Student Question
Did the Assyrian empire have a main religion?
Quick answer:
The Assyrian Empire's main religion was Ashurism, named after their supreme god Ashur. It was a polytheistic religion, with Ashur depicted as a winged god emerging from a sun disc, and his consort was the goddess Ishtar. Ashurism shared similarities with Babylonian religion, notably replacing Marduk with Ashur. Assyrians later adopted Christianity around 256 BCE, and the Assyrian church was established in 33 CE.
The first religion of the Assyrian empire was Ashurism; in fact, the word "Assyrian" is derived from the name for their supreme god, Ashur. As Ashurism was a polytheistic religion, there were several other gods and goddesses who were seen as parts of Ashur, while Ashur was the total god. Ashur was a winged god who was pictured coming out of a sun disc. Ashur's consort was Ishtar, a goddess who represented love, fertility, war, and sex. Ashurism was very similar to the earlier Babylonian religion, except that the supreme Babylonian god, Marduk, was replaced by Ashur. Ashurism has a number of stories that continued into Judaism and Christianity, including the story of the flood and the Tower of Babel. The Assyrians began to practice Christianity around 256 BCE, and Assyria became the first Christian country. The Assyrian church was founded in 33 CE.
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