22 THE RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF THE BABYLONIANS. 



moiiotheist than the majority of his countrymen (for there 

 is no proof that he had lost the support of his subjects by 

 his monotheistic tendencies), Cyrus, on the other hand, 

 notwithstanding his seemingly polytheistic records, was 

 always a sufficiently good, though politic, monotheist. 

 Persian monotheism seems, indeed, in conjunction with that 

 of the captive Israelites, to have had a certain amount of 

 influence — possibly only transient — on the religious ideas of 

 the Babylonians. This is shown by the names ending in 

 Yawa, and possibly by the text printed on pp. 8 and 9. 



It is remarkable that, during the period of the captivity, 

 the Israelites in Babylon seem to have had no objection to 

 pronouncing the divine name Yahwah (afterwards wrongly 

 transcribed Jehovah). This is shown by such names as 

 Natanu-Yawa, Akabu-Yawa, etc. (see my article in the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Society of Biblical Archceology, Nov., 1892, 

 p. 13). Besides those which I have already quoted, f ^^ 

 4f1^ ^Vi It *£!' Azzi-Ydwa (Azziah), and y -]f^ <J^y^ ^f]f 

 y^ "^y, Hul-Ydwa (Huliah) also occur. Women's names 

 might also contain this divine element, as in the case of 

 tM? C^ 4-- E^Iy !y '^I' ^ Ji"-i""t'a, daughter of y ^ 4fl4-, 

 Iri (82-5-22, 978). In the case of y ->f <'^yy ^Y, Nergal- 

 etir, "Nergal protects," son of y "^y ^[gy ^ \y y]^ ^y, 

 Malahi- Ydioa (Malchiah), however, was Nergal-etir a per- 

 verted Jew ? or was Malaki-Yawa a converted Babylonian ? 

 Or was it a common thing for the then rising generation of 

 Jews to bear heathen names ? Similar questions might also 

 be asked with regard to -^ ^ ^\ *p*^y >-.>y- ^yy ^T^, 

 Tdhat-lssar, "the goddess Issar is good," daughter of 

 y ^yi -^ ^«- t^y][ yj^ "^y, Yase'-Ydwa (Isaiah or Jeshaiah). 



Other interesting names are y ^y][ }] *p*^y ^ Jff^., 

 Yd-abtni, "Jah is our father" (82-5-22, 1017); y -.J^Ir^y 

 E^y? Ty ^^> Nahil-Ya, probably "Nebo is Jah" (82-5-22, 

 2234; y g< ->f J^ ^]h U'^nni-Ya (= Hananiah) (82-5-22, 

 3875); y ^]] ]) "En tr^ V' Yd-Dagunii, "Jah is Dagon " 

 (81-11-3, 887, Nabopolassar, 7th year), etc., etc. Lists of 

 examples, however, might be lengthened indefinitely, but 

 this consideration of space forbids. 



