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Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, Sumerian Epic, c.2000 BC

Human beings are unique among all living creatures by the fact that we have a capacity and a need for religious expression. This element of human activity has been understood as rational, necessary and basic from our earliest beginnings up until about the middle of the nineteenth century. It was at this point, guided by materialistic-based philosophy, that religion started to become viewed as irrational and "unscientific." Gradually secular materialism infiltrated the academic world and eventually replaced the Judeo-Christian ethic as the dominant worldview.

It was from this new perspective that James G. Frazer developed his theories on how religion could have evolved into such an essential part of human life. What was "religion" and where did it come from? Like Sigmund Freud, Frazer believed that the answer would not be found in the world of spirit, but rather in the world of matter-in terms that can be perceived by the five senses. From this perspective Frazer concluded that mankind's earliest religious beliefs were merely attempts to understand and bring order to the physical world of nature. This new hypothesis fit in well with the current philosophical trends and it quickly became the accepted academic consensus. It was the idea that religion, even though it has evolved into different complicated forms in many different cultures, was at its root simply "Nature Worship." As the twentieth century progressed this theory grew stronger and was adopted and promoted on a mass scale by influential experts like Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, among others.

Alongside the "Nature Worship" component of early religion it was also understood that as primitive man advanced, a tendency arose to deify some of the more influential human ancestors that had left behind significant or meaningful legacies. This practice of "Ancestor Worship" was acknowledged by the ancient cultures themselves and widely written about by the Greeks. For instance, in Plato's Euthydemus, Socrates refers to the ancient gods as his "lords and ancestors," while Euhemerus (c.300 BC) was another Greek philosopher who argued that "Ancestor Worship" was the primary source of religion. Today modern scholars recognize this element as playing a major role in pagan religion and it is a primary component of the historicist approach used by scholars such as David Rohl.

In addition to these two major components that were a part of man's early religious beliefs there is another component. It was named by the ancients themselves as the original basis of their beliefs, yet it is usually minimized or ignored within mainstream academia. Today it is readily acknowledged in Eastern, alternative, or "New Age" circles, but it is also something that has been understood within the Judeo-Christian tradition right from the beginning. This most important and foundational component of religion is "Spirit Worship."

To understand how mankind has been influenced and directed from the very beginning by spiritual entities from other dimensions we will go back in time as far as we can go. We will go to where this study has been leading all along-to the records of the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia. This ancient civilization was the very first to invent the art of writing, and what they had to say early on about their own history and beliefs will help to provide the answers that we seek.

The Sumerian Perspective Before we investigate the belief-system found in Sumerian religion we should first give a general overview of Sumerian history. Modern scholars date the origin of this civilization to around 4500 BC, and its disappearance to about 1750 BC, when it was finally extinguished and absorbed by the conquests of Hammurabi.[1] In addition to inventing writing the Sumerians are also credited with a number of historical 'firsts' including the wheel, metalworking, pottery, and beer brewing. This last invention perhaps allowed the world's first monarchy to take power, which promptly set up the world's first known system of taxation.

The earliest Sumerian history is related in the Sumerian King List, copies of which have been found on several cuneiform tablets or blocks dating to different periods. It begins like this [2]: After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridug.

In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800 years.

Alaljar ruled for 36000 years.

2 kings; they ruled for 64800 years.

Then Eridug fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira.

In Bad-tibira, En-men-lu-ana ruled for 43200 years.

En-men-gal-ana ruled for 28800 years.

Dumuzid, the shepherd, ruled for 36000 years.

3 kings; they ruled for 108000 years.

Then Bad-tibira fell (?) and the kingship was taken to Larag.

In Larag, En-sipad-zid-ana ruled for 28800 years.

1 king; he ruled for 28800 years.

Then Larag fell (?) and the kingship was taken to Zimbir.

In Zimbir, En-men-dur-ana became king; he ruled for 21000 years.

1 king; he ruled for 21000 years.

Then Zimbir fell (?) and the kingship was taken to Curuppag.

In Curuppag, Ubara- Tutu became king; he ruled for 18600 years.

1 king; he ruled for 18600 years.

In 5 cities 8 kings; they ruled for 241200 years.

Then the flood swept over.

The very first line of the SKL implies something of a spiritual or religious nature, which brings us back to the subject of Sumerian religion. The Sumerians worshiped a huge pantheon of greater and lesser gods, but the primary gods who ruled from the top of the hierarchy were Anu, Enlil, and Enki. Of these three it was Enki who was understood as the founder of civilization, and it was he who was associated with the city of Eridu(g), where "kingship descended from heaven." Here are the descriptions of these gods as given in the authoritative Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, An is the Sumerian word for 'heaven,' and is the name of the sky god who is also the prime mover in creation, and the distant, supreme leader of the gods. ... He is father of all the gods... It is An who, in Sumerian tradition, took over heaven when it was separated from earth (ki), creating the universe as we know it... Although in almost all periods one of the most important of Mesopotamian deities, An's nature was ill-defined and, as he is seldom (if ever) represented in art, his specific iconography and attributes are obscure.

Enlil is one of the most important gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. According to one Sumerian poem, the other gods might not even look upon his splendour. Sometimes he is said to be the offspring of An... The great centre of the cult of Enlil was the temple E-kur (the 'Mountain House') at Nippur, at the northern edge of Sumer, and Enlil is often called the 'Great Mountain' and 'King of the Foreign Lands,' which may suggest a connection with the Zagros Mountains. Other images used to describe his personality are king, supreme lord, father and creator; 'raging storm' and 'wild bull.'

Enki (Akkadian Ea) was god of the subterranean freshwater ocean (abzu), and was especially associated with wisdom, magic and incantations, and with the arts and crafts of civilisation. ... Enki/Ea was a son of An/Anu... Enki's most important cult centre was the E-abzu ('Abzu house') at Eridu. As a provider of fresh water and a creator god and determiner of destinies, Enki was always seen as favourable to mankind. ... In the Sumerian poem 'Inana and Enki' he controls the me concerned with every aspect of human life, and in 'Enki and the World Order' he has the role of organising in detail every feature of the civilised world.

In Sumerian mythology Anu is portrayed (like the Canaanite God El from Part Three) as a figurehead or "otiose" deity who takes little interest in earthly events and can best be described as "retired." The real action takes place between Enlil and Enki, the two primary sons of Anu, who manage and organize human civilization and are often portrayed as bitter rivals. In the Sumerian language the word en means "lord," the word lil refers to the sky, wind, or lower atmosphere, and the word ki means "earth." Therefore En-lil, who appears in Sumerian myth as the primary decision-maker among the gods, possesses a name that makes him a "sky god," similar to Anu and somewhat similar to the Greek god Zeus. En-ki, on the other hand, even though his wishes are often over-ridden by Enlil, is known as "Lord Earth" or perhaps "The Lord of the Earth." Their combative relationship is portrayed throughout Sumerian myth and in the Akkadian and Babylonian myths that were written later.

The Creation of Man In the Sumerian creation myths Enki stands out as the central figure. In the myth known as Enki and Ninmah Enki is tasked with relieving the gods from the hard work that they do all day long. Nammu, the mother-goddess who had given birth to all the gods, pities the plight of the gods and says to Enki, "Rise up, my son, from your bed, practice your skill perceptively. Create servants for the gods. Let them throw their baskets away." Enki does just that, after which Enki stands the new creatures up and looks at them intently. The text then reads, "After Enki, form-fashioner, had, by himself, put sense in their head, he says to his mother Nammu, 'My mother, the creature whose name you fixed-it exists. The [labor/work] of the gods has been forced on it.'" [3]

In the Sumerian myth Cattle and Grain the creation of man is again referred to, but only as an apparent side note, implying again that man had been created to serve and please the gods.[4]

A more detailed account of man's creation is given at the beginning of the Akkadian Atrahasis Epic, which dates to c.1700 BC. In this similar account the lesser gods who have been overworked revolt against the higher gods and confront Enlil himself. Enlil summons a council of the gods in an attempt to resolve the situation. Enki suggests that one of the lesser gods be sacrificed to create a creature that will "bear the load of the gods." The flesh and blood of this victim is mixed with clay, which Enki then treads upon as a goddess recites incantations. From this mass of clay fourteen clumps are pinched off, which are then inserted into the wombs of "birth-goddesses." Ten months later human-kind is born, as seven males and seven females, who are then forced to take up the hard labor of the lesser gods, digging ditches, growing food, and tending to the everyday needs of the gods.

The Great Flood Atrahasis is the Akkadian name for the Noah-like figure who is known in similar Sumerian accounts as Ziusudra (The Eridu Genesis) or Utnapishtim (The Epic of Gilgamesh). According to all of these accounts the creation of mankind eventually became regretted by the chief god Enlil. The Atrahasis Epic reads, "And the country was as noisy as a bellowing bull.

The god grew restless at their racket, Enlil had to listen to their noise.

He addressed the great gods, 'The noise of mankind has become too much, I am losing sleep over their racket.'"

To deal with the problem of human over-population Enlil causes first a plague, and then a famine, to strike the land. In each case Atrahasis calls upon Enki to help mankind and offer a solution to the calamity. Enki responds by giving advice to Atrahasis but his interference on mankind's behalf causes Enlil to become very angry. The final solution, which is agreed upon by the gods despite a passionate argument from Enki, is that a flood will be caused to wipe out mankind entirely. This decision is kept secret and Enki is forced to make an oath that he will not speak of it to any human being. In spite of his oath Enki cleverly conceives a plan to save Atrahasis and still remain true to his word. He contacts Atrahasis from behind a reed wall, and then gives instructions as if he were talking to the reed wall. In this way Atrahasis is informed of what is coming and told how he can prepare for the calamity. He is told to build a boat as long as it is wide and to build a solid roof over the top. The Gilgamesh Epic includes the instructions to "load the seed of every living thing into the boat."

After the flood passes Enlil becomes enraged after finding out that mankind survived through Atrahasis and his family. However the other gods and goddesses rejoice and praise the wisdom and compassion of Enki. The anger of Enlil is eventually subdued after Atrahasis reverently builds an altar and offers him sacrifices. In the end Enlil becomes reconciled with Enki, blesses Atrahasis, and gives Atrahasis the gift of immortality.

The Transfer of Divine Authority One of the most important Sumerian concepts associated with the gods and human civilization, as they related to the world both before and after the flood, was that of the me. The definition here is from Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: me: The Sumerian term me (pronounced 'may') is a plural, inanimate noun, and expresses a very basic concept in Sumerian religion. The me are properties or powers of the gods which enable a whole host of activities central to civilised human life, especially religion, to take place. A related term, gis-hur ('plan, design'), denotes how these activities ought, ideally, to be: the me are the powers which make possible the implementation of the gis-hur and which ensure the continuation of civilised life. They are ancient, enduring, holy, valuable. Mostly they are held by An or Enlil, but they can be assigned or given to other gods of, by implication, lesser rank.

As this definition explains, originally the me were held by An and/or Enlil. The Sumerians recognized Enlil as the supreme active god, but the myths make it clear that "Father Enki," the god who helped to create mankind in the first place, was much more loved and revered. Eventually Enki's close bond with humanity became recognized by Enlil, who brought about a significant change in the way mankind would be ruled. It was decided that the me, previously held by Enlil in his great temple at Nippur, would be transferred to the shrine of Eridu and given into the hands of Enki. This momentous event in Sumerian history and religion is described in a well-preserved myth of 467 lines called Enki and the World Order. This myth is related in Samuel Noah Kramer's book Myths of Enki, the Crafty God (1989). It begins with the words below, with the poet praising Enki in reverent terms, Lord who walks nobly on heaven and earth, self-reliant, Father Enki, engendered by a bull, begotten by a wild bull, prized by Enlil, the Great Kur, loved by holy An, king who turned out the mes-tree in the Abzu, raised it up over all the lands, great usumgal (dragon), who planted it in Eridu-its shade spreading over heaven and earth...

Enki, lord of the hegal (abundance) the Anunna-gods possess, Nudimmud (another name for Enki), the mighty one of the Ekur, the strong one of An and Uras.

Nudimmud, the mighty one of the Ekur, strong one of the Anunna, whose noble house set up in the Abzu is the mast of heaven and earth. [5]

After fifty-nine lines of similar praise and exultation the poet then allows Enki a chance to give praises to himself. Within these lines we find that Enlil, the brother of Enki, gives over to Enki the me that are so essential to ruling over the affairs of mankind: Enki, king of the Abzu, celebrates his own magnificence-as is right: "My father, ruler above and below, made my features blaze above and below.

My great brother, ruler of all the lands, gathered all the me together, placed the me in my hands.

From the Ekur, house of Enlil, I passed on the arts and crafts to my Abzu, Eridu...

I am the first among the rulers. I am the father of all the lands.

I am the big brother of the gods, the hegal is perfected in me.

I am the seal-keeper above and below. I am cunning and wise in the lands.

I am the one who directs justice alongside An, the king, on the dais of An.

I am the one who having gazed upon the kur, decrees the fates alongside Enlil: he has placed in my hand the decreeing of the fates at the place where the sun rises..." [6]

After his first speech in praise of himself Enki stops for a moment, allowing the assembled gods to offer their worship and praise, and then Enki continues on with more self-laudatory pronouncements that take up another fifty or so lines: After the lord had proclaimed his loftiness, after the great prince had pronounced his own praise, the Anunna-gods stood up in prayer and supplication: "Lord who stands watch over the arts and crafts, expert at decisions. adored one-O Enki, praise."

A second time, for the pleasure it gave him, Enki, king of the Abzu, celebrates his own magnificence-as is right: "I am lord. I am the one who endures. I am eternal..." (etc., etc., etc.) [7]

Following this speech the gods again respond, commenting once again on the fact that Enki is the possessor of the "great," "pure," and "noble" me-solidifying Enki's place as mankind's most important god and confirming his worthiness to be known as "The Lord of the Earth": To the great prince who had drawn near to his land, the Anunna-gods speak with affection: "Lord who rides the great me, the pure me, who stands watch over the great me, the myriad me, who is foremost everywhere above and below, At Eridu, the pure place, the most precious place, where the noble me have been taken in- O Enki, lord above and below, praise!" [8]

Although the very name En-ki signifies the god's association with the earth, there is really no indication within the Sumerian myths that the worship of Enki evolved from a primitive form of earth-worship. There is also no indication within the myths, as with many other Sumerian deities, that Enki was once a human being. No, Enki did not evolve from nature worship, or from ancestor worship-Enki was a spirit, and he was worshiped as a spirit. One of his most important aspects therefore had to do with his relationship with the spirit world. Kramer explains, "The craft of Enki is nowhere better represented than in magic. The one who knows the secrets of the gods and the ways of the other world is, not surprisingly, the god who knows the words and rituals to control the spirits. A large number of texts preserved in the 'stream of tradition' are incantation texts, and Enki is prominent in the tradition." [9]

"Enki is the 'lord of the watery deep,' the 'lord of hidden, unfathomable knowledge' in the depth of his 'house of wisdom.' He was also the chief magician of the gods, the great exorcist. His purifying water was used in incantations and magic rites. Ruler of waters of the underworld, lord of rivulets and brooks, of plenteous harvests, Enki was also the god associated with other goods of the earth, metals and precious stones. He was the patron of metal works and crafts generally. Patron of foundations, he gave instructions for building things... The sacred water basin, an image of the Abzu, was set up in temples in honor of Enki. And the sacred tree grew up in his cult city of Eridu." [10]

Perhaps the reader will recall that there is another ancient religious tradition that has its roots, as it were, in the memory of an ancient tree. This tradition contains many themes similar to those of the Sumerians, but these similarities only help to highlight the many differences that clearly set them apart.

The Hebrew Perspective According to tradition the first five books of the Old Testament were written down by Moses, who received them directly from the mind of God. The very first words set down were radically presumptuous and completely revolutionary, if compared with the creation traditions of the surrounding cultures that existed at that time, around the middle of the second millennium BC.

At that time in Mesopotamia the Sumerian culture had long since passed away and the Sumerian language was no longer spoken or written. The language of the land was Akkadian and Babylon was the city of power. Religion was dictated by the state and the accepted creation account-the very basis of Babylonian society-was a text known as the Enuma Elish. According to this account the great god Anu was no longer viewed as the primordial god and ancestor of all the gods. Instead he had been turned into a created being, who had been born from a union between a god that was merely a deification of heaven (Anshar), and a goddess that was a deification of earth (Kishar).

In Egypt the Heliopolitan tradition of the Great Ennead had been accepted for hundreds of years. The "beginning" was conceived as "Nun," who was a deification of the primordial or primeval waters. Nun was not really even a god because it had no cult, no temples, few representations and was not worshiped. Out of Nun came Atum, later known as Ra. Atum then masturbated with himself to create the pair Shu and Tefnut, who then produced the god Geb (also Seb or Keb) and his sister the goddess Nut. Geb represented the earth and Nut represented the sky, as shown in the picture in Part Two. From this pair came four siblings, of which the most important was Osiris.

There are no existing Canaanite creation myths, but we do have Greek creation myths which were developed from a synthesis of Near Eastern sources. With the Greeks the pattern is basically the same. The beginning is largely undefined (Chaos), yet out of Chaos the earth goddess Gaia is able to emerge. She then gives birth to a number of deities who represent different facets of reality, including "heaven" who is a god named Ouranos. It is finally her relations with her son/husband Ouranos from which come the early gods including Kronos, who later sired Zeus.

With this universally accepted pattern in mind, of heaven and earth somehow giving birth to the gods, the very beginning of Genesis 1:1 is revealed as a revolutionary statement: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Moses was led to believe that the God he served was not a created being, merely one among many equals, not a God who would one day die, or be usurped by his son, but that his God was in fact the Creator of the entire universe, the One who existed before the world and who would exist when this world passes away.

The Creation of Man Moses was taught that his God was responsible for creating mankind in the first place. Mankind was created "in the image of God," and given an important responsibility to rule over and care for the earth. However, due to deception coming from a spirit-being who worked against God, from the temptation that came from a forbidden tree, and from willing disobedience stemming from selfish pride, mankind fell from this position of authority over the earth and purity before God.

The Crime and Banishment of Cain After the "Fall," as it was called, God continued to care for and instruct humanity, yet He expected reverence and worship in return. The first recorded sin after the "Fall" was committed out of jealousy and involved God's requirement that He be worshiped on His own terms, rather than on man's terms. In the book of Genesis this is the story of Cain's murder of Abel. The same basic story is found, with a few subtle twists, in Sumerian mythology.

In the myth of Emesh and Enten two minor gods, one of farming and one of shepherding, fall into a quarrel. They finally bring their case to Nippur to be judged by Enlil who, in a decision that contradicts that given by the God of Genesis, chooses the farmer over the shepherd.

In the myth of Cattle and Grain the siblings Lahar, a cattle god, and Ashnan, a grain goddess, get into a quarrel over who deserves more recognition, but unfortunately the end of the myth has not survived.

The myth Inanna Prefers the Farmer is another variation on the Cain and Abel theme. In this story Inanna rejects the advances of the shepherd who then becomes belligerent towards Inanna's favorite, the farmer. Only after the farmer offers soothing words of appeasement and a number of gifts in consolation, including that of Inanna herself, does the shepherd's anger subside. In the Genesis account it is the farmer, Cain, who kills Abel the shepherd in a jealous rage.[11]

After the rejection of Cain's sacrifice and the murder of Abel the book of Genesis gives a detailed account of what happened to Cain and to his descendents. This story helps to clear up some of the mystery surrounding the similarities and contradictions within the Sumerian and Hebrew traditions.

"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. (17) And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." (Genesis 4:8-17, KJV)

Eridu: the Place of Descent According to the Bible the first city was built by Cain and named after his son Enoch. According to Sumerian history the very first city ever built was established by human beings under the care of the god Enki, and named Eridu. While the Genesis account may in fact be correct there is a great deal of evidence that the very first city eventually became known by the name of Enoch's son, who was Irad. In other words, the name "Eridu" comes from the name "Irad."

In fact, based on his analysis, David Rohl believes that the Genesis text of 4:17 has been tampered with. He believes that the subject of the second sentence, following the usual rules of grammar, should be understood to refer to Enoch. Rohl also believes that the last word of Genesis 4:17 appears out of place and must certainly be a scribal insertion. If read with Rohl's preferred corrections the verse would then read: "And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he (Enoch) builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son (Irad)."

Rohl points out that the name Irad most likely derives from the Hebrew word yarad, which means "to descend" (Irad in Hebrew is spelled ayin-yod-resh-dalet, and yarad is spelled yod-resh-dalet). Recall again the very first words of the Sumerian King List: "After the kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu."

Whatever the case may be, whether there are scribal errors in the Masoretic text of Genesis or not, there is a clear connection between the descendents of Cain, the first cities of the Sumerians, and the great Sumerian god Enki. According to the book of Genesis Lamech was a descendent of Cain through Irad, and Lamech had two wives. One wife was named Zillah and she gave birth to Tubal-cain who became "the forger of all implements of bronze and iron." Again David Rohl connects this information from Genesis with Sumerian accounts, specifically with the second city of the Sumerian King List, Bad-tibira: "Badtibira means 'Settlement of the Metal Worker.' If we take the Hebrew consonants which make up the name Tubal we get T-b-l. We know that the soft consonant 'l' is often representative of 'r,' thus we might get an original T-b-r which could, in turn, stem from ancient Tibira. Interestingly enough the Semitic epithet 'Cain' in Tubal-Cain also means 'smith' which suggests that this epithet has been added as a clarification of a little-known Sumerian word by the Hebrew author of Genesis. So these are clues which suggest that Tubal-Cain and Badtibira are connected in some way." [12]

According to the Genesis account Tubal-Cain's half-brother was Jubal, who was "the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe." These two "arts of civilization," music and metal-working, are always closely associated with Enki and they are mentioned specifically in the myth Inanna and Enki as a part of the me that became controlled by Enki. In the apocryphal Book of Enoch, which contains another ancient "descent from the heavens" account, mankind was taught the art of making weapons (as well as sorcery, magic, cosmetics, astronomy, astrology, divination, and other such "arts") by the fallen angels who descended from heaven and took human women for wives, as written in Genesis 6.

If this last possibility is considered then Enki begins to be seen in a very different light. In the Sumerian myth Enki Builds the E-Engurra the story is told of how Enki built his shrine in Eridu and of the blessings and praises that he received from the other gods after he had completed it [13]: "After the water of creation had been decreed, After the name hegal (abundance) born in heaven, Like plant and herb had clothed the land, The lord of the abyss, the king Enki, Enki the Lord who decrees the fates, Built his house of silver and lapis lazuli; Its silver and lapis lazuli, like sparkling light, The father fashioned fittingly in the abyss.

The creatures of bright countenances and wise, coming forth from the abyss, Stood all about the lord Nudimmud (Enki); The pure house he built He ornamented it greatly with gold, In Eridu he built the house of water-bank, Its brickwork, word-uttering, advice-giving, Its... like an ox roaring, The house of Enki, the oracles uttering."

The Great Flood In the book of Genesis the Great Flood is caused by God not because mankind was too "noisy," as the Atrahasis Epic claims, but because mankind had become corrupted from their interactions-sexually, spiritually and technologically-with the fallen angels: "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them.'

...Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth...'" (Genesis 6:5-7, 11-13) Noah was chosen to be saved because he and his family alone had resisted the negative influences of the spirit world, and remained true to the Creator. Noah was a "righteous man, blameless in his time" and like Enoch he "walked with God." After the flood Noah worshiped God and received a blessing in return. However it was not long before mankind was seduced by the spirits again.

The Tower of Babel The genealogy of the human family is given in a list known as the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. In this list there are exactly seventy names given of the descendents of Noah's three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. It was through these tribes that the earth was re-settled and re-populated after the Great Flood. However, the book of Genesis also gives a strange account that describes how God's intervention was needed to get the process moving: "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.'

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