Were "Holy Wars" and wars over religious beliefs common before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam came around?

by canadianhousecoat
iHistorian

Yes, very common. Judaism is the oldest of the three; but mind you, it is REALLY old, especially if also counting proto-Judiasm. The cult of Yahweh was already well-established as a national religion by the 8th century BCE.

Religion wasn't always the sole catalyst of wars back then, just as is also the case in the present-day. But it was often strongly associated with war. For example, it was standard procedure for Assyrian kings to ascribe their victories to Assur (the chief god of the Neo-Assyrian Empire), or outright declare that Assur had divinely commissioned them to conquer all their neighbours. It also became common practice among Assyrian kings to deport the gods of defeated cities to Assyria. Abundant references to these acts are available in Assyrian annals and records. You can easily find online the translations for the popular ones, e.g. Sennacherib's Prism, Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser II, Annals of Sargon II, etc.

This use of religion as a justification for war was not limited to Assyria. Egyptian kings did the same, and so did the Moabites (see Mesha Stele), Babylonians, etc.

Here is a short excerpt from the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser II:

"In those days Rimmon-idri of Damascus, Irkhulina of Hamath, and the Kings of the Hittites and of the sea-coasts, to the forces of each other trusted, and to make war and battle against me came. By the command of Assur, the great Lord, my Lord, with them I fought. A destruction of them I made."

Here is a short excerpt from Sennacherib's Prism:

"The god Assur, the great mountain, an unrivaled kinship has entrusted to me, and above all those who dwell in palaces, has made powerful my weapons; from the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of the rising sun, he has brought all humankind (the black-headed race) in submission at my feet; and mighty kings feared my warfare, leaving their homes and flying alone, like the sidinnu, the bird of the cave, to some inaccessible place."