Download Complete Volume

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Download Complete Volume JOURNAL OF THE TllANSACTIONS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE VOL. LXIV. JOURNAL OF THE TRANSACTIONS OF OR, VOL. LXIV. LONDON: lBublii!)ctr b!! tf)c institute, 1, <!i:cntrar JS11iitring-s;mcstmin1>trr, j,.00.1. A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. 1932 LONDON: HAhfllSON AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HIS MAJESTY, ST. MARTIN'S LANE. PREFACE. -- THE present volume of Transactions-the sixty-fourth in series -makes its appearance at a time when the publications of Learned Societies are struggling with peculiar difficulties. The financial stringency dominating the commercial world has been reacting with serious consequences, also throughout the whole region of education and culture, religion and philanthropy; and to the sincere concern of its friends the Victoria Institute has not escaped the pressure of the times. The contents of the present volume will, we are sure, be held to reach the high standard maintained during many years past. Particular mention may be made of the Annual Address, delivered at the close of the session by Sir Ambrose Fleming, F.R.S., entitled "Some Recent Scientific Discoveries and Theories." The general body of papers, moreover, covers a wide range of subjects, Biblical and Theological, Scientific and Historical ; with Evolution theories treated under two aspects, and Assyriological research represented by studies that cannot but command the attention of Oriental scholars. With the list of Contents before him, the reader will not require a recital of the titles of the several essays now presented to the world. Suffice it to remark that, from first to last, when read at meetings of the Institute, the papers were accorded a hearty recep­ tion by Members and Associates, and the public generally. Evidence of warm appreciation appeared in the discussions that followed upon the papers, and of these discussions careful summaries are supplied throughout the volume. The peculiar difficulties of the time, already referred to, caused special responsibilities to devolve upon the Council. Among other VI PRJcFACE. things, it was found necessary to reorganize the printing arrange­ ments, in order to a due balancing of income and expenditure. The needful rearrangements were carried through with success ; and while the Membership roll had lost some well-known names, through death and otherwise, there was realized an accession of encouragement by the increase of support from new quarters. For this the Council are profoundly thankful ; and as a result, we are able to inform friends of the. Institute that the time of greatest difficulty seems now to have passed. Nevertheless, as in the past, friends are once more asked to introduce new supporters, to the end that the Institute may look forward to a steady continuance of service, with the hope of still further expansion. Certain it is that the special witness of the Institute continues to be in urgent demand, in order to a stabilising of thought, philosophical and spiritual, for the promotion in our day of "THE GREATER GLORY OF GoD." JAMES W. THIRTLE, Chairman of Council. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE V REPORT OF COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR, 1931 1 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 23RD, 1932 . 9 THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH. By LIEUT.- COL. A. G. SHORTT . 11 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Lieut.-Col. Arthur Kenney-Herbert, Mr. Cyril van Lennep, Dr. Norman S. Denham, Mr. G. B. Michell, O.B.E., and Mr. Leonard W. Kern 20 GEOGRAPHICAL ENVIRONMENT AND RACE MOVEMENTS. BY G. R. GAIR, EsQ., F.S.A.Scot., F.R.A.I., F.G.S.E. 29 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Capt. T. W. E. Higgens, the Rev. Dr. H. C. Morton, Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt, and Lieut.-Col. L. M. Davies, R.A. 43 THE NESTORIAN MISSION TO CHINA. BY BRIG.-GENERAL H. BIDDULPH, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. .. 52 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Major Withers, D.S.O., R.A., Mr. George Brewer, and Lieut.-Col. L. M. Davies, R.A. .. 63 KARL EARTH'S THEOLOGY AND THE NEW THEOLOGICAL OUTLOOK IN GERMANY. BY THE REV. CHARLES GARDNER, M.A.... 67 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., the Rev. Dr. H. C. Morton, Mr. Percy 0. Ruoff, the Rev. Dr. Hart-Davies, and Mr. George Brewer 74 THE SHADOW RETURNING ON THE DIAL OF AHAZ. BY ANNIE S. D. MAUNDER, F.R.A.S. 83 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Lieut.-Col. Hope Biddulph, D.S.O., Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Lieut-Col. T. C. Skinner, the Rev. J. J. B. Coles, M.A., Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt, Miss E. D. James, B.A., Dr. James Knight, and Mr. G. B. Michell, O.B.E. 92 THE SO-CALLED BABYLONIAN EPIC OF CREATION. BY G. B. MICHELL, EsQ., O.B.E. 102 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. W. Hoste, B.A., Mrs. A. S. D. Maunder, Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt, and Mr. G. Wilson Heath... 112 viii CONTENTS OF VOL. LXIV. PAGE THE LIMITATIONS OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION. BY DOUGLAS DEWAR, EsQ., F.Z.S., BARR.-AT-LAw. (Being the DR. ALFRED T. SCHOFIELD MEMORIAL p APER) 122 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. G. A. Levett Yeats, C.I.E., I.S.O., Rev. C. Leopold Clarke, Rev. H. Temple Wills, M.A., B.Sc., Mr. G. F. Claringbull, Mr. George Brewer, the Rev. Dr. H. C. Morton and Lieut.-Col. L. l\'L Davies, R.A. 132 THE CHANGING ATTITUDE OF THE MODERN JEW TO JESUS CHRIST. BY THE REV. PAUL P. LEVERTOFF, D.D. 147 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., Mr. Percy 0. Ruoff, the Rev. F. W. Pitt ... 154 THE TABLET OF THE EPIC OF THE GOLDEN AGE. BY PROFESSOR THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S. 159 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S, Mr. William C. Edwards, and Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner 173 THE MAGI: THEIR NATIONALITY AND OBJECT. BY LIEuT.-CoL. F. A. MOLONY, O.B.E. 178 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Mr. William C. Edwards, Mr. G. Wilson Heath, Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Molony, Mr. Avary H. Forbes, M.A., Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt, and the Rev. J. J. B. Coles, M.A.... 185 THE BIBLE AND EVOLUTION : THE EVIDENCE OF HISTORY AND ScIENCE. BY HENRY R. KINDERSLEY EsQ., BARR.-AT-LAw ... 191 Discussion.-Remarks by the Chairman, Sir Ambrose Fleming, D.Sc., F.R.S., the Rev. Dr. H. C. Morton, Mr. George Brewer, Mrs. Boyd, the Rev. C. Leopold Clarke, and Lieut.-Col. A. G. Shortt ... 202 SOME RECENT SciENTIFIC DISCOVERIES AND THEORIES. BY Sm AMBROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. (President). BEING THE ANNUAL ADDRESS 209 LIST OF MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES, ETC. 223 OBJECTS, CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS ... 253 VICrroRIA INS1'1TUTE. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1931. TO BE READ AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, MAY 23RD, 1932. 1. Progress of the Institute. The Council beg to present herewith to Members and Associates the 64th Annual Report of the Society. Though the smaller number of papers read-10 in place of the more usual 12-may in some se,nse reflect the straitened circumstances of the Institute, a glance at the names of the authors and the titles of their papers will suffice to show that there has been no lowering of standard, of which full appreciation has been evinced in the sustained numbers and interest of the audiences from time to time. 2. Meetings. Ten ordinary meetings were held during the Session 1930-31. The papers published were :- " Adaptation in Nature as Evidence of Purposive Thought," by Sir AMBROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. (President). Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. "The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius," by Lieut.-Col. A. G. SHORTT, B.A., late R.A. Sir Ambrose Fleming, D.Sc., F.R.S., in the Chair. "The Renaissance of Hebrew," by the Rev. W. M. CHRISTIE D.D. Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. 2 ANNUAL REPORT, " The Influence of Christianity on Indian Politics," by W. N. DELEV1NGNE, Esq. E. A. Molony, Esq., C.B.E., in the Chair. "Demon Possession: Scriptural and Modern," by JAMES KNIGHT, Esq., M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S.E., F.R.A.S., being the Dr. A. T. Schofield "Memorial" paper. Dr. James W. Thirtle, 1~LR.A.S., in the Chair. "History of Practical Astronomy," by Colonel F. C. MOLES­ WORTH, late R.E. Lieut.-Col. T. C. Skinner, F.R.Met. Soc., in the Chair. " The Jewish Apocalyptic and its bearing on the New Testa­ ment," by the Rev. DAVID M. M'INTYRE, D.D. Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. "Types in Scripture," by the Rev. A. H. FINK. Alfred W. Oke, Esq., LL.M., F.G.S., in the Chair. " Climatic Changes since the Ice Age," by C. E. P. BROOKS, Esq., D.Sc., Hon. Sec., R. Met. Soc. K. G. K. Lampfert, Esq., C.B.E., M.A., in the Chair. Annual Address, "Light," by Sir AMBROSE FLEMING, D.Sc., F.R.S. (President). Dr. James W. Thirtle, M.R.A.S., in the Chair. 3. Counail and Officers. The following 1s a list of the Council and Officers for the year 1931 :- '.!)rtsibmL Sir Ambrose Fleming, ~LA., D.Sc., .F.R.S.
Recommended publications
  • Miscellaneous Babylonian Inscriptions
    MISCELLANEOUS BABYLONIAN INSCRIPTIONS BY GEORGE A. BARTON PROFESSOR IN BRYN MAWR COLLEGE ttCI.f~ -VIb NEW HAVEN YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS MDCCCCXVIII COPYRIGHT 1918 BY YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS First published, August, 191 8. TO HAROLD PEIRCE GENEROUS AND EFFICIENT HELPER IN GOOD WORKS PART I SUMERIAN RELIGIOUS TEXTS INTRODUCTORY NOTE The texts in this volume have been copied from tablets in the University Museum, Philadelphia, and edited in moments snatched from many other exacting duties. They present considerable variety. No. i is an incantation copied from a foundation cylinder of the time of the dynasty of Agade. It is the oldest known religious text from Babylonia, and perhaps the oldest in the world. No. 8 contains a new account of the creation of man and the development of agriculture and city life. No. 9 is an oracle of Ishbiurra, founder of the dynasty of Nisin, and throws an interesting light upon his career. It need hardly be added that the first interpretation of any unilingual Sumerian text is necessarily, in the present state of our knowledge, largely tentative. Every one familiar with the language knows that every text presents many possi- bilities of translation and interpretation. The first interpreter cannot hope to have thought of all of these, or to have decided every delicate point in a way that will commend itself to all his colleagues. The writer is indebted to Professor Albert T. Clay, to Professor Morris Jastrow, Jr., and to Dr. Stephen Langdon for many helpful criticisms and suggestions. Their wide knowl- edge of the religious texts of Babylonia, generously placed at the writer's service, has been most helpful.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lost Book of Enki.Pdf
    L0ST BOOK °f6NK1 ZECHARIA SITCHIN author of The 12th Planet • . FICTION/MYTHOLOGY $24.00 TH6 LOST BOOK OF 6NK! Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin’s bestselling series, The Earth Chronicles, provided humanity’s side of the story—as recorded on ancient clay tablets and other Sumerian artifacts—concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, “those who from heaven to earth came.” In The Lost Book of Enki, we can view this saga from a dif- ferent perspective through this richly con- ceived autobiographical account of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials’ arrival on Earth from the 12th planet, Nibiru. The object of their colonization: gold to replenish the dying atmosphere of their home planet. Finding this precious metal results in the Anunnaki creation of homo sapiens—the human race—to mine this important resource. In his previous works, Sitchin com- piled the complete story of the Anunnaki ’s impact on human civilization in peacetime and in war from the frag- ments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources- —the “myths” of all ancient peoples in the old world as well as the new. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth—and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of a now lost book that formed the basis of THE lost book of ENKI MFMOHCS XND PKjOPHeCieS OF XN eXTfCXUfCWJTWXL COD 2.6CHXPJA SITCHIN Bear & Company Rochester, Vermont — Bear & Company One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTraditions.com Copyright © 2002 by Zecharia Sitchin All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesopotamian Mythology
    MESOPOTAMIAN MYTHOLOGY The myths, epics, hymns, lamentations, penitential psalms, incantations, wisdom literature, and handbooks dealing with rituals and omens of ancient Mesopotamian. The literature that has survived from Mesopotamian was written primarily on stone or clay tablets. The production and preservation of written documents were the responsibility of scribes who were associated with the temples and the palace. A sharp distinction cannot be made between religious and secular writings. The function of the temple as a food redistribution center meant that even seemingly secular shipping receipts had a religious aspect. In a similar manner, laws were perceived as given by the gods. Accounts of the victories of the kings often were associated with the favor of the gods and written in praise of the gods. The gods were also involved in the established and enforcement of treaties between political powers of the day. A large group of texts related to the interpretations of omens has survived. Because it was felt that the will of the gods could be known through the signs that the gods revealed, care was taken to collect ominous signs and the events which they preached. If the signs were carefully observed, negative future events could be prevented by the performance of appropriate apotropaic rituals. Among the more prominent of the Texts are the shumma izbu texts (“if a fetus…”) which observe the birth of malformed young of both animals and humans. Later a similar series of texts observed the physical characteristics of any person. There are also omen observations to guide the physician in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesopotamian Culture
    MESOPOTAMIAN CULTURE WORK DONE BY MANUEL D. N. 1ºA MESOPOTAMIAN GODS The Sumerians practiced a polytheistic religion , with anthropomorphic monotheistic and some gods representing forces or presences in the world , as he would later Greek civilization. In their beliefs state that the gods originally created humans so that they serve them servants , but when they were released too , because they thought they could become dominated by their large number . Many stories in Sumerian religion appear homologous to stories in other religions of the Middle East. For example , the biblical account of the creation of man , the culture of The Elamites , and the narrative of the flood and Noah's ark closely resembles the Assyrian stories. The Sumerian gods have distinctly similar representations in Akkadian , Canaanite religions and other cultures . Some of the stories and deities have their Greek parallels , such as the descent of Inanna to the underworld ( Irkalla ) resembles the story of Persephone. COSMOGONY Cosmogony Cosmology sumeria. The universe first appeared when Nammu , formless abyss was opened itself and in an act of self- procreation gave birth to An ( Anu ) ( sky god ) and Ki ( goddess of the Earth ), commonly referred to as Ninhursag . Binding of Anu (An) and Ki produced Enlil , Mr. Wind , who eventually became the leader of the gods. Then Enlil was banished from Dilmun (the home of the gods) because of the violation of Ninlil , of which he had a son , Sin ( moon god ) , also known as Nanna . No Ningal and gave birth to Inanna ( goddess of love and war ) and Utu or Shamash ( the sun god ) .
    [Show full text]
  • The Twelfth Planet
    The Twelfth Planet The Earth Chronicles, #1 by Zecharia Sitchin, 1920-2010 Published: 1976 J J J J J I I I I I Table of Contents Author‘s Note Prologue Genesis. & Chapter 1 … The Endless Beginning. Chapter 2 … The Sudden Civilization. Chapter 3 … Gods of Heaven and Earth. Chapter 4 … Sumer: Land of the Gods. Chapter 5 … The Nefilim: People of the Fiery Rockets. Chapter 6 … The Twelfth Planet. Chapter 7 … The Epic of Creation. Chapter 8 … Kingship of Heaven. Chapter 9 … Landing on Planet Earth. Chapter 10 … Cities of the Gods. Chapter 11 … Mutiny of the Anunnaki. Chapter 12 … The Creation of Man. Chapter 13 … The End of All Flesh. Chapter 14 … When the Gods Fled from Earth. Chapter 15 … Kingship on Earth. Sources About the Series Acknowledgements * * * * * Illustrations 1-1 Flintstones 1-2 Man has been preserved [attached] 1-3 Wearing some kind of goggles 2-4 Alphabets 2-5 Winged Globe 2-6 Layout of City 2-7 Cuneiform 2-8 Storage of Grains 2-9 Measuring rod and rolled string 2-10 Tablet of Temple [attached] 2-11 Ziggurat (Stairway to Heaven) 2-12 Cylinder Seal 2-13 Mathematical System 2-14 Surgical Thongs 2-15 Medical Radiation Treatment 2-16 Toga-style Clothing 2-17 Headdress 2-18 Head Jewelry 2-19 Horse Power 2-20 Harp Playing 2 Ancient Cities [attached] 3-21 Battle between Zeus and Typhon 3-22 Aphrodite 3-23 Jupiter 3-24 Taurus, Celestial Bull 3-25 Hittite Warriors 3-26 Hittite Warriors and Deities 3-27 Hittite Male and Female Deities 3-28 Meeting of Great Gods 3-29 Deities Meeting, Beit-Zehir 3-30 Eye Goggles of Gods 3-31 Goggles
    [Show full text]
  • Sumerian Religion
    1 אנשר אנשר (באכדית: Anshar או Anshur, מילולית:"ציר השמיים") הוא אל שמים מסופוטמי קדום. הוא מתואר כבן זוגה של אחותו קישאר. הזוג יחדיו מציינים את השמים (ההברה אן) והארץ (ההברה קי) במיתוס הבריאה אנומה אליש והם נמנים עם הדור השני לבריאה, ילדיהם של המפלצות לחמו (Lahmu) ולחאמו (Lahamu) ונכדיהם של תיאמת (Tiamat) ואפסו (Apsu), המסמנים את המים המלוחים והמתוקים בהתאמה. בתורם, הם בעצמם הוריו של אל שמים אחר בשם אנו (Anu). החל מימי סרגון השני, החלו האשורים לזהות את אנשר עם אשור בגירסתם למיתוס הבריאה, בגרסה זו בת זוגו היא נינ-ליל (NinLil). ערך זה הוא קצרמר בנושא מיתולוגיה. אתם מוזמנים לתרום לוויקיפדיה ו להרחיב אותו [1]. האל אנשר עומד על פר, נתגלה בחפירות העיר אשור הפניות editintro=%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%AA%3A%D7%A7%D7%A6%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%A8%2F%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%91%D7%94&action=edit&http://he.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%A9%D7%A8 [1] המקורות והתורמים לערך 2 המקורות והתורמים לערך אנשר מקור: https://he.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=13750401 תורמים: GuySh, Ori, רועים המקורות, הרישיונות והתורמים לתמונה קובץ:Asur-Stier.PNG מקור: https://he.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=קובץ:Asur-Stier.PNG רישיון: Public Domain תורמים: Evil berry, Foroa, Gryffindor תמונה:Perseus-slays-medusa.jpg מקור: https://he.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=קובץ:Perseus-slays-medusa.jpg רישיון: GNU Free Documentation License תורמים: Bibi Saint-Pol, Editor at Large, Funfood, G.dallorto, Jastrow, Lokal Profil, Peter Andersen, Sreejithk2000 AWB, 4 עריכות אלמוניות רישיון Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 /creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0// Anu 1 Anu This article is about a myth.
    [Show full text]
  • Eridu, Dunnu, and Babel: a Study in Comparative Mythology
    ERIDU, DUNNU, AND BABEL: A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY by PATRICK D. MILLER, JR. Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ 08542 This essay focuses on some themes in two quite different myths from ancient Mesopotamia, one known commonly as the Sumerian Deluge or Flood story, discovered at Nippur and published around the turn of the century by Poebel (I 9 I 4a and b ), the other published much more recently by Lambert and Walcot (1966) and dubbed by Jacobsen (1984) "The Harab Myth." The former myth was the subject of some attention at the time of its publication and extensive analysis by Poebel, par­ ticularly in King's Schweich Lectures (1918). As Jacobsen notes, it has not been the subject of much further work except for Kramer's transla­ tion (Pritchard, 1955, pp. 42-44) and Civil's translation and notes in Lambert and Millard (1969, pp. 138-147). More recently, Kramer has given a new translation of the text together with notes (Kramer, 1983). Both texts have now been the subject of major new treatments in the last three or four years by Jacobsen (1978 and 1984), and that is in a large sense the impetus for my turning to them. Indeed, I first became interested in the two texts when Jacobsen delivered a paper on them entitled "Two Mesopotamian Myths of Beginnings" at a symposium on mythology given at Sweetbriar College several years ago. His rationale for dealing with the two of them at that time was that each "in its own way stands apart and it seems to me, raises interesting questions of a more general nature-about composition, interpretation, and what hap­ pens when a myth is borrowed from one people to another" ( 1978, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms
    UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS OF THE BABYLONIAN SECTION VOL. X No. 4 SUMERIAN LITURGIES AND PSALMS STEPHEN LANGDON PROFESSOROF ASSYRIOLOGY AT OXFORDUNIVERSITY PHILADELPHIA PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM 1919 DI'IINITY LIBRARY CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION .................................. 233 SUMERIAN LITURGIES AND PSALMS: LAMENTATIONOF ISHME-DAGANOVER NIPPUR ..... LITURGYOF THE CULTOF ISHME-DAGAN.......... LITURGICALHYMN TO INNINI ..................... PSALMTO ENLIL LAMENTATIONON THE PILLAGEOF LAGASHBY THE ELAMITES................................... LAMENTATIONTO ~NNINI ON THE SORROWSOF ERECH. LITURGICALHYMN TO SIN........................ LAMENTATIONON THE DESTRUCTIONOF UR........ LITURGICALHYMNS OF THE TAMMUZCULT ........ A LITURGYTO ENLIL,Elum Gud-Sun ............. EARLYFORM OF THE SERIESd~abbar&n-k-ta .... LITURGYOF THE CULTOF KESH................. SERIESElum Didara, THIRDTABLET .............. BABYLONIANCULT SYMBOLS ...................... INTRODUCTION With the publication of the texts included in this the last part of volume X, Sumerian Liturgical and Epical Texts, the writer arrives at a definite stage in the interpretation of the religious material in the Nippur collection. Having been privi- leged to examine the collection in Philadelphia as well as that in Constantinople, I write with a sense of responsibility in giving to the public a brief statement concerning what the temple library of ancient Nippur really contained. Omitting the branches pertaining to history, law, grammar and mathematics,
    [Show full text]
  • BABYLONIAN CREATION from the Enuma Elish, 2050-1750 BC
    BABYLONIAN CREATION From the Enuma Elish, 2050-1750 BC Before anything had a name, before there was firm ground or sky or the sun and moon there was Apsu, the sweet water sea and Tiamat, the salt water sea. When these two seas mingled, they created the gods Lahmu and Lahamu, who rose from the silt at the edge of the water. When Lahmu and Lahamu joined, they created the great gods Anshar, Kishar and Anu. From this generation of gods there arose mighty Ea and his many brothers. Ea and his brothers were restless - they surged over the waters day and night. Neither Apsu nor Tiamat could get any rest. They tried to plead with the gods to tread softly, but powerful Ea didn’t hear them. Apsu decided the only way to have some peace was to destroy Ea and his brothers. He began to plot their demise with some of the first generation gods. But Ea heard of their plans and struck him down first. This began a war among the gods. Tiamat was furious that her mate was killed, and she began producing great and ferocious monsters to slay Ea and his brothers. She created poisonous dragons and demons and serpents. She created the Viper, the Sphinx, the Lion, the Mad Dog and Scorpion Man. The chief of them all was called Kingu. He led the army of Tiamat’s monsters into heaven against Ea and his brothers to avenge Apsu’s death. While Tiamat fashioned her army, Ea and the goddess Damkina created the great god Marduk.
    [Show full text]
  • The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria
    First Published 1906 by Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd. THE RELIGION OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA BY THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D. Lecturer in Assyrian at University College, London, Author of "The Old Testament in the Light of the Records of Assyria and Babylonia"; "The Bronze Ornaments of the Palace Gates of Balewat" etc. etc. THE RELIGION OF THE BABYLONIANS AND ASSYRIANS CHAPTER I FOREWORD Position, and Period. The religion of the Babylonians and Assyrians was the polytheistic faith professed by the peoples inhabiting the Tigris and Euphrates valleys from what may be regarded as the dawn of history until the Christian era began, or, at least, until the inhabitants were brought under the influence of Christianity. The chronological period covered may be roughly estimated at about 5000 years. The belief of the people, at the end of that time, being Babylonian heathenism leavened with Judaism, the country was probably ripe for the reception of the new faith. Christianity, however, by no means replaced the earlier polytheism, as is evidenced by the fact, that the worship of Nebo and the gods associated with him continued until the fourth century of the Christian era. By whom followed. It was the faith of two distinct peoples--the Sumero-Akkadians, and the Assyro-Babylonians. In what country it had its beginnings is unknown--it comes before us, even at the earliest period, as a faith already well-developed, and from that fact, as well as from the names of the numerous deities, it is clear that it began with the former race--the Sumero-Akkadians--who spoke a non-Semitic language largely affected by phonetic decay, and in which the grammatical forms had in certain cases become confused to such an extent that those who study it ask themselves whether the people who spoke it were able to understand each other without recourse to devices such as the "tones" to which the Chinese resort.
    [Show full text]
  • Bel, the Christ of Ancient Times
    BEL, THE CHRIST OF ANCIENT TIMES. Downloaded from T is admitted by every one who has studied the religion of the I Babylonians, that it is from the first to the last polytheistic. If we were to take the trouble of counting together the Babylonian divinities occurring in the inscriptions and especially in the several http://monist.oxfordjournals.org/ "lists of gods," we would get nearly as many as 500-1000. different gods. This state of affairs is indeed annoying for one who tries to understand such a "theological system." The difficulty is, how­ ever, still more increased, not only by the various identifications of one god with another, but especially by the so-called different gene­ alogies of one and the same divinity. Take, e. g., the goddess ISHTAR! She appears in one inscription as the daughter of the moon-god, 1 7 Sin ; in another as that of the god Anu, in a third as a child of An- by guest on June 10, 2016 shar or Ashshur,3 in a fourth as that of Bel,* in a fifth as a child of iW»-#,Bthus being considered not only as a daughter of Bel, but also "'«Ishtar (SUCH) mArat (dumu-sal) H" Sin (ESH), Ishtar's descent, Keilin- schriftliche Bibliothek (=K. B.) VI1. p. 80, 2 et fassim. 2illik mdrat Anim ana $An Bel abtsha = the daughter of Anu went to BS1 her father. IV. R. 65, col. II. 32; Jensen, Kosmologie, p. 273. 3 Anshar (= Ashshur)... .ba-nu-ii il&nit' mu-al-lid il"Ish-tar = Anshar, the creator of the gods, the begetter of Ishtar.
    [Show full text]
  • KARUS on the FRONTIERS of the NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE I Shigeo
    KARUS ON THE FRONTIERS OF THE NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE I Shigeo YAMADA * The paper discusses the evidence for the harbors, trading posts, and/or administrative centers called karu in Neo-Assyrian documentary sources, especially those constructed on the frontiers of the Assyrian empire during the ninth to seventh centuries Be. New Assyrian cities on the frontiers were often given names that stress the glory and strength of Assyrian kings and gods. Kar-X, i.e., "Quay of X" (X = a royal/divine name), is one of the main types. Names of this sort, given to cities of administrative significance, were probably chosen to show that the Assyrians were ready to enhance the local economy. An exhaustive examination of the evidence relating to cities named Kar-X and those called karu or bit-kar; on the western frontiers illustrates the advance of Assyrian colonization and trade control, which eventually spread over the entire region of the eastern Mediterranean. The Assyrian kiirus on the frontiers served to secure local trading activities according to agreements between the Assyrian king and local rulers and traders, while representing first and foremost the interest of the former party. The official in charge of the kiiru(s), the rab-kari, appears to have worked as a royal deputy, directly responsible for the revenue of the royal house from two main sources: (1) taxes imposed on merchandise and merchants passing through the trade center(s) under his control, and (2) tribute exacted from countries of vassal status. He thus played a significant role in Assyrian exploitation of economic resources from areas beyond the jurisdiction of the Assyrian provincial government.
    [Show full text]