Notes on Genesis 1-11: Creation, Noah, Tower of Babel, and the Lineage of Seth and Cain, Slides of Religious Studies

Download Notes on Genesis 1-11: Creation, Noah, Tower of Babel, and the Lineage of Seth and Cain and more Slides Religious Studies in PDF only on Docsity! Course: Old Testament History Genesis (1-11) From Adam to Nimrod and the Tower of Babel Text: ‗All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:‘ (2 Timothy 3:16) These notes are given to help develop Bible study groups and to encourage group participation through discussion. It is intended to be a road through the Old Testament and not a detailed study. In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth… Genesis 1:1 Creation - Light and the sun Day 1 Light and Darkness – Day 4 Sun, Moon and Stars Day 2 Sea and Sky – Day 5 Birds and fishes Day 3 Dry Land, Trees – Day 6 Animals and Man There could not be light on Day 1 without the sun. Genesis 1:16 Day 4 – The sun was not created (bara) on Day 4 it was made (asah) The difference in the Hebrew word is that the Sun began to operate (was made to function) from Day 4 so that life on earth could benefit from it. Creation of Man – Male and Female. Adam was created (bara) with the ability to reproduce (1:27). Male and female were created from the beginning (1:27-28 and 5:2). God formed (yatsar – as a potter) Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. (2:7) God took from the rib (tsela) of Adam (2:21-23) Rib (tsela) means side chamber. (2:21-22) Took ‗one of his side chambers‘. Eve was built (banar) from the side of Adam (2:22). The two were one flesh in the beginning. (2:24) The two come together in marriage. The Names of God Elohim Myhla The Creator (Genesis 1:1) Elohim - created mankind in His own image for fellowship with Himself. Elohim – rules, judges – over His works Judges – called Elohim Angels – called Elohim Jehovah hwhy The nature and character of God (Genesis 2:4) The One who is. The existing God. He is who He is The Line of Cain and the Line of Seth Jehovah hwhy Name used in Genesis 4 Cain and his descendants Jehovah – holy, righteous God Elohim Myhla Name used in Genesis 5 Seth and his descendants Relationship Descendants of Cain (Genesis 4:17-24) Cain – Enoch - Irad – Mehujael – Methushael – Lamech Enoch – Cain named city after his son Enoch Lamech Polygamy – 2 wives (Adah and Zillah) Jabal (son of Adah) – father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock Jubal (son of Adah) – father of those who play harp and flute. Tubal-Cain (son of Zillah) – instructor of craftsmen in bronze and iron. Sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. Lamech murders a young man Lamech has no fear of God. Proud of his sin. (4:23-24) Noah's Ark rested on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). Mount Ararat – Picture by NASA (public domain) Searching for Noah's Ark. Noah’s drunkenness (Genesis 9:20-14 First mention of strong drink Noah planted a vineyard. Drank of the wine and became drunk. Noah‘s drunkenness appears almost accidental. Unaware of the dangers. What did Ham do? Ham looked upon his fathers nakedness – but it was more than just looking. His father knew what his younger son had done to him (Gen 9:24). Shem and Japheth walked backwards and placed a blanket on their father. Covered his nakedness without looking. The Sons of Noah – the spread of the nations. Ham (burning heat) – the races of Africa. Canaanites. Shem (splendour or glory) - Semite nations. Israelites Japheth (enlargement) – European nations Cursed be Canaan – servitude Blessed be the God of Shem (praise) God will enlarge Japheth (promise) Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem. The tents of Shem bring blessing to Japheth who will be enlarged and Canaan who will serve. Nimrod and the founding of Babylon Genesis 10:8-9 'And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.‘ Nimrod‘s kingdom – King over the people. Idolatry was central to the building of his kingdom. Proverb ‗Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD‘. '…before the LORD‘ Hebrew: Mynp 'paniym' Means in this context 'in opposition to the Lord‘ His kingdom was established in rebellion against the LORD. He introduced an idolatrous counterfeit. cf. Rev 17:5. Nimrod Genesis 10:8-10 ‗And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.‘ Babel - Babylon Erech - Uruk (Warka) Accad - Akkad Calneh – possibly Nippur Cities dedicated to particular deity. Uruk dedicated to Inanna (Mother goddess). Nippur dedicated to Enlil AKKAD BABEL NIPPUR URUK The rise of Babylon and the kingdom of Nimrod Accad (Akkad) Flourished under Sargon c.2334 BC. Who established an Akkadian Empire. Daughter of Sargon made priestess of moon god in Ur She took the name Enheduanna – wrote hymns to the gods of Babylon She was succeeded by Enmenanna, a daughter of Naram-Sin. Sargon Accad (Akkad) Naram-Sin the grandson of Sargon Stele of Naram-Sin King of Akkad showing his victory over King Satuni of the Lullubi tribe from Zagros c.2230 BC. The Akkadian King leads his troops under the protection of the gods. His horned helmet denotes his deity, and he tramples his enemies under his feet. Kept in the Louvre, Paris. Akkadian language The Akkadian language became the language of diplomacy in the Ancient Near East. Cunieform tablets have been found at Ugarit (Ras Shamra) in the languages of Sumerian, Hurrian, Akkadian, and another language known as Ugaritic. Nineveh - Kuyunjik Founded by Ninus (Nimrod) Situated by the Tigris Image of Inanna from c. 2254-2193 BC Known for worship to the goddess Ishtar (also known as Inanna) The Libraries of Nineveh Kuyunjik (Nineveh). Two libraries of cunieform clay tablets were discovered in Nineveh. • In the Palace of Sennacherib, and • In the Palace of Ashurbanipal. Ashurbanipal reigned Assyria between 669-633 BC. Over 20,000 clay tablets were found in the ruins. They are all damaged so they probably form about 10,000 texts. The Epic of Gilgamesh It was in the library of Ashurbanipal that the Epic of Gilgamesh was found. The tablets are now in the British Museum. The author of the epic was a person called Shin-eqi-unninni. Gilgamesh is thought to have reigned over Uruk in Babylonia c.2500. The Epic consists of 12 stone tablets written in the Akkadian language Tablet XI contains the Babylonian record of the flood. Calah - Nimrud 30km South East of Mosul Assyrian palace found here by Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894). The Black Obelisk (Jehu) was found here in 1845 Tower of Babel (Date c. 2233 BC) Genesis 11:1-9 Babylon (Akkadian 'Babilu') means 'Gateway of the god' One language – sound • One speech - words • Refusing to obey the word of the Lord. • God scattered the nations by confusing the languages Character of the builders of Babel – Let Us Man's independence of God, exaltation of himself, rebellion against God's word. • Self Dependence – man made materials (means to glorify themselves) • Self Exaltation – let us build to the heavens (a city and a tower) • Self Adoration – let us make us a name (to be worshipped) Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) Tower of Babel by Peter Bruegel (1563) Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Tower of Babel was a Ziggurat. It was built by Nimrod in opposition to worship of the true God. The Tower of Babel is the origin of idol worship. See Revelation 17:5 The worship of the Mother and child began with Babylonian religion through Nimrod‘s wife, Semiramis. Nebuchadnezzar‘s hanging gardens were named after her. Josephus then gives the same account as scripture. (Genesis 11:1-9) Built of burnt brick (for stone) and bitumen (for mortar) (116) but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; (117) but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them various languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon; because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, Confusion. Josephus quotes the account of the Sibyl. The first part corresponds with scripture. The account of the destruction of the tower does not come from scripture. (118) The Sibyl also makes mention of this tower, and of the confusion of the language, when she says thus:— “When all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven; but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower, and gave everyone a peculiar language; and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon.” {a} Moses Charenenses, an Armenian historian, states that God overthrew this tower by a terrible storm. (119) But as to the plan of Shinar, in the country of Babylonia, Hestiaeus mentions it, when he says thus:—―Such of the priests as were saved, took the sacred vessels of Jupiter, (Enyalius,) or conqueror and came to Shinar of Babylonia.‖ The Tower of Babel and the Spread of Religion from Babylon Revelation 17 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. Abram left Ur with his father and his wife, Sarai, and His nephew Lot for Haran. (Genesis 11:31) Abram’s family worshipped the Babylonian gods Joshua 24:2-3 'And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the river, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.' Nanna (Sin) – god of the moon Worshipped primarily in Ur and Haran Nanna was one of the three sky deities Nanna – the moon god Shamash – the sun god Ishtar (Inanna) – the queen of the heavens (goddess of love and war). Nanna was the father of Shamash who was the escort of Aya (Dawn) Ziggurat The Temple of the Moon god Nanna in Ur The City of Ur (Tell el-Mukayyar) Ur was located East of the River Euphrates. The course of the Euphrates appears to have changed which explains why the place thought to have been Abram's home is now west of the Euphrates. Population: estimated at up to 65,000. Ur was possibly the largest city in the world (c.2030 – 1980 BC). Language: Sumerian till about c. 2000BC then Akkadian Law: Had its own law code Zur-Nammu of Ur (C.2050 BC) This was almost three centuries before the famous Law Code of Hammurabi (1780 BC). Ur of the Chaldees Kept in the British Museum c. 2600 – 2400BC – Thought to have been carried on a pole as a Standard from Ur of Chaldees. One side depicts War and one side depicts Peace. Peace War The Code of Hammurabi (1780 BC) This is one of the earliest codes of law. Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC). King of Babylonia. Carving at the top shows Hammurabi being given the symbols of authority from the god Marduk. Inscribed with 282 laws concerning business, property, work, family, injury. Found: Susa Now kept in the Louvre, Paris Height: 2.25m Width: 0.65m