Anthony Staus

NOTE: The timeframe of the ancient Near East can vary from source to source. I understand it as beginning in the 4th millennium BCE and ending in the 7th century CE.

https://www.worldhistory.org/Near_East/

THE FLOOD

If one were to examine all the cultural narratives from around the world, one might notice a reoccurring theme of flood mythology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flood_myths

According to the Hebrew Scriptures, the antediluvian world was so corrupt, the Author of life wiped it out with a global flood. Only one family and a host of animals were saved. It is said that after the flood, the surviving family’s vessel landed on the mountains of Ararat.

According to secular historical accounts, complex civilization first took form in the southern Mesopotamian region—this is a short distance from Mount Ararat when taking the entire globe into consideration. The people who first established this complex civilization were known as Sumerians.

The Sumerian people practiced a polytheistic religion which featured a pantheon of gods. If the Hebrew narrative is correct, then there must have been a schism—there were those who continued in the same monotheistic faith as Noah and those who did not.

Some might argue that polytheism pre-dates monotheism because of what’s reflected in the archaeological record. However, oral tradition was prominent in the ancient world and there may be written records that have yet to be discovered. People should bear in mind that Sumer wasn’t excavated until the 19th century CE.

http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub402/entry-6084.html

The Sumerians kept records of their kings. They claimed a royal succession between their heads of state and the various rulers of the pre-flood world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SumerianKingList#Lines1–39:beforetheflood

As it pertains to this post, it is irrelevant whether or not these antediluvian claims were true. What is relevant, is that the people of Sumer believed their rulers were successors of the antediluvian civilization.

Some might interpret the religion of Sumer as an expression of that which came before the flood. In the following paragraphs, I will explain why this perspective might be argued from an ancient Near East Christian point of view.

ANTEDILUVIAN ERA

In the Bible, there are brief descriptions of the antediluvian world.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are deceived by a serpent (nachash) in the Garden of Eden.

According to Ezekiel 28:13-14, Satan was in the Garden of Eden and he was a cherubim angel. According to accounts in Ezekiel 1 and Ezekiel 10, representation of the creaturely realm is incorporated into the appearance of cherubim angels. Satan is referred to as a dragon and a serpent throughout Revelation 12:13-17. Revelation 20:2 also refers to Satan as a dragon and a serpent.

NOTE: In western culture, Satan’s appearance is often associated with bovine features and attributes (e.g., horns, hooves, etc.). There are several theories that attempt to explain this association. I believe the following theory to be the most likely.

In Caesarea Philippi, there was a shrine dedicated to the pagan god Pan—Pan has the appearance of a faun or satyr. While at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus mentioned “the gates of hell” (see Matthew 16:13-18). Some people concluded that the gates of hell are literally located at Caesarea Philippi, and thus, Pan is the fallen entity associated with the gates. Some would further conclude that Pan is a manifestation of Satan, and thus, associate Satan’s appearance with hooves and horns etc...

Satan can assume various forms of manifestation, however, his default, fundamental root form is serpentine.

I do not believe that Pan and Satan are the same entity—I believe that they’re separate entities.

It seems that, according to the Bible, Satan is a powerful angel with a serpentine appearance. When God rebukes Satan in Genesis 3:14, I believe He is speaking figuratively and relegating Satan to an animal in metaphorical terms. I believe that Isaiah 14:11-12 and Ezekiel 28:17 are more literal pronouncements of the same judgement found in Genesis 3:14. It seems that these pronouncements, in their entirety, consist of past tense, present tense, and future tense elements.

Some have speculated that Satan's fall took place prior to the creation of the garden Eden. I disagree with this notion, as I believe it would render Ezekiel 28:13-15 anachronistic.

The Bible tells us that Satan was a powerful angel with rank and responsibility. It says that Satan fell from his position of excellence and deceived the human race. Thus begins the downward spiral of the antediluvian age.

The next antediluvian event marked by corruption is the Bible’s first recorded homicide. Adam’s son Cain murders his brother Abel. Afterward, violence becomes commonplace in antediluvian society (e.g., Genesis 4:23-24, Genesis 6:11).

In Genesis 6, angels engage in illicit relations with human women—I believe this is referenced in Jude 1:6-7. The resulting offspring are hybrids known as “Nephilim.” The Nephilim were generally regarded as debased, oppressive giants who roamed the earth before and after the flood.

“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” (Genesis 6:4, ESV)

Like flood mythology, hybrid/giant mythology is a reoccurring theme worldwide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_giants_in_mythology_and_folklore

https://mythology.wikia.org/wiki/Demigod

Eventually, people reach a state of perpetual evil and all flesh corrupts its way on the earth (see Genesis 6:12). God decides to destroy the antediluvian world save for Noah, his family, and a host of animals.

It is important to note that in the ancient Near East, many Christians believed that the transgressive relationship between humans and fallen angels (see Genesis 6:4) was one of the primary factors contributing to the flood judgement.

From an ancient Near East Abrahamic perspective, polytheism was thought to include the worship of either a] fallen angels b] demons c] non-existent entities, or d] everything just mentioned. From this perspective, some might perceive a post-flood engagement with polytheism as a revival of antediluvian practices. It was believed by many, in the ancient Near East, that pagan gods were in fact fallen angels or demons masquerading as benevolent beings.

“No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.” (1 Corinthians 10:20, ESV)

EARLY POSTDILUVIAN ERA

Various ancient Near East perspectives might interpret Sumerian religion as the early stages of an antediluvian resurgence—humans and fallen entities collaborating.

The Bible establishes a clear distinction between created beings and the eternal, uncreated God. Only God is worthy of worship (see Matthew 4:10). Created beings, such as angels, are not worthy of worship (see Colossians 2:18, Romans 1:25). Even if a human worships an angel by mistake, a holy angel will reject the worship (see Revelation 22:8-9). If any supernatural being, other than God, receives worship and approves of it, then this being, according to biblical doctrine, is either a corrupt angel or a demon.

NOTE: According to scholars, the ancients believed that “demons” were the disembodied spirits of dead Nephilim. However, the Bible itself does not explain where demons come from.

The Sumerians are conquered by Sargon of Akkad and the postdiluvian world’s first empire is established. The empire integrates Sumerian and Akkadian civilization together. The Akkadian language replaces the Sumerian language in day-to-day life, however, the Sumerian language is retained for specialty purposes (similar to Latin’s relevancy in the Middle Ages). Eventually, Akkadian becomes the lingua franca of the Middle East.

In Genesis 11 people come together and propose a large project.

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’” (Genesis 11:4, ESV)

After the flood, God told humans to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (see Genesis 9:1). In Genesis 11, not only do people express a contrary desire to this command, but they attempt to erect a monument to this defiance. God confuses their language and disperses them over the surface of all the earth.

God then assigns angels, “sons of God,” to the nations—God is permitting the fallen nations to have their gods, the angels, preside over them.

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.” (Deuteronomy 32:8, ESV)

Later, in Psalm 82, God speaks to the angels who preside over the fallen nations. He is not happy with their administration. Some believe that, in part, Satan and his angels are permitted to rule so that people can see just how futile any alternative to God is.

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah” (Psalm 82:1-2, ESV)

“I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.’” (Psalm 82:6-7, ESV)