Illness, suffering and divine action in Ludlul bēl nēmeqi: the topos of the Righteous Sufferer in ancient Mesopotamia

Abstract

Since the end of the 3rd millennium BCE, numerous Mesopotamian wisdom texts have been known which focus on the literary topos of the Righteous Sufferer, such as the famous Babylo- nian poem Ludlul bēl nēmeqi. These compositions generally narrate the story of an individual who sees their fate crumbling due to the accumulation of misfortunes, and therefore appeals to the deities, begging for the restitution of his happiness and well-being. In this context, and although not always explicitly mentioned, the manifestation of illness as one of the many dis- graces that befall the sufferer is an unavoidable feature of these narratives.

In this sense, and considering that, according to Mesopotamian religious thought, any unfa- vourable event was seen as a sign of abandonment and/or divine punishment, this type of nar- rative presupposes the existence of a sufferer who claims to be innocent in their behaviour. Thus, by confessing an unconsciousness/unawareness of the offense committed that caused the deities to respond so implacably, the individual becomes a prime example of the extent of divine whims and injustice in the affairs and destinies of Humanity.

This paper therefore proposes to explore this complex relationship between illness, human suffering, and divine justice, in Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, with comparative references to other Meso- potamian texts to contextualize this theme. Through an analysis of the motifs and theological implications present in Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, this paper will seek to determine to what extent the notion of an innocent sufferer is truly in the literature and, ultimately, in the mental fra- mework of these populations of ancient Mesopotamia.