Early MesopotamiaEarly Mesopotamia

and the Patriarchsand the Patriarchs© John Stevenson, 2011

The FertileCrescent

ArabianArabianDesertDesert

ZagrosMountains

• River Valley• Isolation• Climate

MesopotamiaLegalistic in their religious outlook, looking more to the letter of the law.

EgyptMore of an ethical outlook on life with a focus on the spirit of the law.

Art and literature reflects a gloomy, pessimistic outlook on life.

Demonstrates a cheerful resignation to the problems of life.

Euphrates and Tigris flooded unexpectedly and often killed those who were caught. These rivers came to be feared.

The Nile flooded on a regular cycle and the Egyptians came to expect and depend upon its flooding. They eventually began to worship the Nile.

MesopotamiaSurrounded by hostile forces on all sides. People lived in constant fear of invasion.

EgyptEgypt has natural boundaries in the sea and the desert which usually kept out invaders.

Lived from day to day always in fear of invasion and death.

Looked forward to immortality and a life after death.

Selfish and practical. Giving and idealistic.

Pre-Literary PeriodPre-Literary Period

Proto-Literary PeriodProto-Literary Period

Clay tablet fromUruk, Sumer

Early People GroupsEarly People Groups

Akkadians

Sumerians

Guti

Elamites

Early Dynastic PeriodEarly Dynastic Period

Kish

Erech Ur

Lagesh

Babylon

King of Lagesh, around 2500 B.C.King of Lagesh, around 2500 B.C.

• Grandson of Ur-NansheGrandson of Ur-Nanshe

• Unified all of SumerUnified all of Sumer

• Invaded ElamInvaded Elam

Kish

“…“…all the lands all the lands between the upper and between the upper and

the lower seas”the lower seas”

Erech Ur

Lagesh

Babylon

• Died 2330 B.C.Died 2330 B.C.• Birth legendBirth legend

““My mother was a high My mother was a high priestess, my father I priestess, my father I

knew not. The brothers knew not. The brothers of my father loved the of my father loved the

hills. My city is hills. My city is Azupiranu, which is Azupiranu, which is

situated on the banks of situated on the banks of the Euphrates. My high the Euphrates. My high

priestess mother priestess mother conceived me, in secret conceived me, in secret

she bore me.” she bore me.”

““She set me in a She set me in a basket of rushes, with basket of rushes, with bitumen she sealed bitumen she sealed my lid. She cast me my lid. She cast me into the river which into the river which rose over me. The rose over me. The

river bore me up and river bore me up and carried me to Akki, carried me to Akki,

the drawer of water.” the drawer of water.”

““Akki, the drawer of Akki, the drawer of water, took me as his water, took me as his son and reared me. son and reared me. Akki, the drawer of Akki, the drawer of

water, appointed me as water, appointed me as his gardener. While I his gardener. While I

was a gardener, Ishtar was a gardener, Ishtar granted me her love, granted me her love, and for four and ... and for four and ... years I exercised years I exercised

kingship.”kingship.”

• Died 2330 B.C.Died 2330 B.C.• Birth legendBirth legend• Royal CupbearerRoyal Cupbearer• NameName

• PrincePrince• LegitimateLegitimate

• EmpireEmpire

Elam

SumerSumer

AkkadiansAkkadians

MitanniMitanni

Elam

SumerSumer

AkkadiansAkkadians

MitanniMitanni

Third Dynasty of UrThird Dynasty of Ur

2100 – 2000 B.C.2100 – 2000 B.C.

Ziggurat

The Law-code of Ur• Lex Talionis: “An eye for an eye”

• Semi-private administration of justice

• Inequality before the Law: The law code divided people into three distinct classes:

• Aristocrats

• Commoners

• Slaves

Sir LeonardWoolley

• 1880 - 1960

• Began at Ur in 1922

• Ziggurat of Ur

• Flood layers

Ur

THE PATRIARCHSTHE PATRIARCHS

Genesis 1-11

Global in nature

Genesis 12-50

Personal in nature

ExodusfromEgypt

Solomon’sTemple

480Years

1st Kings 6:1

(LXX)440

Years

Entranceinto

Egypt

ExodusfromEgypt

430Years

MASSORETIC TEXT

Entranceinto

Canaan

ExodusfromEgypt

430Years

SEPTUAGINT TEXT

JosephusJosephus

Septuagint reading

Masorite reading

Abraham Abraham (Genesis 15:13)(Genesis 15:13)

&&Stephen Stephen

(Acts 7:6) (Acts 7:6)

LeonardWoolley’sUr

Haran

Ur of the Chaldees

Ur

Haran

Ur ?

Terah

Haran

Nahor

Abram

Milcah Lot

Iscah

IshmaelIsaac

Ur

Haran

Genesis 12:5Genesis 12:5Abram took Sarai his wife and

Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.

Jerusalem●

Abram passed Abram passed through the through the

land as far as land as far as the site of the site of

Shechem, to Shechem, to the oak of the oak of

Moreh. Now Moreh. Now the Canaanite the Canaanite was was then in the then in the land (Genesis land (Genesis

12:6)12:6)

Shechem●

Genesis 12:7Genesis 12:7The LORD appeared to Abram

and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

Jerusalem●

Then he Then he proceeded proceeded

from there to from there to the mountain the mountain on the east of on the east of Bethel, and Bethel, and pitched his pitched his tent, with tent, with

Bethel on the Bethel on the west and Ai west and Ai

on the east… on the east… (12:8)(12:8)

Shechem●

Bethel●

Jerusalem●

,,,and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. (12:8)(12:8)

Shechem●

Bethel●

Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev (12:9)(12:9)

Shechem●

Bethel●

Genesis 12:10Genesis 12:100 Now there was a famine in the

land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Shinar

Ellasar(Larsa)

Elam

Goyim?

• Vale of Siddim “which is the Salt Sea”

• Phoenician Inscription

• Geology

Genesis 15 &The Covenant Ceremony

“To Cut a Covenant”

Genesis 15:17Genesis 15:17It came about when the sun had

set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.

…a smoking oven and a flaming torch

Genesis 15:18-21Genesis 15:18-21On that day the LORD made a

covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

ASSYRIA

EGYPT

…from the river of Egypt as far as the great river,

the river Euphrates

AbramAbram ~r'b.a;

AbrahamAbraham ~h'r'b.a;;

“Father of high places”

Rhymes with “Father of a multitude”

For I will make you the For I will make you the father of afather of a multitudemultitude of nations (Genesis 17:5) of nations (Genesis 17:5)

!!Amïh]-Amïh]-

ba;ba;

Doors in AntiquityMiddle Bronze(2200-1600 BC)

Early Iron II(800-600 BC)

Strong, sturdywooden doors

Doorways ofarchways &curtains

No strong,centralizedgovernment

Kings of Israel& Judah providecentralizedgovernment

Abraham’s Purchase of a Tomb

400 Shekels of Silver

The Sea Peoples1200 B.C.

EGYPT

PHILISTINES

Isaac

Esau Jacob

AbramNahor

Terah

Rachel Leah

Rebecca Laban

Bethuel

Haran

Lot

The Jabbok River

NuziHousehold gods

The Joseph Narrative

JudahWent to a foreigner of his own will.

JosephTaken to Egypt against his will.

Sexual immorality: went in to his daughter-in-law (38:12-18).

Sexual morality: resisted seduction (39:6-12).

Left his seal & his cord. Left his garment.

Accuser (38:24). Falsely accused (39).

Judgment of God against sons (38:6-10).

Blessing of God (39:20-23).

True accusation of woman (28:25).

False accusation of woman (39:13-20).

Egyptian HistoryPeriod Dynasty

OldKingdom

MiddleKingdom

Late Kingdom

Joseph

Moses &Exodus

1st Intermediate Period

2nd Intermediate Period

Pyramidsconstructed

3 - 6

12

18 - 20

Hyksos

Events

Abraham

A Pattern of Israel’s A Pattern of Israel’s PurposePurpose

• Altars & WorshipAltars & Worship

• A Sense of PurposeA Sense of Purpose

• UnityUnity

• Racial & Religious PurityRacial & Religious Purity