The role of a king was very important in the Sumerian society. “A king would have multiple roles in protecting and making sure their people where safe.”
Many researchers consider creation myths as the key to a particular mythological universe because they draw the boundaries for future stories, while establishing certain themes within that universe. In other words, creation myths function as an introduction to a specific universe which they belong in. Likewise, “The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra” is a Sumerian Myth that explains the relatively simple relationship between men and divine, while demonstrating many important themes for the Sumerian society. It defines men’s role in creation, illustrates nature’s significance, and explains the Sumerian society’s perception of resurrection.
Sumerians were creative inventors in their city-state of Sumer and made a lot of advancements and inventions that impacted. What the Sumerians did also helped their society and today’s society. It changed our world to come to be what it is today. Since Sumer is a place that lived long ago, its history and actions made up what our generation and life is like today.
Many researchers consider creation myths as the key to a particular mythological universe because they draw the boundaries for future stories, while establishing certain themes within that universe. In other words, creation myths function as an introduction to a specific universe which they belong in. Likewise, “The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra” is a Sumerian Myth that explains the relatively simple relationship between men and divine, while demonstrating many important themes for the Sumerian society. It defines men’s role in creation, illustrates nature’s significance, and explains the Sumerian society’s perception of resurrection.
The Republic by Plato examines many aspects of the human condition. In this piece of writing Plato reveals the sentiments of Socrates as they define how humans function and interact with one another. He even more closely Socrates looks at morality and the values individuals hold most important. One value looked at by Socrates and his colleagues is the principle of justice. Multiple definitions of justice are given and Socrates analyzes the merit of each. As the group defines justice they show how self-interest shapes the progression of their arguments and contributes to the definition of justice.
Another example of how the Sumerians felt about their gods came from The Epic of Gilgamesh. The gods brutally punished Enkidu, causing him death, because he aided Gilgamesh in killing the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba. This is portrayed in a quote by Anu, a Sumerian god, “Because they have killed the Bull of Heaven, and because they have killed Humbaba who guarded the cedar mountain one of the two must die”. Since Gilgamesh was part god, the gods chose to kill Enkidu, the full human. This demonstrates how merciless the Sumerians portrayed their gods.
The world of the ancient Near East believed in a creator deity as member within a plethora of deities; that is, there was no supreme being. Within this plethora, each deity held a specific responsibility, representing such matters as order, justice, love, and truth, to name but a few. Among ANE inhabitants, according to Philip J. Nel, “a normative principle of justice was maintained as part and parcel of the created universe. The human life-world and the order of nature were seen as inextricable entwined.” It is not surprising, therefore, how ancient civilizations understood justice to be a concomitant attribute of a deity within a pantheon of deities; a pantheon where members had origins and, in most instances, were familial in nature. According to their understanding of creation, ancient civilizations held views on social and economic justice as a means that would “facilitate the service of the community to the divine world.” Nel observes that, “The principle of justice was . . . not so much regarded as a system of moral order, but rather the assumption of an existing/created autonomous design/order which should be upheld and adhered to in all sectors of society.” The Sumerians, and the Egyptians, serve as examples.
Sumerian gods and the Hebrew’s god were part of everyday people’s lives. These gods influenced people’s decisions. The Sumerian worked to please their gods, and the Hebrews’ view of their god was based on faith and obedience. The Sumerian gods, as well as the Hebrew’s god, were powerful. For instance, they could create and destroy life, but these gods cared about their people as well. While the Hebrews had a covenant between them and their god, that could not be broken if they wanted to prosper, the Sumerian had the Code of Ur-Nammu. This code was the will of the gods and was administered by the state (Joshua J., 2014).The Hebrew’s god was also severe, strict and righteous. Breaking a clause of the covenant would result in facing the anger of god.
The people of Uruk described Gilgamesh as a wise, good-looking and determined King but feared his arrogance because he used abusing as his power and was sleeping with women, therefore it was not a good relationship the people of Mesopotamia had with Gilgamesh. Mesopotamians believed everything seen on the Earth including their lives, environments and societies were created or controlled by the gods, such as Shamash being the god of the sun, Adad being the god of the storm and Aruru being the goddess of creation. Gilgamesh oppresses his people and so they cry out to Anu, the god of Uruk and in response Aruru creates Enkidu to rival Gilgamesh. These goods have better relations to the people of Uruk by listening, or staying in touch. Enkidu’s
Out of all my other sources, Jacobsen’s book is the most general and brief. This book covers the history of Mesopotamian religion from the fourth to second millennium BCE. There is no focus on a singular deity in this work. Jacobsen identifies three key phases that the roles of Mesopotamian deities underwent: providers, rulers, and parents (Jacobsen 1976, 20). Clearly, this is reflective of broad developments that the society went through at the time – establishment of agriculture, of the state, and of the individual. When discussing gods acting as providers, Jacobsen dedicates a chapter in analyzing a long myth, dating back to the fourth millennium BCE, about how Inanna and her husband, Dumuzi, met and lived together as a divine couple (Jacobsen 1976, 25-26). Their personalities and ideas they represent are discussed here. Additionally, Jacobsen also mentions precise cities in Sumer that Inanna and Dumuzi were looked to as their main deities – these include Uruk, Bad-tibira, Umma, and Zabalam (Jacobsen 1976, 25). This is useful in providing more historical and geographical context.
Religions played an important role in both Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations. It allowed people to worship Gods who they believed to ensure good lives. However, both civilizations did not use judge morality. Sumerians believed that Gods give them good living condition rather than judge it. Sumerian religion was created from myths and ritual prayers. Sumerians were “literal servants” and obey to the Gods. They offered prayers, gifts to the gods and Gods blessed people with good condition. Gods of Sumerians were Heaven creating of day and night, The Great Above making up of the space between the sky and the earth, and The Great Below where people go after death. Like Sumerian, Egypt religion was also created from myths along with traditions.
This class is the first in my major of Criminal Justice, and throughout this class there will be a great deal of valuable information obtained. Justice can have several meanings to it because all of us are different in our own way, and we all will have different outlook on situations. Throughout this research paper you will learn about what justice means to me, and how I think I will impact society once I achieve my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Secondly, you will be able to compare with the remaining of the class mates to see exactly how many of our views are the same or different. Last but not least, there will be at least two
To live in a place, where equality, peace, security and dignity are guaranteed is a good fortune to those who found a just society. Though it is not an easy task to establish a just society, but it is not an impossible idea. A just society requires a society of law abiding citizens who work together for the betterment of the society, where laws are human rights informed and social policies are effective.
In the opening two books of the Republic, Thrasymachus, along with Glaucon and Adeimantus, proposes fascinating arguments against the definition of justice. According to Thraysmachus, Justice, by its nature, is nothing other than the advantage of the stronger. Despite Socrates’s strong disagreement, many just and unjust incidents in Amazing Grace serve as great examples to support Thrasymachus’s view. In the following paragraphs, I am going to first summarize the arguments from Thrasymachus and Glaucon, and then analyze how the examples from Amazing Grace validate the traditional definition of justice.
Over the decades, the concept of justice has been continually evolving. This is occurring based upon different moral or legal interpretations. Evidence of this can be seen with observations from Burke (2011) who said, "Few things are of more importance to a society than its concept of justice. This is because it is justice that provides criterion for the legitimate use of force. In the name of justice people are detained, arrested, handcuffed, put on trial and punished. This concept is used to provide every society with some kind of social order. Over the last 200 years, a revolution has taken place with these principles. Our idea of it is what we employ, when dealing with ordinary individuals in daily life including: making agreements, paying bills, resolving disputes and putting criminals in jail. This is a concept that is as old as recorded history and it is familiar to people everywhere. What makes it so unique is that these ideas are constantly changing which focuses on society as a whole and how people are interacting with each other. " (Burke)