Mesopotamian Civilizations and Ascension to the Skies -Miraç

Mesopotamian Civilizations and Ascension to the Skies -Miraç

 In the ancient Mesopotamian tradition, there was a prevalent belief that any appointment on earth could happen in the council of gods made in the divine realm.  While kings and viziers are appointed to these roles, and second-order gods are appointed as gods, they are elevated to the divine skies where supreme gods are located.  There, they were admitted to the council of gods that convened under the presidency of the supreme God and were appointed to their new positions in that assembly.  It is possible to find this imagination existing in the ancient Mesopotamian tradition in various documents.  For example, according to one text, the king of Sippar, Enmeduranki, is summoned by God Shamash to the council of gods in the divine realm to be appointed as king.  In the presence of the Enmeduranki gods, Shamash and Adad placed a great golden throne, sanctified, and taught secrets and wisdom.  In addition, the gods give Enmeduranki a bag containing the tablets written by them and the secrets of the earth and sky.  In addition, he is given a scepter as a sign of his kingdom.

 Another Mesopotamian king, Nabunaid (the last Babylonian king), on the other hand, goes to the divine realm with a vision realized by God Ilteri and observes various secrets and wisdom there.

 As a final example, the Babylonian king Hammurabi takes his famous law book from God Shamash in the realm of the gods where he ascended to be appointed to the kingdom.  The similarity between the idea that Hammurabi brought the book consisting of legal orders from the divine realm and the idea that Moses brought the sacred tablets containing the ten commandments from the heavenly realm, which is present in various Jewish literature, is striking.

 In the texts of ancient Mesopotamia (Sumerian and Akkadian inscriptions), Mesopotamian kings are mentioned as "the person sent".  This nickname fits with the belief that they are sent or commissioned by God.  When we consider this nickname used for kings in the light of the examples we have given above, it is understood that the kings were sent to the earth to fulfill their mission after they ascended to the divine realm and were appointed there and received some sacred teachings, secrets and wisdom.

 Some researchers, notably G. Widengren, are of the opinion that this ascension vision, which existed in the ancient Mesopotamian tradition, subsequently influenced the ascetic imaginations in Jewish, Christian and some other cultures.

 In Sumerian mythology, it is told that the hero Adapa (the first created human), who was patronized by the god Enki, was taken to the presence (sky) of An, the god of the skies, to punish him because he broke his wings by angering the south wind that capsized his boat while fishing in the sea.  According to the story, An wants to kill the daring Adapa but comes to mercy with the intercessions of Dumuzi and Ningishzida;  He gives him bread and water that give eternal life to Adapa.  Thus, he wants to perpetuate him.  But Adapa, who recalls the warning of his former patron Enki not to eat anything, refrains from eating the water with this bread, the content of which he does not know, so both himself and the entire human race are deprived of eternal life.

 Ownership

 There are three types of imagination of ascension from the earth to the heavenly realms in the Sabaiism, which constitutes a typical example of the Gnostic understanding of religion.  The first two of these relate to the savior (redeemer or master) who was sent down to earth in order to convey the divine message to the spirits and spirits who escaped from the body and earth prison when the earthly life ended and went to the realm of light, which is their homeland, and then ascended to their original homeland.  As we mentioned at the beginning, these two ascension visions are not related to the ascension motif.  On the other hand, the third type of ascension imagination present in the Sâbiî tradition exhibits an example of an ascension.  This is the ascension or ascendant vision of the Dinanukht in Ginza.

 The sixth chapter of Ginza, which is the most important sacred book of the Sabaeans, is titled "Dinanukht's Book".  The main subject of this chapter is about Dinanukht's journey to the divine realms.  Dinanukht, whose name means "speaking in accordance with religion" in terms of dictionary meaning, is a mythological personality.

 While Dinanukht was sitting in a wet place, thinking to himself, another mythological figure, Disai, comes and tells him about the existence of Life (God), truth, light, light, truth, false, dark and destruction.  Thereupon, various questions arise in Dinanukht's mind about all these vital concepts closely related to the Sâbiî doctrine.  Finally he falls asleep.  The divine messenger Din Milik Uthra comes to him and takes him on a spiritual journey to the superphysical realms.

 Dinanukht is carried to the heavenly realms by winds, storms and stairs.  Din Milik Uthra primarily transports him through the seven planets.  After crossing the seven planets, Dinanukht reaches the divine realm of light;  He sees the spirits that reside here in the realm of light, past and future generations, and various blessings in the realm of light.  He also finds the opportunity to see and learn his own space here, in his final liberation from the earth.  Furthermore, Dinanukht gets the opportunity to solve all his problems and find answers to his problems related to life, true knowledge, goodness, light, evil and darkness that occupy his mind while on earth.  He learns the truth about life, that is, the supreme God and true knowledge.

 After all, he is tasked with returning to earth and conveying the divine message and teachings he saw, learned and received here.  Dinanukht does not agree to this at first and he wants to stay there, saying "I would rather eat dust in this realm than return to earth".  However, the divine messenger insists on the need for him to descend to the earth, to convey and teach the divine message to people there until the end of his life.  In addition, the divine messenger gives him the good news that he will return to this realm when he finishes his life on earth.

 Thereupon, Dinanukht returns to earth again.  When he completes this vision and opens his eyes, he sees at his bedside that his friends and relatives are crying for him, thinking he is dead.  Then he stands up and tries to direct people to the truth in line with the divine messages he received in the ascension.

 According to this chapter in Ginza, when Dinanukht completes his life on earth, his soul leaves his dead body and the earth and rises again to his place in the realm of light, which he had previously seen during his ascetic experience.  But this time it will stay there forever.

  

 Some Resources:

 - For an example of some secondary Mesopotamian gods appearing in the assembly of gods and being appointed by the supreme God in that assembly, see.  Widengren, The Ascension, pp. 17-18.

 - Widengren, The Ascension, pp. 7-8.  M. Eliade claims that the origin of the ascension (ascension) motif in Islam, Judaism, Gnostic religions, and various other traditions is this Ancient Mesopotamian tradition of Knmeduranki.  See.  Eliade, A History of Religion Idea, vol.3, p.70.

 - Drower-Macuch, A Mandaic Dictionary, p. 108.  Also see.  Buckley,

 - These seven planets, according to the Sâbiî belief, are evil watch stations that surround the earth and try to prevent the souls from leaving the earth.  See.  Rudolph, K., Mandaeism, Leiden (1978), p.15