14 THEO. G. PINCHES, ESQ., ON 



(Heb. vh^^'l^l') Baracliel) the son of a slave-woman named 

 Ahat-dbi-m; ] >->^ S^^= jil^? llu-sarra-usnr, " God, protect 

 the king," and several others, many of them indicating a 

 strong monotheistic tendenc3\ Archaic inscriptions present 

 ns, in addition, with the well-known X^'\ f"^ ^*{~i Isme-Uu, 

 "God has heard" (Ishmael) ; and y >^ ^ '^Hf-j Mut-ili, 

 "Man of God" = 3/«^?i-sa-i/i, Methnsael ; as Avell as ^\ *^ 

 -X -4-, Gamcd-Ui, "Benefit of God" (Gamaliel); ->f ^^ 

 f^*ElT >J$^> Ilu-nasir, " God protects," with some others. 



It cannot be said, however, that the monotheistic side of 

 the Babylonian religion was by any means so strong as the 

 polytheistic. It Avas as likely as not a pandering to the 

 desires and the ignorance of the people — indeed, it is probable 

 that mysticism was firmly fixed even in the minds of the most 

 enlightened, who mnst have imagined the deity to be able 

 to divide himself, and manifest himself to tlie people, under 

 any of the many forms nnder which they conceived him. As 

 the creator and ruler of the Avorld, he Avas Merodach ; as the 

 illuminator of the day and the night, he was tlie sungod, the 

 moongod, and also any or all of the stars. As god of the 

 waters, of all Avater-channels, and of reproduction, he Avas 

 Ea (Ae or Cannes) ; as god of the atmosphere, he Avas Rimmon 

 or Hadad ; as god of Avar, he Avas Nergal or Zagaga ; and he 

 had also a large number of other forms, too numerous to 

 mention. 



The god Ea or Ae is indicated by the groups >->^ ^J f]^ (or 

 ^>{- y]^ ^I)) a^icl >->y- >^, in the former case as god of the 

 " house of waters," or abyss, in the latter as god of water- 

 channels. From the names compounded^Avith his name we 

 learn that he was creator of the gods {Ea-epes-Ut), that he 

 created divinity [Ea-Untu-ibm), that he Avas a maker and 

 giver of seed {Ea-.tera-umhsl, Ea-zera-iMsa), and a giA^er of 

 happiness {^a-mudammik). He could also^ be invoked ^in 

 names : Ea-tahhani, '* Ea, thou createst ! " Ea-remanni, " Ea, 

 be gracious to me!" Sa-jnra-nsiir, "Ea, protect the branch" 

 (offspring) ; and one name exhorts men to keep his command 

 ( Usur-aniat-Ea). 



Rimmon or Hadad, the god of the atmosphere, &c., Avas 

 invoked in the same way. His most enthusiastic Avorshipper 

 asks, in the name he gave liis son, " Who is like Hadad?" 

 (Mannu-aki-Addu). We also find such names as "Hadad 

 gaA'^e life" {Addii-uhaUit), "Hadad plants" (Addu-eres), or 

 " plants the name" (Addu-sum-a-cs). He A\^as also a protector 



