The fall of Babylon is a tragedy foretold in the bible. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Babylon

1. INTRODUCTION

2. CONQUERING GOLDEN BABYLON

2.1Beginning of the story

2.2From captivity to home

2.3Gardens and glittering palace

3. THE FALL AND REVIVAL OF THE CITY LEGISLATIVE

3.1How Babylon achieved its greatness

3.2When Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon

3.3 Code of Laws of Hammurabi

3.4 What gods were worshiped in Babylon

4. CONCLUSION

5. LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1. INTRODUCTION

There was one flaw in Babylon's defensive system: the Euphrates flowed through the center of the city. Cyrus immediately realized that the river could become a road to the very heart of Babylon. When the depth was only up to the thigh of an adult, the Persians wade along the Don and made their way inside the city walls, into the very heart of Babylon. He was greeted warmly.

However, the biblical prophet Daniel, an eyewitness to the fall of the city, considered this to be divine retribution.

With the fall of Babylon, Cyrus becomes the sole ruler not only of Mesopotamia, but also of Syria and Palestine, subject to Babylon.

Cyrus freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity, sending them to Judea to restore Jerusalem and the sacred temple of Solomon. Babylon was the largest city in the world, spread over 4000 hectares of land, from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar was in glory.

In the northern part of the ancient city, towering over the Euphrates, stood a palace. Not far from it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the hanging gardens of Babylon. These Gardens were built during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.

The fall of Babylon marked the decline of the city's glory, although under the rule of Cyrus' successors, Babylon became the capital of the richest province of the Persian Empire.

The city of Babylon was a late addition to a number of Central Asian states. The first of its great kings, the semi-legendary Hammurabi, reigned from about 1792 to 1750 BC. Hammurabi created a code of laws that lasted almost 1000 years and retained influence for a long time.

Babylon was raised from ruins by the successor of Sennacherib, Assarhaddon, and by the end of the 7th century BC. regained its former strength.

Nebuchadnezzar ascended the Babylonian throne in 605 BC. During the 43 years of his reign, he revived the Babylonian Empire and practically rebuilt its capital, the magnificent city of Babylon.

The laws of Hammurabi, which influenced Babylonian society in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, were rooted in a code of laws carved in 1750 BC. on the basalt slab. It is carved in cuneiform, a writing method previously used on clay tablets. The laws covered all legal areas: from property crimes to inheritance, from healing the sick to the adoption of children. Many crimes were punishable by death.

The purpose of the written work is to tell about the reign of kings in Babylon; about the conquest and fall of the city.

The following literature was used to write the test work:

1. When, where, how and why did it happen / Comp. Nigel Hawkes, Tim Haley, Kate Spence and others; Ed. Michael Worth Davison, Ian Stewart, Asa Briggs; - Lon.: CJSC "Izd. House Reader's Digest, 1998. - 448 p.

2. Mommzen T. History of Babylon. M., 1943. 379 - 380 p.

3. Encycl.: History/Stat. N.V. Chudakova, A.V. Gromov; Ed. O.G. Hinn. - M .: LLC "Publishing house AST-LTD", 1998. - 512 p.

4. Encycl.: Countries and peoples: Asia, America, Australia, Africa / Ed.-comp. L.A. Bagrov; Ed. O.G. Hinn. - M .: LLC Firm AST Publishing House, 1998. - 592 p.

2. THE CONQUEST OF THE GOLDEN BABYLON

2.1 The beginning of the story

Babylon Semiramis Hammurabi

Throughout the spring and part of the summer of 539 B.C. the Persian army of Cyrus the Great stood under the powerful walls of Babylon, hoping that famine would force its inhabitants to surrender. Prior to this, the Persians had already conquered Media and the fabulously rich Lydia. With the fall of Babylon, Cyrus becomes the sole ruler not only of Mesopotamia, but also of Syria and Palestine, subject to Babylon.

The Babylonians stocked up in advance in the city so much food that would be enough for several years. But they did not take into account one small flaw in the defense system of Babylon: the Euphrates flowed through the center of the city. Cyrus immediately realized that the river could become a road to the very heart of Babylon.

Cyrus ordered a canal to be dug upstream to divert the waters of the Euphrates to the nearby swamps. The water level in the river dropped, and when the depth was only up to the thigh of an adult, the Persians wade along the Don and made their way inside the city walls, into the very heart of Babylon. The townspeople celebrated some holiday and did not notice anything until the Persians filled the whole city.

Cyrus was warmly received by the Babylonians. He also favored them and even attended the ceremonies of worship of the most revered deity in Babylon - Marduk. This is how Babylon fell, according to the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon. However, the biblical prophet Daniel, an eyewitness to the fall of the city, considered this to be divine retribution. He told how, at the time when the Persians were approaching the city, Belshazzar, whom Diniel calls the king of Babylon, although in fact he ruled only in the absence of his father Nabonidus, arranged a feast for "a thousand of his nobles." The guests drank wine from the sacred Jewish cups, which were earlier taken out of Jerusalem by the army of Nebuchadnezzar II as spoils of war. And suddenly, in the midst of the feast, a hand appeared from the air, inscribed on the wall the words: “Mene, tekel, peres.”

2.2 From captivity to home

Daniel recognized in these words the names of three Jewish measures of weight, and interpreted them as follows: “Me - God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it, tekel - you have been weighed in the balance and found very light, Peres - your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians ". And in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel, the Persian army broke into the city, and on the same night Belshazzar was killed, although, perhaps, not by Cyrus, but by his own indignant subjects.

Cyrus freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity, sending them to Judea to restore Jerusalem and the sacred temple of Solomon. The prophet Ezra describes how the God of Israel advised Cyrus to return the Jews to their homeland and give them the sacred vessels numbering "five thousand four hundred."

Greek historians and biblical Jewish prophets unanimously note the power and size of Babylon, whose name means "Gate of God." It was the largest city in the world, spread over 4,000 hectares of land, and has been in glory since the time of King Nebuchadnezzar. The length of the outer line of double walls surrounding the city reached 17 km, at certain intervals they were fortified with watchtowers. A huge ziggurat, the Tower of Babel, mentioned in the Book of Genesis, towered over the busy river jetties. It was a skillfully built mud-brick structure, about 90 meters high, clearly visible for many kilometers from the Euphrates valley. It consisted of 8 towers, interconnected by a staircase leading up. The Babylonians called the tower Etemenanki, i.e. "House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth." Not far from it was a temple complex called Esagila, "House of the Head", where Cyrus managed to win the favor of the Babylonians by worshiping Marduk.

2.3 Gardens and glittering palace

In the northern part of the ancient city, towering over the Euphrates, there was a palace in which, perhaps, Belshazzar arranged a feast on that fateful night. Not far from it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the hanging gardens of Babylon.

These Gardens were built during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. He chose the beautiful Semiramis, the daughter of the king of the mountainous country of Media, as his wife. She was very homesick for her homeland, which was so unlike the dusty and noisy city where she had to live with her husband.

Nebuchadnezzar loved his wife, he decided to do everything to dispel her sadness. By order of the king, thousands of prisoners captured in the recent war were driven into the city, and work began to boil.

Next to the palace was built a four-story building of stone and brick. A layer of fertile soil was poured on each floor and trees and flowers were planted. The floors were connected by stairs.

For watering the gardens, a special water-lifting device was used. All this structure was supported by powerful columns, but from a distance it seemed that beautiful gardens were hanging right in the air - that's why they were called "hanging gardens".

Unfortunately, this wonder of the world did not last long - about two centuries. First, they stopped caring for the gardens, then powerful floods destroyed the foundations of the columns, and the entire structure collapsed. Thus, one of the wonders of the world perished. Access to the city was carried out through 8 city gates, of which the Ishtar Gate, built in honor of the goddess of fertility and love, was the most luxurious.

The fall of Babylon marked the decline of the city's glory, although under the rule of Cyrus' successors, Babylon became the capital of the richest province of the Persian Empire. In 482 B.C. an uprising broke out in the city against Xerxes, who demolished the city walls and temples and melted the golden statue of Marduk. In 331 BC Babylon was captured by the troops of Alexander the Great, and in 275 BC. almost all the townspeople were relocated to the new capital on the Tigris River. And yet, the windswept ruins stood still for more than 2,000 years, until in 1990 the ruler of Iraq, Sadaam Hussein, preparing the site for the construction of the "New Babylon", razed most of them to the ground.

3. THE FALL AND RECOVERY OF THE LEGISLATIVE CITY

3.1 How Babylon achieved its greatness

The city of Babylon was a late addition to a number of Central Asian states. It appeared centuries after the birth of the first - Sumerian - civilization, but by 1900 BC. already became the capital of the Babylonian kingdom.

The first of its great kings, the semi-legendary Hammurabi, reigned from about 1792 to 1750 BC. Under him, Babylon subjugated the main part of Mesopotamia - the fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates. He made Babylon the center of a prosperous empire. Hammurabi created a code of laws that lasted almost 1000 years and retained influence for a long time.

The greatness and glory of Babylon attracted the attention of many invaders. During the XVI century BC. it was ruled by the Kassites, who ruled for about 400 years. Then the god Marduk, who had previously been worshiped only by the Babylonians, became the main deity of all Mesopotamia.

Fall of Babylon

Babylon, excavated by Koldewey, was the capital of an empire created almost exclusively by the will of one of its last kings, Nebuchadnezzar P. The period of the so-called Neo-Babylonian kingdom lasted from 605 to 538 BC. e., and at the end of it, Babylon from the center of the civilized world turned into a dying provincial city, with a few inhabitants, dilapidated and forgotten.

So what is the reason for the fall of the majestic capital?

Part of the answer is that, in the age of military despots, states are only strong when their rulers are strong. In the case of Babylon VII-VI centuries. BC e. there are only two such strong rulers who were able to turn the tide of history for the benefit of their people - Nabopolassar (626-605 BC) and his son Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). The kings of Babylon, who ruled before and after them, turned out to be puppets either in the hands of foreign rulers or local priests.

When Nabopolassar came to power, Babylon, as during the previous two hundred years, was still a vassal state of Assyria. During this time, Assyria conquered almost the entire known world, taking possession of vast territories and arousing the boundless wrath of the conquered peoples. The Medes were especially burdened by the Assyrian yoke, and Nabopolassar, in the struggle for independence, made the main bet on them. The Medes for several centuries successfully repelled the attacks of the Assyrians and became famous as skillful horsemen and brave warriors. The king of Media Cyaxares, to the delight of Nabopolassar, agreed to seal the alliance by marrying his daughter Amitis to the Babylonian prince Nebuchadnezzar.

After that, both kings felt strong enough to unleash an all-out war with the hated Assyrians. Apparently, the leading role in this war was played by the Medes, who for three years besieged Nineveh; breaking through the walls, they were able to achieve their goal - to destroy the Assyrian capital, in which the Babylonians willingly helped them. After the fall of Assyria, Nabopolassar, as an ally of the victorious Indian king, received the southern part of the former empire. Thus, Babylon gained independence and new territories not so much through military action as through the skillful diplomacy and insight of its ruler. Military campaigns later became famous for Prince Nebuchadnezzar, who defeated the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish in 604 BC. e., and then the Jews in the battle for Jerusalem in 598 BC. e. and the Phoenicians in 586 BC. e.

Thus, thanks to the diplomatic skill of Nabopolassar and the military prowess of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian Empire was created, and its capital became the largest, richest and most powerful city in the entire known world at that time. Unfortunately for the subjects of that empire, the heir of its great kings was Amel-Marduk, whom the Babylonian historian Berossus describes as "an unworthy successor to his father (Nevuchadnezzar), not restrained by law or decency" - a rather curious accusation against an Eastern monarch, especially if we remember all the atrocities of former despots. But we should not forget that the priest accused him of “intemperance”, namely the priests plotted to kill the king, after which they transferred power to the commander Nergal-Sharusur, or Neriglissar, who took part in the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC. e., according to the Book of the prophet Jeremiah (39:1-3):

“In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army to Jerusalem and besieged it.

And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was taken.

And all the princes of the king of Babylon entered it and settled down in the middle gate, Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nevo, Sarsekhim, the chief of the eunuchs, Nergal-Sharezer, the chief of the magicians, and all the other princes of the king of Babylon.

It is noteworthy that two Nergal-Sha-retzers are mentioned at once, which is not surprising, since this name means "may Nergal protect the king." The second of them, the head of the magicians, most likely was a court official; the first, obviously, was the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar, whose son, Amel-Marduk, was killed during the uprising. Little is known about this Neriglissar, except that he reigned for only three years (559-556 BC), and his son even less - eleven months. Then the priests enthroned another of their henchmen - Nabonidus, the son of the priest.

Nabonidus, it seems, spent all the seventeen years of his reign only restoring the temples of his country and tracing the ancient history of his people. He traveled throughout the kingdom with a retinue of historians, archaeologists and architects, overseeing the implementation of his building program and not paying much attention to political and military issues. He founded his permanent residence in the Teima oasis, shifting the management of the empire onto the shoulders of his son Bel-Shar-Usur, that is, the biblical Belshazzar. Nabonidus called him "the firstborn, the offspring of my heart."

As often happens - at least in the official versions of history - a pious, enlightened and peace-loving monarch, instead of recognition and love, receives contempt and ingratitude from his subjects. What the Babylonians themselves thought of this ruler, who in his manners resembled a professor rather than an emperor, we do not know. The thoughts and opinions of the average Babylonian never served as a measure of the prowess of the rulers of ancient Mesopotamia, but we can more or less guess that the average layman was hardly interested in the history of religion or the restoration of temples in outlying provinces. The king, on the contrary, was very interested in this, and especially in the restoration of the temple of Sin, the ancient lunar deity, the son of Enlil, the god of the air, and Ki, the goddess of the earth. He was so eager to rebuild this temple in his native city of Harran that this desire gave rise to discontent among the Babylonian priests and merchants; in other words, they felt that their god and their interests were suffering through the fault of the very man whom they had promoted to the kingdom.

Be that as it may, it so happened that Babylon, the most impregnable city in the world, in 538 BC. e. almost without bloodshed, he succumbed to the onslaught of the Persian army, led by Cyrus the Great. Surely this fact discouraged many contemporaries and some later scientists, because in that era the capture of the city was accompanied by blood flows, the destruction of houses, the torture of local residents, violence against women and other similar atrocities. This again contradicts what is described in the Bible and foretold in the prophecy of Jeremiah. The story about the “king” Belshazzar and the writings on the wall, most likely, should be considered a fairy tale, because Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, not Nebuchadnezzar, and not a king, but a prince. And they killed him not in Babylon, but on the western bank of the Tigris during the battle with the Persian Cyrus. And he did not at all cede his kingdom to the "Mede Darius."

In the same way, Jeremiah's terrible prophecy that Babylon would become a place of desolation and savagery was ultimately fulfilled, not because Yahweh decided to punish the offenders of the Jews, but because of the continuous wars and conquests that devastated this land for centuries. Despite all the prophecies, the great city continued to flourish under the rule of Cyrus, whose laudatory inscription partially explains what happened:

“I, Cyrus, the king of the world ... After I mercifully entered Babylon, with immense joy I made my dwelling in the royal palace ... My numerous troops peacefully entered Babylon, and I turned my gaze to the capital and its colonies, freed the Babylonians from slavery and oppression. I quieted their sighs and softened their sorrows.

This inscription, of course, is in the best spirit of official wartime records, both ancient and modern, but it gives at least some idea of ​​the siege of Babylon in 539 BC. e. - namely, that Babylon was treacherously surrendered; otherwise Nabonidus' son Belshazzar would not have had to fight outside the city. Additional details of this story are set forth by Herodotus, who could well have heard the story of the capture of the city from the lips of an eyewitness. The Greek historian writes that Cyrus besieged the city for quite some time, but unsuccessfully, because of its powerful walls. In the end, the Persians resorted to the traditional trick, taking advantage of the division of the Euphrates into several side branches, and advanced detachments were able to enter the city along the riverbed from the north and south. Herodotus notes that the city was so large that the townspeople who lived in the center did not know that the enemies had already occupied the outskirts, and continued to dance and have fun on the occasion of the holiday. Thus was Babylon taken.

So Cyrus conquered the city without destroying it, which was extremely rare in ancient history. There is no doubt that after the Persian conquest, life in the city and the lands adjacent to it continued to go on as before; in the temples they offered daily sacrifices and performed the usual rituals that served as the basis of social life. Cyrus turned out to be a wise enough ruler not to humiliate his new subjects. He lived in the royal palace, visited temples, revered the national god Marduk, and paid due respect to the priests who still controlled the politics of the ancient empire. He did not interfere in the trade and commercial activities of the city, did not impose excessively heavy tribute on its inhabitants. After all, it was precisely the unfair and burdensome extortions of mercenary tax collectors that often served as the reason for the uprisings of the conquered cities.

This would have continued for quite a long time and the city would have flourished further if it were not for the ambitious plans of applicants for the Babylonian throne during the reign of Cyrus' successor Darius (522-486 BC). Two of them claimed to be the sons of Nabonidus, the last of the independent kings of Babylon, although whether this was actually the case we do not know. The only mention of them remains in the Behistun inscription carved by order of Darius. From it we learn that the Persian king defeated the rebels, and one of them, Nidintu-Bela, was executed, and the other, Arakh, was crucified in Babylon. On the relief, Nidintu-Bel is depicted as the second, and Arakkha as the seventh in a row of nine conspirators tied to each other by the neck and standing in front of Darius. Nidintu-Bel is depicted as an elderly, possibly grey-bearded man with a large, fleshy nose; Arakha is represented as young and stronger. The Persian texts say the following about these rebels:

“A certain Babylonian named Nidintu-Bel, the son of Aniri, raised an uprising in Babylon; he lied to the people, saying, "I am Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabonidus." Then all the provinces of Babylonia passed to this Nidintu-Bel, and Babylonia revolted. He seized power in Babylonia.

So says King Darius. Then I went to Babylon, against this Nidintu-Bela, who called himself Nebuchadnezzar. The army of Nidintu-Bela held the Tigris. Here they fortified themselves and built ships. Then I divided my army, put some on camels, and left others on horses.

Ahura Mazda helped me; by the grace of Ahuramazda we crossed the Tigris. Then I completely defeated the fortifications of Nidintu-Bela. On the twenty-sixth day of the month of Atriyadya (December 18), we went into battle. So says King Darius. Then I went to Babylon, but before I reached it, this Nidintu-Bel, who called himself Nebuchadnezzar, approached with an army and offered to fight near the city of Zazana on the banks of the Euphrates ... The enemies fled into the water; the water took them away. Then Nidintu-Bel fled with a few horsemen to Babylon. By the grace of Ahuramazda, I took Babylon and captured this Nidintu-Bel. Then I took his life in Babylon...

So says King Darius. While I was in Persia and Media, the Babylonians raised a second rebellion against me. A certain man named Arakha, an Armenian son of Khaldit, led the uprising. In a place called Dubala, he lied to the people, saying, "I am Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabonidus." Then the Babylonians rose up against me and went with this Arakkha. He captured Babylon; he became king of Babylon.

So says King Darius. Then I sent an army to Babylon. A Persian named Vindefran, my servant, I appointed commander, and I said to them thus: "Go and defeat this Babylonian enemy who does not recognize me!" Then Vindefran went with an army to Babylon. With the good will of Ahura Mazda, Vindefran overthrew the Babylonians...

On the twenty-second day of the month Markazanash (November 27), this Arakha, who called himself Nebuchadnezzar, and his main followers were captured and chained. Then I proclaimed, "May Arakha and his chief followers be crucified in Babylon!"

According to Herodotus, who wrote his work only fifty years after these events, the Persian king destroyed the city walls and demolished the gates, although if he stationed his troops in the palaces and houses of the city in winter, then obviously he did not destroy everything. True, the matter was not limited to the destruction of the fortifications; he also ordered the crucification of three thousand chief instigators, which gives some idea of ​​the size of the population of Babylon in 522 BC. e. If these three thousand were representatives of the highest religious and civil leadership - say, one hundredth of all citizens - then it turns out that the adult population was about 300 thousand, to which should be added about 300 thousand more children, slaves, servants, foreigners and other residents . Taking into account the population density of the cities of the Middle East, it can be argued that about a million people lived in Babylon and its environs.

Despite the destruction caused by Darius, the city continued to be the economic center of the Middle East, as it was located at the crossroads from north to south and from east to west. However, under the Persians, it gradually lost its religious significance. After another uprising, the Persian king Xerxes (486-465 BC) ordered to destroy not only the remains of walls and fortifications, but also the famous temple of Marduk, and take the statue away.

The significance of such an order is emphasized by the fact that, according to the popular opinion in the Middle East, the well-being of the people depended on the well-being of the temple of their main god. Suffice it to recall how quickly the Sumerian cities fell into decay after the enemies destroyed their temples and stole the statues of the gods. According to the unnamed author of Lament for the Destruction of Ur, it was the desecration of the statues of the gods that led to such sad consequences. It does not say anything about the defeat of the troops, about poor leadership or the economic reasons for the defeat - which our contemporaries would say when discussing the reasons for the defeat. All disasters, according to the author, happened solely because they desecrated the dwellings of the gods.

The most famous example of the identification of the national deity with the fate of the people is the Old Testament story about the destruction of the Temple and the abduction of the Ark, which were the climax of the destruction of the kingdom of Israel. The ark is not just a shrine to the god Yahweh, it is a kind of symbol comparable to the eagles of the Roman legions (the loss of which was considered equivalent to the cessation of the existence of the legion). A stone fetish storage box, possibly from Mount Serbal in the Sinai Peninsula, was identified with the abode of Yahweh when he decided to descend to earth among people. Other Semitic peoples also had similar temples and "arks". All of them, along with religious, to a large extent performed military functions, so that the Jewish Yahweh and the Babylonian Marduk played a similar role of a military deity. Thus, Yahweh, who in the early books of the Bible is identified with the Ark itself, leads the Israelites in battle, and is glorified in case of victory, but never condemned in case of defeat. The defeat, for example from the Philistines, is explained by the fact that during the battle the Ark was not on the battlefield. The captivity and exile to Babylon is also explained by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar took the receptacle of Yahweh. Now it was the turn of the Babylonians to suffer when Xerxes destroyed the sanctuary of Esagila and deprived them of the statue of Marduk.

The destruction of the central temple in such a theocratic society as the Babylonian inevitably meant the end of the old order, since the kings could no longer be crowned king according to ancient customs at the Akutu festival. This ritual was of such great importance in the state cult that it is mentioned in connection with all the victories of the state. So what was this "akut" and why was it so necessary for the successful functioning of the Babylonian socio-political system?

First of all, it was the celebration of the New Year, which always played a very important role in ancient societies as a symbolic meeting of spring and a period of renewal of life. On such an important occasion, Marduk left his temple and was carried at the head of a huge procession down the Procession Road. Along the way, he met the gods of distant cities, especially the former rival, and now the main guest of Naboo, the patron city-state of Borsippa. Both gods were brought into the Sacred Chamber or Holy of Holies, where they held council with the rest of the gods about the fate of the universe. Such was the divine or celestial significance of the New Year's feast. The earthly meaning was that the god transferred power over the city to his vicegerent king, for until the king “put his hand in the hand of Marduk”, thus symbolizing succession, he could not become the legitimate spiritual and earthly king of Babylon.

In addition, "akunu" was the annual festival of all the gods, as well as their priests, priestesses and temple servants. The ceremonies marking the New Year's Eve were so solemn and symbolic that not a single king of Babylon, Assyria and, at first, Persia dared to refuse to attend the Assembly of the Gods. Statues of the gods, kings, princes, priests and the entire population of the city dressed in special clothes on such an occasion; each detail of the ritual had its own religious significance, each action was accompanied by such ceremonies that this holiday could rightly be called the most solemn and magnificent spectacle in all the then known world. The number and roles of participants, the number of burned victims, the processions of ships and chariots, as well as unusually magnificent rituals, were the quintessence of the entire religious tradition of the Babylonian state. Only by realizing all this, one can understand why the desecration of the temple of the main god violated the structure of the Babylonian theocracy and weakened the vital forces of society. The kidnapping of the main idol meant that no Babylonian would henceforth be able to join his hand with the hand of Marduk and declare himself an earthly king with a divine right to lead the country, and not a single Babylonian would be able to see the religious act, which depicted the death and resurrection of Marduk.

The destruction of the "soul" of the city, of course, did not mean that it instantly turned into ruins and was abandoned by the inhabitants. Yes, many influential citizens were crucified or tortured to death, thousands went into captivity, becoming slaves or warriors of the Persian kings who fought against the Greek city-states. But at the time of Herodotus, who visited the city around 450 BC. e., Babylon continued to exist and even flourish, although outwardly it gradually deteriorated, since it no longer had local kings who would take care of the condition of the walls and temples. The Persian rulers were not up to it; they tried to conquer Sparta and Athens, and unsuccessfully, losing troops and fleets. In 311 BC. e. The Achaemenid Empire under the leadership of Darius III suffered a final defeat. Alexander the Great entered Babylon and proclaimed himself its king.

Alexander's contemporaries give a magnificent description of Babylon. As noted by some later authors, notably the Greek Flavius ​​Arrian, Alexander, wishing to perpetuate his exploits for posterity, appointed several of his subordinates as military historians, instructing them to record the events of each day. All entries were summarized in a single book, which was called "Ephemerides" or "Diary". Thanks to these records, as well as the stories of warriors recorded later by other authors, we have the most complete description of military campaigns, countries, peoples and conquered cities in the entire era of antiquity.

Alexander did not have to take Babylon by storm, since the ruler of the city Mazey came out to meet him along with his wife, children and mayors. The Macedonian commander, apparently, accepted the surrender with relief, since he did not really want to besiege this, judging by the description of a contemporary Greek historian, a very fortified city. From this we can conclude that the walls destroyed by Xerxes in 484

BC e., by 331 were restored. The local population did not at all prepare to repel the attack, but, on the contrary, gathered to greet the Greek conqueror. Officials vying with each other tried not only to point to the treasury of Darius, but also strew the hero's path with flowers and garlands, erect silver altars in his path and fumigate them with incense. In short, Alexander, who did not shoot a single arrow, was given such honors as were later paid only to the most famous Roman generals. The Babylonians, remembering that it is customary to celebrate the capture of the city with executions or the crucifixion of captives, hastened to propitiate the winner, providing him with herds of horses and herds of cows, which the Greek quartermasters favorably accepted. The triumphal procession was led by cages with lions and leopards, followed by priests, soothsayers and musicians; it was closed by the Babylonian horsemen, a kind of guard of honor. According to the Greeks, these riders "subjected to the demands of luxury rather than utility." All this luxury surprised and amazed the Greek mercenaries who were not accustomed to it; after all, their goal was mining, not the conquest of new territories. The Babylonians surpassed these, in their opinion, semi-barbarians in cunning and quick wits. And it is worth noting that in this case, they really saved the city, avoiding a battle and making the invaders fall in love with it. This is exactly what the priests, officials and horsemen in magnificent decorations were striving for. Alexander was immediately taken to the royal chambers, showing the treasures and furniture of Darius. Alexander's generals almost went blind from the luxury of the premises provided to them; simple warriors were placed in more modest, but no less comfortable houses, the owners of which sought to please them in everything. As the historian writes:

“Nowhere did the morale of Alexander's army decline as in Babylon. Nothing corrupts like the customs of this city, nothing so excites and awakens dissolute desires. Fathers and husbands allow their daughters and wives to give themselves to guests. Kings and their courtiers gladly arrange festive drinking parties throughout Persia; but the Babylonians are particularly attached to wine, and committed to the drunkenness that accompanies it. The women attending these drinking parties are at first modestly dressed, then they take off their robes one by one and gradually strip off their modesty. And finally - let's say out of respect for your ears - they throw away the innermost coverings from their bodies. Such disgraceful behavior is characteristic not only of promiscuous women, but also of married mothers and virgins who consider prostitution a courtesy. At the end of thirty-four days of such intemperance, the army that conquered Asia would undoubtedly weaken in the face of danger if any enemy suddenly attacked it ... "

True or not, we must remember that these words were written by a Roman of the old school. However, the reception given to Alexander's soldiers in Babylon pleased them so much that they did not destroy the city and commit the atrocities common for that time. The Macedonian king stayed here longer than anywhere else in the entire campaign, and even gave orders to restore buildings and improve the appearance of the capital. Thousands of workers began to clear the rubble at the site of the temple of Marduk, which was to be rebuilt. Construction continued ten years and even two years after the death of Alexander in the same Babylon.

He died in 325 BC. e., and the circumstances of his death are rather curious, since it happened because of a drinking bout. From early youth - despite the upbringing given to him by Aristotle - Alexander was fond of wine and merry feasts. Once, during one such feast, which, in addition to Alexander, was attended by his generals and local courtesans, one of those present set fire to the palace in Persepolis, the residence of the Persian kings, destroying one of the most beautiful buildings of the Ancient World in their rampage. Returning to Babylon, Alexander again took up the old, but a long drinking bout ended in a serious illness. Perhaps the cause of his premature death was cirrhosis of the liver.

One thing is certain - the short thirteen-year reign of this Macedonian king radically changed the cultural and political situation throughout the then known world, and especially in the Middle East. By that time, these lands had seen the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Assyrians, Medes, and Babylonians. The Persian Empire also fell under the blows of a small but invincible army, consisting of Macedonian cavalry and Greek mercenaries. Almost all cities from Tire in the west to Ecbatana in the east were leveled to the ground, their rulers were tortured and executed, and the inhabitants were massacred or sold into slavery. But Babylon this time also managed to avoid destruction thanks to the fact that he wisely played on the addiction of the Macedonians and Greeks to wine and women. The great city had to survive and exist for several more centuries before it died of natural causes, of old age.

Alexander was given a traditionally magnificent funeral, accompanied by a public display of grief, hair being pulled out, suicide attempts and predictions of the end of the world, for what future could one speak of after the death of a deified hero? But behind all this solemn facade, the generals and politicians had already begun to argue about the inheritance, since Alexander did not appoint his successor and did not leave a will. True, he had a legitimate son from the Persian princess Barsina, daughter of Darius III; another heir was expected from the second wife, Roxana, princess of Bactria. No sooner had the body of the late husband been put in the grave than Roxana, no doubt incited by the courtiers, killed her rival Barsina and her infant son. But she did not have to take advantage of the fruits of her deceit; soon she shared the fate of her rival, along with her son Alexander IV. She died at the hands of the very commander Cassander, who had previously killed the mother of Alexander the Great, Queen Olympias. The Oxford Classical Dictionary characterizes this monster as "a merciless master of his craft", but this is a rather modest description of a man who killed two queens and a prince in cold blood. However, Alexander's veterans surprisingly quickly came to terms with the death of Roxana and her son, because they did not want to see a king with "mixed blood" on the throne. The Greeks fought not for this, they said, to bow before the son of Alexander from a foreigner.

The death of two possible successors, the sons of the Persian Barsina and Roxana from Bactria, opened the way to the throne for all the ambitious commanders who crossed Asia with Alexander and participated in the legendary battles. Ultimately, their rivalry led to internecine wars, which had little effect on Babylon, as they were fought on the outskirts of the empire.

Therefore, we can assume that the death of Alexander marked the end of the history of Babylon as the greatest city in the world. The inhabitants themselves hardly mourned the death of the emperor - they loved the Greeks no more than the Persians - but the Greek conquest at first promised great hopes. Alexander declared that he was going to make Babylon his eastern capital and rebuild the Temple of Marduk. If his plans were put into practice, then Babylon would again become the political, commercial and religious capital of the entire East. But Alexander died suddenly, and the most far-sighted inhabitants seem to have immediately realized that the last chance for rebirth was hopelessly lost. It was clear to anyone that after the death of the conqueror, chaos reigned for a long time, and yesterday's close associates of the king squabbled among themselves over the remnants of the empire. Various sons, wives, friends and associates of Alexander sought to take possession of Babylon, until finally this city fell to the commander Seleucus Nicator.

During the reign of this Greek warrior, who, like others, was forced to make his way with weapons, the city experienced several years of peace. The new ruler was even going to make it the capital of the Middle East again. The ruins of the temple of Marduk continued to be carefully sorted out, although due to the huge number of them, the work was never completed. This in itself was a sign of the decline of Babylon. The vitality seemed to be leaving the city; hopelessness seized the inhabitants, and they realized that their city would never return to its former glory, that they would never rebuild the temple of Marduk, and that constant wars would finally destroy the old way of life. In 305 BC. e. Seleucus also realized the futility of his attempts and decided to found a new city, naming it after himself. Seleucia was built on the banks of the Tigris, 40 miles north of Babylon, still at the crossroads from east to west, but far enough from the old capital that it became its competitor. In order to finally put an end to the outlived city, Seleucus ordered all major officials to leave Babylon and move to Seleucia. Naturally, they were followed by merchants and merchants.

The artificially created city grew rapidly, satisfying the vanity of Seleucus Nicator rather than the needs of the surrounding area. Most of the population moved from Babylon, but bricks and other building materials were transported from Babylon. With the support of the ruler, Seleucia quickly overtook Babylon, and in the shortest possible time its population exceeded half a million. The agricultural land around the new capital was quite fertile and was irrigated with water from a canal that connected the Tigris and Euphrates. The same canal also served as an additional trade route, so it is not surprising that two hundred years after its foundation, Seleucia was considered the largest transit point in the East. The wars in that region were almost continuous, and the city was constantly captured and plundered, until in 165 AD. e. it was not completely destroyed by the Romans. After that, the ancient Babylonian bricks were again transported and used to build the city of Ctesiphon, which, in turn, was plundered and destroyed during the Eastern wars.

For a long time, Babylon continued to exist next to its prosperous neighbor as a second capital and as a center of religious worship, which by that time was already significantly outdated. The rulers of the city maintained the temples of the gods, which during the Hellenistic period had fewer and fewer admirers. To the new generation of Greek philosophers, scientists, writers and artists - representatives of the elite of the civilized world - all the old gods, like Marduk and other gods of the Sumero-Babylonian pantheon, seemed ridiculous and ridiculous, like the bestial gods of Egypt. Possibly 2nd c. BC e. Babylon was already almost deserted, and it was visited only by lovers of antiquities, who were accidentally brought to these parts; apart from the services in the temples, there was little going on here. Officials and merchants, having left the old capital, left behind some priests who continued to maintain the appearance of activity in the sanctuary of Marduk, praying for the prosperity of the ruling king and his family. The most enlightened among them probably continued to observe the planets for the purpose of predicting the future, since astrology was considered a more reliable method of divination than others, such as divination by the entrails of animals. The reputation of the Chaldean magicians was high even in Roman times, as can be seen, for example, from the Gospel of Matthew, which tells of the “wizards from the East” who came to worship the born Christ. The great Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria highly appreciates the Babylonian mathematicians and astrologers for their study of the nature of the universe, calling them "true magicians."

Whether the priests of the last days of Babylon deserved such a flattering description from Philo, and at the same time from Cicero, is a moot point, because at the beginning of our era in the West they knew only one name "the greatest city the world has ever seen." In the East, the special privileges enjoyed by Babylon made it a kind of "open city" in the era of constant wars between the various conquerors of Mesopotamia - Greeks, Parthians, Elamites and Romans. His authority remained so great that even the most insignificant leader of the detachment, who managed to capture the city for a while, considered it his duty to style himself "king of Babylon", patronize temples and gods, dedicate gifts to them and, probably, even "put his hand in the hand of Marduk ”, confirming their divine right to the kingdom. Whether these later monarchs believed in Marduk or not is irrelevant, because all the pagan gods were quite substitutes for each other. Marduk could be identified with Olympian Zeus or Jupiter-Bel - the names changed depending on the language and nationality. The main thing was the maintenance of the earthly dwelling of God in good condition, so that he had somewhere to go down to meet people; as long as the cult of Marduk retained some significance and the body of priests sent services, Babylon continued to exist.

However, in 50 BC. e. the historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that the great temple of Marduk once again lay in ruins. He states: "In essence, only a small part of the city is now inhabited, and most of the space inside the walls has been given over to agriculture." But even during this period, in many ancient cities of Mesopotamia, in many dilapidated temples, services were held for the old gods - just like a millennium later, after the Arab conquest, Christ continued to be worshiped in Egypt. The Arab historian El-Bekri gives a vivid description of the Christian rituals performed in the city of Menas, located in the Libyan desert. Although this is not the place and time that we are considering, the same could be said about Babylon.

“Mina (that is, Menas) is easily identified by its buildings, which are still standing. You can also see the fortified walls around these beautiful buildings and palaces. They are mostly in the form of a covered colonnade, and some are inhabited by monks. Several wells have been preserved there, but their water supply is insufficient. Then you can see the Cathedral of Saint Menas, a huge building, decorated with statues and beautiful mosaics. Lights are lit inside day and night. At one end of the church is a huge marble tomb with two camels, and above it is a statue of a man standing on those camels. The dome of the church is covered with drawings, which, judging by the stories, depict angels. The whole area around the city is occupied by fruit trees, which produce excellent fruits; there are also many grapes from which wine is made.

If we replace the cathedral of St. Menas with the temple of Marduk, and the statue of the Christian saint with the dragons of Marduk, we get a description of the last days of the Babylonian sanctuary.

In one inscription of the late period, it is reported that the local ruler visited the ruined temple of Marduk, where he sacrificed an ox and four lambs “at the gate”. Perhaps we are talking about the Ishtar Gate - a grandiose structure excavated by Koldewey, decorated with images of bulls and dragons. Time has spared it, and it still stands in its place, towering almost 40 feet. One bull and four lambs is a hundredth of what was sacrificed to the gods in former times, when, to the cries of thousands of crowds, the kings marched along the Processional Road.

The Greek historian and geographer Strabo (69 BC - 19 AD), a native of Pontus, may have received first-hand information about Babylon from travelers. In his Geography, he wrote that Babylon was "mostly devastated", the ziggurat of Marduk was destroyed, and only huge walls, one of the seven wonders of the world, testify to the former greatness of the city. Strabo's detailed testimony, for example, he gives the exact dimensions of the city walls, contradicts the too general notes of Pliny the Elder, who in his Natural History, written about 50 AD. e., claimed that the temple of Marduk (Pliny calls it Jupiter-Bel) is still standing, although the rest of the city is half destroyed and devastated. True, the Roman historian can not always be trusted, since he often took on faith unsubstantiated facts. On the other hand, as an aristocrat and official, he occupied a fairly high position in society and could learn a lot about first-hand. For example, during the Jewish War of 70 AD. e. he was part of the retinue of Emperor Titus and could personally talk with people who had been to Babylon. But since Strabo's statement about the state of the great ziggurat contradicts Pliny's testimony, it remains a mystery to what extent Babylon at that time remained a "living" city. However, judging by the fact that in Roman sources it is mostly silent, we can conclude that this city no longer had absolutely no significance. The only mention of it is found later in Pausanias (c. 150 AD), who wrote about the Near East mainly on the basis of his own observations; The reliability of his information is repeatedly confirmed by archaeological finds. Pausanias categorically states that the temple of Belus is still standing, although only walls remain of Babylon itself.

Some modern historians find it difficult to agree with Pliny or Pausanias, although clay tablets found in Babylon show worship and sacrifice during at least the first two decades of the Christian era. Moreover, in nearby Borsippa, the pagan cult persisted until the 4th century. n. e. In other words, the ancient gods were in no hurry to die, especially among the conservative Babylonians, whose children were raised by the priests of Marduk. Beginning with the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. e. representatives of the Jewish community lived side by side with them, many of whom converted to the new, Nazarene faith. If this was indeed the case, then the mention in one of the epistles of St. in the Middle East and North Africa. Nothing resembling a Christian church was found on the ruins of Babylon, but none of the archaeologists hoped for this. In any case, the early Christians did not have special church buildings, they gathered in houses or in fields and groves outside the city walls.

On the other hand, German archaeologists excavating Ctesiphon in 1928 discovered the remains of an early Christian temple (approximately the 5th century AD) built on the foundations of an ancient sanctuary. Thus, if in Ctesiphon before its destruction by the Arabs in 636 AD. e. there was a Christian community, there must have been other communities scattered throughout Mesopotamia. Among them may well have been the "church of Babylon," which Peter greeted. There is evidence that during the time of Peter's apostolic ministry there was no Christian community even in Rome, while in the "two Babylons" of that time - an Egyptian fortress near modern Cairo and the ancient Mesopotamian metropolis - there were Jewish communities.

At first glance, it seems strange that a new religion could exist side by side with the oldest cults. But in the pagan tradition, such tolerance was in the order of things. The pagans allowed other religions to exist as long as they did not pose a threat to their own gods. The Near and Middle East gave rise to so many religions that, against their background, Christianity looked like just another cult. And this was a serious mistake by the religious and secular authorities of the pagan world, since it soon became clear that Christians, like their Jewish predecessors, sharply opposed themselves to the rest of the world. Indeed, this opposition, which at first seemed like a weakness, turned into a strength. The proof of this is the fact that under the Muslims, Jews and Christians survived, and the cult of Marduk finally died out.

On whether there was a Christian community in Babylon in 363 AD. e., when Julian the Apostate, having gone to fight the Persian Shah Shapur I, invaded Mesopotamia, official historians do not tell us. But after all, Julian was an opponent of Christianity, advocated the restoration of old temples and tried to revive paganism throughout the Roman Empire. If the ziggurat of Marduk had continued to stand by that time, then the emperor, on the road to Ctesiphon, no doubt would have ordered his soldiers to turn towards him in order to maintain their morale. The fact that Julian's biographers do not even mention the name of Babylon indirectly testifies to the complete decline of the city and the fact that all the inhabitants left it. Biographers report only that on the way to Ctesiphon, Julian passed by some huge walls of the ancient city, behind which there was a park and a menagerie of Persian rulers.

“Omne in medio spatium solitudo est,” states St. Jerome (AD 345-420) in a passage on the gloomy fate of Babylon. "The whole space between the walls is inhabited by a variety of wild animals." So said a Christian from Elam who visited the royal reserve on the way to the Jerusalem monastery. The great empire perished forever and irrevocably, which Christians and Jews perceived with satisfaction - after all, for them Babylon was a symbol of the wrath of the Lord.

Historians, on the other hand, believe that Babylon fell victim to the natural laws of the development of society; after thousands of years of political, cultural and religious superiority, the Babylonians had to bow to the new gods, in whose name invincible armies marched against them. The inhabitants of the ancient capital, with all their desire, would not have been able to put up an equivalent army against them, and therefore Babylon fell. But he did not perish like Sodom and Gomorrah vanished in fire and ashes; it just faded away, like so many other beautiful cities in the Middle East. It seems that cities and civilizations, like everything in this world, have their beginning and their end.

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In this section of the book of the prophet Isaiah, there is a prophecy about Babylon. The prophet predicts the fall of Babylon. Distant peoples, descended "from the edge of the sky", made up a military army and enter in battle order through the gates rulers(). Their invasion will produce horror and confusion in the rulers, who will become like women in childbirth (). The enemy invasion is accompanied by extraordinary phenomena in physical nature: all the heavenly bodies grow dim, the earth and sky are shaken in their foundations (). Enemies will be distinguished by extraordinary cruelty. Without mercy, they will kill everyone they meet on the streets of the city, not sparing gender and age (). – Who are the enemies, and who are the “masters”? The first - cruel and not greedy - Medes, the second - Babylonians(). Babylon will fall and never be settled (). The Arabians will not pitch their tents in the ruins of Babylon. The fall of Babylon will be connected with pardoning Jacob. The Jews will be freed from Babylonian captivity and return to Palestine (). The proud Babylonian king will descend to Sheol, where he will hear rephaims contemptuous of himself (). On earth, his corpse will cause surprise and regret in the audience, as it will be thrown out of the royal tomb (). His offspring will be destroyed, and the Babylonian land will be devastated forever ().

From the presented presentation of the content, it is not difficult for a person familiar with the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah and the principles of negative criticism to understand the reasons for the heated “unanimous” protest of representatives of the negative direction against the authenticity of the prophecy in question. The prophet speaks of too distant events, inaccessible to ordinary, natural human reason. To recognize the authenticity of his speeches means to recognize the supernatural character of Old Testament prophecy. From the unwillingness to agree with this position, further objections of negative criticism follow, to the analysis of which we pass.

The main objection to the authenticity of the section in question is based on historical reality, contemporary with the utterance of this prophecy. The prophet had in front of him and his listeners the image of the mighty Babylon "ruler of the peoples" (), "the beauty of the kingdoms" (). He had before him the image of the suffering in Babylon of "the scattered Jacob" (). These images of the present political state differ sharply from the age of Isaiah. They, according to representatives of the negative direction, clearly point to the end of the Babylonian captivity. The prophecy about the fall of Babylon, in their opinion, is "natural" only in the mouth of a captive who wanted to console his countrymen; to Isaiah's contemporaries, it would seem strange, incomprehensible, like a sealed book (). In any case, it is inconsistent with Divine wisdom to utter such "incomprehensible prophecies." His writer, as if, lived at the end of the Babylonian captivity.

How old is this objection, expressed by Eichhorn, Berthold, Rosenmiller, Gramberg, repeated by Knobel, Furst, Reiss and others, just as old is the apologetic answer to it (developed mainly by Gefernik). The imaginary, contemporary historical reality of the prophecy under consideration, according to the apologists, is, in fact, an ideal reality. The prophet was not a contemporary of captivity, but was transported in spirit to the period of captivity. From the point of view of some future events (suffering in captivity), he predicts other future events (liberation from captivity), distant and joyful.

How can one prove the validity of such a view?

An exact and definite answer to this question could be given if we recognize the entire 14th chapter as the work of one writer (since in verse 24 of this chapter Assyria is considered to be an independent state, as it was under Isaiah, long before the Babylonian captivity) . But negative criticism does not admit this unity; therefore, this proof cannot yet be used.

To weaken the force of the objection, it remains to use analogies from other speeches of the prophet Isaiah. Such an analogy can be found in one of the previous speeches of Isaiah, in chapter 11 (). Here Isaiah predicts that one day the Lord will stretch out his hand and gather the scattered Jews from Patros, Khus, Elam and Shinar. Under Shinar, according to the book of Genesis 2 ch., of course Babylon. Thus, the prophet Isaiah, in undeniably authentic speeches, predicts the return of the Jews from Babylon, long before the Babylonian captivity. Prophets often speak in the past tense about future events. For example, in the same 11th chapter, in the first five verses, Isaiah speaks of the Branch from the root of Jesse, as having already entered the ministry, while such an appearance was only yet expected. Such speech is based on the unshakable faith of the prophets in the fulfillment of their revealed prophecies. The parallels cited weaken the force of the objection of negative criticism, because they are used by its representatives themselves, for example. Gesenius in defending the authenticity of 11 and 12 chapters of the book of the prophet Isaiah. (Commentar ub. Iesaias, 419. 396 ss.). In any case, negative criticism cannot refute, on the basis of acquaintance with the prophetic speeches, the indicated assumption.

Was the prophecy about the fall of Babylon and the release of the Jews from captivity strange to Isaiah's contemporaries? The study of the speeches of the prophet Isaiah and his contemporary prophets leads to a satisfactory answer to this question. The prophet Isaiah himself, as noted above, predicted the return of the Jews from the Shinar-Babylonian captivity. A contemporary of Isaiah, the prophet Micah, predicted that the Jews would go to Babylon, and there the Lord would redeem them from all enemies (). The prophet Micah, therefore, hoped that his contemporaries would understand and believe the prophecy of the return from the Babylonian captivity.

Studying the political state of the modern Isaiah of the pagan world, we are convinced that the Chaldeans and Babylon were known to the Asian peoples in the age of Isaiah. They were also known to the Jews. After the recovery of Hezekiah, an embassy from Merodach-Baladan, the Babylonian king, came to Jerusalem, which was cordially received by Hezekiah. (Ch.). Relations with Babylon, for an alliance against Assyria, could have been with the Jewish kings even earlier than this, and thus gave rise to the prophecy of Isaiah in question. It cannot be denied that in this prophecy, along with consolation, sadness is heard about scattered Jacob (). In view of the attraction of Hezekiah and, perhaps, the entire Jewish people to Babylon, in opposition to Assyria, the sad prophecy of Isaiah is understandable. The prophet wanted to warn the Jews from dangerous allies - their future enslavers.

Babylon, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, will fall from the hand Midian . The name of this people was recognized by criticism as "strange" and incomprehensible in the mouth of Isaiah. At present, with the current development of the historical sciences, hardly anyone will agree with such an opinion. The Median kingdom is considered by historians to be the most ancient, even in comparison with the Chaldean kingdom. Median legends, processed by the poet Firdusi, recall the most distant, prehistoric, mutual struggle of the inhabitants of Media: Turans and Aryans. Their struggle did not lead to peace, and both peoples lived separately in all subsequent time. Like the Chaldeans, the Medes had a constant struggle with Assyria. The first Assyrian king, Nin, according to Ctesias, subjugated Media along with Chaldea. However, the Assyrian monuments, which described the victories of Assyria over the Chaldeans in such detail, for some reason say little about the victories over the Medes. After the testimony of Ctesias about the victory of Nin in the 15th century BC, the Assyrian monuments contain news of the war of Tuklat-Adar II (882-851). He went to Armenia and Media, apparently, not to pacify the rebellion, but to "spread his limits." “Assur, my lord, has uttered my name, spread my power,” says the Assyrian king about his happy campaign in Media. From this we can conclude that Media was not previously subject to Assyria (and if, as can be seen from the testimony of Ctesias, it was ever subject, then over time it freed itself and became independent). Tuklat-Adar's successor, Shalmaneser IV (851-826), also made campaigns in Media, but the reasons for them and their results are unknown. The next Assyrian kings, of the late 9th and early 8th centuries, completed the conquest of Media, but then lost everything. The Medes, under Arbaces, and the Chaldeans, under Belezis, rebelled against Assyria, took and sacked Nineveh, and declared the freedom of all the kingdoms enslaved by Assyria (c. 788 BC). The restorer of the power of Assyria, after this defeat, Feglafelassar II, for some reason did not go to Media. Only his successor, Sargon II, went to the country "Madai". “I received significant tribute from 28 rulers of the cities of the Madai country. In order to hold out in the country of Madai, I erected fortifications near the city of Sariukina. I occupied 34 fortresses of the Madai country and imposed tribute by horses,” says Sargon. From the above inscription of Sargon, it is clear that the newly conquered country was dangerous to Assyria and required, in order to maintain power, large expenses for Assyria. Thanks to the strength and energy of Sargon, Media did not resent him, but a rebellion immediately broke out from him. Sennacherib only at the end of his reign was about to restore his power in Media. He took several mountain fortresses there, similar in their position to "bird's nests" (cf.). The war in Media then continued until the end of the reign of Sennacherib and at the beginning of the reign of Asargaddon. According to Herodotus, during the reign of Sargon and Sennacherib, the Median provinces under the rule of Deiocus united and freed themselves from the power of Assyria.

One may, therefore, think that the Medes, who so bravely opposed Assyria, were known in the time of the prophet Isaiah throughout Asia. They were also known to the Jews. Taken into Assyrian captivity, the inhabitants of the kingdom of Israel were resettled in the Median provinces (; Book of Tobit). From various provinces subordinate to Assyria, foreigners were settled in the kingdom of Israel (). Among them could be the Medes. Through these settlers, modern Isaiah Jews could get to know this “cruel and not avaricious” people better.

Finally, the prophet Isaiah mentions the Arabian nomads (). And this mention was considered "unnatural" (although only by Knobel). But the prophet Isaiah was undoubtedly familiar with Arabia (See). His contemporaries were also familiar with her. The Book of Chronicles () mentions that under Hezekiah, many of the Jews settled in the places of the Amalekites, in Arabia. Many Arab traditions confirm this legend and certify that the Jews, in the age of Isaiah, were very familiar with Arabia and its nomads (cf. Lenormand. History of the East, 2 vols. 70-72 pp.).

Apologists found positive evidence of authenticity, first of all, in the very inscription of the prophecy in () - prophecy (massaa) about Babylon, which was spoken by Isaiah son of Amoz. The inscription thus clearly testifies to the authenticity of the disputed prophecy. But negative criticism did not disregard this evidence. To weaken the meaning of the inscriber, Gitzig, DeWette, Knobel, and others, questioned the origin of it. Even the Jewish Talmudic tradition claimed that the book of the prophet Isaiah was written by the society of friends of Hezekiah, and not the prophet Isaiah himself. This tradition, as an "echo of undoubted truth", was taken up by negative criticism, and in it they found support for the opinion about the "later editor" of the book of the prophet Isaiah. The society of Hezekiah's friends, which existed before the Babylonian captivity and even only until the death of Hezekiah, of course, was forgotten, and the lifetime of this "editor" was attributed to the post-exilic period. “This editor, say representatives of the negative direction, mistakenly or deliberately compiled the indicated inscription and attached it to a work alien to Isaiah. The prophecy, circulated among the captives, who eagerly read it, in the form of flyers, the editor entered into the book of Isaiah, and, to avoid evidence, even provided an authoritative inscription. The hypothesis seems to be very witty and effective, but not very convincing!

This hypothesis has been criticized even by some of the representatives of the negative direction. Berthold also asked his like-minded people: why didn’t this editor provide all the prophecies of Isaiah with his false inscriptions? Why did none of the captives convict him of such a forgery? How could the Jews allow such falsehood in the works of a deeply respected and well-known person? To these just objections of the rationalist, the apologists have added their positive arguments.

The inscription undoubtedly belongs to the writer of the prophecy. Without it, the first 16 verses of the 13th chapter are incomprehensible, since they do not mention the subject of the prophecy - Babylon. If the compiler of the inscription introduced people into deception, then he did it intentionally, and not by mistake, and the compiler of the inscription is obviously not the "editor" of the book of Isaiah, but the writer of the prophecy about Babylon himself. The alleged deceiver was familiar with other, undoubtedly genuine, speeches of Isaiah and imitated the custom of Isaiah. This is evident from the inscriptions of the prophecies (massaa) identical with the present about Damascus (), Egypt (), about the valley of vision (), etc. And the indicated inscriptions in the authentic speeches of Isaiah undoubtedly belong not to the editor, but to Isaiah himself (as can be seen from) . To compose an imaginary forgery, apparently, great skill and erudition were required ...

Instead of allowing a whole series of such skillful erasures, uncharacteristic of a pious editor, wouldn't it be better to recognize here the truth and evidence of the truth?!

Other positive evidence of the authenticity of the department in question was found by the defenders in. Here lies the prophecy of the fall of Assyria, "natural", according to the rationalists, for Isaiah, and therefore undeniably genuine. Recognizing non-authenticity, critics have always separated this “authentic” () department from it. But, while agreeing in this opinion, representatives of the negative direction, nevertheless, could not overcome their perplexity with their “unanimity”: when and on what occasion was the otd. ? How did he, apparently "without connection", get between the inauthentic prophecy about Babylon and the genuine prophecy about the Philistine land ()? And so, the unanimity of critics ends, and disagreement begins - dissensus, in the words of Gefernik. Koppe put it in connection with ch. 36–37. Isaiah. Rosenmiller considered it to be an excerpt from some "big but lost" prophecy on Assyria. Gesenius and Gendeverg placed it in the 10th chapter. Ewald thought to refer to, Furst to chapter 5, and so on. From all these various hypotheses it is clear only that the critics do not trust themselves in this case. In fact, the department under consideration has a natural connection with the previous prophecy about Babylon. The prophecy about the fall of Babylon stands in connection with the prophecy about the fall of Assyria, in accordance with their subjects - Assyria and Babylon. Both world states are interconnected historically: one has developed from the other. They are united by the spirit of power, like members of the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar (); they stood in the same relation to the Jews; after the king of Assyria gnawed at Judah, Nebuchadnezzar crushed her bones().

The close connection of the two prophecies under consideration was recognized by the Old Testament writers. Undoubtedly, the writer of 50 and 51 ch. the book of the prophet Jeremiah, the prophecy of Isaiah about Babylon was known (). But Jeremiah, undoubtedly, it was known in connection with the prophecy about Assyria (). The prophet Jeremiah, moreover, saw here the connection not mechanical, according to position, but internal - historical. He says that Assyria and Babylon equally caused suffering to Judah, for this the Lord will visit Babylon, as He visited Assyria. (; ). In Isaiah, he refers to the hand of the Lord stretched out to "all nations." By them one can understand only peoples with the same world power as Assyria (and not the Philistines). Such a people could be the Chaldeans, of whom Isaiah spoke earlier.

If the connection between the authentic prophecy of Isaiah about Assyria () with the prophecy about Babylon () is undoubted, then the authenticity of the prophecy of Isaiah about Babylon is also undoubted.

a) For the destruction of Babylon, the Lord, says the prophet, will gather a numerous army from kingdoms and peoples, from the movement of which an unusual noise will occur (). The Lord intends, according to the word of the prophet, to gather the same numerous army from different peoples against Judea, and its noise is like the noise of the sea ().

b) This army will consist of distant peoples living on the "edge" of the universe, and therefore will be invited by a special "sign" (). From the same peoples and in the same way the enemies of the Jews will be called, as Isaiah predicted ().

c) An enemy invasion will amaze the Babylonians with horror, their hands will drop, their heart will melt, and they will become astonished as a woman giving birth (). The coming disasters will also accurately affect the Egyptians () and the Jews ().

d) The enemy invasion will be accompanied by special signs in heaven and on earth: the darkening of the heavenly bodies and an earthquake (). Exactly the same signs will accompany the calamities of the Jews ().

e) Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, will perish like Sodom and Gomora (). The prophet predicts the same fate for the Jews and the glorious Tire ().

f) After the fall of Babylon, the Jews pardoned by the Lord will gather, return to Palestine, foreigners will join them and become their slaves and slaves (). These thoughts were often expressed by Isaiah () in his other speeches.

g) By its strength and storm for the enslaved peoples, Babylon is called the "rod and scepter of the rulers" (). This is the name of Assyria ().

h) The inanimate nature will sympathize with the joy of the Jews; cedars and cypresses Lebanese (). So in another place, the prophet Isaiah says that they share the suffering of Israel () ...

i) Even the underworld (the inhabitants of Sheol) will take part in the triumph of the Jews. The Babylonian king, with his glory and splendor, will descend into Sheol and become like the powerless Rephaim (). Isaiah predicted the same punishment to the Jews and Assyrians ().

j) Trampling the nations, shaking kingdoms, shaking and devastating the earth, desiring to become like the Most High, the Babylonian king will be defeated and defeated (). The intentions and fate of Assyria, the Philistine land and Tyre () are also accurately depicted.

j) The despicable state of his corpse, devoid of a grave, will correspond to the mental torment of the Babylonian king in Sheol (). The same fate was predicted by Isaiah to the Jews, Ethiopians and Shebna ().

It is found in the chapters of the book of the prophet Isaiah that we are studying, and many Hebrew words and turns of speech that are in other undeniably authentic places in the book of the prophet. So:

a) - עָוָה - to appoint the executor of the wrath of the Lord = .

– קָדַש – fulfill God's decree = .

– עֹֹלֶז - tyrant - executor of the wrath of the Lord = .

– שְאוֹן קול עם־רָב הַמוִןֵ קול = .

– צבָאוֹת יְהוָֹה - Gesenius considers this expression together with the word עלֶז to be proof of the authenticity of the 23rd chapter of Isaiah.

b) – נָ שָׂא־נֵב תַר עַל = .

– קזל הֵרָים = .

– הַ שׁ ָמָים מִקְצה מֶרְחָק מֵאֶרֶץ = .

c) – יִמָּם לִבַך = .

d) – חָ שַׁפ אוֹר = .

– רָעַ שׁ = .

e) – וְת פּ אֶרֶת צבִֹנְאוֹן = .

– כְמַחְפֵכַח = .

– שָׁמַר = .

f) – רַהם = .

– נֹגֶ שׂ (meaning: tyrant) =

Each prophecy has been uniquely fulfilled. Taken together, biblical prophecy gives grounds to view history as one multifaceted process.

One of the most unusual prophecies in the Bible concerns the fate of the ancient city of Babylon. The fate of Babylon amazes modern scholars.

The mysterious city of Babylon, the capital of the ancient world, the center of the Babylonian Empire, where trade, education, culture and more flourished, was also the subject of some prophecies.

Scriptures and Dating (Prophecies)

(783-704 BC)

Isaiah 13:
19 And Babylon, the beauty of the kingdom, the pride of the Chaldeans,
Will be overthrown by God, like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20. Will never settle,
And for generations of generations there will be no inhabitants in it.
The Arabian will not pitch his tent,
And the shepherds with their flocks will not rest there.
21. But the beasts of the wilderness will dwell in it,
And the houses will be filled with owls;
And the ostriches will settle
And the shaggy ones will ride there.
22. Jackals will howl in their halls,
And hyenas - in pleasure houses.

Isaiah 14:
1. His time is near, And his days will not delay.

Isaiah 14:
23. And I will make it a possession of hedgehogs and a swamp,
And I will sweep it with a broom of destruction.
The Lord of hosts speaks.

(626-586 BC)

Jeremiah 51:
26. And they will not take from you a stone for corners,
And a foundation stone.
But you will always be a waste
The Lord speaks.
43. His cities became empty,
Dry land, steppe, land where he does not live
no one,
And where the son of man does not pass.

Predictions.

1. Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13:19).
2. Will never be inhabited again (Jer. 51:26; Is. 13:20).
3. The Arabs will not pitch their tents there (Isaiah 13:20).
4. Sheep will not graze there (Isaiah 13:20).
5. Beasts of the desert will inhabit the ruins of Babylon (Isaiah 13:21).
6. The stones of Babylon will not be used for building work (Jer. 51:26).
7. Few will visit the ruins (Jer. 51:43).
8. Babylon will be covered with swamps (Isaiah 14:23).

Specific Fulfillment of Prophecy

The foregoing history of Babylon has already given us some examples of concrete fulfillment of biblical predictions.

Babylon was indeed destroyed and became "like Sodom and Gomorrah". Note that this prediction (1) does not say that Babylon will perish in the same way as these two cities, dwelling only on its fate after the destruction.

Austin Layard gives a vivid picture of contemporary Babylon, compares it with Sodom and Gomorrah, and also recalls other prophecies. “The place where Babylon stood became a naked and terrible desert.

Will never be inhabited again (Jer. 51:26; Is. 13:20). Prediction (2)

Saddam Hussein wanted to rebuild ancient palaces, temples and even the Tower of Babel "The rebuilding of Babylon is his goal in trying to control not only Iraq, but ultimately the empire from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean.

Babylon contributes to the unification of the Iraqi people around it. "And Saddam liked what happened so much that he decided to build one of his palaces next to Babylon. In the form of a ziggurat. And in order to better see, he ordered to pour a hill 50 meters high. And the palace is already put on top.This palace is now standing idle.

Owls soar into the sky from rare trees, and a fetid jackal whines in an abandoned furrow. Verily, the day of the fulfillment of the prophecy has come for Babylon. The beauty of the kingdom, the pride of the Chaldeans, became like Sodom and Gomorrah. The animals of the desert live in it, the houses are filled with eagle owls, shaggy creatures jump around the neighborhood. Jackals howl in abandoned houses, and snakes nest in palaces" (Isaiah 13:19-22).

The beasts of the desert will inhabit the ruinsBabylon

"In the bushes around Babylon- adds Layard, - you can meet flocks of gray owls, reaching a hundred or more birds. "Modern travelers and archaeologists almost invariably talk about wild animals around the ruins of Babylon.

“What a contrast between the level of ancient civilization and the present desolation! - exclaims, in agreement with prediction 1 , famous archaeologist Kerman Kilprekt. - Wild animals, boars, hyenas, jackals and wolves, sometimes even - that's what now inhabits the thickets near Babylon " (Prediction 5).

According to the stories traveler in

"According to travelers, - writes Floyd Hamilton, - not even the Bedouins live in the city. Various superstitions prevent the Arabs from pitching their tents there; in addition, the soil around Babylon does not grow grasses suitable for grazing sheep. “There is not a single sheep pasture around Babylon,” Stoner points out.

Here are some excerpts from a letter written by Edward Chiera from the places where Babylon stood: „The sun has just set, and the purple sky smiles, not thinking about the abandonment of these parts ... Dead city! I have been to Pompeii and Ostra, but those cities were not dead, only temporarily abandoned. The babble of life is heard in them, and life itself blooms in their vicinity... Death is the only reality of these places.

I wish I knew the reason for all this desolation. Why did the flourishing city, the capital of the empire, have to completely disappear? Or was the prophecy about the transformation of the wondrous temple into the abode of jackals just fulfilled?" "The hooting of owls and the howling of lions are still heard in the vicinity of Babylon," writes Nora Kuby. She also writes that the workers hired by the archaeologist Layard “refused to pitch their tents near the abandoned ruins of Babylon. Mystery and horror seemed to hang over crumbling heaps of bricks and sand..."

Speaking of prediction 6

Speaking of prediction 6, stating that "the stones of Babylon will not be used in construction," Peter Stoner points out that "bricks and other building materials from the ruins of Babylon were used in the construction of the surrounding cities, but the stones, the very ones that were brought to Babylon at considerable cost from distant places , were never used, and remained in their places.

Understand the performance prophecy 6 not so easy. First, the prophecy of Jeremiah 51:26 does not say who exactly “will not take” the stone for the corners and the stone for the foundation. If we are talking about the conquerors, then, indeed, in the case of the conqueror of Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia, the prophecy is fulfilled, as we verified above.

However, bricks from Babylon can be found in other cities. How to explain it? Here it is worth asking the following question: can a brick be considered a “stone”? Or did Jeremiah literally mean the stones that were used to lay the foundations? The latter seems to be more likely.

Prediction 7

Few will visit these ruins, says prediction 7 . Stoner points out in this regard that, unlike most other ancient cities, Babylon still lies off the beaten track and is rarely visited.

Prediction 8

According to prediction 8 , the city will be covered with swamps. Indeed, the Encyclopædia Britannica writes, "a significant part of the city has not yet been discovered, because it is hidden under a thick layer of silt. As for Hammurabi's Babylon, only minor traces of it remain, and he himself is now hiding under water."

“A large part of the territory under ancient Babylon has been one giant swamp for several years,” Layard points out. “The river embankments, which no one looked after, collapsed, and the waters flooded the surrounding lands” (Is. 21:1).

“Not a single blade of grass grows from this soil, as if poisoned with a deadly poison,” writes Nora Kuby about the flooded part of Babylon, “and the reed marshes surrounding the ruins of the city exude the vapors of fever ... Layard,” she continues, “saw before him malarial swamps, which the Arabs called the "water desert" ... After the fall of the city, the great engineering structures of Babylon fell into disrepair, irrigation canals became clogged, and the rivers overflowed their banks.

Probability of Accidental Fulfillment of Prophecies

The Babylonian people were destined to disappear, the Egyptian people to continue to play an important role in the ancient world, which happened. How is it that both of these unlikely events happened exactly according to the prophecies, and not vice versa?

Peter Stoner evaluates the probability of random execution prophecies 1-7 , multiplying the corresponding probabilities for each prediction: "1/10 (destruction of Babylon) x 1/100 (never repopulated) x 1/200 (Arabs will not pitch their tents there) x 1/4 (lack of sheep pasture) x 1/5 (wild animals will dwell in the ruins) x 1/100 (stones will not be used in the construction of other buildings) x 1/10 (people will not pass by the remains of the city). This brings us to a one in five billion chance."

Archaeologist wrote:" Dead city! I have been to Pompeii, I have been to Ostia, I have wandered the empty corridors of the Palatine. But those cities were not dead, just temporarily abandoned. The rumble of life rang out there, and life itself blossomed around. These cities were a step in the development of civilization, which received its share from them and now continues to exist before their eyes. And here is the real realm of death.

Keller makes an interesting remark. “Babylon was not only a commercial, but also a religious center. This is evidenced by one ancient inscription, which says that “In total, there are 53 temples of the supreme gods in Babylon, 55 temples of Marduk, 300 prayer houses for the earthly gods, 600 for the heavenly gods, 180 altars for the goddess Ishtar, 180 for the gods Nergal and Adad, and 12 altars dedicated to various other deities."

In the ancient world there were many centers of religious worship such as Thebes and Memphis, Babylon, Nineveh and Jerusalem. The pagan deities, who, according to those who believed in them, were as powerful as God, eventually began to fall out of favor, especially after the birth of Jesus. At the same time, God never agreed to be even considered next to the pagan gods, moreover, he cursed those cities where they were worshiped.

In the next photo, the road with the preserved original asphalt surface. This asphalt is 4,000 years old.

I. The Rise of Babylon

In the desert of hot Mesopotamia

On the banks of the Euphrates River

Once there lived a careless people,

Builder of a great city.

There they praised one goddess,

And like a great shrine

worshipers of the goddess

Serving love and war

Like the secret center of her land

A beautiful city has been built.

Above the abyss of the Euphrates

They erected a blue gate,

And wonder beasts at the gate

Like motherly care

The kings were bestowed upon those

Who brought success to the city.

II. King Belshazzar

As it says on the walls of the gate,

Debauchery reigned in that city:

The more women, hops, wines

The happier, sir.

Ishtar herself ruled there,

And with her the king Utsur-Bel-Shar,

Known to everyone as Belshazzar.

Ruler immersed in a feast

Always been drunk. Half a hundred lire

Played for him through the halls

And all served Belshazzar.

The king was versed in the sciences,

He knew how to do in a year

The moon turns across the sky,

Venus knew metamorphosis,

And as a sacrifice to her rosebuds

He personally brought to the temple,

To find the source of strength again.

It could go on like this forever:

Freedom, joy and carelessness,

However, his enemy did not sleep

And approached Babylon.

Yes, only the murmur of enemy forces

Was not heard over the songs.

III. Belshazzar's feast

Great holiday celebrating

Noticing nothing around

The ruler ordered to bring

Holy cups from the lands

Where they praised another god

Severe and evil to people.

And drinking from that cup

Damn her design is simple,

The last Babylonian king

I swore allegiance to Ishtar:

"Only you alone - my God is one,

Goddess of love and valor!

Jehovah! Get out of my walls

Your stern face is dangerous,

But no matter how cruel you are,

I am in Babylon - the king and god,

And I punish myself cruelly,

We don't need another god."

And at this very moment

On the walls the text is his vision,

MenE me, - that text read, -

And also - tekel uparsIn.

What did it mean - "do not be afraid - again,

The deity will return - love.

At the hour when the epochs change,

And God the Child will enter the halls,

All will return, rejoicing, the gods.

This is how Belshazzar understood the inscription.

Visions on the walls of the hall

Opened to many eyes there.

IV. A traitor from Judea and the capture of the palace

At that time he was visiting the palace

Assistant faithful enemy forces.

He was considered a sorcerer

And a connoisseur of the meaning of dreams.

When those bowls brought

From Jehovah's land

Arrived disguised as an astronomer

Many days away from home.

He heard - the king cursed Jehovah,

When I was drinking recently.

And, of course, cursing

For the insolence of Belshasr, he

Planned to overthrow Babylon

So that the religion is different

It reigned from now on

The king - death, captivity - the goddess.

And more and more indignant,

Jehovah piously conjuring,

He said to the king: “There I see

Words: "As soon as the dawn

touches the roof of Babylon,

Groans will be heard everywhere

And you will be executed like a beast."

Utzur drove him out the door,

And he didn't believe a word

Well knowing the enemy's malice.

Belshazzar sought only passion,

He kissed Ishtar again,

Clinging to her cheeks

The last gift of the former paradise

He ate greedily and greedily.

And at the very moment when before him

Truth and peace revealed

And the joy of being alive

The ghosts of another burst in

And the sound of a rapier was heard.

V. The Slaying of Belshazzar

The sorcerer sprinkled gold into his hand

Traitor - the priest of Marduk.

And the priest opened the gate

He clearly nodded at the castle,

Pointing - there is a king

As well as copper and cinnabar.

To the bloody warriors of Persia

He said: "You will save Marduk,

Overthrow only the temple of Ishtar,

And the king of Bel-Shar will perish with her.

Enemies burst into the hour of delight,

Breaking down the barriers,

They broke the bowls, the temple

Wine splashed in the corners.

They took away women and slaves,

Spears were pressed against the wall of the king,

Tearing off the crown from his head,

They killed the regent - alas.

VI. The speech of Cyrus and the prophecy of the goddess

The Great Cyrus killed him,

Persian king. Continuing the feast

He went out to the priests and said:

“War is coming for hundreds of years,

The goddess has perished - she

Bent by the burdens of slavery

Can't get to Babylon

To her from the sands of Persepolis -

Eastern golden fetters.

There will be no paradise - Jehovah

Will rise over the world very soon

Also known as Allah

Ahura Mazda, Krishna... collapse

Came to the sanctuary of the goddess,

She was sent to the desert

Orphans to tempt

Jumping like a goat on pagorbs,

This tsar-city to perish in the mud ... "

And here are the ancient shrines,

Still buried there

In the abyss of water depth

Blessed Euphrates

And only alien soldiers

Year after year, crumbs steal,

Traces of the last era

In which he was glorious -

Holy city of Babylon.

But no, the prophecy of Ishtar

It's about to be fulfilled, Bel-Shar

Gain former strength

And a new era will come

When the beautiful goddess

It won't leave us anymore.

Marduk, Jehovah, Allah

Will forever turn to dust.

Everyone will be a king.