Re: Morality, Ethics, Law, and the Unmarked Intersection

From: Don (don_at_yahoo.co.uk)
Date: 02/02/05 

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 14:13:45 -0000

"RFHall" <realistic@seanet.com> wrote in message
news:41fd0602.1292856@supernews.seanet.com...
> Hammurabi was called by name... it doesn't say he was given laws or
> tablets with commandments.. it doesn't say they talked about anything
> or discussed ethics.. it says he heard his name.
>
> >Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the
> >rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the
evil-doers;
> >so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over
the
> >black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land,
> Hammurabi says nothing about bringing the "Words of the Lord" or the
> "Law of Marduk" to the "chosen people". NO. Hammurabi has been
> chosen to "enlighten" and to "rule over" and "destroy the evil doers".
> There is a differnce between the approach of Hammurabi and Moses.
> Hammurabi takes credit for his own wisdom.

All of which shows that you do not understand the context.

When Marduk calls Hammurabi, this is not about making divine mobile phone
calls. Marduk didn't call up Hammurabi to have a chat.

This was a divine calling - Hammurabi was being given a divine task to bring
the rule of Marduk into effect. The laws are those of Marduk and not of
Hammurabi.

A similar thing is reported to have happened centuries later to the man
Jesus. He received a divine call too. Not for a chat but to carry out God's
work. Of course the context by that stage is not Sumerian. But it still goes
to show that the idea of God's and men having little telephone chats with
each other is a gross distortion of the literature.

> >to further the
> >well-being of mankind... When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give
the
> >protection of right to the land, I did right and righteousness in . . . ,
> >and brought about the well-being of the oppressed."

Do I have to explain to you the "sent" also means given a divine command to
perform? And that "right" and "righteousness" generally means "in accordance
with the divine will or command". Again a similar thing happened to the man
Jesus who, it is said, was "sent" by God.

The relationship between Hammurabi and Marduk was not one of chatting
friends, that would have been absurd to the Sumerians since that would make
Marduk and Hammurabi equals. Instead, it was one of submission to the divine
command, of Hammurabi being merely the mouthpiece for Marduk's rule among
the Sumerian people.

I have to say that this is a major stumbling block for people who wish to
understand ancient texts. Far too often a modern worldview is brought to the
ancient texts. The correct way to understand the texts is to stand in the
shoes of the ancients. Technically that also means learning the language -
these early languages bring huge amounts of belief into the structure and
function of the words. It is not a simple task of word for word
substitution.

regards
Don

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Morality, Ethics, Law, and the Unmarked Intersection
    ... Hammurabi says nothing about bringing the "Words of the Lord" or the ... "Law of Marduk" to the "chosen people". ... >This was a divine calling - Hammurabi was being given a divine task to bring ... I have stated the evidence of my position. ...
    (sci.logic)
  • Re: Morality, Ethics, Law, and the Unmarked Intersection
    ... > earth, who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling ... > name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the ... When Marduk sent me to rule over men, ...
    (sci.logic)
  • Re: Morality, Ethics, Law, and the Unmarked Intersection
    ... Chosen by Marduk to act. ... question you might like to ask yourself is why Hammurabi insists at the ... Is he not asserting that the Code has divine authority? ... I have invented or imagined this interpretation. ...
    (sci.logic)