428 FISH NOT IN SACRIFICE OR AUGURY 



in the Bible. On New Year's Day (about mid-September), 

 when in the fulness of time God will judge mankind, it was the 

 custom (based on Micah vii., " Thou wilt cast all their sins into 

 the sea") to assemble near some lake or stream. If goodly 

 numbers of fish were spied, the omen of the expiation of human 

 sins was accepted. Forthwith the crowd jumped for joy, and 

 shed their garments, likewise their sins, on to the fishes, who 

 swam away, heavily laden. 



Religious customs in Israel and Assyria both correspond and 

 differ. Thus the sacrifices of fish found in Assyria are absent 

 in Israel, although we read passim of offerings of domestic 

 animals, of wine, of pigeons, and of doves. The former (despite 

 Sayce and Jastrow) were guiltless of human sacrifices, the 

 latter " sacrificed their sons and their daughters " (even) 

 " unto demons." i 



From the words of Exod. xiii. 2, and Numbers xviii. 15 f., 

 Mr. Campbell Thompson holds that the God of Israel plainly 

 regarded the firstborn of men and the firstUngs of animals as 

 his own. The Israelites certainly offered up some of their 

 children, generally the firstborn (cf. Isaac), either as a tribute 

 regularly due to their Deity or to appease his anger at times 

 of calamity or danger. 2 Other writers disavow a general 

 sacrificing of the firstborn as part of the reUgion of Israel ; 

 they attribute individual instances occurring towards the 

 close of the monarchy to the influence of surrounding 

 nations. 3 



I have come across no counterpart to the Babylonian or 

 Roman custom of taking auguries or making oracular responses 

 from the movements, etc., of fish. If the Hebrews apparently 

 lacked some modes of divining which were employed by the 

 Greeks, Romans, Arabs, etc., such as observation of the flight 

 and cries of birds, the movements of fish, the inspection of the 

 entrails of animals (for it was a King of Babylon, not of Israel, 



1 Psalm cvi. 36 ff. 



2 Semitic Magic, 1908. 



3 See Bennett, Exodus, p. 178, where he cites Baentsch, and E. Meyer. 

 Other writers, who admit the sacrifice, deduce its cause from some very early 

 rite by which the bride was deflowered by some god or his representatives, the 

 Holy Men : hence what the deity had given, the deity claimed. See infra, 

 p. 435, n. 2, where this view is brought out. 



