The problem of suffering of the innocent has long occupied the Babylonians. It found its reflection in the Righteous Sufferer. The poem is preserved in a copy from the Applurian Library of King Ashurbanipal (7th century B.C.), where it was transcribed from the original in the library of the Nippur temple. In this poem, the Babylonian prince Shubshi Meshre-Shakkan, who lived in the 1st half of the 2nd millennium B.C., tells of his sufferings, which afflicted him, although he had committed no sins. He murmurs against the gods in utter despair: “What is kind to us is loathsome to the gods. What is loathsome to the heart is kind to the gods.” (Annus & Lenzi, 2010). The man complains of the misfortunes that have befallen him and claims to be unaware of his sin, which has caused all the trouble.
The torment of the Righteous Sufferer symbolizes the general puzzlement of the inhabitants about why innocent people have to accept responsibility for wrong-doing. Hence the problem of theodicy, or justification of God, is stated as the central theme. The innocent Sufferer is answered by a sincere friend, urging him not to curse the gods in vain and bring upon himself the inevitable punishment of blasphemy. The gods are nevertheless, and the evil observed may be due to one of several causes. The Sufferer still has broken the gods’ requirements without realizing it himself, and they punished him just for this break. So, the hero should not complain against them, but as soon as possible find out what exactly he broke their will, and expiate or correct what he has done. Then his troubles will cease, justice will still be restored, the gods will certainly reward the innocent Sufferer, and the villain, now prosperous, will undoubtedly be overthrown by them. The outcome of the poem leads the reader to the idea that the ways of the Almighty are inscrutable. The poem’s protagonist eventually finds tranquility and prosperity.
Nevertheless, the work’s narrative traces the author’s concern for the suffering of the innocent, which is atypical of the time. The popularity of this poem and its many interpretations are evidence that this religious issue was of concern to Babylonian society. For the historical study, the literary monument may serve as a reflection of an ideological crisis. The poem shows disapproval of the idea of unnecessary suffering, which may indicate the concern in society associated with slavery. The Sufferer’s way is a reference to the life of enslaved people, full of deprivation and unjustified injustice.
For this reason, it can be concluded that this work reflects the loss of popularity of the ideas of slavery in Babylonian society. The poem also reflects the changing attitude of the Babylonians toward religion and the will of God, which, according to the author, often becomes a source of unnecessary suffering. Thus, the critical problem of the work can be considered an indicator of the emergence of ideas of religious skepticism among the inhabitants of the state. Therefore, this historical source testifies to the gradual spread of the concept of gods in the Near East, within which the problem of theodicy does not arise, and speculation on the subject remains the province of a minority of learned men who still regard the gods as profoundly and fundamentally just.
Reference
Annus, A., & Lenzi, A. (2010). The Standard Babylonian Poem of the Righteous Sufferer. Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project.