Three inscriptions are laid out, which directly relate to the Assyrian ceremony of the scapegoat. Many of the rites discusses in these inscriptions relate to those of the Israelites. Translations and commentaries are given of all three inscriptions.
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-61143-145-2
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Aug 7,2010
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 26
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-61143-145-2
The following three inscriptions belong to the library of Assurbanipal. The first and second relate to the ancient Semitic idea that disease (and sin, of which the Assyro-Babylonian religion held a deep consciousness) may b removed by being communicated to animals, such as goat or deer, which are then formally driven away with their load of guilt into the wilderness. The second and third inscriptions show an interesting parallel with Israelite rites. The inscriptions laid out in this article are the only ones which relate directly to the Assyrian ceremony of the scapegoat, although the idea of removing disease or sin is common in the cuneiform psalm literature. In the first and third inscriptions the author has given a Sumerian transliteration and an English translation, however in the second, he added his own Assyrian translation.
