Looking for Jesus according to Matthew

[JLG]

24) Mesopotamian Religion​

Astral theology​

All the gods, great and small, had their places assigned to them in the heavens. Facts, including political history, were interpreted in terms of astral theology. Worship, originally an expression of animistic beliefs, took on the character of an "astral" interpretation of occurrences and doctrines. This left its trace in incantations, omens, and hymns. It also gave birth to astronomy, which was assiduously cultivated because a knowledge of the heavens was the very foundation of the system of belief unfolded by the priests of Babylonia and Assyria.

- Thus religion, astrology and astronomy!

- But first religion, then the rest!

 

[JLG]

25) Mesopotamian Religion​

Astral theology​

As an illustration of the manner in which the doctrines of the religion conformed with all-pervading astral theory can be seen in the development of the concept of the three gods Anu, Enlil and Ea. Anu became the power presiding over the heavens. Enlil ruled the earth and the atmosphere immediately above it, while Ea ruled over the deep. With the transfer of all the gods to the heavens, and under the influence of the doctrine of the correspondence between the heavens and the earth, Anu, Enlil and Ea became the three "ways" of the divine realm. The "ways" appear in this instance to have been the designation of the ecliptic circle, which was divided into three sections or zones—a northern, a middle and a southern zone, Anu being assigned to the first, Enlil to the second, and Ea to the third zone.

- Thus the first triad became the three “ways” of the divine realm!

- Definitely well organized and structured!

 

[JLG]

26) Mesopotamian Religion​

Religious practice and rituals​

The most noteworthy outcome of this system in the realm of religious practice was the growth of a sophisticated method of divining the future by the observation of the phenomena in the heavens. In the royal collection of cuneiform literature—made by King Assur-bani-pal of Assyria (668-626 B.C.E.) and deposited in his palace at Nineveh—the omen collections connected with the astral theology of Babylonia and Assyria form the largest class.

- Astral theology = divining the future = astrology!

 

[JLG]

27) Mesopotamian Religion​

Religious practice and rituals​

There are also indications that the extensive texts dealing with divination through the liver of sacrificial animals, based as it is on the primitive view which regarded the liver as the seat of life and of the soul, were brought into connection with astral divination. Less influenced by the astral-theological system are the older incantation texts. These included formulae and prayers produced in different religious centers and updated to conform to the tendency to centralize the worship of Marduk and his female counterpart in the south and Ashur and Ishtar in the north. Incantations originally addressed to Ea as the god of the watery element and to Nusku as the god of fire, were likewise transferred to Marduk. This was done by making Ea confer on Marduk as his son, the powers of the father, and by making Nusku, a messenger between Ea and Marduk.

- Divination was practiced through the liver of sacrificial animals, based on the primitive view which regarded the liver as the seat of life and of the soul!

 

[JLG]

28) Mesopotamian Religion​

Religious practice and rituals​

Ritual was a chief factor in the celebration of festival days and is relatively free from traces of the astral theology. The more or less elaborate ceremonies prescribed for the occasions when the gods were approached are directly connected with the popular elements of the religion. Animal sacrifice, libations, ritual purification, sprinkling of water, and symbolical rites of all kinds, accompanied by short prayers, represent a religious practice which is older than any theology and survives the changes which the theoretical substratum of the religion undergoes. References in the Epic of Gilgamesh and elsewhere to the priestesses of Ishtar as sacred prostitutes indicate the tradition of hieros gamos, in which the king or other representatives of the male principle would engage in sexual acts with the priestesses as representatives of Ishtar in a tradition designed to propitiate the fertility of crops, livestock, and human beings.

- Ritual was a chief factor in the celebration of festival days!

- The more or less elaborate ceremonies prescribed for the occasions when the gods were approached are directly connected with the popular elements of the religion!

- Animal sacrifice, libations, ritual purification, sprinkling of water, and symbolical rites of all kinds, accompanied by short prayers, represent a religious practice which is older than any theology and survives the changes which the theoretical substratum of the religion undergoes!

- Now think about today’s practices!

- References in the Epic of Gilgamesh and elsewhere to the priestesses of Ishtar as sacred prostitutes indicate the tradition of hieros gamos, in which the king or other representatives of the male principle would engage in sexual acts with the priestesses as representatives of Ishtar in a tradition designed to propitiate the fertility of crops, livestock, and human beings!

 

[JLG]

29) Mesopotamian Religion​

Religious practice and rituals​

On the ethical side, the religion of Babylonia more particularly, and to a less extent that of Assyria, advances to noticeable conceptions of the qualities associated with the gods and goddesses and of the duties imposed on man. Shamash, the sun-god, was invested with justice as his chief trait. Marduk is portrayed as full of mercy and kindness. Ea is the protector of mankind. The gods, to be sure, are easily aroused to anger. No sharp distinction is made—as in Israelite prophetic religion—between moral offenses and ritualistic oversight or neglect. However, the stress laid on the need of being clean and pure in the sight of the higher powers, the inculcation of a proper aspect of humility, and above all the need of confessing one's guilt and sins without any reserve.

Regarding life after death, throughout Babylonian-Assyrian history, the conception prevailed of a large dark cavern below the earth, not far from the Apsu—the fresh water abyss encircling and flowing underneath the earth—in which all the dead were gathered and where they led a miserable existence of inactivity, amid gloom and dust. Occasionally a favored individual was permitted to escape from this general fate and placed in a pleasant island.

- However, the stress laid on the need of being clean and pure in the sight of the higher powers, the inculcation of a proper aspect of humility, and above all the need of confessing one's guilt and sins without any reserve!

- Now think about today’s practice!

- Human corruption!

- Think about Jesus’ attitude!

- What a difference!

- Regarding life after death, throughout Babylonian-Assyrian history, the conception prevailed of a large dark cavern below the earth, not far from the Apsu—the fresh water abyss encircling and flowing underneath the earth—in which all the dead were gathered and where they led a miserable existence of inactivity, amid gloom and dust. Occasionally a favored individual was permitted to escape from this general fate and placed in a pleasant island.

- Think about today’s beliefs!

 

[JLG]

30) Mesopotamian Religion​

Religious practice and rituals​

Later influence​

The influence exerted by the Babylonian-Assyrian religion was particularly profound on the Semites, while the astral theology affected the ancient world in general, including the Greeks and Romans.

Scholars can easily trace such sublime pagan deities as Venus to Ishtar, Jupiter to Marduk, etc. The Israelite and Jewish religion itself was strongly influenced by the remarkable civilization unfolded in the Euphrates valley. In many of the traditions embodied in the Old Testament, traces of direct borrowing from Babylonia may be discerned: For example, the story of Noah's flood (Epic of Gilgamesh) and the creation account of the early verses of Genesis (Enuma Elish). Indirect influences have been noticed in the domain of the prophetical books and the Psalms. The Babylonian influence on so-called "Wisdom Literature" has also been much discussed. During the Babylonian Exile of the Jews, it would be to Marduk that Cyrus the Great attributed his policy of allowing the Jewish and other captive priests to return to their capitals and refurbish the sacred temples of their formerly deposed deities.

Even in the New Testament period, Babylonian-Assyrian influences may be present. In such a movements as early Christian gnosticism, Babylonian elements—modified, to be sure, and transformed—are present. The growth of apocalyptic literature, both Jewish and Christian seems to be influenced to some degree at least by the astral-theology of Babylonia and Assyria.

- The influence exerted by the Babylonian-Assyrian religion was particularly profound on the Semites, while the astral theology affected the ancient world in general, including the Greeks and Romans!

- Even in the New Testament period, Babylonian-Assyrian influences may be present. In such a movements as early Christian gnosticism, Babylonian elements—modified, to be sure, and transformed—are present!

 

[JLG]

Sultan said: (1)

ENLIL God of the wind, sky, earth, and storms, he blows the spirit.
Considered the king of the gods and the head of the Mesopotamian pantheon.
He is the god of order and law.
He is the father of several gods, including Ninurta and Ninlil (his wife).
He is often depicted as a powerful god.

Enki created Adapa from clay, and Enlil breathed spirit into him.
Enki was punished by his brother Enlil, a higher-ranking god, for giving humanity diabolical knowledge.
Mesopotamian tablets indicate that Enki, the creator of Adapa's body, rebelled and founded the Brotherhood of the Serpent.
Satan is therefore the fallen god Enki, the adversary, the bearer of the false light.

 

[JLG]

- My answer: (2)

- In fact, I transmit information I find about human religion and also historical information!

- In many schools around the world, we have been told information which is wrong!

- Of course, what is true today will probably be wrong tomorrow!

- But I don’t see any changes!

- I understand it is difficult to say we gave you wrong information!

- Personally I give information I find interesting!

- I am not saying that everything is right or wrong!

- It is to encourage people to use their brains!

 

[JLG]

(3)

- First of all, I found particularly interesting:

- Daily life in ancient Mesopotamia!

- Mesopotamian education!

- Sumerian cities!

- Mesopotamian religion!

- We are told about the beginning of human civilization!

- Here we can see that there is no big difference between the people who lived at this time and today’s people!

- But we must take education apart!

- I would speak about regression!

- Or I can say Mesopotamian education is real education!

- But not today’s education!

- Now about religion: dealing with human religion, it looks like any human activity, I would say human cuisine or cafeteria!

 

[JLG]

(4)

- I find the parallel between the Bible and archeology interesting!

- Even if sometimes there are disagreements!

- First of all, we are told about Mesopotamia!

- Human civilization started in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE!

- It was the same for writing!

- Sumerians started building big cities and using organization, impressive technologies (the bronze age and many other things started there) and religion and city-states which was the norm for a long time!

 

[JLG]

(5)

- It seems that everything comes from nowhere!

- The Bible said it started there, at this time!

- And above all, it gives an explanation, even if it is a short one!

- it is in Genesis chapter 6 verses 1-5:

Corruption on the Earth

1Now when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.

3So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

5Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. 6And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the LORD said, “I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

 

[JLG]

(6)

- Many have strange interpretations!

- Here we are told that some angels decided to rebel against Yah.weh!

- They took a human body and went down to the earth and got as many human women as possible!

- As a consequence, they had children called Nephilim who were giants!

- And because of that, violence increased a lot!

- Yah.weh decided to destroy mankind except Noah and his family!

 

[JLG]

(7)

- Now I would like to speak about the book of Enoch!

- It used to be part of the Bible but not anymore!

- So it is necessary to be cautious about it!

- But about the fallen angels, it tells the same story like in Genesis with more details!

- I don't know if everything is true or not but it corresponds to archeology!

- Let’s have a look at the book of Enoch Chapter 3 - Fallen Angels - the first two verses:

1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days
were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters.
2 And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said
to one another: "Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men
and beget us children."

- Here we get the same information as in the Bible!

 

[JLG]

(8)

- Then we get additional information in the next verses!

3 And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: "I fear ye will not indeed
agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin."

- Here we get the name of their leader!

The name 'Shemyaza[z]' means 'infamous rebellion', the combination of 'shem' [meaning 'name' or 'fame' {whether positive or negative}] + 'azaz' [which means 'rebellion' or 'arrogance' as a negative particle]. Michael Knibb lists him as “the (or my) name has seen” or “he sees the name”.

 

[JLG]

(9)

4 And they all answered him and said: "Let us all swear an oath, and all bind
ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing."

- They all swear an oath!

- They have a leader!

- But each one knows perfectly what he does!

- And they know there is no coming back!

 

[JLG]

(10)

5 Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations
upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared
on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because
they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it.

- Here we get three new pieces of information!

- Their number two hundred means a very small number compared to the huge number of angels!

- They descended in the days of Jared!

- On the summit of Mount Hermon!

 

[JLG]

(11)

Sacred Mount Hermon and its associated cultural monuments​

Description

The Mount Hermon is located in the south of Beqaa on the border between Syria and Lebanon, reachable from Rachaya, considered one of the most picturesque Lebanon’s town, where the citadel of independence and old souks date back to the 17th century.

The name Hermon is derived from the root ḥrm "sacred", called also Jabal al-shaykh "mountain of the chief" (in Arabic), rises to 9,232 feet (2,814 metres) and is the highest point on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This strategic mountain that has been a sacred landmark since the Bronze Age and was mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The first settlements date from 200 BC. It represents the northwestern limit of Israelite conquest under Moses and Joshua. It is also meant to be the place chosen by Jesus Christ for His Transfiguration.

Mount Hermon is mentioned (15 times) in the Bible as Hermon (by the Canaanites worshipers of Baal, in the Books of Kings), Sirion (by the Sidonians-Phoeniciens) or Senir (by the Amorites). The Seleucids occupied the area after 200 B.C. Shortly after which the Ituraeans developed a principality in the area until the fall of Chalcis, when the territory passed to the Herodian kings Agrippa I and Agrippa II. After the end of the first century A.C. the territory became jointly controlled by the cities of Damascus, Sidon and Paneas. It is thought that the area was inhabited continuously until the third century A.C. Mount Hermon was also revered by the Romans. The highest temple of the ancient world sits on the summit of the mount and is known today as Qasr Antar. On its slopes are temples with Greek inscriptions dating from about 200 A.C. More than 30 shrines and temples have been found in this geographical area giving it its historical relevance. Beside the Christian and Islamic communities, it is also considered a sacred place for the Druze that occupies the most villages that surround the mountain.

At its foot rise the two major sources of the Jordan River. This sacred place with its natural and archaeological features must become an international pilgrimage destination.

 

[JLG]

(12)

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value​

The Mount Hermon host an outstanding complex of well-preserved archaeological sites and cultural landscape. Although this archaeological sites and temples may have been built on previous layers of architecture, the current temples are predominantly considered to be of Roman construction and were largely abandoned after the fourth century A.C. during the Byzantine era. The ongoing studies have highlighted differences in construction style of the Hermonian temples from Hellenistic architecture and other sites in the all region (in particularly Hauran and Jawlan). Henry Seyrig, when reviewing Krencker and Zscheitzmann's "Romische Tempel in Syrien" highlighted that "the clue to an important social and economic change that would deserve to be one day the focus of a study". There is still a deplorable lack of a comprehensive study into the history, archaeology, architecture of these buildings and ancient sites, or the religious life of the people who used them.
Sacred Hermon Mountain and its associated cultural monuments and sites are an outstanding example of evolving sacred cultural landscape. Through sustainable land-use practices of ancient civilizations that created there proper worship places in harmony with the natural landscape, today many local religious communities (Christian, Muslim and Druze) who are living in the area still experiencing the connection between the worship and the nature by organizing processions toward the summit of the mountain…

Criteria (ii): The proposed sacred landscape illustrates a unique fusion between many religious communities. Through unique architectural reflection of different worship places and inscriptions in different languages, it demonstrates the important interchanges and development of some world spiritual and religious cultures in remote part of Near East world.

Criteria (iii): Proposed property is exceptional testimony to unique cultural tradition and practices of the worshipping and offering for sacred mountain by many civilizations from antiquities until today.

Criterion (vi): Proposed Mount Hermon with its sacred landscape and large number of historical and archaeological villages and sites is an outstanding example of traditional land-use and specific culture of pilgrimage and resulted in developing unique social and cultural environments. The religious construction represents also a proper style with many architectural elements related to the local worship and traditions, in particularly to the importance of the liturgical processions practiced by the communities that occupies the region from the antiquities till today.

 

[JLG]

(13)

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity​

In spite of the wars and the occupation of the region by foreign armies, the sacred Mount Hermon and its associated cultural heritage sites suffered little human adverse impact over the years until now. The landscape as the worship places and temples are in a good state of preservation relative to all other major sacred sites in Lebanon.

The nominated property includes within its boundary all the elements necessary to express its outstanding universal value. Its completeness is represented by the fact that the main worshipping places of sacred Hermon Mountain exists today in an original with very little transformations and also other monuments and sites are located at initial sites in good state of conservation and preservation within the nominated area.