Lectures on the origin and growth of religion as illustrated by the religion of the ancient Babylonians / by A. H. Sayce.

  • Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry), 1845-1933.
Date:
1898
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on the origin and growth of religion as illustrated by the religion of the ancient Babylonians / by A. H. Sayce. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    CONTENTS. Lecture I. INTRODUCTOEY. PAGE Difficulties of the subject—Character and age of the materials—Modifi- cation of earlier views—Rise of Semitic culture in the court of Sargon of Accad, B.C. 3700—His conquest of Cyprus—Intercourse with Egypt—Earlier culture of pre-Semitic Chaldsea—Connection between Babylonian and Hebrew religion—Two periods of Babyloniau influ- ence upon the Jews—Origin of the names of Moses, Joseph, Saul, David and Solomon—Resemblances between the Babylonian and Jewish priesthood and ritual—Babylonian temples and sabbaths— Human sacrifice—Unclean meats 1 Lecture II. BEL-MERODACH OF BABYLON. Cyrus a worshipper of Bel-Merodach—View of the priesthood about his conquest—Merodach the supreme Bel or Baal of Babylon—Com- parison between him and Yahveh—Babylonian religion characterised by localisation—Temple of Bel—Doctrine of the resurrection— Merodach originally the Sun-god of Eridu—Nebo the divine prophet of Borsippa—Assur of Assyria—His origin—His resemblance to Yahveh of Israel 85 Lecture III. THE GODS OF BABYLONIA. General character of Babylonian religion—Ea the Culture-god—The pre-Semitic monuments of Tel-loh (B.C. 4000)—Early trade with India—Ea as god of the sea—The pre-Semitic deities creators, the Semitic deities fathers—Two centres of Babylonian culture, Eridu ^n the coast and Nipur in the north—Mul-lil, the lord of the ghost-world, the god of Nipur—Mul-lil the older Bel, confused with Merodach the younger Bel—Other gods: Adar, the Moon-god, the Sun-god, &c.—The Moon-god of Harran—The goddesses of Semitic Babylonia mere reflections of the male deities—Ann, Nergal, and the Air-god—Rimmon and Hadad—Doctrine of the origin of evil—The seven wicked spirits 130