Tower Of Babel: One Faith, Not One Language

All of us remember the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1). It is part of the religious education of most children in America. We are told that in defiance of God, the ancient Mesopotamians and ancestors of Abraham attempted to construct a tower reaching to the heavens, but that this tower was destroyed by Divine wrath and that the peoples were dispersed and their languages confused. But is this the whole story, or is their more that will provide context and greater understanding?

A parallel and possible source for the Biblical story is to be found in the Sumerian epic "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta." This saga begins with a longing memory of a time during the first Golden Age of Man when peace and security prevailed. It says:

"Once upon a time, ... there was no fear, no terror. Man had no rival...The whole universe, the people in unison (?), to Enlil in one tongue gave praise."

Historian David M. Rohl points out in his book, Legend: The Genesis of Civilization, that the context of this passage suggests a common, unifying faith rather than a common language. The people called out "with one heart," or "with one voice."

So what lead to the building of the Tower of Babel and the disunity that followed? This is provided by the Sumerian epic also. It would seem that Enlil (the Biblical El) was the god responsible for the flood that nearly destroyed humanity. It was Ea (the Biblical Ya, Eyeh, or Yahweh) who warned Utnapishtim (Noah) and saved the human race from annhilation. This explains the usage of the term El for the god of Abraham and later Yahweh as the god of Moses. According to this epic, it was the Sumerian king Enmerkar, who constructed the tower high enough to be above the waters and to show his revenge should Enlil ever decide to flood the earth and humanity again.

One can also see in these two myths the possible original theme of a universal age where a common faith brings people together in peace and harmony. Following the flood, different gods and city-states rose to prominence and war disrupted the peace of the previous age. This is a theme that has carried throughout much of history and continues to this day. But it also foreshadows a possible future for mankind when faith can unite us and also reminds us of a time not that long ago from the 8th century to about just 100 years ago when Jewish and Islamic mystics sat down together and shared ideas and inspiration from each other in the development of Kabbalistic and Sufi philosophy. We will explore this period in future posts and uncover the contributions each side made to the other in a common quest for enlightenment. You'll be amazed by what we find.

Until next time....

Shmuel