RE: Reading Genesis literally

Hi Phil, you wrote:
 
>>I have sometimes wondered if Yah is a variant spelling of Ea.
 
When I was reading Mesopotamian literature, I noticed that there was a
concept sometimes expressed as the "Enlil power", which the various gods
could obtain. When they had it, then it made them supreme. Some
stories were concocted to promote a certain city's own god as being the
one who had the Enlil power. It has been a long time since I read these
stories, so I don't remember the rationale I had at the time, but
somehow it led me to wonder if there was a basis of monotheism behind
this polytheism, if Ea was Yah and Enlil was also a representation of
Yah (we do know that Melchizedek referred to El = Enlil and Abraham was
OK with that).<<
 
I haven't thought of "Yah" as a variant of "Ea," but these kinds of word
variations do exist. The city of Enoch that Cain built and named after
his son became E-Anna(k), then Eanna which was the temple of Anu and
Ishtar in Uruk, and Uruk is the biblical Erech. So that connection is
definitely there. Apparently Cain went to Erech after being banished
from the Garden of Eden, and "edin" is the Sumerian/Accadian word for
"plain," "prairie" or "desert." Then, also, biblical "Enoch" = Sumerian
"Unug," and Erech = Uruk = Iraq. So a lot fits together. I don't see
"Enlil" in
<http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?word=ge+14:18&ver
sion=kjv&st=1&sd=1&new=1&showtools=1> Gen.14:18. Maybe you can show me
that?
 
The British museum has an interesting page if you like to explore:
 
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/
 
Hi George, you wrote:
 
>>You can find "trinities" - i.e., groupings of 3 deities in Hinduism &
among the Celts & Babylonians, Plotinus, &c. The Jehovah's witnesses
like to make great sport of the Babylonian since it "proves" that
trnitarian belief is Babylonian. But in fact none of these have
anything to do beyond the number 3 with the Christian understanding of
God. Christian belief in God as Trinity is inextricably connected with
belief that the historical Jesus of Nazareth is God and that the One he
prayed to as Father is God and that their Spirit is God. The doctrine
of the Trinity is not about some abstract threeness, groups of three
attributes &c.<<
 
I think we agree on what you say here. Inherent in our doctrine of the
Trinity, however, is that Jesus Christ was the incarnate second member
of the Godhead, and that He is co-eternal with God, our heavenly father.
Jesus as man and God combined existed from the moment of his conception.
Before the conception, when he was simply spirit, who was he? I'm just
asking the question that it may be that he was known as "Ea." What I'm
raising is the possibility that the Trinity known to us today was the
same as the gods known initially to the Accadians/Semites as Anu (Ilu),
Ea, and Enlil. Either they are the same or it is a strange coincidence.
 
And if we believe the Trinity existed in fact since before the beginning
of time or concurrent with the beginning of time, and the
Accadians/Semites are in the direct line leading to Abraham, why would
it be unthinkable that they believed in the same three supreme beings we
believe in today? We can infer that to the Accadians, Anu (Ilu) = God.
His followers are the Anunnaki from which we derive the word "angels."
Does Ea = Emanuel? Does Enlil = the Holy Spirit? I think it's just an
interesting question. I don't know any way we could prove the case
either way. Maybe we could pray to Anu in the name of Ea to send us the
answer by way of Enlil? If anybody gets an answer post it here.
 
Dick Fischer
Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
 <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org> www.genesisproclaimed.org
  
Received on Sat May 6 11:00:58 2006