#6 - The Ancient Tradition - Ep. 51-60

--- page 1 ---

Episode

#51

-

The

Cosmic

Wall:

The

Holy

Barge

&

The

Water

Bolt

https://theancienttradition.com/51-the-cosmic-wall-part-i/

00:00

Music

00:10

Listening

to

the

Ancient

Tradition.

A

Wonk

Media

Production.

Music

provided

by

Joseph

McDade.

Here’s

your

host,

Dr.

Jack

Logan.

00:25

Welcome

to

the

Ancient

Tradition.

I’m

your

host,

Jack

Logan.

00:32

Welcome

to

the

program.

I

hope

you’re

all

having

a

wonderful

week.

The

sun

is

shining

outside

my

window.

It’s

a

beautiful,

gorgeous

day.

God’s

creations

are

beautiful.

I

hope

you’re

out

there

enjoying

them.

I’m

going

to

just

get

right

to

it

today.

In

our

last

episode,

we

learned

from

the

ancients

that

everything

God

created

and

everything

God

continues

to

create

every

star,

every

nebula,

every

galaxy,

every

planet,

our

planet.

00:59

Every

waterfall

and

lily

and

dove

is

sanctified

or

holy

because

they

were

brought

about

by

God’s

ordering

power,

which

was

given

to

him

because

he

perfectly

upheld

the

cosmic

law

of

righteousness.

All

of

God’s

creations

are

sacred

because

he

was

the

one

who

transformed

them,

the

elements

01:29

into

beautiful,

ordered,

fertile,

life-full

creations.

We

learned

that

the

power

to

order

is

the

power

to

sanctify.

To

order

something

is

to

transform

it

from

its

awful

profane

state

into

a

sanctified,

holy

state.

01:56

To

this

point,

we’ve

been

talking

about

this

transformative

process

in

terms

of

the

creation

of

the

cosmos.

But

don’t

miss

the

deeper

esoteric

symbolism

of

the

creation

here.

If

God

has

the

power

to

transform

the

profane

elements

into

a

beautiful,

sacred

creation,

doesn’t

He

also

have

the

power

to

do

the

same

for

us?

To

transform

the

profane

sides

of

our

nature?

02:25

into

fully

ordered,

sanctified,

holy

people

like

him.

I

don’t

wanna

get

too

far

ahead

of

myself,

but

that’s

precisely

what

the

ancients

are

gonna

tell

us

takes

place

inside

the

sacred

temples

they

--- page 2 ---

built.

The

precise

process

by

which

this

transformative

sanctification

or

personal

creation

process

takes

place.

02:55

It’s

gonna

be

a

little

bit

before

we

cover

that

process

on

the

podcast,

but

one

of

the

things

that

you’re

gonna

see

is

that

the

ancients

taught

that

this

sanctification

process

involved

seven

steps,

just

like

the

creation

of

the

world

seen

in

the

Hebrew

Bible,

or

just

like

we’re

going

to

see

on

the

Sumerian

Gudea

cylinders

today,

where

the

creation

is

directly

associated

03:23

with

the

number

seven.

It

was

the

culmination

of

those

seven

steps

that

brought

about

the

full

ordering

or

sanctification

of

what

was

originally

profane.

I

bring

this

up

here

to

illustrate

to

you

the

symbolic

depth

of

the

ancient

mind.

See,

when

the

ancients

give

us

an

account

of

the

creation

of

the

world,

they

aren’t

just

giving

us

an

account

of

the

creation.

03:53

of

the

world.

They’re

using

the

creation

of

the

world

to

symbolize

God’s

ordering

power,

to

symbolize

the

process

by

which

he

brought

about

the

sanctification

of

all

of

his

creations,

including

me

and

you.

The

sanctification

of

his

entire

cosmic

kingdom,

which

precisely

because

of

that

sanctification

process

made

04:21

and

makes

God’s

entire

cosmic

kingdom

an

unimaginably

grand,

holy

cosmic

temple.

The

ancients

then

built

miniature

replicas

of

God’s

sacred

temple

on

earth

as

a

tent

or

a

brick

and

mortar

earthly

temple,

a

microcosmos

if

you

will,

of

God’s

macro

cosmic

temple

04:49

And

then

the

ancients

taught

that

it

was

within

this

earthly

temple

that

human

beings

could,

like

we

see

in

the

ordering

process

of

the

world,

become

fully

sanctified.

There

are

so

many

layers

here

that

you

really

do

have

to

take

time

to

ponder

the

symbolism,

to

capture

the

depth

of

how

the

ancients

associate

the

sanctifying,

ordering

process

of

the

creation

with

the

cosmos.

05:18

with

the

cosmic

temple,

with

the

earthly

temple,

with

the

earth,

and

with

the

sanctification

process

of

human

beings.

And

don’t

forget

that

the

ancients

taught

that

all

of

this

was

directly

tied

to

kingship.

You

really

do

have

to

see

how

all

of

these

concepts

are

symbolically

tied

together

to

truly

grasp

the

magnitude

of

the

theology

the

ancients

taught

in

their

texts

and

in

their

05:49

In

episode

number

11,

we

talked

about

how

God,

by

necessity,

has

to

use

symbols

to

teach

us

about

the

reality

of

the

spiritual

realm.

Because

there

aren’t

one-for-one

word

equivalents

here

on

earth

that

can

convey

the

reality

of

what

that

spiritual

realm

is

really

like.

So

God

uses

symbols

to

point

us

in

the

right

direction.

But

we

have

to

ponder

them

and

let

God

teach

us.

06:17

their

spiritual

meaning.

The

nifty

thing

about

symbols,

like

a

parable,

is

that

it

allows

God

to

teach

on

at

least

two

levels,

the

exoteric

level

and

the

esoteric

level.

So

whereas

some

people

see

the

creation

account,

like

in

the

Hebrew

Bible,

as

an

exoteric

account

of

the

geological

creation

of

the

earth,

others

who

ponder

it

are

gonna

note

that

the

creation

account

there

06:47

--- page 3 ---

holds

important

esoteric

wisdom

about

the

process

that

God

uses

to

bring

about

the

transformation

and

sanctification

of

everything

in

his

kingdom,

including

me

and

you.

You

know,

the

same

thing

can

be

said

of

ancient

myths.

On

the

exoteric

level,

the

myth

of

Jason

and

the

Argonauts

is

this

really

fun

story

about

07:15

who

slays

a

dragon

guarding

a

sacred

tree

on

which

hangs

a

beautiful

golden

fleece.

But

if

you’re

a

long-time

listener

to

the

program,

you

know

that

this

fun

myth

conceals

all

kinds

of

really

important

esoteric

truths.

I

like

how

Thomas

Roussell,

he’s

a

scholar

of

Old

English

and

Icelandic

medieval

studies,

says

it.

Listen

to

what

he

says

about

the

esoteric

nature

of

Norris’

myth.

07:46

In

particular,

Chapter

42

of

the

Prose

Edda,

the

Gilfonganing,

which

we

talked

about

in

our

last

episode.

07:55

unless

you

understand

that

the

myths

are

symbolic

of

truths,

of

actual

truths.

So

the

function

of

the

myth

is

to

impart

wisdom

from

the

Divine

to

the

mortal

realm.

And

that’s

how

you

should

regard

it.

What

is

the

wisdom

within

this

myth?

There

is

an

esoteric

dimension

and

there’s

an

exoteric

one.

The

exoteric

one

is

not

hard

to

understand,

as

despite

people

deliberately

trying

to

misrepresent

08:25

what’s

in

there.

But

I

think

the

esoteric

ones

in

this

one

are

not

particularly

difficult

to

approach

either.

It’s

about

order

versus

chaos.

08:37

I

like

how

Rausl

says

that

the

function

of

myth,

and

I

would

add

the

function

of

symbol,

is

to

quote,

impart

wisdom

from

the

divine

to

the

mortal

realm,

which

is

something

that

we’ve

clearly

seen

and

we’re

going

to

continue

to

see

on

the

program.

And

I

especially

like

how

he

says

that

we

should

ask

ourselves,

you

know,

what

esoteric

truths

are

these

myths

teaching

me?

And

I

would

add

symbols

too.

09:06

What

are

these

symbols

trying

to

teach

me?

Because

that’s

where

the

full

theology

is

being

taught.

09:14

With

that

in

mind,

I

want

to

continue

where

we

left

off

in

our

last

episode.

In

that

episode,

we

learned

that

in

the

heavens,

in

the

cosmos,

that

not

all

space

is

the

same.

The

ancients

tell

us

that

in

order

to

preserve

the

sanctified,

holy,

sacred

nature

of

his

creations,

God

created

a

cosmic

boundary

around

his

creations,

around

his

cosmic

kingdom,

which

separates

it

and

protects

it

from

the

profane

waters.

09:42

where

dwell

chaos

and

the

awful

sea

dragon

and

his

followers.

The

ancients

tell

us

that

in

the

heavens,

there

is

a

clear

demarcation,

a

cosmic

demarcation

between

holy

and

profane

space.

And

it’s

this

demarcation

that

establishes

the

borders

around

God’s

cosmic

temple.

Everything

within

the

border

10:09

--- page 4 ---

is

holy

a

temple

and

everything

outside

the

border

is

unholy

or

profane.

I’ve

mentioned

this

on

the

program

before

but

it’s

worth

noting

here

again.

The

English

word

profane

actually

comes

from

the

Latin

word

profanus

where

pro

means

beyond

or

outside

of

and

fanus

means

temple.

So

the

English

word

profane

literally

means

to

be

10:39

quote,

outside

the

temple.

To

be

outside

of,

to

be

outside

of

clearly

implies

there

is

some

sort

of

demarcation

or

boundary

between

the

two.

So

today

in

today’s

episode,

I

want

to

take

a

closer

look

at

this

cosmic

boundary,

especially

what

the

ancients

have

to

say

about

it

in

their

ancient

records.

11:06

So

with

that,

I

want

to

start

by

going

straight

to

the

world’s

oldest

known

religious

text,

the

Keshe

Temple

Hymn.

This

text

was

found

on

a

cuneiform

tablet

in

the

ruins

of

the

Mesopotamian

city

of

Nippur,

which

is

located

today

in

Iraq.

Archaeologists

date

the

tablet

to

around

2600

BC.

So

to

reiterate,

11:35

this

planet

there

is

no

known

earlier

religious

text

than

this

one.

So

it’s

incredibly

significant

that

this

text

gives

us

a

description

of

the

cosmic

boundary

that

separates

God’s

cosmic

temple

precinct

from

the

profane

waters

that

surround

it.

And

the

description

actually

shows

up

very

early

in

the

text.

So

all

of

this

indicates

that

12:03

knowledge

of

a

cosmic

boundary

between

sacred

and

profane

space

was

known

very,

very

early

in

world

history.

And

not

only

that,

but

that

this

knowledge

was

foundational

to

the

entire

theology

that

we

see

taught,

not

only

in

this

text,

but

throughout

the

ancient

Near

East,

and

then

ultimately

across

the

whole

world.

So

let’s

jump

into

the

text.

While

I

read

12:33

Remember,

the

text

is

talking

in

symbols.

So

see

if

you

can

figure

out

what

the

ancients

are

using

in

the

text

to

symbolize

the

boundary

between

the

two.

Between

lines

22

and

30

of

the

Keshe

Temple

Hymn,

the

text

reads.

And

this

comes

from

the

English

translation

provided

by

Oxford

University

in

their

electronic

text

corpus

of

Sumerian

literature.

Quote.

13:02

Good

house

built

in

a

good

location.

House

cash

built

in

a

good

location,

floating

in

the

heavens

like

a

princely

barge,

like

a

holy

barge

furnished

with

a

gate

like

the

boat

of

heaven.

13:17

Did

you

figure

it

out?

Did

you

figure

out

what

symbolizes

the

cosmic

boundary

between

the

sacred

and

profane?

Now,

it’s

not

easy

if

we

don’t

understand

the

symbols

that

the

ancients

used.

It’s

just

a

mystery

to

us

if

we

don’t

know.

But

on

this

program,

we’re

learning,

so

let’s

break

it

down.

The

text

begins,

quote,

good

house.

So

what

do

you

think

good

house

refers

to?

13:47

The

text

is

called

the

Keshe

Temple

Hymn

because

this

text

is

about

the

building

of

a

sacred

temple

in

Keshe,

an

ancient

city

in

Sumer.

And

the

next

line

refers

to

this

house

as

House

Keshe.

So

we

know

that

the

good

house

or

house

Keshe

here

refers

to

the

Keshe

temple.

The

text

then

goes

on

to

compare

this

sacred

earthly

temple

to

something

else.

Do

you

remember

what

it

was?

14:16

--- page 5 ---

Well,

it

was

a

quote,

princely

barge.

The

text

reads

quote,

good

house

built

in

a

good

location.

House

Keshe

built

in

a

good

location,

floating

in

the

heavens

like

a

princely

barge.

Take

note

that

the

text

compares

the

earthly

brick

and

mortar

temple

in

Keshe

to

a

princely

barge,

to

a

boat.

14:44

that

is

floating

in

the

heavens.

Note

that

this

boat

is

quote,

a

princely

barge,

a

princely

boat.

So

think

of

all

of

the

royal

kingship

theology

that

princely

connotates.

You

can

think

of

Ra

in

ancient

Egypt

on

his

celestial

bark,

seated

on

his

royal

throne.

Take

note

that

the

object

in

the

heaven

is

a

boat.

Boats

float

on

water.

15:13

So

we

know

that

when

the

ancients

talk

about

a

boat

in

or

on

the

waters

in

heaven,

they’re

talking

about

this

boat

floating

in

or

on

the

profane

primordial

waters.

And

note

that

this

boat

is

floating

in

the

heavens,

not

on

earth.

So

the

author

here

is

comparing

the

earthly

Keshe

temple

to

a

celestial

princely

boat

that

floats

atop

the

profane

primordial

waters

of

chaos.

15:43

So

you

see

where

we’re

going

here.

The

author

is

telling

us

that

the

Keshe

Temple

is

a

replica

of

God’s

cosmic

temple,

which

he’s

symbolizing

by

a

princely

barge,

which

floats

atop

the

profane

primordial

waters.

And

not

only

that,

the

author

goes

on

to

stress

that

this

barge

is

sacred.

It’s

not

profane

like

the

waters

that

surround

it.

The

text

reads,

quote,

16:11

floating

in

the

heavens

like

a

princely

barge,

like

a

holy

barge

furnished

with

a

gate,

like

the

boat

of

heaven.

Note

how

this

holy

barge

has

a

gate,

like

a

temple

would

have,

which

suggests

guarded,

protected

space.

Like

we

discussed

in

our

last

episode,

the

gate

allows

the

sacred

in

and

shuts

the

profane

out.

Okay.

16:41

So

back

to

my

original

question.

What

is

the

author

of

this

text

using

to

symbolize

the

boundary

between

God’s

sacred

precinct

or

temple

and

the

profane

waters?

Did

you

guess

the

whole

of

the

boat?

Because

the

whole

of

the

boat,

the

shell

of

the

vessel

is

what

keeps

the

water

out.

The

whole

is

what

gives

the

vessel

structural

integrity.

17:09

It’s

what

keeps

the

boat

buoyant

on

the

water.

It’s

what

protects

the

vessel

from

being

submerged

in

the

water.

The

hull

is

what

separates

and

protects

what’s

in

the

boat

from

what’s

outside

the

boat.

The

hull

of

the

boat

is

the

boundary

that

separates

the

sacred

from

the

profane.

I

don’t

know

if

any

of

you’ve

ever

been

on

a

cruise

ship,

but

a

couple

of

months

back,

I

was

on

a

cruise

ship.

17:38

and

I

was

headed

to

Panama.

And

I

was

seated

on

the

promenade

deck

where

I

love

to

hang

out

the

most

because

I

can

sit

there

and

read.

And

I

was

thinking

about

this

very

thing,

how

the

ancients

used

a

boat

to

symbolize

God’s

cosmic

kingdom

or

temple.

And

I

was

seated

on

one

of

those

deck

chairs,

so

I

stood

up

and

I

moseyed

over

to

the

railing

and

I

just

looked

out.

And

all

I

saw

for

as

far

as

my

eyes

could

see

in

every

direction

18:08

endless

ocean

of

water.

And

I

thought

to

myself,

the

only

thing

saving

me

from

these

waters,

from

sure

death,

is

this

boat.

Literally.

Below

me

is

shark-infested

waters.

So

the

only

thing

--- page 6 ---

saving

me

from

the

sharks

is

this

boat.

Literally.

And

I

thought

to

myself,

man,

the

ancients

picked

a

great

symbol.

18:37

for

God’s

cosmic

temple.

The

boat

is

what

is

protecting

me.

There’s

nothing

but

death

and

destruction

and

disorder

outside

of

this

boat.

God’s

cosmic

kingdom

or

temple

is

the

boat.

18:56

The

Keshe

Temple

Hymn

is

pretty

clear.

The

text

attests

that

in

the

spiritual

realm,

in

the

real

real,

there’s

a

clear

separation

between

profane

and

sacred

cosmic

space.

God’s

cosmic

temple

is

protected

from

the

profane

like

a

boat

protects

one

from

the

waters.

Like

an

air

bubble

or

cavity

or

a

floating

gourd

is

protected

from

the

waters.

Or

a

peach

pit

is

protected

19:25

from

the

flesh

of

the

peach,

or

the

nucleus

of

an

atom

is

protected

from

the

cloud

of

negative

electrons

that

surround

it.

19:34

If

you’d

like

to

hear

a

full

audio

recording

of

the

Keshe

Temple

Hymn,

you

can

find

it

on

our

sister

podcast,

the

Ancient

Tradition

Audio

Rit.

19:45

The

symbolic

representation

of

God’s

cosmic

temple

as

a

boat

is

quite

intriguing,

especially

when

we

read

the

account

of

Utnapishtim,

the

Mesopotamian

Noah

in

Tablet

11

of

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh.

In

Tablet

11,

Utnapishtim

tells

Gilgamesh

that

the

gods

have

warned

him

that

a

great

flood

is

coming.

20:13

In

the

section

that

I’m

going

to

read,

Utnapishtim

recounts

to

Gilgamesh

what

the

gods

commanded

him

to

do.

The

text

reads,

and

this

is

the

Stephanie

Dalley

translation,

quote,

Man

of

Shuru

Pak,

son

of

Ubaratutu.

Those

are

epitaphs

that

the

gods

have

given

Utnapishtim.

Dismantle

your

house.

Build

a

boat.

Leave

possessions.

20:43

Put

aboard

the

seed

of

all

living

things

into

the

boat.

The

boat

that

you

are

to

build

shall

have

her

dimensions

in

proportion.

Her

width

and

length

shall

be

in

harmony.

Roof

her

like

the

Apsu.

Here

we

see

that

Utnapishtim

is

given

very

specific

instructions

about

how

to

build

the

boat

or

arc

that’s

to

save

his

life.

Now,

considering

that

we

just

saw

in

the

Keshe

temple

hymn

that

in

the

ancient

world,

21:11

God’s

cosmic

temple

was

symbolized

by

a

heavenly

boat,

then

we

would

surmise

that

when

the

gods

give

Utnap

Pishtim

specific

instructions

about

how

to

build

a

boat,

that

what

the

gods

are

really

asking

him

to

do

is

build

a

temple,

a

temple

boat,

one

that’s

a

miniature

replica

of

God’s

heavenly

temple

boat.

And

this

interpretation

is

actually

21:40

by

the

text

itself.

When

we

read

the

following

a

couple

of

lines

later,

the

text

reads,

quote,

the

carpenter

brought

his

axe,

the

reed

worker

brought

his

stone,

children

carried

the

bitumen.

If

you’re

not

familiar

with

what

bitumen

is,

bitumen

is

kind

of

like

tar.

It’s

a

naturally

forming

petroleum

based

substance

that

naturally

bubbles

up

out

of

the

earth.

22:09

--- page 7 ---

One

acre

was

her

circumference,

10

poles

each

the

height

of

her

walls.

I

laid

down

her

structure,

and

this

is

Utnapishtim

speaking,

drew

it

out.

So

this

sounds

like

the

gods

gave

him

very

specific

plans

for

this

boat,

plans

which

he

drew

out,

kind

of

like

a

blueprint,

gave

her

six

decks,

divided

her

into

seven.

All

right,

everything

in

here

is

so

interesting.

22:38

In

this

section

of

the

text,

we

can

see

some

interesting

connections

between

the

building

of

this

boat

and

the

creation

account

given

in

Genesis

in

the

Hebrew

Bible.

The

text

tells

us

very

intriguingly

that

this

boat

was

to

have

a

circumference.

A

circumference.

A

circumference

the

size

of

an

acre.

Which

implies

that

this

boat

was

to

be

formed

in

the

shape

23:08

a

circle.

Now

that’s

interesting.

The

text

also

tells

us

that

the

width

and

the

length

of

the

boat

were

to

be

quote

in

harmony,

which

seems

to

suggest

that

the

boat

was

to

have

either

a

cylindrical

shape

or

a

spherical

shape.

It

sounds

to

me

like

the

boat

was

to

take

on

the

same

form

as

the

earth

itself.

23:38

And

the

text

gets

even

more

intriguing

when

Utnapishtim

tells

us

that

this

boat

was

to

have

six

decks.

Six

decks

which

would

divide

the

boat

into

seven

sections.

That

should

stick

out

to

you.

Because

almost

all

of

us

know

that

in

the

Genesis

account

in

the

Hebrew

Bible

that

the

creation

of

the

earth

was

divided

into

seven

periods

of

creation

and

rest.

But

here’s

the

thing.

24:06

We

don’t

just

find

the

connection

between

the

number

seven,

the

creation

of

the

earth

and

temple

building

in

the

Hebrew

Bible.

It’s

found

all

over

the

ancient

world.

For

example,

in

this

Sumerian

Gudea

cylinders,

which

I

mentioned

earlier,

dated

to

2125

BC,

we

read

of

seven

stones

that

surrounded

the

temple,

a

seven

day

temple

dedication,

24:34

And

then

between

lines

562

to

577

of

cylinder

A,

we

read

about

the

laying

of

the

foundation

of

the

temple

by

the

stretching

of

the

line

or

the

stretching

of

the

cord,

which

we’ve

talked

about

on

the

program.

And

the

marking

out

of

seven

squares.

The

text

reads,

and

this

translation

comes

from

Oxford’s

electronic

text

corpus

of

Sumerian

literature.

Cylinder

A

reads,

25:05

And

note

the

kingship

reference

in

here

too.

Quote,

Gudea.

Now

Gudea

is

the

king,

so

this

is

King

Udea.

In

charge

of

building

the

house,

the

temple.

Well,

of

course

he

is,

we

already

learned

this

in

the

program,

it’s

the

king

who

builds

the

temple.

Placed

on

his

head

the

carrying

basket

for

the

house

as

if

it

were

a

holy

crown.

He

laid

the

foundation.

25:33

set

the

walls

on

the

ground.

He

marked

out

a

square,

aligned

the

bricks

with

a

string.

He

marked

out

a

second

square

on

the

side

of

the

temple.

And

then

the

text

goes

through

the

third

and

the

fourth

and

the

fifth

and

the

sixth

squares,

and

then

it

ends

with

quote,

he

marked

out

a

seventh

square

on

the

site

of

the

temple.

The

fact

that

the

number

seven

is

associated

here

in

this

Mesopotamian

Gudea

cylinder

26:02

with

the

building

of

an

earthly

temple,

and

in

the

Genesis

account

with

the

days

of

creation,

the

building

of

a

cosmic

temple,

and

in

the

architecture

of

Utnapishtim’s

boat

or

ark

in

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh,

which

I

argue

is

also

a

temple,

is

striking

because

it

tells

us

that

there

is

something

--- page 8 ---

very,

very

important

about

the

connection

between

the

number

seven

and

God’s

temple,

which

we

are

definitely

gonna

unravel

down

the

line.

26:33

I

also

want

to

point

out

that

after

Utnap

Pishtham

and

his

workers

finished

building

the

boat,

the

cylinder

tells

us,

quote,

they

made

a

feast

like

the

New

Year’s

Day

Festival.

This

is

significant

because

the

New

Year’s

Day

Festival

was

the

day

in

the

ancient

world

when

the

ancients

celebrated

the

creation

of

the

world.

All

of

this

points

to

Utnap

Pishtham’s

boat

or

arc.

27:03

as

yet

another

symbolic

representation

of

God’s

sacred

creations,

his

cosmic

temple,

which

the

ancients

also

symbolized

as

we

just

saw

in

the

Keshe

temple

hymn

as

a

holy

barge

floating

on

the

primordial

waters.

I

bring

this

up

in

reference

to

our

discussion

of

the

cosmic

boundary

between

sacred

and

27:31

The

ancient

Mesopotamians

smeared

bitumen,

that

natural

tar-like

substance

found

in

natural

deposits,

all

over

the

exterior

and

interior

of

their

reed

boats

as

a

sealant

to

prevent

water

from

seeping

through

the

hull.

They

coated

every

inch

of

their

boats,

filled

every

seam

with

bitumen

so

that

not

a

single

drop

of

water

could

penetrate

the

hull.

28:01

If

they

missed

a

spot

or

they

didn’t

apply

the

bitumen

thick

enough,

then

water

would

seep

in

and

sink

the

boat,

drowning

everyone

on

board.

So

the

ancients

did

everything

they

could

to

keep

the

water

out.

See,

it’s

the

bitumen

that

creates

the

barrier

between

the

boat

and

the

water

in

which

it’s

submerged.

It

was

the

bitumen

that

made

Utnap

Pishdem’s

great

circular

arc

watertight.

28:31

and

preserved

it

and

humanity

from

the

flood.

Bitumen

is

the

wall.

The

exoteric

message

here

is

pretty

easy

to

follow,

but

consider

the

deeper

esoteric

wisdom.

The

story

of

Utnapishtim

in

the

Ark

invites

us

to

ponder.

Now,

there

are

likely

many,

many

layers

of

wisdom

in

the

Ark

account,

but

one

message

that’s

clear

to

me,

28:59

especially

when

we

recognize

that

Utnapishtim’s

boat

represents

God’s

cosmic

temple,

is

the

message

that

we

need

to

be

inside

God’s

holy

barge,

inside

God’s

temple

if

we

don’t

want

to

spiritually

perish.

The

flood

waters

represent

all

that

is

evil

and

profane.

So

we

must

symbolically

coat

our

homes

and

ourselves

29:29

bitumen

so

that

not

a

single

drop

of

profane

water

can

seep

into

our

homes

or

into

our

souls.

Now

Pishnam

is

teaching

us

that

in

our

own

lives

we

must

clearly

demarcate

the

sacred

from

the

profane.

I

don’t

have

time

to

develop

this

here

but

there

are

even

greater

esoteric

messages

being

conveyed

here.

One

of

which

is

the

symbolic

29:58

parallel

between

the

smearing

of

bitumen

over

the

boat

as

a

protective

wall

against

the

profane

and

the

smearing

of

holy

anointing

oil

over

the

whole

body

as

a

protective

covering

against

the

profane.

The

holy

anointing

oil

is

the

wall.

30:23

So

there’s

so

much

to

ponder

there.

--- page 9 ---

30:27

Before

I

leave

this

section,

I

want

to

talk

a

little

bit

more

about

Uthnapishtim’s

boat.

From

what’s

written

in

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh,

it

seems

pretty

clear

that

the

ark

Uthnapishtim

constructed

looked

nothing

like

how

modern

artists

portray

it.

You

know,

today

the

ark,

we

imagine

it

as

a

large

kind

of

oval

or

rectangular

boat

with

the

bow

and

stern

rising

high

above

the

midsection.

30:57

This

interpretation

does

not

align

with

what

we

find

in

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh.

The

text

clearly

indicates

that

the

gods

asked

Utnapishtim

to

construct

a

large

circle

shaped

boat.

And

I

argue

that

that’s

because

this

boat

was

supposed

to

symbolically

represent

a

miniature

replica

of

the

earth,

God’s

creations.

31:27

Assyriologist

Stephanie

Dally,

who

translated

this

text

into

English,

says

the

following

of

Utnap

Pichtim’s

boat

on

page

133

of

her

book,

Myths

from

Mesopotamia,

published

by

Oxford

University

Press.

Quote,

the

ancient

Mesopotamians

were

builders

of

rafts

and

reed

boats

for

use

on

rivers,

not

builders

of

timber

frame

vessels.

The

ark

is

described

here

seems

to

be

a

tub

of

Kufa

type.

31:57

which

consists

mainly

of

a

framework

of

reed

matting,

liberally

coated

with

bitumen

and

oil

to

make

it

waterproof,

fitted

inside

with

benches

and

supporting

poles.

32:12

Dali

tells

us

here

that

Utnapishtim’s

boat

was

indeed

a

round

boat

known

as

a

kufa,

which

is

the

Arabic

word

for

a

basket

woven

from

reeds.

The

Greek

historian

Herodotus,

who

visited

Babylon

in

450

BC,

actually

saw

these

circle

boats

navigating

up

and

down

the

Tigris

and

Euphrates

rivers.

He

was

in

awe

of

them.

32:42

In

section

194

of

book

one

of

the

histories,

Herodotus

wrote,

and

this

is

the

G.C.

Macaulay

translation,

quote,

the

greatest

marvel

of

all

the

things

in

the

land,

and

he’s

talking

about

Babylon,

after

the

city

itself

to

my

mind

is

this

which

I’m

about

to

tell,

their

boats.

Those

I

mean

which

go

down

the

river

to

Babylon

are

round.

33:11

These

vessels

are

made

both

a

very

large

size

and

also

smaller.

Such

are

their

boats.

When

Herodotus

writes,

such

are

their

boats,

we

gather

that

the

circle

boats

were

the

norm,

the

traditional

way

the

Mesopotamians

traveled

down

the

river.

Now,

as

you

can

imagine,

a

circle

boat

would

not

be

easy

to

navigate.

33:38

These

boats

didn’t

have

a

sail,

so

they

didn’t

have

the

ability

to

sail

against

the

current.

They

pretty

much

just

drifted

wherever

the

current

took

them.

And

as

you

can

imagine,

these

circle

boats

had

the

tendency

to

spin,

so

they

had

to

carry

these

really

long

poles

to

try

and

steer

them.

And

I

tell

you

that

because

it

makes

you

wonder

why

they

chose

a

circle

shape

if

it

was

so

impractical

in

so

many

ways.

Of

course,

I

can’t

prove

this.

34:08

but

I

offer

up

the

possibility

from

what

we’ve

read

in

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh

that

they

chose

the

circle

shape

because

of

its

cosmic

significance.

If

you’d

like

to

see

a

couple

of

pictures

of

these

circle

boats,

you

can

find

them

on

the

webpage

for

this

episode.

--- page 10 ---

34:30

Interestingly,

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh

is

not

the

only

place

we

learn

that

Utnap

Pishdem’s

Ark

was

constructed

in

the

shape

of

a

circle

or

a

sphere.

Just

15

years

ago,

just

15

in

2009,

a

man

by

the

name

of

Douglas

Simmons,

he

was

the

son

of

an

RAF

officer,

loaned

the

British

Museum

a

cuneiform

tablet

that

his

father

had

obtained

years

earlier

in

the

Middle

East.

34:57

The

tablet

was

then

translated

into

English

by

the

famed

and

I

think

adorably

quirky,

British

museum

curator

Irving

Finkel.

Now

I

can’t

remember

if

I’ve

talked

about

Dr.

Finkel

on

the

program,

but

if

I

haven’t,

you

have

got

to

see

video

of

this

gentleman.

He

is

quite

a

character.

And

sometimes

I

think

someone

needs

to

write

a

film

series

that’s

based

off

of

him,

kind

of

like

they

did

with

Indiana

Jones,

because

I

think

it

would

be

amazing.

35:26

In

2015,

Dr.

Finkel

published

the

first

translation

of

this

tablet.

It’s

now

known

as

the

Ark

tablet,

and

he

published

it

in

his

book,

The

Ark

Before

Noah.

What

Dr.

Finkel

found

was

that

this

tablet,

which

he

dates

between

1900

and

1700

BC,

contains

detailed

specifications

for

building

Noah’s

Ark,

who

was

known

as

Atrahasis.

35:55

among

the

Akkadians

and

as

we’ve

pointed

out

as

Utnap

Pishtim

among

the

Babylonians.

Let’s

read

some

of

what

the

tablet

says.

You’ll

note

that

this

tablet

sounds

a

whole

lot

like

what

was

written

in

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh

but

with

a

lot

more

detail.

This

tablet

predates

the

Epic

of

Gilgamesh

by

about

500

years.

The

tablet

reads,

and

this

is

the

god

Enki

speaking

to

Atrahasis,

36:25

giving

him

detailed

instructions

of

how

to

build

the

boat.

And

I’m

gonna

skip

over

some

of

the

parts

because

there’s

a

lot

of

details.

Quote,

destroy

your

house,

build

a

boat,

spurn

property

and

save

life.

Draw

out

the

boat

that

you

will

make

on

a

circular

plan.

Let

her

length

and

breadth

be

equal,

let

her

floor

area

be

one

field.

Dr.

Finkel

says

that

36:54

This

field

is

about

the

size

of

a

soccer

pitch.

So

this

is

a

very

big

boat.

Let

her

sides

be

one

ninden

high.

I

set

up

3,600

stanchions

within

her.

I

constructed

her

cabins

above

and

below.

I

apportioned

one

finger

of

bitumen

for

her

outsides.

I

apportioned

one

finger

of

bitumen

for

her

interior.

Dr.

Finkel

notes

that

one

finger

here

refers

37:25

the

length

of

the

last

section

of

your

finger,

so

about

almost

two

centimeters.

So

the

bitumen

would

be

decently

thick.

Listen

to

what

Dr.

Finkel,

in

his

very

characteristic

way,

thought

the

very

first

time

he

read

what

was

written

on

this

tablet.

Quote,

reading

lines

six

and

seven,

and

that’s

where

it

says

that

the

boat’s

gonna

be

circular.

37:51

for

the

first

time

was

certainly

an

adrenaline

stirring

moment.

And

my

first

reaction,

as

anybody’s

would

have

been,

can

this

be

right?

A

circular

plan?

But

then

thinking

it

over,

staring

into

space

with

the

tablet

precariously

poised

over

the

desk,

the

idea

began

to

make

sense.

A

truly

round

boat

would

be

a

coracle,

which

is

a

kaffa.

And

they

certainly

had

coracles

38:21

in

ancient

Mesopotamia.

Now

I

find

the

fact

that

this

boat

is

circular,

of

course

intriguing

because

of

its

cosmological

significance,

but

it’s

the

last

two

lines

of

the

tablet,

lines

59

and

60

--- page 11 ---

that

really

fascinate

me

in

terms

of

this

episode.

Listen

to

how

the

tablet

ends.

This

is

what

it

says

after

the

Mesopotamian

Noah

has

completely

finished

the

boat

and

filled

it

with

animals.

38:52

The

tablet

ends

with

these

lines,

quote,

when

I

shall

have

gone

into

the

boat,

caulk

the

frame

of

her

door.

39:05

Now

that’s

interesting.

The

Mesopotamian

Noah

goes

inside

the

circular

boat

and

then

commands

that

the

seams

of

that

door

be

caulked

or

sealed

off

with

bitumen.

He

literally

seals

himself,

all

of

the

animals,

everything

else

inside

the

boat

so

that

there

is

absolutely

no

way

for

the

water

to

seep

in.

I

hope

you

see

where

I’m

going

with

this.

39:34

The

Mesopotamian

Noah

has

sealed

himself

inside

what

is

now

effectively

a

protective

bubble

or

gourd.

39:44

to

seal

oneself

inside

the

boat

doesn’t

seem

to

make

a

whole

lot

of

practical

sense.

I

mean,

sealed

in,

what’s

he

gonna

do

for

air

and

light?

But

it

does

make

a

whole

heck

of

a

lot

of

sense

cosmologically.

Symbolically,

from

what

we’ve

learned,

the

esoteric

message

here

is

that

the

Mesopotamian

Noah,

by

sealing

himself

inside

the

ark,

40:14

is

effectively

sealing

himself

inside

God’s

sacred

temple

precinct,

where

he’s

protected

from

the

evil,

profane

floodwaters.

I

find

the

symbolic

parody

here

amazing.

As

above,

so

below.

I

was

so

intrigued

by

this,

I

wanted

to

know

what

Dr.

Finkel

had

to

say

about

it,

about

the

Mesopotamian

Noah

sealing

himself

inside

the

boat,

because

it’s

definitely

odd.

So,

40:43

I

scoured

all

445

pages

of

the

Ark

before

Noah

and

I

couldn’t

find

anywhere

where

he

commented

or

made

a

statement

about

this,

which

is

kind

of

surprising

because

the

book’s

quite

thorough.

It

covers

nearly

every

imaginable

aspect

of

the

Ark

tablet.

I’d

really

love

to

hear

Dr.

Finkel’s

thoughts

on

this

because

after

all,

he

is

one

of,

if

not

the,

world’s

leading

astereologists.

41:12

He

does

mention

in

a

lecture

he

gave

in

Vienna,

Austria

at

the

Origins

Conference

that

the

Babylonian

version

of

the

coracle

had

a

roof

on

top,

which

would

make

it

very

much

like

a

giant

gourd

floating

on

the

ocean.

After

Dr.

Finkel

finished

translating

the

ARC

tablet,

you

are

never

gonna

believe

what

he

did

next.

He

actually

went

out

and

tried

to

build

the

boat.

41:42

Yes,

he

did.

He

got

the

financial

backing

of

several

wealthy

Americans

and

he

traveled

to

India

and

he

constructed

a

one-third

scale

replica

of

the

boat

based

off

of

that

blueprint

that’s

in

the

tablet.

And

it

cost

him,

you’re

never

going

to

believe

how

much

it

cost

him,

it

cost

him

10

million

dollars

to

build

this

boat.

Listen

to

Dr.

Finkel

describe

the

boat

and

how

it

was

built

and

listen

very

closely

to

how

he

describes

the

boat.

42:11

towards

the

very

end

of

the

clip.

42:15

--- page 12 ---

What

you

do

when

you

build

one

of

these

things

is

you

lay

the

rope,

you

have

to

twist

the

rope

firstly,

and

this

is

all

covered

in

the

cuneiform

inscription.

You

get

the

pith

of

a

palm

tree

and

you

twist

it

into

rope

and

it’s

laid

out

in

the

great

circle

of

the

right

size

which

is

3600

square

meters.

42:35

And

then

when

you’ve

done

that,

as

it

comes

around

to

the

beginning

point,

you

lay

it

on

top

all

over

again

and

then

on

top

each

time.

And

as

it’s

done,

the

various

strands

of

the

wall

are

lashed

together

north

to

south.

So

you

end

up

with

a

giant

floppy

basket

made

of

this

material.

And

the

next

step

in

the

tablet

is

that

ribs

are

cut,

which

go

from

the

top

on

the

inside,

follow

the

profile

down,

and

these

great

ribs

interlock

the

base

to

make

a

kind

of

gap

43:05

done

that,

the

thing

is

bitumen

from

floor

to

ceiling,

or

rather,

as

it

were,

from

floor,

or

inside

and

out,

thickly

with

bitumen,

which

dries

hard

and

waterproofs

it,

and

there

you

have

your

boat.

And

the

tablet

tells

you

moreover

that

there

was

a

deck,

there

had

to

be

a

deck.

Obviously

the

animals

were

underneath,

there

was

a

little

house

on

the

top,

and

there

was

a

roof,

the

profile

of

which

matched

the

base

of

the

thing.

So

that

when

the

ark

in

the

43:35

walnut

floating

in

the

sea

with

this

kernel

of

life

inside.

43:43

Did

you

know

how

he

said

that

the

roof

of

the

boat

matched

the

profile

of

the

base

of

the

boat?

That

indicates

that

the

boat

was

shaped

like

a

sphere.

And

how

did

he

describe

it?

It

looked

a

bit

like

a

walnut

floating

on

the

sea

with

its

kernel

of

life

inside.

Dr.

Finkel’s

description

here

of

the

Mesopotamian

Noah’s

Ark

as

a

44:13

walnut

floating

on

the

sea

is

perfectly,

perfectly

in

keeping

with

the

cosmological

and

theological

notion

that

God’s

cosmic

temple

floats

in

the

cosmos

like

a

holy

barge

or

gourd

or

air

bubble

and

contains

the

kernel

of

life

like

the

stone

pit

of

a

peach.

And

don’t

forget

that

this

so-called

44:43

was

completely

slathered

in

bitumen

so

that

not

a

single

drop

of

profane

water

could

permeate

the

hole.

If

you’re

interested

in

seeing

a

video

of

the

coracle

arc

that

Dr.

Finkel

built,

I’ve

posted

a

link

on

the

webpage

for

this

episode

to

a

documentary

that

PBS

produced

on

the

subject.

And

if

you’re

in

London,

45:11

and

you’d

like

to

lay

your

eyes

on

the

actual

ARC

tablet,

you

can

find

it

at

the

British

Museum.

45:21

If

you’re

familiar

with

the

Hebrew

Bible

and

you’re

an

acute

listener,

you

may

have

caught

some

similarities

between

the

Mesopotamian

Noah’s

basket-shaped

reed

boat

and

the

story

of

the

infant

Moses

in

Exodus

chapter

2.

In

this

account,

Moses’

mother

bears

a

son,

Moses,

and

notes

that

he’s

a

goodly

child.

45:47

And

when

she

can

no

longer

hide

him

from

Pharaoh,

who

wants

to

kill

all

of

the

sons

born

to

Hebrew

women,

she

places

him

in

a

basket

and

sets

him

afloat

in

the

waters

of

the

Nile.

The

New

Living

Translation

of

Exodus

chapter

two,

verse

three

reads,

but

when

she,

and

this

is

Moses’

mother,

could

no

longer

hide

him,

she

got

a

basket

made

of

papyrus

reeds

and

water

46:16

--- page 13 ---

and

proofed

it

with

tar

and

pitch.

She

put

the

baby

in

the

basket

and

laid

it

among

the

reeds

along

the

bank

of

the

Nile

River.

46:27

Did

you

know

how

we’re

told

in

this

verse

that

Moses’s

mother

coated

the

basket

with

tar,

which

is

bitumen?

The

King

James

version

of

this

same

verse

actually

refers

to

the

basket

in

which

Moses

was

laid

as

an

arc.

The

King

James

version

reads,

quote,

46:57

and

daubed

it

with

slime.

And

the

slime

here

is

the

bitumen

and

pitch

and

put

the

child

there

in

and

she

laid

it

in

the

flags

by

the

rivers

brink.

This

is

quite

interesting

because

the

Hebrew

word

that

the

King

James

translators

translated

as

arc

is

tabat,

T-E-B-A-T,

a

word

that

actually

comes

from

Egypt

and

which

literally

means

a

chest.

And

we

all

know

that

a

chest

has

a

lid

47:27

So

this

means

that

Moses’s

mother

placed

him

in

a

basket

that

completely

surrounded

him

like

a

little

capsule

or

walnut

or

air

bubble.

And

she

waterproofed

that

capsule

with

bitumen

and

she

placed

it

with

her

precious

child

inside

in

the

Nile

waters.

And

what’s

more,

the

King

James

translators

called

that

little

capsule

an

ark.

47:55

Moses’

mother,

by

placing

him

in

a

bitumen-slathered

capsule,

was

symbolically

placing

her

son

inside

sacred

space,

symbolically

placing

him

inside

a

temple

where

he

was

completely

sealed

off

from

the

waters.

I

hope

you

can

see

that

the

ark

the

infant

Moses

was

placed

in

was

a

microcosm

of

the

macrocosm.

It

was

a

miniature

replica

of

God’s

cosmic

temple.

We’re

getting

the

same

48:24

symbolic

image

of

God’s

kingdom

as

an

air

bubble

of

protected

sacred

space

here

in

the

infant

Moses

account.

In

these

accounts,

again,

the

bitumen

is

the

wall.

Stuff

like

this

absolutely

blows

me

away.

And

don’t

miss

that

it

was

this

little

ark

or

reed

capsule

that

saved

the

infant

Moses

from

assured

death.

48:51

just

like

the

wall

around

God’s

cosmic

temple

saves

us

from

assured

death.

There

is

so

much

more

being

conveyed

in

these

ancient

texts

than

most

of

us

could

ever

imagine.

We

can

see

this

same

idea

illustrated

on

the

oldest

known

map

of

the

world,

the

Mapa

Mundi.

It’s

also

known

as

the

Babylonian

map

of

the

world.

49:21

or

tablet

BM

92687,

which

scholars

date

to

sometime

between

the

9th

and

7th

centuries

BC.

This

map

was

discovered

in

the

ancient

Mesopotamian

city

of

Sippar

in

what

is

now

modern-day

Iraq.

On

this

map,

the

known

world

is

depicted

as

a

circular

island

or

sphere

of

land.

The

cuneiform

captions

that

accompany

the

map

49:50

give

names

to

individual

locations

on

the

map

like

Assyria

or

the

city

of

Babylon.

But

for

our

purposes

what’s

remarkable

about

this

map

is

that

the

ancient

Mesopotamians

depicted

the

world

as

being

entirely

encircled

by

a

ring

of

water.

A

ring

which

is

identified

four

times

on

the

map

itself

as

the

Maratu

which

translated

into

English

means

bitter

sea

50:20

--- page 14 ---

salt

sea.

The

obverse

side

of

the

tablet

tells

us

that

in

this

vast

sea

are

found

quote

the

ruined

gods

which

he

Marduk

settled

inside

the

sea.

Here

we

learn

that

the

quote

ruined

gods

live

50:47

in

the

bitter

waters

that

surround

God’s

creations.

The

quote

ruined

gods

here

refer

to

the

god

or

god’s

Marduk

battled

and

victoriously

defeated

before

the

earth

was

created.

We

find

a

similar

thing

written

on

an

inscription

of

King

Sennacherib,

second

ruler

of

the

Sargonid

dynasty,

known

as

OIP2142b2.

In

this

inscription,

51:15

The

creatures

of

Tiamat

are

said

to

be

the

quote,

ruined

gods

that

Marduk

cast

into

the

bitter

waters.

On

the

backside

of

the

Babylonian

map

of

the

world,

the

text

gives

us

a

description

of

who

these

ruined

gods

are.

The

text

reads,

quote,

the

ruined

gods

which

he,

Marduk,

settled

inside

the

sea

are

present

the

viper,

sea

serpent.

51:44

great

dragon,

Ansoobird

and

scorpion

man.

Clearly,

this

water

is

bitter

due

to

more

than

just

salt.

Remember

that

Marduk

cast

these

creatures,

or

as

the

text

says,

settled

these

ruined

gods

inside

the

sea

because

they

rebelled

against

the

high

god

and

the

cosmic

law.

Had

they

been

allowed

to

remain

in

God’s

presence,

they

would

have

polluted

and

profaned

the

sanctity

of

his

kingdom.

52:15

precisely

because

they

rejected

the

law,

the

cosmic

law

that

brought

about

the

sanctity

of

all

things,

including

the

sanctity

of

God

and

his

kingdom.

The

only

way

for

God

to

preserve

the

sanctity

of

his

kingdom

is

to

establish

a

clear

barrier

between

those

who

are

willing

to

keep

the

cosmic

law

and

those

who

are

not.

Those

who

are

not

are

quote,

settled

52:44

inside

the

sea.

For

our

purposes

today,

the

Babylonian

map

is

important

because

it

visually

demarcates

the

division

between

the

ruined

gods

in

the

profane

sea

and

God’s

sacred

creations

by

a

circle.

Everything

within

the

circle

is

sacred,

a

temple.

Everything

outside

of

it

is

profane,

bitter

waters.

53:14

On

this

map,

the

circle

is

the

wall.

If

you’d

like

to

see

a

picture

of

the

Babylonian

map

of

the

world,

you

can

find

it

on

the

webpage

for

this

episode.

If

you’d

like

to

lay

your

eyes

on

the

real

thing,

it’s

on

display

at

the

British

Museum.

Yet

one

more

reason

to

visit

the

British

Museum.

53:41

The

cosmic

boundary

between

sacred

and

profane

is

especially

pronounced

in

tablet

four

of

the

Enuma

Elish.

In

our

last

episode,

I

mentioned

that

I

was

gonna

save

two

important

lines

from

the

tablet

for

this

episode.

And

that’s

because

they

have

to

do

with

this

boundary.

In

this

tablet,

we’re

told

that

Marduk

used

Tiamat’s

dead

carcass

to

create

the

earth.

In

the

very

next

line,

the

text

reads,

54:10

This

is

the

Stephanie

Dalley

translation.

Quote,

he,

speaking

of

Marduk,

drew

a

bolt

across

and

made

a

guard

hold

it.

Now

this

is

interesting.

The

text

tells

us

that

after

Marduk

created

the

heavens

and

earth,

his

cosmic

temple,

he

quote,

drew

a

bolt

across

it.

Well,

what

does

that

mean?

What’s

this

bolt?

54:40

--- page 15 ---

Well,

in

parts

of

the

ancient

world,

the

ancients

would

slide

a

bolt

across

the

door

to

lock

it

in

place.

In

this

passage,

keep

in

mind

that

the

bolt

is

symbolic.

It’s

not

talking

about

Marduk

using

an

actual

physical

lock

to

protect

his

creations.

The

bolt

symbolizes

something

that

God

did

to

seal

off

or

lock

the

cosmic

waters

out.

This

is

clear

in

the

next

line,

which

reads,

quote,

55:09

He,

speaking

again

of

Marduk,

drew

a

bolt

across

and

made

a

guard

hold

it.

Her,

and

this

is

speaking

of

Tiamat,

her

waters

he

arranged

so

that

they

could

not

escape.

55:25

By

drawing

the

bolt

across

his

creations,

the

text

is

symbolizing

that

Marduk

did

something

to

set

a

firm

boundary

between

his

newly

formed

kingdom

and

the

profane

waters

where

dwelt

the

ruined

gods.

The

bolt

acted

as

a

barrier,

which

prevented

the

waters

from

polluting

his

sacred

creations

or

cosmic

temple.

Listen

to

what

a

serologist

Wayne

Horowitz

says

in

his

quite

important

book,

Mesopotamian

Cosmic

Geography.

55:54

about

this

bolt.

On

pages

326

and

327,

he

writes,

quote,

“‘A

cigarro

is

a

bolt

on

a

door.

“‘In

the

context

of

the

sea,

“‘the

cigarro

may

be

a

bolt

on

a

water

lock

“‘that

holds

the

waters

of

the

sea

in

place.

“‘In

this

passage,

the

function

of

the

bar

“‘and

doors

of

the

sea

is

to

keep

the

waters

“‘of

the

sea

within

their

bounds.'”

I

think

it’s

quite

interesting.

56:22

This

text

also

tells

us

that

Marduk

placed

a

guard

or

a

sentinel

of

some

type

in

charge

of

making

sure

that

the

bolt

stayed

securely

locked.

The

text

reads,

quote,

he,

speaking

of

Marduk,

drew

a

bolt

across

and

made

a

guard

hold

it.

This

is

very

intriguing

and

as

you’re

going

to

see

as

the

podcast

continues,

the

notion

that

God

assigns

guards

56:50

to

protect

the

precincts

of

his

cosmic

temple

is

yet

another

very

important

stubborn

bit.

I’ve

got

to

leave

it

there.

There’s

a

lot

to

ponder

in

this

episode,

which

I

hope

you’ll

do.

In

our

next

episode,

we’ll

pick

up

right

here.

So

with

that,

I’ll

leave

you

with

the

words

of

William

Shakespeare,

knowledge

is

the

wing

we’re

with,

we

fly

to

heaven.

I’m

Jack

Logan.

57:23

You’ve

been

listening

to

the

Ancient

Tradition.

A

Wonk

Media

Production.

Episode

#52

-

The

Cosmic

Wall:

The

Ouroboros

&

The

Shen

Ring

https://theancienttradition.com/52-the-cosmic-wall-the-ouroboros-the-shen-ring/

00:00

Music

00:09

--- page 16 ---

You’re

listening

to

The

Ancient

Tradition.

A

Wonk

Media

Production.

Music

provided

by

Joseph

McDade.

He

is

your

host,

Dr.

Jack

Logan.

00:25

Welcome

to

the

ancient

tradition.

I’m

your

host,

Jack

Logan.

00:31

Great

to

have

you

listening

in.

Have

you

ever

wondered

if

God,

upon

the

creation

of

the

world,

revealed

to

human

beings

a

pure,

true

religious

tradition?

Because

on

this

podcast,

we

explore

the

surprising

and

what

I

consider

to

be

mind

boggling

evidence

that’s

found

in

the

oldest

religious

writings

and

cosmologies,

theologies,

symbols,

sacred

architecture,

rituals,

and

myths.

01:01

pointing

to

a

distinct

primordial

tradition,

which

we

refer

to

on

this

program

as

the

ancient

tradition.

On

this

podcast,

we

delve

into

the

evidence.

We

look

at

all

of

the

patterns.

We

talk

about

the

theology.

And

we

contemplate

the

spiritual

implications

of

that

theology.

It’s

not

always

in

line

what

we

think

things

are

going

to

be.

So

it’s

a

podcast

that’s

going

to

spark

some

discussion.

01:31

It

may

even

provoke

a

lot

of

questions.

And

ultimately,

I

hope

that

it

inspires

the

pursuit

of

the

divine.

Be

sure

and

check

out

our

companion

website,

thea

because

you

can

find

pictures

and

transcripts

and

links

to

each

of

our

past

episodes,

which

are

pretty

darn

important

to

getting

a

comprehensive

view

of

the

theology

inherent

in

the

ancient

tradition.

In

today’s

episode,

02:00

We’re

going

to

dig

into

the

texts

that

were

left

by

the

ancient

Egyptians

to

see

if

they,

like

the

ancient

Mesopotamians,

attest

that

God

imposed

a

divine

wall

or

barrier

of

some

type

in

the

cosmos

to

separate

sacred

and

profane

space.

So

let’s

start

by

looking

at

an

ancient

Egyptian

document

translated

by

the

famed

Egyptologist,

Kurt

Sete.

02:29

dated

to

the

19th

dynasty,

which

spanned

from

1550

to

1292

BC,

which

speaks

of

the

gods

giving

the

earthly

Egyptian

pharaoh

dominion

over

everything

under

the

heavens

until

it

reaches

the

dark

primordial

waters.

The

text

reads,

quote,

“‘Cause

your

boundaries

to

extend

beneath

the

whole

reach

of

the

sky

to

the

limits.’

02:59

the

eternal

darkness.

So

this

text

clearly

indicates

that

ancient

Egyptians

understood

that

there

was

a

boundary

to

the

King’s

dominion

and

that

that

boundary

was

distinguished

by

the

quote

limits

of

the

eternal

darkness.

The

earliest

known

ancient

Egyptian

iconographic

depiction

of

the

cosmic

boundary

between

the

sacred

and

the

profane

was

actually

found

in

the

tomb

of