CELIBACYMen and women in divine service had different duties and obligations: Some may
marry; others must not. Some were cloistered; others were not. Some may have
children; others may not. Some may marry and have no children, some may have
children but not marry. There is no vow of chastity as has been previously assumed.
Further, there is incontrovertible evidence that they were not celibate. Seals of the son
of Enanatumma are well known (see Frayne RIME 444 f., 4. 1. 4. 14 and for further
references, see Van De Mieroop 1989 : 247 and 1992 : 110 ). A son of an enis a witness
in a legal case during the period in which Enanedu held tenure (UET 5 252: 2 [Rim-
Sîn year 5 ], see Charpin 1986 : 72 , 218 ).
PRIESTS IN NETHERWORLD – THEIR ETERNAL AFTERLIFE
The religious specialists were placed in the centre of the official funerary cult to
mediate not only in life but also in death between mortals and the immortals. The best
description of the Netherworld is given in a Hymn to Utu. It depicts the mirror image
of a temple on earth. In the Netherworld, the dead is said to approach:where the en-priest/priestess rests, where lagar-priest/priestess rests, where the
lumah
̆-priest rests and eresˇ-digˆir-priestess rests... where the gudu 4 - priest rests...
the en-priest knows the rites of the Netherworld... ‘You fix your gaze upon the
person’ cries out the gala-priest to the Judge of the gods.
(Hymn to Utu lines 58 – 65 , Cavigneaux and Al-Rawi 2000 : 72 – 73 )Similarly, in the Death of Ur-Nammathe following description is given:
He presented gifts to the seven chief porters of the netherworld. As the famous kings
who had died and the dead isˇib-priests, lumah
̆-priests, and eresˇ-digˆir-priestesses, all
chosen by extispicy, announced the king’s coming to the people, a tumult arose in
the nether world.
(The Death of Ur-Namma(Ur-Namma A) Lines 76 – 79 , ETCSL 2. 4. 1. 1 )Both the living and the dead brought offerings to the priestly inhabitants of the
Netherworld. For instance, Gilgamesˇ brings gifts ‘for the dead en-priests/priestesses,
the dead lagar-priests’/priestesses, the dead lumah
̆-priests, the dead eresˇ-digˆir-
priestesses, and the dead gudu^4 - priests, the linen-clad and... priests’ (The Death of
GilgameshETCSL 1. 8. 1. 3 Nippur version 2 , line 25 ) to ensure his welcome in the realm
of the dead.
A more enigmatic description of their function in the realm of the dead is given in
a hymn to Inana:At the New Year, at the festival of Dumuzi, your spouse Ama-usˇumgal-ana,
lord Dumuzi, steps forward to you.... of weeping are brought to you, Inana, as
offerings. The tubes of the underworld are opened for you, and memorial libations
are poured down them for you. The en-priests/priestesses, the lumah
̆-priests and the
eresˇ-digˆir-priestesses, the luzi, the amalu, the deceased, eat meals for you, to keep–– Joan Goodnick Westenholz ––