Tag: Babel

Haunted Ruins

Dale Pollard

Perhaps Nimrod’s extraordinary ability to hunt was partly responsible for the reason why so many were inclined to stick close to him and construct a tower amidst the ruined site of early Babylonia (or Shinar, Genesis 11:2). He’s a hunter after all and apparently an excellent one (Genesis 10:8-12). There’s a phenomena that’s been observed in nature where carnivorous animals like lions and crocodiles develop a “taste” for human flesh. They’ll begin to actively hunt people for a number of reasons but it’s been known and documented in several predatory species. Since animals acted as they do presently after the flood (Genesis 9:2), then it’s logical to assume that all of that death caused by the deluge attracted numerous carnivores to settlement areas early on.

Theoretically, aquatic animals and eventually the land dwelling predators would have had ample opportunity to develop that “taste” for humans. If that were the case, it makes even more sense why earth’s population had a difficult time spreading out over the earth as earth would have been more of a challenge to subdue and dominate than it was before (Genesis 1.28). Mankind may have dominion over the animals, but Job knew there were at least a few exceptions to this (Job 41:1-4). Ferocious man-eaters would have made first settlements more vulnerable but sticking together under the leader of a great hunter makes perfect sense— at least on the surface. 

After the birth of Babel the Bible sheds light on its death and lasting memory. Eventually, wild creatures would inhabit the ruins of Babylon and other cities after God’s judgment (Isaiah 13:21, Isaiah 34:13-14). 

The specific animals mentioned in these passages and similar ones remain unknown, but are often translated as “ostrich” and “jackal.” Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word used for “jackal” is also used to refer to dragons in the same book of Isaiah. (Isaiah 27:1). 

The following verses are even more haunting:

“Babylon shall become a heap of ruins,
the haunt of jackals,
a horror and a hissing,
without inhabitant…
The sea has come up on Babylon;
she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
Her cities have become a horror, a land of drought and a desert, a land in which no one dwells, and through which no son of man passes.
And I will punish Bel in Babylon,
and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed.
The nations shall no longer flow to him;
the wall of Babylon has fallen” (Jeremiah 51:37, 42-47). 

It seems that the second destruction of Babylon was foreshadowed by the first destruction during the deluge. Tragically, the name of the once great city would  nearly becomes synonymous with “the end,” especially in Revelation. 

“And he called out with a mighty voice,“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast” (Revelation 18.2). 

Babylon’s downfall serves as a true tale of caution for us today as God allows the rise and fall of every nation— even setting their boundaries (Acts 17:26). No matter how great a nation becomes it will never become greater than the One who allowed its very existence in the first place. 

A Tower Reaching Heaven (And Comparative Mythology)

Dale Pollard
Babylon’s Babel 

Sumerian culture talks about a ziggurat dubbed “Etemenanki” and it was hailed as the “House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth.” It was dedicated to Marduk, a serpentine/dragon deity, and the patron deity of Babylon. It was said to have measured three-hundred feet tall and featuring seven stacked levels.

Famed Assyriologist, George Smith (1840-1876), provided a translation of some Sumerian clay tablets and here’s his brief summary of the inscription: 

“…we have the anger of the gods at the sin of the world, the place mentioned being Babylon. The building or work is called tazimat or tazimtu, a word meaning strong, and there is a curious relation, lines 9 to 11, that what they built in the day the god destroyed in the night.”
(The Chaldean Account of Genesis, 1876, p. 162).

Egypt’s Babel 

A portion of the Qur’an makes a few claims that resemble the legendary biblical tower— save a few key differences. In the Islamic story, the event takes place in Egypt and the Pharaoh orders a minister named Haman to build a tower that reaches the heavens.

Mexico’s Babel 

Pedro de los Rios, writing sometime before 1565:

“Before the great inundation which took place 4,800 years after the erection of the world, the country of Anahuac was inhabited by giants, all of whom either perished in the inundation or were transformed into fishes, save seven who fled into caverns. When the waters subsided, one of the giants, called Xelhua, surnamed the ‘Architect,’ went to Cholula, where, as a memorial of the Tlaloc which had served for an asylum to himself and his six brethren, he built an artificial hill in the form of a pyramid. He ordered bricks to be made in the province of Tlalmanalco, at the foot of the Sierra of Cecotl, and in order to convey them to Cholula he placed a file of men who passed them from hand to hand. The gods beheld, with wrath, an edifice the top of which was to reach the clouds. Irritated at the daring attempt of Xelhua, they hurled fire on the pyramid. Numbers of the workmen perished. The work was discontinued, and the monument was afterwards dedicated to Quetzalcoatl.”
(Mexico as it is and was, 1844, Brantz Mayer, p. 28)

Non-Canonical Coincidences 

In the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch (written between the 1st-3rd Cen.) we find a description of the condition of Jerusalem after the sack by Nebuchadnezzar.

The Greek Apocalypse details a vision of Baruch ben Neriah and in it he sees the punishment of the builders of the “tower of strife against God,” which sounds remarkably similar  to the Tower of Babel.

Abydenus (a Greek historian of the mid-fourth century B.C.), as quoted by Eusebius, spoke of a great tower at Babylon which was destroyed. The record notes:

“[U]ntil this time all men had used the same speech, but now there was sent upon them a confusion of many and divers tongues”

Josephus, the Jewish historian, quoting from an ancient source, records these words:

“When all men were of one language, some of them built a tower, as if they would thereby ascend up to heaven, but the gods sent storms of wind and overthrew the tower, and gave every one his peculiar language; and for this reason it was that the city was called Babylon”

(Antiquities of the Jews, 1.4.3).

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TOWER 

While we don’t need the extra biblical evidence and anecdotes to prove what God already told us, it’s certainly interesting and faith-building to discover. We shouldn’t forget the main message of His account. When humans are united we’re either powerfully wicked or powerfully righteous. The top of our metaphorical towers will either touch heaven or hell and the end result depends on what we’ve decided to unite under. If Christ is on the banner we fly then we’ll find success. If pride, greed, or any other selfish ambition brings us together— that tower will inevitably fall.  

The Birth of Behemoth-Buildings 

First to Scrape The Sky: 

The first skyscraper was built in Chicago by William LeBaron Jenney in 1885. While that nine story structure no longer stands, many skyscrapers from that time period remain.

King of the Towers: 

The Burj Khalia in Dubai is the tallest building in the world— standing at 2,717 feet tall. 

Jenney’s “Home Insurance Building” (demolished in 1932 to make room for a larger building)

Six Lessons From The Tower of Babel

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

DaleandJanelledirectorypic
(Happy birthday to Janelle)

Dale Pollard

 
We all know the story of the Tower Of Babel. It’s the event that gave us all the diverse languages of the world. That account is not just for our entertainment or education, but there are many spiritual applications that can be pulled from the event. Here are just six from Genesis 11:1-9. 
  1. What we are building will only be successful if God designed the blue prints. What are we building? Where do we choose to place our time and effort? Making a name for ourself? Making the most money? Getting the most pleasure out of life? If this is the life we’re building, like the foolish man that’s a life built on sand. 
  2. We are free to do as we want, but for every bad decision there are consequences. 
  3. There is a truth to what God said about our ability to accomplish much as a unified people. There’s also a positive side to this not so positive account. When the church body is unified there is no limit to what we can accomplish. When there’s dissension we are weaker. 
  4. Ignorance does not mean a blissful existence. It was ignorant to think that a closer relationship with God involved building a stairway into the sky that in their minds would allow God to have the ability to descend to earth. The opposite is true. God built us a way to go to Him. 
  5. Be mindful of the presence you keep and the vision you share. It seemed that most if not all mankind at this time was unified under one vision. “To make a name for themselves,” they worked together. They planned, schemed, spent resources and time to build something that would change the world forever— but it wasn’t God’s vision. The presence you keep and the shared vision matters. What are we building? 
  6. Accounts in the Bible that seem unrealistic or mythical should not weaken our faith but strengthen it when we do our due diligence in digging into His word. God is capable of great things, and that hasn’t changed. We serve a powerful God who has big plans for the world. Are we willing to side with Him?