Chapter Nine – Understanding the Past, Human Origins and Role
In order to understand the present, we must have an understanding of the past. However to understand the past, you have to understand how people thought and understand the environment that they lived in.
Although no indication of the progenitor of human beings is accounted for like in the biblical text, there is mention of how human beings were made. In two Sumerian accounts, people are formed from breaking out from the ground, clay is used in an Egyptian text, in Atrahasis both flesh and blood are used, in the Enuma Elish and the KAR 4 only blood is mentioned. Only in the Atrahasis is there a combination of a divine creation as the mother goddess giving birth to humans and or by the divine breath. Only in the biblical …show more content…
In Egyptian thought the body was composed of the akh, ba and ka. The ka was a reflection of the internal aspect such as the character, temperament and or disposition. It could also be used as “destiny” or providence”. The external ka was like an invisible twin born with the person and associated with the placenta. The ka continued to live into the afterlife and receive offerings on the individual’s behalf. The ba is often translated as the “soul” and is related to the mental capacities of the human. The ba leaves the body at death and continues to exist after death. The akh is translated to the word “spirit”, as it also survives after death like a ghost. One must keep in mind that terminology does not always translate as smooth and or accurate into other languages. Hebrew, Egyptian and Mesopotamian terminology have a hard time translating with each other, let alone English. Therefore even on the most basic level when contrasting the biblical text to ANET, it must be done with a link to theology not proctology or
In order to understand the present, we must have an understanding of the past. However to understand the past, you have to understand how people thought and understand the environment that they lived in.
Although no indication of the progenitor of human beings is accounted for like in the biblical text, there is mention of how human beings were made. In two Sumerian accounts, people are formed from breaking out from the ground, clay is used in an Egyptian text, in Atrahasis both flesh and blood are used, in the Enuma Elish and the KAR 4 only blood is mentioned. Only in the Atrahasis is there a combination of a divine creation as the mother goddess giving birth to humans and or by the divine breath. Only in the biblical …show more content…
In Egyptian thought the body was composed of the akh, ba and ka. The ka was a reflection of the internal aspect such as the character, temperament and or disposition. It could also be used as “destiny” or providence”. The external ka was like an invisible twin born with the person and associated with the placenta. The ka continued to live into the afterlife and receive offerings on the individual’s behalf. The ba is often translated as the “soul” and is related to the mental capacities of the human. The ba leaves the body at death and continues to exist after death. The akh is translated to the word “spirit”, as it also survives after death like a ghost. One must keep in mind that terminology does not always translate as smooth and or accurate into other languages. Hebrew, Egyptian and Mesopotamian terminology have a hard time translating with each other, let alone English. Therefore even on the most basic level when contrasting the biblical text to ANET, it must be done with a link to theology not proctology or