CHAPTER TWELVE

IN THE SERVICE OF THE GODS:

THE MINISTERING CLERGY



Joan Goodnick Westenholz

THE CLERGY OF SUMER

R

eligious personnel occupied a central place in Mesopotamian life, for only they had

the ability to communicate with the unseen forces that directed mortal lives,

acting on behalf of the community as well as individuals. Ritual specialists were of

many types, with different religious functions, some of which changed over time even

though their titles remained the same. They were further differentiated by selection

process and social role. Nevertheless, it is difficult to divide religious personnel into

distinct groups since their domains of competency overlapped: administrative personnel

could also perform ritual functions, and cultic celebrants could lead rites in and outside

various sacred spheres. Spiritual healers as well as experts in magic and divination were

not tied to any specific locality: some addressed the gods in temples while others served

the king and the people. The most noticeable division was between cultic functionaries

who officiated in the worship of one specific deity and non-cultic ritual specialists who

operated in any setting and were not limited to the rites of a particular deity.

The focus of this chapter will be on the cultic officiants who are the mediators between

the divine realm and the human world within the walls of one temple. The administrators

and staff of the temple not involved in this mediation will not be discussed.

SOURCES

The fundamental problem with any investigation of religion in the ancient Near East

is the nature of the evidence underlying all reconstructions. It consists of texts and

artefacts, unevenly distributed in time and space. Our written sources include many

scholarly catalogues such as dictionaries and administrative documents such as laconic

accounting lists of personnel, ration rosters, etc. but few religious ones. These sources

sometimes differ in their message. Literary narratives paint traditional imagery while

administrative sources provide contemporary documentation.

Written records from Mesopotamia yield evidence of a large number of temple offices

and personnel. However, in attempting to reconstruct their functions and duties, the

modern scholar has few sources at his disposal. Most of our information comes from

lists – of words, persons, offerings, etc. Lexical lists (ancient dictionaries) yield hundreds

of titles of religious personnel. Administrative texts document the sacrifices and offerings

brought to the temple and the temple officials in charge of these items.