Nabonidus cylinder

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The Nabonidus cylinders (also Nabu-na'id cylinders, Sippar cylinders, original cylinders ) contain cuneiform depictions of the work of the last Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus . A copy of the specimens is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin ; the second version in the British Museum in London . The contents are listed in excerpts below.

Sippar cylinder

The text was only written after Nabonidus returned from Tayma (542 BC) and describes in an idealizing way from a theological retrospective perspective Nabonidus' calling as king as a divine destiny. Further topics are the excavation of the founding documents and rituals for the foundations of the new temples. The historical reference to the actual chronology is doubted because important events are missing and there are deviations from the Nabonaid chronicle .

The Cyrus oracle

“I am Nabonidus, servant of the great gods [...]. His big heart was angry, so he awoke the Medes [...]. The temples of Harran became a ruin [...]. I showed my interest in the dilapidated temples [...]. Sin sent me a dream: the gods Marduk , the great lord, and Sin, who illuminates the sky and the underworld, stood together. Marduk spoke to me: "Harness the horse-drawn wagons, rebuild Ehulhul , since Sin needs a new dwelling." So I asked the Enlil of the gods , Marduk, again: "The Umman-Manda are besieging and protecting Harran, their power is too great for me." But Marduk prophesied to me: "The Medes, their country and all the kings who are allied with them will soon no longer exist."

- Nabonaid

The dream vision comes true

“At the beginning of my third year of reign, the gods awakened Cyrus II , king of Anšan , the young second highest king [...]. With a small army he went against the Medes troops and dispersed them in all directions [...]. He defeated Astyages , king of the Medes, and took him prisoner to his land [...]. Everything happened according to the previously announced words of Marduk and Sin. "

- Nabonaid

Temple building Ehulhul

“So I tried to carry out the Sins order [...]. At a propitious moment, prophesied by Šamaš , I began to build the Ehulhul temple [...]. Aššurbanipal , son of Asarhaddon , had already renovated the temple [...]. I examined my numerous troops from the area of ​​the lower sea to the upper sea near Egypt [...]. In a moment determined by Šamaš and Adad , who were endowed with the wisdom of Ea and Asalluhi , I found Shalmaneser III's charter . , the son of Aššur-Nasirpal II. [...]. The temple was built with a gold-silver glaze , the chapel with a silver bull and the gate of the sunrise with two heroes, the destroyers of the enemy [...]. I led Sin and Ningal as well as Nusku and Sarduanna in the holy procession of my royal city Babylon [...]. I gave pure sacrifices in their presence [...]. Harran was erected beautifully like brilliant moonlight . "

- Nabonaid

Table II 26 to III 7

“Oh Sin, King of the Gods of Heaven, without whom neither country, city nor temple can be founded [...]. I, Nabonaid, have completed your ordered work and earned your favor [...]. May Sin extend my years and reign and destroy the enemies [...]. Ningal, the mother of the great gods, spoke out for me with her husband Sin [...]. Their descendants Šamaš and Ištar speak well of me before their creator Sin [...]. Nusku, answer my prayers and do good deeds for me [...]. For Šamaš, judge of heaven and the underworld, I renewed his temple Ebabbar in Sippar [...]. Nebuchadnezzar II restored the temple, but could not find the founding document [...]. After 45 years the walls of the temple sagged [...]. During the restoration work for his temple, at a depth of 18 cubits , I found the charter of Naram-Sin , son of Sargon , which no king had found in 3,200 years before [...]. At an opportune time, which was foretold by Šamaš and Adad , in the month of Tašrîtu , I laid its foundation brick and performed the sacred rites [...]. I used 5,000 beams made of cedar wood for the temple Ebabbar and the ziggurat E-kunankuga , the pure staircase to heaven [...]. In a joyful procession I took Šamaš to his favorite apartment after completion. "

- Nabonaid

Plate III 8 to III 51

“I anointed the inscription of Naram-Sin, but did not change it, and put it with my inscription in the original place [...]. Oh Šamaš, great lord of heaven and the underworld, light of the divine descendants of Sin and Nergal, they will look upon me benevolently [...]. You answer my prayers and accept my actions [...]. Every day at sunrise and sunset they happily look down on me after the construction of their Ebabbar temple and the chapel [...]. The temple Eulmaš of the goddess of war Anunitu , daughter of Enlil, who controls the foundation of her sanctuary at sunrise and sunset, was built in Sippar-Anunitu 800 years ago by the Babylonian king Šagarakti-šuriaš , son of Kudur-Enlil I , in its foundation [...]. I renewed and completed their work [...]. It was I who led Anunitu to her residence [...]. Oh Anunitu, when you move into the temple, look joyfully at me and confirm Sin the deeds I have done for you [...]. Whoever Sin and Šamaš call as kings who will later renew the temples; they should find my inscription on which it will always be preserved [...]. May Šamaš and Anunitu then answer their prayers [...]. May they destroy the enemy, stay by the side of the new kings and speak with good words to their creator Sin. "

- Nabonaid

Original cylinder

The Nabonaid cylinder from Ur describes the restorations of the Elugalgalga ziggurat , which belonged to the Sin temple Egišnugal . The creation of the inscription is dated around 540 BC. BC. The information is valuable as the syncretism of Sin, Marduk and Nabu is clearly visible here. The Babylonian king uses Sin, comparable to the Elohim to YHWH in the Hebrew language , in a pluralistic form. The additional connection of Marduk, Nabu and Sin in connection with the worship of the temples is completely new as the Marduk priesthood did not use this combination. In the Bible ( Dan 5  EU ) the name Nabu-na'id is replaced by Belšazar , who is represented there as the son of Nebuchadnezzar II .

Table I 1 - III 31

Nabonaid cylinder: Sin temple in Ur

“I am Nabonaid, king of Babylon, keeper of the temples Esaĝila and Ezida , executor of the orders of the great gods [...]. The work of the ziggurat Elugalgalgasisa of Egišnugal in Ur was started by Ur-Nammu and finished by his son Šulgi [...]. I could read and understand the old founding documents [...]. On the old foundations I renewed the sanctuary according to their instructions [...]. I did all this for Sin, the king of the gods in heaven and the underworld, the god above the gods [...]. Oh Sin, God of Gods, may the temples bring you joy again when you inhabit them [...]. May consecrations of the gods now follow for the renewed temples [...]. May people respectfully obey your spoken words and not fall into sin against you [...]. Egišnugal should be the center of their hearts and be seen as a donation for heaven [...]. Keep me from the sin of not serving you [...]. Give me many more days in my life [...]. May the people like Belšazar, the eldest son of my descendants, show awe [...]. If people strictly follow the rituals for their gods, they too, like my son, will be blessed with a good life of prosperity and joy. "

- Nabonaid

See also

literature

  • Reinhard-Gregor Kratz: Judaism in the Age of the Second Temple (study edition from the series of publications: Research on the Old Testament, No. 42) . Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 2006, ISBN 3-16-148835-0 .
  • Stephen Langdon, Rudolf Ten Pounds: The New Babylonian King's Inscriptions (German translation of the English original version by Stephen Langdon) . Hinrichs, Leipzig 1912.
  • Paul-Alain Beaulieu: The reign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon, 556-539 BC Yale University Press, New Haven 1989, ISBN 0-300-04314-7 .

Web links

Commons : Nabonidus Cylinder  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Notes and evidence

  1. ↑ Under Darius I followed in 522 BC. BC Nebuchadnezzar III. and 521 BC BC Nebuchadnezzar IV. As usurpers .
  2. ↑ Reinhard-Gregor Kratz: Judaism in the Age of the Second Temple (study edition from the series: Research on the Old Testament, No. 42) , Mohr-Siebeck, Tübingen 2006, p. 44.
  3. ↑ Up to this king the time difference is only about 1600 years, exactly half of the stated value.
  4. ↑ Up to this king the time difference is only slightly more than 700 years.