Priest-Astronomers of the Ancient World

The Milky Way seen through the pylons of the Temple at Karnak.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Temples in the ancient Fertile Cresent were constructed by rulers. These were grand edifices meant to display the wealth and power of the ruler. They were constructed at major water sources such as the Euphrates, the Tigris, or the Nile.

The temples in Egypt and Babylon were aligned with celestial bodies to synchronize religious rituals and agricultural cycles. Temples were observatories where priests recorded the movements of the Sun, Moon, and five "wandering stars" (planets) to determine when to plant and when to hold religious festivals. The astronomer priests took their responsibility to fix the dates for feasts and fasts seriously because they believed that the pattern for right living on earth was found in the God-established pattern found in the heavens.

The Babylonian temples had seven tiers representing the number of visible celestial bodies: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The architecture was intended to express a celestial reality on earth. The temple became the archetype of the heavens above, a common architectural custom of ancient populations as Mircea Eliade demonstrated in his book The Sacred and the Profane.

In the temple dedicated to the Sun in Upper Egypt, at the ruins of Babian, there were seven urns. These represented the seven visible celestial bodies after which the days of the week are named in many languages (e.g. Monday - moon day in English, lunes - moon day in Spanish.)

The Temple dedicated to the High God (Amun-Re) at Karnak was aligned with the winter solstice sunrise so that on that day, a beam of light traveled through the massive pylons and illuminated the inner sanctuary. In Ancient Egyptian the word Re means "father". 

By 4245 B.C. the priests of the Upper Nile had already established a calendar based on the appearance of the star Sirius that becomes visible to the naked eye once every 1,461 years. Apparently, priests of the Ancient Nile Valley had been tracking this star and connecting it to seasonal changes and agriculture for thousands of years. The priest Manetho reported in his history (241 B.C.) that the Nilotes had been “star-gazing” as early as 40,000 years ago. Plato, who studied for 13 years in Egypt, claimed that the Africans had been tracking the heavens for 10,000 years.

Blessings and Curses from Above

In the ancient world, the celestial bodies were sometimes depicted as bowls from which curses and blessings were poured out on the earth. The worst possible curse involved seven bowls or a seven-fold pouring. Cursing or "incantation bowls" such as the one shown above have been found in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This cursing bowl dates to c.3000 B.C.

Even today, we speak of blessings coming down from heaven. James speaks of every good gift coming down from the Father of lights.

The best possible blessing involved a seven-fold pouring such as happens in the Agharias marriage ceremony (Orissa, India). It begins with the bride’s father delivering to the bride a bracelet (as did Abraham's servant to Rebekah) and seven small earthen bowls. The bride is seated in the open, and seven women hold the bowls over her head one above the other. Water is then poured from one bowl into the other, each being filled in turn and the whole finally falling on the bride's head. Pouring the water from above represents the heavenly blessing. The bride is then bathed and carried in a basket seven times round the marriage-post. Then she is seated and seven women place their heads round her while a male relative winds a thread seven times round the women.

Related reading: Curses in Genesis; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: The Seven Bowls of Revelation 16; Shrines, Temples, and Synagogues; Seven Planets, Seven Bowls; STEM Education: Priests of the Ancient World Studied Astronomy

Christ Descended to the Dead

 

Matthew testifies that the Jewish authorities insisted that the tomb be secured, the stone sealed and a guard set (Matthew 27:66). They did this because the Jews feared that Jesus' followers would remove his body and declare that He had risen.

The Roman seal was a cord that stretched across the stone. It was fastened at each end with sealing clay. It was a capital offense for unauthorized persons to break the seal. Very early on the morning of the first day, this seal was broken and the tomb was found empty.

However, even in his repose Jesus Christ was declaring the power of God. On Holy Saturday, Jesus entered the place that only the highest authority could enter. He declared his victory over death in Sheol, the place of repose for the righteous. The word is derived from the ancient Egyptian word Sheut (šwt), meaning shadow. The Egyptians believed that something of the dead person continues as a shadow beyond death. In quietness Christ broke down the bars of death, our ultimate enemy.

While his body was still in the tomb, Christ declared good news to those in the place of the dead. A Horite Hebrew song found at the royal complex at Ugarit, speaks of the Son's descent to the place of the dead "to announce good tidings." The text reads: Hr ešeni timerri duri - "Horus below in the dark netherworld" and has the phrase Šanizzin ḫalukan ḫalzi - "to announce good tidings." (See Note 2 on page 2012.)

In the Apostles' Creed, Christians proclaim this reality: "he descended to the dead/hell". There Christ our God declared glad tidings to the faithful who died before him and confirmed his triumph over death.

Related reading: BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Signs Given That We Might Believe; Christ has Risen as Foretold

Just Genesis Celebrates 19 Years!

 

The average lifespan of a blog is 33 months. Today JUST GENESIS celebrates 19 years! Testimonials about her research can be found here: Alice C. Linsley's Genesis Research

19 years is a remarkable accomplishment and a testament to the loyalty of readers and followers. You are what matters! Your questions, observations, comments and critiques make this an exceptional blog. 

I am very thankful for your participation!

If the content at JUST GENESIS interests you, check out my other blog Biblical Anthropology. That blog has been active for 15 years!

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Allegory of Two Wives

 

Lamech the Elder and his 2 wives. Lamech was an early Hebrew ruler.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

The Hebrew rulers who controlled territories and water systems had two wives. The separate settlements of the wives marked territorial boundaries of the ruler’s kingdom. This feature of the Hebrew social structure sheds light on the relationship of the faithful among the Hebrew (before Judaism) and the faithful among the people who identify as Christians.

The Apostle Paul draws on the Hebrew social structure to contrast Judaism with the core Christian belief that the gift of salvation is embraced by faith in God's promises. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul uses the story of Sarah and Hagar to illustrate the difference between salvation by grace through faith in Christ and the Jewish emphasis on salvation through obedience to the law. Sarah's son Isaac is portrayed as the child of promise, while Hagar's son Ishmael is portrayed as a slave to the law.

In Paul's context, the allegory makes sense. He was an apologist for the Messianic Faith that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He insisted that only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save sinners can receive the promise of salvation. Paul was arguing with Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. 

Paul also states that those who would be saved must be grafted into the faith of Abraham. Abraham and his Hebrew ancestors believed in God Father and God Son. They also believed in bodily resurrection and looked for a righteous ruler who would overcome death and rise on the third day. The earliest known resurrection texts were prayers offered by Nilotic Hebrew priests for their deceased rulers.

Paul contrasts Sarah, Abraham's principal wife and Hagar, a concubine. His allegory involves two women of unequal social status. Yet another allegory should involve Abraham's two wives, Sarah and Keturah. Both were Hebrew women who held to the faith of their Hebrew ancestors. Sarah was the wife of Abraham's youth and Keturah was the wife of Abraham's old age. Abraham had 9 sons and an unknown number of daughters by 2 wives and 2 concubines (Hagar and Mesek).

Sarah was Abraham's half-sister and Keturah was Abraham's patrilineal cousin. These two Hebrew wives pose an allegory of the relationship of the people of faith who lived in anticipation of the Son's appearing and those who lived after the Son's appearing. Sarah came first and Keturah came much later, but both were women of the Hebrew faith. In other words, as 2 wives made a kingdom for Abraham, so the kingdom of God is comprised of 2 wives. One does not outrank the other or supplant the other. We are not speaking of Israel and the Church. Instead, the allegory to 2 wives represents the faithful justified who believed God's promise concerning the Son yet to appear and the faithful justified who love and obey the Son Incarnate. 

The social structure of the biblical Hebrew tells us much about the relationship between the two households of faith. Together they constitute a kingdom. There is no reason to subsume one household of faith to the other. They are equal in God's kingdom.

Related reading: Abraham's Sons; BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Sovereignty and Two Wives; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; The Wives' Settlements Mark the Boundaries

Misunderstanding the Priesthood

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Recent posts and videos by Anglican evangelicals such as Allison Barr have presented flawed arguments for the ordination of women to the priesthood. Their views represent a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the priesthood. The priesthood is and always has been about the Blood. 

Blood is essential for life. Blood bonds are the strongest of all kinship bonds. Blood purifies. It is the basis of all biblical covenants. It redeems. In other words, the priesthood speaks of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as no other sacred or secular office can.

Anthropologists have noted that almost universally blood is gendered. That is, the blood work of males and the blood work of females is distinct. The blood work of males pertains to war, hunting and execution. The blood work of females pertains to the monthly cycle and childbirth. The two can never be in the same space. They are never to be confused or mixed. Men were never allowed in the birthing chambers and women were never allowed in the place of animal sacrifice.

God wants us to think clearly about life and death. "Choose this day life or death" (Deut. 30:19) is a powerful exhortation to think about the distinction between life and death. That is why the people were commanded never to boil a baby goat in its mother's sustaining milk (Ex. 23:19, Ex. 34:26, and Deut. 14:21). This action blurs the distinction between life and death.

The priesthood is uniquely about the Blood of Jesus Messiah. No wonder it is constantly under attack.

Where the Messianic Narrative Gets Lost

 

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, provides the data shown in the diagram. The science of Biblical Anthropology draws its data from the 66 canonical books of the Bible and regards books such as Jasher to be of secondary importance because of their late dates. Jasher (Sefer haYashar) belongs to the Jewish literature known as Midrash and dates to the Middle Ages. Such late rabbinic writings reflect the theology and historical narrative of Judaism which did not exist when Abraham and his ancestors lived. The people shown in the diagram above were all Hebrew. None were Jewish.

Abraham's father was Tera (Terah). The word means "priest", and it is found among Abraham's Hebrew ancestors, some of whom lived in the Nile Valley. The word is found among the rulers of the Nilotic Anu. The title "Tera-netjer" is shown on this tile found by the famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie. Tera-netjer means "priest of God/King".

A Sethite Hebrew priest at a temple of the ruler Heth among the cities of the Nilotic Anu.

Among the Nilotic Luo, Ja'ter refers to the priest who performs the widow cleansing rituals. Among the Dinka of East Africa, the word for priest is tier. The root of these words is TR, the same as appears in the original Hebrew which had no vowels.

In Joshua 24:2 we read: "In olden times, your forefathers – Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor – lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods...". 

Because of this, many assume that Abraham was the first of his family to turn from idol worship to iconoclastic monotheism. However, all of the men named in the diagram above worshipped the same God. They were a priest caste, and castes are united in their religion as well as by blood and marriage ties. 

The Joshua passage also is from a much latter time than the persons about which it speaks. The Joshua narrative rejects the model of monarchic and priestly power held among the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). That model defines Messiah's authority. This shift causes readers of the Old Testament to lose sight of the continuity between the Messianic expectation of Abraham's Hebrew ancestors and the later Messianic prophesies of the Old Testament. 

Abraham had 9 sons and all were Hebrew because the Hebrew ruler-priest caste practiced endogamy. Abraham lived c. 1500 years before Judaism emerged as a world religion. He lived c. 2200 years before Islam emerged. This is nonsense: "Abraham’s sons were the ancestors to the lineages from which Judaism and Islam emerged. Isaac, son of Sarah, is forebear of the Jewish people, while Ishmael, son of Hagar, is the ancestor of the Arab people and Prophet Muhammad, anchoring Islamic tradition."

Islam has nothing in common with the faith of Abraham the Hebrew. On the other hand, the Messianic faith that we call "Christianity" is consistent in its core beliefs with the religion of the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC). See this: The Substance of Abraham's Faith and this: Abraham's Faith Lives in Christianity.

Related reading: Abraham was a Descendant of Nimrod; Why So Many Names For God?; The Hebrew were a Caste; Ancient Words for Priests; Judaism is Not the Faith of Abraham; Jesus and the Horus Narrative

Keturah was a Hebrew Wife

 

Hebron and Beersheba are shown on this map.

Dr. Alice C. Linsley

All Hebrew wives were close kin to their husbands because the Hebrew ruler-priests practiced caste endogamy. Some Hebrew wives were their husband's half-sisters. That is the case with Sarah. She and Abraham had the same father but different mothers. Terah had two wives, as did many of his Hebrew forefathers. It was common for high-ranking Hebrew chiefs to have two wives. 

The half-sister was the bride of the ruler's youth, and the cousin bride was the wife of the ruler's later years. The cousin wife was sought before the Hebrew man took over the rule of his father's territory. This explains Abraham's urgency to fetch a cousin bride for Isaac before he died. Isaac was not Abraham's firstborn son, but as the only son of his half-sister wife, Isaac was Abraham's proper heir. Before he died, Abraham gave grants to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from Isaac (Gen. 25:6). The sending away of non-ascendant sons drove the Hebrew dispersion throughout the Ancient Near East.

Some Hebrew wives were their husbands' cousins. That is the case with Keturah who bore Abraham six sons (Gen. 25). Recognizing this two-wife pattern is essential to understanding the social structure and marriage customs of the early Hebrew. (4000-2000 BC).

The ancient custom of having two wives pertained only to Hebrew men who ruled over territories. The two wives resided in separate settlements that provided security along the ruler's borders. Their border settlements were served by warriors, craftsmen, herdsmen, and physicians. 

Abraham's territory extended between Sarah's settlement at Hebron and Keturah's settlement at Beersheba. These are shown on the map above. Note that Abraham's territory in ancient Edom (Idumea in Greek) does not correspond to the modern Israel.

Keturah’s settlement at Beersheba was the site of seven wells. (Be'er means well.) These wells have been identified by archaeologists. In Abraham’s time, Sarah’s settlement at Hebron had four water sources. It is likely that these wells were also places of ritual cleaning. Shrines were built at wells, and these were tended by priests and their families. The wells provided water for the herds and flocks. Though the water shrines were under the control of regional lords, visitors were welcome to the water. Wells and water shrines were neutral ground and natural gathering places. 

Some Hebrew men met their future wives at wells. Among them were Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. Abraham's servant found Issac's cousin bride at her father's well in Padan-Aram. Jacob met his cousin wife Rebekah at her father's well (Gen. 29). Moses met his cousin wife Zipporah at her father's well in Midian.

The arrangement of the narrative of Sarah's death and burial before the account of Abraham's marriage to Keturah is an artful way to imply that Abraham took a second wife only after Sarah died. However, what is implied is not supported by the biblical data. 

Related reading: Hebrew Rulers with Two Wives; Keturah was Abraham's Second Wife; The Hebrew Hierarchy of Sons; Cousin Brides Among the Hebrew; INDEX of Topics at Just Genesis