e early held to be deities, and that they were
the first visible objects of worship." [130] Dr. Inman says, "That the
sun and moon were at a very early period worshipped, none who has
studied antiquity can deny." [131] And Goldziher maintains that
"the lunar worship is older than the solar." [132] Maimonides, "the
light of Israel," says that the Zabaists not only worshipped the moon
themselves, but they also asserted that Adam led mankind to that
species of worship. No doubt luniolatry is as old as the human race.
In some parts the moon is still the superior god. Mr. Tylor writes:
"Moon worship, naturally ranking below sun worship in importance,
ranges through nearly the same district of culture. There are
remarkable cases in which the moon is recognised as a great deity
by tribes who take less account, or none at all, of the sun. An old
account of the Caribs describes them as esteeming the moon more
than the sun, and at new moon coming out of their houses crying,
Behold the moon!" [133] This deity, then, is ancient and modern:
also a chief of the gods: let us now show that he is a god whose
empire is the world.

We begin in Asia, and with the Assyrian monuments, which display
many religious types and emblems. "Representations of the
heavenly bodies, as sacred symbols, are of constant occurrence in
the most ancient sculptures. In the bas-reliefs we find figures of the
sun, moon, and stars, suspended round the neck of the king when
engaged in the performance of religious ceremonies." [134] In
Chaldaea "the moon was named Sin and Hur. Hurki, Hur, and Ur
was the chief place of his worship, for the satellite was then
considered as being masculine. The name for the moon in Armenian
was _Khaldi_, which has been considered by some to be the origin
of the word Chaldee, as signifying moon worshippers." [135] With
this Chaldaean deity may be connected "the Akkadian moon god,
who corresponds with the Semitic Sin," and who "is Aku, 'the
seated-father,' as chief supporter of kosmic order, styled 'the maker
of brightness,' En-zuna, 'the lord of growth,' and Idu, 'the measuring
lord,' the Aides of Hesychios." [136]

"With respect to the name of Chaldaean, perhaps the most probable
account of the origin of the word is, that it designates properly the
inhabitants of the ancient capital, Ur or Hur,--_Kkaldi_ being in the
Burbur dialect the exact equivalent of _Hur_, which was the proper
name of the moon god, and Chaldaeans being thus