9/13/2011
Polytheism
Religion
Religion in Mesopotamia
Sumerian Prayer
May the wrath of the heart of my god be pacified!
May the god who is unknown to me be pacified!
May the goddess who is unknown to me be pacified!
May the known and unknown god be pacified!
May the known and unknown goddess be pacified!
The sin which I have committed I know not.
The misdeed which I have committed I know not.
A gracious name may my god announce!
A gracious name may my goddess announce!
A gracious name may my known and unknown god
announce!
A gracious name may my known and unknown
Goddess announce!
Pure food have I not eaten,
Clear water have I not drunk.
An offense against my god I have unwittingly committed.
A transgression against my goddess I have unwittingly done.
0 Lord, my sins are many, great are my iniquities!
My god, my sins are many, great are my iniquities! . . .
The sin, which I have committed, I know not.
The iniquity, which I have done, I know not.
The offense, which I have committed, I know not.
The transgression I have done, I know not.
The lord, in the anger of his heart, hath looked upon me.
The god, in the wrath of his heart, hath visited me.
The goddess hath become angry with me, and hath
grievously stricken me.
Known and unknown god, my sins are seven times seven;
forgive my sins.
The known or unknown god hath straitened me.
The known or unknown goddess hath brought affliction
upon me.
I sought for help, but no one taketh my hand.
I wept, but no one came to my side.
I lamented, but no one hearkens to me.
I am afflicted, I am overcome, I cannot look up.
Unto my merciful god I turn, I make supplication.
I kiss the feet of my goddess and [crawl before her] . .
How long, my god . . .
How long, my goddess, until thy face be turned toward
me?
How long, known and unknown god, until the anger of thy
heart be pacified?
How long, known and unknown goddess, until thy
unfriendly heart be pacified?
Mankind is perverted and has no judgment.
Of all men who are alive, who knows anything?
They do not know whether they do good or evil.
0 lord, do not cast aside thy servant!
He is cast into the mire; take his hand.
The sin which I have sinned, turn to mercy!
The iniquity which I have committed, let the wind carry
away.
My many transgressions tear off like a garment!
My god, my sins are seven times seven; forgive my sins!
My goddess, my sins are seven times seven; forgive my
sins!
•
There is a house whose people sit in darkness;
dust is their food and clay their meat. They are
clothed like birds with wings for coverings, they
see no light, they sit in darkness. I entered the
house of dust and I saw the kings of the earth,
their crowns put away forever; rulers and
princes, all those who once wore kingly crowns
and ruled the world in the days of old. They
who stood in the place of the gods like Anu &
Enlil, stood now like servants to fetch baked
meats in the house of dust, to carry cooked
meat and cold water from the water skin. In
the house of dust, which I entered, were high
priests & acolytes, priests of the incantation &
of ecstasy; there were servers of the temple,
and there was Etana, that king of Kish whom
the eagle carried to heaven in the days of old. I
saw also Samuqan, god of cattle, and there was
Ereshkigal the Queen of the Underworld; and
Belit-Sheri squatted in front of her, she who is
recorder of the gods and keeps the book of
death. She held the tablet from which she read.
Sumerian Afterlife from
the Epic of Gilgamesh
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Sumerian deity in the bible!
• Biblical: Ezekiel 8:14, the prophet sees
women of Israel weeping for Tammuz
(Dumuzi) during a drought.
Biblical parallels in Sumerian Literature
• Sumerians: Dumuzi (demigod) (Tammuz)
Reality or finding patterns in static?
Most similarities are in Genesis
• Garden of Eden,similar to
the Sumerian Dilmun
– Dilmun (Sumerian)
• a pure, bright, and holy land
• blessed by Enki to have
overflowing, sweet water.
• Filled with lagoons and palm
trees.
– Eden (bible)
• "in the East" (Gen. 2:8)
• has a river which also "rises"
or overflows
• lush and has fruit bearing
trees. (Gen. 2:9-10)
• He is Inanna's husband. In life, he was the
shepherd king of Uruk.
• Child Birth
– Bible
• After Adam and eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden,
Eve is made to suffer through childbirth. Before the fall
of man, she would not.
– Sumer
• Enki’s mother gives birth in 9 days in absolute ease in
Dilmun
• Antediluvian Patriarchs
– Bible
• Sometimes lists 10 patriarchs that live for hundreds of
years, sometimes 7 with Noah being the 8 th.
– Sumer
• There were 8 antediluvian kings in the Sumerian King
lists who also, supposedly lived for hundreds of years.
• Another Sumerian King list has listed 10 antediluvian
kings.
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Creation of Man is similar
Sumerian Leadership - Dynasties
– Genesis (bible)
• "The Lord God formed man out of the
clay of the ground and blew into his
nostrils the breath of life, and so man
became a living being.“
– Sumerian
• Enki's mother, bids Enki to "Kneed the
'heart' of the clay that is over the Abzu
" and "give it form" (Kramer & Maier p.
33)
• From there the similarities cease as
the two create several malformed
humans and then the two deities get
into an argument.
Creation of the first woman
• Sumerian:
• Enki’s mother created 8 new plants on earth,
and he eats them.
• His mother curses him and gives him 8 wounds
• Other gods get his mother to undo the
damage
• She creates eight new plants to cure his
wounds
• The one who cures his rib is named Ninti,
whose name means the Queen of months, the
lady of the rib, or she who makes live.
The Serpent/mortality
• Sumerian/Epic of Gilgamesh
• Gilgamesh is finds a plant that
will bring him immortality.
• It is eaten by a snake, causing
him to lose immortality.
• Bible
• The first woman (Eve) is tricked
by a snake into eating from the
tree of knowledge.
• After she and Adam eat, they
are kicked out of the Garden of
Eden and lose their
immortality.
• Bible
• In Genesis, Eve is fashioned from Adam's rib
• her name Hawwa is related to the Hebrew
word hay or living.
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• The Flood (The clearest Biblical parallel)
– Sumer/Epic of Gilgamesh
• Pious Ziusudra/Utnapishtim is informed of the gods
decision to destroy mankind by listening to a wall.
• He too weathers the deluge aboard a huge boat.
• Ziusudra/Utnapishtim comes to rest in 7 days..
• He is given eternal life
– Bible
•
•
•
•
God sends to flood to punish mankind for being wicked
Noah is pious and is chosen to perpetuate mankind
Noah’s flood lasts 40 days and nights
God makes a covenant with Noah to never destroy
mankind ever again
– OTHER flood stories
• Indian Flood Story
• http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/floodmyth/Flood_Myt
h.htm
• http://www.gpc.edu/~shale/humanities/literature/religion
/creation.html
Comparison of
Genesis &
Gilgamesh
1. Extent of flood
2. Cause
3. Intended for
Global
Man’s Wickedness
All mankind
Global
Man’s sins
All mankind
4.
5.
6.
7.
Yaweh
Noah
Righteous
Direct from God
Yes
Assembly of gods
Utnapishtim
Righteous
In a dream, from
gods
Yes
Yes
Yes
8.
9.
whom?
Sender
Name of hero
Hero’s Character
Means of
announcement
Ordered him to
build a boat?
Did the hero
complain?
10. Height of boat
11. Compartments
Several stories (3)
Many
Several stories (6)
Many
12. Doors
13. Windows
14. Outside coating
15. Shape of boat
16. Human
One
At least one
Pitch
Rectangular
Family members only
One
At least one
Pitch
Square
Family & few others
inside?
passengers
17. Other
All species of
animals
Ground water &
heavy rain
19. Duration of flood Long (40 days &
nights +)
20. Test to find land Release of birds
passengers
18. Means of flood
All species of
animals
Heavy rain
Short (6 days &
nights)
Release of birds
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21. Types of birds
22. Ark landing spot Mountain Ararat?
Dove, Swallow,
Raven
Mountain Nisir
23. Sacrifice after
Yes, by Noah
Yes, by Utnapishtim
24. Blessed after
Yes
Yes
the flood
flood?
Raven & 3 doves
Why do
similarities
exist?
Most
religions
share
elements of
others
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