priests. Such historical data meant “that horoscopes could have been prepared any time”, as all the priests needed to do was to look up the celestial and birth data for any given person (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p 33, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998).
Also with such detailed recordings on hand, the priests noticed that the stary constellations were basically in the same locations of the night sky from year to year depending on the time or season. They also noticed that the planets would basically repeat their same wandering positions within these same constellations on repeating cycles of various lengths of time. This enabled the priests to predict in advance about where these planets would be in what constellation of the night sky throughout any given time in the coming year, which then enabled them to attach or fix omens of either doom or prosperity, either bad luck or good luck, depending on the occurrence of these predicted positions.
Since the Babylonian priests were the ones who claimed to correctly divine the signs in the heavens, then their power and influence over the people, and even the king himself, was immense. Each temple had “special beru (best translated ‘fortune teller’) priests on hand to interpret observations of celestial phenomena”, then determine what omens of doom or prosperity these heavenly signs indicated, and then direct the affairs of whomever they were guiding (When Time Began, p 357, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). As different omens kept being developed, the priests made sure they recorded these and kept them on hand for consistency in their guidance of others.
Over time there were “some seven thousand celestial omens in a series of seventy tablets” and all of these were “for the purpose of prognostication” or fortune telling (Babylonian Horoscopes, volume 88, parts 1-3, p x, by Francesca Rochberg, American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia, 1998). And as more and more omens were interpreted and recorded, this early Babylonian horoscope became more and more relied upon to determine good and bad days, months, and years. The priests even developed “the great Babylonian Church Calendar,” which listed both lucky and unlucky months throughout a given year, and also provided “days and even half days, for many personal activities (such as the most favorable time for bringing a new bride into the house)” (When Time Began, p 358, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11).
– Magic Spells, Amulets, Charms, Actions
Magic Spells, Amulets, Charms, Actions But this horoscopic chart led to a dilemma: What if someone, including the king, would find themselves needing to do something on a particular day or month or year that was forecasted to be bad and unlucky, yet they could not wait until a better time could be found to perform it? Or how could one delay or even eliminate the bad omen connected with their birth that was predicted to affect them negatively for their entire life? Thus the priests saw that if “some times or certain omens were unlucky”, there needed to be a way in which one “could one ward off the ill luck”. Magical spells and “incantations were devised for the purpose” as the way to resolve this delimma (When Time Began, p 358, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11).
In connection with trying to ward off ill luck, “amulets in which the warding-off verses were inscribed” were provided, of course, for the right amount of donation or value of the gift, and the more costly the material used to make the amulet (clay or “hematite” versus “lapis lazuli”), the more “power” it supposedly had to ward off bad luck, and thus the more pricy to obtain from the priests (When Time Began, p 358-359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11).
Yet it was not just magical spells and magical amulets that could be used to ward off bad luck, but also various specific actions could be performed which would accomplish the same effect. For instance: “If a man has intercourse with a [male] courtier, for one whole year the worry which plagued him will vanish” (Babylonian Summa Alu manual, cited in Papyrus and Tablet, p 149, by editors Kirk A. Grayson & Donald B. Redford, Prentice Hall Publishers, 1973). Or: “If a man has intercourse with a (male) cult prostitute, care [in the sense of ‘trouble’] will leave him” (Babylonian Summa Alu Manual, cited in Papyrus and Tablet, p 149, by editors Kirk A. Grayson & Donald B. Redford, Prentice Hall Publishers, 1973). This meant that homosexuality was practiced in Babylon, and was even taught by the priests of its mystery religion as being beneficial to oneself!
So “What used to be astronomy became astrology, and astrology was followed by divinations, fortune-telling, sorcery” (When Time Began, p 359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). As these magical incantations, magical amulets and charms became the norm, then soon most "all the affairs of living were inextricably bound up with such 'magical' practices" (When Time Began, p 359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). In fact, there was even an incantation “to be recited to prevent the thinning of a man's beard by appealing to ‘the star that giveth light’ with prescribed utterings” (cited in When Time Began, p 358, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11).
– Superstition
Superstition All of these things made the Babylonians very superstitious and fearful, and such superstition was impossible to avoid because it was actually part of their own religious beliefs! “In the ancient world [of Babylonia] superstition, far from being condemned by official religion, was a part of religion itself” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). “Never was a civilization richer in superstitions...every aspect of the stars...revealed the future to the properly instructed Babylonian” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 244, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). And the priests loved to keep this superstition alive among their people as it made them rich and powerful.
To further their power over the people and safeguard it from being undermined, as well as to safeguard their position of authority, most “all the religious literature of Babylon”, including these astrological notations, omens, incantations and other magical sayings, “were written in the ancient Sumerian language” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 242, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n339/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). This was significant as the Sumerian civilization had become extinct and its language dead. This meant that very few if any spoke or understood the Sumerian language wherein all their important data was written in except these priests. This practice then secured the high and important position of the priesthood within Babylonian society, since they were the only ones who could be relied upon to correctly understand the astronomical data, research through the astrological books to fully interpret what these signs and omens from the gods meant, then give the appropriate understanding and instructions on how to correctly respond to such information, and/or recite the proper incantations to remove or counter any bad luck or ill omens.
– Priests who were Interpreters of Natural Phenomena
Priests who were Interpreters of Natural Phenomena As the gods were believed to be controlling all celestial phenomena, then since the gods also controlled all natural and living matter, it was believed that their will and these same omens of either good or bad luck could also be determined by carefully observing naturally occurring phenomena. This meant that “Every turn of chance from the anomalies of birth to the varieties of death received a popular, sometimes an official and sacerdotal, interpretation in magical or supernatural terms. Every movement of the rivers,...every unusual performance of man or beast, revealed the future to the properly instructed Babylonian” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 244, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12).
Some examples of the priests using naturally occurring phenomena included interpreting “the pattern made by oil as it was poured on water” (When Time Began, p 359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). Yet divining the future through the careful examination of such naturally occurring phenomena was by no means limited to just non-living things, but also quite often included living creatures.
– Extispicy, Divination
Extispicy, Divination Closely connected with Babylonian astrology was the practice of extispicy. Extispicy is trying to predict the future through the examination of “animal entrails as they appeared after sacrifices” (When Time Began, p 359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). “This divination technique uses almost every organ of the animal to foresee the future” (Paranormal Encyclopedia, under word Extispicy, at http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/e/extispicy/, accessed 4-26-12), but the most common major organs inspected were “the liver, intestines, and lungs” (Wikipedia, on-line Encyclopedia, under word Extispicy, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extispicy, accessed 4-26-12). Especially was the liver inspected because it “was believed to be the seat of the mind in both animals and men” and thus careful “observation of the liver of animals – was a favorite method of divination among the Babylonian priests” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243-244, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12; also Ezekiel 21:21).
The animal that was to be used for extispicy was first examined to make sure that it was pure and free from defect, and then it was “slaughtered in a special ceremony” (The Worldwide Encyclopedia of Divination, under word Extispicy, at http://www.adula.com/index.php?title=Extispicy, accessed 4-26-12). The internal organs were then carefully examined, noting whether they were normal or abnormal, “which afterwards were burnt in a sacrificial fire” (The Worldwide Encyclopedia of Divination, under word Extispicy, at http://www.adula.com/index.php?title=Extispicy, accessed 4-26-12). Just as the “Babylonians examined the internal organs” they also carefully watched “the fire used for sacrifice, and meat and drink [were] offered after the ceremony. If the entrails were bloody it was considered a very bad omen, if the fire was wanting it was said to be fatal, a weapon mark on the liver was good for the army” (Paranormal Encyclopedia, under word Extispicy, at http://www.paranormal-encyclopedia.com/e/extispicy/, accessed 4-26-12).
This sacrificial practice of extispicy was performed whenever guidance was needed on very important matters. Matters such as: if and when a new temple to one of the gods should be built (Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A12.12-18 (cumulative line 315-321), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12; Sumerian Tablet on Amar-Suena and Enki's temple (Amar-Suena A), Segment C, lines 2-3, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.3.1#, accessed 4-23-12; and Sumerian Tablet on An Adab to Nanna for Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan M), Version A, Segment B, lines 17-20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.4.13#, accessed 4-23-12), or even if an already built temple should be gutted and destroyed (Babylonian Tablet on The Cursing of Agade, lines 94-97, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-23-12). Or other matters such as who was to be chosen as the new king (Sumerian Tablet on A praise poem of Icme-Dagan (Icme-Dagan A + V), Segment A, Lines 119-120, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.4.01&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12), or new “high priest” (Sumerian Tablet on The History of the Tummal, line 29, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.3#, accessed 4-23-12). Or when was it time “for her [the en priestess’] enthronement in the gipar” or “for the choosing of the luma and nindigir priests” (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B), line 134, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02#, accessed 4-23-12), as well as the choosing of the “išib priests...and nindigir priestesses” (Sumerian Tablet on The Death of Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma A), Nippur version, line 77, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2411.htm, accessed 4-23-12). At such important times “sacred extispicy” was performed (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B), lines 134-135, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02#, accessed 4-23-12; Sumerian Tablet on The Death of Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma A), Nippur version, lines 77-78, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2411.htm, accessed 4-23-12; Sumerian Tablet on A Hymn to Hendursaja (Hendursaja A), Segment A, lines 74-76, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.06.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12; and Sumerian Tablet on The History of the Tummal, lines 28-29, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.3#, accessed 4-23-12).
But extispicy could also be performed to determine when was the proper time “for attacking the south or for defeating the uplands, for the opening of the emblem house, for the washing of lances in the ‘water of battle’ (blood), for the taking of subtle decisions about the rebel lands” (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B), lines 136-139, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02#, accessed 4-23-12).
All these and many other things were “determined [by] a sound omen through extispicy from a white lamb and a sheep” (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B), line 140, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02#, accessed 4-23-12), or determined from “extispicy on a white kid” of the goats (Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A12.12-18 (cumulative line 315-321), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12).
Thus whether by closely examining the naturally occurring phenomena seen being produced by non-living things, or even by the internal organs of burnt sacrificed animals, the temple priests and kings of Babylon noticed the omens, interpreted them, and then felt they understood the will of the gods enough to give either a favorable or unfavorable prediction to any issue.
– Priests who were Interpreters of Dreams
Priests who were Interpreters of Dreams The Babylonian priests further claimed that the various dreams of the people contained omens from the gods, and for the right donation they would correctly interpret these “dream-omens” (When Time Began, p 359, by Zecharia Sitchin, 1993, at http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sitchin/whentimebegan/whentimebegan13.htm, accessed 11-15-11). In fact, there were even “'Dream Books' written on cuneiform tablets, giving long lists of dreams and their meanings” to make it easier for the priests to give consistent interpretations from one person to another (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 108, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11), and their interpretations were so intricate and involved, “rivaling in their ingenious incredibility the most advanced products of modern psychology” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243-244, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12).
– Priests who were Physicians
Priests who were Physicians Any form of sickness or ill health was not viewed as a natural symptom of disease or condition brought about because of an improper diet, lifestyle or accident, but was all due to being supernaturally afflicted. There were three different supernatural sources viewed as being responsible for all these afflicting sicknesses and illnesses: 1) Demons, spirits and ghosts of the dead. 2) Various offended gods and goddesses. And 3) Sorcery. Thus the ways to deal with treating the illness varied depending on what was viewed as being the source cause.
By far, demons, spirits and ghosts of the dead were believed to be the cause of most all illnesses. Queen Ereshkigal was the ruling goddess of disease and the underworld of the dead, and her “chief minister” was “the demon of pestilence and disease”, who along with other demons would “spread plague and disease among mankind, and so brought fresh subjects to the realm of their mistress” (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 37, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12). So the way to go about treating illnesses believed to be caused by all these demons, spirits and ghosts, would be focused upon driving these away so that they could no longer afflict their victim, and he or she could then hope to recover.
If these Demons, spirits and ghosts of the dead were believed not to be responsible for the illness, then it could have been caused by “offending the gods – and thus bringing illness or troubles upon one-self” (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 3, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12), and there so many numerous ways that the gods could be offended “that people must have been under constant threat of being the object of divine displeasure or wrath” (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 3, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12). Thus the way to go about treating these illnesses believed to be caused by the gods would be focused upon appeasing and placating them so that they would cease to afflict the person and he or she could then recover.
But in the cases where neither demons, spirits, ghosts or offended gods could be blamed for the sickness, then the cause was blamed upon sorcery, and the “usual formulation in the medical texts [of Babylon] dealing with sorcery is ‘if a man has such-and-such symptoms, that man is bewitched.’” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). The sorcery believed to responsible for the illnesses were due to “evilly disposed humans who, as witches or wizards, were capable of inflicting sickness or misfortune upon a person by means of spells” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
Most often, “the sorcery [induced illness] is attributed to bewitched food or drink that has been consumed, but there are other possibilities, such as some of the victim’s hair, nail clippings, spittle, or semen being taken by a witch to use against the victim” (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 4, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12). Thus the way to go about treating this bewitching caused sickness would be focused upon trying to counteract or remove the spell by means of more powerful magic so that the illness could dissipate and the victim could hope to recover.
As there were so many different sources believed to be responsible for causing various illnesses, and the ways to go about treating these afflictions varied depending on which supernatural source was believed to be responsible, then there was a real need to find some way of correctly identifying the cause of the illness, then applying the correct treatment to either drive away, appease or counter the cause of the affliction, so that the illness could be successfully removed and recovery could take place (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 13-14, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12). This great need was fulfilled by priest-physicians.
Any who were sick could visit the temple and be treated for a fee, or these priest-physicians could be asked to visit the sick in their homes, which would of course require more money. These priest-physicians were prepared, as best they knew how, to identify, diagnose and actually try and eleaviate the sickness and ease the suffering of their patients. This conscientious preparedness was brought out in a Babylonian hymn that could have been used as a type of physician’s motto: “I am a physician, I can heal, I carry around all (healing) herbs, I drive away disease, I gird myself with the leather bag containing health-giving incantations. I carry around texts which bring recovery, I give cures to mankind. My pure dressing alleviates the wound, My soft bandage relieves the sick” (The Gula Hymn of Bullutsa-rabi, translated by Wilfred G. Lambert, published in Orientalia, Nova Series, vol 36, p 121, Publisher Roma, 1967).
The standard treatment for one who was sick would be to have the priest-physician pray or chant spells over them to try and remove the sickness through this magical means. But these Babylonian prayers were “in the nature of an incantation” against the demon, spirit, ghost or evil thing (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12), and thus were a repetitious pre-worded form and not a prayer spoken spontaneously from the heart. After performing the appropriate ritual this priest “would discuss the ailment with the afflicted worshipper, and prescribe a suitable treatment” (Babylonian Religion, by Dr. M.D. Magee, at http://www.askwhy.co.uk/judaism/0235Marduk.php, accessed 5-13-12) which was available for the appropriate fee.
These prescriptions usually involved plants and herbs of various kinds with instructions on how to properly prepare it. “The Babylonian medical texts prescribe a great many plant products, usually specific parts of the plant such as leaves, blossoms, seeds, or roots to be prepared in various ways (crushed, cooked, or dried, for example) and mixed with an appropriate carrier (water, beer, wine, or milk for a potion, for example)” (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 6, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12). And there were a lot of different prescriptions for various afflictions which were given after the ritual and magical incantations had been performed, even “including ‘ointments and aphrodisiacs’ to try and reverse impotence among Babylonian males” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 139, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998).
As these Babylonian priests-physicians dealt with various plants, herbs and other prescriptions in treating the sick, they also became known as medicine-men.
Even though the priest-physicians believed they knew the supernatural source responsible for the affliction, had a suitable ritual and spell to remove it, and had the appropriate prescription of materials and herbs to bring about healing, yet there was still a chance that the sufferer would not recover from his illness. To help them determine whether a patient would live or die, these medicine-men allowed chance encounters to help dictate what the prognosis for recovery would be.
For instance: while the priest-physician was “on his way to the patient’s house”, “if he sees pigs that keep lifting their tails,” or “if he sees a deaf person” along the way, etc., then each of these chance sightings surely “entails a prognosis for the patient”; such as “he will recover” or “he will die”, “he will live a long time but will not recover” or “he will die in three days”, etc. (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 14, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12).
But with more tougher cases involving suspected demons, then the type of treatment was not designed to treat the disease itself, but to drive away the demon causing it. The favorite drug prescribed in these cases “was a mixture deliberately compounded of disgusting elements...the usual ingredients were raw meat, snake-flesh and wood-shavings mixed with wine and oil; or rotten food, crushed bones, fat and dirt, mingled with animals or human urine or excrement” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 248, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n355/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Or the prescriptions for these magical cures “might contain, for example, hair from a black dog, a piece of dirty (menstral) rag, or pig manure to be worn around the neck” (Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, vol 19, No. 1, 2005, p 5, titled Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Robert D. Biggs, at click here, accessed 3-8-12). Obviously these disgusting prescriptions were designed to try and drive away the demon, and not to try and treat the disease itself.
Now if a sick person happened to be too poor to have these Babylonian medicine-men perform their magical rituals over them, there were other less expensive sacred or holy items which could be purchased to help them possibly recover. Such items as “‘magical’ stones and knots were common remedies for illness” (Symbols of Prehistoric Mesopotamia, p 193, by Beatrice Laura Goff, Yale University Press, 1963). Sometimes more than one of these magical items were prescribed for a particular affliction, and thus had to be purchased from the priests in order to bring about the cure.
For instance, one prescription text states: “Total: 21 stones to help a barren woman to become pregnant; you string them on a linen thread and put them around her neck” (cited in Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 128-129, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998).
Even for those types of sicknesses which were not caused from disease, such as “love sickness”, the priests offered “love charms” for sale to ease the sufferer by magically trying to gain the affections of another (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 137, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998).
But if none of these items or rituals were successful at removing the real sickness, then a more aggressive course of treatment was necessary.
– Priests who were Exorcists
Priests who were Exorcists The Babylonian priests taught that under certain conditions “a man who has become sick, is in the power of the evil spirits” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 34, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12) who are making him sick. Sicknesses such as “shivering, dizziness, diseased flesh, vertigo, arthritis, disordered mind” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 105, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11), etc., were all believed to be caused by “the possession of the body by a demon that might destroy it” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). So in addition to using various holy objects, the ceremonies or rituals of cleansing required the priests “to exorcize” these evil spirits out of the sick by commanding them to leave through the names of their gods.
For instance, the Babylonian priests would state: “In the name of Bel, lord of the world, be thou exorcized!” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 18, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Or “I exorcize thee by Anu, father of the great gods” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 19, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Or “'Evil Thing, from this day from the body of So-and-so son of So-and-so you are separated, cast forth....and chased away” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 105, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
Also in order to prevent these evil spirits from just leaving the sick person and then inhabiting various nearby “inanimate objects” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 26, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12), the whole “place where a ceremony was to be held” needed to be purified, which, of course involved more expense (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 25, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12).
If perhaps “a ghost” or “demon” or “an Evil Thing” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 104, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11) was already afflicting a house or a person, the priests themselves would have to be summoned to personally visit and try to exorcize it away. Once the priest arrived he would begin the cleansing rituals, which could includes “food and drink offerings”, “an incense burner of gum-juniper”, and pouring out “a libation of best quality beer”, all designed to appease the gods and have them use their power to drive away the evil (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 107, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). Obviously, these various rituals took time to complete for which the priest needed to be compensated for, with some taking up to “three days” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 104, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
Connected with these magical rituals, of driving away or casting out and exorcizing demonic spirits, ghosts and evil things from people and other inanimate objects, was the drum. As we earlier discovered, the drum was considered to be sacred and divine as it symbolized the immortal god dwelling within each human being as part of their creation, and thus was believed to be powerful against all evil. Especially was the sacred drum used when celestial phenomena caused fear among the populace – such as when either solar or lunar eclipses occurred. These fearful sights were believed to be caused through demonic activity, and in order “to drive off the demons causing eclipses...a special sacred kettle-drum...was set up in the temple courtyard and beaten” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 103, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11).
As the sacred drum was believed to be so powerful that it was used to help the priests drive off the demons causing eclipses in the heavens, then it was definitely powerful enough to assist the priests in driving off, casting out and exorcizing away demonic spirits out of things on the earth – including human beings.
– Priests who were Protectors/Magicians
Priests who were Protectors/Magicians The Babylonians were taught to believe that if something bad had occurred during the day or night for which there was no clear reason or explanation for, then it had to have been either the demons, spirits and ghosts of the dead who were responsible for it. Or perhaps evil spells had been cast upon them from witches and wizards, or perhaps the gods themselves were responsible because they had been offended in some way. As bad things could occur at any time from all different areas and sources, the Babylonian people were in continual fear. And the only way they believed these bad things could be prevented from occurring, reoccurring or removed from them was to seek help from the priests.
As we learned earlier, one way to try and prevent demons, ghosts or zombies from causing one harm was “by magical means, and a whole class of priest-magicians existed ready (for a fee) to provide their assistance” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 104, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). From the priests could be purchased “magic amulets, talismans and kindred charms, images of the gods”, ect., (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 243, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n341/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12) on which had been placed some specific spell designed to ward off evil. These were to be worn on the body, and of course the more powerful the spell, the more costly the item.
All of these things cost money, and the greater the fear of the people, then the greater need for help from the priest. All this help meant that greater riches freely poured into the priest’s pockets, while their influence over the populace grew. Thus it was not only in the priest’s financial interests to keep the people living in fear and superstition, but also to secure and maintain their power and control over them.
– Ceremonial Holy Water
Ceremonial Holy Water One of the most common articles used by most all of these different classifications of priests, and especially when dealing with any form of evil, whether demon, ghost, spirit or just plain bad luck, was holy water.
Connected with most all of the services performed by the various classifications of the priests, whether within or without the temple, was water that had been specially gathered. The Babylonians believed that “the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris were sacred” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 13, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Especially was water gathered from “the mouth of the Euphrates and Tigris...sacred” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 12, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12), and “waters of the Euphrates were apparently the more potent” since “they were more often referred to” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 13, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Thus every temple needed pure water to use in their ceremonies.
These sacred waters were termed “good waters”, “sweet”, and were “good to drink” because their supreme god Marduk was considered to be the god of these waters (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 14, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). In this connection these sacred waters was also termed “holy water” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 14, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Whereas those waters unfit to drink were termed “evil waters” or “bitter” waters because the god who ruled over these other waters was Tiamat, and from these waters “the evil spirits went forth, bringing calamity to man” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 14, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Thus the good “health-bringing waters” of Marduk were referred to as the “waters of life”, whereas the sickness-bringing waters of Tiamat were referred to as the “waters of death” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 29, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12).
Although all had access to both rivers, yet this sacred or holy water was especially considered more potent and powerful when connected with or obtained from the priests. Even though the waters gathered from these two rivers were “efficacious in driving out evil spirits” (p 13), yet only the holy water gathered by the priests was “that which expels evil spirits” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 15, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). And whenever one was troubled by various calamities, they had to go to the priest in order to obtain these sacred waters which “brought release from these calamities” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 14, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Thus the priests became known as “the one who makes clean”, or “the purifier” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 20, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12), as he was the one who brought about “the removal of all evil by means of holy water” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 36, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12).
The most common method the priests used in “applying the water” was “the simple sprinkling” of it over whatever needed to be cleansed (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 15, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). Thus the priests were called upon to use holy water to “sprinkle the sick man” so that he could be cured of his sickness or disease (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 13, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12).
But this holy water could also be “used in the incantations” and temple ceremonies of the priests which did not involve sprinkling (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 14, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). This included for individuals seeking cleansing for various reasons, where this affected individual “actually washed his hands” in this holy water when directed by the priest (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 17, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12). For these non-sprinkling purposes there were fonts or “basins in which holy water of the apsu [priests] stood ready for use in the temple” (The Doctrine of Sin in the Babylonian Religion, Part 1 - The Use of Water in the Asipu-Ritual, p 25, footnote 7, by Julian Morgenstern, published by N.L. Kirchhain: M. Schmersow vorm, Aahn & Baendel, 1905, at http://www.archive.org/stream/doctrineofsininb00morgrich#page/n0/mode/2up, accessed 1-17-12; and Wikipedia, Online Encyclopedia, under Abzu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abzu, accessed 6-22-12).
Other Religious Beliefs and Practices– Prophets
Prophets Sometimes connected with the Babylonian temples of the various gods/goddesses were zealous religious individuals that were not priests, priestesses or servants, but who were prophets. These prophets could be either male or female, and they were believed to be so closely connected with a particular deity as to be able to receive direct messages from them, and like an oracle or medium could speak for them.
“As mouthpieces of deities, prophets were primarily servants of the gods whose words they proclaimed” (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 16, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). As such, the prophet of Marduk or the prophetess of Ishtar “were normally attached to the temple of the deity for whom they spoke” (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 6-7, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003), because the “Babylonian gods grant prophetic revelations only in the sanctuary” (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, p 80, by Martti Nissinen editor, Number 13 in the Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). When they delivered their message “they would very likely have been possessed by the temple’s god” or goddess (MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12).
There were two kinds of these prophets. The first kind were called “raggimu” if they were male, and “raggintu” if they were female (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 7, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). This word means “shouter”, and when these prophets were under the direct influence or possession of their deity, they would at times uncontrollably shout out the divine message to all listening. Thus their name identified the type of activity they manifested while under their god’s possession and control.
The second kind of prophets were called “mahhû(m)” if they were male, and “muhhutu(m)” if female (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 6, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). This word means “ecstatic” and derived from “mahu” meaning “to become crazy, to go into a frenzy” (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 of Writings from the Ancient World series, p 6, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003). So when these prophets were spontaneously under the direct influence or possession of their deity, and were “receiving and transmitting divine words in an altered state of mind” (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 6, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003), they would go into a uncontrollable frenzy and their speech would be ecstatic, or in other words they would speak in unknown languages.
When either kind of these prophets were in full control of all their actions and mental faculties, their messages had little impact or force upon others. It was only when they exhibited such uncontrollable and unnatural spontaneous actions that they were believed to be under the direct influence and possession of the temple gods, and then whatever intelligable messages they spoke were taken to be directly from the gods themselves, and had great impact and force upon the people.
While under such an altered state of consciousness these prophets were frequently asked various questions of import, who would then act as an oracle or medium to provide “divine answers to human inquiries” (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 6, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003).
The divine messages and answers to questions delivered by these prophets while under deity possession were not always clear and coherent, but could be very jumbled, especially when intermixed with unknown tongues. Or, perhaps, their messages were filled with lots of obvious symbols as to make them difficult to understand. So to decipher these messages, as well as to try and gain the correct interpretation of what the gods were trying to convey, was the work of the prophets themselves after regaining their senses, as well as the temple priests and priestesses – especially with messages dealing with royal personages or the government or nation. This was at times necessary because the “prophet’s expertise was in becoming possessed by the god(dess)” rather than in other learned skills (Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East, Volume 12 in the series of Writings from the Ancient World, p 99, by Martti Nissinen, Robert Kriech Ritner, Choon Leong Seow, and Peter Machinist, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003).
But by far, the “overwhelming majority” of these prophets, oracles and mediums “are connected in one form or another with the cult of the goddess Istar” (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, Number 13 in the Symposium Series, p 78, by Martti Nissinen editor, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). This was because “she was the divine mediator between deities, as well as between deities and humans” (MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12; see also Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, Number 13 in the Symposium Series, p 96-97, by Martti Nissinen editor, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). Thus when another deity wanted to “address the king by means of prophecy, they use the channel of a prophet or prophetess of Istar” (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, Number 13 in the Symposium Series, p 78-79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). So in order to go into an altered state of mind to receive messages from the gods, it was “Ishtar [who] induced ecstasy in her devotees” (MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). “If ever there was a possession cult in Mesopotamia, it was connected with Ishtar” as her cult “was strongly shamanistic” (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, Number 13 in the Symposium Series, p 79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000).
– Signs and Symbols
Signs and Symbols The Babylonian priests did not just rely upon religious writings alone in order to teach their mystery religion, but also relied upon various signs and symbols. Some of the signs and symbols the Babylonians used were:
– The sun, crescent moon, and stars (see plate #1, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). These represented their sun god, moon goddess and other gods of the stars.
– The sun disk or solar wheel pictured with alternating rays (see plate #1, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). The alternating rays represented both the male and female phallus.
– The sun disk with wings on either side (see Sumerian artifacts, page 1, picture #6, at click here, accessed 5-4-12). This represented the passage or flight of the sun god Shamas from East to West.
– Single stars depicted with various numbers of points, such as six or eight (see plates #1-4, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12; and Sumerian Artifacts, page 6, pictures #24, at click here, accessed 5-4-12). The six points depicting dualism, and the eight points depicting godhood.
The obelisk (see Sumerian Artifacts, page 3, pictures #12 & 18, at click here, accessed 5-4-12; also Encyclopedia of Religions Or Faiths of Man, Part 3, under word Susa, p 383, by J. G. R. Forlong, reprint of 1906 edition, by Kessinger Publishing, 2003). This represented the erect male organ.
– An halo of light surrounding their deities (see plate #6, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). This represented the gods as being divine and holy.
– The sacred date palm (see plate #2, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). This represented fertility and life, and was therefore associated with Ishtar.
– A lion (see plates #2, 3, 6, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). This symbolized strength and fierceness in warfare.
– Deities holding beads connected together by a string, like rosary beads (see plate #1 & 7, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). This represented that these deities would hear and answer the repetitious prayers of their devoted worshippers.
– A ewe nursing her young lamb, or a cow nursing its calf (see plates #4 & 5, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). Both of these represented the mother goddess Ishtar being a tender nursing mother to her child.
– Various other animals, such as the bull and horse, as well as mythical animals such as the unicorn and winged griffin (see plate #7, published in MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). Each represented the deities connected with them.
– Etc.
These symbols were very easy to see, and once their worshippers understood what these symbols represented, then every time they saw them the teachings these symbolized would be remembered and thus continuously reinforced in their minds. But by far, one of the greatest symbols used was the sign of the letter “T”, or the cross – which is just a capital T with the cross-member lowered.
– The “T” or cross, similar to the “Tau cross” (Wikipedia, Online Encyclopedia, under word Cross of Tau, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Tau, accessed 7-9-12), was “used as the symbol of the god Tammuz”, the “T” being the first “initial of the name of Tammuz” (The Two Babylons, p 197, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft_djvu.txt, accessed 7-26-12). This “Babylonian cross was the recognised emblem of Tammuz” (The Two Babylons, p 201, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft_djvu.txt, accessed 7-26-12), and this “sign of the cross, [was] the indisputable sign of Tammuz” (The Two Babylons, p 204-205, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft_djvu.txt, accessed 7-26-12).
As such, and especially since the Babylonians revered Tammuz, who was just their supreme sun god Marduk reincarnated or reborn, then all throughout Babylon "crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian Sun-god” by all devoted followers (The Cross, by Aymon de Albatrus, at http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_of_cross.htm, accessed 7-9-12). Any Babylonian, including and especially the priests, wore this symbol of the cross as a sign of their devotion to their supreme sun god Tammuz/Marduk. Not only this, but as this symbol of Tammuz was also “the ‘sign of life,’ or the magical charm that secured all that was good, and warded off everything that was evil” (The Two Babylons, p 204, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft_djvu.txt, accessed 7-26-12), then the cross became very widely used as this “sacred emblem” (The Cross, by Aymon de Albatrus, at http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_of_cross.htm, accessed 7-9-12) of their beloved god. In fact so much so that the cross became “the cosmic symbol par excellence" (An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols, p 45, by Jean C. Cooper, Illustrated edition, published by Thames and Hudson, 1978). “Other authorities also call it a sun-symbol, a Babylonian sun-symbol, an astrological Babylonian-Assyrian and heathen sun-symbol” (The Cross, by Aymon de Albatrus, at http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_of_cross.htm, accessed 7-9-12).
The cross in its simplest form is just the combination of crossing two lines at right angles to each other. But as a symbol of Tammuz/Marduk, who was the god of fertility and sexuality, then "‘the cross [also] represents the Tree of Life’, the age-old fertility symbol, combining the vertical male and horizontal female principles” (The Cross, by Aymon de Albatrus, at http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_of_cross.htm, accessed 7-9-12; see also The Two Babylons, p 200, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/stream/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft_djvu.txt, accessed 7-26-12).
Other variations of the cross symbol of Tammuz are “in the form of an encircled cross referred to as a ‘solar wheel’, and many other varieties of crosses” were used (The Cross, by Aymon de Albatrus, at http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/origin_of_cross.htm, accessed 7-9-12).
– Secret Babylonian Order or Society
Secret Babylonian Order or Society Within the religious system of Babylon existed two classes of individuals – those who did not know what all the signs and symbols really represented, and those who did know. Those who did not know consisted mainly of the common people, but also included some of those who were directly involved in the ceremonies of temple worship, such as some priests and their helpers, as well as musicians, singers, both male and female temple prostitutes, etc. All these unenlightened people just worshipped or performed in the proper ways in which they been taught, which was “to annoint the idols with sweet-scented oils, to burn incense before them, clothe them with rich vestments, or adorn them with jewelry; to offer up the virginity of their daughters in the great festival of Ishtar; to put food and drink before the gods, and to be generous to the priests – these were the essential works of the devout Babylonian soul” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, p 241, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n339/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). While those who were in the know consisted of enlightened priests – especially the high priest, as well as other initiates into what could be termed the “Babylonian Cult” (The Book of Revelation, Chapter on “Ecclesiastical Babylon, p 151, by Dr. Clarence Larkin, Cosimo, Inc. Publisher, 2007). These knew what all of their signs and symbols truly represented, and also realized who was represented by this hidden god behind all the scenes which all their gods and goddesses really depicted.
This Babylonian Cult was actually a hidden religious order within the outward system of Babylonian religion. This hidden order claimed “to possess the highest wisdom and to reveal the divinest secrets” of the gods, but only certain individuals would be invited or chosen to join, and each then had to be initiated into the order. “Before a member could be initiated he had to ‘confess’ to the Priest”. Once he did this the “Priest then had him in his power” since he could threaten to reveal any sins to the authorities for proper punishment. After being “admitted into this order men were no longer [just] Babylonians..., but members of a Mystical Brotherhood, over whom was placed a Pontiff or ‘High Priest,’ whose word was law” (The Book of Revelation, Chapter on “Ecclesiastical Babylon, p 151, by Dr. Clarence Larkin, Cosimo, Inc. Publisher, 2007).
To help keep the secrets of this mystery religion of Babylon from being readily understood by just anyone, we learned that most “all the religious literature of Babylon” “were written in the ancient Sumerian language” which had become a dead language (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 242, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n339/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). This meant that no one spoke or understood this dead Sumerian language except the priests who kept it alive within their religious system. Thus the priests could hide the real meaning and teachings of Babylon mysteries at will, and only reveal these sacred teachings to their worshippers at the most appropriate times calculated to have the greatest impact and force upon their minds.
– Half-human, Half-animal/reptile/bird/insect gods
Half-human, Half-animal/reptile/bird/insect gods As the Babylonians believed that their supreme god had created all things from himself, and thus was in and part of all things, then all nature was part divine. As such they believed that the various strengths, powers and characteristics of nature, not just inanimate – such as planets, stars, etc., but animate – such as in the animal kingdom, were various aspects of the strengths, powers and characteristics of their supreme god. Thus at times they depicted some of their deities in direct connection with the specific animal or bird or reptile or even insect strengths, powers or characteristics they were focusing on.
For instance: they depicted their god Oannes, as well as the seven deities called the Apkallu, as being made up of the lower half being fish and the upper half being a man (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Apkallu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apkallu, accessed 4-18-12). Some, like Zu, are depicted as being with a human body and a bird’s head (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Zu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zu_(mythology), accessed 4-18-12); or like Mutu, depicted with a dragon’s head and a human body (Dictionary of Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16); etc. Others are depicted as being half animal and half a different animal, such as the Anzu, being a lion-headed eagle (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Zu, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zu_(mythology), accessed 4-18-12). Still others are depicted as being half man and half insect, such as the Girtablilu, having a scorpion body with a man’s head (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Scorpion Man, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion_man, accessed 4-18-12).
But the Babylonians also believed that these animal with animal, or animal with human combination hybrids were not just some of their gods, but were monsters and demons created by Tiamat like we learned earlier. Yet after Tiamat was dead, other gods created more of these combination monsters. Monsters like:
-- The Labbu, which was a lion - serpent combination (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Labbu, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labbu, accessed 3-25-16).
-- The urmahlullu, a lion - man combination (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mythological Hybrid, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythological_hybrid, accessed 3-25-16).
-- The Lilitu, a part woman - part owl demon (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mythological Hybrid, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythological_hybrid, accessed 3-25-16).
-- The Anzu, a lion-headed eagle who can breathe both fire and water, or also depicted as a man - bird (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Mythology, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anz%C3%BB_(mythology), accessed 3-25-16).
-- The Mussma or Masmahhu, a serpent - lion - bird hybrid with 7 heads - like a hydra (F. A. M. Wiggermann (1992). Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts. Styx Publications. p. 164; http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
-- The Urdimmu, a human-headed lion (John Malcolm Russell (1992). Sennacherib's Palace Without Rival at Nineveh. University of Chicago Press. p. 183).
-- The Usumgullu., a lion - dragon hybrid (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U%C5%A1umgallu, accessed 3-25-16).
-- The Pazuzu, with the body of a man, head of a lion or a dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail, and a serpentine penis (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Pazuzu, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu, accessed 3-25-16).
-- The Labartu, the body of a woman, head of a lion, with the teeth of a donkey (Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia, under Babylonian-Assyrian Demonology, at http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/babylonian-assyrian-demonology/, accessed 3-25-16).
--The Apsasu, also Nadrushi-Namur, who were human-headed lions (Dictionary on Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
-- The Arcitenus, a horse body with 2 human heads (Dictionary on Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
-- The Criocamp or Kriocamp, a ram-headed fish (Dictionary on Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
-- The Sirrush, a scaly monster with parts of a bird, a cheetah and having claws on its 2 rear feet (Dictionary on Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
--Or many other half-human - half-animal hybrids - such as the Alu (Babylonian-Assyrian Demonology, at http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/babylonian-assyrian-demonology/, accessed 3-25-16) and the Uttuku (Dictionary on Mythology, under Mesopotamian, at http://www.mythologydictionary.com/mesopotamian-mythology.html, accessed 4-25-16).
– Guarding Gate into Heaven
Guarding Gate into Heaven The Babylonians also believed that heaven itself where their gods dwelt was protected and surrounded by high walls and a huge gate. “Tammuz and Gishzida, [were] the two gods who stood at the gate of heaven” guarding it, and these two gods had to be “approached with due deference” before one could enter into heaven (Books on Egypt and Chaldea, Volume IV, titled Babylonian Religion and Mythology, p 191, by Leonard William King, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1899, at http://www.archive.org/details/babylonianrelig00kinguoft, accessed 1-18-12).
– Cutting and Mutilating Themselves
Cutting and Mutilating Themselves When an important and greatly honored loved one had passed into the underworld, some Babylonians would express their deep grief by cutting or lacerating various parts of their bodies. Some of the body parts they cut were “She lacerated her eyes (lids) for me, lacerated her nose for me. She lacerated her ears for me in public. In private, she lacerated her buttocks for me” (Sumerian Tablet of Inana's Descent to the Nether World, lines 318-320, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm, accessed 4-27-12). These cuttings, lacerations and bodily mutilations practiced by the Babylonians were something which the gods gave “instructions” and “orders” for their devoted followers to do (Sumerian Tablet of Inana's Descent to the Nether World, lines 313-314, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm, accessed 4-27-12).
Sacred Prostitution Ishtar was believed to be the Queen of both heaven and earth (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, p 236, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up/search/babylon, accessed 1-25-12), as well as the goddess of love and sexuality. She was married to Marduk and was also the goddess who gave birth to the sun god Tammuz, upon which her worshippers devotedly addressed her as “the Mother of God” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 235, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Believing that Tammuz was just Marduk reborn, Ishtar married her son Tammuz as well. But even though Ishtar was supposed to be married to Marduk/Tammuz, yet her sexual love was unrestrained and willingly offered to any and all she fancied. As “her amours were free from all taint of wedlock” or strict faithfulness to only one partner (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 235, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12), her devoted “worshippers repeatedly addressed her as ‘The Virgin,’ ‘The Holy Virgin,’ and ‘The Virgin Mother,’” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 235, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Thus the term “virgin” in regards to Ishtar did not mean in the moral sense that she had not yet experienced sexual intercourse, but that she was free from the sexual restraint which marriage applied, even though she was married.
As Ishtar was also believed to be the Mother Earth, then her procreative favors were needed in order for the earth to be revitalized each Spring with new plant growth for an abundant harvest. One way in which to make sure these goddess favors were generous throughout the year was for her temple to be supplied with virgin priestesses or hierodules who would follow her example and offer their sexual services to any male devotee or worshipper of Ishtar.
These virgins were actually daughters whose fathers had brought them to the temple to become “dedicated to certain gods” (Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia, by Lyn Reese, at http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html, accessed 3-8-12). Even kings gave their daughters to become priestesses. For instance: King Zimri-Lim of the city-state of Mari “had eight daughters. Two [of which] he had become priestesses” (Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia, by Lyn Reese, at http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html, accessed 3-8-12).
Once they had been brought to the temple, these daughters were dedicated and they then “became cloistered” (Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia, by Lyn Reese, at http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html, accessed 3-8-12). In fact, a king’s daughter complains to her mother that “you made me entered the cloister” of the temple (Letter of Erishti-Aya to her mother, cited in Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia, by Lyn Reese, at http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html, accessed 3-8-12). Once they were dedicated and cloistered they were then taught what their duties were, and upon successfully completion of their training they were accepted into temple service as priestess virgins – becoming a “sister of a god” such as Ishtar (Ancient Tablets, Ancient Graves: Accessing Women's Lives in Mesopotamia, by Lyn Reese, at http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson2.html, accessed 3-8-12).
The sexual favors which these virgin priestesses offered in service to the temple were referred to as “sacred prostitution” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, p 236, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up/search/babylon, accessed 1-25-12), and since these were done “principally in her [Ishtar’s] honor” then “such practices involved no stigma...” of negativity (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 111, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, by Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). So even though these female priestess hierodules were not virgin in the moral sense of never before having sexual intercourse, they had taken a vow of never being bound by marriage vows of faithfulness to just one partner, and thus were also called “virgins” just like their goddess.
Yet at times, especially during festival seasons, the amount of these temple virgins needed to satisfy the sexual needs of every Babylonian male visiting the temples of Ishtar were more than these full-time priestess/prostitutes could handle. So in order to make sure that there were always enough virgin women on hand at the temple at any given moment, a law was imposed upon each Babylon woman declaring that “before she would be allowed to marry” she had to “give herself...to any man that solicited her” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 37, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n133/mode/2up/search/babylon, accessed 1-25-12). This pre-marital sex was considered a religious duty which each post-puberty woman had to submit to as an act of worship to Ishtar at least once in her life, and any who protested against such requirements were again reminded that they were not to follow their own conscience because only the priests and the gods knew what were proper and improper actions. After performing this religious duty, she was then free to marry whom she will.
In describing this religious duty, and providing details of how it was performed and fulfilled, the Greek historian Herodotus states: “every native woman is obliged, once in her life, to sit in the temple of Venus [Ishtar], and have intercourse with some stranger....Passages marked out in a straight line lead in every direction through the women, along which strangers pass and make their choice. When a woman has once seated herself, she must not return home till some stranger has thrown a piece of silver into her lap, and lain with her outside the temple....The silver may be ever so small, for she will not reject it, inasmuch as it is not lawful for her to do so, for such silver is accounted sacred. The woman follows the first man that throws, and refuses no one. But when she has had intercourse and has absolved herself from her obligation to the goddess, she returns home” (Herodotus: a new and literal version from the text of [Johann Christian Felix] Baehr, p 87, Henry Cary translator, Harper Publisher, 1848).
As each Babylonian maiden could not leave the temple once she sat down within it until she had become deflowered by some stranger meant that the amount of time she spent there away from home was directly connected with how long it took for her to be chosen and then to fulfill this sexual act. “Those that are endowed with beauty and symmetry of shape are soon set free; but the deformed are detained a long time, from inability to satisfy the law, for some wait for a space of three or four years” (Herodotus: a new and liter version from the text of [Johann Christian Felix] Baehr, p 87, Henry Cary translator, Harper Publisher, 1848).
Under these conditions it was considered to be in the maiden’s best interest to not appear of a sad or sour disposition, but to do all she could to appeal to any male stranger who visited the temple in hopes of quickly being chosen. This included making sure her attire was the best and most showy she could afford; her face and complexion was most appealing and any blemishes hidden by makeup; her hair arranged just so; her smell augmented with perfumes; anything and everything that she could do was done to quickly catch the eye of an male stranger, perform her religious duty, and then be free to return home as soon as possible.
With this being true, it was considered proper within Babylonian society for every woman to have sex before she was married, and improper for any to be virgins in the moral sense when they got married. In fact it was considered to be a great crime for a Babylonian woman to be a moral virgin when she got married, because she would have violated her religious duty to honor and worship the goddess Ishtar with her own body. This means that the idea of pre-marital sex being alright to engage in, as well as it being alright to marry non-virgin women, or men for that matter, originated first within Babylon.
– Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Transvestitism
Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Transvestitism Ishtar did not just have female hierodules or prostitutes who served in the temple, but “many male prostitutes, homosexual and transvestite, served her” as well (Homosexuality in the Ancient Near East, beyond Egypt, by Bruce L. Gerig, at http://epistle.us/hbarticles/neareast.html, accessed 3-8-12), and these included priests. “Certain priests in the cult of Ishtar were homosexuals; they were also accomplished in dancing and cross dressing” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 140, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). In fact, “There is evidence that at least some of the...prophetesses were in reality men, or rather self-castrated transvestites (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, p 79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Number 13 in the Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000).
One of the reasons why there were homosexual and transvestite cross-dressing priests and priestesses actively serving Ishtar and her worshippers was because Ishtar “had the ability to alter a person’s sex, so that a man became a woman and vice versa” (MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12). This “metamorphosis in her worshippers”, where “Men might be turned into women, and women were made to behave as men”, “Istar was deemed capable” of producing “by way of ecstasy”, or in other words, by being possessed by the goddess herself (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, p 79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Number 13 in the Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). “Possessed by the divine, they were the obvious persons to become mouthpieces of the gods”, and thus naturally became Ishtar’s priests and priestesses (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, p 79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Number 13 in the Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000). So to have these males acting like females, or females acting like males visibly connected within the temple and its services just reinforced the idea among her worshippers that Ishtar was indeed a great goddess, as “Their outward appearance was interpreted as a display of Istar’s divine transforming powers” (Prophecy in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context: Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Arabian, p 79, by Martti Nissinen editor, Number 13 in the Symposium Series. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000).
As the goddess Ishtar was believed to be able to change a male into a female and visa-versa while she was possessing them, then the goddess herself must also be transgendered, or in other words, able to turn into a male and back to a female at will. This is one reason why Ishtar “was represented sometimes as a bearded bisexual deity” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 235, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n333/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). As Ishtar was herself represented as being bisexual, then it was only proper to have such transgendered males and females functioning within her temples and associated with Babylon’s mystery religious beliefs.
These homosexual priests were “specialists” in their particular sexual favors offered at the temple (Reallexicon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie, Band (volume) IV, p 467, editors: Erich Von Ebeling, Ernst Weidner, Bruno Meissner, Publisher: Walter de Gruyter, October 1, 1975). As these priests would act as the female partner and “take the passive role in intercourse”, then “for this reason were despised as unmanly” by some other Babylonian males (The Old Testament Attitude to Homosexuality, by Gordon J Wenham, at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_attitude_wenham.html, accessed 3-8-12). In this connection “they are called 'dogs'” (Reallexicon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie, Band (volume) IV, p 465, editors: Erich Von Ebeling, Ernst Weidner, Bruno Meissner, Publisher: Walter de Gruyter, October1, 1975). Yet these homosexual priests were not shut away from society or strictly confined withing the temple. They freely “took part in public processions, singing, dancing, wearing costumes, sometimes wearing women's clothes and carrying female symbols, even at times pretending to give birth” (The Old Testament Attitude to Homosexuality, by Gordon J Wenham, at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_attitude_wenham.html, accessed 3-8-12). In order to look more like a woman, some of these homosexual priests let their hair grow long, and then after “Tightening their hairgrips for her, male prostitutes [would] parade before her, holy Inana. Their locks of hair at the back are adorned for her with coloured rags” (Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 4th Kirugu, lines 45-47 , The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1#, accessed 4-27-12).
This meant that when any Babylonian male visited Ishtar’s temple they had a choice of whom they could have sex with. If their choice happened to be with another male, whether an adult or younger, these male prostitutes were “often effeminate and eunuchs” (Homosexuality in the Ancient Near East, beyond Egypt, by Bruce L. Gerig, at http://epistle.us/hbarticles/neareast.html, accessed 3-8-12), but “this was not always the case” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 140, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998), especially with boys (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 139, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998).
With the priests themselves either directly involved in homosexual actions, or condoning these actions as ways to remove bad luck – which we learned earlier, then this revealed that within Babylonian society “Homosexuality in itself is thus nowhere condemned as licentiousness, as immorality, as social disorder, or as transgressing any human or divine law. Anyone could practice it freely, just as anyone could visit a prostitute, provided it was done without violence and without compulsion” (Reallexicon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archaologie, Band (volume) IV, p 467, editors: Erich Von Ebeling, Ernst Weidner, Bruno Meissner, Publisher: Walter de Gruyter, October 1, 1975).
Another reason for homosexuality being socially acceptable in Babylon was not just because of Ishtar, but also because of their one supreme god Marduk. Ishtar was the female manifestation of the male god Marduk, which meant that Marduk had the ability to become female. This ability of Marduk to transform into the opposite sex then allowed male followers of Marduk to feel justified in acting like females, and Ishtar’s ability to transform into the opposite sex also allowed her female followers to feel justified in acting like men – because after all, they were just following the example of their beloved gods!
The type of sexual practices offered by these “male, female, and neuter” “religious prostitutes” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 140, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998), encompassed a wide range; such as “performing heterosexual, homosexual, oral-genital, bestial, and other forms of sexual activities”, and these prostitutes freely “dispensed their [sexual] favors on behalf of the temple” without shame (Sex and Sexuality in History, Chapter 2, p 9, by Norman Sussman, cited in The Sexual Experience, by Benjamin Sadock, edited by Benjamin J. Sadock, Harold I. Kaplan, and Alfred M. Freedman, Publisher Williams & Wilkins, 1976). As Ishtar herself “confused the lines that separated the sexes, the generations, the classes, and the species, human and animal” so these religious prostitutes did the same in her honor (MatriFocus, Cross-Quarterly for the Goddess Woman, Samhain, 2008, Vol. 8-1, article titled Spirit Possession and the Goddess Ishtar in Ancient Mesopotamia, by Johanna Stuckey, at http://www.matrifocus.com/SAM08/spotlight.htm, accessed 3-8-12).
– Birth Control and Abortion
Birth Control and Abortion In regards to female priestesses, they were all very careful to avoid getting pregnant. Some were “said to have had anal intercourse” as a form of contraception (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 137, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). Others possibly used herbs or charms or other “skillful ways [to] keep their womb intact” (cited in Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 137, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). But should these priestesses accidentally become pregnant, the priest physicians had “a prescription to abort a fetus” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 129, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). But should the priestess carry the baby full term then these “unwanted babies were left in the street to die or to be eaten by a dog”, or for some “passerby” to take pity on the infant and take it home (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 137, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998).
– Religious Reasons for Sexual Actions in Temples
Religious Reasons for Sexual Actions in Temples As these sexual actions were done supposedly for the honor of Ishtar and other fertility gods, then this meant that in one way “The prostitute and the client acted as surrogates for the deities” (Sex and Sexuality in History, Chapter 2, p 9, by Norman Sussman, cited in The Sexual Experience, by Benjamin Sadock, edited by Benjamin J. Sadock, Harold I. Kaplan, and Alfred M. Freedman, Publisher Williams & Wilkins, 1976). With this belief, then the more often such sexual actions were performed in the temples, the more likely the fertility gods would be pleased to bring forth “the sperm of Sky [god which] is the rain falling on the Earth” (Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature, p 18, by Gwendolyn Leick, Psychology Press, New York, 1994) and into the mother earth goddess’s womb, thereby producing life, abundant growth, and a good harvest! (See also Mesopotamian text titled Disputation between Wood and Reed, cited in Le Motif Cosmique dans la Pensée Sumérienne, by J. Van Dijk, published in Acta Orientalia Ediderunt Societates Orientales Danica Norvegica Svecica, Volume XXVIII, Section 1, p 45, editors: Norsk Orientalsk Selskap, Oosters Genootschap in Nederland, Orientalsk Samfund in Denmark), Publisher Munksgaard, 1964). This is one reason why the word for "water also means 'semen' in Sumerian" (Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer, p 139, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, New York: Harper and Row, 1983). And this frequency of having sex in the temples in honor of the gods was not depicting couples having intercourse just one time in a session, but multiple times in order to try and mimic the verility of their gods, some of which had been depicted as having intercourse in one session as many as “fifty times” (Sumerian Tablet of A Balbale to Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana D), lines 12-18, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr40804.htm, accessed 5-3-12). Therefore such sexual actions were not looked upon by the Babylonians as being wrong or shameful; nor were the temple prostitutes looked down upon or degraded in Babylonian society for providing such varieties of sexual favors, because, after all, they were just doing what they could to honor and appease their gods in seeking the best for their Babylonian populace and nation.
Festivals There were many different Festivals and times of celebrations among the Babylonians throughout each year. But the main Festivals centered around their supreme sun god Marduk, as well as his son Tammuz (also known as Damuzi or Dumuzi or Dumuzu, etc) who was believed to be just Marduk reincarnated or “reborn” (Article on Semiramis, by James Donahue, at http://perdurabo10.tripod.com/id563.html, accessed 5-14-12). Thus “Tammuz and Marduk are manifestations of each other” (Seeing Jaakob, Volume 111 of Studies in Modern German Literature, p 203, by David L. Tingey, Publisher Peter Lang Publisher, 2010). Since Marduk was the god of the sun, then these sacred festivals highlighted different solar events throughout the year, which included the new year, both Spring and Fall Equinoxes (Equinox referring to the times when both day light and night time are equal), as well as both Summer and Winter Solstices (Solstice referring to either the longest day light or the shortest day light in one day of the year). We will now examine these festivals.
– The New Year
The New Year The Babylonians celebrated their new year in the Spring. Since the sun was shining less past mid-summer and its warmth was gradually growing less as Fall and Winter came, the Babylonians believed that Marduk had been killed and taken into the underworld. But he was not to remain dead forever, and after some time was reborn in the underworld and then immediately began battling with the gods of darkness in order to try and regain his freedom to abundantly shine forth his warming rays of light to bring about the regeneration of plant life once more on earth. As Winter began to turn into Spring and the time of daylight was now growing longer and warmer, the Babylonians believed that their reborn sun god Marduk was becoming more and more victorious over the gods of darkness, and thus was close to being brought back from the underworld or resurrected from this place of the dead. So about one week before the arrival of the Vernal or Spring Equinox the Babylonians began a new years celebration called the Akitu Festival. This new years festival lasted for 12 days. It began on the first day of their new year, and this new year’s day was called “Zagmuk” (The Akitu Festival, by Apiladey ApilSin, at http://ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/1230518, accessed 1-1-12).
As the old year had already ended, the addition of five extra days were necessary in order to make their lunar calendar year of 360 days correspond with the solar year of 365 days (see Encyclopedia.com, citing article on Predictions of End of the World: Keeping Track of Time, by Arthur V. Johnson II, 2002, at http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407500106.html, accessed 5-13-12). These 5 extra days were not considered part of their calendar year, and were looked upon with a certain amount of trepidation and fear as to what the new year would hold in store. So to be safe, before the new year celebration festivities of Akitu could begin, the “priest had to stand naked before the god, apparently as proof that he was pure and unblemished” (see Babylonian Religion, by Dr. M.D. Magee, http://www.askwhy.co.uk/judaism/0235Marduk.php, accessed 5-13-12).
After this, the now purified priest initiated the 12 day festival of Akitu. The first five days of this celebration “reflected a somber mood”, and were thereby devoted to animal “sacrifice, atonement and purification” of all the kingdom, including the temple and all connected with its services; the king and all connected with his government; the populace, as well as all the land (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12, and Marduk and the Enuma-Elish, by Michelle Roberti on Forklore and Mythology Site, at http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64794.asp, accessed 12-21-11). It is supposed that this purification process was necessary in order to begin the new year in purity and without carrying over from the old year any uncleanness or bad luck which had occurred that could tarnish the new.
Therefore “Each morning, before sunrise, the high priest, after a ritual washing, entered the temple alone and prayed to Marduk and to other gods. Afterward the other priests commenced their daily tasks. Typical of the mood of those days is the Kyrie Eleison sung before dawn on the second day and called The Secret of Esagila”, which was a sacred temple of the supreme god Marduk (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12).
On the fourth day of this Festival, the king traveled “to stay overnight in the great temple of Nabu” who was the son of Marduk, or in other words was Tammuz (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12).
On the fifth day “the king returned, bringing with him the cult statue of Nabu....By bringing the cult statue to the Uras Gate of Babylon, the king brought [the actual god] Nabu there as well” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). The king then went to the temple of Marduk where he “laid aside his crown, sceptre, and sword...then prostrated himself before the god and begged forgiveness” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12) for any sins he had committed in the previous year. “After receiving forgiveness, the king took back his insignia, and then received an oracle for the coming year” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). The day ends when at “sunset he and the High Priest performed a ritual sacrifice of a white bull” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12).
– The Spring Equinox
The Spring Equinox The Vernal or Spring Equinox was to occur on the seventh day of this Akitu Festival. The first five festival days had been devoted to “various ceremonies of purification and preparation” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 110, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11) in order for their sun god Marduk to regain his freedom from the dead and again shine his warming rays of life on the earth, and all was considered cleansed and purified, including the temple as well the Babylonian community (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12). Soon it would be time to celebrate his victory over the gods of darkness and his emergence from the underworld.
To help set the stage for this victorious celebration, the Babylonian high priest of the temple of the supreme god Marduk, which temple was known as “the 'house of the New year' [and] which was situated north of the city” (Akitu Festival, by Jona Lendering, at http://www.livius.org/aj-al/akitu/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12), recited their Creation Epic Enuma Elish “On the evening of the fourth day” of this festival (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12; and The Akitu Festival, by Apiladey ApilSin, at http://ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/1230518, accessed 1-1-12). As “Tiamat’s and Marduk’s Mystery was celebrated...where Life was seen as the taming of primeval Chaos” (See Tiamat Lady of Primeval Chaos, the Great Mother of the Gods of Babylon, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/gods/ladies/ladytiamat.html, accessed 3-16-10), the priests even somewhat reenacted it so that “their God Marduk's victory over darkness and disorder” would “ensure that the hard wrought order would once more reign” (see Article: Winter Solstice: Festivals, November 29, 2003, by Christina Aubin, at http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=holidays&id=7743, accessed 4-6-09). Thus the story of the victory of their supreme god Marduk over the dragon-god of chaos Tiamat and Kingu and the resulting new world order of Marduk’s making was kept fresh in the minds of the people with each new year.
After these 5 days of purification had been accomplished, on the 6th day of this Akitu festival several “statues [of other gods] arrived in Babylon and travel to Marduk's temple” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). These other “gods have assembled to try and free Marduk from the Underworld” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12), and with their help the sun god, represented by the Babylonian king, were depicted as all successfully overcoming these dreaded foes of darkness. These dreaded foes or “evil forces were represented and then thrown into a blazing fire” to signify they had been thoroughly defeated (Marduk and the Enuma-elish, by Michelle Roberti, on Forklore and Mythology Site, at http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64794.asp, accessed 12-21-11). And on the seventh day – the day of the Spring Equinox – they celebrated Marduk victoriously emerging from the underworld in the form of his son Tammuz, thus representing the fresh Spring sun being resurrected from the dead into a new year (see World Mythology Dictionary, under Marduk (http://www.answers.com/topic/marduk); and Newsfinder, March 13, 2009, article: Marduk Creates the World from the Spoils of Battle, at http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/marduk_creates_the_world_from_the_spoils_of_battle/, accessed 5-13-12).
On the eighth day all “the gods put all the power of which they dispose in the hands of Marduk. Marduk’s destiny is now declared to be unequaled, for he actually commands the consolidated power of all the gods”. After all the powers of all the gods “are conferred to the liberated god”, Marduk “then is ready to lead the battle against all powers of darkness, death and chaos that could affect Babylon in the coming year” (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12).
On the ninth day, after receiving all the powers of the gods, then the “Triumphal procession to the Bit Akitu under the king’s guidance” occurred (Kingship and the Gods, 4th edition, illustrated, reprint, p 318, by Henri Frankfurt, University of Chicago Press, 1948). The Bit Akitu was known as the “House of New Year’s feast”, and was a temple referred to during this time as "the temple of the sacrifices of the exalted New Year’s festival of Enlil of the gods of Upper and Netherworld" (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12). On this day “high dignitaries and the gods came to Babylon” to celebrate Marduk’s victory over chaos. Not only did this “show union and stability in the region”, but was also “a time for peace in the region”, as all the high dignitaries from all over the Babylonian controlled world were present, and it was hoped that such “a peace...should at least be a concerted effort to be maintained in the coming year” (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12).
On the tenth day, “statues of Marduk, Nabu, and other gods, [were] dressed in sacred garments adorned in gold, [and then] assembled in the great courtyard of Esagila” (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 110, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11). The king as “Marduk celebrates his victory [over Tiamat and Kingu] with the gods of the Upper and Underworld at a banquet in the Bit Akitu and returns to Babylon for the Sacred Marriage Rite in the same night” (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12).
But the king did not stay at this elaborate banquet for long, because he was “not merely a conqueror of Chaos, but also the personification of the life in nature” (Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 1-12-12). Thus he also had to reconnect with the goddess of nature to ensure a bountiful year and abundant harvest.
As the Spring Equinox signaled the beginning of the increasing of the amount of sun shine that would fall on earth each succeeding day, this was viewed as the time of fertility or new birth of the plant world. Since the sun god of fertility Marduk/Tammuz had been battling the gods of the dead for many cold months and all this time had been separated from his wife/mother Ishtar – the mother earth goddess of love and fertility, the Babylonians believed that soon after he finally resurrected from the dead on the Spring Equinox he naturally would seek to re-unite with his beloved wife and reestablish the intimate sexual bond between them. Thus just 3 days after the day of the Spring Equinox or Marduk’s resurrection from the dead, the Babylonians celebrated the day of sacred marriage with Ishtar, otherwise known as the Ishtar or Easter celebration.
In preparation for this special celebration on the tenth day of this festival, on the night before Easter the Babylonians lit “fires...on top of mountains” which “had to be kindled from new fire, drawn from wood by friction” which symbolized and “honors the new strength of the Sun” (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11). These new or virgin fires were “then used to bake cakes” to Ishtar - the queen of heaven, as well as to burn “incense” to her when her special day of celebration arrived (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11).
On this tenth day of the Akitu Festival, which was celebrated “after the first moon, after the vernal equinox” had occurred (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11), the celebration of Ishtar or Easter took place. Early of the morning of the 10th day before the sun had risen, the Babylonians lit various lamps and candles from these new fires in an act of paying tribute and homage to their newly resurrected sun god who was now shining more with each new day. The light and warmth generated by the flame symbolized the light and warmth coming from the presence of their sun god. The Babylonians then “celebrated their Easter Festival with [these] lamps and candles” bearing the new fire of their sun god (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11), as they faced east and then watched and welcomed in the rising sun on that morning in honor of his recent resurrection and soon reunion with Ishtar. And especially when Easter occurred on a Sunday, was it a very special and important time of joy as the Babylonians were able “to celebrate the increasing of the God of the Sun on the Sun Day” which was his chosen and special day of worship (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11).
Since Easter was the day to celebrate the Sacred Marriage with Ishtar, the Babylonian king – representing “both Marduk and Tammuz” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S., at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12), and the high priestess – representing Ishtar, went together into “the most holy and sacred compartment” in the temple (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 57, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12) which was called on this special occasion the "bridal chamber of the totality (whole) of the universe" (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 11, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12). Within this sacred “Inner Sanctum of the ziggurat” (Article titled Akitu: The Babylonian New Year’s Festival, by Lishtar, published at http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/religion/akitu.htm, accessed 5-13-12) temple they then spent the night in celebrating marriage through sexual union.
As Ishtar was the great mother goddess of fertility, then the king’s and high priestess’ physical imitation of their god’s sexual reunion was in hopes that their “reenactment of the primordial coupling of the cosmic parents...who had brought the world into being at the dawn of Time” would “regenerate the cosmos” (Wikipedia, Online Encyclopedia, under word Zagmuk, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagmuk, accessed 1-12-12) and bring about the rebirth of all plant life in abundance, thus ensuring a good bountiful harvest (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 4, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12).
After the king and high priestess, representing these primeval gods, had successfully engaged in sexual union, it “ensured the land was once more sanctified and fertile” (The Pagan Heart Magazine, April, 2005, article Akitu and the Festival of Inanna, by Anne S, at http://www.oocities.org/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05.html, accessed 1-23-12). And it was not just the king and high priestess alone who were indulging in this sexual union and celebration that night, but it was being imitated by couples – whether married or not – all throughout the kingdom of Babylon!
– Easter Lilies, Eggs and Rabbits
Easter Lilies, Eggs and Rabbits As the Ishtar or Easter celebration was centered around fertility, then connected with this celebration were other symbols of fertility as well. These fertility symbols included lilies, eggs and rabbits.
In regards to the lilies: the “lily symbolizes...sex appeal”, which is one reason why Ishtar was “Frequently represented as a nude woman bestride a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other”, with “the serpent [representing] fecundity” (Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, pages 68 and 94, by W.F. Albright, Baltimore, John Hopkins Press, 1942).
In regards to the eggs and rabbits: “The Assyrians associated the increase in the warmth and brightness of the day following the vernal equinox as an increase in the fertility of their lands and their women. The eggs, symbolic of the continuous cycle of life and death, were then dyed to symbolize fertility in nature and abundance of life” (The Mesopotamian Origin of Easter, article found in The Lighthouse magazine, Volume V, Issue 5, March 22, 1999, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1999/mar22_1999.htm#Anchor-THE-10888, accessed 5-13-12). The rabbits, because they were “known for their prolific reproduction, also became part of the pagan celebration" (Resurrection Sunday and the Babylonian Connection, by Errol Hale).
But the close connection between eggs and rabbits on Easter was because Ishtar supposedly found an injured bird “whose wings were frozen by the wintry chill” (Hey Mister...Could You Tell Me Why We Celebrate Easter, by Beatriz Oliver, at http://nexus1girl.com/blog/?tag=tammuz, accessed 1-5-12) “and to save its life, she transformed it into a hare. But the transformation was not complete. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs. The hare would then decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts” in various open and hidden places in grateful appreciation for Ishtar having saved its life (Easter and the Vernal Equinox, by Milton Timmons, at http://www.miltontimmons.com/EasterandVernalEquinox.html, accessed 1-5-12). Since its decorated eggs clearly set it apart from all others, then Ishtar immediately understood who had left these gifts, and also why they had been placed there. So after celebrating the Easter sun rise ceremonies, the people of Babylon would then search for and find as many of these colored Easter eggs as they could. Afterwards “the Assyrians hung [these] dyed eggs from the temple walls, signifying the fertility of Ishtar” who was to unite in sexual union with the resurrected sun god that night (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11).
With all of these fertility symbols being connected with this celebration of Easter and the sacred marriage union between the sun god Marduk and the mother earth goddess Ishtar, the last two days of the Akitu festival was spent in hopeful anticipation that Ishtar had become pregnant and thus not only would bring forth another successful year of plenty, but especially would give birth to the son of the sun god 9 months later in the year surrounding the Winter Solstice.
– The Summer Solstice
The Summer Solstice At the Summer Solstice, the shining of the sun upon the earth is at its longest amount of time for the year, and the least amount of night time. The sun is also at its highest point in the sky, and appears to be in the same exact spot as it was the day before, thus appearing to stand still. After this day, the sun begins to shine less each day and the night grows longer as the sun begins to descend from its highest point in the sky to its lowest. Since the sun was shining less each day, and the night more, the Babylonians interpreted this to mean that their sun god Marduk/Tammuz, when at the very height of his power and strength, had been overcome and killed by the gods of darkness and chaos, and then “His soul was taken by the Gallu demons to the underworld” (Summer Solstice and Tammuz, by Rachel Mason, cited in Holidays vs Holy Days, at http://holidaysvsholydays.com/Summer-Solstice-Tammuz.php, accessed 5-13-12). So even though it was at the height of Summer, the Babylonians knew that the Summer Solstice signaled the ultimate end of the sun’s dominance over the year, and the beginning of the dominance of the gods of darkness.
As this time surrounding the Summer Solstice was focused upon their sun god Marduk/Tammuz, the Babylonians dedicated this month to him, even naming this month Tammuz, and began this month on this day of Solstice (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11; and A Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature: Ibz-Zuz, vol 2, p 825, John Kitto, ed., published by Mark H. Newman, 1846). On this first day of the month of Tammuz, the Babylonians also set aside seven special days in which to honor him. As this day of Summer Solstice, the first day of the month of Tammuz, was still a day in which their sun god Marduk/Tammuz was at the height of his strength and power and just before his death, the Babylonians celebrated this day with a joyous “grand festival of Tammuz” (Origins of Easter, by Maggie Yonan & David Gavary, article in The Lighthouse Magazine, Feature Article, Volume XIII, Issue 5, April 8, 2007, at http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2007/04.08.07/index_one.php, accessed 12-22-11).
But even though there were six remaining days of festivities honoring Tammuz, yet the type of festivity became very different. This was not a time to be joyous, because just after the Summer Solstice had ended, the sun’s light began to shine less, which meant that Tammuz/Marduk had died and been taken into the underworld. As such, beginning “On the second day of the month” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z, p 89, by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, reprinted revised ed., William. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995) the Babylonians held “a six-day ‘funeral’ for the God Tammuz...and Ishtar leads the world in lamentation” (Summer Solstice and Tammuz, by Rachel Mason, cited in Holidays vs Holy Days, at http://holidaysvsholydays.com/Summer-Solstice-Tammuz.php, accessed 5-13-12).
– Lent
Lent In order to make sure that all Babylonians were well aware of this sorrowful date of the death of their beloved sun god, there was “proclaimed a forty day period of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. This 40 day period as known as “the Sumerian lenten festival” which was a time "to wail, to weep" (The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania, Series A, volume XXX, Part 1 titled Sumerian Hymns and Prayers to God Dumu-zi or Babylonian Lenten Songs, p 16, by Hugo Radau, Cuneiform Texts edited by H.V. Hilprecht, Printed by August Pries, Leipzig, 1913, at http://www.archive.org/stream/babylonianexpedi30univuoft/babylonianexpedi30univuoft_djvu.txt 1-9-12). Also during this time, no meat was to be eaten” as a way for each worshipper to show their true sorrow (Ishtar Eggs and Tammuz Trees, p 4, by Tiglath Chibo, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16290956/Ishtar-Eggs-and-Tammuz-Trees, accessed 1-5-12).
Yet it was not just the first seven days of this month that was dedicated to honor Tammuz. But also “on the 9th, 16th and 17th days [of this month there were] torchlit processions, and on the last three days, an image of Tammuz was buried” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z, p 89, by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, reprinted revised ed., William. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995). With their beloved sun god buried, and the month of Tammuz now ended, the Babylonians could turn their attention to other things, especially towards hopeful anticipation that he would not remain dead forever, but would soon come back and again reign over the earth.
– The Fall Equinox
The Fall Equinox During the Babylonian month of Tasrituv (also known as Tisri or Tisritum), the Autumn or Fall Equinox occurred. This whole month was known as “the month of the holy mound” (The History of Babylonia, Chapter II, titled The Mythical Period, p 53, by George Smith, Wyman and Sons publishers, London, 1895, at http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofbabylon00smitiala/historyofbabylon00smitiala_djvu.txt, accessed 12-22-11) upon which the original ziggurat or temple or tower of Babylon had stood. During this month they also worshipped “the deity who was connected with the building of the Tower [whom] was termed ‘the king of the holy mound’” (The History of Babylonia, Chapter II, titled The Mythical Period, p 53, by George Smith, Wyman and Sons publishers, London, 1895, at http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofbabylon00smitiala/historyofbabylon00smitiala_djvu.txt, accessed 12-22-11). This deity to the Babylonians was the god Marduk, but whom the Bible mentions to be Nimrod.
The Babylonians believed that “the gods destroyed the [original] Tower by winds” (The History of Babylonia, Chapter II, titled The Mythical Period, p 53, by George Smith, Wyman and Sons publishers, London, 1895, at http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofbabylon00smitiala/historyofbabylon00smitiala_djvu.txt, accessed 12-22-11), and thus all that remained was the mound of ruins upon which it once stood.
This tower of Babylon had 7 levels and was called the Temple of the Seven Transmitters of Commands from Heaven to Earth. Although this original tower had been destroyed, yet connected with it were all the religious teachings and paganistic practices of Babylon. As its destruction “was supposed to have taken place at the autumnal equinox” (The History of Babylonia, Chapter II, titled The Mythical Period, p 53, by George Smith, Wyman and Sons publishers, London, 1895, at http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofbabylon00smitiala/historyofbabylon00smitiala_djvu.txt, accessed 12-22-11), the Babylonians set aside special days of festivities in order to celebrate its existence, and to honor the founding of Babylon and the origin of its mystery religion.
On the day of the Autumnal Equinox, which occurred on the “seventh day” of this month of Tasrituv, the “Festival of the Illumination of the Palace” took place (Babylonian Sun-Worship, article in Knowledge: a monthly record of science, Volume 1, p 174, December 39, 1881, Wyman and Sons publishers, 1882, accessed 12-22-11). On this festive day it is supposed that the sacred teachings of the Babylonian mystery religion which were depicted as rays of light emanating from the tower were to illuminate and flood the entire palace, thus symbolically reestablishing itself as the foundational principles of the throne, the government as well as the entire kingdom of Babylon for another year.
– The Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice As the nights were growing longer in duration, and the time of the shining of their beloved sun-god Marduk was growing less and less each day, the Babylonians feared that the god of darkness would forever keep Marduk dead and “that the failing light would never return unless humans intervened with anxious vigil or antic celebration” (Article on Winter Solstice - December 21, by Ellie Crystal, at http://www.crystalinks.com/wintersolstice.html, accessed 1-11-12). So they set aside several days of festivities surrounding the Winter Solstice – when the shining of the sun upon the earth was at its shortest amount of time for the year, and the night time at its greatest.
About three days after the Solstice, they noticed that the sun began to shine more each day as the night continued to grow shorter, and thus they believed that the gods of darkness and chaos were losing their war against the sun. This could only mean to the Babylonians that their sun god Marduk was no longer dead, but had to have been reborn and alive in the underworld, and thus was growing closer to escaping from it. So even though it was during the cold of the winter season, the Babylonians knew that the Winter Solstice signaled the beginning of the end of the dominance of the gods of darkness over the year, as well as the beginning of the dominance of the sun, and thus three days after the Solstice they joyously celebrated this day as the birthing of their sun god.
To celebrate the significance of the “return of the Sun God” (Article on Winter Solstice - December 21, by Ellie Crystal, at http://www.crystalinks.com/wintersolstice.html, accessed 1-11-12) and this change towards the return of the dominance of the sun, the Babylonians held a festival. This festival began just before or on the actual day of Winter Solstice, and then it ended just three days after the Winter Solstice had occurred when Tammuz – the son of their sun god – had been born. This birth date of Tammuz corresponded to December 25 on our calendar. But even though it was Tammuz – Marduk’s son – that was actually born on December 25, yet the Babylonians believed that Marduk himself had just reincarnated or rebirthed himself as his son Tammuz.
As the birth of the sun god Marduk/Tammuz occurred three days after the Winter Solstice, then this corresponded to the Easter sexual celebration of the Sacred Marriage which occurred three days after the Spring Equinox. Remember, during this Easter celebration the king and high priestess, representing Marduk and Ishtar, as well as most of the rest of the Babylonian population, celebrated the creation act of sexual union. And nine months after celebrating sexual union in the Spring the birth of the sun god Tammuz took place in the Winter. This meant that the Easter sexual celebration had been successful, that Ishtar had become pregnant by her newly resurrected husband Marduk, who then died on the Summer Solstice, and nine months after becoming pregnant she had given birth to Tammuz – the son of the sun god, who was really just the reincarnated sun god Marduk himself!
For having become pregnant and ready to give birth to their sun god Marduk/Tammuz once again, the Babylonians were very grateful to, and devotedly worshipped, the goddess Ishtar. The night or evening before December 25 was celebrated as “Mother-night” (See The Two Babylons, p 94, by Alexander Hislop, at http://archive.org/details/thetwobabylonsor00hisluoft?, accessed 1-1-12; and Winter Solstice and Christmas essays, by Gypsy Scholar, at http://www.revradiotowerofsong.org/Pagan_Dying-and-Reborn_Gods_&_Christ.htm, accessed 1-1-12) in honor of Ishtar being in labor, and then successfully giving birth to Tammuz/Marduk early in the morning of the next day. As such, Ishtar was seen to be the vessel whose sacred womb had carried and protected the son of the sun god, and then had given birth to him allowing him to shine forth his rays of light and warmth onto the earth once again and save all people from starvation. This led the Babylonians to view Ishtar as also being their saviour in addition to her son.
Also, since Ishtar was the mother of their sun god, they viewed her as being one sure avenue of gaining the ear of Marduk and having him answer their prayers and petitions for his favors, because who could refuse to grant the requests coming from ones own mother! Thus Ishtar “became the mediator between man and this ‘god’ [Marduk/Tammuz], [and] you had to pray through her to reach him” (The Truth About St. Valentine’s Day, by Martin Thezman, at http://www.babylonforsaken.com/valentines.html, accessed 1-1-12).
– Yule Logs, Wreaths, Christmas Trees, Mistletoe
Yule Logs, Wreaths, Christmas Trees, Mistletoe The Babylonians also had various representative symbols which they used in celebrating this time of the birth of their sun god. The three most important celebrative symbols were burning the yala or yule logs, hanging up holly wreaths, and decorating evergreen trees.
The reason why the Yala log, the circular holly wreath and the evergreen tree were all used in the Winter Solstice festivities was because “after the untimely death of her son/husband” Ishtar claimed that “a full grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead tree stump” in the earth which had come in contact with part of his dead body (The Mystery of the Pagan Origin of Christmas, from Mysteries of the World website, at http://unexplainedmysteriesoftheworld.com/archives/the-mystery-of-the-pagan-origin-of-christmas-jesus-was-not-born-on-December-25th-but-a-whole-bunch-of-pagan-gods-were, accessed 1-1-12). She then proclaimed that this newly sprouted evergreen tree was a divine sign that Marduk/Tammuz was not going to be dead forever, but would miraculously be brought back to life. This Ishtar would accomplish by giving birth to him from her womb.
In addition to this, Ishtar further claimed that after Marduk/Tammuz was born, then he would also “visit that evergreen tree and leave gifts each year on the anniversary of his birth” (The Mystery of the Pagan Origin of Christmas, from Mysteries of the World website, at http://unexplainedmysteriesoftheworld.com/archives/the-mystery-of-the-pagan-origin-of-christmas-jesus-was-not-born-on-December-25th-but-a-whole-bunch-of-pagan-gods-were, accessed 1-1-12). And what better way for the Babylonians to make sure that Marduk would visit their house and leave his gifts under the evergreen tree on the morning of his birth than to decorate their yards and houses in such an attractive way that he could not possibly pass by without noticing and hopefully benefitting them! (For an example of this pagan practice see The Apology, Chapter XXXV, p 44, by Tertullian, Translated by S. Thelwall, Late Scholar of Christ's College, Cantab, at http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian01.html, accessed 1-8-12).
So you can see that the dry Yala log was “to symbolize the death of Tammuz” (see Ishtar Eggs and Tammuz Trees, by Tiglath Chibo, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16290956/Ishtar-Eggs-and-Tammuz-Trees, accessed 1-9-12), the circular holly wreaths were used “to represent the nativity of the sun, since they were objects that depicted the ‘womb’ of the Earth mother” (The Mystery of the Pagan Origin of Christmas, from Mysteries of the World website, at http://unexplainedmysteriesoftheworld.com/archives/the-mystery-of-the-pagan-origin-of-christmas-jesus-was-not-born-on-December-25th-but-a-whole-bunch-of-pagan-gods-were, accessed 1-1-12), and the young fresh evergreen tree that sprouted from the dead stump in the earth symbolized Marduk/Tammuz becoming alive again, upon which it would then “be decorated with silver and gold” in joyous celebration (see Ishtar Eggs and Tammuz Trees, by Tiglath Chibo, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16290956/Ishtar-Eggs-and-Tammuz-Trees, accessed 1-9-12).
Now the type of silver and gold decorations placed on this Tammuz tree could be round in the shape of coins or balls, or thin and wavy like tinsel. And since Marduk/Tammuz was the god of fertility, then his upright evergreen tree "became known as a symbol of fertility throughout the ancient world. The [upright] pole, balls, and tinsel (phallus, testes, semen) represented various aspects of male fertility” (The Mystery of the Pagan Origin of Christmas, from Mysteries of the World website, at http://unexplainedmysteriesoftheworld.com/archives/the-mystery-of-the-pagan-origin-of-christmas-jesus-was-not-born-on-December-25th-but-a-whole-bunch-of-pagan-gods-were, accessed 1-1-12).
Thus it became “Part of the religious ritual” of the Winter Solstice for Babylonian families to place one or more wreaths at different places around their house, for the parents to obtain a dry log to use for the Yala or Yule log – also called “the log of the son” (see Ishtar Eggs and Tammuz Trees, by Tiglath Chibo, at http://www.scribd.com/doc/16290956/Ishtar-Eggs-and-Tammuz-Trees, accessed 1-9-12), as well as to find a young evergreen tree, cut it down, secure it in an upright immovable position and then to keep it out of sight, and this all had to be done by the night before the day of the birth of their sun god. After all was in order, the Babylonians would start burning the Yala log in the fire that evening. Early the next morning after the children had all gone to sleep and the Yala log had been consumed, the parents would bring in the upright fresh evergreen tree, put the silver and gold decorations upon it and then the presents underneath it. Thus when the children woke up later that morning they were completely surprised to see all the miraculous changes which had occurred. In answer to all their questions they were told that the dead sun god was now alive again, and to prove it he had even left them presents!
– Mistletoe
Mistletoe In addition to these three main festival practices, there were also other celebrative symbols used, such as Mistletoe. “The mistletoe was regarded as a divine branch - a branch that came from heaven, and grew upon a tree that sprung out of the earth” (The Two Babylons, p 141, by Alexander Hislop, 3rd edition, publisher: James Wood, 1862). Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows above ground having golden yellow roots which fix themselves to a tree branch and thereby derives nourishment from its host tree. Its seeds are spread in the dung of birds, and then begin growing above ground apparently by magic on the very branches where they happen to land. The tree that miraculously sprung out of the earth was a representation of Marduk/Tammuz – the son of the sun god or the sun god himself – being reborn. Thus the Mistletoe miraculously appearing and growing above ground with golden roots was just another symbol of this sun god.
As the Mistletoe was a symbol of the sun and fertility god Marduk/Tammuz, and he was married to Ishtar the goddess of love and fertility, so “Mistletoe was hung over the entrance to the temple” of Ishtar (The Word “Mistletoe” Literally Means “Dung Twig”, by Daven, at http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/12/the-word-mistletoe-literally-means-dung-twig/, accessed 3-26-12). This meant that all Babylonian males had to first pass underneath the Mistletoe before they could enter the temple and be able to indulge in sacred prostitution with one of the virgin priestesses. Thus being underneath the Mistletoe became associated with various aspects of love making.
As you can see, all of these Babylonian festivals are interconnected. The new year’s festival where the sun god’s resurrection from the underworld occurs on the Vernal Equinox, and his sexual union with Ishtar resulting in her conception of the son of the sun god during the sacred marriage rite of Akitu just after the Vernal Equinox; then the death of the sun god just after the Summer Solstice; then the sun god’s birth on December 25 just after the Winter Solstice; and then the celebration of another new year wherein the resurrection of the sun god again occurs on the Vernal Equinox. And in the middle of all this occurs the Autumnal Equinox where the foundational teaching of these events, as well as all other mysteries of the Babylon religion, were renewed and thus kept fresh in the minds of all.
It is also important to notice that in all of these interconnected festivals the Babylonian sun god is the central focus. As we have seen that the supreme sun god of Babylon was Marduk/Tammuz and Marduk was just a symbolic representation of the one god hidden behind the scenes, then all throughout each year the Babylonian people were continually looking to, and their affections were focused upon this hidden god – which is exactly what he was seeking.
Now these Babylonian worship celebrations, especially those occurring during the new year and Spring festivals, were not quiet occasions. “Music, whether carols or laments, were a feature of these festivals” (see Babylonian Religion, by Dr. M.D. Magee, at http://www.askwhy.co.uk/judaism/0235Marduk.php, accessed 5-13-12). Thus these events were filled with music, chanting, song and dance in honor of their gods. But exactly what kind of music was practiced by the followers of this Babylonian 666 mystery religion?
Musical Practice Musical instruments had first been developed by whom the Bible refers to as Jubal (Genesis 4:21). After the flood these instruments of Jubal were again developed and brought with the Babylonians when they settled in Mesopotamia. In fact, “one of the earliest Chaldasan sculptures contained a representation of the harp and the pipes which were attributed to Jubal” (The World's Earliest Music Traced to its Beginnings in Ancient Lands, p 4, by Hermann Smith, London: William Reeves, 1904, at http://www.archive.org/stream/worldsearliestmu00smituoft/worldsearliestmu00smituoft_djvu.txt, accessed 3-16-12).
This means that since Babylon was the first civilization to arise after the Flood, then they were also the first civilization in which music arose and was developed.
“It is certainly in Mesopotamia that we find the earliest representations of the instruments and musical performance of a ‘high culture’, the earliest remains of actual instruments, and the earliest written accounts of the use of music.” The Concise Oxford History of Music, p 8, by Gerald Abraham, published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1985.
Beginning with these Jubal creations, over the years there were added other musical instruments as musicians and craftsmen continued exploring, experimenting and developing instruments producing various sounds. This development continued on until the musical instruments which the Babylonians used included “the cornet, flute, harp [of from 6 to 15 strings], sackbut (lyre of from 3 to 12 strings), psaltery, dulcimer (bagpipe), and all [other] kinds of music” (Daniel 3:5), including bells, clappers, sistrums or sistras, cymbals, tambourines, horns, trumpets, reeds, double reeds, etc (see Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 239-245, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957). Included with these instruments were quite “a variety of drums” of different types and sizes (see Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 233-238, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957).
There were at least nine different types of drums within Babylonian literature: the adab, ala, balag, lilis or lilissu, meze, sem, sim, tigi and ub (see Sumerian Cylinder of The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, Section 18, line A18.19 (cumulative line 501), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-29-12; The Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment J, lines 100-101, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm, accessed 4-29-12; Sumerian Tablet of Enki's journey to Nibru, line 62, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-29-12; Sumerian Tablet of The marriage of Martu, lines 60-62, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr171.htm, accessed 4-29-12). These drums ranged in size from the “Giant frame drums...and small cylindrical drums played horizontally and vertically” (Encyclopedia Britannica, under Egyptian Art, at http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-180644/Egyptian-art, cited inHistory and classification of Percussion instruments, at http://www.angelfire.com/musicals/kallidaihari/classification.htm, accessed 5-13-12), to both small and large sacred kettle drums. Their frames could be made from wood, or metal.
These drums were also tuned “properly” (Sumerian Tablet of Enki's journey to Nibru, line 124, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-29-12), so that they correctly and consistently provided the particular sound desired. Some of these drums were beaten by hand – such as the smaller hand-held ones. But in order to get the most impact noise, a lot of these drums – especially the larger ones – were beaten with “drumsticks” (see Sumerian Tablet of Enki's journey to Nibru, line 62, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-29-12; Sumerian Tablet of The Kesh Temple Hymn, 7th house, line 117, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4802.htm, accessed 4-30-12).
All this meant that “ancient Mesopotamia possessed instruments of music of an advanced degree of construction (and) in great variety” (Percussion Instruments and Their History, p 152, by James Blades, 4th edition, publisher: Bold Strummer, 1992).
As Babylon was the first civilization formed after the flood, and thus were the first pagans to use musical instruments in Mesopotamia, then they were the first pagan civilization to develop a particular theory of music as well as its performance connected with their religion. Ancient philosophist and teacher Iamblichus Chalcidensis mentions that harmonic proportion in music “was a discovery of the Babylonians” (Iamblichus cited in Nicomachus of Gerasa, Introduction to Arithmetic, book 2, chapter XXIX, footnote #5, published in University of Michigan Studies, Humanistic Series, Vol XVI, p 284, translated by Martin Luther D'ooge, publisher by the Macmillan Company, NY, 1926, at http://www.archive.org/details/NicomachusIntroToArithmetic, accessed 3-18-12).
– Music Welded to Religion
Music Welded to Religion As the Babylonians were expert astronomers and mathematicians believing that “there was a perfect harmony existing throughout the universe”, and as they had also developed a system of astrology based upon the movement of the planets/stars within the major zodiacal constellations believing that “the motions of the stars” cast “their effects on men’s destinies”, then they mixed and welded these beliefs with music. The Babylonians developed a “musical theory” based upon the belief that “man could make music whose principles reflected this perfect harmony [in the universe] and thus come into tune with it” (The Pelican History of Music, vol 1 titled Ancient Forms to Polyphony, p 16, edited by Alec Robertson and Denis Stevens, published by Penguin Books, Baltimore, Maryland, 1960, at http://www.archive.org/stream/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp_djvu.txt, accessed 3-19-12). Therefore the Babylonians “thought that mathematics, religion, and music were all related to each other” (Article titled The History of Musical Temperament and Pitch Before 1750, by Christine Denton, published online on December 6, 1996, at http://www.the-compound.org/writing/tuningpre1750.pdf, accessed 4-5-12), and then tried to develop music based upon and in harmony with the cosmos “as a means of helping to maintain or reflect universal harmony” (Encyclopedia Britannica, under word Music, p 1091, 1965).
This endeavor led the Babylonians to the “discovery that the most important musical intervals are related to the ratios of whole numbers” (Article titled The History of Musical Temperament and Pitch Before 1750, by Christine Denton, published online on December 6, 1996, at http://www.the-compound.org/writing/tuningpre1750.pdf, accessed 4-5-12). For instance, the Babylonians recognized that “the primary divisions of a string-length gave four intervals which can be expressed in mathematical ratios as follows 1 : 1 (unison); 1 : 2 (octave); 2 : 3 (fifth); and 3 : 4 (fourth). These they [then] correlated with the four seasons" (The Pelican History of Music, vol 1 titled Ancient Forms to Polyphony, p 16, edited by Alec Robertson and Denis Stevens, published by Penguin Books, Baltimore, Maryland, 1960, at http://www.archive.org/stream/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp_djvu.txt, accessed 3-19-12; see also Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 252-253, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957). As there were seven planets/stars used to determine their astrological predictions, then “the Babylonian scale was based on seven tones [heptatonic or diatonic scale], and linked to the planetary system as the manifestation of the will of gods” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 7, at click here, accessed 6-14-11; see also Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 247, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957; The Pelican History of Music, vol 1 titled Ancient Forms to Polyphony, p 16, edited by Alec Robertson and Denis Stevens, published by Penguin Books, Baltimore, Maryland, 1960, at http://www.archive.org/stream/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp/pelicanhistoryof002704mbp_djvu.txt, accessed 3-19-12; and The Rise of Music in the Ancient World: East and West, first edition, p 99-100, by Curt Sachs, W.W. Norton, 1943).
Further, the Babylonians had even developed “a system of tuning a lyre in the seven diatonic modes, complete with technical terms for the modes and even a description of the tritone (augmented fourth or diminished fifth interval) as the ‘unclear’ interval of a given mode” (Sacred Music in Antiquity, by John Wheeler, at http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/sacred.htm, accessed 3-19-12). Defining this interval as being “unclear” apparently meant that this “tritone was considered ‘dissonant’ by the ancient Mesopotamians” and thus its harsh sound was not considered beneficial “for melodic and harmonic practice” (Sacred Music in Antiquity, by John Wheeler, at http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/sacred.htm, accessed 3-19-12). Also with some of the Babylonian harps and lyres containing just 5 strings and others 12 strings, then “both the pentatonic [5 different pitches] and chromatic scales [12 different pitches]” were also likely to have been utilized by the Babylonians as both of these scales can “easily be derived from the diatonic scale” (Sacred Music in Antiquity, by John Wheeler, at http://www.rakkav.com/biblemusic/pages/sacred.htm, accessed 3-19-12).
This meant that the Babylonians understood “the art of music” (Sumerian Tablet of A Praise Poem of Shulgi (Shulgi E), line 155, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr24205.htm, accessed 4-27-12), they understood the “art of song” (Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment I, line 51, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.3.1#, accessed 4-27-12), and they also understood “the art of singing” (Self-praise of Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan A), Segment A, line 68, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr25401.htm, accessed 4-27-12). They knew “the occasions when praise songs are to be sung”, and knew “how to intersperse appropriate words with the accompaniment of the fingers and instruments” of music (Self-praise of Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan A), Segment A, lines 69-72, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr25401.htm, accessed 4-27-12). Thus the Babylonians had “completely mastered the developed aspects of the art of singing and the recondite points of…songs” and musical performance (Self-praise of Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan A), Segment A, lines 74-75, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr25401.htm, accessed 4-27-12). Their “songs” were intelligently sung, and the accompanying musical performance was “harmonious” in tune and conducted with skill (Sumerian Tablet of A Hymn to Nance (Nance A), line 42, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.14.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-27-12).
These facts clearly reveal that the musical theory of Babylon was well developed, and in fact “was a cornerstone in the doctrine of Ethos” (Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 252-253, editor: Egon Wellesz, Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957). Ethos is a Greek word meaning “moral force”, or the ability of the music to affect and move the soul or inner person of the listener. Thus Babylonian music was performed in such a way to move and affect the innermost feelings of the listener towards a particular goal. But what was the reason and goal towards which Babylonian music was performed?
The Babylonians “held the specific application of music as a tenet that was central to their religion and culture” (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 6, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12). Thus “music almost certainly began in (Mesopotamian) religion as a form of worship” (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 13, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12), and this connection of music with their religious beliefs was so strong that one could not be properly practiced without involving the other.
“From the beginning religion has communicated through music....Music has always resonated with the magical, the sacred, and the mysterious essence of things”. Article titled Music, by Bryce Rytting, published in Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media,, p 275, Daniel A. Stout editor, Routledge, NY, 2006, at http://www.bandung2.co.uk/books/Files/Religion/Encyclopedia%20of%20Religion,%20Communication,%20and%20Media.pdf, accessed 4-5-12.
Since “religion and music have historically been intertwined” (The Geography of Music, published online by The Global Library of Free Learning and Reading, at http://www.englisharticles.info/2011/02/24/the-geography-of-music/ accessed 4-5-12), “strongly associated with magic and religion” (The Concise Oxford History of Music, p 10, by Gerald Abraham, published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1985), and both “are inseparable” from one another (Face the Music, by Leonard J. Seidel, Springfield, VA, 1988, at http://www.christianheritagemins.org/articles/Face%20the%20Music%20-%20Contemporary%20Church%20Music%20on%20Trial..htm, accessed 4-5-12), then the goal and purpose of musical performance in Babylon was to use it as a vehicle to indoctrinate all listeners with the beliefs of Babylon’s mystery religion.
– Drums
Drums One special and sacred instrument revealing the interconnection of Babylon’s mystery religion with music was the drum. The god Ea or Enki was considered to be the “God of Music and Wisdom” (Percussion Instruments and Their History, 4th edition, illustrated and revised, p 157, by James Blades, publisher: Bold Strummer, 1992), and his sacred musical instrument was the drum. Some drums even had “the addition of a figure of Ea set on top” of it (Percussion Instruments and Their History, 4th edition, illustrated and revised, p 153, by James Blades, publisher: Bold Strummer, 1992).
As the god Ea/Enki was represented by a bull, and thus was another manifestation of the one supreme god Marduk, then “the skin used in the Babylonian drum was made of the hide of a bull”, and since this dealt with their god, then there was “an elaborate ritual involving the fixing of the skin head of this sacred instrument” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 2, at click here, accessed 6-14-11; see also Percussion Instruments and Their History, p 156-157, by James Blades, 4th edition, publisher: Bold Strummer, 1992). After “divine powers have been transferred by magic means” into the “ritually prepared’ bull, the priests then killed this sacred bull, “in order to transfer its potency and sacredness to the kettle drum" through its skin (Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization, Second Edtion, p 179, by A. Leo Oppenheim, University of Chicago Press, 1964). Once this ritual was completed, this drum was no longer just a common musical instrument, but was known as “The Divine Lilissu (kettledrum)” (Rituels Accadiens, p 12, by F. Thureau-Dangin, Paris, 1921, cited in Percussion Instruments and Their History, 4th edtion, illustrated and revised, p 157, by James Blades, publisher: Bold Strummer, 1992).
As the kettledrum was the special sacred drum of the god Ea, other drums became special to other gods as well. For instance: the “holy ub and holy lilis drums” were played especially “for her [goddess Inana]” (Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 3rd Kirugu, line 37, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1#, accessed 4-27-12). The “balag drum” became the “beloved” drum of the war god Ningirsu. Thus the Babylonians believed that this “drum will make the inclination of the lord -- which is as inconceivable as the heavens -- will make the inclination of Ningirsu, the son of Enlil, favourable for you...With his powers, which are the greatest, the warrior [god] will make the house [temple] thrive for you” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, Section 7, lines A7.1-5, 7-8) (cumulative lines 165-169, 171-172), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-27-12). So when the Babylonians played this particular drum, or any of the other holy drums, they understood that the gods who favored these would become so happy with their worshippers that their “requests will then be taken as if they were commands” and would be quickly and abundantly answered (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, Sections 6, lines A6.26)(cumulative line 164), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-27-12).
This led the Babylonians to believe that the musical instrument of “drums belong to the divine powers” (Sumerian Tablet of The temple hymns, line 7, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4801.htm, accessed 4-29-12), and that when they played these drums then the gods would become favorably influenced towards them. This meant that more than any other instrument of music the Babylonians believed that the drums were sacred and “holy” (The Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment J, lines 100-101, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm, accessed 4-29-12; Sumerian Tablet of The lament for Urim, line 300, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.2.2&charenc=j#, accessed 4-29-12).
Since they believed that the kettledrum was a representation of their god “Ea, the divine Patron of Music”, then they held that “the dread sound of which was the personification of his essence” (Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 231, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957) or spirit in their midst. So by playing this drum the Babylonians were actually calling or summoning their god Ea to come into their midst and bless their gathering with his essence or spirit. As this is true, then this idea of summoning their god to come into their midst would also hold true with the playing of all the other sacred and holy drums as well. This means that it was the sound of the drum itself, aside from any lyrics, that was the personification of the essence of the gods, which were all just representations of their one supreme god Marduk. Thus the longer and louder the Babylonian musicians would beat upon these sacred drums, the more of the presence of the god of music would be encouraged to come into their midst, fill the entire area, and affect all the listeners with his essence or spirit.
Also, these drums were not played in a haphazard manner, nor were they beaten either by hand or drumsticks in a non-rhythmic pattern. But they were played so that “ala drums and balag drum will sound in perfect concert with the sim drums” (Sumerian Cylinder of The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, Section 15, lines B15.21-22 (cumulative lines 1177-1178), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-29-12). This meant that the drum musicians had to be very skilled in how they beat these drums so that their sound would be rhythmically correct. This, of course, took lots of practice before a Babylonian drum player could say that “I have mastered the drumsticks” (Sumerian Tablet of Self-praise of Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan A): Segment A, line 372, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr25401.htm, accessed 4-27-12).
This meant that the Babylonians skillfully played their drums in a perfect rhythmic cycle and tempo designed to reflect the harmony and precise mathematical functioning of the universe. This fact is clearly shown in an ancient Babylonian drawing wherein “we find rhythmical sounds of the drum here employed apparently for the purpose of facilitating the execution of some menial labour [which was cutting down the palm trees belonging to a captured city]” (The Music of the Most Ancient Nations, p 101 by Carl Engel, Reeves London, 1864, cited in Percussion Instruments and Their History, p 158, by James Blades, 4th edition, Publisher Bold Strummer, 1992). As these drums were used to provide the particular rhythmic sounds needed to unify and harmonize the workers, then these drums were also used to provide the particular rhythmic sounds needed to unify and harmonize Babylon’s music with the universe.
So the musical theory of the Babylonians was not something little understood and very undeveloped, but was highly understood and well developed; nor was their music haphazardly performed, but instead was skillfully played in both scale, rhythm and harmony. This was because the Babylonians “deeply revered music, which was perceived to be a gift from the gods and the means by which to worship” them (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 43, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12). After all, Enki – their patron god of music – was depicted to have himself “made” some of the many musical instruments which the Babylonians were fond of using – such as “the lyre, the algar instrument, [and] the balag drum with the drumsticks” (Sumerian Tablet on Enki's Journey to Nibru, line 62, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-27-12).
In connection with this fact, “each of the translated tablets that relates to music of psalms for religious worship, places the music in the scale of ‘nid qabli’, meaning ‘of the gods’” (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 21, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12). And since there were exactly seven different divine gods who controlled the heavens and determined future events, destinies of both individuals and nations, as well as omens of both good and ill, then the Babylonians represented these different astrological powers in their music.
– Music in Temples
Music in Temples The “Sumerian civilization was centered on religion and hence its music on the temple service” (The Concise Oxford History of Music, p 10, by Gerald Abraham, published by Oxford University Press, New York, 1985). Religious music performed in Babylonian temples frequently had “seven singers [who] sang” (Sumerian Tablet of Enki's journey to Nibru, line 67, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-29-12) to the accompaniment of “seven instruments” (Sumerian Tablet of A praise poem of Shulgi (Shulgi C), Segment B, line 80, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr24203.htm, accessed 4-29-12) which played songs containing the seven different musical tones, whose musical rhythm was then enhanced by, of course, “seven” drums – especially “tigi drums” (Sumerian Tablet of Enki's journey to Nibru, line 123-125, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr114.htm, accessed 4-29-12), “ala drums” (Sumerian Tablet of The marriage of Martu, line 61, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr171.htm, accessed 4-29-12) and “balag drums” (Babylonian Tablet of The cursing of Agade (Old Babylonian version), Line 197, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-29-12).
These facts clearly reveal that religious music to the Babylonians was not something haphazardly written, performed or conducted, but was specifically and intelligently designed to harmonize with the cosmos where their gods dwelt. These seven musical notes, singers, musicians and especially drums were all purposely arranged to blend and harmonize together so that they could more perfectly reflect the harmony of the cosmos and therefore more perfectly please the seven astrological gods who controlled all things, and thus encourage these gods to come and visit with them and fill them all with their divine essence or spirit. This was the reason behind Babylon’s theory of music, and the purpose and goal of why their music was performed in its particular style and rhythm!
In order for this complex goal to be realized required wisdom, skill and tact, as well as song writers, singers and musicians who were well learned in all the mystery religious teachings of Babylon. And there was no one more suited to achieving these things than the temple priests themselves.
– Temple Musicians
Temple Musicians As each of the Babylonian temples were "staffed by priests, priestesses, musicians, singers, castrates and hierodules [prostitutes]” (The Treasures of Darkness: a History of Mesopotamian Religion, by Thorkild Jacobsen, Yale University Press, 1976; also Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, under Music, p. 461, Abingdon Press, 1962), and these temple “musicians and singers, [included] both male and female” performers (Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, Chapter 9 on Religion, p 111, by H.W.F. Saggs, published 1965, Assyrian International News Agency Books Online, at http://www.aina.org/books/eliba/eliba.htm#c20, accessed 12-22-11; also Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, Cylinder B, section 3, lines B4.5-6 (cumulative lines 890-891), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12), then one of the easiest ways of fulfilling this complex goal behind Babylon’s music was for some of the priests and priestesses themselves to become these musicians and singers. Therefore many of them became “cantors of laments, some cantors of carols, [and] many were musicians” (Babylonian Religion, by Dr. M.D. Magee, at http://www.askwhy.co.uk/judaism/0235Marduk.php, accessed 5-13-12; also Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, Cylinder B, section 3, lines B4.5-6 (cumulative lines 890-891), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12) – including drummers!
Especially could the “pašeš priests beat the drumskins; [as] they recite powerfully, powerfully” (Sumerian Tablet of The Kesh temple hymn, 7th house, Lines 114-115, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4802.htm, accessed 4-29-12). In fact “Musical knowledge, like that of astrology, was initially considered the sole purview of the priests and the temples” (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 21, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12).
It was in these temples of worship that “sacred hymns, the psalms and lamentations [were] chanted by trained singers in accordance with a well-defined liturgy, to the accompaniment of diverse instruments: lyres, flutes, cymbals and drums” (The Arts of Assyria, Volume 2 of Arts of Mankind, p 297, by André Parrot, published by Golden Press, 1961). “Orchestras played and singers sang, individually and chorally” in praises to the gods of Babylon (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 254, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n351/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). Sometimes just one type of drum would be played, while at other times several different types of drums would all be played in unison to make “them resound to Enlil” (five different drums playing simultaneously listed in the Babylonian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade (Old Babylonian version), lines 197-200, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-29-12). But in most all occasions, “drums...were freely employed in sacred music” of Babylon (Babylonian and Hebrew Musical Terms, by Professor Stephen Langdon, published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol 53, Issue #2, 1921, p 169-191, at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5682892, accessed 6-14-11), especially during the chants as “the precentors...[would] chant to the drum” (Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 234, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957).
This free use of drums within the religious worship services of Babylonian temples is clearly shown in a “Sumerian Stela” or song of lamentation written about 2400 BC. This song stated: “O temple, thy skilled master [priest] is not present; thy fate who decrees? The psalmist, who knows the song, is not present; thy fate to the drum he chants not! He that knows how to touch the drum is not present; thy fate he sings not!” (Sumerian Stela, cited in Essays on the Origins of Western Music, Essay #5: Thoughts on Music and Religion in Ancient Civilizations, p 1, by David Whitewell, published at click here, accessed 4-5-12). You can clearly see from this Stela the integral connection of the drums to the priests and psalmist, because without the drums then neither could any decree, chant, or sing about the fate or future of others! Thus the Babylonians considered the sacred drum to be the most important musical instrument to be heard within any of the worship services of the temples. It was considered to be integral to properly conducting their ritual ceremonies as well as their sacred music, because without the sacred drum, their temples could not be filled with the essence and spirit of their god of music, would not be blessed by his presence, and thus their services would be without his power.
– Lyrics
Lyrics The lyrics used in these sacred Babylonian songs were usually derived from the psalms, hymns, myths and other poetry verse centered around their gods and the doctrines making up Babylon’s mystery religion. But not always. As Enki was the Babylonian god of music, then at times he was responsible for directly inspiring his followers with actual lyrics for new songs. This type of actual lyrics given by direct inspiration or possession of the gods was actually depicted in the following text:
“...the words which Enki [god of music] composed about me [king Shulgi], and which Jectin-ana [goddess of song] joyously speaks from the heart and broadcasts far and wide, shall never be forgotten, I have had them written down line by line in the House of the Wisdom of Nisaba [goddess of writing] in holy heavenly writing, as great works of scholarship. No one shall ever let any of it pass from memory....It shall not be forgotten, since indestructible heavenly writing has a lasting renown. The scribe should bring it to the singer, and can let him look at it, and with the wisdom and intelligence of Nisaba, let him read it to him as if from a lapis-lazuli tablet. Let my songs sparkle like silver in the lode! Let them be performed in all the cult-places, and let no one neglect them” Sumerian Tablet of A Praise Poem of Shulgi (Shulgi E), lines 243-255, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr24205.htm, accessed 4-27-12.
So the actual lyrics which Enki was depicted as composing was transmitted directly to a follower by Jectin-ana inspiring or possessing their heart, then this possessed follower began to either automatically write these lyrics down, or to speak and broadcast these lyrics out loud and another wrote them down. Since these particular lyrics had come directly from the gods themselves, they were considered extremely valuable and important. So in order to make sure they were not lost or soon forgotten, they were taken to the House of the Wisdom of Nisaba where purified and holy scribes copied them down line by line in a process of holy heavenly writing. After these lyrics of Enki had been copied, they were then taken to a temple singer, who read these lyrics themselves, or had it read to them, so that they could then compose a suitable musical tune around the lyrics to make them sparkle. This completed song was then distributed far and wide so that it could be performed in all the cult temples and shrines for the benefit of all worshipers and listeners.
– Rhythm and Tempo
Rhythm and Tempo Now whether these lyrics were produced from pre-existing doctrinal writings, or had come from inspiration or possession of the gods themselves, they were not haphazardly composed, but were written to actually contain rhythmic patterns. The “Metrical structures of [Mesopotamian] poetic texts (hymns, myths, and other poetry) fall in the category of accented verse, and frequently exhibit four ‘beats’ to each line of poetry” (Study titled Music and Dance in Ancient Western Asia, by Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, published in the book Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol 4, p 2608, editor: Jack M. Sasson, publisher: Charles Scribner & Sons, Farmington Hills, MI, 1995).
In addition to frequently carrying four beats to each line of poetry, these materials also were repetitious in nature. For instance, at times the second line of text was exactly repeated in the fourth line (see Enuma Enlish, tablet 4, lines 3-6); or a pair of lines would essentially say the same thing twice (see Enuma Enlish, tablet 1, lines 1-2); or the first line would be repeated in the second line but with added details (see Enuma Enlis, tablet 1, lines 42-43). And “these repetitional devices occur frequently” all through sacred Babylonian literature placed to music and sung in the temples. These “most often take the form of couplets, [but] sometimes repetitive pairs stretch out over a full quatrain or are collapsed into half-lines”. This means that “there is a rhythm” upon “which the verse was sung”, although “no discernable meter” has yet been discovered in Babylonian artifacts (Ancient Literature and Language, A Guide to Writing in History and Classics, Chapter 2: The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Frances B. Titchener, at http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320AncLit/chapters/02gilgam.htm, accessed 3-19-12).
Even though there has been not yet been any historical evidence showing the exact tempo and meter in which Babylonian music was mainly played in, yet we know that their music contained rhythm and harmony designed to match that of the cosmos. As this is true, since each line of poetry frequently contained four beats of accented verse, then the singing of this verse as well as the musical accompaniment would likely have followed this same four beat pattern. This would have made the tempo and meter of many of these Babylonian songs to be played in a 4/4 time (NOTE: one of the earliest known Mesopotamian songs with musical notation is known as the Hurrian Song. Here you can listen to it being played in 4/4 time: (click here). Also, given the fact that many of their sacred verses were repetitive in nature over a full quatrain, this would have lent to the musical score or tune repeating itself to match the repetitive text (NOTE: a different translation of the Hurrian Song, where its repeating musical tune can more clearly be heard: (click here). Given what has been stated above to be true, then Babylonian music was being played in a 4/4 beat rhythm, with its tune repeating itself at various times and intervals.
But aside from what tempo and meter Babylonian sacred music was performed in, it is clear that their songs were sung in a rhythmically repeating pattern, accompanied with various musical instruments designed to build up the rhythm, especially using drums to emphasize the beat of the rhythm.
– Conflicting Rhythms
Conflicting Rhythms Even though the Babylonians believed there was complete harmony and rhythm existing in the cosmos, yet this did not necessarily mean perfect cosmic unity in every sense of the term. The gods themselves were at times in conflict with one another, and not in perfect unity. At one time they were happy, another time angry; one time they were perfect and holy, the next imperfect and evil. Their sun god only shone for half a day, and then the opposing god of darkness ruled for the last half; etc. Yet the Babylonians did not attribute this dualism or conflict among the gods to there being a lack of harmony in the cosmos, but instead embraced the concept that these apparent conflicts and rhythmic differences were necessary in order to maintain complete cosmic harmony.
Since the goal of the Babylonian priests was to perfectly mimic the cosmos in their musical performances in order to come into unity with the gods and the universe as a whole, then they did not just produce music that was always united in rhythm, but at times incorporated into their musical rhythms that conflicted with each other. And the main musical instruments which the priests used to reproduce these conflicting rhythms were the holy and sacred drums of the gods.
A possible example of two different groups of drummers beating their drums in a conflicting rhythmic pattern was mentioned in Babylonian writings. It states in the clay tablet of The Marriage of Martu, on lines 60-62:
“In the city, bronze šem drums were rumbling, and the seven ala drums resounded as strong men, girdled champions, entered the wrestling house to compete with each other for Numušda [god of war] in the temple of Inab.” Sumerian Tablet of The Marriage of Martu, lines 60-62, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr171.htm, accessed 4-29-12.
Wrestlers are two opponents who compete in conflict against each other to see who is the greatest, and thus were a visual representation depicting this continual conflict taking place in the cosmos. The two different sets of seven drummers playing on two different sets of seven drums were then an audio representation depicting not just these pairs of opposing wrestlers, but ultimately the conflict taking place in the cosmos as well. And the reason for having just seven drummers and seven drums was to represent the seven major gods who are in continual conflict with the opposing forces of the gods of darkness and evil.
One set of Babylonian drummers were depicted as causing their sem drums to produce a “rumbling” sound, while the other set of Babylonian drummers were depicted as causing their ala drums, not to rumble in harmony with the sem drums, but “resounded” to a different rhythmic beat. This meant that these two sets of drummers were not depicted as playing the same rhythmic beat in unison, but were really depicted as playing their drums with two different rhythmic beats at the same time. Why else would the Babylonians have two different sets of drummers playing on two different sets of drums connected with pairs of opposing wrestlers who represented the conflict between good and evil taking place in the cosmos, unless it was that each drumming group were representing through their two different rhythmic beats one or the other of these two conflicting principles? And why else have two different sets of exactly seven drummers playing on two different sets of exactly seven drums unless it was that these drummers were representing through their two different rhythmic beats the seven major Babylonian gods in constant conflict with the dark forces of evil?
With this being true, then as each of these two groups of drummers pounded out their own particular rhythmic pattern, these two differing and conflicting rhythms would begin to pulse and resonate against each another, filling the city temple with deep pulsing vibrations. Thus each of the Babylonians gathered together in the temple did not just obtain a visual representation of these opposing cosmic forces by watching the wrestlers, but they also heard and even felt these rhythmic pulsing sound vibrations coming through the music. This type of pulsing, resonating conflict in rhythm within the same piece of music would affect the listeners in completely different ways than would music played to only one particular united beat. And it is this conflict in beat and rhythm within music that was first developed by the Babylonians, and thus directly points back to them as it origin.
– Music Used to Educate
Music Used to Educate In addition to the Babylonian priests performing these different styles of music in order to harmonize with the cosmos, it was also specifically designed to teach each listener various aspects of their mystery religion. Therefore “music in Mesopotamia, was considered as part of education” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 4, at click here, accessed 6-14-11). This meant that whenever the various styles of musical performance were to occur at these temples, the priests and priestesses worked to try and cement the various teachings of the Babylonian mystery religion into the minds of each worshipper through the very music they heard being performed.
For instance: A typical religious service would be as follows: there would be offered “sacrifices, in which supplications to the gods were supported by musical ceremonies” (Essays on the Origins of Western Music, Essay #5: Thoughts on Music and Religion in Ancient Civilizations, p 3, by David Whitewell, published at click here, accessed 4-5-12). Then “a chosen priest applied the magic formula necessary for the purification and consecration of the participants. Then the psalmists had to sustain the opening supplication with their singing; a professional musician furnished the required instrumental accompaniment. The principle psalmist (a sort of “high priest”) chanted a hymn to the gods Ea, Shamash and Marduk...Sacred services ended with the singing of an epic poem, which must have been well known to everyone, since the entire congregation took part in it” (Music in the Social and Religious Life of Antiquity, p 33, by Alfred Sendrey, Rutherford, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1974).
From this you can see that “music had such a powerful functional rule in the celebration of religion by the ancients”, with both “vocal and instrumental music playing an important role in religious ceremonies” in Babylon (Essays on the Origins of Western Music, Essay #5: Thoughts on Music and Religion in Ancient Civilizations, p 1, by David Whitewell, published at click here, accessed 4-5-12), and so much so that the two became closely combined together to the point that one could not be properly conducted without the other. You can also see that the priests were not always the only singing voices to be heard, as “psalms and hymns were sung sometimes by the priests, sometimes by the congregation, sometimes by both in strophe and antistrophe” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 242, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n339/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). In this fashion the congregation themselves became involved in singing the lyrics, which further led to Babylon’s mystery teachings being ingrained into their minds.
But not all such psalms, hymns, lamentations and chants were written and sung in the common language of Babylon. Sometimes, especially with the “chants” (see Babylonian and Hebrew Musical Terms, by Professor Stephen Langdon, published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol 53, Issue #2, 1921, p 169-191, at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5682892, accessed 6-14-11), “they were written in the ancient Sumerian language” which very few if any of the worshippers understood except the priests (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 242, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n339/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). This meant that the priests themselves were able to hide the real meaning of the Babylonian teachings in these songs at will, and only reveal them to their worshippers at the most appropriate times for the greatest impact upon their minds.
Yet even though some of these psalms and hymns were sung in Sumerian, music in the Babylonian mystical worship system was played in such a way that its listeners would be “moving into the presence of god”. They believed that one had to “work your way up to god through the worship facilitator with music” (Music, Drama, Dance as Change Agent, by Kenneth Sublett, at http://www.piney.com/WinZoe2.html, accessed 5-13-12). This facilitator was known as “the precentor”, and it was “his duty to chant and intone the liturgy” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 4, at click here, accessed 6-14-11), and other sacred songs. In other words, he was the song leader who would lead out with the proper pitch and tone, while others in the choir would then follow his lead and make “the responses in the liturgies” or sing along in the other hymns of praise (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 4, at click here, accessed 6-14-11).
Some of these Babylonian liturgies lasted eight days, which each day of the week “having a different tone” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 8, click here, accessed 6-14-11). This meant that anyone, including the blind, if they were familiar with these liturgy tones, could determine what day of the week it was by the particular tone they heard.
Sometimes these litanies were “attended by a procession on the part of the choir, a choral march, [and] a real recessional was performed at the end of the litany” (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 4, at click here, accessed 6-14-11). At other times these contained “the antiphon” where the song would alternate “between two groups of singers”, such as in the “Liturgy and Prayer to the Moon God”, or in the “Babylonian antiphonal lamentation” over the destruction of some of their land by the invading Guti (Music in Assyria and Babylonia, p 4, at click here, accessed 6-14-11). In fact, the Mesopotamian liturgies are believed by certain historians to be “the greatest system of musical ritual in any ancient religion” (Ancient and Oriental Music, Volume 1 of New Oxford History of Music, p 236, editor: Egon Wellesz, publisher: Oxford University Press, 1957).
Babylonian music and songs were performed in many different ways and manners, yet all of these performances were specifically connected with their religious beliefs and thus were designed to educate and teach the listeners various aspects of the Babylonian mystery religion, and not just to entertain them. This is one reason why “most musicians depicted in early Mesopotamian...art [are shown to] participate in sacred rites” (Article titled Music, by Bryce Rytting, published in Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media,, p 275, Daniel A. Stout editor, Routledge, NY, 2006, at http://www.bandung2.co.uk/books/Files/Religion/Encyclopedia%20of%20Religion,%20Communication,%20and%20Media.pdf, accessed 4-5-12).
Also, the way the various musical instruments were played and performed, either with or without accompanying lyrics and singers, was specifically designed to summon the gods into their midst. Therefore Babylonian music was geared towards teaching each of the listeners various aspects of the doctrines of its mystery religion. It was also performed in such a way as to encourage each listener to become involved in the music itself, especially through its heavy drum beat and rhythm, to the point that they would be led or moved to submit themselves to the gods called down into their midst so that they could be filled with the essence or spirit of these gods and thereby united with them.
– Music Used to Arouse and Entice
Music Used to Arouse and Entice To help bring about this submission to the gods, this “moving into the presence of god” was facilitated through music specifically designed to sexually arouse the listeners. Of course, once aroused the mind would be geared towards this particular passion and thus would be left unguarded to suggestions or teachings connected with the music that might otherwise be rejected by a mind that was not so distracted.
This connection of music and sexual arousal in the worship of the Babylonian gods is brought out in the Bible. The Bible connects Babylon with being a harlot (see Revelation 14:8, 18:2), and a harlot’s job is to sexually arouse her unwary prospects in hopes that they will lose self-control and be enticed into her bed. So this Babylonian connection with music and sexual arousal in the hopes that unwary listeners would lose self-control and be enticed into worshiping and uniting with their god is clearly seen. But who was this god that the Babylonians were really worshipping?
Inanna, who was also called Ishtar or Astarte, was known as the queen of heaven and goddess of sexuality. The Babylonians believed that Inanna went to visit Enki/Ea, who was the god of music and “the god of wisdom, who knows all things” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 12, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983). And what great and divine wisdom did Inanna obtain from Enki? Enki gave Inanna “the art of love making. He gave me the kissing of the phallus. He gave me the art of prostitution....He gave me the resounding musical instrument. He gave me the art of song” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 17, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983). And especially was the “drum” one of “the precious gifts of Ishtar” or Inanna (The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet 12, lines 7 & 9, at http://looklex.com/textarchive/mesopotamia/gilgamesh12.htm, accessed 3-8-12), that was delivered to her by Enki/Ea as its sound was the personification of his presence in the midst of his worshipers.
After Inanna/Ishtar had received these sexual instructions and musical gifts, she then brought all these to her people and commanded them to “Let the little children laugh and sing. Let all Uruk (populace of a large city in Mesopotamia) be festive! Let the high priest greet the Boat of Heaven with song. Let him utter prayers. Let him slaughter oxen and sheep. Let him pour beer out of the cup. Let the drum and tambourine resound. Let the sweet tigi-music be played. Let all the lands proclaim my noble name. Let my people sing my praises” (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 24, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983).
If you notice the progression in the above story, religious teachings on sexual worship were first obtained from the god of wisdom, and immediately afterwards the same god gave Ishtar resounding music and the art of song. Then when ready to bring forth these gifts to the people, their spirits were first loosened up with laughter, singing, drinking and festivity. Then as the high priest began his work of instructing the people, the music became more intense with drum and tambourine and other instrumental music resounding. This rhythmic musical bombardment, sometimes with perfect sequencial beats of the drums and other times with off or conflicting beats, continued until finally the people gave in to the music and embraced the instruction, which directly led them to honor, worship and praise the sexual goddess, as well as Enki – the god of music and wisdom – who gave her these gifts.
Thus this one great god Enki/Ea, who knows all things; this one god who gave the Babylonians their particular knowledge of music, art of song and the particular style of playing their musical instruments enhanced by the beating of the drum to represent his essence and summon his presence; was this one god who connected with this music the various practices of free and unrestrained sexuality! But as we have discovered, this one all-wise god Enki/Ea was just another manifestation of the one supreme god Marduk, who in-turn was just a manifestation of the one supreme hidden god. Thus this one supreme hidden god was the real power hidden behind the Babylonian mystery religion!
– Dancing
Dancing As the steady rhythm and drum beat of this Babylonian music was specifically designed to move the soul of each listener, then it was only natural for them to begin tapping their hands, feet, or even nodding their heads in time with the rhythm. To help encourage such bodily movement and to further encourage the listeners to give in to this moving Babylonian religious music, was dancing.
References to dancing found in the ancient tablets or shown in reliefs, was “usually in reference to the cult” practices connected with the temples of worship (Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, Chapter 8 - Recreation, p 170, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). Dances were performed “by both men and women”, and were “done in time to music, singing and clapping” (Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, Chapter 8 - Recreation, p 170, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). The number of dancers at any one time ranged from “performing solo, in pairs, and in groups”, and when in groups they would usually be arranged “in a row or circle” (Study titled Music and Dance in Ancient Western Asia, by Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, published in the book Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol 4, p 2609, editor: Jack M. Sasson, publisher: Charles Scribner & Sons, Farmington Hills, MI, 1995).
Various types of dances were performed, which included “acrobatic dancers” who would perform all kinds of different acrobatic steps and forms to the delight and awe of the watchers (Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, Chapter 8 - Recreation, p 170, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998). Also “whirling dances” were performed where the dancers would spin around and around (Study titled Music and Dance in Ancient Western Asia, by Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, published in the book Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol 4, p 2609, editor: Jack M. Sasson, publisher: Charles Scribner & Sons, Farmington Hills, MI, 1995).
In fact the god Ea even commanded to “let a whirling dance take place” in celebration dealing with the goddess Ishtar (Agushaya Poem (II.6), Tablet II vii 16, referred to in Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature, vol 2, second Edition, p 504, by B. Foster, Bethesda, MD., 1996). Thus “whirling dances were done in her honor” particularly during her “annual feast”, and the “‘whirling’ was usually done by men” arranged in a row or a circle, but could also be done by women (Study titled Music and Dance in Ancient Western Asia, by Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, published in the book Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol 4, p 2609, editor: Jack M. Sasson, publisher: Charles Scribner & Sons, Farmington Hills, MI, 1995). This whirling dance then became a “form or attribute of Ishtar” and was therefore associated with her worship and performed in her temples (Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature, vol 2, second edition, p 879, by Benjamin Reed Foster, publisher: CDL Press, Bethesda, MD., 1996). Since this whirling dance was a form or attribute of Ishtar herself, then performing this dance was just one way in which the performers and even worshipers could move into her presence and become filled with her essence or spirit and then completely possessed by her.
Dancing also proved a most effective way of keeping the minds of the people distracted while they focused upon the dancers performing in unison with the beat of the music. This then allowed the steady drum beat emphasizing the rhythm of the music to more quickly do its work affecting their hearts and souls. Under this combined visual and audio assault, many of the worshippers were soon led to lose self-control, join in with the dancers and then allow the god of music to fill them with his presence. That is why in most all of the pagan worship rituals and festivities of Babylon, music, song, and dance were highly indulged in.
It is hoped that you can see that the connection of the Babylonian religious beliefs and practices with their song, music and dance, was inseparably combined together. But it was especially through the songs, music, drums and dance that these Babylonian teachings were more easily reinforced in the minds of all the listeners.
– Secular Music
Secular Music It was not just within Babylonian temples that this type of music and dance could be heard, but also in “palaces, and at the feasts of the well-to-do” (The Story of Civilization: Part 1 – Our Oriental Heritage, Chapter IV, Moral Elements of Civilization, p 254, by Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1954, at http://www.archive.org/stream/StoryOfCiv01_OurOrientalHeritage#page/n351/mode/2up, accessed 1-25-12). This meant that the particular style of music and musical performance that was heard in the sacred temples were copied and carried over into the secular field of Babylonian culture, and, just like in temple services, alcoholic beverages were also freely provided to help lessen reason, and to lose self-control more quickly! And just like in temple services, the songs and music performed in these secular places were enhanced by drums and were also performed in such a way that the listeners in all these places were encouraged to lose self-control, give loose reign to emotions and engage in sexual practices.
This type of religious musical carryover into the secular arena could be clearly seen exhibited in the ale houses and taverns. These taverns were usually “run by alewives, [and] were houses of pleasure where men drank, listened to music, and had intercourse with prostitutes. The walls of the taproom were decorated with clay plaques of naked women or other erotic scenes. Ishtar, the goddess of love, was the patron of taverns” (Daily Life in Mesopotamia, p 137, by Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998), especially since she was given “the holy tavern” as her own habitation by Enki (Inanna queen of heaven and earth: Her stories and hymns from Sumer, p 17, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, quoting from “Inanna and the God of Wisdom”, New York: Harper & Row, 1983). Thus the same type of “musical expression”, as well as the same kind of low “religious morals” that were being taught and practiced within the Babylonian mystery religion played “a vital part in [their] cultural development...and social values of a given community” in Babylon, and all was attributable to “the quality of the music that they produced” within their sacred temples of worship (Article titled Music: the Sound and the Unsound, by Rebekah Smith, published in Only Believe magazine, Vol 4, #3, December, 1991, at http://discerningmusic.wordpress.com/music-%E2%80%93-the-sound-the-unsound/, accessed 4-5-12).
So this connection of song, music, drums and dance being performed in such a way that the people were encouraged to lose self-control, give in to sexual passion and submit to the influence and teachings of the gods, originated in Babylon and was an unmistakable sign pointing back to Babylon. And music was the key factor which the temple priests and priestesses used to effectively cement their paganistic teachings in the minds of the people.
– Volume in Musical Performances
Volume in Musical Performances These musical services were not quite occasions, but the temple musicians played their “instruments loud enough to drown out the south wind-storm” (Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A, line 206, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12). And, of course, these loud musical performances were also “accompanied by tigi drums, and ala drums [which] roared for him [the temple god] like a storm” (Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section B19.1-2 (or cumulative lines 1243-1244), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12).
As it was through music, especially through drums that the priests used to bring upon the worshippers the effects desired, then these temples were purposefully constructed with a “great music room” (Sumerian Tablet on Enki and the World Order, lines 150-151, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr113.htm, accessed 4-27-12), and a “drum hall” (Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A28.14-17 (cumulative line 771), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12), so that the loud music and pounding rhythmic drum beat could be sent into all parts of the temple and also into all parts of the worshippers. In fact, the whole complex of their “Ancient temples were often constructed in such a way that the songs sung during services would have a maximum effect on the mass” (Article titled Some Very Interesting Information on 666, by Ragnar Redbeard, at http://apodion.com/vad/static/126.html, accessed 5-13-12).
– Music Used For Manipulation
Music Used For Manipulation These facts plainly show that many of the temple priests, especially those in high positions of authority, were knowingly trying to manipulate and control all those who came to worship at their temples, and their particular style of musical performance was used to try and accomplish this.
Since music was the medium being used to try and achieve this manipulation and control of the masses, then any who came within hearing of this Babylonian music could become affected by it whether they realized it or not! Also, as the church was united closely with the state government within Babylon, then high authorities in the state were well aware of what the church was doing, and in turn were aiding and helping the church officials to facilitate this control by endorsing and upholding this religious program. This meant that you had high “enlightened” officials in both the church and state who knew what was going on, while the many “unenlightened” people underneath them, especially the vast majority of all the common worshipers, knew nothing about it.
This type of division between those who know, versus those who are ignorant, falls well within the ideology of that hidden “Babylonian Cult” society which secretly functioned within the Babylonian mystery religion. But this aspect of “control, or manipulation at least, exerted through the music” that the religion and state of Babylon utilized against its own citizens (Progenitive Music: A Study of the Ancestry of Western Society, In Regards to Music, Religion and Culture, p 45, by Jason Rae, 2007, at click here, accessed 4-5-12), is just another identifying mark pointing directly back to Babylon for its origin and establishment.
Hidden god of Babylon The Bible refers to Lucifer as being the real king of Babylon (see Isaiah 14:4-12). As such, then Lucifer is the real power hidden behind the throne in Babylon! This revelation means that the one god Enki/Ea/Marduk actually represents Lucifer – the one angelic heavenly being who chose to rebel and war against the Almighty God of heaven (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:22, 19:15; Daniel 7:9, 13; 5:18) and the Lord God Michael (Daniel 12:1, 8:25; Jude 1:9) who would later become Jesus Christ His Son (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:30-32; Matthew 16:16; Daniel 9:24-27; Isaiah 53:5-11; 1 John 4:10). Lucifer was then defeated and cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9; Luke 10:18). He then caused the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-24), claiming them as his rightful subjects (Zechariah 3:1; James 4:7) and the earth as his rightful kingdom (Luke 4:5-6), and he has ever since been leading humanity to follow and join him in his rebellion against God (2 Corthians 11:3; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Matthew 16:23). Enki’s great wisdom in music, song and instrumental performance is really just a representation of Lucifer’s wisdom in these arts, which the Bible reveals Lucifer to be created with.
The word Lucifer itself means “to be clear” in “sound” or in “color” “in the sense of brightness” (Strong’s Exhaustive Hebrew Concordance, word #1966 and #1984). So Lucifer was not just an angel who was bright and clear in color or light, but he was also created to be an angel who was bright and clear in sound!
Lucifer was specifically created with “tabrets” and “pipes” in his throat (Ezekiel 28:13 - referring to Lucifer as the king of Tyrus or Tyre). Pipes, of course, would give different sounds when air passes through them. And since pipes is plural and thus refers to more than one, you can see that Lucifer was created with the ability to sing more than one note at the same time, and quite possibly was able to sing all 4 part harmony by himself. The word “tabrets” means “to drum” or “play” like on a “tambourine” (Strong’s word #8596 derived from #8608). So in addition to Lucifer being able to marvelously sing, he was also able to maintain the beat or move the song forward in a rhythmic, orderly and united form. With all these musical talents, it is quite probable that Lucifer was the conductor and director of the angelic choir and heavenly musicians so that all would combine together in perfect and harmonious unity.
This beautiful music and heavenly song was all dedicated towards glorifying and worshiping God out of hearts full of grateful love and adoration. Thus all heaven would be filled with wondrous, awe inspiring melody to the God of heaven.
The Bible does not state how many years, centuries, or even millennia things continued on in the above holy, peaceful and joyful fashion. But it does reveal that the above picture of perfection and harmony in heaven changed, and Lucifer was the sole reason why.
“Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee....and thou hast sinned” Ezekiel 28:15-16.
The Hebrew word for “iniquity” is “evel” (Strong’s, word #5766), and it translates and means “evil, iniquity, perverseness, unrighteousness, wicked”. It is derived from the Hebrew word “aval” (Strong’s, word #5765), which translates and means “to distort, to deal unjustly”. The Hebrew word for “sinned” is “chata” (Strong’s, word #2398), which translates and means “to miss, to sin”; while the Hebrew word for “sin” is “chatta’th” (Strong’s, word #2403 – which is derived from “chata”), and it translates and means “an offense, or an offender”.
So iniquity was first “found in” Lucifer, in other words it originated in Lucifer’s own heart or mind as an evil or perverse or wicked or distorted thought. But instead of Lucifer dispelling or dismissing this unrighteous thought, he dwelt upon it. This eventually led him to miss the mark of perfection and then to deal unjustly and commit sin, and thus he became an offender.
Since God made Lucifer “perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created”, and then afterwards “iniquity was found in” Lucifer who then “sinned”, therefore God cannot be charged with creating either iniquity or sin, and thus neither can He be held responsible for their existence. The whole reason for iniquity and sin, as well as for their existence in this universe, rests solely with Lucifer – who is their only author and creator.
But it was not always like this. Lucifer was the “son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12). The Hebrew word for “son” is “ben”, and it translates and means “a son”, “a builder”, “anointed one”, “appointed to” “firstborn” (Strong’s, word #1121), and the Hebrew word for “morning” is “sachar” which translates and means “to dawn, day spring, early light, morning” (Strong’s, word #7837). So Lucifer was the firstborn angel, the one created first thing in the dawn or early beginning of the creation of God, the anointed one, and the one appointed to help build up and establish the kingdom of God.
Lucifer was created an angelic cherub who was “full of wisdom” (Ezekiel 28:12). As a very wise cherub, Lucifer was given the greatest position of honor that any angel could hold, and that was to be “the anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezekiel 28:14). The Hebrew word for “anointed” is “mimshach” which translates and means “expansion or outstretched wings” (Strong’s, word #4473), and this word is derived from “mashach” which means “to oil or consecrate” (Strong’s, word #4886). The word “covereth” is “sakak”which translates and means “to fence in, cover over, protect, defend and join together” (Strong’s, word #5526). So Lucifer was the highest, wisest and most important angelic being who was specifically created, then consecrated and anointed with oil, for the purpose of stretching out his wings to cover, protect and defend God Himself, while encouraging all other angelic beings to join together with him in honoring and worshiping God.*
*(Note: this is further backed up by the fact that the only other time this particular Hebrew word “sakak” is used apart from Lucifer is in Exodus 25:20, which refers to the cherubs above the ark of the covenant whose wings overshadowed, covered and shielded the glory and presence of God above the mercy seat).
As covering cherub, Lucifer “wast upon the holy mountain of God”, “walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire”, and thus was admitted into the inner most part of the sanctuary or temple of God to perform his covering or shielding of the glory of God Himself (Ezekiel 28:14). Thus Lucifer beheld God as no other angel could ever do. He was able to hear God’s words and commands, to see how God acted, and then to use all of his great and perfect wisdom to ponder on these things. Thus Lucifer was able to know, understand and appreciate more of the real true righteous character of God than any other angelic being could. This knowledge led him to be happy and overjoyed, because in the presence of God “is fullness of joy...[and] pleasures for evermore” (Psalms 16:11).
In addition to being the firstborn angel and covering cherub, Lucifer was not created as an ugly or even an ordinary looking angel, but was the most beautiful of all angelic beings. He was created to be “perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12), and “Every precious stone was thy covering” (Ezekiel 28:13). Now precious gems do not give off any light of their own, but do two different things with incoming light. They reflect and refract the light. To reflect means to send back the same light. But to refract means that the stone behaves like a prism and breaks up the light into varied colors, and then sends it or disperses it back out in all different directions. In other words, the light these precious stones receive is in turn reflected back and also refracted into different colors and thus multiplied more brilliantly. Such a spectacle of varied colors of sparkling dispersion catches the eye and attracts the attention of others to appreciate the sight. So Lucifer was covered by God in such a way as to attract the attention of all around so they could more appreciate the dazzling brightness of the light and glory of God as it was increased and beautifully reflected off Lucifer in all directions. Thus it was God alone who was to be glorified since it was His light and glory that Lucifer was reflecting and making more attractive for others to behold.
With Lucifer being blessed with such high honors and unique talents, his creation itself was special. The angel Lucifer “sealest up the sum” (Ezekiel 28:12). The Hebrew word for “sealest” is “chatham” which translates and means “to close up and make an end” (Strong’s, word # 2856), and the Hebrew word for “sum” is “pattern” in the aspect of being a measured out, arranged, equalized and fixed quantity (Strong’s, word #8508 in connection with #8505 and #8506). So Lucifer was created as a one-of-a-kind angel: his work of being the covering cherub, defender of God and reflector of God’s glory; his gifts of wisdom and beauty; his talents of music; were each perfectly arranged, measured out and equalized. After Lucifer was created, this particular pattern of angelic being was closed up or came to an end or reached its fixed quantity. Therefore no other angelic beings were created like Lucifer, nor could they match or equal his wisdom, beauty, or musical talents; nor were they able to be in such close proximity to God as he was; and neither were they able to reflect God’s glory as fully as he could. Lucifer was unexcelled by, and unmatched among, any of the angels, and was truly a prince among them.
As such, Lucifer occupied the highest position any created angel could hold, and his authority extended over the entire angelic host. And he was created to help build up and establish the kingdom of God, which is befitting since he was the first created angel before all the rest. But even though Lucifer held so high and lofty a position among the angelic host; even though he was honored above all the rest of the angels, he was still only third in command and completely subject to the authority of Almighty God and the Lord God Michael.
Since Lucifer was created perfect, then how could iniquity and sin ever arise in his heart in the first place? The answer rests in the fact that God created Lucifer, as well as every other angelic being, with the freedom of choice to love and serve Him. With freedom of choice comes the possibility that any of these perfect angels could always decide to no longer serve God, and thereby commit iniquity. Lucifer was the first angel who used his freedom of choice to disobey God and commit sin. As to how this iniquity first arose in a perfect heart that was filled with fullness of joy being so close to God Himself is really a mystery. That is why the Scriptures refer to Lucifer as “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, 9), because there really is no reason for its existence.
But what is sin in the first place?
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4.
So instead of Lucifer giving up his iniquitous and unrighteous thought and continuing to willingly obey the righteous laws and perfect commandments of God, he was the first angel who decided to disobey God’s law and to follow his own ways instead. Or in other words he decided to make and obey his own laws in direct opposition and rebellion to God’s laws. In doing this Lucifer broke God’s law and thereby committed sin.
But what was this first evil or distorted thought that led Lucifer to disobey God and commit iniquity and sin?
“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness...” Ezekiel 28:17.
The Hebrew word for “corrupted” is “shachath” (Strong’s, word #7843), and it translates and means “to decay, ruin, corrupt, destroy, mar, perish, waste”. So because Lucifer was created “perfect in beauty” and was full of brightness, he allowed his thoughts to begin to center upon himself and away from God. Soon selfish pride began to distort his mind. This in turn caused his great and perfect wisdom to become marred, which then began the process of decay and led to his perfect wisdom becoming ruined, wasted and destroyed.
Of course, Lucifer’s iniquitous selfish thoughts did not happen all at once, but gradually occurred over a long period of time. Yet as pride leads to self-exaltation, there finally came a point in time in which his entire outlook on life became totally affected by these unrighteous prideful thoughts. No longer was his focus centered only upon how he could serve God and Michael more fully, or even how he could be of better benefit to his fellow angelic beings. But Lucifer’s whole focus in life became centered upon self and how he could more benefit self.
Lucifer finally thought in his heart that since he was the most beautiful and the brightest of the angels; since he was the “covering cherub” and was closer to God and understood more of the true character of God than any of the other angels could; since he intensified and reflected in increased refracted beauty the glory of God for all to see and admire; since he led the entire angelic host of singers and musicians to fill all heaven with glorious harmony and melodious music in honor of God, and thus was looked up to, honored and trusted by all; and since he was the first born and completely unique among all the rest of the angels, then why couldn’t he also receive some of the same praise, adoration and worship that the angels gave to God and to Michael?
“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14.
So Lucifer desired in his heart to sit upon a throne that was above all others and was equal to God’s throne in heaven. He also desired that his throne would be placed in the very same throne room in God’s temple or sanctuary where God Himself ruled and received worship from all His created beings. From this exalted throne in the sanctuary of God, Lucifer would indeed be “like the most High” God, could receive the worship of the angels just like God Himself, and could even make his own laws and rules based upon his own ideas, and all the heavenly beings would have to obey his commands as the voice of God Himself. Yet Lucifer did not deserve any of what he desired! This was because even though he was the highest princely angelic being ever created, was the closest to God and had greater talents and gifts than any of the other angels, yet he was still only a created angelic being and not a God!
In other words, Lucifer wanted to make improvements upon what God had already perfectly made. Lucifer desired that God’s perfect government should be altered and a new order of government should be established in heaven in which he – a created being – could rule along with God from his own throne in God’s throne room. Thus Lucifer could be recognized as being “like the most High” and receive the worship of others as God Himself. But the Creator’s perfect law did not permit any created being to be worshipped as God.
In reality, Lucifer’s new order of things would bring absolute chaos and anarchy to heaven. This was because God’s government was based upon His laws which were as perfect and holy as Himself, and if any of His laws needed to be altered, then they were not really perfect to begin with. If God’s laws were not perfect, then God – the great law-Giver Himself – was not perfect either. And if God Himself was not perfect, then what real need was there for any of the angelic host to worship Him, or to serve Him, or even to obey His commandments, because they themselves could surely make and follow their own laws and commands since God failed to make a perfect law Himself! Thus the whole foundation of God’s throne in heaven, upon which His entire government and kingdom had been established and working harmoniously upon, all hinged upon whether or not His laws and commandments were absolutely perfect.
Just as pride and self-exaltation lead to jealousy and discontent, so with Lucifer. Since he was not receiving some of the same praise, adoration and worship that God and Michael were receiving, then he reasoned that it surely had to be because They were selfishly trying to keep to themselves something that Lucifer’s great talents and position made it obvious that he really deserved.
But for Lucifer to believe that he really deserved praise and worship that belonged only to God and Michael, then he was in fact guilty of stealing or robbing from God that which was only His right to receive. Not only this, but by believing that God and Michael were the selfish ones for withholding from Lucifer what he believed his own self deserved, while neither God nor Michael were guilty at all, then he was in fact blaming God and Michael with the sin that Lucifer himself was the only one guilty of committing.
Yet as God was not forthcoming in exalting Lucifer to rule along with Him and Michael, then Lucifer grew impatient and began to use his now corrupted wisdom to develop a plan and scheme which would force God to give him what he knew was his right, even if God had to change the laws of His government to make it happen!
But since Lucifer was just one being of limited power compared to the power of God and Michael, he could not do much by himself to force either of Them into allowing him to be worshiped as They were. But if a multitude of angels could be led to sympathize with him, agree with his claim, and then accompany him to petition God to grant him the worship he really deserves, then Lucifer thought that God surely could not possibly deny such a united plea, but would be forced to give in and allow it.
So Lucifer immediately set about to work, not out in the open, but in secret. Using his great intellect and wisdom, and with great stealth and cunning, he cleverly led the angels to believe that God and Michael were the selfish ones for preventing him from being established in his true position of honor, and he was really the innocent party that was being mistreated. Thus Lucifer “abode not in the truth” (John 8:44), choosing instead to spread lies about God and Michael (John 8:44), and twist things in order to uplift and exalt himself.
By spreading these unjust accusations and lies into the minds of all the angels, Lucifer hoped to gain their sympathy and thus wean their affections away from God and Michael and onto himself. Not only this, but since God’s perfect and holy law did not permit created beings to be worshipped as God, and could not be altered without jeopardizing the whole kingdom and government of God, then Lucifer declared that God’s law was really unjust since it prohibited his freedom to be worshipped as he deserved. He told them that God’s law actually brought all the angels under bondage and slavery by restricting their true freedom, and thus should be done away with and no longer be implicitly obeyed by them. Lucifer used all of his influence, as well as his sacred and trusted positions of princely authority, to help cement this disaffection throughout the entire angelic host.
In doing this, Lucifer was spreading evil and rebellion throughout all the host of heaven, and thus was defiling the purity, perfection and harmony that had only existed before. By this underhanded working, Lucifer was unfaithful to his sacred positions of trust and responsibility, and was no longer fulfilling the exalted purposes for which he was created – including no longer protecting and defending God and His glory as covering cherub. Lucifer was instead using his authority and position to peddle or traffic in lies and unrighteousness, thus defiling the various holy places or sanctuaries where he met with the angels.
“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic...” Ezekiel 28:18.
These scheming plans and unrighteous workings of Lucifer worked all too well. Soon angels from all over heaven were in sympathy with him and growing more disaffected with God and Michael.
“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence...” Ezekiel 28:16.
The Hebrew word for “filled” is “mala” (Strong’s, word #4390), and it translates and means “to confirm”. The Hebrew word for “violence” is “chamac” (Strong’s, word #2555), and it translates and means “violence, wrong, unjust gain, injustice.” So as Lucifer kept peddling the multitude of his merchandise of lies, and as more and more angels sympathized with him, these angels in turn would share with other angels exactly what Lucifer told them. Thus the angels themselves were peddling or trafficking in the same merchandise of lies, and in turn had filled or confirmed Lucifer in his violence or injustice or wrong course of seeking the unjust gain of being exalted as God, ruling in the temple of God, and receiving the worship due only to God. The fact that more and more angels were sympathizing with Lucifer just emboldened him to continue on with his unrighteous plans until it could no longer be kept secret, but finally burst out into the open as rebellion against God in heaven.
Yet God was not taken by surprise. Since He is God and thus is omniscient and omnipresent, He knew exactly what was taking place at each and every step in Lucifer’s rebellion, all the way from the very first iniquitous thought in his heart until it burst out into the open. Since God knew all things, then why didn’t He put a stop to this rebellion right in the very beginning by removing Lucifer from his exalted position, then destroy him and replace him with another cherub? Why did God allow this secret rebellion of Lucifer’s to continue to ripen until every angel had been exposed to his deceptive lies, had a chance to sympathize with him, and finally Lucifer had gained enough angelic support to bring his rebellion out into the open? It all has to do with the precious, wonderful and powerful gift which all the angels were created with – the power of choice.
Yes, God could have instantly destroyed and replaced Lucifer as soon as he allowed the first iniquitous thought to fill his heart and before he had any chance to spread this iniquity to the other angels. But none of the other angels had personally seen any of the iniquity of Lucifer, and only knew him to be a perfect and obedient angel who loved God like they did. And God Himself could not tell them what sin Lucifer was really guilty of and destroyed for, because by doing so then God would be the one held responsible for the spreading of sin throughout heaven. So the only explanation God could have given to any of the angels who might wonder as to why Lucifer was destroyed and replaced, was because God saw that it was the best thing to do, and that they would just have to trust Him in this. Or, being that He was God, then He really did not have to give any explanation as to why. But in either case, the lack of a clear explanation as to why God destroyed and replaced Lucifer would only have worked to agitate the minds of the angels with more questions. Thus they would have been left with a feeling of uncertainty, believing that since Lucifer could be destroyed and replaced without notice and without any explanation as to why, then the same fate might just happen to them as well at any time.
Uncertainty breeds uneasiness; uneasiness leads to distrust; distrust brings fear; and fear destroys love. So if God had replaced and destroyed Lucifer before he had a chance to spread his sin to the other angels, then this would ultimately have forever destroyed the peace and joy of heaven, and forever have left the angels in distrust of God. As such, every angel would have only chosen to grudgingly serve God out of fear of being destroyed, instead of willingly choosing to obey Him out of a heart filled with love.
So because of the freedom of choice, God was forced to allow Lucifer to exercise his choice in sinning and then rebelling against Him, and God was also forced to allow Lucifer to spread this sin and rebellion to the rest of the angels. This was the only way to forever prove that Lucifer alone was truly responsible for all sin, and that God was not responsible at all in the least degree for any of its existence, even though Lucifer claimed otherwise.
Once Lucifer’s rebellion was brought out into the open and was no longer secret, it became evident that he would not stop until God conceded to his demands and allowed him to sit and rule from a throne in God’s temple so he could receive worship as God – even if this meant fighting against God Himself.
In continuing on with his rebellion and demands, Lucifer’s true motive for his rebellion against God and Michael was fully exposed. As such, Lucifer’s name was then enlarged to also include the names of “the great dragon...that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:9). The Greek word for “dragon” is “drakon” (Strong’s, word #1404), and it translates and means “to look, to fascinate as a fabulous kind of serpent”. The Greek word for “serpent” is “ophis” (Strong’s, word #3789), and it translates and means “a snake of sly cunning, an artful malicious person” and is derived from the Greek word #3700 meaning “something remarkable” that causes people to “gaze with wide open eyes”. The Greek word for “Devil” is “diabolos” (Strong’s, word #1228), and it translates and means “a traducer, false accuser, slanderer”, and the Greek word for “Satan” is “Satanas” (Strong’s, word #4567), and it translates and means “the accuser, the devil”.
In adding these extra names to Lucifer, God was accomplishing a two-fold purpose. First God was exposing Lucifer’s true character of being a sly, artful, cunning and malicious being who slanders and falsely accuses the innocent. And second, God was providing a clear warning for all to have nothing to do with Lucifer, because any who would choose to come near to him, would soon find themselves fascinated by what they saw, believing that they had found something remarkable and fabulous, and with wide open eyes they would without hesitation believe whatever lies Lucifer told them was the truth.
But Lucifer himself really believed that with the backing of all the angels who sympathized with and supported him, that if it came right down to it he could actually overcome Michael by force and then remove God from His throne so that he could rule instead in His place! So with Lucifer determined to continue on with his rebellion in seeking to overthrow both Michael and God by force, then there was no other choice left than warfare. God then commanded Michael to put down the rebellion and restore peace in heaven.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.” Revelation 12:7.
This warfare forced every angel to decide whom they really wanted to stand with and fight for – either the great dragon or Lucifer, or God and Michael. Not one of them could remain neutral. They all were forced to use their power of choice in deciding exactly whom their true loyalty and allegiance would be with, and then they were also forced to act upon their choice in joining the ranks of their real commander and fighting against his foes.
Soon all decisions had been fully made. God finally knew exactly what decision each angel had freely made and where each angel stood in this warfare. The war was then immediately brought to an end in heaven. It was conclusively discovered that Lucifer, along with all “the angels that sinned” (2 Peter 2:4) and who chose “with folly” (Job 4:18) to join his rebellion against God and Michael, “prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out...and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:8-9). Their defeat and casting out of heaven was not a lengthy process, but it all happened as fast as “lightning” (Luke 10:18)!. After all, how can any created being defeat the God who had created them?
After the warfare was ended and Lucifer and his angels were no longer in “their first estate” and “habitation” in heaven (Jude 1:6), an account was taken of the remaining angels. It was found that Lucifer – the great dragon – had succeeded in deceiving and causing the everlasting ruin of “the third part of the stars (angels) of heaven” (Revelation 12:4).
After being cast out of heaven, Lucifer did not give up his plans of being exalted as God, ruling in the temple of God, and receiving the worship due only to God, but now focused his attention upon getting Adam and Eve to obey and worship him and not their Creator God. While hidding behind and using a serpent as his medium, Lucifer caused the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-7). After successfully leading Adam and Eve away from obeying God and onto obeying him, Lucifer then developed a whole new system of religion for mankind to follow in opposition to the religion of God (Genesis 3:5, 31:19, 30-35; 1 Corinthains 10:19-21; Deuteronomy 32:5-19; Exodus 23:23-24, 34:11-17; Ephesians 2:2-3; Deuteronomy 29:16-18; Genesis 6:5; Mark 7:21-23; Revelation 9:20-21; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-6). As obedience is the highest form of praise and worship, then Satan didn’t care by what means or by what method he got human beings to obey him; just as long as they avoided giving honor, praise and worship to God (Matthew 4:1-10). Thus the same warfare that began in heaven was now brought down to this earth, and all earth’s inhabitants, just like the angels, were now forced to decide whom they were going to choose to obey, follow, praise, worship and loyally honor – either God Almighty and the Lord God Michael, or Lucifer (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Joshua 24:14-15; Romans 6:12-23; Isaiah 65:12-17).
Lucifer’s new system of religion took the true history of what had occurred in heaven and twisted it around to where he and his angels were the victorious conquerors, and God, Michael and the loyal angels were the ones who were defeated and cast out. The Mystery teachings of Babylon were developed by Lucifer and his followers as a religious belief directly opposite to the religious beliefs of God and Michael brought out in the Bible. In this way, through the Babylonian religion Lucifer would be secretly honored, praised and worshiped as the one and only supreme god of the earth. Thus the supreme god Bel-Marduk, as well as all the rest of the Babylonian gods/goddesses, are just a representation of Lucifer who remains hidden behind the scenes, and who greedily accepts all the worship, praise, love and adoration given to him through these paganistic deities.
This means that the Babylonian conflict between the older god Ea versus the younger god Bel/Enlil/Marduk matches the Biblical point of the conflict between the God of heaven as the Creator, versus the created angel and thus younger Lucifer who chose to rebel against Him and became known as Satan or the Devil (see 2 Corinthians 11:14; Isaiah 14:12-22; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Revelation 12:7-9). Therefore Marduk is a depiction of the Biblical Lucifer; Tiamat and Kingu would be depictions of the Biblical Almighty God of heaven and the Lord God Michael and who also became Jesus Christ in human flesh. And since the Bible states that the holy worship day of each week which the God of heaven and Jesus Christ His Son chose for Their followers to worship Them is on the seventh-day or Saturday (see Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Hebrews 4:4-11; Matthew 12:8; Isaiah 56:1-8), then the day of the sun, or Sunday – the holy day of Marduk or the Biblical Lucifer – is the special day for all his followers to worship him on.
The life of all the sacrifices, including human sacrifices, that the Babylonians offered up to their one great and supreme sun god Marduk, were really being offered up to Lucifer! All the festivals honoring Marduk/Tammuz as the supreme sun god of Babylon, who were just a symbolic representation of Lucifer – the one god hidden behind the scenes. Thus throughout each year the Babylonian people were continually looking to, and placing their affections upon, Lucifer – which is exactly what he was seeking ever since his failed warfare against God and Michael in heaven!
This reveals that it is Lucifer, using the god Enki/Ea/Marduk as a front to hide behind, who is depicted in the story of Inanna and the God of Wisdom as communicating his now twisted wisdom and skill in singing, and carrying the beat and rhythm in musical performance to the goddess Inanna or Ishtar. Ishtar then communicates this particular musical style of song and performance to all of the Babylonians through divine instructions learned while they are possessed by her. And since all the deities of Babylon are just representatives of Lucifer, then the goddess Ishtar is just another front allowing Lucifer to remain hidden, and that it is actually Lucifer who is the spirit and power possessing all these Babylonian worshippers and then delivering his instructions to them! And more than any other musical instrument, the particular sound of the drum, thumping its particular and unmistakable rhythmic and repetitious style, either alone or enhancing the beat and tempo of the song, was used to summon the god Ea or Marduk – or actually Lucifer – into their midst so that he could fill all the listeners with his essence and spirit. Thus the drum is shown to be the special chosen instrument which Lucifer uses more than any other instrument to attract and gain worshippers!
But it is this very fact that the style of music, song and drums performed in such a way as to specifically target the listeners to lose self-restraint, become sexually aroused, and enticed to give up control of their bodies and minds to become possessed by the spirits of the gods, that clearly connects and marks this particular music to be that of Babylon. And it further points to the fact of Lucifer being the one real source of, and driving power in, that music and spirit possession!
Appendix ASumerian Offering and Sacrificial Texts
#1 - “Sweet oil, the fragrance of the gods, mixed oil, pressed oil, aromatic oil, cedar oil for offerings are mine.” Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Grain and Sheep, lines 105-106, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr532.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#2 - “They prepared for him incense resin,…aromatic resin, ligidba resin and first-class resin...” Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 110-111, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#3 - “To pour libations, to carry out purification rites, to heap up incense offerings, to burn juniper, to set out food offerings, to set out offering-bowls, he [the king] goes into her [goddess Inana’s] Egal-mah [shrine].” Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), 10th kirugu, lines 195-198, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#4 - “He put juniper, the mountains' pure plant, onto the fire, and raised smoke with cedar resin, the scent of gods.” Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder A, section 8, lines A8.11-12 (cumulative lines 205-206), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
#5 - “Nindub, the chief purification priest of Eridug, filled it [temple] with the smoke of incense.” Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple, (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder B, section 3, lines B4.3-4 (cumulative lines 888-889), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
#6 - “...the ritual flour and the incense-burner are all in place.” Sumerian Tablet of The Home of the Fish, Segment A, line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.9.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
#7 - “...let cedar oil and cypress oil, and cedar oil, the aromatic which is beloved of the gods...” Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Ninisina (Ninisina B), line 10, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.4.22.2#, accessed 4-23-12.
#8 - “...water libations are offered and flour is sprinkled; on the mountain, sacrifices and prayers are offered in obeisance.” Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, lines 250-251, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#9 - “...[king] Rim-Sin, purification priest of An...joyfully pours out offerings for you [moon god Nanna] in the holy royal cultic locations which are perfect for the cultic vessels: sweet-smelling milk and grain, rich produce of the Land, riches of the meadows, unending abundance, alcoholic drink, glistening wine, very sweet emmer beer fermented with pure substances, pure…powerful beer made doubly strong with wine, a drink for your lordship; double-strength beer, superior beer, befitting your holy hands, pale honey exported from the mountains, which you have specifically requested, butter from holy cows, ghee [clairfied butter] as is proper for you as prince; pressed oil, best oil of the first pressing, and yellow cream, the pride of the cow-pen, for the holy abode of your godhead. Accept from him with your joyful heart pure food to eat as food, and pure water to drink as water: offerings made for you. Grant his prayer...Guide him correctly at the holy lordly cultic locations, at the august lordly cultic locations. Greet him as he comes to perform his cultic functions. May his kingship exist forever in your presence.” Sumerian Tablet of “A prayer to Nanna for Rim-Sîn, lines 2, 10-23, 25-27, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.6.9.5&display=Crit&charenc=gcirc&lineid=t2695.p6#t2695.p6, accessed 4-23-12.
#10 - “Syrup, ghee, wine, sour milk, gipar fruit, fig-cakes topped with cheese, dates,…and small grapes, things untouched by fire, were the foods for the gods which he [Gudea] prepared with syrup and ghee.” Sumerian Cylinder of The Building of Ningirsu's Temple (Gudea, cylinders A & B), Cylinder B, section 3, lines B3.22-24 (cumulative lines 880-882), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
#11 - “The beer for the bur-gia offerings has been filled to overflowing. Among the offerings of the house, at the place where the huge bowls have been stood under the heavens, where bread has been offered by pure hands...” (Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namšub to Utu (Utu E), 4th kirugu, lines 42-45, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr432e.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#12 - “They fill the tables of the Land with ghee, dates, cheese, and seven sorts of fruits as first-fruit offerings for her. They pour dark beer for her, they pour light beer for her. Dark beer, emmer beer, and emmer beer for my lady bubble in the šagub jar and the lamsari vat for her. From pastes of honey mixed with ghee...they bake date-syrup cakes for her. They pour out early-morning beer, flour, flour in honey, honey, and wine of sunrise for her.” Sumerian Tablet of A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan (Iddin-Dagan A), lines 150-159, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2531.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#13 - “May the food offerings, wine, and milk that you [king Lipit-Eštar] bring...” Sumerian Tablet of An Adab to An for Lipit-Eštar, line 51, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.5.3#, accessed 4-23-12.
#14 - “The water provided for water libations...” Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: from Susa, Proverb MDP 27 91 and MDP 27 92, line 1, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/proverbs/t.6.2.2.html, accessed 4-23-12.
#15 - “May…fish oil and bird oil on your shoulders for the offering basket of Enlil.” Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2.d14, lines 20-21, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.6.1.02#, accessed 4-23-12.
#16 - “...the shrine Urim, which you have chosen in your heart, the august royal dwelling-place, the encouragement of the Land! It shall have an abundance of butter, fish, birds, births, copper and gold!" Sumerian Tablet of An Ululumama to Suen for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen D), Segment A, lines 19-20, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.4.5.4&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
#17 - “...the people…offerings of refined gold...” Sumerian Tablet of The Rulers of Lagas, lines 113-114, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.2&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
#18 - “And let them heap up its [the mountains] shining gold and silver in the courtyard of Aratta for Inana the lady of E-ana.” Sumerian Tablet of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, lines 481-482, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1823.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#19 - “He [Naram-Suen king of Agade] put its [temple’s] gold in containers and put its silver in leather bags. He filled the docks with its copper, as if it were a huge transport of grain. The silversmiths were re-shaping its silver, jewellers were re-shaping its precious stones, smiths were beating its copper. Large ships were moored at the temple, large ships were moored at Enlil's temple and its possessions were taken away from the city...” Sumerian Tablet of The Cursing of Agade, (Old Babylonian version), lines 136-143, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr215.htm, accessed 4-26-12.
#20 - “To Namtar, who decrees all the fates, in his palace, the shepherd [king] Ur-Namma offered perfectly wrought jewelry, a golden ring”. Sumerian Tablet on The Death of Ur-Namma (Ur-Namma A), lines 106-108, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section2/tr2411.htm, accessed 4-23-12.
#21 - “Its [sun god Ningirsu’s temple] storehouse is full of gems, silver and tin.” Sumerian Cylinder on The building of Ningirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B), Cylinder A, section A28.14 (cumulative line 770), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.1.7#, accessed 4-23-12.
#22 - “Two esig birds, two {gusura fish} {(1 ms. has instead:) gusura birds}, three suhur carp, two eštub carp, and two suhur carp, {(1 ms. adds:) two} sea fish, are present on Enlil's offering table.” Sumerian Tablet of Proverbs: collection 2 & 6, Segment D, section 2,d13, lines 17-19, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.6.1.02#, accessed 4-23-12.
#23 - “Holy Ninisina entered [into the temple of Enlil] into the presence of Enlil with black kids and fruit offerings for the lord.” Sumerian Tablet of The Song of the Hoe, line 42, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.5.4#, accessed 4-23-12.
#24 - “He [the king] shall recite great prayers. The king shall slaughter bulls, shall sacrifice sheep. He shall pour beer from a bowl. He shall have the šem and ala drums sound, and have the sweet-sounding tigi instruments play. The foreign lands shall declare my [goddess Inana’s] greatness. My people shall utter my praise.” Sumerian Tablet of Inana and Enki, Segment H, lines 242-248, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm, accessed 4-22-12.
#25 - “In the pure places of the plain, at its good places, on the roofs, on the rooftops, the rooftops of the dwellings, in the sanctuaries of mankind, incense offerings like a forest of aromatic cedars are transmitted to her [goddess Inanna]. They sacrifice alum sheep, long-haired sheep, and fattened sheep for her...they carry out purification rites for her.” Sumarian Tablet, A Sir-namursaga to Ninsiana for Iddin-Dagan, lines 143-147, 149, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.2.5.3.1&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
#26 - “Summer, the heroic son of Enlil, decided to bring offerings to E-namtila, the house of Enlil. He brought animals, cattle and sheep of the hill, fully grown wild rams, deer and stags,…sheep, long-fleeced barley-fed sheep, thick-tailed sheep. Pigs grown fat in the midst of the reedbeds, porcupine, tortoise, turtle, birds brooding in their nests, taken together with their eggs, harvest crops, flour and malt for mixing, butter and milk from cattle-pen and sheepfold, wheat, hulled barley, small beans and large beans gathered in piled-high baskets, onions…in their furrows, zahadin onions and shallots, seed turnips, cardamom,…Summer, the heroic son of Enlil, offered.” Sumerian Tablet of The Debate Between Winter and Summer, lines 69-88, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, at http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.5.3.3&charenc=j#, accessed 4-23-12.
#27 - “Zangara, the god of dreams, himself like a bull, bellowed at [king] Lugalbanda. Like the calf of a cow he lowed: ‘Who will slaughter a brown wild bull for me? Who will make its fat melt for me? He shall take my axe whose metal is tin, he shall wield my dagger which is of iron. Like an athlete I shall let him bring away the brown wild bull, the wild bull of the mountains, I shall let him like a wrestler make it submit. Its strength will leave it. When he offers it before the rising sun, let him heap up like barleycorns the heads of the brown goat and the nanny goat, both the goats; when he has poured out their blood in the pit -- let their smell waft out in the desert so that the alert snakes of the mountains will sniff it.’
“Lugalbanda awoke -- it was a dream. He shivered -- it was sleep. He rubbed his eyes, he was overawed. He took his axe whose metal was tin, he wielded his dagger which was of iron. Like an athlete he brought away the brown wild bull, the wild bull of the mountains, like a wrestler he made it submit. Its strength left it. He offered it before the rising sun. He heaped up like barleycorns the heads of the brown goat and the nanny goat, both of the goats. He poured out their blood in the pit so that their smell wafted out in the desert. The alert snakes of the mountains sniffed it.
“As the sun was rising..., Lugalbanda, invoking the name of Enlil, made An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursaja sit down to a banquet at the pit, at the place in the mountains which he had prepared. The banquet was set, the libations were poured -- dark beer, alcoholic drink, light emmer beer, wine for drinking which is pleasant to the taste. Over the plain he poured cool water as a libation. He put the knife to the flesh of the brown goats, and he roasted the dark livers there. He let their smoke rise there, like incense put on the fire. As if Dumuzid [Tammuz] had brought in the good savours of the cattle pen, so An, Enlil, Enki and Ninhursaja consumed the best part of the food prepared by Lugalbanda. On top of the altar of Utu and the altar of Suen..., he decorated the two altars with the lapis lazuli...of Inana. Suen...He bathed the a-an-kar. When he had bathed the..., he set out all the cakes properly.” Sumerian Tablet of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Segment A, lines 348-393, The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature website, http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr1821.htm, accessed 4-23-12.