The myth of CREATION by the VERB - AgoraVox the citizen media

The myth of CREATION by the VERB - AgoraVox the citizen media

Listen

“As far as scholars know, all of these sacred texts were written by an imaginative Homo sapiens.” And many biblical texts are based on ideas “that were accepted in Mesopotamia, Egypt or Canaan centuries, even millennia before the establishment of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. (Yuval N. Harari) (4)

The Creation by the Word (Gospel of John) – Palatine Chapel / Palace of the Normans – Palermo Sicily / Italy – (Photo JPCiron)

The purpose of this Article is therefore to illustrate the syncretism of which Harari speaks, on a particular theme: that of ''Creation by the Word''.

Which does not mean that the Bible is only syncretism. The Bible contains essential elements which are specific to it: these are intelligent ''theological constructions'', myths probably elaborated around the 6th - 3rd centuries. BC, often attributed to the brilliant King Josiah.

One of them is the invention of the ''Hebrews'':

https://www.agoravox.fr/culture-loisirs/etonnant/article/l-enigme-des-hebreux-d-ou-viennent-225205

Another was the 'Myth of the Chosen People':

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/le-mythe-du-peuple-elu-231678

This expression of chosen/chosen/etc people, with an exceptional destiny, appears clearly in the Texts from the Egyptian Septuagint written in Greek (around the 3rd century BC), while those written in Hebrew, many centuries later, use different expressions.

Let's go back to the ''syncretism'' aspect, which is the welcoming of influences. Consciously or unconsciously. This affects all areas of human genius. And it is a natural, universal thing.

However, in the field of religions (especially those that are said to be ''revealed'') it is not always good form to admit this reality. And the thing is even unthinkable for the ''traditionalist'' clergy, because the concept of ''logos'' (= divine Word / Verb / ...) is enshrined in a complex theological construction of which one element cannot be moved without threatening the solidity of the building. See some clarifications here on this complexity: https://topbible.topchretien.com/dictionnaire/logos-le/

This is why the higher clergy periodically remind that "Christianity must always remember that it is the religion of Logos. It is the faith in the Creator Spiritus, the Holy Spirit through whom proceeds all that exists. (Cardinal Ratzinger, future Pope Benedict XVI)

The original myth of creation ''by the Word'' had been described by theologians from the earliest times of Civilization: in Ancient Egypt, and u>Sumer. Christianity later appropriated this myth. Let us note that Christianity was also much inspired by Zoroastrianism, but on other fundamental aspects than this aspect of ''Creation by the Word''. Not all the clergy are traditionalists: some know how to get out of the straitjacket. Thus, during a conference in Tehran, Cardinal König underlined “the debt of the Bible with regard to Zarathustra. » and he added : « Whoever wishes to understand Jesus must start from the spiritual universe of Zoroaster. Which seems to be a completely different approach than that of the ''complexity'' mentioned above. See in (5) several Articles that reveal Zoroaster: the man, his work, his influence.

After this brief introduction, let's come to the subject of this Article: the illustration of the myth of Creation by the Word by illustrious predecessors, the Egyptians and the Sumerians. It was two to three millennia BC.

The myth of CREATION by the VERB - AgoraVox the citizen media

>>> IN ANCIENT EGYPT

The history of Ancient Egypt spans more than three millennia BC. During this long period, several Egyptian creation stories were elaborated (Genesis will offer two) according to the regions/cities and according to the times. Moreover, more recent Egyptian accounts are very often inspired by earlier accounts.

We will only refer here to the ''Treatise on the Creation of the World by the One God Ptah'' (3rd dynasty, at the beginning of the 3rd millennium, around 2800 BC) . The first Egyptian theory of Creation by the Word appears there.

It is first important to bear in mind what the Ancient Egyptians thought of the functioning of the divine, human and animal body:

For the Ancient Egyptians, the 'heart' is the center of intellect, consciousness and decisions. The heart commands the limbs and receives information from the senses. [It is also the place where an immaterial 'inner witness' resides, a kind of soul.]

The 'tongue' is also an important organ, which allows to communicate what the 'heart' wishes to express.

Here is how the ''Treatise on the creation of the world by the only god Ptah'' describes the gist of what I just said:

“Seeing it with the eyes, hearing it with the ears, breathing it with the nose, relate to the heart. And it is this which continues to produce all knowledge >; as for the tongue, it is what repeats what the heart thinks. » (...)

The heart and tongue have power over all members. It is for this reason that he is in every body and she is in every mouth of every god, every man, every animal, (...) » (1) p. 247

The creative word is uniquely divine.

“(…) Now Ptah was satisfied after he had created everything as well as every divine word. “On this order which was thought by the heart and which was expressed by the tongue, the being of all things is created. » (1)

Thus, the Creation by the Word allows the divine to create everything by thought (the 'heart'), and (by the 'tongue') to give it a name.

This theory has spread throughout the Middle East. Also, like Ptah, '' Elohim saw that it was good.''

>>> IN SUMER COUNTRY

In the Land of Sumer, this myth of Creation by the Word derived from the Cosmology which was described by the Sumerian cuneiform texts during the 3rd millennium BC.

The Initial Creation of the world, animals and humans was made by the first gods and goddesses. Then were created a hundred gods and goddesses whose function was to maintain the Creation "in continuous and harmonious functioning, without conflict or confusion" because of a set of rules attached to everything by the creator gods “for the purpose of keeping them in existence and in action forever, according to the divine plans. » (2)

It was enough for the creator god to establish a plan, to emit a word and to pronounce a name and the thing planned and designated came into existence. » (2 )

Initially, only the first gods were considered creators. But later there were more. Thus, we know the story of the Sumerian goddess Ninti, called “Lady of the coast”, who is at the origin of the biblical myth of the Creation of Eve. (3) To heal her brother who suffered from his rib, the goddess created another goddess dedicated to healing this rib...:

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/le-mythe-biblique-de-la-creation-d-222680

This theory has also spread to the Middle East.

>>> AMONG CHRISTIANS

We note that the myth of Creation by the Word has distinct features in the Old and New Testaments.

> NT

The Gospel of John evokes Creation through the Word in a very sober, pragmatic way. I would say very 'Sumerian':

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. She was in the beginning with God. All things were made by her, and nothing that was made was made without her. In her was life, and life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness received it not. (John 1:1-5 ) (*)

>AT

We remember that in Egypt, “every divine word came into existence by means of what the heart had thought and what the tongue had ordered. » (1) p. 297

And in the Old Testament, the ''technical'' modalities of Creation by the Word reveal some details (heart & mouth) which evoke Egypt:

“The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He heaps up the waters of the sea, He puts the depths in reservoirs. Let all the earth fear the Lord! Let all the inhabitants of the world tremble before him! For he said, and it happened; He commands, and it exists. The Eternal overthrows the designs of the nations, He annihilates the plans of the peoples; The purposes of the Eternal remain forever, And the plans of his heart, from generation to generation. (Psalms 33:4-11) (*)

JPCiron

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::: NOTES :: :: :: :: :: :: :::

.. (*) - Translations of the Bible by Louis SEGOND 1910

.. (1) - Work “The Civilization of Pharaonic Egypt” by François DAUMAS – Arthaud – 1965

Translations by Gustave LEFEBVRE – Egyptologist and Hellenist (1879 – 1857) – Curator of the Cairo Museum 1919 – 1928 – Director of Studies at La Sorbonne.

.. (2) – Book “History begins in Sumer – by Samuel Noah KRAMER – Flammarion – 2017

.. (3) – Article “The biblical myth of the Creation of Eve, the first woman. - https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/le-mythe-biblique-de-la-creation-d-222680

.. (4) - “Sapiens. A brief history of humanity» Yuval N. Harari – Albin Michel - 2015

.. (5) – JPCiron Articles on Zoroaster

The Gathas, the sublime book of Zarathustra

https://www.agoravox.fr/culture-loisirs/extraits-d-books/article/les-gathas-le-livre-sublime-de-225521

Zoroaster: his Country and his Life

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroastre-son-pays-et-sa-vie-210393

Zoroaster: his Theological Revolution

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroastre-sa-revolution-210455

Zoroaster: his Creed and Eschatology (from Genesis to the Kingdom of God)

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroaster-son-credo-et-son-210639

Zoroaster and the Achaemenids

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroastre-et-les-achemenides-211206

Zoroaster, the Magi and the Mazdeans

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroastre-les-mages-et-les-211383

Zoroaster: a very disturbing Anteriority

https://www.agoravox.fr/actualites/religions/article/zoroaster-une-anteriorite-bien-211845

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :< /b>