Assyro-Babylonian religion

The pre-Christian religions of Babylonia and Assyria are the earliest attestation of Ancient Semitic religion, in particular Mesopotamian mythology. As with other ancient cultures in Mesopotamia and elsewhere, the predominant religious model in the area was polytheism, a belief in many gods. Evolving out of earlier religions of the Ancient Near East, the religion of this area was centered on the cult of regional patron deities, such as Marduk at Babylon, Ishtar at Agade, or Sin at Ur and Harran.

Pantheon

The following is a list of some Assyrian deities:
*Assur / Anshar, patron of Assur
*Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, patroness of Nineveh
*Adramelech
*As Shalla, the Assyrian goddess of grain
*Anasas, god of medicine
*Nishraeli
*Nisroch, god of agriculture
*Nimrud
*Oannes
*Nabu
*Samnuha
*Kubaba

Neo-Assyrian Empire

The religion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (sometimes called Ashurism by Modern Assyrians) centered around the god Assur, patron deity of the city of Assur, besides Ishtar patroness of Nineveh.The Assyrians adopted Christianity during the course of the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD, [cite web | url=http://www.meforum.org/article/558 | title=Iraqi Assyrians: Barometer of Pluralism | publisher=Middle East Quarterly | accessdate=Summer 2003 | quote=Modern Assyrians trace their heritage to the ancient Mesopotamians who converted from paganism to Christianity in the three centuries after Christ. ] the last recorded worship of Ashur dating to AD 256. [cite web | url = http://www.aina.org/aol/peter/brief.htm#Religion | title=Brief History of Assyrians | publisher= AINA Assyrian International News Agency | accessdate =] [cite web |first=Simo |last=Parpola |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Assyrians after Assyria |url=http://www.nineveh.com/Assyrians%20after%20Assyria.html |format=HTML |work=Assyriologist |publisher=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies, Vol. XIII No. 2, |id= |pages= |page= |date=1999 |accessdate= |language=English |quote= The gods Ashur, Sherua, Istar, Nanaya, Bel, Nabu and Nergal continued to be worshiped in Assur at least until the early third century AD; the local cultic calendar was that of the imperial period; the temple of Ashur was restored in the second century AD; and the stelae of the local rulers resemble those of Assyrian kings in the imperial period. ] However, the Assyrian religion did exist in some form until the 10th century in Harran, [cite web
first=
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author=Parpola, Simo
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title=State Archives of Assyria, Vol.9: Assyrian Prophecies
url=http://www.nineveh.com/Assyrians%20after%20Assyria.html
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work=Assyriology
publisher=University of Helsinki
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date=1997
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quote=In Harran, the cults of Sin, Nikkal, Bel, Nabu, Tammuz and other Assyrian gods persisted until the 10th century AD and are still referred to in Islamic sources. Typically Assyrian priests with their distinctive long conical hats and tunics are depicted on several Graeco-Roman monuments from Northern Syria and East Anatolia. ] and into the 18th century in Mardin.cite web
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author=Parpola, Simo
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title=Assyrian Identity in Ancient Times and Today
url=http://www.aina.org/articles/assyrianidentity.pdf
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work=Assyriology
publisher=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies
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pages=17
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language=English
quote=From the third century AD on, the Assyrians embraced Christianity in increasing numbers, even though the Assyrian religion persisted in places like Harran at least until the tenth, in Mardin even until the 18th century AD. ]

Assyrian religion was an evolution of the ancient polytheistic Sumero-Akkadian religion into henotheism, a religion based on the worship of one supreme god, but recognising the existence of others. This was represented through the gradual takeover by Ashur of the roles of other gods, and this process runs parallel with the expansionist policies of the Assyrian Empirecite book|last=Bertman|first=Stephen|title=Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia|location=New York|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2005|pages=p. 117] . As the Assyrians extended their domain over other lands, they considered it important that the local peoples acknowledge the Assyrian king as the king of their lands as well. However, kingship at the time was linked very closely with the idea of divine mandatecite book|last=Bertman|first=Stephen|title=Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia|location=New York|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2005|pages=p. 66] . The Assyrian king, whilst not being a god himsef, was acknowledged as the chief servant of the chief god, Ashur. In this manner, the king's authority was seen as absolute so long as the high priest reassured the peoples that the gods, or in the case of the henotheistic Assyrians, "the God", was pleased with the current ruler. For the Assyrians who lived in Assur and the surrounding lands, this system was the norm. For the conquered peoples, however, it was novel, particularly to the people of smaller city-states. In time, Assur was promoted from being the local deity of Assur to the overlord of the vast Assyrian domain, with worship being conducted in his name throughout the lands of the Assyrians. With the worship of Assur across much of the Fertile Crescent, the Assyrian king could command the loyalty of his fellow servants of Assur.

Ashur, the patron deity of the city of Assur from the Late Bronze Age, was in constant rivalry with the patron deity of Babylon, Marduk. In Assyria, Ashur eventually superseded Marduk even in his role as the husband of Ishtar.

The ancient Assyrians believed Ashur to be the "Sky Axle" or "he who makes the world turn", based on the ancient Sumerian deity referred to as Anshar of the same likeness. Gradually, his status was elevated to the leader of the gods by his worshippers. Some believe that the belief gradually formed the basis of monotheism and ultimately of the Abrahamic religions.Fact|date=August 2007 (see also Urmonotheismus)

Influence on Abrahamic religions

Many of the stories of the Tanakh, [cite web |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Assyria |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=2046&letter=A&search=Assyria |format=HTML |work= |publisher=Jewish Encyclopedia |id= |pages= |page= |date= |accessdate= |language=English |quote=The official and to some extent the popular religion of Judah was greatly affected by Assyrian influence, especially under Ahaz and Manasseh. ] and the Qur'an are believed to have been based on, influenced by, or inspired by the legendary mythological past of the Near East. The Enuma Elish in particular has been compared to the Genesis creation story. The story of Esther in particular is traced to Babylonian roots.

ee also

*Religions of the Ancient Near East
*Ancient Semitic religion
*Babylonian mythology
*Middle Eastern mythology
*Canaanite religion
*É (temple)

External links

*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02007c.htm
*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02179b.htm

References