Ancient Near Eastern Mythology: Understanding Truth through Gods and Myths - Prof. John T., Study notes of World Religions

Download Ancient Near Eastern Mythology: Understanding Truth through Gods and Myths - Prof. John T. and more Study notes World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! REL 101 Lecture 17 1 Hello again. Welcome back to class. This is Religious Studies 101, Literature and World of the Hebrew Bible. My name is John Strong. This is session 17 and today we’re gonna be looking at ancient Near Eastern parallel literature. Specifically, we’re gonna be looking at two pieces of literature, the Enuma Elish and the Gilgamesh epic. The Enuma Elish is — both of them are Mesopotamian in origin. One deals more with creation and the other deals a little bit more with flood parallels, parallels to the flood story, the Noah story. But again, you’ll see that the parallels — there are themes, ideas, images, concepts that are repeated but, you know, there was no plagiarism involved. Let’s talk a little bit about ancient Near Eastern literature and let’s just remember, number one, that ancient Israel was a nation, a vibrant nation, living within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and it is natural that they would know of and be influenced and be aware of ideas, images that were inherent to the culture at that time. Ezekiel the prophet has been discussed by many as being a well-read intellectual of his day and of his location, making literary illusions to pieces of literature and ideas and concepts throughout his prophecy. And he’s just one example of how — a prominent example, in my mind — of how ancient Israelites were aware of the culture and the ideas that were going on around them. And again, it’s not that they took the Gilgamesh epic — and you’ll see that — or the Enuma Elish, or any other piece of literature and just scratched out the name Mesopotamia or whatever and put in the name Israel or put in the name Hebrew or put in the name Yahweh. It’s not that at all. But there were images, there were concepts, there were metaphors that communicated — and there was a certain amount of common world view that was out there, a vocabulary of the day, and Israel shared in that. And so that is sort of what I want to communicate and give you an illustration of in this lesson today. REL 101 Lecture 17 2 Literature in that day was prized. We have Ashurbanipal, an Assyrian king who lived in the second half of the 7th century B.C.E., who collected the great pieces of literature of his day. One of the great boosts or great finds, great treasuries, that archaeologists have come across were some of his tablets and things that were in his library that he apparently collected and that were collected by the Assyrians. And so they collected the great literature of the day and they treasured it, and it was a part of their vocabulary and their thought world. They discussed it and contemplated it just like we do here. There were many types of different literature in the ancient Near East. There were laws. We’ve talked about Hammurabi’s laws. There were business contracts. There were school exercises. The Gezer calendar of them. There were letters and official correspondence. We’ve mentioned in this class the Yavneh Yam letter that was found out there. There were philosophical works. There is an interesting piece of literature out there — I don’t know that we’ll necessarily take a look at it — called the Assyrian Theodacy where the Assyrians are saying why do bad things happen to good people. There are prayers, rituals, songs, other kinds of religious works. And then there are myths and legends. That’s what we’re gonna be looking at today in the Enuma Elish and the epic of Gilgamesh. Now, let’s be careful and set forth a common definition for myth that we’re gonna use in this class. You’ll see a number of different definitions of myth floating around, but let’s work on a common definition that we can use for this class. Then when you all go on to other classes, you’ll hear other definitions of myth. Compare and contrast and, you know, make up your own mind of what kind of a definition you think is best and best describes the collection of literature that people refer to as myth. First of all, myth is characterized by being stories about — dealing with gods and the realm of the gods and the actions of the gods. And so, number one, we’re looking REL 101 Lecture 17 5 Mesopotamian in origin, Babylonian. It’s written in the Chadian language. And so particularly think in terms of Babylon and how the Enuma Elish reports the worship of Marduk and the worship of Marduk in the city of Babylon and at the temple there in Babylon. That’s an important point as we go through Enuma Elish. Early on — and you should’ve already ready this story so I just want to review it. But early on in the first few pages you have the creation of the gods and the birth of the gods, and then you have an important event that took place early on. Ea kills Apsu. As the little note of — and for this telecourse and this televised lecture, I’m going to be working with the second edition of Victor Matthews and Don Benjamin’s book, Old Testament Parallels. In future years it may be that I bring in other versions or assign other versions, but for the sake of this telecourse and the sake of trying to have kind of a consistency so you know what I’m looking at and discussing in this, that’s the version I’m using. Dr. Matthews and Dr. Benjamin, in some of their notes say the increasing noise of the Igigi warriors, the assembly of the gods, disturbed Apsu and he made plans to destroy them. Apsu was prevented from carrying out his plans by Ea, who killed his father and took his crown. So you have Ea who early on kills Apsu. Now, this is important because from Apsu, this powerful god who was apparently cantankerous — from him, Marduk is created. Then in the palace of fates, then in the temple of destinies, a brave Igigi warrior was created. The ablest and wisest of the Igigi. Then in the heart of Apsu. Then in the sacred heart of Apsu, Marduk was created. And so you have Marduk was created and his origins are from the heart of Apsu. It’s out of Apsu’s heart that Marduk is created. And so you see that Marduk has something special from the very beginning that maybe some of the other gods didn’t quite have. It also goes on to talk about he is given a double share of divinity. So Marduk is being promoted from the very beginning of the Enuma Elish. REL 101 Lecture 17 6 Well, later on Kingu encourages Tiamat. Kingu is the second husband, the new consort of Tiamat, a female goddess figure, a goddess representing chaos and all that is destructive in reality. Tiamat killed the Igigi, the assembly of the gods. And it says — the text says Tiamat, the mother of all, gave birth to the peerless and hideous monsters, serpents with fangs for teeth, snakes with venom for blood, terrifying dragons filled with divine power. To see them was to die. And once prepared to strike, they were invincible. So Tiamat creates this army of monsters to attack the assembly of the gods and to destroy them. This is all done — Kingu promotes the destruction of the assembly because they were the ones who first killed Apsu, and this is in revenge, etc., etc., etc. Well, the assembly — they’re disturbed by all this and they’re concerned about what’s going to happen to them, as you can imagine. And so they’re looking for a champion, someone to face Tiamat, someone to deliver them. At this point — and then Dr. Matthews and Dr. Benjamin state in a little note at this point, “Marduk, the divine patron of the storm, the divine patron of Babylon, steps forward to serve as a divine warrior for the assembly. His service, however, exacts a price.” And the text reads, “If I agree” — this is Marduk talking — “to serve as your deliverer and if I’m successful defeating Tiamat, if I save your lives, you must proclaim me the ruler of the divine assembly. My word, not yours, must determine all things and what I create must not change, and what I command must not be revoked or altered.” And so if you think back, what would the Babylonian priests who serve Marduk — if they were asked why do you serve Marduk and why should Marduk be the chief deity in the Babylonian empire, their answer is, “Well, because Marduk defeated Tiamat, this chaos monster, and become the dominant deity, the most powerful and the king of all the gods of the divine assembly.” That would be their answer. This is the theological literature that they wrote to explain that answer. REL 101 Lecture 17 7 And it goes on to state the response of the divine assembly. “You will be the most honored member of the divine assembly.” This is Marduk that they’re talking to. “Your word shall not be challenged. Your word shall speak for all. Your decree shall not be altered. Your word shall build up and tear down. Your word shall be the law. Your command shall be obeyed. No member of this assembly shall surpass you. Marduk is lord.” And so again, this is the Babylonian theological treatise that establishes Marduk as lord over all the divine assembly and explains why Marduk is the chief deity being worshiped in Babylon. Not the only one recognized, but the chief deity being worshiped and the one chiefly responsible for the well-being of Babylon. The divine warrior who goes out and conquers chaos. Well, Marduk goes on and he prepares himself for battle. And then Marduk defeats Tiamat. Notice how he does this. And again, in the note put in the text by Matthews and Benjamin it says, “As Tiamat — Marduk and Tiamat exchange insults and she becomes enraged, and as she becomes enraged she opens her mouth to roar. But Marduk inflates her with storm winds to incapacitate her. And then he pierces her with an arrow of lightning.” Think about it for a minute. If Tiamat represents the chaotic waters — and that’s how she’s represented. She’s a sea monster to a certain extent. And she is in inflated — think back to earlier when we read Genesis 1. There is the waters above, the waters below, and the dome or the firmament or the base in-between. In the same way, Tiamat is incapacitated by the air or the dome through which Marduk inflates her. It’s a similar sort of picture. Marduk defeats Tiamat by deflating her and then he defeats her, and then he proceeds to his palace. He rounds up all the monsters that she had created — her army, her host that she created. He defeats them. And then they ask who planned REL 101 Lecture 17 10 can be a good and just ruler. This is not dissimilar from the kind of picture we saw with Hammurabi where Hammurabi received the laws from the god and then handed them on to the people. This is fundamentally the same kind of concept. Well, there’s a problem with Enkidu. He is running wild with animals. Animals are his partners and his friends. But the good news is he meets a woman and they have sexual intercourse. And he loses his strength so he’s no longer able to run with the animals. However, he becomes wise as a result and he becomes domesticated. Then he’s able to become a good companion to Gilgamesh and teach Gilgamesh. So it says in the text — again, I’m reading from Matthews’ and Benjamin’s book — “The wise woman bared her breasts. Enkidu took hold of her body. She was not bashful. She welcomed his passion. She spread her clothes on the ground. Enkidu had intercourse with her on them. She treated this savage like a man. Enkidu made love with her for six days and seven nights. Enkidu took her. Every day and every night he had intercourse with the woman. Having satisfied himself with the woman, Enkidu turned to rejoin the animals. Seeing him, the gazelles ran off.” Notice the change. No longer is he able to run wild with the animals. “The beasts of the steppe shied away from him. Enkidu felt weak. His body grew taut. His knees locked when the beasts began to run.” He couldn’t run with them anymore. “But his mind was filled with a new wisdom.” So he lost some physical prowess but he gained wisdom. And again, what’s the ultimate Truth that this story is talking about? Why is it that human beings can’t run as fast as the animals? Why is it that they’re stronger than we are? Why is it that they’re more powerful than we are? Why is it that bulls gore us and deer run away from us and horses can jump and leap and are so much bigger and stronger and athletic than we are? Well, why is it that we are smarter and therefore can control them, and therefore they’re afraid of us? Why is it — what’s the fundamental difference between human beings and animals? REL 101 Lecture 17 11 Here’s the answer, according to the story of Gilgamesh. This was Babylonian society, Mesopotamian society’s answer to this question. “Finally the woman said, ‘Now you’re wise, Enkidu. Now you have become like us. Why do you run with the wild animals? Why do you run through the plains? Let me lead you to Aruk, the city of great markets. Come with me to the sanctuary of Anu where Gilgamesh rules.” And so Enkidu has been tamed. He’s now ready to become a good companion to Gilgamesh. He’s ready to teach Gilgamesh the good laws that will allow Gilgamesh to be a just ruler and this was the plan. And think in terms of Genesis 2 — and we’re gonna see this a little bit later when we look at Genesis 2. In that creation story the man — the male is created and he looks for a partner. He looks among the animals and he says, “There’s nothing there that really is like me. There’s no partner.” But then he goes into a deep sleep. The rib or the part is taken away from him, fashioned into a woman. He wakes up. He sees the woman. He says, “There is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, someone who is just like me — an adequate partner.” And they’re together. And what God has joined together, let no one separate. And so there is again a parallel concept or an idea in the Hebrew Bible that shows up here in the epic of Gilgamesh. They use different images to describe this, but still there are similarities and broad similarities about this. Again, also note some of the capital Truths that are being discussed in this. Young men — they run wild and they need to be domesticated. And sometimes they’re uncivilized. But what can domesticate them and lead them back to civilization and allow them to become good, productive citizens in a city like Aruk? Again, this myth is trying to teach that. And again, in ancient Near Eastern society who taught the children? Who taught the sons? Who was the teacher in the household? Not just in Israel, but across the ancient Near Eastern world. It was the mothers. It was the women of society who were the REL 101 Lecture 17 12 teachers. And so it’s the women who are bringing civilization to otherwise wild men. It’s a fundamental Truth that Babylonian society, Mesopotamian society understood, experienced and communicated through this story. Well, then I go — I divide it into another segment, segment 2, and there Enkidu and Gilgamesh — they do become friends and they have all these great adventures together. It’s great fun. It’s good stories. It’s good literature. However, they attract the attention of Ishtar and she seeks to have sex with Gilgamesh but he rejects her. Well, in response — and he’s running off with Enkidu and she’s all jealous, so she kills Enkidu. And this raises the question or mortality. Why must human beings die? And this launches Gilgamesh on his quest to find the answer to mortality, to find immortality. This brings us to segment 3 and this brings us to the story of Utnapishtim. Because he goes on this great journey across the waters, onto an island, and he finds Utnapishtim and his wife who have found immortality. And he asks them, “Well, how in the world did you find that?” Well, Utnapishtim tells him a story. There was once a day when the assemblies of gods — people were multiplying all over the place. They were loud, rambunctious, raucous. The gods couldn’t get any sleep and they were frustrated, and so they decided we’re gonna wipe out human beings. However, Ea, the divine patron of fresh water, opposed Enlil — this was Enlil and other deities’ plan — opposed Enlil and Ea repeated Enlil’s plan outside the reed walls of my house. This is Utnapishtim. And so the picture is that Ea is outside the house and he’s saying, “Well, wall — well, house — let me tell you what’s gonna happen.” And that way Ea could fudge the truth and say, “Aw, I didn’t tell anybody. I just told the story and the plans and what was gonna happen to this reed wall. How was I to know that Utnapishtim was on the other side, listening to everything?” “Listen to me, wall,” Ea whispered. “You reed mat, pay attention to me. Pull down your house and build a barge. Abandon all your possessions. Save your life. Take specimens of every REL 101 Lecture 17 15 existence, of our relationships, of this reality in which we are working. And so biblical scholars talk about this material as myth and they view it as myth because they see that it shares all those characteristics that we talked about a little bit earlier and perform the same kind of function that stories of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim, Enuma Elish all performed in Mesopotamian society. It doesn’t mean that they’re trying to insult the material. They’re trying to understand it the way the ancient Hebrew readers understood it, in a way the Hebrew priests used it to communicate fundamental truths. This brings us to an important issue in our society today and I want to spend about three or four minutes briefly talking about this, and that is how this material is used and viewed in the fights that go on in our society over the first few chapters in Genesis and the theory of evolution. Today in our society we spend a lot of energy and time fighting over evolution in the first few chapters of Genesis and the seemingly disconnect — the disconnect that seems to be between evolution and Genesis. Briefly, there are three buzzword — at least in January of 2006 — that are running around in parlance today. One is, of course, evolution. The way I use evolution in this class and the way I understand it is evolution is a scientific theory of — that tries to explain what scientists observe in the natural world, how they explain geological history, how they understand the fossils that they find, and how they understand the dates that are given to them through carbon 14 dating and things like that. It is how they understand a theory or the story that they feel this data tells them. Evolution is telling the how — is answering the how question. How did creation, physical creation, come about. Creationism. Creationism is a term that I’m hearing less and less about in January of 2006. Creationism is disputes, a lot of this scientific dating and theological history and things like that, and says that science is not dealing with the same kind of REL 101 Lecture 17 16 facts. I’m not hearing that so much anymore, but creationism is still out there. Then there is intelligent design and that is a theory that I’m hearing more about. When I was in seminary a few years ago — 20 years plus ago — I heard about natural theology. And natural theology is if you look at nature — not revealed, not revelation — but if you look at just nature, does that point toward God? And someone adhering to intelligent design would say, “Yeah. When I look at the data” — maybe they’re even looking at the same data and would agree with someone who adhered to a theory of evolution — “when I look at that, does that point me to God?” And a person adhering to intelligent design would say, “Yeah, it does.” If I look at the universe and the laws of physics, it does. Now, those are theories that are out there and I want to get those on the table. I want you to see how I’m using those terms and how I’m defining those terms for this class so you’ll understand when I use them — if I ever use them again — how I’m understanding them. I want to, though, point out that the biblical material is dealing with another category of questions and another category of thought different from what a theory of evolution or a scientific study of creation is dealing with. The biblical stories and the Mesopotamian stories as well are dealing with questions of meaning, questions of significance. They’re dealing with the why questions. They’re dealing with questions of spirituality, of metaphysics, and they are asking the philosophical and theological questions. They’re asking questions of belief and faith. Evolution is asking a question of observation of natural phenomenon, a physical phenomenon. We have this fossil in front of us. We touch it, we feel it, we can smell it, we can taste it if we really wanted to. Might not taste very good, but we could do it. It is what we see. And evolution is answering that question how. How did — given this observable data that we can feel, touch, smell, lick, whatever — given that, how did REL 101 Lecture 17 17 creation come about? It is confined and constricted to the physical world, physical reality, and it’s a different set of questions. It doesn’t come to — it doesn’t answer the question of meaning. Now, someone might then extrapolate from that and say, “Here’s what I believe because of this data. Here is what I think happened. Here’s how I would answer the question of why or the question of meaning coming from this data.” And that’s what an inherent intelligent design would say. But it’s a different set of categories. Now let me take my professor’s hat off and talk personally with John Strong. In my mind, I don’t know why our society is beating ourselves up over the question and the conflict between theories of evolution and the biblical story. Because in my view, they’re dealing with two different categories of thought, two different categories of questions, and I don’t think they’re necessarily mutually exclusive. So that’s my commentary for today. I want to close out this discussion now and hope this sets up and introduces us, and presents a context through which we’re going to discuss Genesis and the rest of the priestly material. We’ll get to that next lesson. See you then.