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SOPHIA OF WISDOM III - ALTRA HASIS FLOODS
LIBRARY OF SOPHIA OF WISDOM III
SOPHIA OF ALL SOPHIA OF WISDOMS
AKA
CAROLINE E. KENNEDY________________________________
NOVEMBER 17, 2006
Atra-Hasis and the Flood
(This
tale from Babylonia, dated ca. 1700 BCE, is the longest
and most comprehensive of the Mesopotamian Flood stories.)
Retold
and Condensed by James W. Bell
In the beginning, before men were created, the Anunnaki €“ the gods
living on the earth €“ had to till the land and water it to grow their food. They found the work tiresome and
too much trouble.
So they gave Enlil lordship of the earth. He summoned the Igigi, calling down from heaven the lesser
gods, lower divinities without names, to do the work.
Besides tilling the soil, Enlil assigned to the Igigi the additional
tasks of digging canals, river beds and keeping their channels clear. For thousands of years, the Igigi toiled for the Anunnaki.
It was too much! They downed their tools and went as a group to the Ekur, Enlil™s citadel at Nippur, to demand relief.
When the Igigi arrived before Enlil€™s stronghold, he ordered his doorkeeper, Nusku, to bar the gate
to keep them out. But Nusku asked, €œWhy has your face become as pale as the tamarisk? Why do you fear your sons?
Call the other gods and let them help solve this thing.€
So Enlil summoned the others, including Anu from
heaven, and Enki, lord of the Abzu. Together, they stood on the ramparts of the Ekur and addressed the besiegers. Why do you
attack us?
The Igigi answered as one, €œThe work you have assigned us is killing; we can no longer bear
it. We have put a stop to digging and declared war.
Then Enki took the gods inside to counsel them. €œWhy
do we blame the Igigi? Their tasks are too hard.
Look, he continued,
the
goddess Mami is with us. ***** NOTES FROM SOPHIA OF WISDOM III - SOPHIA OF ALL SOPHIA OF WISDOMS AKA CAROLINE E. KENNEDY -
CAROLINA KENNEDIA - (THIS IS CAROLYN BESSETTE) = MAMI
Let her create mortals, creatures to be our servants
and to do our work. Then we can put the yoke of Enlil on these beings and let the Igigi return to heaven.
The gods
agreed and asked Mami to produce such creatures. But the Goddess of Midwifery demurred. It is not prudent for me to attempt
all this. Choose Enki instead, because he is wise and makes things right. If he will prepare clay suitable to the task, I
will birth it.
Enki responded, €œIf we use pure clay to make these new creatures, they will be like the
animals, without intelligence. To make them capable of bearing the yoke of Enlil, we must slay one of the gods so his flesh
and blood can be mixed with the clay to be made into a man. Then what we create will be god and man mixed together.€
The gods seized Geshtu-e, a god of wisdom, and slaughtered him.
******(THIS
WAS SOPHIA OF WISDOM III IN PAST LIFE AS EZRA)
When his flesh and blood
were taken and mixed with the clay,
a ghost came into being so that none should ever forget him, or fail to remember that
the new creature called man was part mortal and part divine. ******(THIS IS EZRA=HOLY GHOST)
Mami took the
mixture and pinched off fourteen pieces, to create seven males and seven females. She presented them to the Anunnaki, saying,
€œI have done all you asked. You have slain a god of intelligence and mixed his flesh and blood with clay so I
could engender men. I relieve you of wearisome work by imposing your yoke upon them. I have also bestowed upon them the ability
to use the spoken word, so they may call to one another to help fulfill their tasks. Let each man choose a woman to wive so
Ishtar can bless them with healthy children, to fill the earth with generations upon generations of servants.€
It
was in this manner and for these reasons that man was created.
Twelve hundred years went by and the people grew numerous.
The land became filled with them and their unceasing clamor. Enlil said, The noise men make has become too much; I am losing
sleep. Let Namtar come up from the depths of the Netherworld and distribute disease among them, so that their numbers and
uproar may be reduced.
The Herald of Death strewed sickness back and forth across the countryside and many died. A
wise man in Shuruppak, by name of Atra-hasis, called upon Enki. ********(THIS IS SAINT JOHN OF WISDOM III - ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
MESSENGER AKA JFK,JR.=ENKI) THEY USED THE BEVTRON TO MAKE COPIES OF JFK,JR.
€œHow long are the gods going
to plague us? Will illness and death afflict us forever?€
Enki advised Atra-hasis, Call together the elders.
Speak to them; tell them to not worship their gods or take them offerings. Instead, let them build a house for Namtar in Shuruppak
and let each household bake a loaf of fresh bread and take it to his door.
The people listened and did as Enki advised.
Namtar's house was filled with fresh bread and surrounded with its pleasant aroma. The Herald of Death was shamed by the multitude
of offerings. He drew back his hand so that disease abated. The people regained their health and the land returned to prosperity.
Another twelve hundred years passed and the people again became numerous. The Earth grew crowded and filled with a
terrific din. Enlil said, Once more, the noise made by men is causing me to lose sleep.
Let™s cut off their food. Let my son, Ninurta, shut the sluice gates of heaven
so that drought comes. Let crops fail and the people perish.
When drought had held the land in its grip for six years
and the people had become famished, Atra-hasis again went to Enki for help. Call together the elders,€ the god said.
€œTell them not to worship their gods or make offerings to them. Instead, build a house for Ninurta. Then let
each household take of what flour they have and bake a loaf of fresh bread to take to his door.
Again, the people
followed Enki€™s advice. Ninurta™s house was filled with fresh bread and surrounded by its pleasant aroma.
The young god knew bread was scarce and, though he was Enlil™s son, he was greatly shamed by the precious offerings
given him by starving men, so he opened the clouds and let the rain fall. But nothing grew, for the land turned bitter and
became encrusted with salt.
In the seventh year, when people began to eat their young, Atra-hasis went to Enki again.
We have no more flour to make bread. It rains, but the land no longer grows our crops. Will this scourge never end?
Call
together the elders. Tell them to not worship their gods, nor make them offerings nor say prayers nor sing them songs of praise.
Let the earth be as it was in the beginning; before men existed, when the gods struggled to grow their own food. Let the gods
pick up their tools again and go back to tilling the land, without offerings or praise. Let them suffer.
It was too
much for the gods. Faint with hunger, they yearned to hear prayerful supplications and listen to sweet songs of praise. They
relented and allowed Enki to cleanse the earth with sweet water drawn from the depths of the Abzu. With his pure water, he
washed away the salt and made the land fertile again.
But, in another twelve hundred years, what had happened before
occurred again. The people grew more numerous than ever and earth was filled with their shouting and curses. Enlil said, €œI
cannot sleep because of the bellowing of men, but I cannot bring them under control because of my brother, Enki. He protects
them. Because he created them, they are his children. I will see him about this.€
So Enlil went to Enki and
said, €œYou persuaded us to kill a god and used your power to create men. You imposed our yoke upon them but you
also had Mami gift them with the spoken word. What you did was wrong, for men use their power to shout and curse and argue
with each other. Now, you must swear an oath to correct the wrong you have caused. You must use your power against your creation
and create a Flood to rid the earth of men.
Enki replied, Why should I swear an oath? And why should I use my power
against my people? The Flood you mentioned, how do I have the power to give birth to such a thing? That€™s work
for you, Enlil, and your son, Ninurta. If you wish a Flood, then tell Ninurta to let it rain till the dams overflow and drown
the land.
Enlil was furious with Enki. €œThen, I shall see it done myself; I will see that the Flood covers
the earth. But, brother, you and all the Anunnaki, must promise not to try to obstruct what I am about to undertake; you must
not warn men of my plan.
With the other Anunnaki, Enki took an oath that he would not tell Enlil™s plan to any
human.
That night, Enki went out and sat beside the reed wall of Atra-hasis€™s house. He spoke aloud,
saying, €œWall, listen to me! Reed hut, make sure you hear my words! Take this house apart and build a boat. Leave
your worldly possessions behind and take aboard living things. Build the boat two stories high and pitch it with bitumen to
make it strong and waterproof. For a flood will come that will last seven days and seven nights and the land will be under
water.
Now, as Enki spoke, Atra-hasis was inside his house and overheard everything the god said. The next day he
hired carpenters and reed workers to tear down his house and build the boat the god described. The workmen ate and drank as
they worked but Atra-hasis kept his distance, for his heart was breaking over those he knew would soon be drowned and he was
vomiting bile.
The day arrived when Ninurta
bellowed from the clouds and the face of the weather changed. The
winds came and Atra-hasis hurried his family and animals inside the boat. Then he cut the mooring rope and had bitumen handed
up to seal the door.
The sky turned dark so no one could see anyone else. The flood roared toward them like a bull
and, like a wild ass, the winds screamed overhead. There was no sun and darkness hid the land. Ninurta opened the clouds and
water poured over the land. The goddess Mami watched the storm from above and wept for her people. €œWhat father
would have given birth to a raging sea?€ she asked Enlil. The other gods and goddesses wept with Mami.
After
the seventh night, Enlil ordered his son to stop the rain. As the waters receded, corpses were left strewn about like drowned
dragonflies.
But, then, a sweet aroma from an offering went up and attracted the gods. They hovered overhead to catch
the fragrance and Enlil spotted Atra-hasis and his boat. €œHow could anyone have survived the catastrophe?€
he asked. €œNo form of life should have escaped. Who, but Enki, would have done this? My brother has broken his
oath!€
Enki heard Enlil and answered, €œAtra-hasis must have overheard me when worry caused me
to talk aloud to myself. I did this in defiance of you, Enlil, to make sure life was preserved. But I never told him; I did
not break my oath.€
€œMen multiply continually,€ Enlil said. €œAgain and again
they crowd the earth and fill it with noise. I seek only to stop them so I€™ll have peace. Why do you continue
to defy me?€
€œBecause, brother, if you destroyed men to rid the earth of noise, who would be
left to grow our food? It would be as it was in the beginning.€
Enlil perceived the wisdom in Enki€™s
answer and he was shamed. €œThen, what is to be done?€ he asked. €œIf nothing is changed,
in another twelve hundred years, there will be too many people again.€
Enki said, €œTo prevent
that from ever happening again, let the gods decree that a third of the women shall be barren and another third shall be unsuccessful
in childbirth. In addition, let the women in the temples be made taboo, so they too will not bear children. By decreeing this,
the gods will continue to have men for their servants but there will never be too many again, and the gods and men will live
together evermore at peace.€
Enlil rejoiced at hearing his brother€™s resolution and praised
him for his astuteness.
James W. Bell€™s
Ancient Sumeria
CHARACTERS AND PLACES
Abzu
€“ (also Apsu) the fresh water in rivers and beneath the ground.
Anu €“ (An in Sumerian) the
chief god in heaven, father of the gods on the
earth.
Anunnaki €“ (sometimes Anunna) the gods who lived
on the Earth.
Atra-hasis €“ (also Atrahasis, Utnapishtim, Ziusudra) the wise man of
Shuruppak who saved
mankind in the Flood.
Ekur €“ (literally €œmountain house€) Enlil€™s citadel
in Nippur, located on the
upper Euphrates River.
Enki €“ (Ea in Akkadian) Enlil€™s brother;
God of the Abzu, the wisest and
craftiest of the major gods on earth.
Enlil €“ (Ellil in Akkadian) Enki€™s
brother; God of the Air, the most power-
ful of the major gods on earth.
Geshtu-e €“ an unknown god,
possibly a Sumerian play on words.
Igigi €“ the lesser gods in heaven without individual names.
Ishtar
€“ (Inanna in Sumerian) Goddess of Love and War, represented by
Venus, the evening / morning star.
CAROLYN BESSETTE TRIED TO PASS HERSELF AS
Mami €“ (Ninhursag, Ninmah and Nintu in Sumerian) The Earth Goddess;
IF CAROLYN BESSETTE MARRIED JFK,JR. - ENKI - GOD THEN SHE WOULD THINK
SHE WAS ENTITLED TO SUCH A POSITION TO GAIN THE HAGIA SOPHIA TO BE BUILT IN HER HONOR
Mother Nature.
Namtar €“ (also
Namtara) Herald of Death; son of Ereshkigal, Queen of the
Netherworld.
Netherworld €“ a dark, dismal
place underground where the dead spend
eternity.
Ninurta €“ (also Adad) Enlil€™s son, a
young storm god who rode the clouds.
Nippur €“ an ancient Sumerian city on the upper Euphrates River; a holy
city much like today€™s Mecca.
Nusku €“ Enlil€™s vizier and doorkeeper of the
Ekur.
Shuruppak €“ an ancient city on the Euphrates River, midway between Nip-
pur and Ur.
Return
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1
WISDOM III - CAROLINE E. KENNEDY
SOPHIA OF WISDOM III - CAROLINE E. KENNEDY
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Ezra's Tomb
Ezra’s tomb is
located on the west bank of the Tigris River at Al Azair (Al Uzayr), some 60 miles north of Basra, in what was the northeastern
corner of the Central Marsh. It has long been a revered site, having been visited as long ago as the twelfth century by Benjamin
of Tudela, Pethahiah of Regensburg and the poet, Yehuda Al-Harizi. It was described by Pethahiah as a tomb with a synagogue on one side and a mosque on the other.
According to Al-Harizi, a local shepherd
had a dream that a holy person was buried nearby. After the dream recurred several times,
he told his friends about it. To prove the veracity of his account, he showed them he could see again with an eye that
had been blinded. On digging at the place in the dream, an iron coffin was found with unknown characters inscribed on
it. There were interpreted by a Hebrew scribe to read, “Ezra, the Priest.”
So they ferried the remains across the river and re-interred them at Al Azair where, ever since according to Al-Harizi, a light has shined over them at night.
Ezra, a lineal descendant of Aaron,
was a Hebrew high priest of the fifth century BCE. He was also a scribe and a scholar and is sometimes credited with
writing the Biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah as well as a part of Chronicles. Tradition has it that he collected
and edited the Old Testament canon, putting it into modern form.
Like King Josiah (639-608 BCE), Ezra was deeply involved
in reforming Judaism. He was a leader of the second group of Jews who returned from Babylonian exile
in 459 BCE. When they reached Jerusalem, Ezra was appalled at what he saw and set about reconstituting the religion.
With the Age of Prophecy drawing to a close, he established the supremacy of Torah and in particular the Oral Law to make
Judaism a religion in which the law was central. He also adopted the square Assyrian script which is still in use today.
With some justice, Ezra has been called the father of Judaism since his efforts did much to give
Jewish religion a lasting form.
Not much is known of the life of Ezra. The Bible records that, in 445 BCE, he
appeared at the dedication of the reconstructed walls of Jerusalem and read the law aloud to the people. There’s
no record after that. Josephus wrote that he was buried in Jerusalem but both the time and place of his death are unknown.
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