Myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916) (14595473808)

Identifier: mythslegendsofba00spenuoft (find matches)
Title: Myths and legends of Babylonia & Assyria
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Assyro-Babylonian religion Mythology, Assyro-Babylonian Legends Cults
Publisher: London : Harrap
Contributing Library: Kelly - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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ess of evolution of a god of justice. Thus inAncient Mexico Tezcatlipoca evolved from a tribaldeity into a god who was beginning to bear all themarks and signs of a god of justice when the con-quering Spaniards put an end to his career. Weobserve, too, that although the Greeks had a specialdeity whose department was justice, other divinities,such as Pallas Athene, displayed signs that they intime might possibly become wielders of the balancesbetween man and man. In the Egyptian heavenlyhierarchy Maat and Thoth both partook of the attri-butes of a god of justice, but perhaps Maat was themore directly symbolical of the two. Now in thecase of Shamash no favours can be obtained fromhim by prayer or sacrifice unless those who supplicatehim, monarchs though they be, can lay claim torighteousness. Even Tiglath-pileser I, mighty con-queror as he was, recognized Shamash as his judge,and, naturally, as the judge of his enemies, whom hedestroys, not because they are fighting against Tiglath, 2tZ
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Assur-nazir-pal attended by a Winged Mythological Being Bas-relief from the north-western palace atijt > NimrudPhoto W. A. Maiisell and Co.l 222 SIN IN THE NORTHERN LAND but because of their wickedness. When he set cap-tives free Tiglath took care to perform the graciousact before the face of Shamash, that the god mightbehold that justice dwelt in the breast of his royalservant. Tiglath, in fact, is the viceroy of Shamashupon earth, and it would seem as if he referred manycases regarding whose procedure he was in doubt tothe god before he finally pronounced upon them. Both Assur-nazir-pal and Shalmaneser II exaltedthe sun-cult of Shamash, and it has been suggestedthat the popularity of the worship of Ra in Egypt hadreflected upon that of Shamash in Assyria. It mustalways be extremely difficult to trace such resem-blances at an epoch so distant as that of the ninthcentury B.C. But certainly it looks as if the Ra culthad in some manner influenced that of the old Baby-Ionian sun-god.