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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[AUGUST, 1889.
MISCELLANEA. PROGRESS OF EUROPEAN SCHOLARSHIP. tion as that of the ancient Chaldeans, with a No. XVII.
sidereal element in addition. We have the same
mysterious supreme god, whether called Ilu or Revue de L'Histoire des Religions.
Anna. The first triad corresponds to the old three The Revue de L'Histoire des Religions, regions of the universe. Only the feminine published in Paris, by Leroux, is a periodical element occupies a more important position in which is not so well known in India as it deserves the new pantheon, Anat, Bélit, and Istar (the to be. Its purpose is indicated by its name, for it planet Venus) representing it in its fecundity is purely historical, and excludes all polemic and and in its sexual pleasure. It is this which dogmatic matter. The following are some of the explains the compulsory prostitution of every articles which have appeared during the last three woman in the temple at Babylon. years, and which will be of interest to Indian Assyria, in possessing itself of Babylon, and students.
founding its immense empire, changed nothing (a)-Vol. XIV. No. 1, July and August, 1886.
but one name in the Chaldwan pantheon. It M. E. de Pressensé contributes an interesting
raised its god Assur to the dignity of the Supreme
God, but without essentially modifying the article on the Chaldæo-Assyrian Religion,
character of the latter. It, however, gave him a divided into three parts, viz. I., Its sources; II., The phases of the religious evolution; III., The
striking personification upon earth, in the person
of its conquering king, and from Assyrian religion. The religion is traced from
this point
history becomes an important factor in the an animism full of despair and terror over
development of religion. mastering men who are everywhere surrounded by the evil powers of the river, the wind, the storm,
The king described his victories as brought and the miasma. It was then a religion of
about by Assur.-" The god Assur, my lord, told charms and exorcisms, of appeals to kindly deities
me to march forth, &c." The splendid palaces for protection, and of talismans. The superior
raised to the glory of the king were temples of elements contained in it eventually doveloped in
that magnificent royalty of which the god Assur a regular mythological evolution. Thus we find
was the august type. This striking represengradually coming into prominence, Anna, the god
tation of the victorious war of the national deities
against evil powers became a real religion, and of the sky, Ea, of earth, and Mulge, of the lower abyss; each of whom was a male deity, with his
we thus emerge from the placid sidereal pantheon
of the Chaldians, although, after all, the new spouse, a kind of feminine hypostasis of his attributes. These gods had so far no distinct
element is simply superimposed over the primitiva personality, and it was they who war with the evil
basis of the ancient religion. spirits, authors of ill. Prayer occupied the first
But, beside the development of the official place in this cult, but sacrifice is also mentioned,
religion, a sense of personal sin grew up gradually though destitute of elevation or morality. Such amongst the Chaldeans. The voice of con was the religion of the Accadians, which received science began to be heard, purifying the coward a further development through the influence of the
ly terrors of superstition. It is impossible Semitic Kushites. We now find the fundamen
that this development of conscience should not tal idea of a divine unity in a pantheistic sense.
have co-existed with an idea, more or less conThe hidden God, who contains all things within
fused, of retribution in a future life. We thus find himself, manifests himself in a diversity of pheno.
a privileged place awarded to valiant soldiers in
the abode of the dead. But it is to Assyria mena. Secondary gods, ranged below him, only personify his attributes. The god is Ilu, Babylon
that is owed a new development in the conception is his city,--the city of Ilu ;--and from him
of the future life. We now find & distinct emanates the first triad
progress in the idea of retribution attached to a
future life. We find two frightful monsters, Anu, or primordial chaos, Bel, the Demiurge,
representing retributive tormenta, in the lower Nuah, the saviour, the intelligent guide.
regions, and above, on the earth, the dead placed Each of these three has his corresponding between two protecting gods. There is therefore feminine divinity, viz. Anat, Belit, and Tihamti,
recourse to the gods against the terrible power respectively. A second triad is composed of
of hell. the sun, the moon, and the atmosphere, who are
(6)-Vol. XIV. No. 3, Nov. and Dec. 1886. followed by the five planets.
(1) M. Edouard Montet describes the Persian Really this new mythology is the same concep-| Drama, and its intimate connexion with
