The Name Tradition of Ancient Mesopotamia and Theophoric Names Reflecting the Belief in God

Abstract

Mesopotamian Religion, which is basically based on the religious beliefs and practices of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian peoples, manifests itself in every aspect of the social life of the period. Especially in the naming tradition of the period, this influence manifests itself in the form of theophoric (containing the name of a god) names. The people of this civilization, who generally gave their children theophoric names, expressed their belief in gods and their expectations from them. Theophoric names, which are a window into the religious beliefs of this civilization, also contain important information about the relationship and bond between the individual and the god. Theophoric personal names in cuneiform texts bear traces of pantheism and the belief in unity of being. In addition, some personal names show to a certain extent that the existence of god was questioned. There are almost no studies in our country on the personal names and theophoric personal names of Mesopotamia, which have been extensively researched and published in the Western World. Therefore, this study aims to fill a major gap in this field and to pave the way for comprehensive research by attracting interest in this field. This study employs descriptive and historical comparative methods. It is believed that these dynamic and functional methods will add richness and depth to the subject. However, onomastic and philological methods are not disregarded. A multidisciplinary approach centered on Ancient History has been influential in the emergence and shaping of this study.

Keywords

• Ancient Mesopotamia
• Nomenclature
• Theophoric Names
• Belief in God.

ANTİK MEZOPOTAMYA’DA TANRI İNANCINI YANSITAN TEOFORİK İSİMLER VE İSİM GELENEĞİ

Abstract

Temelde Sümer, Akad, Asur ve Babil halklarının dinî inanç ve uygulamalarına dayanan Mezopotamya Dini, dönemin toplumsal hayatının her alanında kendini göstermektedir. Özellikle dönemin isim verme geleneğinde bu etki, teoforik (tanrı adını içeren) isimler biçiminde ortaya çıkmaktadır. Çocuklarına genellikle teoforik isimler veren bu uygarlığın insanları, bu şekilde tanrılara yönelik inançlarını ve onlardan beklentilerini ifade etmiştir. Bu uygarlığın dinî inançlarına açılan bir pencere niteliği sergileyen teoforik isimler, aynı zamanda birey ile tanrı ilişkisi ve bağı konusunda önemli bilgiler içermektedir. Çivi yazılı metinlerde geçen teoforik şahıs isimleri, panteizm ve vahdet-i vücut inancının izlerini taşımaktadır. Bununla birlikte bazı şahıs isimleri, tanrının varlığının sorgulandığını belli bir oranda göstermektedir. Batı Dünyasında çok sayıda ve kapsamlı araştırmaların ve yayınların yapıldığı Mezopotamya’nın şahıs isimleri ve teoforik kişi adları konusunda ülkemizde neredeyse hiçbir çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bundan dolayı bu çalışma, söz konusu alanda büyük bir eksikliği gidermeyi ve bu alana yönelik ilgileri çekerek kapsamlı araştırmaların yapılmasına ön ayak olmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu çalışmada deskriptif ve tarihi karşılaştırma yöntemi tercih edilmektedir. Bu dinamik ve işlevsel yöntemlerin, konuya zenginlik ve derinlik katacağı düşünülmektedir. Bununla birlikte onomastik ve filolojik yöntemler göz ardı edilmemektedir. Eskiçağ Tarihi merkezli multidisipliner yaklaşım, bu çalışmanın ortaya çıkmasında ve şekillenmesinde etkili olmuştur.

Keywords

• Antik Mezopotamya
• İsimlendirme
• Teoforik İsimler
• Tanrı İnancı.

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