The Old Testament In the Light of The Historical Records and Legends Part 38

Another tablet, dated in Nabonidus's accession year, indicates that the temple supplied water, for a fixed sum, to a part of Sippar called "the city of the Sun."

From other tablets we obtain also information about the family of Nabonidus. Most of them, as is to be expected, refer to Belshazzar, the heir to the throne, who is conjectured to have been the second ruler in the kingdom, thus explaining how it was that the position of "third ruler in the kingdom" could be offered to the Prophet Daniel. Like the other rulers of Babylonia, Nabonidus had granted to Belshazzar, or at least permitted him to occupy, a separate house, which was situated within Babylon, beside the house of Marduk-iriba, son of Remut, descendant of Mi?raa. From the inscription referring to this which has come down to us, it may be conjectured that Marduk-iriba was a minor, and his sister, Bau-e?irat, therefore acted for him. Bel-re?ua, servant of Belshazzar, approached her and succeeded in acquiring her brother's land for 45 shekels of silver, which was duly paid to Marduk-iriba. Though it is not stated, this transaction probably took place on behalf of Belshazzar, who wished to add to his possessions, and as it is dated in the month Adar, in the 1st year of Nabonidus, it would seem that he decided to enlarge the domain he was ent.i.tled to as crown prince shortly after he found himself occupying that position.

Another tablet referring to Belshazzar is a contract drawn up for one of his secretaries (on the one hand), by which he obtained the occupation of a house in exchange for a loan of silver-a common arrangement in those days in Babylonia. The following translation will enable the reader to see the terms of this, the type of a numerous series of doc.u.ments-

"The house of Nabu-a?e-iddina, son of ula, descendant of egibi, which is beside the house of Bel-iddina, son of Remut, descendant of the _diku_, (is granted) for 3 years to Nabu-kain-a?i, secretary of Bel-arra-u?ur, the son of the king, for 1- mana of silver. He has let (it) upon (the condition that) 'there is no rent for the house, and no interest for the money.' He shall repair the woodwork and renew the dilapidation of the house. After 3 years, the silver, 1- mana, Nabu-a?e-iddina shall (re)pay to Nabu-kain-a?i, and Nabu-kain-a?i shall leave the house in the possession of Nabu-a?e-iddina."

Here follow the names of three witnesses and the scribe, after which comes the date: "Babylon, month Nisan, day 21st, year 5th, Nabu-na'id, king of Babylon."

As the 1- mana of silver would have brought in 18 shekels at the usual rate of interest, that sum may be taken as representing the rent of the house in question.

Another inscription, dated two years later, shows that Nabu-kain-a?i, Belshazzar's secretary, borrowed 35 shekels of silver from Nabu-?abit-qata, that prince's major-domo, to purchase a slave, and that the loan was duly repaid. The curious thing in connection with this transaction is, that the money advanced is stated to be "t.i.the of Bel, Nebo, Nergal, and the lady (_i.e._ Itar) of Erech," implying that Nabu-?abit-qata was ent.i.tled to certain sums from this source, or else that he had control of them, and could advance money to others therefrom.

Information concerning all the items of income and expenditure of the temples would probably furnish interesting reading, showing, as it should, who were the people who benefited from the funds available, and upon what grounds.

It is noteworthy that, in these inscriptions referring to transactions between the members of Belshazzar's household, no interest seems to have been charged on the loans granted; and if this was really so, it indicates a considerable amount of loyalty among these men towards each other-indeed, it is doubtful if it could be surpa.s.sed at the present day.

Strangest of all these contracts in which Belshazzar is mentioned, is probably that in which the prince himself seems to appear as one of the contracting parties-as a dealer in clothes. As it is the only one referring to him thus, a translation of the inscription in question is here given in full-

"20 mana of silver, the price of the garments(136) (which were) the property of Bel-arra-u?ur, the son of the king, which (are due), through Nabu-?abit-qata, chief of the house of Bel-arra-u?ur, the son of the king, and the secretaries of the son of the king, from Iddina-Marduk, son of Ikia, descendant of Nur-Sin. In the month Adar of the 1(1th) year, the silver, 20 mana, he shall pay. His house, which is beside the (plantation?), his slave, and his property in town and country, all there is, is the security of Bel-arra-u?ur, the son of the king, until Bel-arra-u?ur receives his money. (For) the silver, as much as (from the sum) is withheld, interest he shall pay.

"Witnesses: Bel-iddina, son of Remut, descendant of the _diku_; etel-pi, son of ..., descendant of 'the father of the house'; Nadin, son of Narduk-um-u?ur, descendant of the master-builder; Nergal-uallim, son of Marduk-..., descendant of Ga?al; Marduk-na?ir, son of Kur-..., descendant of Dabibu; and the scribe, Bel-a?e-ikia, son of Nabu-balat-su-iqbi.

Babylon, month ..., day 20th, year 11th, Nabu-na'id, king of Babylon."

But Belshazzar did not confine himself to dealing in woollen stuffs or clothes, as many another inscription indicates. This was but an unimportant incident in his life which chance has preserved to us, and how far the transaction may have taken place with (or without) his own knowledge, it is impossible to say. For a considerable time, however, he was with the army in Akkad, and whilst there, he interested himself greatly in the welfare of the temples at Sippar, making donations to them, not only on his own behalf, but also for his father. Thus, on the 11th of Iyyar, in the 9th year of his father's reign, he gave to the G.o.d ama a tongue of gold weighing one mana; and on the 7th of Adar of the same year he gave two full-grown oxen for sacrifice (his father gave one on that occasion), together with fourteen sheep, and in addition other sacrifices were made on his and his father's behalf in the temple of the G.o.ddess Annunitum. The following little inscription, being rather out of the common, is probably above the average in the matter of interest-

"1 shekel and a quarter of silver for the hire of a s.h.i.+p for 3 oxen and 24 sheep, the sacrifices of the king's son, which went in the month Nisan for ama and the G.o.ds of Sippar.

"In the presence of Bel-arra-bulli?, who has given the offerings of the king to ama-iddina and Dannu-addu. He has given 60 _qa_ of fruit as their offerings. Month Nisan, day 9th, year 10th, Nabu-na'id, king of Babylon."

Seemingly Belshazzar sent the sheep and oxen from his estate to Sippar by water.

Interesting to an equal degree is likewise the inscription recording a gift made by his sister-

"27 shekels of silver is the weight of one cup, t.i.the of Ina-e-sagila-remat, the daughter of the king. By the hands of Bel-arra-(bulli?), as a king's offering, she has given (it) to the G.o.d.... The cup is in the treasure-house.

"Month Ab, day 5th, year 17th, (Nabu-na'id) king of Babylon."

Though this inscription is defective in places, there is every probability that little or nothing more than the name of the G.o.d is wanting. The name of Bel-arra-(bulli?) shows that the inscription must belong to the time of Nabonidus, and, in fact, the initial wedges of his name are visible.

The name of a second daughter of Nabonidus seems to appear in another inscription from Sippar, though, as it is rather carelessly written, this is doubtful. Notwithstanding the uncertainty attending the name, however, the inscription is worth quoting in full-

"3 _gur_ 75 _qa_ of sesame Ukabu'sama (?), daughter of the king, has sold, through Tattanu, for silver, to e-babbara. The silver has not been received.

"Month Ab, day 7th, year 16th, Nabu-na'id, king of Babylon."

With this we take leave of Nabonidus and his family, as revealed by the contracts and temple accounts from Babylon and Sippar. The picture these and the historical inscriptions give of the Babylonian royal family is not altogether unpleasing, and that this king, with his son, were the last rulers of their race, is greatly to be regretted. But, alas, they had offended the priesthood of Babylon, and all the people accepted, without a murmur, the alien ruler, of a differing faith from theirs, who presented himself, in hostile array, at their doors. It was the beginning of the end of their life as a nation, and who shall say that they did not deserve it?

If they had made even a show of resistance, the world could hold them excused, but this was not the case, as their own records show, and whatever Nabonidus's faults may have been, they do not attain to the culpability of the nation, which, instead of protecting him-if for no other reason, it ought to have done this for his son's sake-practically betrayed him to the enemy.

II.

So far, in depicting the life which the Jews, during the Captivity, must daily have seen around them, we have given the tablets whereon the court and its officials are referred to, and though these reveal certain phases of life in Babylonia among the people, typical of the time, they can hardly be held to show the life _of_ the people-those engaged in the life-struggle of which every great city is the battlefield, and has been the battlefield since the first gathering of large bodies of men in one place.

Who among us can estimate the misery caused by the tearing away of the slave from the home of the master with whom he had for many years dwelt in content?-it must have far outweighed the few cases in which a slave in those days benefited by such a change. That the loss of his slaves was sometimes also a wrench to the owner is indicated by the fact that he is generally-if not always-made to say, that he parts with them cheerfully.

He had to admit this for the satisfaction of the buyer, who naturally feared that the old master would return and ask for the contract to be annulled, saying that it was all a mistake on his part-he did not really wish to get rid of them, and would like to have them back again.

Naturally the tablets do not reveal to us all this, nor the joys and sorrows, the successes and the failures, which those great cities of the ancient East must have contained. But they allow us to guess a great deal.

Did the man ever get the money back which he had lent? Did he receive the money for the things he had sold and given credit for? These and other similar questions are always occurring to the student of these doc.u.ments, which reveal always the grave side of life in that ancient land-never the gay side-even a wedding, being a contract, was a thing much too serious to allow its joyful nature to s.h.i.+ne through at any point.

As the doc.u.ments which best represent the character of the Babylonians are the letters, it has been thought well to begin (as in the case of the chapter upon the earlier Babylonians) with a few specimens of these, and in the forefront the following may be cited as not unworthy of a prominent place-

"Tablet of Nabu-zer-ibni to Ugara, Bala?u, Nabu-bel-umati, and ama-udammiq, his brothers.

"Now to Bel and Nebo for the preservation of the life of my brothers I pray.

"Bel-epu, who is along with you, is my brother. Whoever speaks his evil words, as my brothers wish, let him be silent. As for him, from the beginning to the end, brothers of each other are we. As warning to my brothers I send this. Let my brothers do what is right. I should like to see an answer (to this) letter from my brothers."

Whether we are to subst.i.tute "friend" and "friends" for "brother" and "brothers" is uncertain, but is very probable. In any case, the writer would seem to show considerable courage in the course he was taking, as well as confidence in the righteousness of his cause.

The following is apparently the letter of a father in poverty to his more successful son-

"(Letter of) Iddina-a?a (to) Remut, his son.

"May (Bel) and Nebo bespeak peace and life for my son.

"He, my son, knoweth that there is no corn in the house. Let my son cause 2 or 3 _gur_ of corn to be brought by the hands of some one whom thou knowest. Wilt thou not send by the hands of the boatman whom thou indicatedst? As for him, (he is coming?) to me-send a gift, cause it to go forth to (thy) father. To-day I pray Bel and Nebo for the preservation of the life of my son. Remat asks after the peace of Remut, her son."

The change from the third person to the second is noteworthy, and may have been caused by the necessity of distinguis.h.i.+ng between the son and the messenger to whom the writer referred. Remat was evidently the writer's wife.

The following is a letter of a different nature, and leads to speculations as to the state of things-

"Letter of Marduk-zer-ibni to ula his brother.

"May Bel and Nebo bespeak the peace of my brother.

"Why dost thou destroy my house? thou goest before the destruction of thine (own) house. When thou hadst taken the responsibility of holding the field, my field was sold, and the date-palms which I grow have been destroyed. And thou (remainest) contented in thy house!(137) Now (as for) the corn which I have planted in my field, thou (always) takest the whole.

I am now sending to my lord: Come, enter my field, and give me my harvests. Behold, the corn which has been got ready thou (always) deliverest: Ikia and Nabu-a?a-iddina, if they wish, can take it. Speak to the judges about it."

Apparently the writer of the letter was vexed because his friend (and lord) had not fulfilled his undertaking to look after his interests.

Letters of a business nature are not unfrequent, and are generally dry and uninteresting. The character of the inscriptions of this cla.s.s which least exhibit these defects may be gathered from the following text, which also has an interest because the sender was a slave. The original belongs to the collection of tablets acquired by the late Sir Cuthbert Peek for his father, the late Sir Henry Peek:-

"Letter from Daan-bel-u?ur to irku, my lord. I pray to-day to Bel and Nebo for the preservation of the life of my lord.

"Concerning the lambs which my lord sent, Bel and Nebo indeed know that there is a lamb (for them) from thee. I have made the irrigation-channel and the wall. Behold, send thy servant with the sheep and thy servant with the lambs, and a command that they may cause a sheep to be brought up as an offering (?) to Nebo (?), for I have not acquired a single lamb for money. (On) the 20th day I worked for ama; lo, (there were) 56-I caused 20 head to be bought for my lord from his hand. (As for) the garlic for the governor, which my lord bought, the lord of the fields (? the chief overseer), when he came, took possession of (it), and it was sold to the governor of the district of our fields for silver, but enough (?) thereof I have retained (?); and as my lord said thus: 'Why hast thou not sent the messenger? the ground is suitable (?)-I sent thee a number (?) of (them).'

Let one messenger take thy message (?), and depart."