the religion of babylonia and assyria-第14章

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　followed　him　on　warlike　expeditions；　and　when　engaged　in　religious　ceremoniesindeed；　it　is　not　by　any　means　improbable　that　he　was　thought　to　follow　him　wherever　he　went。　On　the　sculptures　he　is　seen　accompanying　him　in　the　form　of　a　circle　provided　with　wings；　in　which　is　shown　sometimes　a　full…length　figure　of　the　god　in　human　form；　sometimes　the　upper　part　only；　facing　towards　and　drawing　his　bow　against　the　foe。　In　consequence　of　its　general　appearance；　the　image　of　the　god　has　been　likened　to　the　sun　in　eclipse；　the　far…stretching　wings　being　thought　to　resemble　the　long　streamers　visible　at　the　moment　of　totality；　and　it　must　be　admitted　as　probable　that　this　may　have　given　the　idea　of　the　symbol　shown　on　the　sculptures。　As　a　sun…god；　and　at　the　same　time　not　the　god　？ama？；　he　resembled　the　Babylonian　Merodach；　and　was　possibly　identified　with　him；　especially　as；　in　at　least　one　text；　Bêltu　（Bêltis）　is　described　as　his　consort；　which　would　possibly　identify　A？？ur's　spouse　with　Zer…pan？tum。　The　original　form　of　his　name　would　seem　to　have　been　Au？ar；　〃water…field；〃　probably　from　the　tract　where　the　city　of　A？？ur　was　built。　His　identification　with　Merodach；　if　that　was　ever　accepted；　may　have　been　due　to　the　likeness　of　the　word　to　Asari；　one　of　that　deity's　names。　The　pronunciation　A？？ur；　however；　seems　to　have　led　to　a　comparison　with　the　An？ar　of　the　first　tablet　of　the　Creation…story；　though　it　may　seem　strange　that　the　Assyrians　should　have　thought　that　their　patron…god　was　a　deity　symbolising　the　〃host　of　heaven。〃　Nevertheless；　the　Greek　transcription　of　An？ar；　namely；　/Assoros/；　given　by　Damascius；　certainly　strengthens　the　indications　of　the　ideograph　in　this　matter。　Delitzsch　regards　the　word　A？？ur；　or　A？ur；　as　he　reads　it；　as　meaning　〃holy；〃　and　quotes　a　list　of　the　gods　of　the　city　of　Nineveh；　where　the　word　A？？ur　occurs　three　times；　suggesting　the　exclamation　〃holy；　holy；　holy；〃　or　〃the　holy；　holy；　holy　one。〃　In　all　probability；　however；　the　repetition　of　the　name　three　times　simply　means　that　there　were　three　temples　dedicated　to　A？？ur　in　the　cities　in　question。＇*＇　Jastrow　agrees　with　Delitzsch　in　regarding　A？ur　as　another　form　of　A？ir　（found　in　early　Cappadocian　names）；　but　he　translates　it　rather　as　〃overseer〃　or　〃guardian〃　of　the　land　and　the　peoplethe　terminationless　form　of　/a？iru/；　which　has　this　meaning；　and　is　applied　to　Merodach。

＇*＇　Or　there　may　have　been　three　shrines　to　A？？ur　in　each　temple　　　　　referred　to。

As　the　use　of　the　characters　/An…？ar/　for　the　god　A？？ur　only　appears　at　a　late　date　（Jastrow　says　the　eighth　century　B。C。）；　this　would　seem　to　have　been　the　work　of　the　scribes；　who　wished　to　read　into　the　name　the　earlier　signification　of　An？ar；　〃the　host　of　heaven；〃　an　explanation　fully　in　accord　with　Jastrow's　reasonings　with　regard　to　the　nature　of　the　deity。　As　he　represented　no　personification　or　power　of　nature；　he　says；　but　the　general　protecting　spirit　of　the　land；　the　king；　the　army；　and　the　people；　the　capital　of　the　country　could　be　transferred　from　A？？ur　to　Calah；　from　there　back　to　A？？ur；　and　finally　to　Nineveh；　without　affecting　the　position　of　the　protecting　god　of　the　land　in　any　way。　He　needed　no　templethough　such　things　were　erected　to　himhe　had　no　need　to　fear　that　he　should　suffer　in　esteem　by　the　preference　for　some　other　god。　As　the　embodiment　of　the　spirit　of　the　Assyrian　people　the　personal　side　of　his　being　remained　to　a　certain　extent　in　the　background。　If　he　was　the　〃host　of　heaven；〃　all　the　deities　might　be　regarded　as　having　their　being　in　him。

Such　was　the　chief　deity　of　the　Assyriansa　national　god；　grafted　on　to；　but　always　distinct　from；　the　rest　of　the　pantheon；　which；　as　has　been　shown；　was　of　Babylonian　origin；　and　always　maintained　the　characteristics　and　stamp　of　its　origin。

The　spouse　of　A？？ur　does　not　appear　in　the　historical　texts；　and　her　mention　elsewhere　under　the　title　of　Bêltu；　〃the　lady；〃　does　not　allow　of　any　identification　being　made。　In　one　inscription；　however；　A？？uritu　is　called　the　goddess；　and　A？？ur　the　god；　of　the　star　Sib…zi…　anna；　identified　by　Jensen　with　Regulus；　which　was　apparently　the　star　of　Merodach　in　Babylonia。　This；　however；　brings　us　no　nearer；　for　A？？uritu　would　simply　mean　〃the　Assurite　（goddess）。〃


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The　minor　divinities。

Among　the　hundreds　of　names　which　the　lists　furnish；　a　few　are　worthy　of　mention；　either　because　of　more　than　ordinary　interest；　or　in　consequence　of　their　furnishing　the　name　of　some　deity；　chief　in　its　locality；　but　identified　elsewhere　with　one　of　the　greater　gods。

Aa。This　may　be　regarded　either　as　the　god　êa　（though　the　name　is　written　differently）；　or　as　the　sun…god　assuming　the　name　of　his　consort；　or　（what　is；　perhaps；　more　probable）　as　a　way　of　writing　A'u　or　Ya'u　（the　Hebrew　Jah）；　without　the　ending　of　the　nominative。　This　last　is　also　found　under　the　form　/Aa'u/；　/ya'u/；　/yau/；　and　/ya/。

Abil…addu。This　deity　seems　to　have　attained　a　certain　popularity　in　later　times；　especially　among　immigrants　from　the　West。　As　〃the　son　of　Hadad；〃　he　was　the　equivalent　of　the　Syrian　Ben…Hadad。　A　tablet　in　New　York　shows　that　his　name　was　weakened　in　form　to　/Ablada/。

Aku；　the　moon…god　among　the　heavenly　bodies。　It　is　this　name　which　is　regarded　as　occurring　in　the　name　of　the　Babylonian　king　Eri…Aku；　〃servant　of　the　moon…god；〃　the　biblical　Arioch　（Gen。　xiv。）。

Amma…an…ki；　êa　or　Aa　as　lord　of　heaven　and　earth。

Amna。A　name　only　found　in　a　syllabary；　and　assigned　to　the　sun…god；　from　which　it　would　seem　that　it　is　a　form　of　the　Egyptian　Ammon。

Anunitum；　the　goddess　of　one　of　the　two　Sippars；　called　Sippar　of　Anunitum；　who　was　worshipped　in　the　temple　ê…ulma？　within　the　city　of　Agadé　（Akkad）。　Sayce　identifies；　on　this　account；　these　two　places　as　being　the　same。　In　a　list　of　stars；　Anunitum　is　coupled　with　？inunutum；　which　are　explained　as　（the　stars　of）　the　Tigris　and　Euphrates。　These　were　probably　names　of　Venus　as　the　morning　and　evening　（or　evening　and　morning）　star。

Apsu。The　deep　dissociated　from　the　evil　connection　with　Tiawath；　and　regarded　as　〃the　house　of　deep　wisdom；〃　i。e。　the　home　of　the　god　êa　or　Aa。

Aruru。One　of　the　deities　of　Sippar　and　Aruru　（in　the　time　of　the　dynasty　of　Hammurabi　called　Ya'ruru）；　of　which　she　was　the　chief　goddess。　Aruru　was　one　of　the　names　of　the　〃lady　of　the　gods；〃　and　aided　Merodach　to　make　the　seed　of　mankind。

Bêl。As　this　name　means　〃lord；〃　it　could　be　applied；　like　the　Ph？nician　Baal；　to　the　chief　god　of　any　city；　as　Bêl　of　Niffur；　Bêl　of　Hursag…kalama；　Bêl　of　Aratta；　Bêl　of　Babylon；　etc。　This　often　indicates　also　the　star　which　represented　the　chief　god　of　a　place。

Bêltu。In　the　same　way　Bêltu；　meaning　〃lady；〃　meant　also　the　chief　goddess　of　any　place；　as　〃Aruru；　lady　of　the　gods　of　Sippar　of　Aruru；〃　〃Nin…mah；　lady　of　the　gods　of　ê…mah；〃　a　celebrated　temple　within　Babylon；　recently　excavated　by　the　Germans；　〃Nin…hur…saga；　lady　of　the　gods　of　Kê？；〃　etc。

Bunene。A　god　associated　with　？ama？　and　I？tar　at　Sippar　and　elsewhere。　He　〃gave〃　and　〃renewed〃　to　his　worshippers。

Dagan。This　deity；　whose　worship　extends　back　to　an　exceedingly　early　date；　is　generally　identified　with　the　Ph？nician　Dagon。　Hammurabi　seems　to　speak　of　the　Euphrates　as　being　〃the　boundary　of　Dagan；〃　whom　he　calls　his　creator。　In　later　inscriptions　the　form　Daguna；　which　approaches　nearer　to　the　West　Semitic　form；　is　found　in　a　few　personal　names。　The　Ph？nician　statues　of　this　deity　showed　him　with　the　lower　part　of　his　body　in　the　form　of　a　fish　（see　1　Sam。　v。　4）。　Whether　the　deities　clothed　in　a　fish's　skin　in　the　Nimroud　gallery　be　Dagon　or　not　is　uncertainthey　may　be　intended　for　êa　or　Aa；　the　Oannes　of　Berosus；　who　was　represented　in　this　way。　Probably　the　two　deities　were　regarded　as　identical。

Damu。a　goddess　regarded　as　equivalent　to　Gula　by　the　Babylonians　and　Assyrians。　She　was　goddess　of　healing；　and　made　one's　dreams　happy。

Dumu…zi…abzu；　〃Tammuz　of　the　Abyss。〃This　was　one　of　the　six　sons　of　êa　or　Aa；　according　to　the　lists。　His　worship　is　exceedingly　ancient；　and　goes　back　to　the　time　of　E…anna…tum　of　Laga？　（about　4000　B。C。）。　What　connection；　if　any；　he　may　have　with　Tammuz；　the　spouse　of　I？tar；　is　unknown。　Jastrow