The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria

[183] The museums of Europe and America have secured a large proportion of these through purchase.

[184] The longer names consist of three elements: subject, verb, and object. The deity is generally the subject; e.g., Sinacherib=Sin-akhe-irba, i.e., may the god Sin increase the brothers. But there are many variations. So the imperative of the verb is often used, and in that case, the deity is in the vocative case. Instead of three elements, there are frequently only two, a deity and a participle or an adjective; e.g., Sin-magir, i.e., Sin is favorable, or a person is called 'the son' or 'the servant' of a god. The name of the deity alone may also constitute a proper name; and many names of course do not contain the mention of a deity at all, though such names are often abbreviations from longer ones in which some god was introduced.

[185] Jensen, Kosmologie, p. 458.

[186] Arnold, Ancient Babylonian Temple Records, p. 5, is of the opinion that Id-nik-mar-tu is also a designation of Ramman. His view is plausible, but it still remains to be proved.

[187] Scheil, "Le Culte de Gudea sous le IIe Dynastie d'Ur" (Recueil des Travaux, etc. xviii. 64-74). W. R. Arnold, Ancient Babylonian Temple Records (New York, 1896). The Telloh tablets appear to be largely lists of offerings made to the temples at Lagash, and temple accounts. (See now Reisner, Tempelurkunden aus Telloh (Berlin, 1901).)

[188] See besides Scheil's article (above), Lehmann's note, Zeits. für Assyr. x. 381.

[189] Our knowledge of the documents of this period is due chiefly to Strassmaier and Meissner.

[190] At times under rather curious forms, e.g., Shush-sha; Strassmaier, Warka, no. 30, l. 21. The form Sha-ash-sha also occurs in nos. 43 and 105 (cf. Meissner's note, Beiträge zum Altbabylonischen Privatrecht, p. 156).

[191] Meissner, no. 42. Also in a proper name, Khusha-ilu, i.e., 'Khusha is god.'

[192] Meissner, nos. 40 and 118.

[193] See chapter xi.

[194] IIR. 60, 18a. Pinches (Journal Victoria Institute, xxviii. 36 reads Shu-gid-la; Hommel, ib. 36, Shu-sil-la).

[195] For this deity, see a paper by the writer, "The Element Bosheth in Hebrew Proper Names," in the Journal of Bibl. Liter. xiii. 20-30.