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THEOPHILUS G. PIXCHES, LL.D., M.R.A.S., OX 



of Belus in the centre of the city " was dedicated. Being 

 on the banks of the Euphrates, it was handy for those ceremonies 

 which needed the use of the waters of the sacred river, as when 

 the uru-gala-ipnest. on the 2nd of Xisan, during the first double 

 hour of the night (we should probably call this the evening of 

 the first day of the month) approached, sprinkled the waters of the 

 river about, entered into " the presence of Bel," and drawing 

 aside the curtain, uttered before Bel this invocation : — 



Lord, glorious one, announcer of oracles; 



Bel, who in his power hath no rival. 

 Lord, propitious king, lord of the world; 



Bel, propitious king, lord of the lands. 

 Brilliant is the power of his princeliness, (though) the place 

 of his father he knew not ; 



Restorer of the wellbeing of the great gods. 

 Exalted is he — to his lord the lord giveth rest ; 



The lord in his anger hath overthrown the mighty. 

 Divine king of men, divine king, possessor ; 



Lord of king?, light of mankind, bestower of gifts. 

 Lord, the seat of thy (?) name is the firmament, (thy) leafy 

 crown is the greensward (?) ; 



Bel, thy seat is Babylon, Borsippa is thy crown. 

 My god — the god whose heart is wide ; 



The wide heavens are the extent of thy spirit. 



Thus far, the text is apparently arranged in lines alternately 

 dialectic Sumerian and Akkadian (Semitic Babylonian). All 

 the Sumerian lines (the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.), are difficult, and the 

 rendering here ofiered is therefore given with all reserve. The 

 translation of the Akkadian lines (the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.), on the 

 other hand, is practically certain. Short as the above extract is, 

 it will suffice to give an idea of the ritual which accompanied 

 the worship of Merodach during the last days of Babylon's 

 existence as the capital of the land. 



As Babylon was the seat of Merodach's worship, E-sagila, 

 the chief temple dedicated to him, was located there. VThj 

 Borsippa is described in the above lines as his " crown," is 

 therefore difficult to explain. Perhaps it is due to the fact 

 that Borsippa was called — rarely enough, seemingly—" the 

 second Babylon." The great temple at Borsippa, named E-zida, 

 was dedicated to Xebo, but there may have been a celebrated 

 shrine to Merodach in that city as well. 



It was this great patron-god of Babylon whom the Babylonian 

 king worshipped, and of whom he said, that he, Xebuchadrezzar, 



