Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk"<peter_kirk AT sil.org>]

Good evidence that the early part of Genesis is based on Sumerian 
traditions brought to Canaan from southern Mesopotamia by the 
Patriarchs. Don't forget that the exile was not the only point of 
contact between Jewish and Mesopotamian cultures.

After all, the tower must have been built before Babylon was destroyed 
by Sargon c.2350 BCE, for the tower was restored by Sharkalisharri 
c.2250 BCE (data from "New Bible Dictionary" article "Babel" by D.J. 
Wiseman - or are theses actually references to Eridu?). David Rohl 
("Legend", p.217) suggests that the tower of Babel was actually 
originally the ziggurat of Eridu, by confusion of the Sumerian names 
for the two places, both "Nun.ki" (is Rohl's data correct here?) That 
tower seems to have been far more ancient than the one at Babylon.

It seems to me that the genre of the story of the tower of Babel in 
Genesis is not so much mockery of the Babylonians as an ancient 
legend, perhaps an explanation of the diversity of language based on 
the reality of an unfinished tower and perhaps a memory of how the 
building of a tower was interrupted by ethnic strife e.g. between 
Sumerians and Semites. But such a legend is likely to have come into 
Genesis from ancient tales rather than having a reference to 
contemporary history.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: SV: Gilgamesh
Author:  <nor AT iol.ie> at Internet
Date:    17/01/2000 23:15


Niels Peter Lemche wrote

>  I have great difficulties believing that Genesis
> came into being in Palestine. I have great problems seeing Judaism as
> originating in Palestine. I find Mesopotamia a much more likely candidate. 
> Judaism is exilic in outlook--'next year in Jerusalem'--

In support of Niels position for a late Mesopotamian dating of Genesis, I 
would put
forward the identification of the 'tower of Babel' story as being a 
reference to the Ziggurat of Etemenanki in Babylon .  There has always been 
a reluctance to make this connection because it knocks the dating of J in 
the Solomonic period and beyond on its head, but with a revised dating of J 
the 'tower of Babel' story makes more sense if it is considered in a 
Mesopotamian , exilic (I use the term loosely) context.



Noel O Riordan