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Kesh Temple Hymn: The Oldest Work of Religious Literature in the World

The Kesh Temple Hymn (circa 2600 BCE) is the oldest work of religious literature in the world, sometimes referenced as the oldest extant religious poem. It is a Sumerian praise song to the goddess Ninhursag and her temple in the city of Kesh, composed in eight sections of “houses” progressing from the temple’s foundation to a cautionary welcome.

The work is often referenced in connection to The Instructions of Shuruppag, usually dated to circa 2000 BCE but possibly as old as circa 2600 BCE, making it contemporaneous with the hymn. Shuruppag, depending on its dating, is either the oldest work of philosophical literature or among the oldest extant and, with the hymn, provides a picture of the religious/philosophical life of ancient Sumer.

The cuneiform tablet of the hymn was discovered in the ruins of Nippur (in modern-day Iraq) in the 19th century and first translated in 1909. Nippur was a well-known religious and intellectual center that supported a number of scribal schools, and the Kesh Temple Hymn was included in the educational curriculum as part of the Decad, the course of study for advanced students nearing graduation.

The hymn moves from the foundation of Kesh and its temple by the god Enlil through descriptions of the gods involved in its operation and upkeep, to the rites observed, and concluding with praise for the city and Ninhursag (given here as Nintud), the great Mesopotamian mother goddess.

The hymn is thought to have influenced various passages and books of the Bible through imagery and symbolism as well as its form of praise, especially the Book of Genesis. The hymn is among the most famous works of Mesopotamian literature.

Commentary & Summary

Although some scholars have claimed that “Kesh” is simply an alternate form of the name of the city of Kish, most understand it as a separate city whose location has not yet been identified.

Kish was one of the oldest cities in Sumer, dating from the Ubaid Period (circa 6500-4000 BCE), but was associated with Inanna, not Ninhursag, as its patron goddess. Inanna, early on, was paired with Enki, god of wisdom, who later became Ninhursag’s consort, and so it is possible that worship of Inanna was replaced by devotion to Ninhursag and Kesh is referencing Kish, though this claim is not generally accepted, especially as veneration of Inanna at Kish continued through the Akkadian Period (2350/2334-2154 BCE).

The hymn describes the majesty and operation of the temple of Kesh from its establishment by the god Enlil through eight “houses” each ending with a triad of rhetorical questions:

Will anyone else bring forth something as great as Kesh? Will any other mother ever give birth to someone as great as its hero Acgi? Who has ever seen anyone as great as its lady Nintud?

Acgi (also given as Asgi and Ashgi) was a son of Ninhursag and the astral/underworld god Sul-pa-e before the goddess became the consort of Enki. Acgi was a war god and seems to have been the patron of Kesh before Ninhursag assumed that role. The Kesh Temple Hymn may, in fact, have been a celebration of the cult of Ninhursag over that of Acgi, though the former god continued to be honored.

The first “house” describes the founding of Kesh by Enlil and its organization by Nisaba, goddess of writing and, earlier, of agriculture. The temple is said to be “rooted in the abzu”, the primordial waters usually associated with the city of Eridu and the establishment of order. The second and third houses describe the temple, including statuary (“10 car” and “5 bur”, bison, stags, sheep); the fourth, its offerings.

The fifth describes how Acgi (“the hero”) embellished the temple and lives there with his parents Nintud and Sul-pa-e (given here as Cul-pa-ed) and Urumac, the deity of the open plains (possibly another name for the god Sakkan). The sixth house again praises the appearance of the temple, and the seventh describes its operation.

The poem ends with the admonition to “draw near – but do not draw near” – understood as an expression of awe in the presence of the divine similar to those in the Bible regarding sacred ground, holy places, and proper deference in entering the presence of a deity.

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Kesh Temple Hymn: The Oldest Work of Religious Literature in the World

The Kesh Temple Hymn (circa 2600 BCE) is the oldest work of religious literature in the world, sometimes referenced as the oldest extant religious poem. It is a Sumerian praise song to the goddess Ninhursag and her temple in the city of Kesh, composed in eight sections of “houses” progressing from the temple’s foundation to a cautionary welcome.

The work is often referenced in connection to The Instructions of Shuruppag, usually dated to circa 2000 BCE but possibly as old as circa 2600 BCE, making it contemporaneous with the hymn. Shuruppag, depending on its dating, is either the oldest work of philosophical literature or among the oldest extant and, with the hymn, provides a picture of the religious/philosophical life of ancient Sumer.

The cuneiform tablet of the hymn was discovered in the ruins of Nippur (in modern-day Iraq) in the 19th century and first translated in 1909. Nippur was a well-known religious and intellectual center that supported a number of scribal schools, and the Kesh Temple Hymn was included in the educational curriculum as part of the Decad, the course of study for advanced students nearing graduation.

The hymn moves from the foundation of Kesh and its temple by the god Enlil through descriptions of the gods involved in its operation and upkeep, to the rites observed, and concluding with praise for the city and Ninhursag (given here as Nintud), the great Mesopotamian mother goddess.

The hymn is thought to have influenced various passages and books of the Bible through imagery and symbolism as well as its form of praise, especially the Book of Genesis. The hymn is among the most famous works of Mesopotamian literature.

Commentary & Summary

Although some scholars have claimed that “Kesh” is simply an alternate form of the name of the city of Kish, most understand it as a separate city whose location has not yet been identified.

Kish was one of the oldest cities in Sumer, dating from the Ubaid Period (circa 6500-4000 BCE), but was associated with Inanna, not Ninhursag, as its patron goddess. Inanna, early on, was paired with Enki, god of wisdom, who later became Ninhursag’s consort, and so it is possible that worship of Inanna was replaced by devotion to Ninhursag and Kesh is referencing Kish, though this claim is not generally accepted, especially as veneration of Inanna at Kish continued through the Akkadian Period (2350/2334-2154 BCE).

The hymn describes the majesty and operation of the temple of Kesh from its establishment by the god Enlil through eight “houses” each ending with a triad of rhetorical questions:

Will anyone else bring forth something as great as Kesh? Will any other mother ever give birth to someone as great as its hero Acgi? Who has ever seen anyone as great as its lady Nintud?

Acgi (also given as Asgi and Ashgi) was a son of Ninhursag and the astral/underworld god Sul-pa-e before the goddess became the consort of Enki. Acgi was a war god and seems to have been the patron of Kesh before Ninhursag assumed that role. The Kesh Temple Hymn may, in fact, have been a celebration of the cult of Ninhursag over that of Acgi, though the former god continued to be honored.

The first “house” describes the founding of Kesh by Enlil and its organization by Nisaba, goddess of writing and, earlier, of agriculture. The temple is said to be “rooted in the abzu”, the primordial waters usually associated with the city of Eridu and the establishment of order. The second and third houses describe the temple, including statuary (“10 car” and “5 bur”, bison, stags, sheep); the fourth, its offerings.

The fifth describes how Acgi (“the hero”) embellished the temple and lives there with his parents Nintud and Sul-pa-e (given here as Cul-pa-ed) and Urumac, the deity of the open plains (possibly another name for the god Sakkan). The sixth house again praises the appearance of the temple, and the seventh describes its operation.

The poem ends with the admonition to “draw near – but do not draw near” – understood as an expression of awe in the presence of the divine similar to those in the Bible regarding sacred ground, holy places, and proper deference in entering the presence of a deity.

Read More

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