|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 9
The mutilated text of the Fifth Tablet makes it impossible to gain
further details in connection with Marduk's work in arranging the
heavens. We are, however, justified in assuming that the gaps in it
contained statements about the grouping of the gods into triads. In
royal historical inscriptions the kings often invoke the gods in
threes, though they never call any one three a triad or trinity. It
seems as if this arrangement of gods in threes was assumed to be of
divine origin. In the Fourth Tablet of Creation, one triad
"Anu-Bel-Ea" is actually mentioned, and in the Fifth Tablet, another
is indicated, "Sin-Shamash-Ishtar." In these triads Anu represents the
sky or heaven, Bel or Enlil the region under the sky and including the
earth, Ea the underworld, Sin the Moon, Shamash the Sun, and Ishtar
the star Venus. When the universe was finally constituted several
other great gods existed, e.g., Nusku, the Fire-god, Enurta,
[1] a solar god, Nergal, the god of war and handicrafts, Nabu, the god
of learning, Marduk of Babylon, the great national god of Babylonia,
and Ashur, the great national god of Assyria.
[Footnote 1: Formerly known as Ninip.]
When Marduk had arranged heaven and earth, and had established the gods
in their places, the gods complained that their existence was barren,
because they lacked worshippers at their shrines and offerings. To make
a way out of this difficulty Marduk devised another "cunning plan," and
announced his intention of creating man out of "blood and bone" DAMI
ISSIMTUM. We have already quoted (see p. 11) the statement of Berosus
that man was created out of the blood of a god mixed with earth; here,
then, is the authority for his words. Marduk made known to Ea his
intention of creating man, and Ea suggested that if one of the gods were
sacrificed the remainder of them should be set free from service,
presumably to Marduk. Thereupon Marduk summons a council of the gods,
and asks them to name the instigator of the fight in which he himself
was the victor. In reply the gods named Kingu, Ti�mat's second husband,
whom they seized forthwith, and bound with fetters and carried to Ea,
and then having "inflicted punishment upon him they let his blood." From
Kingu's blood Ea fashioned mankind for the service of the gods.
Now among the texts which have been found on the tablets at Kal'at
Shark�t is an account of the creation of man which differs from the
version given in the Seven Tablets of Creation, but has two features in
common with it. These two features are: (1) the council of the gods to
discuss the creation of man; (2) the sacrifice which the gods had to
make for the creation of man. In the variant version two (or more) gods
are sacrificed, _Ilu Nagar Ilu Nagar_, i.e., "the workmen gods," about
whom nothing is known. The place of sacrifice is specified with some
care, and it is said to be "Uzu-mu-a, or the bond of heaven and earth."
Uzu-mu-a may be the bolt with which Marduk locked the two halves of
Ti�mat into place.
The Anunnaki, wishing to give an expression of their admiration for
Marduk's heroism, decided to build him a shrine or temple. To this
Marduk agreed, and chose Babylon, i.e., the "Gate of God," for its site.
The Anunnaki themselves made the bricks, and they built the great temple
of E-Sagila at Babylon. When the temple was finished, Marduk re-enacted
the scene of creation; for, as he had formerly assigned to each god his
place in the heavens, so now he assigned to each god his place in
E-Sagila. The tablet ends with a long hymn of praise which the Anunnaki
sang to Marduk, and describes the summoning of an assembly of the gods
to proclaim ceremonially the great Fifty Names of this god. Thus the
gods accepted the absolute supremacy of Marduk.
From the above it is clear that a dispute broke out between Marduk and
the gods after he had created them, and the tradition of it has made its
way into the religious literatures of the Hebrews, Syrians, Arabs, Copts
and Abyssinians. The cuneiform texts tell us nothing about the cause of
the dispute, but tradition generally ascribes it to the creation of man
by the supreme God; and it is probable that all the apocryphal stories
which describe the expulsion from heaven of the angels who contended
against God under the leadership of Satan, or Satnael, or Ibl�s, are
derived from a Babylonian original which has not yet been found. The
"Fifty Names," or laudatory epithets mentioned above, find parallels in
"Seventy-five Praises of Ra," sung by the Egyptians under the XIXth
dynasty, [1] and in the "Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of All�h," which
are held in such great esteem by the Muhammadans. [2] The respect in
which the Fifty Names were held by the Babylonians is well shown by the
work of the Epilogue on the Seventh Tablet, where it is said, "Let them
be held in remembrance, let the first-comer (i.e., any and every man)
proclaim them; let the wise and the understanding consider them
together. Let the father repeat them and teach them to his son. Let them
be in the ears of the herdsman and the shepherd."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|