Comparing Mesopotamian Government And Religion In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

In Mesopotamian government, the King made the laws and told his people how to worship the gods. There was also a council of people who could overrule the law if they didn’t like it. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a good representation of the Mesopotamian government and religion. Gilgamesh was a male king and he received advice from a council of elders. The Mesopotamians believed that the gods were attached to natural occurrences and dreams. An example would be after Gilgamesh ripped out the bull’s heart and presented it to Shamash. Ishtar then placed a curse: "Woe unto Gilgamesh who slandered me and killed the Bull of Heaven! "When Enkidu heard this pronouncement of Ishtar, he wrenched off the Bull's hindquarter and flung it in her face: "If I could only get at you I would do the same to you! I would drape his innards over your arms!” (Sandars 1972, 147-157). This part of the poem shows the Mesopotamians were not just theoretically religious, but they also have their own personal relationships with these gods. The Mesopotamians befriended gods through rituals and became enemies with others if they disobeyed.

People under Justinian practiced a type of Christianity called eastern Orthodox. The bishops of the church were in every major city and Emperors had power of the church because they selected the bishops. Even through the Roman Pope and the Catholics both practiced a Christian religion, they still had disagreements causing wars over religion. Another huge problem the Byzantine Empire faced was that the empire was not handed down from father to son like most. This was a problem because the empire could be taken by anyone with enough