Hebrew 351, Religious Studies 351

a. READER
2.

Religion in the Ancient Near East

a.

Prof. M. V. Fox

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PART I. EGYPT
1. Abbreviations
2. Outline of Egyptian Chronology
3. Glossary of Egyptian Gods
4. The Ennead ("Ninesome")
5. The "Trinity"
6. from Wisdom of Anii '37 (NK)
7. from the Wisdom of Amenemope, chap 25 (NK)
8. from the Adoration of Amun-Re (sun god) (NK).8
9. Amun's transcendence (Pap Leiden I 350; NK).
10. The Great Hymn to the Aten
11. Love magic 20th Dyn.
12. Spell to drive off a cockroach (BD 36)
13. For burns (Pap. Ebers)
14. Threat, from a late love charm:
15. The role of the sun in creation from BD 17.
16. Before Creation
17. Self-creation; by Atum. BD 79.
18. Atum / Khepre the Scarab-beetle. Pyr 1587a-d
19. Gender of creator (CT I, 161f)
20. Self-creation of God; monad; CT 714
21. Creation through "masturbation", Pyr '527; 1248 a-d
22. Creation through expectoration, Pyr '600
23. Creation and destruction of the world (CT 1130)
24. Creation by thought and word; from the Memphite Theology
25. God's Providence, from the Wisdom of Merikare
26. from the Cow of Heaven
27. The End of Everything; from BD 175
28. Descriptions of death
29. Prehistoric texts incorporated in the Pyr Texts gods.
30. Dealing with Death: claim of primeval birth; Pyr '486
31. "The Cannibal Hymn." (Selection) Pyr '' 273-274
32. Threatening the gods: Pyr '310 2300 BCE.
33. Threatening the gods: Pyr '569
34. Preparing for eternity
35. Lamentation of Isis and Nephthys of Prince Hardjedef,
36. Self-Purification Declaration of the Dead; BD 105
37. The Judgment of the Dead; from BD 125.
38. Ethical Judgment of Dead
39. On the road to Eternity; CT ' 1131
40. The road to Eternity; CT '1035
41. The Eloquent Peasant, selections
42. The Wisdom of Amenemope, selections
43. Gods in Enuma Elish
44. Enuma Elish, the Babylonian Creation Epic

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45. The ADAPA legend
46. lnanna the Warrior; Inanna declares selections.
47. Inanna as the Power in Rain and Thunder
48. An Evening Hymn to Inanna (Venus)
49. A Morning Hymn to Inanna
50. From the Sacred Marriage Ceremony
51. Inanna / Ishtar Descends to the Netherworld
52. From the Code of Hammurapi
PART III. ISRAEL
53. Inscription from Khirbet el-Qom; dated 750-700
54. Inscriptions from Kuntillet `Ajrud
55. Other inscriptions mentioning Yahweh
56. Theophany from Desert; Psalm 68:2
57. The Midianite Connection Numbers 10:29-32.
58. Psalm 82:1-8
59. The Queen of Heaven; Jeremiah 44
60. Possible statements of monotheism
61. The Kavod, God's "Glory" or "Substance"
62. Theomachy (battles of the gods): Psalm 74
63. Theomachy: Isaiah 51:9-11
64. Theomachy: Psalm 104:6-9
65. Control of Sea: Job 38:8-11
66. War with Leviathan: Job 40:25-32
67. Leviathan: Isaiah 27:1
68. Creation As Craft; Genesis 2:4b-24
69. Creation as arrangement; genesis 1:1-2:4a
70. The ideal ruler and the restored eden; isaiah 11:1-16
71. God's victory banquet, isaiah 25:6-8 orderly procedure
72. New heavens and new earth; isaiah 66:17
73. Unceasing Light; Isaiah 60:19-21
74. World Peace; Isaiah 19:23-24
75. Condemnations Of Cult Of The Dead
76. Condemnations of cult of the dead
77. Resurrection (Isa 26:19; Dan 12:1-3)
78. ETHICS. Jer 22:1-5
79. Acknowledgements (endnotes)
ABBREVIATIONS:
BD
Book of the Dead
80. CT
Coffin Text(s)
81. N or PN
Name; stands for anyone's name
82. DN
Any divine name
83. MK
Middle Kingdom (2040-1650)
84. Nany personal name; NN = so-and-so son/daughter of so-and-so
85. NK
New Kingdom (1557-1070)
86. OK
Old Kingdom (dyn 3-6; 2686-2181)

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87. Pyr
88. '

Pyramid Text(s)
spell number or section number

89. In Egyptian texts, capital letters indicates that these words were written in red ink,
signifying special importance, e.g. in titles. Italics usually indicate my own remarks.

90.

EGYPT

91. OUTLINE OF EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY

92. This is for reference, not memorization. But you should learn the approximate data in
boldface (major periods and important texts)
II.

PREDYNASTIC OR
ARCHAIC 3100-2686
BCE
A. Inscriptions
(dockets, seals,
dates)
B. Narmer Palette
C. Cities Stele

III.

OLD KINGDOM (dyn

3-6; 2686-2181).
A. Sacrifice lists
B. Prayers
C. Tomb
autobiographies
D. Wisdom Literature
E. Royal inscriptions
F.Memphite Theology
G. Pyramid Texts
(Pyr)

IV.

First Intermediate (Dyn

9-11; 2134-2040)
A. Wisdom Lit.
93. B.Some early material in BD
94. IV. MIDDLE KINGDOM (dyn
12-14, 2040-1650)
B. Wisdom Literature
C. Stories
D. Royal inscriptions
E. Tomb
autobiographies.
F.Hymns
G. Coffin Texts (CT)
H. Some early material
in BD
95. Dialogue of Osiris and Atum (BD
175)
96. The Negative Confession (BD 125)

97. V. Second Intermediate (dyn 15-16

(Hyksos), 17 (Thebes); 1650-1551

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98. VI. NEW KINGDOM (dyn 18-20;
1557-1070)
V.incl. Amarna Period
A. Tomb
autobiographies
B. Royal inscriptions
C. Stories, incl.
Conflicts of Horus
& Seth
D. Wisdom, incl
Amenemope
E. Hymns & prayers,
incl:
99. Hymn to the Aten
100. Private prayers
F.Mortuary Texts
101. Book of the Dead
102. Amduat
103. Book of Gates
104. "Guidebooks" to Afterlife
VI. Third Intermed. (dyn
21-25 ["Ethiopian"]
1085-668
VII. Late Period (dyn 26-31
[Saitic and Persian rule],
664-332 BCE.
VIII. Ptolemaic period (332-30
BCE)
105. (course stops with NK)
IX. Roman period (30
BCE-4th c. CE)
A. Victory of Horus

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106.
EGYPTIAN GODS
107.
GLOSSARY OF EGYPTIAN GODSi
108.
Amun, "The hidden one." Shown with a tall crown of feathers; often also in the form
of Min, as well as ram and goose forms. His cult is attested first in the Theban nome, but
he is mentioned earlier as a primeval deity, and in later times he belongs to the system of
the Hermopolitan ogdoad (group of eight gods). From 2000 to 1360 B.C. he is
preeminent among deities, and combines in a single figure all the characteristics of the
creator and sustainer of the world.
109.
Anubis, "Puppy" (?), the god responsible for embalming, who is also lord of the
necropolis. Depicted as a black canine ("jackal"), or in the mixed form, with a "dog's"
head and human body.
110.
Apopis, the snake enemy of the sun god, who must constantly be repulsed from the
solar bark, and thus embodies the continual threat of disorder to the ordered world.
111.
Aten, "Sun disk," not worshiped as a deity until the New Kingdom; raised by
Akhenaten to the status of the unique, exclusive God. Depticted at first with a hawk's
head, and then as a sun disk with rays that terminate in human hands.
112.
Atum, "The undifferentiated one," at once primeval being and creator of the world in
mythology he is placed at the head of the ennead of Heliopolis; in later periods he is
worshiped as the evening manifestation of the universal sun god. Usually represented in
purely human form.
113.
Geb, earth god; Judge and "hereditary prince" or "father" of the gods, esp. of Osiris.
Purely human form. Husband of Nut.
114.
Hapy, "Inundation" of the Nile, personification of the fecundity inherent in the Nile
and hence depicted as an obese human figure.
115.
Hathor, "House of Horus," probably the most universal Egyptian goddess, who has
marked characteristics of a mother, but, as the "eye of Re," also brings ruin to all enemies,
and in addition is worshiped as a goddess of the dead, especially in Thebes. Usually shown
as a woman with cow's horns and sun disk or as a cow, but also as a lioness, snake, tree
nymph, and so forth.
116.
Hike, "`Magic,'" anthropomorphic personification of this creative force, also revered
in the cult from an early date, especially in the delta and at Esna; frequently accompanies
the sun god.
117.
Horus, "The distant one" (?), ancient god of the sky and of the kingship who
absorbed a whole set of gods with hawk form. His close links with the sun god and later
with Osiris and Isis lead to many new associations, and his martial and youthful aspects
become especially prominent.

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118.
Hu, personification of the "Utterance" with which the creator god calls things into
being. With Hike and Sia he is one of the three creative forces that constantly accompany
the sun god, not worshiped in the cult.
119.
Isis, whose name is written with the sign for "throne," the sister and wife of Osiris
and mother of Horus, whom she protects from many dangers in her role as the magician
goddess. Usually shown as a woman with the sign for "throne" on her head, but also
depicted, because of the multiple connections with other goddesses, in countless other
forms, so that she becomes the "multiform one" par excellence.
120.
Maat, personification of the "Order" of the world which was established at creation;
shown as a woman with a feather in her hair. She was considered to be the daughter of the
creator god (Re), had a widespread cult, and is also found doubled as the "two Maats"
from an early period.
121.
Min, god worshiped in fetish form in predynastic times, and in the historical period as
a man with erect penis. He is the lord of procreation and protector of tracks in the desert,
while at the festival of Min the fertility of the land is renewed.
122.
Nefertem, god of the primeval lotus, shown as a human figure with a lotus on the
head, or as a child sun god on the lotus. In Memphis he forms a triad with Ptah and
Sakhmet.
123.
Neith, "The terrifying one" (?, fem.), goddess whose attributes are weapons (arrows
and shield) held in the hand or shown above the head. Primeval goddess (often
androgynous) and protector of the king, chief cult centers are Sais and Esna.
124.
Nun, personification of the primeval waters from which everything arose, and hence
"father of the gods," out of which the sun comes daily anew. With his female doublet
Naunet he forms the most important of the four pairs of primeval deities of Hermoplis.
125.
Nut, the ancient goddess of the sky, who is shown as a woman arching over the earth
god Geb. She gives birth to and then swallows all the heavenly bodies, but also takes the
deceased into her protection. Wife of Geb.
126.
Ounuris, "He who brings the distant (goddess)," an ancient god of hunting; worshiped
as an anthropomorphic god with four feathers on his head. His domain is the desert at the
edge of the world, and from this "distant" region he brings back the eye of the sun.
127.
Osiris, the god who suffered a violent death; depicted in human form without
indication of limbs. His attributes of crook and flail allude to ancient links with the kinship
and with pastoralism; other features provide analogies with the death and resurgence of
nature. But the most important aspect of this most complex of gods is his role as ruler of
the dead. At an early period Abydos becomes his most important cult center.
128.

Ptah, depicted in human form without indication of the limbs; in Memphis he is

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combined from an early period with Apis andSokar, and later with Tatenen. Worshiped
mainly as a creator god and as the patron of every type of craftsmanship.
129.
Re, the most important and most widespread name of the sun god, who is combined
syncretistically with many other gods; usually depicted in human form, and worshiped
primarily as the creator and sustainer of the world. He travels in a bark through the sky by
day and the underworld by night. Fram an early date Heliopolis was his chief cult center.
130.
Sakhmet, "The most powerful one" (fem.), goddess with the ambivalent nature of a
lioness, usually shown as a woman with the head of a lioness; worshiped primarily in
Memphis, where she forms a triad with Ptah and Nefertem. Sakhmet disseminates and
cures disease, and, in her role as the sun's destructive eye, attacks hostile powers.
131.
Seth, violent and ambivalent god who is shown as a fabulous animal (the "Seth
animal"), or as a human being with the head of the same animal; connected with foreign
countries, the desert, and marginal regions of the ordered world. His fratricidal conflict
with Osiris and Horus clothes the constant struggle of the world in a comprehensible
form; he also, however, helps the sun god against Apopis.
132.
Shu, god of the space between earth and sky and of the light that fills that space.
Through his separation of earth and sky Shu takes part in the creation of the world.
Depicted in human form or with a lion's head.
133.

Sons of Horus, the four gods who protect the deceased and his internal organs

134.
Sun god. Many Egyptian gods can be the sun god, especially Re, Atum, Amun, and
manifestations of Horus. Even Osiris appears as the night form of the sun god in the New
Kingdom. It is often not defined which particular sun god is meant in a given instance.
135.
Tefnut, goddess who forms, with Shu, the first divine couple, engendered by Atum
without a female partner. Shu and Tefnut are envisaged as a pair of lions, and Tefnut also
appears as the eye of the sun.
136.
Thoth, moon god, messenger of the gods and patron of the art of writing, as well as
mediator in the conflict of Horus and Seth. His chief cult places are two towns, called
Hermopolis in Greek, in Middle Egypt and in the delta; commonest manifestations are as
ibis and baboon.
137.
Note on Reading the Egyptian texts. Read them--but most of these texts cannot
simply be "read." Some are meant for in-class reference. All of them can be read as
sources of data. They are extracts from various kinds of texts, mostly mortuary literature,
quoted as sources of information. As you read them, ask what information they give
about the major topics (the gods; creation and destruction; death and rebirth; worship
and ritual; justice and ethics; society and its rulers. Some texts are obviously more
pertinent to certain topics than others.

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138.
COMBINATIONS and GROUPINGS OF GODS
139.
How many Gods are there? The following quotes give different impressions of how
the Egyptians would have answered this question:
140.
141.

The ENNEAD ("Ninesome")

Heliopolitan ennead: 5 generations of deities.
1
2

Atum

Shu + Tefnut
a.

3
142.

Geb + Nut

a.
Osiris + Isis Seth + Nephthys
B.
C. [Horus*]

X.

(*Horus does not belong to earlier, schematic Ennead)

143.
The "TRINITY"
144.
(From the Leiden Hymn to Amun, 18th d., late 14th c.)
145.
All gods are three: Amun, Re [sun], Ptah, they have no equal. His identity ("name") is
hidden as Amun, he is perceived as Re [lit. he is Re before men], and his body is Ptah.
Their cities on earth remain forever: Thebes, Heliopolis, and Memphis, for all time.
146.
147.
148.
149.
150.
151.
152.
153.
154.
155.
156.
157.
158.
159.
160.
161.
162.
163.

One (main) God:

from the Wisdom of Anii '37 (NK)
[God] puts his power in a million forms,
He who magnifies him is magnified.
The god of this world is the sun in the sky,
while his images are on earth.
From the Wisdom of Amenemope (NK) ii
Chapter 2
Dont raise an outcry against one who attacks you,
nor answer him yourself
He who does evil, the shore rejects him,
Its floodwater carries him away...
You hot-headed man, how are you now?
He cries out, his voice reaches heaven.
It is the Moon who declares his crime.
steer, we will ferry the wicked,
We do not act like his kind;
Life him up, give him your hand,

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164. Leave him <in> the hands of the god;
165. Fill his belly with bread of your own,
166. That he be sated and weep.

[AEL 2.150]

167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
177.
178.

Chpter 3
Dont start a quarrel with a hot-mouthed man,
Nor needle him with words.
Pause before a foe, bend before an attacker,
Sleep (on it) before speaking.
A storm that bursrts like fire in straw
Such is the heated man in his hour
.
Withdraw from him, leave him along,
The god knows how to answer him.
If you make your life with these (words) in your heart,
Your children will observe them.

179.
180.
181.
182.
183.
184.
185.
186.

Chapter 18
Do not lie down in fear of tomorrow:
Comes day, how will tomorrow be?
Man is ignorant of how tomorrow will be.
God is ever in his perfection,
Man is ever in his failure.
The words men say are one thing,
The deeds of the god are another.

187.
188.
189.
190.
191.
192.
193.
194.
195.
196.
197.
198.
199.
200.

Chapter 25
Do not laugh at a blind man,
Nor tease a dwarf,
Nor cause hardship for the lame.
Dont tease a man who is in the hand of the god,
Nor be angry with him for his failings.
Man is clay and straw,
The god is his builder.
He tears down, he builds up daily,
He makes a thousand poor by his will,
He makes a thousand men into chiefs,
When he is in his hour of life.
Happy is he who reaches the West,
When he is safe in the hand of the god.

201.
202.

from the Adoration of Amun-Re (sun god)iii (NK).

XI. How does this hymn conceive of god?
Hail to you, Re, perfect each day,

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203.
204.
205.
206.
207.
208.
209.
210.
211.
212.
213.
214.

Who rises at dawn without failing,

Khepri who wearies himself with toil!
Your rays are on the face, yet unknown,
Fine gold does not match your splendor;
Self-made you fashioned your body,
Creator uncreated.
Sole one, unique one, who traverses eternity,
Remote one, with millions under his care;
Your splendor is like heaven's splendor,
Your color brighter than its hues.
When you cross the sky all faces see you;
When you set, you are hidden from their sight.

215.
216.
217.
218.
219.

Amun's transcendence (Pap Leiden I 350; NK).

Amun is one, concealing himself ...
He is hidden from the gods, and his aspect is unknown.
He is farther than the sky, he is deeper than the Duat,
No god knows his true appearance.

220.
The Great Hymn to the Aten From the Tomb of Ayiv (Topics: gods, creation,
Amarna religion)

222.
223.
224.
225.
226.
227.
228.
229.
230.
231.

XII. [The Aten's splendor, transcendence, and immanence]

Splendid you rise in heaven's lightland,
living Aten, creator of life!
When you have dawned in eastern lightland,
You fill every land with your beauty.
You are beauteous, great, radiant,
High over every land;
Your rays embrace the lands,
To the limit of all that you made.
Being Re, you reach their limits,
You bend them <for> the son whom you love;
Though you are far, your rays are on earth,
Though one sees you, your strides are unseen.

232.
233.
234.
235.
236.
237.
238.
239.
240.

II. [Night]
When you set in western lightland,
Earth is in darkness as if in death;
One sleeps in chambers, heads covered,
One eye does not see another.
Were they robbed of their goods,
That are under their heads,
People would not remark it.
Every lion comes from its den,

221.

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241.
242.
243.

All the serpents bite;

Darkness hovers, earth is silent,
As their maker rests in lightland.

244.
245.
246.
247.
248.
249.
250.
251.
252.
253.
254.
255.
256.
257.
258.
259.
260.
261.
262.
263.
264.
265.

III. [Morning: re-creation: Humans--Land Animals--Sea Animals]

Earth brightens when you dawn in lightland,
When you shine as Aten of daytime;
As you dispel the dark,
As you cast your rays,
The Two Lands are in festivity.
Awake they stand on their feet,
You have roused them;
Bodies cleansed, clothed,
Their arms adore your appearance.
The entire land sets out to work,
All beasts browse on their herbs;
Trees, herbs are sprouting,
Birds fly from their nests,
Their wings greeting your ka.
All flocks frisk on their feet,
All that fly up and alight,
They live when you dawn for them.
Ships fare north, fare south as well,
Roads lie open when you rise;
The fish in the river dart before you,
Your rays are in the midst of the sea.

266.
267.
268.
269.
270.
271.
272.
273.
274.
275.
276.
277.
278.
279.
280.
281.
282.
283.
284.

IV. [Reproduction]
Who makes seed grow in women,
Who creates people from sperm;
Who feeds the son in his mother's womb,
Who soothes him to still his tears.
Nurse in the womb,
Giver of breath,
To nourish all that he made.
When he comes from the womb to breathe,
On the day of his birth,
You open wide his mouth,
You supply his needs.
When the chick in the egg speaks in the shell,
You give him breath within to sustain him;
When you have made him complete,
To break out from the egg,
He comes out from the egg,
To announce his completion,
Walking on his legs he comes from it.

14
285.
286.
287.
288.
289.
290.
291.
292.
293.
294.
295.
296.
297.
298.
299.
300.
301.

V. [Variety of God's deeds]

How many are your deeds,
Though hidden from sight,
Sole God beside whom there is none!
You made the earth as you wished, you alone,
All peoples, herds, and flocks;
All upon earth that walk on legs,
All on high that fly on wings,
The lands of Syria and Nubia,
The land of Egypt.
You set every man in his place,
You supply their needs;
Everyone has his food,
His lifetime is counted.
Their tongues differ in speech,
Their characters likewise;
Their skins are distinct,
For you distinguished the peoples.

302.
303.
304.
305.
306.
307.
308.
309.
310.
311.
312.
313.
314.
315.
316.
317.

VI. [Nile- -and other waters]

You made Hapy in the Deep,
You bring him when you will,
To nourish the people,
For you made them for yourself.
Lord of all who toils for them,
Lord of all lands who shines for them,
Aten of daytime, great in glory!
All distant lands, you make them live,
You made a heavenly Hapy descend for them;
He makes waves on the mountains like the sea,
To drench their fields and their towns.
How excellent are your ways, O Lord of eternity!
A Hapy from heaven for foreign peoples,
And all lands' creatures that walk on legs,
For Egypt the Hapy who comes from dat.

318.
319.
320.
321.
322.
323.
324.
325.

VII. [Rays]
Your rays nurse all fields,
When you shine they live, they grow for you;
You made the seasons to foster all that you made,
Winter to cool them, heat that they taste you.
You made the far sky to shine therein,
To behold all that you made;
You alone, shining in your form of living Aten,

15
326.
327.
328.
329.
330.

Risen, radiant, distant, near.

You made millions of forms from yourself alone,
Towns, villages, fields, the river's course;
All eyes observe you upon them,
For you are the Aten of daytime on high.

331.
332.
333.
334.
335.
336.
337.
338.
339.
340.
341.
342.
343.
344.
345.
346.
347.
348.
349.

VIII. [God & king]

You are in my heart,
There is no other who knows you,
Only your son, Neferkheprure [= Akhenaten], Sole-one-of-Re,
Whom you have taught your ways and your might.
<Those on> earth come from your hand as you made them,
When you have dawned they live,
When you set they die;
You yourself are lifetime, one lives by you.
All eyes are on <your> beauty until you set,
All labor ceases when you rest in the west;
When you rise you stir [everyone] for the King,
Every leg is on the move since you founded the earth.
You rouse them for your son who came from your body,
The King who lives by Maat, the Lord of the Two Lands,
Neferkheprure, Sole-one-of-Re,
The Son of Re who lives by Maat, the Lord of crowns,
Akhenaten, great in his lifetime;
(And) the great Queen whom he loves, the Lady of the Two
XIII. Lands,
Nefer-nefru-Aten Nefertiti, living forever.

350.
351.
352.
353.
354.
355.
356.
357.
358.
359.
360.
361.
362.

IX. [Rising]
Splendid you rise in heaven's lightland,
living Aten, creator of life!
When you have dawned in eastern lightland,
You fill every land with your beauty.
You are beauteous, great, radiant,
High over every land;
Your rays embrace the lands,
To the limit of all that you made.
Being Re, you reach their limits,
You bend them <for> the son whom you love;
Though you are far, your rays are on earth,
Though one sees you, your strides are unseen.

363.
MAGIC.v
364.
Magic and religion are intertwined. How do magical spells work, and how does man
relate to the gods in them?

16
365.
366.
367.
368.
369.

Love magic 20th Dyn.

Hail to thee, O Re-Harakhte, Father of the Gods!
Hail to you, o ye Seven Hathors
Who are adorned with strings of red thread!
Hail to you, ye Gods, lords of heaven and earth!

370.
371.
372.
373.
374.
375.

Come make N (f.) born of N. (m.) follow after me,

Like an ox after grass,
Like a maidservant after her children,
Like a drover after his herd!
If you do not make her come after me
Then I will set fire to [the temple at] Busiris and burn up [Osiris].

376.
Spell to drive off a cockroach (BD 36) (Try it out!).
377.
Get away from me, crooked lips! I am Khons, lord of the circuit, who brings the
words of the gods to Re. I report the message to its lord.
378.

A spell for burns (Pap. Ebers)

B. (Note the combination of techniques at work in this spell).
379.
Make a mixture of milk of a woman who has borne a male child, gum, and ram's hair.
While administering to the patient say:
380.
Thy son Horus is burnt in the desert.
381.
Is there any water there?
382.
There is no water.
383.
I have water in my mouth and a Nile between my thighs. I have come to extinguish
the fire.
384.
Threatening a god, from a late love charm:
385.
(How is this wild threat, addressed to god, supposed to help?)
386.
"If you refuse to listen and do not swiftly do what I tell you, the sun will not set
beneath the earth, neither will Hades nor the Cosmos continue to exist".
387.
CREATION
388.
(Much of what we know about creation comes not from real creation stories but from
mortuary texts, especially Pyr (Pyramid Texts, OK), CT (Coffin Texts, NK), and BD
(Book of the Dead, NK). In order to gain immortality, the dead man identifies himself
with a god, who then describes his powers. Some of these powers were used at creation.
389.
Capital letters are chapter titles. Regular type is for the words spoken by the
deceased. Italics are scholia, i.e. explanatory remarks inserted in the texts by later
scribes, to whom the ancient spells were not at all clear. The scholia aren't necessarily
right. My own scholia- -not necessarily right either- -are in square brackets. Attempt to
reconstruct the notions of creation indicated in these selections. Some also show how
God provides for the world. They also show ideas of what will happen at the end of the
world.

17
390.

The role of the sun in creation from BD 17.

C. [caps indicate a title in the text]
391.
[title] SPELL FOR GOING FORTH BY DAY [from the tomb], ASSUMING
WHATEVER FORM ONE WILL, PLAYING CHESS, SITTING IN A PAVILION,
GOING FORTH AS A LIVING SOUL BY N [i.e. name to be suppled] AFTER HE
COMES TO HIS MOORING [ie dies]. IT GOES WELL WITH ONE WHO RECITES
THEM ON EARTH.
a. (Original core)vi
392.
Spell for emerging by day in the necropolis.
393.
The word developed, all was mine,
394.
when I existed alone.
395.
I am the Sun in his first appearances.
396.
I am the great self-developing god,
397.
who created his identities, lord of the Enneads,
398.
the unopposable one of the gods.
399.
Yesterday is mine; I know tomorrow.
400.
It is in accordance with my say that the god's battleship was made,
401.
and I know the identity of that great god who is in it.
402.
I am the great Phoenix that is in Heliopolis,
403.
the accountant of that exists.
404.
b. (Text (different transl) with ancient glosses. (Italicized sentences are glosses, ie
comments that explain the more ancient text. vii)
405.
My words come to pass. I am Atum when I was alone in Nun [primordial sea]. I am
Re in his appearance, when he began to rule that which he had made.
406.
What does this mean, "Re, when he began to rule"? It means that Re began to
appear as a king, as one who was before the liftings of Shu had taken place, when he was
on the hill which is in Hermopolis. Now the children [of the Weary One- -Osiris] had
been given him with them that were in Hermopolis.
407.
I am the great god who came into being by himself,
408.
Who is he? "The great god who came into being by himself" is water; he is Nun, the
father of the gods. Another explanation: He is Re.
409.
Who created his names, lord [of the Ennead],
410.
Who is he? He is Re when he created the names of his body parts. So came into
being these gods who are in his train.
411.
(most) irresistible of the gods.
412.
Who is he? He is Atum who is in his Sun-Disk. Another explanation: he is Re when
he rises from the eastern horizon of the sky.
413.
I am yesterday, while I know tomorrow
414.
Who is he? As for "yesterday," that is Osiris. As for "tomorrow," that is Re on the day
on which the enemies of the All- Lord are annihilated and his son Horus is made ruler.

18
Another explanation: That is the day of the festival called "We Abide," that is, the day
when the burial of Osiris was directed by his Father (Re).
415.
The battlefield of the gods was made according to my command.
416.
What is that? It is the west [the Land of the Dead]. It was made for the souls of the
gods according to the command of Osiris the lord of the necropolises. Another
explanation: It is (the west). It is this to which Re causes every God to descend. Then he
fought in their behalf.
417.
I know this great God who is therein.
418.
Who is he? He is Osiris. Another explanation: His name is Acclaimer of Re. He is
Re's soul, with which he himself copulates. ....
419.
Before Creation. (Statements from various places describing the time before the
world was created.)
b. Creation was a time "when no god had come into
being and no name had been invented for
anything".viii
c. Primeval God arises mysteriously, "of himself,
without being born."ix
d. The the creation of the king took place "before
the sky existed, before earth existed, before men
existed, before the gods were born, before death
existed." (Pyr '1455b-d).
e. Atum speaks of the time when "I was alone in the
Waters (Nun), in inertness, not finding a place in
which I could stand or sit."x
f. "Conflict had not yet come into being" (Pyr
'1040c; 1463d).
g. "There were not yet two things" (CT II 396b; III
383a).
h. "You made time, and you established birth."
(hymn to Amon-Re).
420.
421.
422.
423.
424.
425.

Self-creation; by Atum BD 79
i. Hail to thee, Atum!
who made the sky, who created what exists;
who emerged as earth, who created seed;
lord of what is, who gave birth to the gods;
great god, who came into being of himself.
Atum / Khepre the Scarab-beetle (Pyr 1587a-d.xi
D. Hail, Atum-E. hail, Scarab, self-developing-F. as you become high, in this your identity of the Mound;
G. as you develop, in this your identity of the Scarab!

19
426.
427.
428.
429.
430.
431.
432.
433.

Gender of creator (CT I, 161f)

I am Atum, the Creator of the Eldest Gods,
I am he who gave birth to Shu,
I am that great He/She,
I am he who did what seemed good to him,
I took my space in the place of my will,
Mine is the space of those who move along,
like those two serpentine circles.

434.
Self-creation of God; monad; from CT 714xii
435.
I am the Waters, unique, without second,
436.
That is where I developed,
437.
on the great occasion of my floating that happened to me.
438.
I am the one who had developed-439.
Circlet, who is in his egg.
440.
I am the one who began therein, in the Waters.
441.
See, the Flood is subtracted from me:
442.
see I am the remainder.
443.
It was through my effectiveness that I brought about my body.
444.
I am the one who made me."
445.
It was as I wished, according to my heart, that I built myself.
446.
...
447.
What went forth from me was under my supervision; it means that tears are what I
created in him who was angry with me, and men of the blind ones are my cattle...
(Alternate translation: "The weeping I did was because of the uproar against me; mankind
belongs to the blindness that is behind me.")
448.
Creation through "masturbation", Pyr '527; 1248 a-d
449.
Atum is the one who masturbated [or: "who developed (by) growing ithyphallic"] in
Heliopolis. He took his penis in his hand in order to have an orgasm thereby, and so were
born the siblings Shu and Tefnut.
450.
451.
452.
453.
454.
455.
456.

Creation through expectoration, Pyr '600xiii

Atum, Scarab Beetle!
When you became high, as the high ground-when you rose, as the benben bird, in the Phoenix Enclosure, in Heliopolis-you sneezed Shu,
you spat Tefnut,
and you put your arms about them, as the arms of ka, that your ka might be in them.

Creation and destruction of the world (CT 1130)

H. God as Creator and Provider, CT '1130)xiv
457.
Words spoken by Him-whose-names-are-hidden, the All-Lord, as he speaks before
those who silence the storm, in the sailing of the court:

20
458.
Hail in peace! I repeat to you the good deeds which my own heart did for me within
the serpent-coil, in order to silence strife. I did four good deeds within the portal of
lightland:
(1) I made the four winds, that every man might
breathe in his time. This is one of the deeds.
(2) I made the great inundation, that the humble
might benefit by it like the great. This is one
of the deeds.
(3) I made every man like his fellow; and I did
not command that they do wrong. It is their
hearts that disobey what I have said. This is
one of the deeds.
(4) I made that their hearts not be disposed to
forget the West, in order that sacred offerings
be made to the gods of the nomes. This is
one of the deeds.
459.
(4+) I created the gods from my sweat, and the people from the tears of my eye.
460.
B. I will shine anew daily in [their] booth for the Lord of All, I made night for Him
who was languid. I will navigate aright in my bark, for I am the Lord of waters when
crossing the sky, I am not rejected(?) because of any member of mine. Hu is in company
with Magic, felling yonder Ill-disposed One for me, I see the horizon, I sit before it, I
judge between the wretched and the wealthy; so also as regards the evildoers. I possess
life, because I am its lord, and my staff will not be taken away.
461.
C. I have passed myriads of years between myself and yonder Weary One [Osiris], the
son of Geb; I will sit with him in the one place, and mounds will be towns and towns will
be mounds; mansion will desolate mansion.
462.
463.

another translation of paragraph C.:

Amun says: :

464.
I made millions of years into something between me and that Weary-Hearted One
[Osiris], the son of Geb. Then I shall dwell with him in a single place. Mounds will become
cities and cities mounds, and estate will destroy estate."
465.
D. I am the lord of fire who lives by truth, lord of eternity, who creates joy, and the
snakes of...Will not rebel against me: my shrine belongs to me, the lord of wounds who
puts a stop to the raging, who drives out snakes for him whose names are many, who goes
forth from his shrine; lord of the winds who foretells the north-wind, whose names are
many in the mouths of the ennead; lord of the horizon who creates light and illumines the
sky with his own beauty. Such am i; prepare a path for me that I may see nyw and amun. I
am a spirit who has acquired... I pass by the... <And they will> not <speak> the word(?)
Which is on the back of the roll, they will not speak through fear of him whose name is
secret who is within my belly. I know him and am not ignorant of him, I am one who is
equipped, skilled in opening portals."

21
466.
E. As for anyone who knows this spell, he will be like Re in the east of the sky like
Osiris within the Netherworld, and he will go down to the circle of fire; there will never be
a flame against him for ever.
467.

Creation by thought and word; from the Memphite Theology

b. Thought/speech begets form
468.
There took shape in the heart, there took shape on the tongue, the form of Atum. For
the very great one is Ptah, who gave life to all the gods and their KAs through this heart
and through this tongue, in which Horus had taken shape as Ptah, in which Thoth had
taken shape as Ptah.
469.
b. The primacy of thought-speech
470.
Thus heart and tongue rule over all the limbs in accordance with the teaching that it
(the heart, or: he, Ptah) is in every body and it (the tongue, or: he, Ptah) is in every mouth
of all gods, all men, all cattle, all creeping things, whatever lives, thinking whatever it (or:
he) wishes and commanding whatever it (or: he) wishes.
471.
c. The psychology of the creative process
472.
Sight, hearing, breathing [i.e. smell]--they report to the heart, and it makes every
understanding come forth. As for the tongue, it repeats what the heart has devised. Thus
all the gods were born and his Ennead was completed. For every word of the god came
about through what the heart devised and the tongue commanded."
473.
474.
475.
476.
477.
478.
479.
480.
481.
482.
483.
484.
485.
486.
487.
488.
489.
490.
491.
492.
493.
494.
495.

God's Providence, from the Wisdom of Merikarexv

Well tended is mankind--god's cattle
He made sky and earth for their sake,
He subdued the water monster,
He made breath for their noses to live.
They are his images, who came from his body,
He shines in the sky for their sake;
He made for them plants and cattle,
Fowl and fish to feed them.
He slew his foes, reduced his children,
When they thought of making rebellion.
He makes daylight for their sake,
He sails by to see them.
He has built his shrine around them,
When they weep he hears.
He made for them rulers in the egg,
Leaders to raise the back of the weak.
He made for them magic as weapons
To ward off the blow of events,
Guarding them by day and by night.
He has slain the traitors among them,
As a man beats his son for his brother's sake,
For God knows every name.

22
496.
"The Cow of Heaven" or the Rebellion of Mankind (Theban royal tombs; NK).
497.
What are the relations between the gods and mankind like? How do the gods
behave? Compare this with other examples of the "rebellion of mankind" motif in other
myths you encounter.
c. Mankind plots rebellion
498.
THEN IT CAME to pass that the majesty of Re, he who created himself...having been
king of men as well as of the gods. Then men began to devise evil plans against him. As to
his majesty, let him live, be safe and in good health, he had grown old, his bones became
like silver, his flesh like gold, his hair like real lapis lazuli. Now his majesty had learned
about the plans which men were devising against him. Then his majesty, let him live, be
safe and in good health, said to those who were in his following:
499.
b. Re Summons Ancient Gods
500.
Call to me my Eye, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut, together with the fathers and mothers
who were with me when I was in the Watery Abyss, as well as the god of the Watery
Abyss. Let him bring his attendants with him. (But) bring them secretly, lest men see, and
their hearts escape (?). Come with them to the Great Palace, let them confess their
(wicked) plans so that I may go into the Watery Abyss to the place from which I came into
being.
501.
These gods were brought, and these gods were (standing) on both sides with heads
inclined toward the earth before his majesty, in order that he might speak his words in
front of the father of the eldest (gods) who created men and is king (of the) common
people. Then they said before his majesty:
502.
Speak to us so that we may hear!
503.
Then Re spoke to the Watery Abyss:
Eldest One out of whom I came into being, and you
primeval gods! Behold, men who came into being from my
eye devise plans against me. Tell me what would you do
about it. Behold, I seek not to kill them before having heard
what you will say.
504.
Then spoke the majesty of the Watery Abyss:
505.
My son Re, god greater than he who created thee, older than he who made thee, be
seated on thy throne! Great is the fear before thee when thy Eye comes out against those
who scheme against thee!
506.
Then the majesty of Re said:
507.
Behold, they have escaped into the desert land, their hearts being afraid that I speak
to them.
508.
Then they said before his majesty:
509.
May thy Eye go out and catch (?) for thee those who conspire (against thee). There is
no Eye more fit to strike them for thee. Let it come down as Hathor!
510.
511.
512.

Then this goddess came back after having killed men in the desert land.
Then the majesty of this god said:
Welcome in peace, O Hathor, thou hast accomplished (that) for which I came.

23
513.
Then this goddess said:
514.
As true as thou livest, I overpowered men, it was sweet for my heart.
515.
Then the majesty of this god said:
516.
I shall have power over them as king by diminshing their number.
517.
That is how the Powerful One (Sekhmet) came into being, the Confused One in the
night, to wade in their blood as far as Heracleopolis.
518.
Then Re said:
519.
Call to me (my) messengers, who hurry and run like the shadow of a body.
520.
And these messengers were brought at once.
521.
Then the majesty of this god said:
522.
Let them run to Elephantine, and bring me a large quantity of red ocher(?).
523.
Then this red ocher (?) was brought to him, and the majesty of this god ordered the
Tufted One, He of Heliopolis, to squeeze this red ocher (?). Then the slave girls brewed
beer out of oats, and this red ocher (?) was poured into this beer, and it looked like the
blood of men, and made 7000 jars.
524.
Then the majesty of Re, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, went out with these gods
to see this beer.
525.
And when the earth was light for the killing of men by this goddess, in the day when
they went South, the majesty of Re said:
526.
It is good indeed, I shall protect men from her!
527.
Re said:
528.
Carry it to the place where she intends to kill men.
529.
The majesty of Re, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, arose early when it was still
night in order to let this sleeping draught be poured out. And the fields were covered three
palms high according to the wish of the majesty of this god.
530.
When the goddess came in the morning, she found (the land) inundated and her face
looked beautiful in (the beer). Then she drank, and it was pleasant for her heart. She
became drunk and failed to recognize men. The majesty of Re said to this goddess:
531.
Welcome in peace! O Beautiful One!
532.
And the beautiful ones came into being in the city of Yamit. The majesty of Re said to
this goddess:
533.
Let there be made for her intoxicating drinks on feasts of the year, and let this be
entrusted to slave girls.
534.
And since this first day the (custom) came into being that all people entrust to the
slave girls the preparation of intoxicating drinks on the Feast of Hathor.
535.
Then the majesty of Re said to this goddess:
536.
Is there a burning pain of sickness?
537.
And the period of sickness came into being.
538.
Then the majesty of Re said?
539.
As true as I live, my heart is weary to remain with them. I keep on killing them to the
last one--the small remainder is not my gift!
540.
The gods who were in his following said:
541.
Be not disappointed, be not weary. Thou hast power over all thou wishest.
542.
Then said the majesty of this god to the majesty of the Watery Abyss:
543.
My limbs are feeble as in primeval times--I will not return until another (cycle?)

24
overtakes me.
544.
Then the majesty of the Watery Abyss said:
545.
My son Shu! Let thine eye (look upon thy) father, and protect him. My daughter Nut
place him (on thy back)!
546.
Then Nut said:
547.
How is that my father the Watery Abyss?
548.
So Nut said in...the Watery Abyss. Nut became (a cow), and the majesty of Re was on
her back. Men were (astonished when)... they saw him on the back of the cow.
549.
Then these men spoke to him:
550.
...we...will overthrow thine enemies who devise plots to do this(?)...
551.
His majesty proceeded to his palace (being on the back) of this cow, and he was
together with them (the gods?).
552.
And earth was in darkness. When it dawned in the morning, these men came out with
their bows...and shot (arrows) against the enemies.
553.
The majesty of this god said:
554.
Beware and take care of the slaughter, the massacre is far off....
555.
Then this massacre (came into being) among men.
556.
Then this god said to Nut:
557.
I placed myself on thy back to be elevated; what then?
558.
So said he, and Nut became the sky.
559.
The majesty of this god begged (?):
560.
Be far from them and elevate me, that I may see (them).
561.
And the On High came into being.
562.
Then the majesty of this god looked into her, and she said?
563.
Make me into a multitude!
564.
And (stars) ...came into being.
565.
The majesty of this god, let him live, be safe and in good health, said:
566.
Peaceful is the field here!
567.
And the Field of Peace came into being.
568.
Oh, I shall plant green herbs in it!
569.
And these Yaru fields came into being.
570.
I shall provide it (?) with everything.
571.
And these Ihih stars (came into being).
572.
Then Nut began to shake owing to the height.
573.
Then the majesty of Re said:
574.
Had I only the Heh gods to support her!
575.
And then the Heh gods came into being.
576.
Then the majesty of Re said:
577.
My son Shu be placed under my daughter Nut and guard for me the Heh gods--the
Heh gods who live in twilight. Place her on thy head and keep her.
578.
And it came to pass that a nurse is given to a son or a daughter and that a father
places his son on his head. This spell is to be recited over a cow with the Heh gods
(represented) on her chest, and with the Heh gods who are behind her. Her four legs are
painted (as well as) nine stars on her belly. Seth stands behind in front of her hind legs...
(CT VI, 69c, 72d).
579.
"A path is opened for my soul, my spirit, my magic and my shade, and it will enter to

25
Re within his shrine it will see the great god in his true shape, and it will repeat the words
of Osiris to those whose places are secret, who are in charge of the members of Osiris. CT
'492

580.

my soul, my spirit, my magic and my shade, open the doors

of the sky, throw open the gates of heaven, may your
ornaments be secured on yourself so that you may enter to
the great god who is in his shrine and see Re in his true
shape. CT '492.

.....

581.
The End of Everything; from BD 175
582.
Read this important text carefully. It also has significant implications for the concept
of death.
583.
WORDS SPOKEN BY OSIRIS So-and-So [i.e., a dead man, who gets the title
"Osiris"]. This is a dialogue between the dead man, speaking as Osiris, and Atum:
I. The nature of the afterlife
584.
[Osiris:] "O Atum, what does it mean that I am departing to the necropolis, the silent
land, which has no water and no air?"
585.
[Atum:] "It is deep, deep, dark, dark, boundless, boundless, and one lives in peace of
heart of the silent land and sexual pleasures are not enjoyed in it. But a blessed state is
given to you in exchange for water, air, and sexual pleasure, and peace of heart in
exchange for bread and beer." So said Atum.
586.
[Osiris:] "In the sight of your face? I will not suffer being deprived of you. Every
(other) god has assumed his place in the forefront of the barque (called) Millions of
Years."
587.
[Atum:] "Your place belongs to your son, Horus, says Atum.
588.
[Osiris:] "Will he too be sending out the Elders?"
589.
[Atum:] "Well, he rules thy throne and will inherit the throne that is in the Isle of
Flame."
590.
[Osiris:] "Then command that <the God> see his associate; (so) shall my face see the
face of my lord Atum.
591.
B. Extent of existence
592.
[Osiris:] "What is a lifetime of life?" [ie What is the span of my life?], says (Osiris).
593.
[Atum:] "You are destined for millions of millions of years, a lifetime of millions (of
years). I have caused that he [your successor] send out the Elders [ancient gods]. But then
I will destroy all that I have made. This earth will return to the Deep, the to boundless
flood, as it was in its first state. (Only) I shall survive, together with Osiris, after I have
transformed myself into another snake which men know not and the gods see not.
594.
C. The blessings of the dead
595.
How good is what I have done for Osiris, more than for all the other gods; for I have
given him the desert, the silent land, and his son Horus as heir upon his throne that is in

26
the Isle of Flame. I have made his <throne in> the barque Millions (of Years), while Horus
abides on his faade [ie, in his earthly palace] in order to establish his monuments."
596.
[Osiris:] "And has Seth's soul, rather than those of all the other gods, been sent (to the
West)?" I have put under guard his soul that is in the barque, that he may not cause fear to
the god's body."
597.
D. [Deceased, speaking as himself, prays:]
598.
"O my father, Osiris, may you do for me what your father, Re, did for you. I remain
on earth, so that I may establish my place. May my heir be healthy, my tomb strong, for
these are my supporters on earth. May my enemies be turned to sycamore figs, with Selket
piercing them. I am your son, O my father Re. May you do these things for me for the
sake of life, prosperity, and health, while Horus remains in his palace facade. May you
cause that this my time of passing to the revered state come."
599.
DEATH. "In the midst of life we are surrounded by death."
600.
What attitudes toward death to these selections show? How to they envision
overcoming death?
601.

Descriptions of death

a. Lamentation from Tomb of Neferhotep. NK

602.
You who were rich in people are in the land that loves solitude. He who loved to
spread his legs in walking is bound, enwrapped, and obstructed. He who liked to dress
himself in rich fabrics sleeps in yesterday's cast-off garment.
603.
b. Lamentation from Tomb of Mose (NK).
604.
Woe for you who were rich in people. He passes by all his kinsmen, he has hastened
to the land of eternity and darkness, in which there is no light"
605.
c. Tomb of Nebteru, Late Period.
606.
The end of life is sorrow,
607.
it means the lack of what you formerly possessed,
608.
and emptiness in your possessions.
609.
It means sitting in the Hall of Unconsciousness,
610.
at the dawn of a morning that does not come ...
611.
It means not knowing;
612.
it means sleeping when the sun is in the east;
613.
it means being thirsty at the side of beer.
614.
...
615.
I spent my life in pleasure, without care, without illness. I made my days festive with
wine and oil. I gave my heart ease. He who carries out his heart's wishes is not foolish.
616.
d. Tomb of Taimhotep, a priest's wife; Ptolemaic.
617.
... sleeping is their occupation. They do not awaken to see their brothers. They cannot
behold their fathers and their mothers. Their hearts are deprived of their wives and their
children..

27
618.
619.

OVERCOMING DEATH
Prehistoric texts incorporated in the Pyr Texts

620.
My father, stand up. Take this water. Shake the sand off your face. Raise yourself up
from your left side and support yourself on your right side. (Pyr '1877-78)
621.
(To weaver goddess:) Protect the head of NN, so that it won't come off; bind together
the bones of NN, so that they wont come apart. (Pyr '730).
622.
Dealing with Death: claim of primeval birth; Pyr '486xvi
623.
The king (in this case, Pepi, ca. 2200) also claims that he was born before anything
else. Why?
624.
Hail. O waters brought by Shu,
625.
Which the twin springs raised,
626.
In which Geb has bathed his limbs,
627.
So that hearts lost fear, hearts lost dread.
628.
629.
630.
631.
632.
633.

Pepi was born in Nun

Before there was sky
Before their was earth
Before there were mountains,
Before there was strife,
Before fear came about through the Horus Eye

634.
635.
636.
637.
638.

Pepi is one of that great group born aforetime in On,

Who are not carried off for a king,
Who are not brought before magistrates,
Who are not made to suffer,
Who are not found guilty. ...

639.

Often the deceased threatens the gods. The Cannibal Hymn is the foremost case.

640.
"The Cannibal Hymn." (Selection) Pyr '' 273-274,xvii ca 2300 BCE. (Unas is the
king)
641.
642.
643.
644.
645.
646.

Sky rains, stars darken,

The vaults quiver, earth's bones tremble,
The planets stand still
At seeing Unas rise as power,
A god who lives on his fathers,
Who feeds on his mothers!

647.
648.
649.
650.
651.

Unas is master of cunning

Whose mother knows not his name;
Unas's glory is in heaven,
His power is in lightland;
Like Atum, his father, his begetter,

28
652.

Though his son, he is stronger than he!

653.

.....

654.
655.
656.
657.
658.
659.
660.
661.
662.

Unas is he who eats men, feeds on gods,

Master of messengers who sends instructions:
It is Horn-grasper in Kehau who lassoes them for Unas,
It is Serpent Raised-head who guards, who holds them for him,
It is Khons, slayer of lords, who cuts their throats for Unas,
Who tears their entrails out for him,
He the envoy who is sent to punish.
It is Shesmu who carves them up for Unas,
Cooks meals of them for him in his dinner-pots.

663.
664.
665.
666.
667.
668.
669.
670.
671.
672.

Unas eats their magic, swallows their spirits:

Their big ones are for his morning meal,
Their middle ones for his evening meal,
Their little ones for his night meal,
And the oldest males and females for his fuel.
The Great Ones in the northern sky light him fire
For the kettles' contents with the Old Ones' thighs,
For the sky-dwellers serve Unas,
And the pots are scraped for him with their women's legs.
...

673.
674.
675.
676.
677.
678.
679.
680.
681.
682.
683.
684.
685.

The dignities of Unas will not be taken from him,

For he has swallowed the knowledge of every god;
Unas's lifetime is forever, his limit is eternity
In his title of "If-he-likes-he-does if-he-hates-he-does-not,"
As he dwells in lightland for all eternity.
Lo, their power is in Unas's belly,
Their spirits are before Unas as broth of the gods,
Cooked for Unas from their bones.
Lo, their power is with Unas,
Their shadows (are taken) from their owners,
For Unas is of those who risen is risen, lasting lasts.
Not can evildoers harm Unas's chosen seat
Among the living in this land for all eternity!

686.
687.
688.
689.
690.
691.
692.

Threatening the gods: Pyr '310

If I am illuminated, let Atum be illuminated.
If I am disgraced, let Atum be disgraced.
If I am beaten, let Atum be beaten.
If I am hindered in this way, let Atum be hindered.
...
Because I am Horus, I have come in the tracks of my father,

29
693.

I have come in the tracks of Osiris.

694.
695.
696.
697.
698.
699.
700.
701.
702.
703.

Threatening the gods: Pyr '569

The birth of the "Infinite" in the horizon will be prevented,
If you (Re) prevent me from coming to the place where you are.
...
The Two Banks [= Egypt] will be withheld from Horus,
if it is withheld from me to come to the place where you are.
Humans will be withheld from death,
if it is withheld from me to come into your barque.
As for humans--food will be withheld from them,
if it is withheld from me to come into your barque.

704.
Preparing for eternity; an often-quoted passage from Wisdom of Prince
Hardjedef, 5th dynxviii
705.
Make good your dwelling in the graveyard,
706.
Make worthy your station in the West.
707.
Given that death humbles us,
708.
Given that life exalts us,
709.
The house of death is for life.
710.
Lamentations help the dead achieve eternity just as the lamentations of Isis and
Nephthys helped their brother return to life.
711.
712.
713.

Lamentation of Isis and Nephthysxix

715.
716.
717.
718.

Isis says:
Come to thine house, come to thine house!
thou of On [Heliopolis], come to thine house,
for thy foes are not.
fair Sistrum-player, come to thine house,
that thou mayest see me,
for I am thy sister whom thou lovest,
and thou shall not be parted from me....
My heart grieves for thee, mine eyes search for me ...

719.

Nephthys says:

720.
721.

fair Sovereign,
come to thy house and rejoice,
for all thy foes are not.

722.
723.
724.
725.

Thy two sisters are beside thee

as a protection for thy bier,
calling upon thee with tears...
etc etc, alternating.

714.

30
726.
...
727.
I have found him, said Nephthys, when she saw Osiris on his side on the bank...My
brother, I have sought thee."
728.
A major function of mortuary texts is to help the deceased get to the land of the
blessed dead, often through Rosetau to the Field of Reeds or the Field of Offerings.
Rosetau means "passage of dragging," ie the sloping entranceway to the tomb; then it
refers to the entire necropolis (graveyard), then the entire Afterworld. Consider the
processes for getting to the Afterlife implied in the following.
729.
730.
731.
732.
733.
734.
735.
736.
737.

Self-Purification Declaration of the Dead; BD 105xx

An address to the ka
Formula to appease the ka, to be said by PN.
Hail to you, my ka, my helper!
Behold, I have come before you,
Risen, animated, mighty, healthy!
I have brought incense to you,
To purify you with it,
To purify your sweat with it.

738.
739.
740.
741.
742.
743.
744.
745.

Whatever evil speech I made,

Whatever evil deed I did,
Be it removed from me!
For mine is that green amulet,
Fastened to the neck of Re,
That makes the lightlanders green.
My ka greens like theirs,
My ka's food is as theirs.

746.
747.
748.
749.
750.
751.
752.
753.

Weigher on the scales,

May maat rise to the nose of Re that day!
Do not let my head be removed from me!
For mine is an eye that sees,
An ear that hears;
For I am not an ox for slaughter,
I shall not be an offering for those above!
Let me pass by you, I am pure,
Osiris has vanquished his foes!

754.
The Judgment of the Dead; from BD 125xxi. The dead man says this as he comes
to the court that judges the dead:
755.
756.

a. The declaration of innocence

Hail to you, great God, Lord of the Two Truths!
I have come to you, my Lord,

31
757.
758.
759.
760.
761.
762.
763.
764.
765.
766.
767.

I was brought to see your beauty.

I know you, I know the names of the forty-two gods,
Who are with you in the Hall of the Two Truths,
Who live by warding off evildoers,
Who drink of their blood,
On that day of judging characters before Wennofer.
Lo, your name is "He-of-Maat's-Two-Daughters,"
(And) "He-of-Maat's-Two-Eyes."
Lo, I come before you,
Bringing Maat to you,
Having repelled evil for you.

768.
769.
770.
771.
772.
773.
774.
775.
776.
777.
778.
779.
780.
781.
782.
783.
784.
785.
786.
787.
788.
789.
790.
791.
792.
793.
794.
795.
796.
797.
798.
799.
800.
801.

b. "The Negative Confession".

I have not done crimes against people,
I have not mistreated cattle,
I have not sinned in the Place of Truth.
I have not known what should not be known,
I have not done any harm.
I did not begin a day by exacting more than my due,
My name did not reach the bark of the mighty ruler.
I have not blasphemed a god,
I have not robbed the poor.
I have not done what the god abhors,
I have not maligned a servant to his master.
I have not caused pain,
I have not caused tears.
I have not killed,
I have not ordered to kill,
I have not made anyone suffer.
I have not damaged the offerings in the temples,
I have not depleted the loaves of the gods,
I have not stolen the cakes of the dead.
I have not copulated nor defiled myself.
I have not increased nor reduced the measure,
I have not diminished the arura,
I have not cheated in the fields.
I have not added to the weight of the balance,
I have not falsified the plummet of the scales.
I have not taken milk from the mouth of children,
I have not deprived cattle of their pasture,
I have not snared birds in the reeds of the gods,
I have not caught fish in their ponds.
I have not held back water in its season,
I have not dammed a flowing stream,
I have not quenched a needed fire.
I have not neglected the days of meat offerings,

32
802.
803.
804.
805.
806.
807.
808.
809.
810.
811.
812.
813.
814.
815.

I have not detained cattle belonging to the god,

I have not stopped a god in his procession.
I am pure, I am pure, I am pure, I am pure!
I am pure as is pure that great heron in Hnes.
I am truly the nose of the Lord of Breath,
Who sustains all the people,
On the day of completing the Eye in On,
In the second month of winter, last day,
In the presence of the lord of this land.
I have seen the completion of the Eye in On!
No evil shall befall me in this land,
In this Hall of the Two Truths;
For I know the names of the gods in it,
The followers of the great God!

816.
c. Interrogation of Names.
817.
The dead must traverse several gates; at each one he says:
818.
"I shall not let you enter through me, Says the beam of this gate, unless you tell my
name.
819.
`Plummet of the Place of Truth' is your name." etc.
820.
"Let him come," so they say of me.
821.
"Who art thou," so they say to me. "What is thy name?" so they say to me.
822.
"I am the Lord of the lower growth of the papyrus plant.
He-Who-is-in-His-Morenga-Tree is my name."
823.
"What didst thou pass by?" they say to me.
824.
"I passed by the city north of a morenga tree."
825.
"What didst thou see there?" etc.
826.
...
827.
d. Instructions on using this manual
828.
This is the way to act toward the Hall of the Two Truths. A man says this speech
when he is pure, clean, dressed in fresh clothes, shod in white sandals, painted with eyepaint, anointed with the finest oil of myrrh. One shall offer to him beef, fowl, incense,
bread, beer, and herbs. And you make this image in drawing on a clean surface in red paint
mixed with soil on which pigs and goats have not trodden.
829.
e. What the book will do for you:
830.
He for whom this scroll is recited will prosper, and his children will prosper. He will
be the friend of the king and his courtiers. He shall receive bread, beer, and a big chunk of
meat from the altar of the great god. He will not be held back at any gate of the west. He
will be ushered in with the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt. He will be a follower of
Osiris.
J. Effective a million times!
831.

Ethical Judgment of Dead; advices from the Teaching to Merikarexxii

33
832.
833.
834.
835.
836.
837.
838.
839.

Do justice, then you'll endure on earth;

Calm the weeper, don't oppress the widow,
Don't expel a man from his father's property,
Don't reduce the nobles in their possessions,
Beware of punishing wrongfully,
Do not kill, it does not serve you.
Punish with beatings, with detention,
Thus will the land be well-ordered.

840.
841.
842.
843.

The Ba [soul] returns to the place it knows,

without leaving the streets of the city.
No sorcery can divert it,
and it reaches those who would give it water.

844.
845.
846.
847.
848.
849.
850.

The court that judges the wretch,

Know that they are not lenient
in the day of judging the miserable,
In the hour of doing their task.
It is painful when the accuser has knowledge,
Do not trust in length of years,
They view a lifetime as an hour!

851.
852.
853.
854.
855.
856.
857.

When a man remains over after death,

His deeds are set beside him in a heap (or "treasure"),
And being yonder lasts forever.
A fool is he who does what they reprove!
He who reaches them without having done wrong,
Will exist there like a god,
Free-striding like the lords forever!

858.
On the road to Eternity; CT ' 1131xxiii
859.
Guide to the double doors of the horizon when they closed on account of the gods.
This is the name of their keepers which is in writing and this is their entire nature. As for
anyone who does not know what they speak, he shall fall into the nets of those who net
there(?)... As for anyone who shall know what they speak, he shall pass by, and he shall sit
beside the great god wherever he may be, and he shall give respect to him, for he is one
wholly equipped and spiritualized. As for a man who shall know, he will never perish, and
their seal shall be on him like any god for whom they do it among all the gods.
860.
The road to Eternity; CT 1035xxiv
861.
SPELL FOR KNOWING THE WAY
862.
I have passed by the roads of Rosetau on water and on land; these roads are those of
Osiris, they are in the sky.
863.
If a man knows the Spell for going down to them, he will be like a god directed by the
followers of Thoth. He will indeed go down to every heaven to which he desires to
descend.

34
864.
But if he does not know this Spell for passing on these roads, he will fall a prey to the
tribunal of the dead, his destiny being that of one who has nothing, and will lack
justification eternally.
865.

The ideal afterlife. What will the next life be like, if you succeed in getting there?

866.

JUSTICE and ETHICS.

867.
868.

The Eloquent Peasant: a demand for social justice. xxv

(Selections; nine petitions in all.)

869.
(Summary of introduction: A Peasant was travelling to sell produce in Hnes. On the
way, a powerful man, Nemtynakht, coveted the donkey and goods. To get them, he spread
his cloak on the narrow path. The peasant was forced to stop. His donkey ate a wisp of
Nemtynakht's barley. "Now," said Nemtynakht, "I shall seize your donkey, peasant, for
eating my barley. It shall tread out grain for its offense." On this pretense, he seized the
donkey and the goods and had the peasant beaten.
870.
The peasant spent 10 days appealing to Nemtynakht, swho paid no attention. So he
went south to Hnes to appeal to the high steward Rensi son of Meru. Rensi tried to
dismiss the matter, but the peasant made the following appeal (First Petition):
a.

First Petition

871.
Now this peasant came to appeal to the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru. He said:
"O high steward, my lord, greatest of the great, leader of all!
872.
873.
874.
875.
876.
877.
878.
879.
880.
881.
882.
883.
884.
885.
886.
887.

When you go down to the sea of justice

And sail on it with a fair wind,
No squall shall strip away your sail,
Nor will your boat be idle.
No accident will affect your mast,
Your yards will not break.
You will not founder when you touch land,
No flood will carry you away.
You will not taste the river's evils,
You will not see a frightened face.
Fish will come darting to you,
Fatted fowl surround you.
For you are father to the orphan,
Husband to the widow,
Brother to the rejected woman,
Apron to the motherless.

888.

Let me make your name in this land according to all the good rules:

889.

Leader free of greed,

35
890.
891.
892.
893.
894.
895.
896.
897.
898.

Great man free of baseness,

Destroyer of falsehood,
Creator of rightness,
Who comes at the voice of the caller!
When I speak, may you hear!
Do justice, O praised one,
Who is praised by the praised;
Remove my grief, I am burdened,
Examine me, I am in need!"

899.
Now this peasant made this speech in the time of the majesty of King Nebkaure, the
justified. Then the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru, went before his majesty and said:
"My lord, I have found one among those peasants whose speech is truly beautiful. Robbed
of his goods by a man who is in my service, he has come to petition me about it." Said his
majesty: "As truly as you wish to see me in health, you shall detain him here, without
answering whatever he says. In order to keep him talking, be silent. Then have it brought
to us in writing, that we may hear it. But provide for his wife and his children. For one of
those peasants comes here (only) just before his house is empty. Provide also for this
peasant himself. You shall let food be given him without letting him know that it is you
who gives it to him."
900.
So they gave him ten loaves of bread and two jugs of beer every day. It was the high
steward Rensi, the son of Meru, who gave it. He gave it to a friend of his, and he gave it
to him. Then the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru, wrote to the mayor of Salt-Field
about providing food for this peasant's wife, a total of three bushels of grain every day.
b.

Second Petition

901.
Now this peasant came to petition him a second time. He said: "O high steward, my
lord, greatest of the great, richest of the rich, truly greater that his great ones, richer that
his rich ones!
902.
903.
904.
905.
906.

Rudder of heaven, beam of earth,

Plumb-line that carries the weight!
Rudder, drift not,
Beam, tilt not,
Plumb-line, swing not awry!

907.
A great lord taking a share of that which is (now) ownerless; stealing from a lonely
man? Your portion is in your house: a jug of beer and three loaves. What is that you
expend to satisfy your clients? A mortal man dies along with his underlings; shall you be a
man of eternity?
908.
909.
910.
911.

Is it not wrong, a balance that tilts,

A plummet that strays,
The straight becoming crooked?
Lo, justice flees from you,

36
912.
913.
914.
915.
916.
917.
918.
919.
920.
921.
922.

Expelled from its seat!

The magistrates do wrong,
Right-dealing is bent sideways,
The judges snatch what has been stolen.
He who trims a matter's rightness makes it swing awry:
The breath-giver chokes him who is down,
He who should refresh makes pant.
The arbitrator is a robber,
The remover of need orders its creation.
The town is a floodwater,
The punisher of evil commits crimes!"

923.
Said the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru: "Are your belongings a greater concern
to you than that my servant might seize you?"
924.
This peasant said:
925.
926.
927.
928.
929.
930.
931.
932.
933.
934.
935.
936.
937.
938.

"The measurer of grain-heaps trims for himself,

He who fills for another shaves the other's share;
He who should rule by law commands theft,
Who then will punish crime?
The straightener of another's crookedness
Supports another's crime.
Do you find here something for you?
Redress is short, misfortune long,
A good deed is remembered.
This is the precept:
Do to the doer to make him do.
It is thanking a man for what he does,
Parrying a blow before it strikes,
Giving a commission to one who is skillful.

939.
Oh for a moment of destruction, havoc in your vineyard, loss among your birds,
damage to your water birds!
940.
941.
942.
943.

A man who saw has turned blind,

A hearer deaf,
A leader now leads astray!
...

944.
945.
946.
947.
948.
949.
950.

Be a shelter, make safe your shore,

See how your quay is infested with crocodiles!
Straighten your tongue, let it not stray,
A serpent is this limb of man.
Don't tell lies, warn the magistrates,
Greasy baskets are the judges,
Telling lies is their herbage,

37
951.
952.
953.
954.
955.
956.
957.
958.

It weighs lightly on them.

Knower of all men's ways:
Do you ignore my case?
Savior from all water's harm:
See I have a course without a ship!
Guider to port of all who founder:
Rescue the drowning!
......
c.

Ninth Petition

959.
Now this peasant came to petition him a ninth time; he said: "O high steward, my
lord! The tongue is men's stand-balance. It is the balance that detects deficiency. Punish
him who should be punished, and <none> shall equal your rectitude. ---......When
falsehood walks it goes astray. It does not cross in the ferry; it does not progress. He who
is enriched by it has no children, has no heirs on earth. He who sails with it does not reach
land; his boat does not moor at its landing place.
960.
961.
962.
963.
964.
965.
966.
967.
968.
969.
970.

Be not heavy, nor yet light,

Do not tarry, nor yet hurry,
Be not partial, nor listen to desire.
XIV. Do not avert your face from one you know,
Be not blind to one you have seen,
Do not rebuff one who beseeches you.
Abandon this slackness,
Let your speech be heard.
Act for him who would act for you,
Do not listen to everyone,
Summon a man to his rightful cause!
A sluggard has no yesterday;
XV. one deaf to justice has no friend;
XVI.the greedy has no holiday.
XVII. When the accuser is a wretch,
XVIII. and the wretch becomes a pleader,
XIX.his opponent is a killer.
XX. Here I have been pleading with you,
XXI.and you have not listened to it.
XXII. I shall go and plead about you to Anubis!
a.

Conclusion

971.
Then the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru, sent two guards to bring him back.
Then this peasant was fearful, thinking it was done so as to punish him for this speech he
had made. This peasant said: "A thirsty man's approach to water, an infant's mouth
reaching for milk, thus is a longed-for death seen coming, thus does his death arrive at

38
last." Said the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru: "Don't be afraid, peasant; be ready to
deal with me!" Said this peasant: "By my life! Shall I eat your bread and drink your beer
forever?" Said the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru: "Now wait here and hear your
petitions!" Then he had them read from a new papyrus roll, each petition in its turn. The
high steward Rensi, the son of Meru, presented them to the majesty of King Nebkaure, the
justified. They pleased his majesty's heart more than anything in the whole land. His
majesty said: "Give judgement yourself, son of Meru!"
972.
Then the high steward Rensi, the son of Meru, sent two guards [to bring
Nemtynakht]. He was brought and a report was made of [all his property. And all of his
property--his wheat, his barley, his donkeys, his pigs, his small cattle, etc.--was given to
the peasant].
973.

Wisdom of Amenemope, selectionsxxvi

974.
975.
976.
977.
978.
979.
980.
981.
982.
983.
984.
985.
986.
987.

Chapter 2
Dont raise an outcry against one who attacks you,
nor answer him yourself
He who does evil, the shore rejects him,
Its floodwater carries him away...
You hot-headed man, how are you now?
He cries out, his voice reaches heaven.
It is the Moon who declares his crime.
steer, we will ferry the wicked,
We do not act like his kind;
Life him up, give him your hand,
Leave him <in> the hands of the god;
Fill his belly with bread of your own,
That he be sated and weep.

988.
989.
990.
991.
992.
993.
994.
995.
996.
997.
998.
999.

chapter 3
Dont start a quarrel with a hot-mouthed man,
Nor needle him with words.
Pause before a foe, bend before an attacker,
Sleep (on it) before speaking.
A storm that bursrts like fire in straw
Such is the heated man in his hour
...
Withdraw from him, leave him alone,
The God knows how to answer him.
If you make your life with these (words) in your heart,
Your children will observe them.

1000.
chapter 10
1001.
Do not force yourself to greet the heated man, for then you injure your own heart; Do
not say greetings to him falsely, while there is terror in your belly. Do not speak falsely to a
man, The god abhors it; do not sever your heart from your tongue ...

39
1002.
1003.
1004.
1005.
1006.
1007.
1008.
1009.

chapter 18
Do not lie down in fear of tomorrow:
Comes day, how will tomorrow be?
Man is ignorant of how tomorrow will be.
God is ever in his perfection,
Man is ever in his failure.
The words men say are one thing,
The deeds of the god are another.

1010.
1011.
1012.
1013.
1014.
1015.
1016.
1017.
1018.
1019.
1020.
1021.
1022.
1023.

chapter 25
Do not laugh at a blind man,
Nor tease a dwarf,
Nor cause hardship for the lame.
Dont tease a man who is in the hand of the god,
Nor be angry with him for his failings.
Man is clay and straw,
The god is his builder.
He tears down, he builds up daily,
He makes a thousand poor by his will,
He makes a thousand men into chiefs,
When he is in his hour of life.
Happy is he who reaches the West,
When he is safe in the hand of the god.

40
1024.

41

1025. II. MESOPOTAMIA

1026.
Chronology
1027.
Sumer:
1028.
Early Dynastic Period ca 2850-2360 (Sumerian City States)
1029.
(Empire of Akkad 2334-2154)
1030.
Ur III ca. 2112-2004
1031.
First Dynasty of Isin 2017-1794
1032.
Larsa Dynasty 2025-1763
1033.
Empire of Akkad 2334-2154
1034.
First Dyn. of Babylon 1894-1595
1035.
Hammurapi 1792-50
1036.
Kassite Dynasty in Babylon ca. 1650-1157
1037.
Assyrian Empire 1350-1200
1038.
Neo-Assyrian Empire 935-612
1039.
Neo-Babylonian Empire ("Chaldean" Dynasty) 625-539
1040.
Cyrus of Persia captures Babylon 539
1041.
Persian empire 539-331
1042.
Alexander; rule of Mesoptamian by the Macedonian (Greek), then Seleucid
Dynasty: 331--85
1043.
CREATION
1044.
What questions do these myths deal with? What are their answers? What do they
say about the gods relation to man? About the nature of society?
1045.
1046.
1047.
1048.
1049.
1050.
1051.
1052.
1053.
1054.
1055.
1056.
1057.
1058.
1059.
1060.
1061.
1062.
1063.

Major Mespotamian gods. (SUMERIAN-Akkadian names)

(Caps indicate a Sumerian name; lower case = Akkadian)
ADAD (storm)
AN-Anu (god of heaven; head of pantheon
ANSHAR (primeval deity, father of Anu) (= Assur)
APSU: sweet waters
ASHUR (warlike national god of Assyria)
DUMUZI-Tammuz (shepherd god; fertililty)
ENKI-Ea (wisdom)
ENLIL. Air (husband of NINLIL). Chief god of Sumerian pantheon
ERESHKIGAL (queen of the underworld)
GESHTINANNA (sister of Dumuzi)
INANNA-Ishtar (goddess of sex, war, fertility; Lover/wife of DUMUZI
LAHMU and LAHAMU: alluvial silt at mouth of the rivers
Marduk (warrior-god of Babylon)
Nabu (scribal god)
NANNA-Sn = Moon
NERGAL (god of the underworld)
NINLIL (= NINHURSAGA, MAMA, MAMMI) wife of ENLIL

42
1064.
1065.
1066.
1067.

NINURTA (Warlike Prowess)

NISABA (grain goddess; patron of scribal arts)
UTU-Shamash (sun; justice)
Tiamat (primordial sea)

1068.
Enuma Elish ("When above") The great Babylonian Creation Epic.
Selections.xxvii
1069.
1070.
1071.
1072.
1073.
1074.
1075.
1076.
1077.
1078.
1079.
1080.
1081.
1082.
1083.
1084.
1085.
1086.
1087.
1088.
1089.
1090.
1091.
1092.
1093.
1094.
1095.
1096.
1097.
1098.
1099.
1100.
1101.
1102.
1103.
1104.

Tablet I
When skies above were not yet named
Nor earth below pronounced by name,
Apsu, the first one, their begetter
And maker Tiamat, who bore them all,
Had mixed their waters together,
But had not formed pastures, nor discovered
reed-beds;
When yet no gods were manifest,
Nor names pronounced, nor destinies decreed,
Then gods were born within them.
Lahmu (and) Lahamu emerged,
their names were pronounced.
As soon as they matured, were fully formed,
Anshar (and) Kishar were born, surpassing them.
They passed the days at length, they added to the
years.
Anu their first-born son rivalled his forefathers:
Anshar made his son Anu like himself,
And Anu begot Nudimmud in his likeness.
He, Nudimmud, was superior to his forefathers:
Profound of understanding, he was wise, was very
strong at arms.
Mightier by far than Anshar his father's begetter,
He had no rival among the gods his peers.
The gods of that generation would meet together
And disturb Tiamat, and their clamor reverberated.
They stirred up Tiamat's belly,
They were annoying her by playing inside
Anduruna.
Apsu could not quell their noise
And Tiamat became mute before them;
However grievous their behavior to her,
However bad their ways, she would indulge them.
Finally Apsu, begetter of the great gods,
Called out and addressed his vizier Mummu,
`O Mummu, vizier who pleases me!

43
1105.
1106.
1107.
1108.
1109.
1110.
1111.
1112.
1113.
1114.
1115.
1116.
1117.
1118.
1119.
1120.
1121.
1122.
1123.
1124.
1125.
1126.
1127.
1128.
1129.
1130.
1131.
1132.
1133.
1134.
1135.
1136.
1137.
1138.
1139.
1140.
1141.
1142.
1143.
1144.
1145.
1146.
1147.
1148.
1149.
1150.

Come, let us go to Tiamat!'

They went and sat in front of Tiamat,
And discussed affairs concerning the gods their
sons.
Apsu made his voice heard
And spoke to Tiamat in a loud voice,
`Their ways have become very grievous to me,
By day I cannot rest, by night I cannot sleep.
I shall abolish their ways and disperse them!
Let peace prevail, so that we can sleep.'
When Tiamat heard this,
She was furious and shouted at her lover;
She shouted dreadfully and was beside herself with
rage,
But then suppressed the evil in her belly.
`How could we allow what we ourselves created to
perish?
Even though their ways are so grievous, we
should bear it patiently.'
(Vizier) Mummu replied and counselled Apsu;
The vizier did not agree with the counsel of his
earth mother.
`O father, put an end to (their) troublesome ways,
So that she may be allowed to rest by day and
sleep at night.'
Apsu was pleased with him, his face lit up
At the evil he was planning for the gods his sons.
(Vizier) Mummu hugged him,
Sat on his lap and kissed him rapturously.
But everything they plotted between them
Was relayed to the gods their sons.
The gods listened and wandered about restlessly;
They fell silent, they sat mute.
Superior in understanding, wise and capable,
Ea who knows everything found out their plot,
Made for himself a design of everything, and laid it
out correctly,
Made it cleverly, his pure spell was superb.
He recited it and it stilled the waters.
He poured sleep upon him so that he was sleeping
soundly,
Put Apsu to sleep, drenched with sleep.
Vizier Mummu the counsellor (was in) a sleepless
daze.
He (Ea) unfastened his belt, took off his crown,
Took away his mantle of radiance and put it on

44
1151.
1152.
1153.
1154.
1155.
1156.
1157.
1158.
1159.
1160.
1161.
1162.
1163.
1164.
1165.
1166.
1167.
1168.
1169.
1170.
1171.
1172.
1173.
1174.
1175.
1176.
1177.
1178.
1179.
1180.
1181.
1182.
1183.
1184.
1185.
1186.
1187.
1188.
1189.
1190.
1191.

himself.
He held Apsu down and slew him;
Tied up Mummu and laid him across him.
He set up his dwelling on top of Apsu,
And grasped Mummu, held him by a nose-rope.
When he had overcome and slain his enemies,
Ea set up his triumphal cry over his foes.
Then he rested very quietly inside his private
quarters
And named them Apsu and assigned chapels,
Founded his own residence there,
And Ea and Damkina his lover dwelt in splendor.
In the chamber of destinies, the hall of designs,
Bel, cleverest of the clever, sage of the gods, was
begotten.
And inside Apsu, Marduk was created;
Inside pure Apsu, Marduk was born.
Ea his father created him,
Damkina his mother bore him.
He suckled the teats of goddesses;
The nurse who reared him filled him with
awesomeness.
Proud was his form, piercing his stare,
Mature his emergence, he was powerful from the
start.
Anu his father's begetter beheld him,
And rejoiced, beamed; his heart was filled with joy.
He made him so perfect that his godhead was
doubled.
Elevated far above them, he was superior in every
way.
His limbs were ingeniously made beyond
comprehension,
Impossible to understand, too difficult to perceive.
Four were his eyes, four were his ears;
When his lips moved, fire blazed forth.
The four ears were enormous
And likewise the eyes; they perceived everything.
Highest among the gods, his form was outstanding.
His limbs were very long, his height (?)
outstanding.

1192.
1193.
1194.
1195.

(Anu cried out)

`Mariutu, Mariutu,
Son, majesty, majesty of the gods!
Clothed in the radiant mantle of ten gods, worn

45
1196.
1197.
1198.
1199.
1200.
1201.
1202.
1203.
1204.
1205.
1206.
1207.
1208.
1209.
1210.
1211.
1212.
1213.
1214.
1215.
1216.
1217.
1218.
1219.
1220.
1221.
1222.
1223.
1224.
1225.
1226.
1227.
1228.
1229.
1230.
1231.
1232.
1233.
1234.
1235.
1236.
1237.
1238.
1239.
1240.
1241.

high above his head

Five fearsome rays were clustered above him.
Anu created the four winds and gave them birth,
Put them in his (Marduk's) hand, 'My son, let them
play!'
He fashioned dust and made the whirlwind carry it;
He made the flood-wave and stirred up Tiamat.
Tiamat was stirred up, and heaved restlessly day
and night.
The gods, unable to rest, had to suffer ...
They plotted evil in their hearts, and
They addressed Tiamat their mother, saying,
`Because they slew Apsu your lover and
You did not go to his side but sat mute,
He has created the four, fearful winds
To stir up your belly on purpose, and we simply
cannot sleep!
Was your lover Apsu not in your heart?
And (vizier) Mummu who was captured? No
wonder you sit alone!
Are you not a mother? You heave restlessly
But what about us, who cannot rest? Don't you
love us?
Our grip(?) [is slack], (and) our eyes are sunken.
Remove the yoke of us restless ones, and let us
sleep!
Set up a [battle cry] and avenge them!
Con[quer the enemy] and reduce them to
nought!'
Tiamat listened, and the speech pleased her.
`Let us act now, (?) as you were advising!
The gods inside him (Apsu) will be disturbed,
Because they adopted evil for the gods who begot
them.'
They crowded round and rallied beside Tiamat.
They were fierce, scheming restlessly night and day.
They were working up to war, growling and raging.
They convened a council and created conflict.
Mother Hubur*, who fashions all things,
[* = Tiamat]
Contributed an unfaceable weapon: she bore giant
snakes,
Sharp of tooth and unsparing of fang (?)
She filled their bodies with venom instead of blood.
She cloaked ferocious dragons with fearsome rays
And made them bear mantles of radiance, made
them godlike,

46

1242.
1243.
1244.
1245.
1246.
1247.
1248.
1249.
1250.
1251.
1252.
1253.
1254.
1255.
1256.
1257.
1258.
1259.
1260.
1261.
1262.
1263.
1264.
1265.
1266.
1267.
1268.
1269.
1270.
1271.
1272.
1273.
1274.
1275.
1276.
1277.
1278.
1279.
1280.
1281.
1282.
1283.

a. (chanting this imprecation)

`Whoever looks upon them shall collapse in utter
terror!
Their bodies shall rear up continually and never
turn away!'
She stationed a horned serpent, a mushussu-dragon,
and a lahmu-hero,
An ugallu-demon, a rabid dog, and a scorpion-man,
Aggressive umu-demons, a fish-man, and a
bull-man
Bearing merciless weapons, fearless in battle.
Her orders were so powerful, they could not be
disobeyed.
In addition she created eleven more likewise.
Over the gods her offspring who had convened a
council for her
She promoted Qingu and made him greatest among
them,
Conferred upon him leadership of the army,
command of the assembly,
Raising the weapon to signal engagement,
mustering combat-troops,
Overall command of the whole battle force.
And she set him upon a throne.
`I have cast the spell for you and made you
greatest in the gods' assembly!
I have put into your power rule over all the gods!
You shall be the greatest, for you are my only
lover!
Your commands shall always prevail over all the
Anukkik!'
Then she gave him the Tablet of Destinies and made
him clasp it to his breast.
`Your utterance shall never be altered! Your word
shall be law!'
When Qingu was promoted and had received the
Anu-power
And had decreed destinies for the gods his sons, (he
said),
`What issues forth from your mouths shall
quench Fire!
Your accumulated venom (?) shall paralyse the
powerful!'

1284.

(Catchline)

47
1285.
1286.
1287.
1288.
1289.
1290.
1291.

Tiamat assembled his creatures

(Colophon)
First tablet, `When skies above'. [Written] like [its]
original [and inspected].
Tablet of Nabu-balatsu-iqbi son of Na'id-Marduk.
Hand of Nabu-abalatsu-iqbi son of
Na'id-Marduk [
].

1292.

TABLET II

1293.
1294.
1295.
1296.
1297.
1298.
1299.
1300.
1301.
1302.
1303.
1304.
1305.
1306.
1307.
1308.
1309.
1310.
1311.
1312.
1313.
1314.
1315.
1316.
1317.
1318.
1319.
1320.
1321.
1322.
1323.
1324.
1325.

Tiamat assembled his creatures

And collected battle-units against the gods his
offspring.
Tiamat did even more evil for posterity than Apsu.
It was reported (?) to Ea that she had prepared for
war.
Ea listened to that report,
And was dumbfounded and sat in silence.
When he had pondered and his fury subsided,
He made his way to Anshar his father;
Came before Anshar, the father who begot him
And began to repeat to him everything that Tiamat
had planned.
`Father, Tiamat who bore us is rejecting us!
She has convened an assembly and is raging out
of control.
The gods have turned to her, all of them,
Even those whom you begot have gone over to
her side,
Have crowded round and rallied beside Tiamat.
Fierce, scheming restlessly night and day,
Working up to war, growling and raging,
They have convened a council and created
conflict.
Mother Hubur, who fashions all things,
Contributed an unfaceable weapon: she bore giant
snakes,
Sharp of tooth and unsparing of fang (?).
She filled their bodies with venom instead of
blood.
She cloaked ferocious dragons with fearsome rays,
And made them bear mantles of radiance, made
them godlike,

1326.

(chanting this imprecation)

48
1327.
1328.
1329.
1330.
1331.
1332.
1333.
1334.
1335.
1336.
1337.
1338.
1339.
1340.
1341.
1342.
1343.
1344.
1345.
1346.
1347.
1348.
1349.
1350.
1351.
1352.
1353.
1354.
1355.
1356.
1357.
1358.
1359.
1360.
1361.
1362.
1363.
1364.
1365.
1366.
1367.
1368.
1369.
1370.
1371.
1372.

"Whoever looks upon them shall collapse in utter

terror!
Their bodies shall rear up continually and never
turn away!"
She stationed a horned serpent, a mushussudragon, and a lahmu-hero,
An ugallu-demon, a rabid dog, and a
scorpion-man,
Aggressive umu-demons, a fish-man, and a
bull-man
Bearing merciless weapons, fearless in battle.
Her orders were so powerful, they could not be
disobeyed.
In addition she created eleven more likewise.
Over the gods her offspring who had convened a
council for her
She promoted Qingu, made him greatest among
them,
Conferred upon him leadership of the army,
command of the assembly,
Raising the weapon to signal engagement, to rise
up for combat,
Overall command of the whole battle force.
And she set him (lit. her) upon a throne.
"I have cast the spell for you and made you
greatest in the gods' assembly!
I have put into your power rule over all the
gods!
You shall be the greatest, for you are my only
lover!
Your commands shall always prevail over all the
Anukki!"
She gave him the Tablet of Destinies and made
him clasp it to his breast.
"Your utterance shall never be altered! Your
word shall be law!"
When Qingu was promoted and had received the
Anu-power,
And had decreed destinies for the gods her sons,
(he said),
"What issues forth from your mouths shall
quench Fire!
Your accumulated venom (?) shall paralyse the
powerful!"'
Anshar listened, and the report was very disturbing.
[He twisted his fingers (?) and bit his lip;

49
1373.
1374.
1375.
1376.
1377.
1378.

[His liver was inflamed (?), his belly would not

rest.
His roar to Ea his son was quite weak.
`You must be the one who declares war!
Keep brandishing what you have made (as arms)
for yourself!

1379.
1380.
1381.
1382.
1383.
1384.
1385.

...
She laid (?) the...of her hand on top of me.'
Anshar was speechless, and stared at the ground;
He gnashed his teeth (?) and shook his head (in
despair) at Ea.
Now, the Igigi assembled, all the Anukki.
They sat silently (for a while), tight-lipped.
b.

1386.
1387.
1388.
1389.
1390.
1391.
1392.
1393.
1394.
1395.
1396.
1397.
1398.
1399.
1400.
1401.
1402.
1403.
1404.
1405.
1406.
1407.
1408.
1409.
1410.
1411.
1412.

(Finally they spoke)

`Will no (other) god come forward? Is [fate]

fixed?
Will no one go out to face Tiamat with [ ]?'
Then Ea from his secret dwelling called
[The perfect] one (?) of Anshar, father of the great
gods,
Whose heart is perfect like a fellow-citizen or
countryman (?),
The mighty heir who was to be his father's champion,
Who rushes (fearlessly) into battle: Marduk the
Hero!
He told him his innermost design, saying,
`O Marduk, take my advice, listen to your father!
You are the son who sets his heart at rest!
Approach Anshar, drawing near to him,
And make your voice heard, stand your ground:
he will be calmed by the sight of you.'
The Lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
And he approached and stood before Anshar.
Anshar looked at him, and his heart was filled with
joy.
He kissed him on the lips, put away his
trepidation.
(Then Marduk addressed him, saying)
`Father, don't stay so silent, open your lips,
Let me go, and let me fulfil your heart's desire.
Anshar, don't stay so silent, open your lips,
Let me go, and let me fulfil your heart's desire.'

50
1413.

(Anshar replied)

1414.
1415.
1416.
1417.
1418.

`What kind of man has ordered you out (to) his

war?
My son, (don't you realize that) it is Tiamat, of
womankind, who will advance against you with
arms?'

1419.

(Marduk answered)

1420.
1421.
1422.
1423.
1424.
1425.

`Father, my creator, rejoice and be glad!

You shall soon set your foot upon the neck of
Tiamat!
Anshar, my creator, rejoice and be glad,
You shall soon set your foot upon the neck of
Tiamat.'

1426.

(Anshar replied)

1427.
1428.
1429.
1430.
1431.
1432.
1433.
1434.
1435.
1436.
1437.
1438.
1439.
1440.
1441.
1442.

`Then go, son, knowing all wisdom!

Quell Tiamat with your pure spell!
Set forth immediately (in) the storm chariot;
Let its [
] be not driven out, but turn
(them?) back!'
The Lord rejoiced at the word of his father;
His heart was glad and he addressed his father,
`Lord of the gods, fate of the great gods,
If indeed I am to be your champion,
If I am to defeat Tiamat and save your lives,
Convene the council, name a special fate,
Sit joyfully together in Ubshu-ukkinakku:
My own utterance shall fix fate instead of you!
Whatever I create shall never be altered!
The decree of my lips shall never be revoked,
never changed!'
(1) TABLET III

1443.
1444.
1445.
1446.
1447.
1448.
1449.
1450.

Anshar made his voice heard

And addressed his speech to Kakka his vizier,
`O Kakka, vizier who pleases me!
I shall send you to Lahmu and Lahamu
You know how to probe, you are skilled in
speaking.
Have the gods my fathers brought before me;
Let all the gods be brought to me.

51
1451.
1452.
1453.
1454.
1455.
1456.
1457.
1458.
1459.
1460.
1461.
1462.
1463.
1464.
1465.
1466.
1467.
1468.
1469.
1470.
1471.
1472.
1473.
1474.
1475.
1476.
1477.
1478.
1479.
1480.
1481.

Let there be conversation, let them sit at a

banquet,
Let them eat grain, let them drink choice wine,
(And then) let them decree a destiny for Marduk
their champion.
Set off, Kakka, go and stand before them, and
Everything that I am about to tell you, repeat to
them,
"Anshar your son has sent me,
He has told me to report his heart's message,
To say, "Tiamat who bore us is rejecting us!
She has convened a council, and is raging out of
control.
The gods have turned to her, all of them,
Even those whom you begot have gone over to
her side,
Have crowded round and rallied beside Tiamat.
They are fierce, scheming restlessly night and
day,
They are working up to war, growling and
raging.
They convened a council and created conflict.
Mother Hubur, who fashions all things,
Contributed an unfaceable weapon; she bore giant
snakes,
Sharp of tooth and unsparing of fang (?).
She filled their bodies with venom instead of
blood.
She cloaked ferocious dragons with fearsome rays,
And made them bear mantles of radiance, made
them godlike,

1482.

(chanting this imprecation)

1483.
1484.
1485.
1486.
1487.
1488.
1489.
1490.
1491.
1492.
1493.
1494.

"Whoever looks upon them shall collapse in utter

terror!
Their bodies shall rear up continually, and never
turn away!"
She stationed a horned serpent, a muhuudragon, and a lahmu-hero,
An ugallu-demon, a rabid dog, and a
scorpion-man,
Aggressive mu-demons, a fish man, and a bull-man
Bearing merciless weapons, fearless in battle.
Her orders were so powerful, they could not be
disobeyed.

52
1495.
1496.
1497.
1498.
1499.
1500.
1501.
1502.
1503.
1504.
1505.
1506.
1507.
1508.
1509.
1510.
1511.
1512.
1513.
1514.
1515.
1516.
1517.
1518.
1519.
1520.
1521.
1522.
1523.
1524.
1525.
1526.
1527.
1528.
1529.
1530.
1531.
1532.
1533.
1534.
1535.
1536.
1537.
1538.
1539.
1540.

In addition she created eleven more likewise.

Over the gods her offspring who had convened a
council for her
She promoted Qingu, made him greatest among
them,
Conferred upon him leadership of the army,
command of the assembly,
Raising the weapon to signal engagement, to rise
up for combat,
Overall command of the whole battle force.
And she set him upon a throne.
"I have cast the spell for you, and have made you
greatest in the gods' assembly!
I have put into your power rule over all the gods!
You shall be the greatest, for you are my only
lover!
Your commands shall always prevail over all the
Anunnaki!"
She gave him the Tablet of Destinies, and made
him clasp it to his breast.
"Your utterance shall never be altered! Your
word shall be law!"
When Qingu was promoted and had received the
Anu-power
And had decreed destinies for the gods her sons,
(he said),
"What issues forth from your mouths shall
quench Fire!
Your accumulated venom (?) shall paralyse the
powerful!"
I sent Anu, but he was unable to face her.
Nudimmud panicked and turned back.
Then Marduk, sage of the gods, your son, came
forward.
He wanted of his own free will to confront
Tiamat.
He spoke his words to me:
"If indeed I am to be your champion,
To defeat Tiamat and to save your lives,
Convene the council, name a special fate,
Sit joyfully together in Ubshu-ukkinakku:
And let me, my own utterance, fix fate instead of
you.
Whatever I create shall never be altered!
Let a decree from my lips never be revoked, never
changed!"

53
1541.
1542.
1543.
1544.
1545.
1546.
1547.
1548.
1549.
1550.
1551.
1552.
1553.
1554.
1555.
1556.
1557.
1558.
1559.
1560.

Hurry and decree your destinies for him quickly,

So that he may go and face your formidable
enemy."'
Lahmu and Lahamu listened and cried out aloud.
All the Igigi then groaned dreadfully,
`How terrible! Until he (Anshar) decided to report
to us,
We did not even know what Tiamat was doing.'
They milled around and then came,
All the great gods who fix the fates,
Entered into Anshar's presence and were filled with
joy.]
Each kissed the other: in the assembly [ ]
There was conversation, they sat at the banquet,
Ate grain, drank choice wine,
Let sweet beer trickle through their drinking straws.
Their bodies swelled as they drank the liquor;
They became very carefree, they were merry,
And they decreed destiny for Marduk their
champion.

1561.
1562.
1563.
1564.
1565.
1566.
1567.
1568.
1569.
1570.
1571.
1572.
1573.
1574.
1575.
1576.
1577.
1578.
1579.
1580.
1581.
1582.
1583.
1584.
1585.

TABLET IV
...
When Tiamat heard this,
She went wild, she lost her temper.
Tiamat screamed aloud in a passion,
Her lower parts shook together from the depths.
She recited the incantation and kept casting her
spell.
Meanwhile the gods of battle were sharpening their
weapons.
Face to face they came, Tiamat and Marduk, sage of
the gods.
They engaged in combat, they closed for battle.
The Lord spread his net and made it encircle her,
To her face he dispatched the imhullu-wind, which
had been behind:
Tiamat opened her mouth to swallow it,
And he forced in the imhullu-wind so that she could
not close her lips.
Fierce winds distended her belly;
Her insides were constipated and she stretched her
mouth wide.
He shot an arrow which pierced her belly,
Split her down the middle and slit her heart,
Vanquished her and extinguished her life.

54
1586.
1587.
1588.
1589.
1590.
1591.
1592.
1593.
1594.
1595.
1596.
1597.
1598.
1599.
1600.
1601.
1602.
1603.
1604.
1605.
1606.
1607.
1608.
1609.
1610.
1611.
1612.
1613.
1614.
1615.
1616.
1617.
1618.
1619.
1620.
1621.
1622.
1623.
1624.
1625.
1626.
1627.
1628.
1629.
1630.
1631.

He threw down her corpse and stood on top of her.

When he had slain Tiamat, the leader,
He broke up her regiments; her assembly was
scattered.
Then the gods her helpers, who had marched at her
side,
Began to tremble, panicked, and turned tail.
Although he allowed them to come out and spared
their lives,
They were surrounded, they could not flee.
Then he tied them up and smashed their weapons.
They were thrown into the net and sat there
ensnared.
They cowered back, filled with woe.
They had to bear his punishment, confined to
prison.
And as for the dozens of creatures, covered in
fearsome rays,
The gang of demons who all marched on her right,
He fixed them with nose-ropes and tied their arms.
He trampled their battle-filth (?) beneath him.
As for Qingu, who had once been the greatest
among them,
He defeated him and counted him among the dead
gods,
Wrested from him the Tablet of Destinies,
wrongfully his,
Sealed it with (his own) seal and pressed it to his
breast.
When he had defeated and killed his enemies
And had proclaimed the submissive (?) foe his slave,
And had set up the triumphal cry of Anshar over all
the enemy,
And had achieved the desire of Nudimmud, Marduk
the warrior
Strengthened his hold over the captive gods,
And to Tiamat, whom he had ensnared, he turned
back.
The Lord trampled the lower part of Tiamat,
With his unsparing mace smashed her skull,
Severed the arteries of her blood,
And made the North Wind carry it off as good
news.
His fathers saw it and were jubilant: they rejoiced,
Arranged to greet him with presents, greetings
gifts.

55
1632.
1633.
1634.
1635.
1636.
1637.
1638.
1639.
1640.
1641.
1642.
1643.
1644.
1645.
1646.
1647.
1648.
1649.
1650.
1651.
1652.
1653.
1654.
1655.
1656.
1657.
1658.
1659.
1660.
1661.
1662.
1663.
1664.
1665.
1666.
1667.
1668.
1669.
1670.
1671.

The Lord rested, and inspected her corpse.

He divided the monstrous shape and created marvels
(from it).
He sliced her in half like a fish for drying:
Half of her he put up to roof the sky,
Drew a bolt across and made a guard hold it.
Her waters he arranged so that they could not
escape.
He crossed the heavens and sought out a shrine;
He levelled Apsu, dwelling of Nudimmud.
The Lord measured the dimensions of Apsu
And the large temple (Eshgalla), which he built in
its image, was Esharra:
In the great shrine Esharra, which he had created as
the sky,
He founded cult centres for Anu, Ellil, and Ea.
TABLET V
He fashioned stands for the great gods.
As for the stars, he set up constellations
corresponding to them.
He designated the year and marked out its divisions,
Apportioned three stars each to the twelve months.
'Go forth every month without fail in a corona,
At the beginning of the month, to glow over the
land.
You shine with horns to mark out six days;
On the seventh day the crown is half.
The fifteenth day shall always be the mid-point,
the half of each month.
When Shamash looks at you from the horizon,
Gradually shed your visibility and begin to wane.
Always bring the day of disappearance close to
the path of Shamash,
And on the thirtieth day, the [year] is always
equalized, for Shamash is (responsible for) the
year.
A sign [shall appear (?); sweep along its path.
Then always approach the [
] and
judge the case.
[
] the Bowstar to kill and rob.

1672.

TABLET VI

1673.

When Marduk heard the speech of the gods,

56
1674.
1675.
1676.
1677.
1678.
1679.
1680.
1681.
1682.
1683.
1684.
1685.
1686.
1687.
1688.
1689.
1690.
1691.
1692.
1693.
1694.
1695.
1696.
1697.
1698.
1699.
1700.
1701.
1702.
1703.
1704.
1705.
1706.
1707.
1708.
1709.
1710.
1711.
1712.
1713.
1714.
1715.
1716.
1717.
1718.
1719.

He made up his mind to perform miracles.

He spoke his utterance to Ea,
And communicated to him the plan that he was
considering.
`Let me put blood together, and make bones too.
Let me set up primeval man: Man shall be his
name.
Let me create a primeval man.
The work of the gods shall be imposed (on him),
and so they shall be at leisure.
Let me change the ways of the gods miraculously,
So they are gathered as one yet divided in two.'
Ea answered him and spoke a word to him,
Told him his plan for the leisure of the gods.
`Let one who is hostile to them be surrendered
(up),
Let him be destroyed, and let people be created
(from him).
Let the great gods assemble,
Let the culprit be given up, and let them convict
him.'
Marduk assembled the great gods,
Gave (them) instructions pleasantly, gave orders.
The gods paid attention to what he said.
The king addressed his words to the Anunnaki,
`Your election of me shall be firm and foremost.
I shall declare the laws, the edicts within my
power.
Whosoever started the war,
And incited Tiamat, and gathered an army,
Let the one who started the war be given up to
me,
And he shall bear the penalty for his crime, that
you may dwell in peace.'
The Igigi, the great gods, answered him,
Their lord Lugal-dimmer-ankia, counsellor of
gods,
`It was Qingu who started the war,
He who incited Tiamat and gathered and army!'
They bound him and held him in front of Ea,
Imposed the penalty on him and cut off his blood.
He created mankind from his blood,
Imposed the toil of the gods (on man) and released
the gods from it.
When Ea the wise had created mankind,
Had imposed the toil of the gods on them-

57
1720.
1721.
1722.
1723.
1724.
1725.
1726.
1727.
1728.
1729.
1730.
1731.
1732.
1733.
1734.
1735.
1736.
1737.
1738.
1739.
1740.
1741.
1742.
1743.
1744.
1745.
1746.
1747.
1748.
1749.
1750.
1751.
1752.
1753.
1754.
1755.
1756.
1757.
1758.
1759.
1760.
1761.
1762.
1763.
1764.
1765.

That deed is impossible to describe,

For Nudimmud performed it with the miracles of
MardukThen Marduk the king divided the gods,
The Anunnaki, all of them, above and below.
He assigned his decrees to Anu to guard,
Established three hundred as a guard in the sky;
Did the same again when he designed the
conventions of earth,
And made the six hundred dwell in both heaven and
earth.
When he had directed all the decrees,
Had divided lots for the Anunnaki, of heaven and of
earth,
The Anunnaki made their voices heard
And addressed Marduk their lord,
`Now, O Lord, that you have set us free,
What are our favours from you?
We would like to make a shrine with its own
name.
We would like our night's resting place to be in
your private quarters, and to rest there.
Whenever we arrive let us rest within it.'
When Marduk heard this,
His face lit up greatly, like daylight.
`Create Babylon, whose construction you
requested!
Let its mud bricks be moulded, and build high the
shrine!'
The Anunnaki began shovelling.
For a whole year they made bricks for it.
When the second year arrived,
They had raised the top of Esagila in front of (?) the
Apsu;
They had built a high ziggurrat for the Apsu.
They founded a dwelling for Anu, Ellil, and Ea
likewise.
In ascendancy he settled himself in front of them,
And his `horns' look down at the base of Esharra.
When they had done the work on Esagila,
(And) the Anunnaki, all of them, had fashioned
their individual shrines,
The three hundred Igigi of heaven and the
Annunaki of the Apsu all assembled.
The Lord invited the gods his fathers to attend a
banquet

58
1766.
1767.
1768.
1769.
1770.
1771.
1772.
1773.
1774.
1775.
1776.
1777.
1778.
1779.
1780.
1781.
1782.
1783.
1784.
1785.
1786.
1787.
1788.
1789.
1790.
1791.
1792.
1793.
1794.
1795.
1796.
1797.
1798.
1799.
1800.
1801.
1802.
1803.
1804.
1805.
1806.
1807.
1808.
1809.

In the great sanctuary which he had created as his

dwelling.
`Indeed, Bab-ili (is) your home too!
Sing for joy there, dwell in happiness!'
The great gods sat down there,
And set out the beer mugs; they attended the
banquet.
When they had made merry within,
They themselves made a taqribtu-offering in
splendid Esagila.
All the decrees (and) designs were fixed.
All the gods divided the stations of heaven and
earth.
The fifty great gods were present, and
The gods fixed the seven destinies for the cult
The Lord received the bow, and set his weapon
down in front of them.
The gods his fathers looked at the net which he had
made,
Looked at the bow, how miraculous her construction
And his fathers praised the deeds that he had done.
Anu raised (the bow) and spoke in the assembly of
gods,
He kissed the bow. `May she go far!'
He gave to the bow her names, saying,
`May Long and Far be the first, and Victorious
the second;
Her third name shall be Bowstar, for she shall
shine in the sky.'
He fixed her position among the gods her
companions.
When Anu had decreed the destiny of the bow,
He set down her royal throne. `You are highest of
the gods!'
And Anu made her sit in the assembly of gods.
The great gods assembled
And made Marduk's destiny highest; they
themselves did obeisance.
They swore an oath for themselves,
And swore on water and oil, touched their throats.
Thus they granted that he should exercise the
kingship of the gods
And confirmed for him mastery of the gods of
heaven and earth.

1810.

TABLET VII

59
1811.
In the continuation, Marduk receives a series of divine names, each signifying
and conveying a special power.
1812.
1813.
1814.
1815.
1816.
1817.
1818.
1819.
1820.
1821.
1822.
1823.
1824.
1825.
1826.
1827.
1828.
1829.
1830.
1831.
1832.
1833.
1834.
1835.
1836.
1837.
1838.
1839.

With fifty epithets the great gods

Called his fifty names, making his way supreme.
May they always be cherished, and may the older
explain (to the younger).
Let the wise and learned consult together,
Let the father repeat them and teach them to the
son.
Let the ear of shepherd and herdsman be open,
Let him not be negligent to Marduk, the Ellil of the
gods.
May his country be made fertile, and himself be
safe and sound.
His word is firm, his command cannot alter;
No god can change his utterance.
When he is angry, he does not turn his neck
(aside);
In his rage and fury no god dare confront him,
His thoughts are deep, his emotions profound;
Criminals and wrongdoers pass before him.
He (the scribe?) wrote down the secret instruction
which older men had recited in his presence,
And set it down for future men to read.
May the [people?]s of Marduk whom the Igigi gods
created
Weave the [tale?] and call upon his name
In remembrance (?) of the song of Marduk
Who defeated Tiamat and took the kingship.
The Adapa Legendxxviii

2
Tablet A
1840.
[Ea creates Adapa, a pious, wise man]
1841.
[Adapa's] command was indeed...like the command of Ea.
1842.
Wide understanding [the god Ea] had perfected for him to disclose the designs of
the land.
1843.
He gave him wisdom, but did not give him eternal life.
1844.
In those days, in those years, Ea, the sage from Eridu,
1845.
created [Adapa] as the model of men.
1846.
The sage [Ea]--his command no one can weaken-1847.
The capable, the most wise among the Anunnaki is he;
1848.
[Created Adapa] the blameless, the clean of hands,
1849.
the anointing priest, the observer of rites. ..,
1850.
who provides bread and water for Eridu daily,

60
1851.
1852.
1853.
1854.
1855.

with his clean hands arranging the offering table,

Without him the table cannot be cleared.
He steers the ship, he does the prescribed fishing for Eridu.
In those days Adapa, the one of Eridu...
Daily did attend to the sanctuary of Eridu.

1856.
1857.
1858.
1859.
1860.
1861.
1862.
1863.
1864.
1865.
1866.

[Adapa goes fishing, runs into a storm, and curses the South Wind]
At the holy quay, the Quay of the New Moon, he boarded the sailboat;
Then a wind blew and his boat drifted;
(20)
With the oar he steers his boat ...
The south wind blew and sank him,
Tablet B
sending him down to the home of the fish:
"O South Wind [Adapa says],
I will break your wing!"
As soon as he said this with his mouth,
The wing of the South Wind was broken.
For seven days the South Wind did not blow upon the land.

1867.
1868.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.

[Anu is angry and summons Adapa]

Then Anu called to Ilabrat, his vizier, and said:
"Why hasn't the South Wind blown on the land
these seven days?"
His vizier Ilabrat answered him: "My lord,
(10)
Adapa, the son of Ea, has broken the South Wind's wing."
When Anu heard this statement,
He cried, "Mercy!"
Rising from his throne (cried): "Let them bring him here!"

1876.
[Adapa's "father" Ea gives him advice on how to approach Anu and how to behave
in the gods' presence]
1877.
At those words, Ea he who knows about matters of Heaven,
1878.
took hold of Adapa,
1879.
made him mess up his hair, put on mourning garb,
1880.
and gave him this advice:
1881.
"Adapa, you are going before Anu, the king;
1882.
The road to heaven you wilt take.
1883.
When you have gone up to heaven
1884.
and reached Anu's gate,
1885.
Tammuz and Gizzida will be standing at Anu's gate. (20)
1886.
When they see you, they will ask:
1887.
`Man, For whom are you looking like this?
1888.
Adapa, for whom are you dressed in mourning garb?'
1889.
[You are to reply:]
1890.
`Two gods have disappeared from our land;
1891.
That's why I look like this.'
1892.
`Who are the two gods who have disappeared from the land?'

61
1893.
1894.
1895.
1896.

`Tammuz and Gizzida,' [you will answer].

Then they will glance at each other and smile.
They will speak a good word to Anu,
and they will let you see Anu's kind face.

1897.
1898.
1899.
1900.
1901.
1902.
1903.
1904.

When you stand before Anu,

and they offer you the bread of death,
you must not eat it. When they offer you the water of death, (30)
you must not drink it.
But when they offer you a garment, put it on.
When they offer you oil, anoint yourself with it.
Do not neglect this advice that I have given you;
Hold fast to the words that I have spoken to you!"

1905.
1906.
1907.
1908.

[Adapa is brought to heaven]:

The messenger of Anu arrived and said:
"Adapa, has broken the South Wind's wing.
Bring him to me!"

1909.
1910.
1911.
1912.
1913.
1914.
1915.
1916.
1917.
1918.
1919.
1920.
1921.

[The messenger] made [Adapa] take the road to heaven,

and to heaven he went up.
When he had ascended to heaven and approached Anu's gate,
Tammuz and Gizzida were standing at the gate of Anu.
When they saw Adapa, they cried, "Mercy!
(40)
`Man, For whom are you looking like this?
Adapa, for whom are you dressed in mourning garb?'
[Adapa is to reply:]
`Two gods have disappeared from our land;
That's why I look like this.'
`Who are the two gods who have disappeared from the land?'
`Tammuz and Gizzida,' [you will answer].
They glanced at each other and smiled.

1922.
When Adapa drew near to Anu, the king,
1923.
and Anu saw him, he called:
1924.
"Look here, Adapa, why did you break the South Wind's wing?"
1925.
Adapa answered Anu:
1926.
"My lord, I was catching fish
1927.
for my master's household, in the midst of the sea
(50). The sea was like a
mirror,
1928.
but the South Wind began blowing and sank me,
1929.
sending me down to the home of the fish.
1930.
In my heart's rage,
1931.
I cursed the South Wind."
1932.

[Two gods suggest a way of dealing with Adapa]:

62
1933.
Tammuz and Gizzida, standing at his side,
1934.
spoke a good word to Anu,
1935.
quieting his heart (?) ...
1936.
"Why did Ea disclose the secrets [lit., "heart"]
1937.
of heaven and earth to a mere man,
1938.
rendering him distinguished and making a name for him?
1939.
But now, what shall we do about him?
1940.
Bring him the bread of life and let him eat it."
(60)
1941.
When they brought him the bread of life, he did not eat it.
1942.
When they brought him the water of life, he did not drink it. When they brought
him a garment, he put it on.
1943.
When they brought him oil, he anointed himself.
1944.
1945.
1946.
1947.

Anu looked at him and laughed:

"Come now, Adapa!
Why didn't you eat or drink?
Now you shall not have [eternal] life, O, perverse mankind!"

1948.
1949.

"Ea my master commanded me

`You shall not eat, you shall not drink.'

1950.
1951.

"Take him away" [Anu replied], "and send him back to his earth."
(remainder destroyed)

1952.
Hyms about and to INANNA (Ishtar). How do they envisage the character of this
goddess?
1953.
1954.
1955.
1956.
1957.
1958.
1959.
1960.
1961.
1962.
1963.
1964.
1965.

lnanna the Warrior; Inanna declaresxxix

When I stand in the front line of battle
I am the leader of all the lands,
when I stand at the opening of the battle,
I am the quiver ready to hand,
When I stand in the midst of the battle,
I am the heart of the battle.
the arm of the warriors,
when I begin moving at the end of the battle,
I am an evilly rising flood,
when I follow in the wake of the battle,
I am the woman (exhorting the stragglers):
"Get going! Close (with the enemy)".

1966.
Inanna as the Power in Rain and Thunderxxx
1967.
This is a selection from one of the hymns of Enheduanna, the first named author
in history. She was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad and priestess of the god Nanna of
Ur.

63
1968.
1969.
1970.
1971.
1972.
1973.
1974.
1975.

Destroyer of mountains,
you gave wings to the storm!
beloved one of Enlil,
you came flying into the country,
attended to the instructions of An.
my lady, at your roar, you made the countries bow low.
...
With the charging storm you charge,
with the howling storm you howl,
with Ishkur you roar,
with all evil winds you rage.

1976.
1977.
1978.
1979.
1980.
1981.
1982.
1983.
1984.
1985.
1986.
1987.

An Evening Hymn to Inanna (Venus)xxxi

At the end of the day, the Radiant Star, the Great Light that fills the sky,
The Lady of the Evening appears in the heavens.
The people in all the lands lift their eyes to her.
The men purify themselves; the women cleanse themselves.
The ox in his yoke lows to her.
The sheep stir up the dust in their fold.
All the living creatures of the steppe,
The four-footed creatures of the high steppe,
The lush gardens and orchards, the green reeds and trees,
The fish of the deep and the birds in the heavens-My Lady makes them all hurry to their sleeping places.

1988.
1989.
1990.
1991.
1992.

The living creatures and the numerous people of Sumer kneel before her.
Those chosen by the old women prepare great platters of food and drink for her.
The Lady refreshes herself in the land.
There is great joy in Sumer.
The young man makes love with his beloved.

1993.
1994.
1995.
1996.
1997.

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.

The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
Inanna, the Lady of the Evening, is radiant.
I sing your praises, holy Inanna.
The Lady of the Evening is radiant on the horizon.

1998.
1999.
2000.
2001.

A Morning Hymn to Inannaxxxii

Honored Counselor, Ornament of Heaven, Joy of An!
When sweet sleep has ended in the bedchamber,
You appear like bright daylight.

64
2002.
2003.
2004.
2005.

When all the lands and the people of Sumer assemble,

Those sleeping on the roofs and those sleeping by the walls,
When they sing your praises, bringing their concerns to you,
You study their words.

2006.
2007.
2008.
2009.

You render a cruel judgment against the evildoer;

You destroy the wicked.
You look with kindly eyes on the straightforward;
You give that one your blessing.

2010.
2011.
2012.
2013.
2014.

My lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.

The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
Inanna, the Lady of the Morning, is radiant.
I sing your praises, holy Inanna.
The Lady of the Morning is radiant on the horizon.

2015.
2016.
2017.
2018.
2019.
2020.

LOVE & DEATH

from the Sacred Marriage Ceremonyxxxiii
preparations
Milady bathes in water the holy loins,
for the loins of the king she bathes them in water.
for the loins of Iddin-Dagan she bathes them in water....

2021.
2022.
2023.
2024.
2025.
2026.
2027.
2028.
2029.
2030.
2031.
2032.
2033.
2034.
2035.
2036.
2037.
2038.
2039.
2040.
2041.
2042.
2043.

Groom is led to bride

Ninsubur, the faithful servant of the holy shrine of Uruk,
Led Dumuzi to the sweet thighs of Inanna and spoke:
"My queen, here is the choice of your heart,
The king, your beloved bridegroom,
May he spend long days in the sweetness of your holy loins.
Give him a favorable and glorious reign.
Grant him the king's throne, firm in its foundations.
Grant him the shepherd's staff of judgment.
Grant him the enduring crown with the radiant and noble diadem.
From where the sunrises to where the sun sets,
From south to north,
From the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea,
From the land of the "huluppu" tree to the land of the cedar,
Let his shepherd's staff protect all of Sumer and Akkad.
As the farmer, let him make the fields fertile,
As the shepherd, let him make the sheepfolds multiply,
Under his reign let there be vegetation,
Under his reign let there be rich grain.
In the marshland may the fish and birds chatter,
In the canebrake may the young and old reeds grow high,
In the steppe may the mashgur trees grow high,
In the forests may the deer and wild goats multiply,

65
2044.
2045.
2046.
2047.
2048.
2049.
2050.
2051.

In the orchards may there be honey and wine,

In the gardens may the lettuce and cress grow high,
In the palace may there be long life.
May there be floodwater in the Tigris and Euphrates,
May the plants grow high on their banks and fill the meadows,
May the Lady of Vegetation pile the grain in heaps and mounds.
my Queen of Heaven and Earth,
Queen of all the universe,
May he enjoy long days in the sweetness of your holy loins."

2052.
2053.
2054.
2055.

The king went with lifted head to the holy loins.

He went with lifted head to the loins of Inanna.
He went to the queen with lifted head.
He opened wide his arms to the holy priestess of heaven.

2056.
Godess/priestess welcomes her bridegroom:
2057.
How luxuriant he is, he is the greenery of the garden, refreshed by the dew of
heaven!
2058.
You are mine, O orchard which gives shade to the pickers, the joy of your mother,
2059.
my corn, full of charms in your furrows, the greenery of the garden, refreshed by the
dew of heaven,
2060.
my choice pomegranate tree, framed in foliage, the greenery of the garden, refreshed
by the dew of heaven!
2061.
honey man, honey man, he spreads his sweetness over me..
2062.
you that are mine, the navel, since you are completely sweet, the joy of your mother,
2063.
when you give pleasure to my private parts, and the arm is brought down over ...
2064.
the greenery of the garden, refreshed by the dew of heaven.
2065.

Inanna-Ishtar's descent to the underworld

2066.
2067.
2068.
2069.
2070.
2071.
2072.
2073.
2074.
2075.
2076.

To the Land of no Return, the realm of Queen Ereshkigal,

Ishtar, the daughter of Sn [moon god], set her heart,
the daughter of Sn set her heart,
to the dark house, the abode of Irkalla,
to the house which none leave who have entered it,
to the road from which there is no way back,
to the house wherein the entrants are bereft of light,
where dust is their fare and clay their food,
where they see no light, residing in darkness,
where they are clothed like birds, with wings for garments,
and where dust is spread over door and bolt.

2077.
2078.
2079.

When Ishtar reached the gate of the Land of No Return,

She said these words to the gatekeeper:
"O gatekeeper, open your gate,

66
2080.
2081.
2082.
2083.
2084.
2085.

Open your gate that I may enter!

If you don't open the gate and let me enter,
I will smash the door, I will shatter the bolt,
I will smash the doorpost, I will move the doors,
I will raise up the dead, eating the living,
So that the dead will outnumber the living."

2086.
2087.
2088.
2089.
2090.
2091.
2092.
2093.

The gatekeeper opened his mouth to speak,

saying to exalted Ishtar:
"Stop, my lady, do not throw it down!
I will go to announce your name to Queen Ereskigal."
The gatekeeper went in and said to Ereshkigal:
"Your sister Ishtar is waiting at the gate-she who upholds the great festivals,
Who stirs up the Deep before Ea, the king.

2094.
2095.
2096.
2097.
2098.
2099.
2100.
2101.
2102.
2103.
2104.

When Ereshkigal heard this,

Her face turned pale like a cut-down tamarisk;
her lips turned dark like a bruised reed.
"What drove her heart to me? What impelled her spirit hither?
Should I drink water with the Anunnaki?
Should I eat clay for bread, drink muddied water for beer?
Should I bemoan the men who left their wives behind?
Should I bemoan the maidens who were wrenched from the laps of their lovers?
Or should I bemoan the tender little one who was sent off before his time?
Go, gatekeeper, open the gate for her,
Treat her in accordance with the ancient rules."

2105.
2106.
2107.
2108.
2109.
2110.
2111.
2112.
2113.
2114.
2115.
2116.
2117.
2118.
2119.
2120.
2121.
2122.

Forth went the gatekeeper to open the door for her:

"Enter, my lady, that Cutha may rejoice over you,
that the palace of the Land of No Return may be glad at your presence."
When he brought her through the first gate,
He stripped and took away the great crown on her head.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the great crown on my head?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."
When he brought her through the second gate,
He stripped and took away the pendants on her ears.
Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the pendants on my ears?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."
When he brought her through the third gate,
He stripped and took away the chains around her neck.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the chains around my neck?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."
When he brought her through the fourth gate,
He stripped and took away the ornaments on her breast.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the ornaments on my breast?"

67
2123.
2124.
2125.
2126.
2127.
2128.
2129.
2130.
2131.
2132.
2133.
2134.
2135.
2136.
2137.

"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether World."
When he brought her through the fifth gate,
He stripped and took away the girdle of birthstones on her
hips.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the girdle of birthstones on my hips?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."
When he brought her through the sixth gate,
He stripped and took away the clasps around
her hands and feet.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the clasps around my hands and feet?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."
When he brought her through the seventh gate,
(60)
He stripped and took away the breechcloth on her body.
"Why, O gatekeeper, did you take the breechcloth on my body?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Nether
World."

2138.
2139.
2140.
2141.
2142.
2143.
2144.
2145.
2146.
2147.
2148.
2149.
2150.

As soon as Ishtar had descended to the Land of No Return,

Ereshkigal saw her and burst out at her presence.
Ishtar, thoughtless, flew at her.
Ereshkigal opened her mouth to speak,
Saying these words to Namtar, her vizier:
"Go, Namtar, lock her up in my palace!
Release against her, against Ishtar, the sixty miseries:
Misery of the eyes against her eyes, (70)
Misery of the sides against her sides,
Misery of the heart against her heart,
Misery of the feet against her feet,
Misery of the head against her head Against every part of her, against her whole body!"

2151.
2152.
2153.
2154.
2155.
2156.

After Lady Ishtar went down to the Nether World,

The bull does not mount the cow,
the ass does not impregnates jenny,
In the (town) the man does not impregnates not the young woman.
The man lies in his own chamber, the maiden lies on her side,
...lies...
(1) (reverse)
The countenance of Papsukkal, the vizier of the great gods,
dropped, his face was clouded.
He was clad in mourning, wore his hair long.
Forth went Papsukkal before Sn his father, weeping,
His tears flowing before Ea, the king:
"Ishtar has gone down to the Nether World, she has not come up.
Since Ishtar has gone down to the Land of No Return,
The bull does not mount the cow,
the ass does not impregnates jenny,

2157.
2158.
2159.
2160.
2161.
2162.
2163.
2164.
2165.

68
2166.
2167.

In the (town) the man does not impregnates not the young woman.
The man lies in his own chamber, the maiden lies on her side,

2168.
2169.
2170.
2171.
2172.
2173.
2174.
2175.
2176.
2177.
2178.

Ea in his wise heart conceived an image

and created Asushunamir, a eunuch:
"Up, Asushunamir, set your face to the gate of the Land of No Return;
The seven gates of the Land of No Return shall be opened for you.
Ereshkigal shall see you and rejoice at your presence.
When her heart has calmed, her mood is happy,
Let her utter the oath of the great gods.
Then lift up your head, paying mind to the life-water bag
and say:
"Pray, Lady, let them give me the life-water bag
That I may drink water from it."

2179.
2180.
2181.
2182.
2183.
2184.
2185.
2186.
2187.

When Ereshkigal heard this,

She smote her thigh, bit her finger:
"You asked of me a thing that should not be asked.
Now, Asushunamir, I will curse you with a mighty curse!
The food of the city's gutters shall be your food,
The sewers of the city shall be your drink.
The shadow of the wall shall be your station,
The threshold shall be your habitation,
The besotted and the thirsty shall smite your cheek!"

2188.
2189.
2190.
2191.
2192.
2193.
2194.

Ereshkigal opened her mouth to speak,

Saying these words to Namtar, her vizier:
"Get up, Namtar, knock at the Egalgina (Palace of Justice),
adorn the thresholds with coral,
bring forth the Anunnaki and seat them on thrones of gold,
sprinkle Ishtar with the water of life
and take her from my presence!"

2195.
2196.
2197.
2198.
2199.
2200.
2201.
2202.
2203.
2204.
2205.
2206.
2207.

Forth went Namtar, knocked at Egalgina,

adorned the thresholds with coral,
brought forth the Anunnaki, seated them on thrones of gold,
sprinkled Ishtar with the water of life
and took her from Ereskigal's presence.
When he had brought her out through the first gate,
He returned to her the breechcloth for her body.
When he had brought her out through the second gate,
He returned to her the clasps for her hands and feet.
When he had brought her out through the third gate,
He returned to her the birthstone girdle for her hips.
When he had brought her out through the fourth gate,
He returned to her the ornaments for her breasts.

69
2208.
2209.
2210.
2211.
2212.
2213.

When he had brought her out through the fifth gate,

He returned to her the chains for her neck.
When he had brought her out through the sixth gate,
He returned to her the pendants for her ears.
When he had brought her out through the seventh gate,
He returned to her the great crown for her head.

2214.
[An addition to Ereshkigal's instructions, apparently from another source; out of
place here:]
2215.
"If she does not give you her ransom price, bring her back.
2216.
As for Tammuz, the lover of her youth,
2217.
wash him with pure water, anoint him with sweet oil;
2218.
clothe him with a red garment,
2219.
let him play on a flute of lapis.
2220.
let courtesans turn his mood."
2221.
2222.
2223.
2224.
2225.
2226.
2227.
2228.
2229.
2230.
2231.
2232.

While Belili was stringing her jewelry,

her lap was filled with "eye-stones,"
when she heard the sound of her brother,
she struck the jewelry on...
so that the "eye-stones" filled ...
"My only brother, bring no harm to me!
On the day when Tammuz comes up to me,
when with him the lapis flute and the carnelian ring
come up to me,
when with him the wailing men and the wailing women
come up to me,
may the dead rise and smell the incense."

2233.
2234.

LAW
From the Code of Hammurapixxxiv

2235.
2236.
2237.
2238.
2239.
2240.
2241.
2242.
2243.
2244.
2245.
2246.
2247.
2248.

from the Prologue:

When lofty Anu,
king of the Anunnaki
And Enlil, lord of heaven and earth,
The determiner of the destines of the land,
Determined for Marduk, the first-born of Enki,
Dominion over all mankind...
Then did Anu and Enlil name me,
Hammurapi, the devout, god-fearing prince,
To make justice in the land,
To destroy the wicked and unjust,
That the strong might not oppress the weak;
To rise like Shamash [the sun]
over the black headed [Mesopotamian] people

70
2249.
2250.
2251.
2252.
2253.
2254.
2255.
2256.
2257.

And to light up the land,

To Hammurapi, the shepherd, called by Enlil, am I;
the one who makes affluence and plenty abound;
who provides in abundance all sorts of things for Nippur-Duranki, etc etc ...
When Marduk commissioned me to guide the people aright,
to direct the land,
I established law and justice in the language of the land,
thereby promoting the welfare of the people.
At that time I decreed:

2258.

SELECTIONS FROM THE LAWS:

2259.
If a citizen (free citizen or "gentleman"--awelum) accused another citizen and
brought a charge of murder against him, but has not proved it, his accuser shall be put to
death (-1).
2260.
If a citizen accuses another of sorcery, but has no proofs, the accused man shall to to
the river and plunge into it. If the river bears him away, the accuser shall take possession
of his house. If the river shows him to be innocent and he comes out safe, the accuser shall
be slain, and the other shall take his house. (-2).
2261.
If a citizen came forward with false testimony in a case, and has not proved the
word which he spoke, if that case was a case involving life, that citizien sahll be put to
death (-3).
2262.
If a citizen has helped either a male slave of the state or a female slave of the state or
a male slave of a mushkenum or a female slave of a mushkenum to escape through the
city-gate, he shall be put to death (-15).
2263.
If a citizen's wife decides to leave "in order to engage in business, thus neglecting
her house and humiliating her husband," the husband may divorce her without settlement.
He may marry another woman, "with the former wife living in her husband's house like a
maidservant." (-141)
2264.
If a woman so hated her husband that she has declared, "you may not have me (as
wife any more)," her record shall be investigated at her city council, and if she was careful
and was not at fault, even though her husband has been going out and disparaging her
greatly, that woman, without incurring any blame at all, may take her dowry and go off to
her father's house (-142).
2265.
If she was not careful, however, but was a gadabout, thus neglecting her house
(and) humiliating her husband, they shall throw that woman into the water (-143).
2266.
If a patrician put out another's eye, his eye shall be put out. If he break another's
bone, his bone shall be broken. If he put out the eye or break the bone of a plebeian, he

71
shall pay a talent of silver (''196-8).
2267.
If a surgeon has operated on a patrician with a bronze knife, and has killed him...his
hands shall be cut off. ('218)
2268.
If a builder has constructed a house for anyone and has not made his work solid, so
that a wall falls down, the builder shall repair the wall at his own cost. ('233)
2269.
If a patrician accuses another of sorcery, but has no proofs, the accused man shall to
the river and plunge into it. If the river bears him away, the accuser shall take possession
of his house. If the river shows him to be innocent and he comes out safe, the accuser shall
be slain, and the other shall take his house. ('2).
2270.
2271.
2272.
2273.
2274.
2275.
2276.

from the Epilogue:

I made an end of war,
I promoted the welfare of the land.
I made the peoples rest in friendly dwellings,
I did not allow trouble-makers in their midst.
The great gods called me,
And I was the beneficent shepherd of my righteous scepter....

72
2277.

PART III. ISRAEL

2278.
2279.
2280.
2281.
2282.
2283.
2284.

Archaeological Periods:
Early Bronze
3100-2100
Middle Bronze
2100-1500
Late Bronze
1500-1200
Iron I
1200-900
Iron II
900-586
Iron III
586-332

2285.
2286.
2287.
2288.
2289.
2290.
2291.
2292.
2293.
2294.
2295.
2296.
2297.
2298.

Traditional Periods, according to Biblical Account

Patriarchs *
vague; Middle Bronze
Sojourn in Egypt *
vague; Late Bronze
Exodus from Egypt *
mid to late 13th c.
Entry into Canaan *
early 12th c. (LB)
Judges **
1200-1020 (EI)
United Monarchy **
1020-922
Kingdom of Israel
922-721
Kingdom of Judah
922-587
Fall of Jerusalem
587
Return from Exile
535-Temple Rebuilt
520-15
Ezra
mid 5th c.
Alexander
333
= historicity uncertain or unlikely; ** = historicity under
debate, but likely.

2299.

INSCRIPTIONS

2300.
2301.
2302.
2303.
2304.
2305.
2306.

Inscription from Khirbet el-Qom; dated 750-700

Uryahu, the prosperous, his inscription:
I blessed Uryahu by YHWH
And from his enemies, O Asherata,
save him.
...
Inscriptions from Kuntillet `Ajrud
(1) N1 says: Say to N2 and Yauasa and [to N4]:
I bless you by Yahweh of Samaria (others:
"our guardian") and by his Asherah
(2) "I bless you by YHWH of Teman and his
asherah; may he bless you and keep you and
be with my lord."

73
(3) "Whatever he requests from a man, may it be
favored ... let YHWH give him according to
his wish."
(4) An inscription on plaster mentions a
theophany (appearance of God) on the day
of war.:
2307. "When God shines forth the mountains melt ... Baal on the day of w[ar], for the name
of God on the day of w[ar]."
B. (compare Deut 33:2; Micah 1:3-4; Judg 5:4-5; Hab 3)
2308.
Other inscriptions mentioning Yahweh
2309. Salutations in Letters: (Arad and Lachish): The 11 salutations known to us are all
Yahwistic: "I bless you by Yahweh", "May Yahweh seek your welfare." etc.
2310. ORIGINS OF YAHWISM.xxxv
2311. Some Bible texts seem to remember how Yahweh first came from the desert to make
himself known to Israel.
2312.
Theophany from Desert; Psalm 68:2
2313. Let God arise, his enemies be scattered;
2314. his adversaries shall flee before him.
2315. God marches before his people in the wilderness while Sinai trembles before him;
myriads of warriors come with him from Sinai with the holy ones (v. 18)
2316. God's chariots are myriads upon myriads,
2317. thousands upon thousands;
2318. Yahweh is among them, Sinai in holiness.
2319.
The Midianite Connection Numbers 10:29-32.
2320. (29) Moses said to Hobab son of Reul the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are
setting out for the place of which Yahweh has said, "I will give it to you. "
2321. Come with us and we will be generous with you; for Yahweh has promised to be
generous to Israel." (30) I will not go," he replied to him, "but will return to my native
land." (31) He said, "Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should
camp in the wilderness and can be our guide. (32) So if you come with us, we will extend
to you the same bounty that Yahweh grants us."
2322.
2323.

OTHER GODS OF ISRAEL?

Psalm 82:1-8
1) Elohim stands in the assembly of El,

2324.
2325.
2326.
2327.
2328.

among the judges he pronounces judgment.

2) "How long will you judge perversely,
showing favor to the wicked?
3) Judge the wretched and the orphan,
vindicate the lowly and the poor,

74
2329.
2330.
2331.
2332.
2333.
2334.
2335.
2336.
2337.

4) rescue the wretched and the needy;

save them from the hand of the wicked."
5) They neither know nor understand,
they go about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth totter.
6) "I had taken you for divine beings,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
7) but you shall die as men do,
fall like any prince."

2338.
2339.

8) Arise O Elohim, judge the earth,

for all the nations are Your possession."

2340.
The Queen of Heaven; Jeremiah 44
2341. (15) Thereupon they answered Jeremiah--all the men who knew that their wives made
offerings to other gods; all the women present, a large gathering; and all the people who
lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt: (16) `We will not listen to you in the matter about
which you spoke to us in the name of Yahweh. (17) On the contrary, we will do everything
which we have vowed--to make offerings to the Queen of Heaven and to pour libations to
her, as we used to do, we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the towns of
Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty to eat, we were well-off, and
suffered no misfortune. (18) But ever since we stopped making offerings to the Queen of
Heaven and pouring libations to her, we have lacked everything, and we have been
consumed by the sword and by famine. (19) And when we make offerings to the Queen of
Heaven and pour libations to her, is it without our husbands' approval that we have made
cakes in her likeness (?) and poured libations to her?'
2342. (Jeremiah says:) "You and your wives have confirmed by deed what you spoke in
words: `We will fulfill the vows which we made, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven
and to pour libations to her.' So fulfill your vows; perform your vows! Jer 44:25.
2343.
Statements of monolatry and monotheism. Where does the Bible proclaim strict
monotheism, the belief that there exists only one god?
b.

The Shema: Deuteronomy 6:4.

(1) Hear O Israel, Yahweh our God, Yahweh is
one.

2344. or:
2345. alternative translations: ... (2) Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone. (3) Yahweh our
God is one Lord.
2346.
2347.
2348.
2349.

b. from The Song of the Sea, Exod 15:11.

Who is like You, O Yahweh, among the gods (elim),
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, working wonders.

75
2350. c. The First Commandment.
2351. I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of
bondage. You shall have no other gods before me [or: "beside me"?]. You shall not make
yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the
earth below, or in the waters under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or serve
them. For I Yahweh your God am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of the fathers upon the
children, upon the third and fourth generations of them who reject me, but showing
kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
2352. d. Isaiah 45:5-7.
2353. (This is from Deutero-Isaiah, whose words are preserved in Isa 40-55. DeuteroIsaiah preached around 537, just before Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon and
allowed the Jews to return to Palestine. In the following passage Yahweh addresses
Cyrus:.
2354.
2355.
2356.
2357.
2358.
2359.
2360.
2361.
2362.

I am Yahweh and there is none else;

beside Me, there is no god.
I engird you, though you have not known Me,
so that they may know, from east to west,
that there is none but Me.
I am Yahweh and there is none else,
I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe-I Yahweh do all these things.

2363.
The KAVOD, God's "Glory" or "Substance". What Yahweh "looks like"?
2364. Exod 33:18-23:
2365. 18 [Moses] said, "O, let me behold your Kavod!" 19 And He answered, "I will make
all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name Yahweh, and I
will show grace to whom I will, and I will show compassion to whom I will. [JPS: and the
grace that I grant and the compassion that I show]. But," He said, "you cannot see my
face, for man may not see Me and live." And Yahweh said, "See, there is a place near Me.
Station yourself on the rock 22 and, as My Kavod passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the
rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away
and you will see my back, but My Face may not be seen."
2366.

CREATION TEXTS

2367. Creation as BATTLE ("theomachy"). There are traces of a myth of Yahweh fighting
sea monsters, Leviathan, Tannin, and Rahab. Compare them with the theomachies [wars
of the gods] in Babylon and Ugarit. How does theomachy function in creation? What
view of the world does it reflect? Note how the events of the primeval battle become part
of the End Time.
2368.
2369.

Theomachy (battles of the gods): Psalm 74

(10) Till when, O God, will the foe blaspheme,

76
2370.
2371.
2372.
2373.
2374.
2375.
2376.
2377.
2378.
2379.
2380.
2381.
2382.
2383.

will the enemy forever revile your name?

(11) Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Draw it out of your bosom!
2 O God, my king from old,
who brings deliverance throughout the land;
3 it was you who drove back the sea with your might,
who smashed the heads of the monsters in the waters;
4 it was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan,
who left him as food for the denizens of the desert;
5 it was you who released springs and torrents,
who made mighty waters run dry;
6 the day is yours, the night also;
it was you who set in place the moon and the sun;
7 you fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
summer and winter--you made them.
8 Be mindful of how the enemy blasphemes Yahweh,
how base people revile your name.
9 Do not deliver your dove to the wild beast;
do not ignore forever the band of your lowly ones.
10 Look to the covenant!
For the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of lawlessness.

2384.
2385.
2386.
2387.
2388.
2389.
2390.
2391.

Theomachy: Isaiah 51:9-11

(9) Awake, awake, clothe yourself with splendor,
arm of Yahweh!
Awake as in days of old,
As in former ages!
It was you who hacked Rahab in pieces,
That pierced the Dragon (tannin).
(10) It was you that dried up the Sea (yam),
The waters of the Great Deep (tehom);
That made the abysses of the Sea
A road the redeemed might walk....

2392.
2393.
2394.
2395.
2396.
2397.
2398.
2399.
2400.

Theomachy: Psalm 104:6-9

(6) You made the Deep cover the earth as a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
(7) They fled at your blast,
rushed away at the sound of your thunder,
(8) --mountains rising, valleys sinking-to the place you established for them.
(9) you set bounds they must not pass,
so that they never again cover the earth.

2401.

Control of Sea: Job 38:8-11

77
2402.
2403.
2404.
2405.
2406.
2407.
2408.
2409.

(8) Who closed the sea behind doors

When it gushed forth out of the womb.
(9) When I clothed it in clouds,
Swaddled it in dense clouds,
(10) When I made breakers my limit for it,
And set up its bars and doors,
(11) And said, "You may come so far and no farther;
here your surging waves will stop"?

2410.
2411.
2412.
2413.
2414.
2415.
2416.
2417.
2418.
2419.

War with Leviathan: Job 40:25-32

God challenges Job.
(25) Can you draw out Leviathan by a fishhook?
Can you press down his tongue by a rope?
(26) Can you put a ring through his nose,
or pierce his jaw with a barb?
(27) Will he plead with you at length?
Will he speak soft words to you?
(28) Will he make a covenant with you
To be taken as your eternal servant? ...

2420.
2421.
2422.
2423.
2424.

Leviathan: Isaiah 27:1

(1) In that day Yahweh will punish
With his great, cruel, mighty sword
Leviathan the elusive Serpent-Leviathan the fleet Serpent-he will slay the Dragon (Tannin) in the sea.

2425.
CREATION AS CRAFT; Genesis 2:4b-24
2426. When Yahweh God [traditional transl.: "Lord God"] made earth and heaven--when no
shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because
Yahweh God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, but a
flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth--Yahweh
God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and
man became a living being.
2427. Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he
had formed. And from the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that was
pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden,
and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
2428. [God made a river from the garden, with four branches]...
2429. Yahweh God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it.
And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you are free
to eat; but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as
soon as you eat of it, you shall die."
2430. Yahweh God said, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for
him." ... And Yahweh God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a
woman; and He brought her to the man. Then the man said,

78
XXIII. "This one at last
XXIV. Is bone of my bones
XXV. And flesh of my flesh.
XXVI. This one shall be called Woman,
XXVII. For from man was she taken."
2431. Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become
one flesh.
2432.
CREATION BY WORD. Genesis 1:1-2:4a Note the emphasis on orderly
procedure. Key words are highlighted. What are the components of each act of creation?
What are the implications such a procedure for the world?
2433. When God began to create the heaven and the earth--the earth being unformed and
void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God ["the spirit of
God"] sweeping over the water--God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
2434. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and
there was morning, a first day.
2435. God said, "Let there be an expanse [firmament, partition] in the midst of the water,
that it may separate water from water." God made the expanse, and it separated the
water which was below the expanse from the water which was above the expanse. And it
was so. God called the expanse Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, a
second day.
2436. God said, "Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land
may appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters he
called Seas. And God saw that this was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout
vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the
seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing fruit of every
kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was
good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
2437. .....
2438. 2:1. The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day
God finished the work which He had been doing, and He ceased [Heb. shabat, related to
the word for "Sabbath"] on the seventh day from all the work which He had done. And
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the
work of creation which He had done. Such is the story of heaven and earth when they
were created.
2439. VISIONS OF THE FUTURE. What is the "history of the future". What kind of a
world is envisioned? What is the motivation for such a vision?
2440.
2441.
2442.

THE IDEAL RULER and the restored Eden; Isaiah 11:1-16

1) But a shoot shall grow out of the
stump of Jesse,
A twig shall sprout from his stock.
2) The spirit of Yahweh shall alight upon him:

79
2443.
2444.
2445.
2446.
2447.
2448.
2449.
2450.
2451.
2452.
2453.
2454.
2455.
2456.
2457.
2458.
2459.
2460.
2461.
2462.
2463.
2464.
2465.
2466.
2467.
2468.
2469.
2470.
2471.
2472.
2473.
2474.
2475.

A spirit of wisdom and insight,

A spirit of counsel and valor,
A spirit of devotion and reverence for Yahweh.
3) And he shall teach him the fear of Yahweh:
He shall not judge by what his eyes behold,
`Nor decide by what his ears perceive.
4) Thus he shall judge the poor with equity
And decide with justice for the lowly of the land.
He shall strike down a land with the rod of his mouth
And slay the wicked with the breath of his lips.
5) Justice shall be the girdle of his loins,
And faithfulness the girdle of his waist.
6) The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard lie down with the kid;
The calf, the beast of prey, and the fatling together,
With a little boy to herd them.
7) The cow and the bear shall graze,
Their young shall lie down together;
And the lion, like the ox, shall eat straw.
8) A babe shall play
Over a viper's hole,
And an infant pass his hand
Over an adder's den.
9) No one shall cause harm or damage
In all of My sacred mount,
For the land shall be filled with devotion to Yahweh
As water covers the sea.
10) In that day,
The stock of Jesse that has remained standing
Shall become a standard to peoplesNations shall seek his counsel,
And his abode shall be honored.
11) In that day, My......

2476.
2477.
2478.
2479.
2480.
2481.
2482.
2483.
2484.
2485.

GOD'S VICTORY BANQUET, Isaiah 25:6-8

(6) Yahweh of Hosts will make on this mount
for all the peoples
A banquet of rich viands, etc.
(8) He will destroy [lit., swallow up] Death forever.
My Lord God will wipe the tears away
From all faces
And will put an end to the reproach of His people
Over all the earth-For it is Yahweh who has spoken.

2486.

NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH; Isaiah 66:17

80
2487.
2488.
2489.
2490.

For behold! I am creating

A new heaven and a new earth;
The former things shall not be remembered,
They shall never come to mind.

2491.
2492.
2493.
2494.
2495.
2496.
2497.
2498.
2499.
2500.
2501.
2502.
2503.

UNCEASING LIGHT; Isaiah 60:19-21

No longer shall you need the sun
For light by day,
Nor the shining of the moon
For radiance [by night];
For Yahweh shall be your light everlasting,
Your God shall be your glory.
Your sun shall set no more,
Your moon no more withdraw;
For Yahweh shall be a light to you forever,
And your days of mourning shall be ended.
And your people, all of them righteous,
Shall possess the land for all time.

2504.
INTERNATIONAL PEACE; Isaiah 19:23-24
2505. In that day, there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians shall join
with the Egyptians and Egyptians with the Assyrians, and then the Egyptians together with
the Assyrians shall serve [Yahweh]. In that day, Israel shall be a third partner with Egypt
and Assyria as a blessing on earth, for Yahweh of Hosts will bless them, saying: "Blessed
be My people Egypt, My handiwork Assyria, and My people Israel."
2506. DEATH AND REVIVAL. What did the Israelites believe happens after death? How
does this compare with the beliefs of other cultures?
2507. Cult of the dead. We know about this from frequent condemnations of mortuary
practices.
2508.

CONDEMNATIONS OF CULT OF THE DEAD, Deuteronomy

b. Deut 14:1.
2509. You are sons of Yahweh, your God. You shall not lacerate yourselves and you shall
not make a bald spot on your head for the dead.
2510. b. Deut 18:9ff.
2511. When you come into the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, you shall not
learn to behave according to the abominable practices of those nations. Let no one be
found among you ... who practices divination or conjuring, interprets omens, engages in
sorcery, or casts spells, or who consults spirits of the dead or seeks oracles from the dead.
Anyone who does these things is an abomination to Yahweh.
2512.

CONDEMNATIONS OF CULT of the dead, Isaiah

c. Isaiah 57:6.

81
2513.
2514.
2515.
2516.

Among the departed of the wady is your portion,

they, they are your lot.
Even to them have you poured libations
and brought offerings.

2517. b. Isaiah 8:19-20a.

2518. When they say to you, "Consult the necromancers and mediums who chirp and
mutter; shall not a people consult its ancestral spirits on behalf of the living consult the
dead for an oracle and a message?" ...
2519.
2520.
2521.
2522.
2523.
2524.
2525.

RESURRECTION (Isa 26:19; Dan 12:1-3)

d. Isaiah 26:19.
O, let your dead revive!
Let corpses arise!
Awake and shout for joy,
You who dwell in the dust!-For Your dew is like the dew on fresh growth;
You make the land of the shades come to life.

2526. b. Daniel 12:1-3. Dated 168-166 BCE, during the persecutions of Antiochus IV
Epiphanes
2527. At that time, the great prince [angel], Michael, who stands beside the sons of your
people, will appear. It will be a time of trouble, the like of which has never been since the
nation came into being. At that time your people will be rescued, all who are found
inscribed in the book. Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to
eternal life, others to reproaches, to everlasting abhorrence. And the knowledgeable will
be radiant like the bright expanse of sky, and those who lead the many to righteousness
will be like the stars forever and ever."
2528. ETHICS
2529. Several of the Bible readings, including the Ten Commandments and, above all, the
prophetic speeches, reflect the Israelite (or an Israelite) view of ethics. What are its
motivations? components? ideals?
2530.
PROPHETIC ETHICS. Jer 22:1-5
2531. Thus says Yahweh [to Jeremiah]: Go down to the palace of the king of Judah, where
you shall utter this word. Say: Hear the word of Yahweh: O king of Judah, you who sit on
the throne of David, and your courtiers and your subjects who enter these gates! Thus
says Yahweh: (3) Do what is just and right; rescue from the defrauder him who is robbed;
do not wrong the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; commit no lawless act, and do
not shed the blood of the innocent in this place. For if you fulfill this command, then
through the gates of this palace shall enter kings of David's line who sit upon his throne,
riding horse-drawn chariots, with their courtiers and their subjects. But if you do not heed
these commands, I swear by Myself--declares Yahweh--that this palace shall become a
ruin.

2532.

NOTES

2533.

NOTES

. Selected and adapted from E. Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt. Cornell Univ.: Ithaca, NY 1982. 274-84.
. M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (= AEL) (Berkeley: Univ. of California), 1973/1976
iii
. AEL 2.148-62, passim.
iv
. AEL 2.96-99
v
. Magical spells mostly selected from B. Brier, Ancient Egyptian Magic, Wm. Morrow, NY 1980, pp. 285, 288-90.
vi
. J. P. Allen, Genesis in Egypt (New Haven: Yale, 1988) 31
vii
. T. G. Allen, Book of the Dead ("BD") (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1974, 26viii
.Berlin Ritual of Amon (pBerlin 3055) 16,3f.)
ix
.ibid.
x
.R.O. Faulkner, The Pap. Bremner Rhind 60,6; 70,9.
xi
. J.P. Allen, Genesis in Egypt (New Haven; Yale Egyptological Seminar, 1988), 11.
xii
. J. Allen, Genesis, 13.
xiii
. Allen, op. cit., 13f.
xiv
.' A from AEL I 131-132. '' B-E from R. Faulkner, The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts (Warminster: Aris and Phillips,
1978) III, 167f.. AEL I, 54f.
xv
. AEL I, 106.
xvi
. AEL I, 47
xvii
. AEL I, 36-38.
xviii
. AEL I, 58, selection
xix
. R. O. Faulkner, Mm. Mis. 66, 43.
xx
. AEL II, 123
xxi
. AEL II, 124-32, selections.
xxii
. AEL I, 100-101
xxiii
. Faulkner, op. cit. 169f.
xxiv
. Faulkner, Coffin Texts, III, 132.
xxv
. AEL I 171-82, selections.
xxvi
AEL II 148-62, passim.
xxvii
. S. Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1989) 233-49; 253-56; 260-64; 273-74.
xxviii
. Selected from J. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Text (Princeton, NJ 1955), 101f.
xxix
. Th. Jacobsen, Treasures of Darkness (New Haven, CT: Yale Univ., 1978) (= TOD) 137f.
xxx
. TOD 136
xxxi
. D. Wolkstein & S.N. Kramer, Inanna (NY: Harper & Row, 1983), 101.
xxxii
. Ibid. 103.
xxxiii
. Wolkstein-Kramer, Inanna, 46f.
xxxiv
. J. B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1955) 164-174, selections.
xxxv
. The Bible quotations are mostly from The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish
Publication Soc.) 1962-82.
ii