What is the nature of the universe? How does it work? Who created it and Why create us?
Science has been a way to answer these questions based on human reasoning, and observations of what we can see while philosophy seeks to rationalize the actual nature of reasoning. Science first began around 700bc shortly followed by philosophy. From these beginnings, all of our understandings of today were built upon these first ideas.
Although many have been discredited, it's interesting to look back and realize that the most intelligent individuals of the time came up with these ideas. One of the most popular beliefs in this era was the Babylonian Creation Theory and the multitude of Gods it contained. It also provides the basis of why humans were created and our reason to serve and worship.
How the Babylonian Creation Theory is thought to have begun is through a poem called "Enuma elish" that was written around 1,500bc on 7 stone tablets but depicts a time thousands of years earlier. Although there are many translations, they all contain the same meanings. One such translation found in the book "Before Philosophy" by H. Frankfort, states that the first tablet reads:
When a sky above had not yet even been mentioned
And the name of firm ground below had not yet even been
thought of;
When only primeval Apsu, their begetter,
And Mummu and Tiamat - she who gave birth to them all -
Were mingling their waters in one;
When no bog had formed and no island could be found;
When no god whosoever had appeared,
Had been named by name, had been determined as to his
lot,
Then were gods formed within them.
In order to gain a better understanding of the piece, the people of the time believed that our world "literally" rose up from the water in a massive chaotic event where this poem represents a substantial depiction of it.
The creators of the event are named Apsu (a man that represented fresh water) and Tiamat (a woman that represented salt water). When they began mingling they produced the event that created the world and along with it, more gods.
As the Poem Continues on it explains the succession of gods. In summary these new gods created from Apsu and Tiamat were named Lahmu and Lahamu and they represented the silt forming at the mouth of a river. Once these two gods begin mingling they create the gods of the sky and the gods of the earth. This mingling between gods goes on for quite a while until many of them exist and they begin to fight.
The older gods (referenced as gods of chaos) are led by Tiamat and her second husband Kingu. They battle against the younger gods who seek to bring order to the chaos by defining authority who are led by the youngest of all gods, Marduk. During the epic battle between gods Marduk kills Tiamat and takes Kingu hostage.
If you’re following along, basically this is where earth gains its order from the chaotic world it used to be. The younger generation of gods stood up and defeated the older generation.
As the poem goes on, a unique passage comes about that explains how Kingu was given to the god of Ea. Who sacrifices him and then by taking his blood, creates the first humans from it. Another of Frankfort translations of the poem reads
They bound him, held him before Ea,
Condemned him, severed his arteries
And from his blood they formed mankind.
Ea then imposed toil on man, and set gods free.
The last line is where many religions base their views on a god/ or gods being superior to humans as many sacred books contain scriptures relating to the Babylon era. Basically it states that human beings were created to serve the gods, to free them from the unnecessary labors of the world.
This theory on human creationism was widely accepted for a long period of time during the Babylonian age. I would also like to argue that many religions stemmed from differing opinions and ideas relating to this theory but that is left for another time.
Thank you for reading and feel free to comment.
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Information credit can be given to various textbooks and readings but mainly from these 2 sources:
"Before Philosophy" by H. Frankfort
"A New History of Philosophy" by Wallace Matson
Image credits:
2nd: a2ua.com
3rd: uproxx.com
Around 3800 years ago the Akkadians created Babylonia in the region of Sumer.
They took the place over of Sumeria, they were the oldest civilization in the world en discovered writing, the wheel and allot more.
And almost every story in religion comes from them.
And they came with the story of the star people or the "Annunaki".
Who came here to find gold for there planet, and first there soldiers collected the gold.
And then the soldiers refused to work, then the human idea came on the table.
They mixed there DNA with the local primitive ape men, and that's how they created the modern men.
So the Babylonian culture came after the Sumerian society.
And the Sumerian society brought the story about the people who came from the sky.....
Also, the Veda's, the Maya's, many cultures in Africa got a similar story, and also the aboriginals and Asia and japan.
The story comes back in every culture worldwide.....
Coincidence?
Yes that is an interesting idea.
It sounds like something the "Ancient Alien" series would have touched on. I'm not big on the whole alien theories, many are quite far fetched. But then again most religions have been that way.
Thank you for the comment, I'm glad you found interest in my post.
Hey buddy, sorry it took a while but now I'm here with all the fresh water.