The Sacred Books of Chaldea: Origin and Growth of Religion

This fifth extract from Sayce's Origin and Growth of Religion, the topic turns to the "sacred books" of the Babylonians. Beginning with the "Chaldean Rig-Veda, " collections of hymns identified from the earliest days of Assyriology, Sayce also considers the earlier, less developed magical texts. Future considerations – sin, the status of heaven and Hades, and cosmology finish out the essay.