Babylonian and Hebrew Demonology with Reference to the Supposed Borrowing of Persian Dualism in Judaism and Christianity Author(s):

S. Langdon Source: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 1 (Jan., 1934), pp. 45-56 Published by: Cambridge University Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25200841 . Accessed: 08/10/2011 14:15
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Cambridge University Press and Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

http://www.jstor.org

JRAS.

1934.

Platk

I.

Ward453 Ward

453?

Ward

4536

1
Ward 453c ?-^

-?p Ward

300 ~ N^^ *il

_
_Ward 300?_ Deln|>ortc 08

7
Dclaportc 74

8
Fia. 1. Two 2. Winged 3. Winged 4. Panther 5.

demons

a man. lions attacking figured as fantastic a man. (as demon) consuming a man. demon attacking Enkidu in combat with panther a man, an animal. domon also attacking attacking lion with a lion. beforo a deity. brought beforo tho Sun-god.

a lion. Enkidu

in contact IHrd dovil 6. A dovil 7. Dovils 8. Dovil 9. Bird

brought

or slain by Sun-god. captured smitten by Sun-god. and brought before dovil, captured

Hcavcn-god.

To face p. 45.]

with and Hebrew Babylonian Demonology to the supposed of reference borrowing in Judaism and Christianity Persian Dualism
Ijccture delivered for Professor A. B. Cook in tlte University of

Cambridge Hy 8. LANGDON (PLATE I) into modern introduced theology the Englishman, Thomas Hyde, in 1700, and was by first used to describe the fundamental principle of Persian the independent of good and existence Zoroastrism, namely TTiUALISM the good god and Ahriman the evil god in Ormazd the theology of the Persians represent an absolute dualism. For them Ahriman, to Satan of Judaism and corresponding is entirely independent of the creator god. Good Christianity, evil. Now and evil, God and the Devil, are primeval supreme powers. I wish to trace the history of Satan or the Devil in back through Judaism, Hebrew, and Babylonian Christianity I shall endeavour religion to its origin among the Sumerians. to prove this Persian dualism, which admits that God did not create is a term

to be totally the Devil, foreign to Sumerian, and Hebrew speculation ; and I shall then briefly Babylonian, on which modern examine the evidence scholars admit dualism period Testament. to have and been held by the Jews of the Apocalyptic as set forth in the Now Christianity

by early It is my conviction that Persian religion never had any influence upon Judaism or early Christianity. Satan, the Devil is traceable to Babylonian (diabolus), directly ; there he is the creation of the gods. theology in this ethical sense has no relation Dualism in metaphysics. After the time of Thomas to dualism

was

almost

problem

immediately of mind and things.

transferred With

the word Hyde to philosophy, to the dualism or philosophical

46

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY

the independent existence of mind and matter, body and soul, the problem of God and Satan has no relation at all. Fichte that anyone who believes in philosophical said, however, dualism, as, for example Decartes did, is no philosopher. It may be said with equal German acidity that anyone who in ethical dualism or that God did not create the believes no is Devil theologian. Before discussing Babylonian and Hebrew con theology cerning the demons a fact which seems least, obscurely may be defined and devils to have it is necessary to point out been entirely overlooked or, at

It is what defined, in the history of theology. " as dualism ". The Babylonian cosmological there that in the beginning Epic of Creation states definitely was nothing but watery chaos, a mingled mass of bitter and fresh water, ruled over by the female dragon Tiamat. This the Tehom of the Hebrew is of account, she-dragon Tiamat, origin. The version of creation in Genesis, borrowing assumes a primeval chaos. from the late Babylonian myth, Tohu and Bohu was the earth and darkness was on the Semitic face of Tehom. a But the late Hebrew author saw the difficulty of assuming primeval water from which all things descended,t the gods themselves and the universe ; in Babylonia gods descended from the primal element, water ; finally a terrific darkness ended combat between the Sun-god and primeval of the she-dragon with her twelve male slaughter It admits dualism. That assumes a cosmological dragons. that the gods created heaven and earth from the substance in the of chaos or water of the dragon ; he was a monotheist difficulty created As ; it admits the original independent origin of chaos. The Hebrew writer clearly saw this and writes that El had himself

this primeval matter. I have said all this is late Semitic

origin of the myth ismuch is the first principle and made no further effort that water to explain it. This was the primeval chaos, over which presided the dragon MuslmSftft. Many representations of this serpent

The real speculation. older. The Sumerians also assumed

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY

47

dragon, which in the original Sumerian myth took the place The in the later Semitic versions, are available. of Tiamat is a seal in the British Museum.1 most suggestive monument the creator with Here thunderbolts, Sun-god lightning, quiver sword, smites the form of the primeval fleeing dragon. combat between good and evil is the one which the Hebrew " poets knew as referred to in the Book of Job, xxvi, 13, His hand pierced the fleeing serpent." and arrows, with or in other designs This older Sumerian

of the combat between the representations Babylonian creator god and the primeval dragon never refer to the late she-dragon Tiamat at all. In the various designs Babylonian of the dragons in combat with the Sun-god,2 Tiamat appear, but either Mu?hu??u or one of the twelve monsters does not fantastic

who opposed the gods. The real Hebrew speculation or, rather, Sumerian legends, in these matters was preserved only in their poets, and there they borrowed from early, not late, Babylonian fleeing legend. The serpent ancient sources. in Job The is based reference upon to Rahab and the the original Sumerian

mythology

Apocalyptic In some of these God and Satan, between good and evil. writers the dragon of chaos actually the Devil or becomes the enemy of god and oppressor slain in the last combat. This people, who will be a complete misuse is of the We shall see shortly ancient role of MushusSu or Leviathan. that Satan, the Devil, is of totally different origin and had no connection with the ancient dualist myth. cosmological A
1W.

in Hebrew Sumerian Mushu&m appears as Leviathan, In late of the sea. coiling serpent literature a belief arose in a final combat between

of God's

late visionary

poet whose

apocalypse

is preserved

in our

H. Ward, Seal Cylinders and of Western Asia, No. 570, reproduced was identified in the writer's Semitic Mythology, p. 131. Mushussii In my edition of the Epic of Creation, with Hydra, Semitic Mythology, p. 278. in doubt on this point. Hasmu, ibid., 86, n. 8, cannot p. 87, n. 9, I was discussed ho Hydra. 1 Semitic Mythology, pp. 278-284.

48

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY this future victory :? of God over Satan

text of Isaiah describes

in the following lines " In that day will Yav take vengeance, With his sword, harsh, mighty and powerful, the fleeing serpent, Upon Leviathan, the coiled serpent, And upon Leviathan, And will slay the dragon which is in the sea." The original Sumerian legend of a combat between Ninurta, light of the spring sun, with god of war, *the victorious in the Hebrew Mushus\su and the dragons of chaos survives
Psalms :?

"

Thou hast rent asunder the sea by thy power. Thou hast broken the heads of the dragons on the waters. Thou hast smitten the head of Leviathan."

that creation and Hebrews believed of an Babylonians ordered world was made possible only by the triumph of the creator god over the chief dragon of watery chaos; the Hebrews, but only in complete acceptance of Sumero independently, is no trace in Hebrew views. There that the Babylonian not from this primeval matter. gods descended They knew, the myth of how the gods had sent their champion however, to slay the monster, which wished to brood in peace over the a definite theory primeval abyss. There is here, nevertheless, that good and evil exist together in the substance from which in a cosmological dualism, all things descended. It resulted never had the slightest connection with which in Babylonia devils and other authors of all human woe. And throughout the Hebrew Klohim, chaos this scriptures their god, with this myth Leviathan of the battle of Yav or and the other dragons of was Only in very late times with

is preserved

by the poets.

disorder ever confused incarnation of cosmological or the incarnation of ethical wickedness. Satan These the devils, wickedness views must

be held clearly in mind ; the history of who finally emerged in the figure of Satan, lord of is an entirely different and the material world,

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY

49

sphere ethical

of speculation and mythology. Here we come to the of the matter and to what has been defined aspect

Demons and (wrongly, I hope to prove) as ethical dualism. are an aspect of evil spirits who destroy men's happiness of a primitive Demons every national religion of antiquity. are well known, kind among the Canaanites and Hebrews but most of the demons in Hebrew religion are derived both in name and devils and character of Babylonia they from Babylonia. Now the demons are entirely Sumerian, and at a very no preserve any longer are fitted into a very definite which had most and it is to them and Hebrew be traced. primitive system of influence that

early period characteristics. theology; upon Hebrew primitive the history

They these are the demons

demonology, of Canaanitish demons of Satan-Diabolus

and not to the religion

must

In Sumer

Heaven-god. woes and sorrows

and Babylonia the devils are the sons of the In abstract terms the personifications of human

are created by the gods themselves. The are an inherent part of divine lords of sin and misery ; sin and misery exist because it is the purpose of providence the gods to shew their power over the demons. It is entirely obvious from the Babylonian texts that the and Sumerian are free agents, free to exercise their nefarious attacks devils upon man ; the gods have no control over the will of Satan, he is their own creation. although

and Hebrew demons, Now, before I describe Babylonian an historical fact should be emphasized. Sumerian religion was known in Phoenicia, Syria, and Canaan before 2000 B.C., Canaan in deities were firmly established the final occupation by the Hebrews. Ninurta, " Sumerian god of war, of the spring sun and lord of swine ", had a temple near Jerusalem before the Hebrew occupation, and another at Byblus in northern Phoenicia. The cult of and cults of Sumerian before to have been firmly established at Byblos, the cult of Adonis to Greek lands at an early spread itself was an ancient seat of sun-worship Jerusalem is known
JANUARY, 1934. 4

Tammuz whence date.

JRA8.

50

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY Hebrew north At Beth-Shan, history. of Jerusalem, the serpent has been in found Shahan

which persisted throughout an ancient Canaanite city cult of the abundance.

worship in Canaan cult.

god Babylonian found clear evidence of the Here, also, was " of the Babylonian The house of Sahan" Ishtar.

a seat of the Babylonian was obviously Ishtar fastened the body of Saul to the walls of The Philistines and placed his armour in the temple of Astarte Beth-Shan or Ishtar there. When the Hebrews entered a land of primitive Canaan, that was no longer wandering Bedouin with primitive

hunters,

customs. Britain. Sumerian the

into Roman The parallel is the entry of Anglo-Saxons the Hebrew When entered Canaan the people was already established among demonology firmly

if they really understood and Sumerian Canaanites, there can be no question whatsoever about dualism theology In the assertion of statements so radical for facts. Museum and far-reaching This hitherto

there.

press you naturally seal in the Ashmolean unpublished

as

these

shews one of the

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOOY

51

of the seven devils l; I refer now to the second representations on this demons there are eight animal-headed register; bronze plaque, Catalogue de The corresponding monument. (Sem. Myth., fig. 44) has seven devils, Clercq, ii, pl. xxxiv wild ram, vulture, and serpent. viz., panther, lion, dog, sheep, to as ferocious beasts are represented in mythology, They The demons are usually called describe their hostile nature. " the wicked udug or utukku, a word which means ghost". A ghost demon may be both good and bad. They are also " The word called gigim or etimmu, also a word for ghost". into but etimmu passed utukku does not appear in Hebrew, as timi. A Sumerian text describes the seven devils as follows :? " They are rushing storms, evil gods. Merciless ledu who were created on the bulwark of heaven. They are makers of trouble. They uphold wickedness, they come daily to make trouble. They attack to commit murder. Among the seven, firstly there is the south wind. The second is the great viper, whose wide open mouth slayeth late Hebrew
every man.

The third is an angry panther, whose mouth knows no mercy. The fourth is a terrible adder . . . The fifth is the raging lion which knows not how to retreat. The sixth is a rising [wind] which attacks god and king. The seventh is the north wind, evil wind which wrathf ully smites. Seven are they, messengers of the Heaven God, the lord." " " " " devils The general word for ; ghost actually means but it is clear that some of the demons are pure creatures of mythological fancy, especially those of the winds and disease. are the Raphaim, The ghost devils of Hebrew mythology who dwelt in the land aforetime. Og of Bashan was the last described wide.
1 An

of these giants or monsters of old times in Moab. They are as giants of old times in Canaan. One had six fingers and six toes, and Og's bed was nine cubits long and four cubits Chedorlaomer
article on volume this seal

in the days
has boon since

of Abraham

smote
by

them
the

in

of a certain

of essays

unavoidably 1027.

dolaycd

editors

52

BABYLONIAN

AND

HEBREW

DEMONOLOGY

the Hebrews describe the giants Although or sons of of ancient times in Moab and Canaan as Raphaiim there is no doubt but that Raphaim also means Rhapha, " souls of the dead ". The word is perfectly known in Hebrew " and Phoenician, and occurs often in Babylonia, to sink rabu Garnaim. ". The Raphaim belong to genuine West Semitic and represent a belief common to Sumerian and mythology There is no borrowing Semitic from Babylonia religion. here, but it should be noted do not figure demonology of Satan. concept that the Raphaim in the future evolution of Hebrew toward the into darkness

Asteroth

In the third register of this seal is a woman in child-birth, being protected by two priests at her head, while the serpent headed devil attacks her at the foot. In the lower register is the terrible dreaded Here she-devil Lamme. of Sumerian She was with the baby-killer, the child-seizcr and Babylonian religion. and sent away food, This demoness Lamme Sappho mentions hedu.

alio has been cursed, provided on an ass to the infernal world. survived

Lammia

as Lammia. in Greek demonology who desired to slay all babes.

the devils are also called In the text cited above, the devils as :? text describes A Sumerian " The Mdu decimating heaven and earth, and the land,
Whose power is of Heaven, whose roving is in Heaven.

Once on a time in the place of the forms of the gods, In the house of the holy chamber, in the house of the goddess of flocks of the goddess of grain they grew fat. Full of wickedness are they.
('ause them to swear the curse, and may they never return

outside or inside (this house)." as bulls; to the The iedu are represented according Sumerian manner of writing their name they are described as " These bulls of the pit ", bovine spirits of the nether world. were the dreadful messengers of Nergal, lord of hell. Nergal is the Sumerian god of summer heat, of The Babylonians and pestilence. called him Malku, plague the king. For some reason the cult of this infernal deity was lord of the dead

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOOY rooted " in Canaan and Phoenicia.

53

deeply

The god of Tyre was

Milku of the city," or Melqart. Melki-qarti, The Canaanites made human sacrifices to Malik or Milik near Jerusalem, as the Carthaginians in the Valley of Hinnom, to Melqart. This is the Moloch of the Hebrew text, the god of inferno and the dead. or of Nergal These bull demons, the $edu messengers are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Malik-Moloch, did A Hebrew poet, in the Song of Moses, refers to these foreign deities and demons of Babylonia. " They made him jealous with strange gods, They sacrificed to the Shedim which are not gods. To gods whom they knew not,
To new gods that came in of late."

The author

of the 106th Psalm

of pagan Canaan Shedim. Baruch, mentions these same devils, the Shedim. made huge The Babylonians and especially the Assyrians figures of these winged bulls and set them at the portals of their palace gates. These were the good Sedxm, protectors of the royal abode. This custom arose from fear that demons might enter at war with king. The the palace, for they were held to be constantly on earth, the the gods and their representative and the most threshold was especially dangerous

says that in the ancient days sons and daughters were sacrificed to the a Jew, in the time of Jesus Christ, writing

The same idea likely place which the devils would attack. the Hebrews. There are in a late passage among prevailed of Exodus detailed the robe of the regulations concerning To the hem of this robe were sewn golden bells high priest. " that the sound should be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place and when he cometh out that he die not ". I may be permitted at this point to stray from the ethical discussion into rituals briefly. This practice of sounding bells when one crosses the threshold or the ringing of bells in the temple is clearly founded upon the belief that bells alarm and deter the devils.

54

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY bell has been recovered from Assyria

having the of the seven demons designed figures repousse' on its " surface.1 The Sumerians called it the urud nigkalag or copper instrument of power ", and the Babylonians borrowed the as nikalaggu. a ritual And here is a description word from same of 2400 attacked B.C. A demon let loose from the lower world had a man x:? " He was torn asunder from his soul, Like waters in full flood he trembled. Food he ate not, water he drank not."

A bronze

The god Marduk saw it and went to his father Ea, the water His father said :? god, for instructions. " Go my son, fill the asammu jar with water. Put tamarisk and nard in it. Cast the incantation of Eridu on that water. Wash this man, bring out the torch. The curse which is in the body of the man will flow away like
water.

The bell, champion of the Heaven-god, whose awful peal terrifies, Which expels all evil take thou. Where its peal falls bring him, verily it is thy helper." in Hebrew imply that this ritual of bell-ringing in the magic of from Babylonia. It is common circumstances invite all superstitious religions, but historical borrowed one to infer that the whole custom of bell-ringing may have I do not

was

spread from Sumer. demon lilu and the female The Sumerian and Babylonian causes of sexual sin. lilitu were evil spirits of the winds, or Lilith passed into Hebrew in post Lilitu mythology exilic times. In the present book of Isaiah there is a prophecy against Edom :? " Wild beasts will meet jackals, And Satyr cry to its fellow. Only Lilith shall rest there And find for herself a place of repose."
1 Grc8smann, Texte und Bilder, fig. 572.

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY The western demons

55

Asia, Christian and have hardly ceased to exercise demonology, an important role in the Christian Church to this day. There was the Babylonian who attacks the hands of man. The gallu Greeks confounded

over the whole of Babylonia swarmed of into Greek demonology, hence into passed

this devil with Lammea, the child-snatcher, and under the name Gelid she is a demoness to this day in one of the names of the Christian Roumania. every Nearly devils passed into Greek, Jewish, and

of Babylonian Christian demonology.

horde

This is an endless aspect of magic, but I hope before taking

up the subject of Satan to have made this point clear. Hebrew as it advances an absolute monotheism toward religion an increasing sphere of influence to the devils. Jewish assigns religion in the time of Jesus is surcharged with demonology, and the Babylonian legend of the seven devils was widely in New Testament believed times. This sudden emphasis of the Satanic powers in the daily life of man, and in a period when in a lofty con religion was culminating of monotheism, in noble doctrines of ethical purity, ception is clearly due to Babylonian influence. the Hebrew

It may be truly said that among other things the far-flung and ancient civilization of Sumer and Babylonia bequeathed to Judaism and Christianity the doctrine of inherent evil in the world. Devil. was of Babylonian devils it is difficult to say who the greatest. No one among them emerges as supreme, " sons of the gods ". Now this idea that the but they are all devils were sons of god, supernatural beings, and incarnation of In Babylonia sin, is borrowed by the Hebrews. they are the adversaries of the gods and kings. This idea that the demons are adversaries of god is good Babylonian There mythology. is eternal war between the gods and their own creation, the
demons.

They

literally

gave

them

their

conception

of the

In the horde

In late Hebrew

demonology

Satan

appears

as one of

"

the

56

BABYLONIAN AND HEBREW DEMONOLOGY

" sons of god ". This word means adversary ", and in Job as the of god", the "sons he came before Yav among adversary of Job, the seducer of the righteous. It " god clear is clear that the Hebrews called the devils "sons It of by fully accepting Babylonian theology. was named that the chief of these demons "the " for the same reason. On this plate Nos. 7 and 8 adversary of the Sun-god. shew Sumerian devils as adversaries These are very realistic expressions of that very ancient idea. Both seals come from a period before 2000 B.C. Now note that on both of these seals the demons wear the same horned turban the Sun-god himself. This is the infallible mark of of gods. in Sumerian divinity representations At Kish we excavated the grave of a princess whose Sumerian No. shows that seal was I. This grave the idea of the devils in this Journal, published comes from a period about 1930, Pl. IX, 2900 B.C., and at war with the gods is as does is also

no difference There is absolutely already firmly established. in the representations of gods and devils here. of 4000 years ago the theory of Satan adversary Nearly the gods and man is here, and it is traceable without lacunae tothe With present day. the later theological where against Satan the in Judaism and development or Belial the material represents spiritual world, my discussion must in asceticism, is new and ended

Christianity, world over end. This renunciation

conception of all things material and the religious orders It must be pointed out that even with the of Christianity. is not earlier of St. Paul behind it this conception authority nor than the late Judaistic It is neither Babylonian period. Hebrew. dualism. the Devil a very Sumer
conception.

It substitutes But Persian

for an ancient dualism,

monism

so far as

I can

theological see, never

had tho slightest influence upon this long development.

If

the ages to the present day has been throughout real mythological person in Judaism and Christianity, source of that are the ultimate and Babylonia