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Chapter Five Ancient History We will cover the religious histories of the ancient Middle Eastern Empires. These histories are important to the Jewish, Christian and Islamic churches. Much of what we believe today has its origin in these roots. Few people know much about the subject and its significance to modern man. Some understanding is necessary in order to understand The Third Covenant.
Many people read the Old Testament and find it difficult, confusing and contradictory. Many believe these “STORIES” are not true. Others pick and choose what they want. Just about anything, even murder, is justified in the Old Testament. The Muslims accept and believe in the “eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth” tenet of the First Covenant.
The Old Testament consists of numerous writings. These writings cover over 4,500 years of mythology and about 1,500 years of history. The writings are of two types:
It must be understood that the historical writings of the Jewish people were very accurate. The Jewish people were obsessed with it. Scribes were hired whose only job was to record the history of the Jewish people. Family genealogies told a person who they were. Numerous pages are dedicated to explaining who “begat” whom and in what time through the entire the Old Testament.
On the other hand, God’s Laws were handed down by the prophets and incorporated into the overall history. Both may be separated and made distinct. We will first view Jewish history not from the Bible, but from the contemporary writings of the other civilizations of the time. The more evidence we can gather to substantiate Biblical history, the more evidence we have to support God’s relationship and His Laws with the Jewish people. It would be incredulous to believe that they could record history with such accuracy and passion and then “INVENT” a complete fabrication of God. They would call it BLASPHEMY. The penalty was death.
The creation of the world was explained in the religious doctrine of almost every civilization. The method of conveyance was the spoken word until the advent of writing. The earliest writing appears to have occurred between 4000 and 3600 B.C. This should not be confused with writing as we know it. It was primarily a commercial written language used in trade.
Religion existed long before the written word. It was a part of the “evolutionary” development of every civilization. The earliest men and women had to work hard to stay alive and care for their children. All had a sense of “gods” in their lives. Man knows that God (gods) exists, but does not necessarily share the same view of God (gods). This thread of a belief in God (gods) has been present in man since the dawn of mankind. It is an inherent part of human nature. It is not learned behavior.
The psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that it is a basic instinct in mankind. It answers man’s questions about his origin. It explains his existence. They have failed to take into consideration one premise. Who cares? Man may just as easily not have cared about his origin. A GOOD SCIENTIST will tell you that to validate a study you must do two things. First you need a group that is a part of the study and another group that acts as a control group. The problem is there is no control group when studying human nature. The premise now becomes WHY DOES EVERYONE CARE? WHY ARE THERE NO “I DON’T CARE’S”?
Yet from one end of the earth to the other, man is consistent in his pursuit for God (gods). The scientific view is not valid. The vast majority of psychologists and psychiatrists are intellectuals. They have never properly studied Christ and the Bible. They do not have a working knowledge of man’s spirit according to the WORD OF GOD. God imprinted the knowledge of His existence upon each of us. He gave us free will and the opportunity to find HIM, the TRUE GOD! Our spark of life comes from the Holy Spirit. This spark is in good and bad alike. The scientists study our bodies and our minds (our souls). They CANNOT touch, see, smell, hear, or measure our spirits. It is God’s realm, not the realm of the intellectuals. Your spirit is the seat of your being. It is your essence. It is the source of life. Since the Spirit is in each of us, it calls all of us to look for our Creator.
The earliest organized religions did not go beyond the family. This practice persisted in the Jewish faith during and after Moses’s death, each had their own family god and/or town god. This was the constant theme of the First and Second Covenant writings. The sin of the Jewish people was that they were always worshipping false gods. We contemporary Christians have replaced graven image with the religions of secularism, humanism and contemporary correctness, to name a few. Our “gods” are no different. We worship things. Our conscience does not bother us! Formalized religion was only possible when families joined with other families. Beliefs in the gods were shared. These gods came to represent the morality of the tribe. It would be handed down from generation to generation. As time progressed, tribes started coming together to form the first civilizations. Civilization brought many institutions with it. One is the institution of the priesthood. The priest had the responsibility of memorizing all religious knowledge, with all of its laws and rules, and most importantly interpreting it for the people. The danger to society lay in the priest’s interpretation of the laws of the pagan gods. More often than not, the priests kept the kings in control of the nations. Often the priesthood was the real power behind the throne. Both became a leisured class at the expense of the people.
The gods were petitioned for the answer to prayers. If rain was prayed for and it did not come, it was because the people did not serve their gods well. They failed in supporting the temples or by sin. In most civilizations, this meant more giving to the temples, and in other cases even human sacrifice. The people did not want to anger the gods. They knew what the vengeance of the gods was likely to be.
The cradle of all civilization is presumed to be in Central Asia. Western culture was shaped by its law, science, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, morality, etc. This included prehistoric Egypt and Sumeria. What is incredible is that the Sumerian’s wrote their cuneiform writing on rock or wet clay tablets. Much of this writing survives to this very day. Their history is abundant. The oldest inscriptions are found on stone dating to about 3600 B.C.
Sumeria When Sumeria was quite old, about 2200 B.C., all of the poets, scholars and priests were called together. They were commissioned to reconstruct the history of the Sumerian people. This work includes, but is not limited to:
Much of this writing was passed down to Babylonian and Hebrew tradition. They are easily recognizable to contemporary Christians. The concept of Heaven is Sumerian as well. However, few expected to go to Heaven except the king and the priests. The gods were to be feared and most Sumerians were content to live another day let alone go to Heaven. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Egypt Although Egypt had trade relations with the Sumerians, they developed a completely different culture and religion. Their history was also profusely documented in stone and on wet clay tablets. The invention of papyrus paper was a blessing for man. It was, however, fragile, withered and blown away by the wind. Many of these documents exist to this day. The Egyptians left an extensive record of their basic religious beliefs, among them:
This account is not based on the Sumerian version, which was passed on to the Babylonians and Hebrews. It is separate and quite distinct. The concept of life after death was born for all who were devout and could afford it.
One thing should be cleared up about the word “Jew” or “Jewish.” The word “Semitic” is more accurate and descriptive in the context of these times. It is the root word of “anti-Semitic.” There were many Semites who followed in the line of succession from Abraham to Moses. They became the 12 Tribes of Israel. These were the Hebrews. The word “Jew” is of modern origin and is meant to encompass all people who are Hebrew regardless of their line of ancestry. We will use the word “Semite” in the context of this chapter.
Palestine was on the cross road between Egypt and all of the other surrounding civilizations. This meant that Palestine (the Semitic homeland) had to take sides, pay tribute, or try to fight every time the Egyptians went to war. More often than not it was a battlefield. The spoils of war usually included most of the human inhabitants; who were destined to become slaves. The Semites were almost always fighting with their surrounding neighbors as well. (The Old Testament is filled with this history.) The Egyptians record the use of Semites in building the great pyramids. Paintings and reliefs of these people show very large noses and other features. These can be seen in the Semitic people that live and work among us today. These people thrived in Egypt. The Egyptians were meticulous in the counting of their property, including slaves. The population of Semite slaves was so great that the Egyptians feared them. No Egyptian document confirms the Jewish Exodus. It records no Egyptian defeat at the Red Sea. This is not unusual as the Egyptians never wrote about their defeats or failures, only their victories. This particular defeat would carry a triple meaning:
It would be preposterous for any Egyptian to record such an event. We shall refer to this as “Egyptian Syndrome.” With this in mind, the inventory of Semite slaves dropped in vast numbers around 1446 B.C. and other records indicate a similar drop around 1280 B.C. under the rule of King Ramesis II. Neither the Egyptian nor subsequent Semite writing ever revealed the Pharaoh of Egypt or the date of the Exodus.
Babylon The next great civilization was Babylon. On the outset of the Babylonian history the name of Hammurabi (2123 to 2081 B.C.) stands out as the conqueror and law giver of Babylon. He gave the world the famous Code of Hammurabi. The Code was broken down into 285 laws. Each law was assigned to a heading, such as personal injury, personal property, family, labor, trade and business, real estate, etc. Hammurabi made it quite clear that he was not the author of the code (he probably was). The laws were given to him by the great sun god Shamash. Many or most of these laws were based on the earlier Sumerian civilization and modified to fit within the diverse cultures under Hammurabi’s rule. All of the laws were to Hammurabi’s satisfaction. They were published for all who were literate, and the various priests of the numerous gods had to know and obey the Code and explain it to the people. Compared to our civilization, the punishments went from cruel and unusual to a token.
With this in mind, it can be said that the Code rivals Western law. Much of Western law has the Code of Hammurabi as its original source. Hammurabi also instituted a legal precedent by establishing Priest Judges. The judges would hear the cases of both parties, weigh evidence, determine which law was appropriate, and then apply the punishment of the Code. The legal profession became an institution of priest judges and lawyers. At the end of his reign, secular judges and attorneys began to replace the priests. This gave great strength to the Babylonian empire because it separated matters of the gods from matters of the state. This marked the separation of Church and State. This conflict remains with Western civilization to this day. These codes were engraved upon dorite cylinders. Many psalms were also to be found, and were carried across the empire. At its peak, Babylon rivaled Rome in most ways and was quite superior in others. The empire began in Ur. (This city would be the place of Abraham’s birth in 2166 B.C.) It was in Ur that the “Tower of Babel” was built.
The citizens of Ur conquered Babylon (from which the empire derives its name), then on to Judea, Nineveh (Jonah’s Nineveh), from there to Persia, Sardinia, Milletus, Egypt, Crete, Greece, and finally Rome itself.
Nebuchadnezzar erected a gold statue of Marduk on the plains of Dura. Marduk was one of Babylon’s primary gods. The statue was approximately 90 feet high. Nebuchadnezzar commanded that all the rulers and administrators of the empire must come and worship Marduk at Dura (this piece of history matches up the accounts contained in the Book of Daniel). Anyone who did not worship Marduk was put to death. Listen to how Nebuchadnezzar prays to Marduk:
“With you lord what more could there be? For the King you love, and you call his name? You will bless my title as you desire, And unto him you will provide a safe path. I, your prince obey your every command; I am what your hands have made me. You are my creator, You entrust me with the rule of many nations. According to your mercy, turn your dread power into love and kindness, And make me to spring up in my heart a reverence for your divinity. Give us what you think is best for us.” (Our Oriental Heritage, p.241)
You can feel his boldness, and at the same time his humility and respect for his god. The last verse, “give us what you think is best for us,” is an act of submission. It exceeds the current Christian belief system, and he is praying to an idol! What does that say about us? We have a 4,000 year old pagan who shows more respect for an idol than we show to the ONE TRUE GOD. Do we SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF GOD? DO WE TRUST GOD?
Babylonian writing is filled with great literature, most notably the psalms. Many of which were penitential in nature. These psalms, and others like them, may have inspired David. However you view the above psalm, it is most certainly acceptable as a prayer worthy of Christianity.
Assyria was a small kingdom between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The early inhabitants were a mixture of Semites who immigrated to the area from Babylon and other non-Semites, such as the Hittite, Mitannian and Kurdish tribes. These people absorbed the arts, military methods and their language from Sumeria and Babylon. The mixing of the these cultures created a much stronger civilization. Each of the tribes had something unique to add to Assyrian civilization. The prominent things were a strong sense of discipline, a warrior’s mentality and great courage. This was the leading civilization between 1300 B.C. and 700 B.C. By 612 B.C. it was only a memory. So vast was its destruction!
Egypt paid tribute to Assyria to maintain its independence, and the Babylonian people were constantly at war with them. As with the Babylonians before them, the Assyrians waged war and overcame all the nations of the former Babylonian empire and more. The empire at its peak had control of over forty nations. The Assyrians were absolutely aggressive, barbaric and gave no quarter. With each new victory, they came to look upon themselves as invincible. This would become their undoing. Its successors were unable to maintain stability. This allowed the opportunity for a period under David and Solomon to regain some of Israel’s former glory. The Israelites moved hastily to form alliances with their neighboring nations. This was the high water mark in the history of Israel. Many rulers, kings and wise men sought the advice of Solomon. King Solomon’s reign and his wisdom were known throughout most of the known world! His name appears in the writings of many nations.
As a result of internal unrest, the Kingdom of Israel was divided in 930 B.C. Two new kingdoms were formed. The kingdom in the north continued to use the name Israel, and contained ten of the twelve tribes. In succession the kingdom had three capitals: Shechem, Tirzan and Samaria. The Southern kingdom was named Judah. Only two tribes were a part of this kingdom. Its capital was Jerusalem.
Between 833 and 745 B.C. the Assyrians were engaged in a war with Syria, and were plagued with internal unrest as well. This allowed King Jeroboam II to raise the northern kingdom into a major near eastern nation. Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 B.C.) renewed the persecution of Israel. Another coalition was sought by Damascus and Israel with Judah. King Ahaz of Judah refused. It so enraged the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel and the King of Damascus, that they decided that they would march on Judah with the intention of destroying it. Rather than joining his brothers, King Ahaz sought the aid of Tiglath-pileser III. As a result of the war, Israel was required to assimilate some of the religious practices of the Assyrians. It was forced pay tribute to Assyria and accept Hoshea as the new King of Israel.
After Tiglath-pileser III died, his son, Shalmaneser V, took the throne of Assyria. Hoshea subsequently refused to pay the required tribute. Shalmaneser was angry and launched an attacked on Israel’s capital. There was a long siege ending in Israel’s slaughter and defeat. The Semites were spread across the face of the entire Assyrian empire. The event marked the end of Israel as a nation. The vast majority of the Israelites would never see Israel again. They have been wandering ever since. They have been persecuted, hated and blamed for everyone else’s problems.
After finishing off Israel, the Assyrians planned an attack on Judah, Israel’s sister nation. The attack would be launched with Jerusalem as the target. The attack was planned by Sennacherib in 701 B.C. The Assyrians were attacked by a consuming plague that was so great that they were forced to withdraw from the battlefield.
In approximately 612 B.C. a horde of armies joined forces against the Assyrians, including the armies of Babylon, the Medes and the Scythians. Little resistance was offered in the northern Assyrian kingdom. They swept into Nineveh and raped the city. Many buildings were torn down and set on fire. Most of the population was slaughtered. The remainder were taken as slaves. Most of the slaves would come to wish they had died at Nineveh. Earth was used to cover the city. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire! Nineveh is in present day Iraq. It has been excavated and confirms other histories concerning the period.
There are many more historical lessons to be found that parallel the Bible. By 600 B.C. the histories are very accurate. It would prove wasteful to continue along this line.
Most of the events recorded in this chapter should sound familiar to most Christians. They are a part of the Old Testament. THE KEY is that NONE of this material is taken from any Bible, be it King James, Catholic or Hebrew writings.
What is recorded in this chapter is taken from the histories of the nations having contact with the Semite people. Everything from the wars, to the building of the pyramids, and the belief systems that were a part of Hebrew writings. Nineveh’s destruction, the tower of Babel, the great flood, and the gold statue on the plains of Dura are all confirmed. If you are an avid Bible reader, you might try matching up the wars known to us by this short history and the Biblical version. They are the same.
As we travel further back in time, good history becomes lacking. By 2000 B.C. the history is quite accurate and verifiable, in most cases even to exact dates. What is unique is that, in most cases, each culture recognizes the creation of man, the down-fall of man, man’s sinful nature, the great flood, and in some cases life after death. We Christians share similar beliefs. What makes us any different? There are those whose faith might be shaken by the similarities of belief. Others refuse to believe it, even though it is historically well established. What is the difference between modern man and his historical brother? THE FACTS CONFIRM AND SUPPORT EVERYTHING WE BELIEVE.
When Adam and Eve were tossed out of the Garden of Eden, God’s blueprint was on them. They passed this down to us in our genes. Man’s nature has always demonstrated a search for God. It is a self-evident truth. We all KNOW GOD EXISTS, but have a difference of opinion of who or what that God (god) is. Most civilizations worshipped things, the sun being most prominently worshipped during the period of mythology. Today the Jews, Muslims and Christians all worship the same God, but in different ways. The ability to recognize God depends on who is telling the story and how that story is being perceived. All the people of the mythological period experienced the same events. The people interpreted them differently. All of these things did happen.
Many Old Testament figures are witness to the one true God. Abraham, the Father of the Church, spoke with God. His belief in God was so strong he was going to offer his own son up as a living sacrifice. GOD stayed his hand. Read EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, AND DEUTERONOMY. How many times does God tell Moses what to do? Are there any witnesses? Were these events recorded by scribes? Again, the Hebrew people were fanatics about recording their genealogies and their history. Every detail or event was important to them. Were there times when God made His Power manifest before the people? Did the people witness the separation of the Red Sea? Manna from Heaven? Water by striking a rock? Did they see God’s glow at night? His cloud during the day that lead Israel? These things were witnessed by thousands of people. The Old Testament contains hundreds of examples proving God’s presence. These are not just isolated events or visions from some mystic sitting in a cave waiting for visions. Remember these people were fanatics in recording history. History proves the existence of God. The Old Testament is shared by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions. All recognize one God. He is Yahweh or Jehovah, which means “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” In Aramaic, He is Allah. No other religion can stand this test.
Of the hundreds of religions of antiquity only a handful have survived. The most notable is the church of Satan.
Jesus Christ proved the validity of the Christian faith as the one true faith. He did this by way of many miracles. He healed the sick. He gave the blind their sight. He drove out demons (more common than you might think). He fed thousands with a handful of fish and bread. He raised the dead. He was given up by God as a blood sacrifice for our sins (remember Abraham?). He arose from the dead. He was seen by many for forty days. He gave the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit to His Apostles. They continued just as Christ did curing the sick, returning sight, etc.
Most early Christians were Hebrew. The histories had to be correct by Hebrew tradition and law. They wrote what hundreds and thousands had seen and heard. Therefore, the Christian faith is the only true faith. All of these historical events give us a very strong foundation. We know these things happened and serve as a good framework within which we may work. One must conclude that if the “SEMITE HISTORY” is accurately reported, then their RECORDED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MUST BE JUST AS GOOD! We must not underestimate the intelligence and resourcefulness of these people. These were highly advanced civilizations. Some report that they were more advanced than the Christian civilization during the Dark Ages. The written word should be accepted for its face value, particularly after about 1500 B.C.
Many Christians have been told that they had to believe everything in the Bible on the basis of FAITH alone. This is NOT TRUE! Many of the Bible’s contents are verified from a historical perspective. The Bible tells us about Semite history. This is confirmed by the history of the ebb and flow of the surrounding nations. We are also helped with further confirmation by either archeology or other branches of the sciences. The Great Flood is but one example. It is noted historically by all civilizations and confirmed by archaeology and scientific core sampling. No faith is required. It happened. Thus our foundation becomes even stronger. As each day passes more is being found to support the Hebrew and Christian views in Biblical history.
Dreams, hope, faith, belief, trust, and love are the basis of our Christian heritage. The truth is that modern man has adopted the scientific method. He says, “I will believe it when I see it.” The secularist says, “I will believe it when I get it.” Beside this we find two major philosophies rampant in the current sectarian Christian Church:
Consider this. Some Interpetationalist Christians refuse to believe that Satan exists. Satan is mentioned using many different names throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Christ speaks about Satan or Hell 21 times and is tested by the devil 3 times. Satan is referred to over 122 times in both Testaments. This does not include his other names: the adversary, devil, tempter, Beelzebub, ruler of the world, evil one, and prince of darkness. This is only a handful of the names that he goes by. His name is Legion. How can anyone call himself a Disciple of Jesus Christ and not believe in Satan? Simple, they are not Disciples.
To deny Satan’s existence is to allow him into your life. Wherever a void of faith exists, Satan will march right on in and take over that part of the body. He will do it to the body of a person or the body of a church. Those who want to “wait until they see it” will, sadly, have the opportunity to do so and will have eternity to get to know him better! Every time we can confirm our religious beliefs from other sources, it helps us to realize the truth as God wants us to understand it. Even Thomas had his doubts until he saw the resurrected Christ.
These histories are a part of the Old Testament. The reader must be warned that the Old Testament is no longer in force, except for the Ten Commandments. If the reader is not already versed in the Old Testament, there is little to be gained by reading it. The only possible exception is Genesis, using this book as your guide. It’s really not necessary. Christ fulfilled the entire Old Testament. He closed the Old Book, so to speak, except for the Commandments.
The Old Testament is hard to read and understand. It conflicts with the teachings of Christ.
Is God being inconsistent? God can never change. God is the only true constant. Then how can the New Law of Christ conflict with the Old Law of Moses? It has to do with our perceptions of God and His nature.
Man has been evolving since his beginning. Today we are filled with knowledge; we know millions of things that early man could not even start to conceptualize. Man’s relationship with God replicates our relationship with our children. When our children are young the first world they understand is NO! Don’t do this and don’t do that. They do not understand the implications of their actions; they are ignorant.
When Moses climbed down the mountain with the Ten Commandments (the Ten no’s) what were God’s Children doing? They were violating every commandment carved on those stone tablets! Moses was so upset he broke the original tablets. Were God’s Children ready to accept and capable of fully understanding God’s yes, which is the Word of Christ? The answer is no. Thousands of years later, Christ brought us God’s affirmative answers about His love for us and the reasons behind the Old Law. We still did not understand. We were teenagers. Just as Moses broke the original Ten Commandments, we destroyed Christ. The Old Law gave us the no’s. The New Law explained the Old Law and gave us the yes’s!
How far have we come in our understanding of New Law? Most Christians have not mastered the Old Law let alone the New Law! It is a matter of attitude that sets up the conflict of the New and Old Laws. In the Old Law we were being told what to do and to fear punishment. Just like parents with children. In the New Law we are asked not to violate the Old Law out of love for God, neighbor, enemy, and fellow Christians. The motivation of the Old Law was fear of punishment. The motivation of New Law is love and understanding. Do no wrong. We are expected to do the right thing. Not because we are told what the wrong thing is.
We should not obey because we fear God! We do everything that is just and right because we love God. The Lord speaks:
This is the Word of the Lord! |
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