ISBN: 9781153814379

Excerpt: ... clear that a temple had any direct duties to the state. Peiser thinks that they collected dues for the state. Certainly they had attached to them the king''s storeh… More...

Excerpt: ... clear that a temple had any direct duties to the state. Peiser thinks that they collected dues for the state. Certainly they had attached to them the king''s storehouses. Certain amounts were paid in for certain state officials. In the Code of ?ammurabi we see that a temple might be called upon to ransom a member of the town who had been taken captive. The loaning of money In certain circumstances the king''s officials might borrow of the temples. 554 Thus Nikkal-iddina borrowed of the temple of Bêlit of Akkad a vessel of silver, weight fifteen minas, when the Elamites invaded the land. Forced loans Some kings laid hands on the treasures of the temple for their own use. Doubtless this was done under bond to repay. The cases in which we read of such practices are always represented as a wrong. When Shamash-shûm-ukîn sent the bribes to the King of Elam, Ummanigash, he spoiled pg 217 the treasuries of Merodach at Babylon, of Nabû at Borsippa, and of Nêrgal at Cutha, and this was reckoned one of his evil deeds, which led to his downfall. But if he had been successful and had repaid his forced loans, doubtless it would have been excused, and his memory would have been blessed. The temple a trading institution Much confusion is introduced by the fact that we do not know when a temple official acts in his own private capacity and when on behalf of the temple. The deeds, which do not expressly state that the money or property belongs to the god, or the temple, may often be only concerned with private transactions, but were preserved in the temple archives on account of the official position of the parties. But there are plenty of cases, where no doubt exists, to justify us in regarding the temple as acting in all the capacities of a private individual, or a firm of traders. pg 218 XXI. Donations And Bequests Alienation of property Alienation of property might be complete or partial. Of complete alienation we may instance donation, sale, exchange,... C. H. W. Johns, Books, History, Babylonian And Assyrian Laws, Contracts And Letters Books>History The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Babylonia; Assyria;<

ISBN: 9781153814379

Excerpt: ... clear that a temple had any direct duties to the state. Peiser thinks that they collected dues for the state. Certainly they had attached to them the king''s storeh… More...

Excerpt: ... clear that a temple had any direct duties to the state. Peiser thinks that they collected dues for the state. Certainly they had attached to them the king''s storehouses. Certain amounts were paid in for certain state officials. In the Code of ?ammurabi we see that a temple might be called upon to ransom a member of the town who had been taken captive. The loaning of money In certain circumstances the king''s officials might borrow of the temples. 554 Thus Nikkal-iddina borrowed of the temple of Bêlit of Akkad a vessel of silver, weight fifteen minas, when the Elamites invaded the land. Forced loans Some kings laid hands on the treasures of the temple for their own use. Doubtless this was done under bond to repay. The cases in which we read of such practices are always represented as a wrong. When Shamash-shûm-ukîn sent the bribes to the King of Elam, Ummanigash, he spoiled pg 217 the treasuries of Merodach at Babylon, of Nabû at Borsippa, and of Nêrgal at Cutha, and this was reckoned one of his evil deeds, which led to his downfall. But if he had been successful and had repaid his forced loans, doubtless it would have been excused, and his memory would have been blessed. The temple a trading institution Much confusion is introduced by the fact that we do not know when a temple official acts in his own private capacity and when on behalf of the temple. The deeds, which do not expressly state that the money or property belongs to the god, or the temple, may often be only concerned with private transactions, but were preserved in the temple archives on account of the official position of the parties. But there are plenty of cases, where no doubt exists, to justify us in regarding the temple as acting in all the capacities of a private individual, or a firm of traders. pg 218 XXI. Donations And Bequests Alienation of property Alienation of property might be complete or partial. Of complete alienation we may instance donation, sale, exchange,... C. H. W. Johns, Books, History, Babylonian And Assyrian Laws, Contracts And Letters Books>History, General Books LLC<