Babylonian liturgies; Sumerian texts from the early period and from ...

- Ii(i —
becomes a foremost figure in mythologv, replacing' iiis ['.itiicr luiiil ia many aspects.
Not until the period of the first Baljyhinian dynasty do we meet with a god ''"orasa
at Dilbat a city wiiicii was probalily founded in this period. At that time
Nin-urasa of Nippur and Ura.sa of Dilbat are distinct deities. At Dill)at Urasa
retains an ancient connection with Anu. In fact uran and nin-iirax are father-
'
mother names of Anu ; they
represent an emanation from the first principle
'heaven', and if the meaning- assigned to iiras above i)e correct, these two
gods are theological deifications of light, more especially of flu- sun-light". We
should have expected these personifications of an emanation to have remained
abstract male and female figures of no practical importance in the pantheon '^
But like many mother [nin] principles, such as Ningirsu, Ningiszida, etc., Nin-uras
developed into a male deity at Nippur and becomes the son of the earth-god.
Natural religion precedes theology, and the incarnation of light was a concept
which arrived long after Enlil had become the most powerful god in the pantheon.
But at the newly-founded city Dilbat, father-heaven and mothei'-earth his daughter
were installed by the theologians. Here the new god Urasa was enthroned bv the
theologians and here he maintained his close relation with Anu, from whom he
was the first emanation. The god Aim must have been established there in the
Semitic period, for the temple of Dilbat has the Semitic name, '"Oh temple, pro-
claim Anu". .\nu himself is confused with his son Uraka, and one theological list
calls Anu, H-ra-a.s who is anuinsa iii-sik ikrihi, 'Anu of the possession of reverence'',
'Anu to whom reverence belongs', an explanation \vhich has apparently nothing to
do with the fundamental idea of ;;/vi.s. Krom references made to Urasa of Dilbat it
is clear that he is distinct from Anu, and 1 tlouiit whether in texts other than theo-
logical, we have any right to translate'' Hi by Anu '. In the theological texts
Urasa is i-egarded as a title of Nin-urasa. but in other texts L ras is not always con-
fused with Xiii-urasa (Ninib) of Nippur. One is an iMilil l}])e. the other an .\nu
(1 line fainiUe hilhal, p. 'i , tliat Ninib Ijelongs to the most ancient pantheon is
erroneous
I. CT. 24,1, 'if.
•2. All the other father-mother concepts re[)resenting inlermediate emanations
between Anu and Enlil, i. e , between
etc., remained abstract conceptions.
3. CT. 24,19,2.
heaven and earth, as iMisar and Ninsar,
1. The southern gate of Babylon looking toward Dilbat was called the gate of
''"LVa-a.s, VAB. IV 180,20, otherwise written -gale of ''"IB", I8(j,22; 1«2,28. It
is, therefore, certain tiuit ''-/fi in these inscriptions is to be read Ura.s not Anu, as I
have done, 74,31 ; 92,4(j, etc. See Gai riEit 1. c, •'!.