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shaken. . . . Great vices veiled these virtues. They were a bloody people, full of
violence and of falsehoods, sensual, haughty to excess, crafty and perfidious through
contempt of their foes. Few nations have abused more insolently the rights of the
strongest. . . . In spite of the éclat, and the refinement of their external civilization, they
always remained barbarians."
As to the religion of the Assyrians, it was borrowed from that of Babylonia. While the
Babylonian supreme god, Bel Merodach, is "the merciful one", and is accompanied by
Beltis, "the lady", the Assyrian supreme god, Assur, is "a man of war". Assur was the
state deified. It was the war-like state epitomized and worshipped. The Babylonians
were a nation of agriculturists, scribes, and merchants. The Assyrians were a military
power. In each case their gods reflected their inmost selves. Professor Sayce, speaking
of the temple at Balawât, near Nineveh, says:--
"The mercy-seat had the form of a coffer, or ark, in which two written tables of stone
were placed. In front of it stood the altar approached by steps. In the court was a `sea',
or large basin of water, which like that of Solomon was, in one case at all events,
supported on bulls of bronze."
Here we can clearly see the Semitic influence that came in and to a large extent
overlaid the older Sumerian religion. The Assyrians had daily sacrifices, provided partly
by voluntary gifts (called karbanni, the Hebrew korban), and partly by "tithes".
As well as the numerous festivals of the gods there was a sabathe, or "sabbath". On
these days various kinds of work were forbidden, food was not cooked, and medicine was
not to be taken. It was called "A day of rest for the heart". As we proceed with our
examination of the Assyrian antiquities we shall find numerous Sidelights on the
Scriptures that will, we believe, be both profitable and interesting.
On the eastern side of this transept are monuments from the palace of Sargon, the
founder of the last dynasty, B.100: 722-705. In Isaiah 20: 1 we read of Sargon the King of
Assyria, but no other record of the name of Sargon had been discovered up to a few years
ago. Not only unfriendly critics, but earnest Biblical expositors have been found using all
manner of subterfuges to find a place and a period for this Sargon. Even the Jews
themselves had overlaid the fact of history with their fancies, and all that Jerome could
learn from them was that Sargon had seven names, and that he was one of the
Assyrian monarchs mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures.
For over twenty centuries the only known reference to Sargon was found in the
prophecy of Isaiah. Had a hostile critic chosen to affirm that the name of Sargon was
entirely imaginary, it would until recently have been difficult to refute him. We may now
look upon the portrait of this king and recognize, as we do so, the supreme accuracy of
the Word of God towering above the assaults of its enemies and the weakness of its
friends. Sargon conferring with his officials is seen on the slabs numbered 824 and 825.
The monuments which, however, dominate this section of the museum are the colossal
human headed bulls, placed as they originally stood at the entrance of a chamber. These
figures were discovered at Khorsabad.