The word "religion" means a binding together or a system of beliefs, rituals, and standards of conduct. Religion provides spiritual and ethical guidance and offers an acceptable explanation of the mysteries of death. Religion in Mesopotamia gave the world its first mythology.
Mesopotamian mythology was a series of repeated stories that explained the unexplainable and was the backbone of the religion. The religion of Mesopotamia is the oldest religion that we have RECORDS of.
WHAT WE KNOW:
- We do know that all the ancient Sumerians asked questions that have always troubled mankind....WHO ARE WE?...WHERE ARE WE?...HOW DID WE GET HERE?
- The world was a flat disk that was surrounded by a vast hollow space and that this was enclosed in an over-arching heaven.
- The sea was all around the earth...top bottom and sides.
- The universe had been born of these waters.
The Sumerian word for universe is an-ki. This denotes the god AN and the goddesss
KI. Their offspring was ENLIL-the air god. He is considered the most powerful
god in the Sumerian pantheon. Mesopotamians were polytheistic. In other words
they believed in many gods. The Sumerians were clearly in touch with the spirit
world...In matters of physical health, they relied on spiritual remedies, and
turned to exorcists, to get rid of the demons that were possessing them.Enlil and his powers...parallels the Greek God Zeus and the Roman God Jupiter.
One of these demons is the wind demon PAZUZU. Even though he was king of the evil
demons, his image was used to protect women in childbirth. This is one of
the motifs in the film, The Exorcist.Hundreds of other gods and goddesses were born from these Sumerian gods: UTU--sun god and one of the chief deities; NINHURSAG-Mother Earth and was the source of life; ENKI-lord of wisdom; INANNA-goddess of love and war and was the patron deity of Uruk.
The gods are a window into the value system of the Mesopotamians--they valued
fertility, sought protection in war, respected wisdom, and they clearly had
a reverence for the earth. According to Mesopotamian mythology, human beings
were created so the gods would have servants. One Babylonian creation myth
states it like this...
"Man shall be charged with the service of the gods, that
they might be at ease."
Notice that this view of God contrasts sharply with the concept that comes
to us through the Hebrew and Christian traditions.In essence---you wanted to treat the gods and goddesses right because they provided you with everything.
Several times a day in an elaborate ritual the god was served a sumptuous meal. The courses were set out before the statue of the god or goddess, music was played, and incense was sprinkled.
Here is a daily menu for the god Anu at Uruk:
- 12 vessels of wine 2 vessels of milk
- 108 vessels of beer
- 243 loaves of bread
- 29 bushels of dates
- 21 rams
- 2 bulls
- l bullock
- 8 lambs
- 60 birds
- 3 cranes
- 7 ducks
- 4 wild boars
- 3 ostrich eggs
- 3 duck eggs
- and a Big Mac -- just checking to see if you are awake!
The burial rites of Sumerians are tied to their belief in the spirit world and they followed a strict pattern.
- The body was wrapped in reed matting, or occasionally placed in a coffin.
- The corpse was laid on its side with a bowl of water between the hands near the mouth.
- Some treasured belongings might go in the grave.
- Vessels filled with food and water were place near the body so the spirit wouldn't be hungry and return for food.
- The tombs were furnished according to what the family could afford...so the royal tombs were filled with treasures.
Copyright © 1996-2014, KET
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