Tower of Babel

There are versions of this text in Greek, Latin and Slavonic, which do not always agree with each other. The first text translated below, Text A (Latin), 1 supplies the opening part that is missing in Text B (Greek). 2 I know nothing of the Slavonic text. An attempt at a comprehensive English translation of the entire text has been published by M.R. James Apocryphal New Testament (1924) pp. 166-181, where it is also referred to as the Gospel of Bartholomew. The Questions is quite separate from the text known as the Book of Bartholomew, cf. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavischristian-apocrypha/book-of-bartholomew/ Since Vassiliev does not use divisions to indicate the separate episodes in the text, I have followed James' organization into five chapters. The text is a combination of apocalypse and erotapokrisis and may have been popular for its descensus Christi ad inferos motif. 3 There is something faintly comic in the episodes in sections I and II respectively

Religion 1. Echoes from Eden and the Vedas This chapter delves into the concept of a primordial, universal revelation shared by ancient civilizations, predating the fragmentation of religious traditions. It explores the idea that a singular divine message, rooted in the Noahic Revelation, was transmitted to all nations following the Deluge. The subsequent confounding of tongues at Babel is presented as a mythic allegory for the linguistic and spiritual splintering of this unified vision, leading to the emergence of polytheism and the worship of creation rather than the Creator. Despite this dispersion, archetypal themes persist across cultures, serving as preserved echoes of the original truth. These include the universal memory of a cosmic flood, the archetype of the divine man, and the pervasive symbolism of the Tree, Serpent, and Fire. The chapter draws comparative insights from the cosmologies of Genesis and the Rig Veda, examining their shared narratives of creation from nonexistence, the primal egg, and the concept of a cosmic man (Purusha), highlighting the allegorical and symbolic nature of these ancient accounts.

Este artigo tem como objetivo compreender a experiência negra em uma dimensão de tensão e significação (Zilberberg, 2006; 2011), localizada nos videoclipes nacionais "Crime Bárbaro" de Rincon Sapiência (2018) e "A Cena" de Rashid (2015), a fim de problematizar os efeitos do racismo no cotidiano brasileiro e as possibilidades de sobrevivência negra no Brasil contemporâneo. O argumento principal adota o entendimento de que as estratégias estéticovisuais mobilizadas pelos artistas negros jogam com o olhar para tornar explícito o racismo contra pessoas negras, ao passo que o cotidiano da negritude e as potências sensíveis são articuladas e tensionadas. A análise recorreu a proposta metodológica da semiótica tensiva para realizar a descrição dos elementos estético-visuais dos videoclipes de rap selecionados. Em seguida, realizou-se uma exploratória crítica dos achados, com suporte do debate racial proposto pela intelectualidade negra das Ciências Sociais. Identificou-se um conjunto de estratégias estético-visuais, como a tonificação das emoções corporificadas, a progressão tônica da representação da violência, os enquadramentos precisos e fechados, as transições espaciais e temporais e a aceleração vs. desaceleração do andamento e direção. Concluiuse que a experiência da negritude pós-diáspora habita fluxos atemporais e lugares sobrepostos, aprisionada em cativeiros coloniais contínuos pela permanência dos efeitos da escravidão, os quais impedem a plena emancipação da população negra. Por outro lado, os videoclipes também mobilizaram estratégias de sobrevivência e de resistência, como a fuga e o enfrentamento, para evidenciar o constante processo de (re)criação, adaptação e negociação presente no conflito diário das pessoas negras no interior das estruturas de racialização. Palavras-chave: experiência negra; videoclipes de rap; cotidiano da negritude; estratégias estético-visuais; semiótica tensiva; pós-diáspora.

This paper investigates the roles attributed to spiritual powers like demons, gods, and angels in Origen’s debate with Celsus. Celsus held that Christians associated with demons when they ate food, drank water and wine, and breathed the air. Therefore, they should not hesitate to participate in sacrificial ceremonies to demons and gods according to the laws of the cities. Origen replied that Christians obeyed God’s law of nature which might be different from the written laws. He considered the Greek and Roman gods to be idols that were, in fact, demons that did not deserve any worship by Christians. This religious and spiritual controversy had political consequences, as Christians did not recognize the demons to whom rulers and emperors allegedly owed their positions. Provocatively, Origen expected that in due time the Roman Empire would accept God’s law and salvation through Christ and thus would be at peace with the Christians.

Astronomy, archaeology, and ancient myths all attempted to explain the mystery of creation. Although no one witnessed the act of creation, multiple versions exist in ancient literary sources as if many wise people had witnessed it. The creation accounts originated in different cultures, but they share similar elements, and over time, they even diffused into each other. In the region of Egypt, in Hermopolis, a provincial capital in the Old Kingdom 2500BC, and Canaan (see Canaanite Creation), a myth circulated that creation spontaneously occurred from a Cosmic Egg. Now, we can observe this recorded act of Creation in Negev rock art engravings from biblical time.

In many Indigenous traditions, the sky is not just a space; it is a story, a being, a witness, and a portal."-Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass Introduction: When the Heavens Spoke and We Forgot to Listen The sky, for many Westerners raised in secular, post-Enlightenment cosmologies, has become little more than a meteorological ceiling, a passive backdrop for satellites and sunsets. But in Indigenous traditions across Africa, the Americas, Oceania, and Asia, the sky remains a realm of revelation, interaction, and ancestral presence. Long before NASA mapped the firmament with cold instruments, African shamans, Amazonian elders, Australian songlines, and Arctic seers were reading the heavens-not just for weather or agriculture, but for communion. Sky beings-luminescent entities, chariots of fire, spiraling discs of energy, or humanoid forms descending from light-are central to Indigenous cosmologies. These encounters were never deemed delusions or mere mythologies, but were embedded in ritual, language, and sacred memory. From the Zulu stories of "abantu abangena esibhakabhakeni" (people who came from the sky) to the Dogon of Mali and their advanced astronomical knowledge of Sirius B-long before modern telescopes confirmed its existence-there is a consistent testimony that the heavens have never been silent. They have always been speaking, and Indigenous peoples, once tuned to their frequencies, have been listening. Western anthropology and missionary theology, however, often dismissed these testimonies as superstition or diabolic error. This was no accident. As theologian Kwame Bediako notes, "the colonial project required the de-sacralization of African cosmologies in order to assert the superiority of Christian metaphysics."[^1] Indeed, the very epistemic frameworks that underpinned missionary work often came bundled with Enlightenment skepticism-what Charles Taylor has called "the buffered self," a secular consciousness that no longer feels porous to the divine or the unseen.[^2] In this sanitized cosmology, biblical references to angels, visions, and sky chariots were safely domesticated as metaphor or spiritual allegory, while similar accounts from Indigenous peoples were branded as heresy, hallucination, or worse-witchcraft. This theological double standard has not only marginalized non-Western voices but has also impoverished the global church's own scriptural imagination. The sacred geography of the heavens was flattened, its mysteries exiled to the realm of fiction or fringe conspiracy.

The influence of Mesopotamia cannot be overemphasized in biblical studies especially as it concerns the study of creation story. This goes a long way to recognize some similarities between the Mesopotamia narratives and the biblical account. Most comparisons had been carried out between the Genesis narration and ancient creation narratives to the flood stories and the purpose is to discover the basis and to affirm the authenticity of biblical narration. This work therefore examines the „reechoing‟ role of the location known as Mesopotamia, and its place in historical narratives of creation stories and associated stories. The paper adopted thehistorical-critical method and textual analysis. The paper concluded that the biblical creation account and associated stories had their origin in the Mesopotamia and among the city-States that inhabited her prior to the emergence of biblical Israel.

The genre of apocalypse rears up in times of persecution, war, chaos, and uncertainty. The book of Daniel was written during the reign of terror of Antiochus, while the book of Revelation was written either during, or in memory of, the psychotic persecution of the early church by Nero of Rome.
Yet there is another villain in apocalyptic tradition and to name him we must go back to pre-exilic texts that arose against the backdrop of the threat coming from the Assyrian Empire in the timeframe of 740-700 BCE. The authors of these texts are Amos, Hosea, Micah, and most importantly Isaiah.

In two articles in this journal, Stephanie Dalley has raised doubts about the authenticity of a black stone monument of king Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, commonly known as the Tower of Babel stele. This article tests her reasons for considering the stele to be a fake against the epigraphic and iconographic evidence and concludes that it is genuine.

0. Preface ………………………..............................…….….………….. 2
1. Introduction ………………………………..…......................………... 2
2. Enu ma elisˇ: Its plot and its origins ……..…..............… 3
3. The Erra epic as counter-text to Enπma elisˇ …....…..…. 5
4.   Assyrian responses to Enu ma elisˇ: Textual
usurpation, commentaries, and heretical re-readings ......... 7
5. The “Primeval History” of the Hebrew Bible:
Another counter-text ……………………...……….…........................... 9
6. Enu ma elisˇ in Late Babylonian times: repression and remembrance ………………………………….....................................................……..… 13
7. Enu ma elisˇ outside Babylonia ………………......……..… 15
8. Conclusion …………………………………….......................…..…… 17

Since the late 1970s, urban modelling has increasingly relied on mathematical tools, such as cellular automata, multi-agent systems, and fractal geometry, to better understand and predict – as far as possible – the evolution of cities. These methods allow researchers and urban planners to simplify the complex and dynamic nature of cities into manageable models, which can be used to simulate the evolution of some features, such as street networks, urban sprawl, and infrastructural changes. Moreover, the use of data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) is leading to an evolution of these mathematical models, allowing for more adaptive simulations and for the creation of a range of future scenarios. The role of mathematical models in urban design is here analysed through a spectrum of historical examples, from morphogenetic models and cellular automata to AI for the study of adaptive and sustainable solutions. This bibliographic research is also the basis of an exhibition at the library of the IUAV University of Venice, where this historical background interacts with the studies of an international network of experts and ongoing research at IUAV.

Historical truth progresses by relying on authentic documents validated by absolute dates just as scientific truth progresses by relying on theories validated by measurements. However, the history of origins eludes historians because of the lack of authenticated documents and reliable dates. The first king of the first Egyptian dynasty was Narmer (2838-2808), however he was preceded by ten predynastic kings who are mentioned at the beginning of three very damaged Egyptian king lists (Palermo Stone, Turin Canon and that of Manetho). Archaeological excavations have shown that at least ten of these mythical kings did exist and are qualified as predynastic kings (Dynasty 0). These kings belong to the Egyptian protohistory, and their reigns are dated only by 14C which places them in a period between 3300 and 3100 BCE. The period that precedes this protohistory is called prehistory “before history”. Paradoxically, the only predynastic king of Mesopotamian protohistory, called Priest-King (c. 3000-2950) by archaeologists, is never mentioned in the Sumerian king lists, corresponds exactly to Lord Marduk of the Babylonian tradition (called Nimrod “we will rebel” in the Bible), the king who built the Tower of Babel (“Gate of God”), a ziggurat called Etemenanki (“temple of the foundation of heaven/sky and earth”) by the Sumerians. The mighty empire built by Marduk suddenly collapsed around 3000 BCE, causing the “Uruk expansion” and the almost simultaneous appearance of the three oldest languages of mankind: Sumerian, Egyptian and Proto-Elamite. The period from 10,000 to 3300 BCE, called Neolithic, was populated by prehistoric men who left no written documents, who built no temples or cemeteries, whose representations are based solely on the imagination.
ISBN 978-1471061288

This paper proposes that the biblical "Tower of Babel" is not a tale of architecture, but a metaphor for the fracturing of the root language of humanity-Sumerian. It suggests that the confusion of tongues was not divine punishment, but an orchestrated system of linguistic obfuscation led by empire for the purpose of control.

Across ancient civilizations, mythologies were often crafted not only to explain the world but to instill meaning, order, and identity, commonly in the face of chaos. Despite their cultural distances, many of the world's mythological systems exhibit striking similarities. Themes such as primordial chaos, divine dualities, trinitarian gods, creation through sacrifice or clay, cosmic warfare, floods, saviors, and repopulation recur across time and space. This short comparative essay examines six foundational traditions-Mesopotamian, Hindu, Norse, Greek, Chinese, and Abrahamic-to identify their shared archetypes and unique expressions of mythic thought.

The existence of Angels is asserted by most religions, with the New Testament containing numerous references to their existence and actions. The word “angel” originates from the Greek word “angelos,” meaning messenger. Christian belief posits Angels as pure spiritual beings sent by God to instruct or assist humanity, sometimes manifesting in material form.

Hebrew Rabbinic notions about angels vary, with some believing they were created on the second or fifth day of creation. Rabbinic teachings also describe various classes of angels, their dwelling places, and their roles in the universe. Additionally, the existence of evil angels and demons is acknowledged, with Samael often depicted as the chief male demon.

This study argues that the Tower of Babel narrative in Genesis 11 preserves a mythologized memory of the collapse of the Akkadian Empire under Naram-Sin and that Abraham’s migration aligns historically with the decline of the Ur III dynasty during the Amorite incursions around 2000–1900 BC. The article challenges traditional biblical chronology and radiocarbon calibration assumptions, proposing an alternative synchronism between Genesis narratives and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamian history.

- What if the Tower of Babel wasn’t merely myth—but a veiled memory of one of the greatest collapses in ancient history?
- Is "Amraphel king of Shinar" a disguised memory of Amar-Sin of Ur?
- Do the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah date to this same period? Are these cities named in the Year-names of Amar-Sin?
- Could radiocarbon dating itself be misaligned with the true historical curve?
- Were names like “Abraham” already present in Ur III Sumerian texts and Abraham records?
- Did the Patriachs had supernatural lifespan? Or did the number of years were actually hiding a message?
- Do the four kings of Genesis 14 reflect real geopolitical alliances of a major Sumerian-Canaanite War?

Together, these provocative questions invite a reexamination of Genesis not as mythic fiction, but as a layered recollection of real historical traumas—filtered through faith, memory, and subversion.

Man is not the only political and speaking being that medieval thought was interested in. The angel may also be considered as a political and speaking being. Yet, whereas the link between political life and linguistic faculty seems obvious in the human case, it is far from being clear when it comes to the angel. Discussions about locutio angelica and reflexions on hierarchia constitute, indeed, very different collections. This paper tries to ask, by considering more particularly the case of William of Auvergne and of Peter of John Olivi, why the political question and the linguistic question do not manage to connect in medieval angelology.

Anspielungen auf das antike Babylon finden sich an mehreren Stellen des Filmes METROPOLIS: Die »Ewigen Gärten« im »Klub der Söhne« erinnern an die Hängenden Gärten der Semiramis, die als eines des Sieben Weltwunder der Antike bezeichnet wurden. Semiramis  wiederum galt nicht nur als sagenhafte Gründerin der Stadt Babylon, vielfach wird sie auch als »Hure Babylon« bezeichnet, als eine Art wollüstige Femme fatale. In der Offenbarung des Johannes erscheint sie als Verführerin und Vorreiterin der Apokalypse, und ebenso sieht Freder Maria in seinem Fiebertraum. Der Begriff »Hure Babylon« wurde auch als Synonym für das dekadente römische Reich gebraucht. Verweise auf das römische Imperium finden wir in METROPOLIS ebenfalls: in der Monumentalarchitektur der »Stadt der Söhne«, wie auch in den Katakomben, die an die unterirdischen Grabstätten Roms erinnern, in denen sich die Urchristen versammelt haben sollen.

There are various theories in legal literature about the origin of law and state, however none of them reflect the causes and the circumstances of the origin of the Amrenian law and state. The path of their formation is unique and can only be explained by the concep presented by the author in this article. It proves that three types of legal systems, states and civilizations existed in Armenia  and followed eath other in time. In their form and essence they radically differed from neighboring Middle East slave-owning despotisms and their legal systems. These were the Haykan, the Zoroastrian and the Christial legal systems.

This paper explores the interplay between chaos, time, and the divine across various religious traditions. Drawing upon narratives such as Moses' encounter with the burning bush, the concept of primordial chaos in ancient mythologies, and the evolving understanding of Satan, the study examines how these elements shape human perception of existence, order, and the sacred. By analyzing these themes, the paper aims to shed light on the human quest for meaning amidst the complexities of the cosmos.

The mythological narratives, which often preface historical accounts, connect human history to natural history. As well as bridging the gap between the realms of Kulturgeschichte (cultural history) and historiography, such narratives meld the macrocosm of nature with the microcosmic experiences of individual human lives and the collective evolution of societal customs and traditions. This confluence reveals the emergence of foundational societal constructslaws, religion, maritime navigation, family structures, sexual practicesin mythological and historical narratives. These stories, ranging from the ancient to the foundational tales of cities and wars, are interwoven with the broader narrative of the biosphere, thereby underscoring the symbiotic relationship between human civilization and the natural world. Greek and Roman authors frequently juxtaposed their theoretical musings on the origins of life on earth with depictions of the nascent states of human existence, thereby charting the main developments in the evolution of civilization. These preoccupations can arguably be traced back to the Presocratic philosophers and found resonance in the arguments of the Sophists in the 5th century BCE. During this period, the contemplation of prehistory and cultural evolution became prominent in intellectual discourses and poetic compositions. Myths that depicted humanity's emergence from the earth or descent from the heavens served as vehicles in controversies among ancient thinkers regarding the narrative of the human condition. These myths were increasingly supplemented by more detailed accounts of cultural progress, illustrating a shift from mythological to historical discourse.¹ Ancient accounts of the origins of society and early cultural history can be divided into two principal categories. The first is mythological: legends of a 'Golden Note: Drafts of this introduction have benefited from comments by Andrew Laird and Tim Rood. 1 As noted by Marcel Detienne, within the contexts of Greek and Roman culture, a formalized history of culture began to supplant mythological narratives concerning origins (see Detienne 1972).

Konfuzius, ein chinesischer Philosoph und spiritueller Führer, der von 551 bis 479 v. Chr. lebte, bemerkte schon vor langer Zeit: „Zeichen und Symbole regieren die Welt, nicht Worte oder Gesetze!“ Moderne Politik und Religion haben Konfuzius Recht gegeben.
Religion als „Symbolsystem“ ist ein Hauptmerkmal von Geertz’ fünfteiliger Definition von Religion, daher wäre Symbolismus ein guter Ausgangspunkt – insbesondere da Chernus darauf hinwies, dass Geertz’ Definition in den Sozialwissenschaften allgemein anerkannt ist.
Elzbieta Halas’ Modell des sozialen Symbolismus: Halas stellt fest, dass „Gruppen nur auf der Grundlage der gemeinsamen Symbolisierung ihrer Mitglieder existieren“. „Die Prozesse der Symbolisierung … schaffen eine soziale Ordnung, drücken Bedeutung aus und steuern Handlungen. Symbole sind nicht autonom. Sie sind Handlungsinstrumente, die soziale Beziehungen anzeigen und dramatisieren.“
D. Balaganapath bemerkt: „Die Grundlage jeder Kultur und jeder Identität wird durch ihren eigenen etablierten gemeinsamen symbolischen Ausdruck bestimmt.“
Erica Hills Modell beschreibt „dynamisches Sozialverhalten, eingebettet in den Alltag arktischer Jäger und Sammler, und den Glauben an Tiergeister als menschliche Beziehung zur Natur“. „Ihre Gedanken und Handlungen begründeten und pflegten Beziehungen zu Beutetieren und lassen sich eher als dynamisches Sozialverhalten im Alltagsleben denn als privilegierte rituelle Handlungen konzeptualisieren.“ – und der Glaube lenkte die Aufmerksamkeit der Gemeinschaft auf die Jagd und das Sammeln von Tieren.
Emile Durkheims Modell: „Die Kräfte, vor denen sich der Gläubige verneigt, sind keine einfachen physischen Energien, wie sie sich den Sinnen und der Vorstellungskraft präsentieren; es sind soziale Kräfte.“
Ramon Reyes Modell: „Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass eine soziale und moralische Ordnung die Lebenden, die Toten, die Götter und Geister sowie die gesamte Umwelt umfasst.“

This paper explores the Divine Council Worldview (DCW) as a biblically rooted and theologically coherent framework that recovers the supernatural cosmology of Scripture. Drawing from ancient Near Eastern background texts, Second Temple Jewish literature, and canonical Scripture, the DCW affirms the existence of created spiritual beings who participate in Yahweh’s governance of the cosmos. This worldview does not undermine biblical monotheism but enhances it by recognizing the role of delegated authority in the spiritual realm. Modern readers, conditioned by Enlightenment rationalism, often overlook this framework, resulting in a disenchanted reading of Scripture that diminishes both its theological richness and apologetic strength.
The paper employs a dual-lens hermeneutic—grounding Old Testament texts in their ancient context while also honoring the apostolic reinterpretation found in the New Testament. Passages such as Hosea 11:1 and Amos 9:11–12 demonstrate how New Testament writers, guided by the Holy Spirit, reframed texts beyond their historical-grammatical meaning. Through this lens, the Divine Council Worldview not only clarifies difficult passages but also offers profound insights into spiritual warfare, cosmic rebellion, and the victorious mission of Christ to reclaim the nations. This recovery of a biblical supernatural worldview invites the Church to reengage with Scripture in a way that is both theologically faithful and apologetically robust.

This paper expands upon the revelations from The Final Unraveling – Part I, further exposing the hidden deception within the Roman Catholic Church, its pagan origins, and its role in shaping a global spiritual empire. It critically examines the alleged martyrdoms of Peter and Andrew, revealing their execution narratives as later church fabrications designed to reinforce apostolic authority.

By tracing the symbolic connections between Andrew, Peter, and the ancient fish-god Dagon, this study uncovers how the Vatican’s imagery—including the Pope’s mitre—preserves pagan traditions under a Christian guise. Additionally, it analyzes how Rome never truly fell but instead rebranded itself into a theocratic superpower, hijacking Christ’s teachings to establish a centralized religious empire.

John’s role as the self-proclaimed “Beloved Disciple” is scrutinized for its lack of independent corroboration, raising questions about his possible agenda in writing Revelation—a text that may function less as prophecy and more as a blueprint for a technologically enforced Beast System.

Ultimately, this paper argues that the Vatican is not a product of Christ’s teachings but rather the culmination of Rome’s imperial ambition. From early doctrinal manipulations to modern digital control, the Catholic Church may be steering humanity toward Babel 2.0, an AI-driven global spiritual empire disguised as divine destiny

The hierarchy of creative intelligences, known by various names like Devas and Elohim, are responsible for manifesting the divine archetypal thought into the physical universe.  Modern science increasingly supports this idea, with scientists like Sir James Jeans and Sir Arthur Eddington acknowledging the universe’s design and intelligence.  Occult scientists take this further, asserting that these intelligences, including angels and nature spirits, aid in the life-giving and form-producing processes of nature.

The universe is governed by a divine idea, manifesting through the creative activity of angelic hierarchies. These hierarchies, ranging from national angels to nature spirits, work in harmony to shape and evolve the physical world according to the divine plan.  This process, guided by the Logos and facilitated by these celestial beings, continues unendingly, influencing the evolution of life on Earth.

Angels and other supernatural beings are real and exist in various forms, from nature spirits to higher beings like Devas. These beings, often invisible to humans, influence our lives and can be invoked for guidance, protection, and healing. The speaker, who personally investigated the famous Cottingley Fairy photographs, believes in the existence of these beings and their potential impact on our lives.

The Cottingley Fairy photographs, taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, depict the girls interacting with fairies in a secluded Yorkshire glen.  The photographs, initially met with skepticism, were later analyzed and accepted as genuine by experts, including Mr. Gardner of the Theosophical Society.  The images, believed to be guided by superhuman forces, aim to awaken humanity to the existence of nature spirits and the supernatural.

A highly evolved, individualized sylph, 30 feet tall and radiant, is described.  A less evolved, non-individualized sylph is also noted.

ABSTRACT
This paper explores the theological significance of baptism through the lenses of biblical typology, covenantal theology, linguistic analysis, and historical development across Christian traditions. Drawing upon the insights of Dr. Michael S. Heiser, it examines key problem passages such as 1 Peter 3:14-22, Acts 22:16, and Acts 2:38, as well as the relationship between baptism and circumcision in Colossians 2:11-12. The study critiques theological inconsistencies in various Christian creeds regarding baptism’s role in salvation and provides a historical overview of baptismal beliefs among the early church fathers, Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestant Reformation movements, and modern evangelical traditions.
While the early church fathers widely affirmed baptism as necessary for salvation, later Christian traditions developed different theological interpretations. Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism maintain that baptism is sacramental and effectual, imparting grace and forgiveness. High Church Protestant traditions such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism hold to baptism as a means of grace while distinguishing it from absolute necessity. The Reformed tradition views baptism as a covenantal sign rather than an instrument of salvation. Meanwhile, Baptists and many evangelical groups reject sacramental baptism in favor of a symbolic or ordinance-based model that reflects faith already possessed.
Additionally, this study considers the theological implications of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43) as a potential counterexample to baptismal necessity, along with the Catholic concept of baptism of desire and baptism of blood. The paper also examines the linguistic debate over the Greek term baptizo, evaluating whether immersion, sprinkling, or pouring was the primary mode of baptism in the early church. Ultimately, this study argues that while baptism is a significant theological practice with deep biblical roots, it should not be viewed as the means of salvation but rather as a public declaration of faith, covenant membership, and spiritual warfare in alignment with the biblical worldview.

Osgood recently published a critique of Habermehl’s (2011) paper proposing the location of Babel was in the Khabur Triangle of Upper Mesopotamia. The authors point out weak arguments by both Osgood and Habermehl and suggest that the Prepottery Neolithic culture would be a more probable site for Babel.

I den sista delen av min analys av urhistorien, 1 Mos 1:1-11:26, analysera jag berättelsen om Babels torn, samt den avslutande Shems släktlista med 10 generationer från Shem till Abraham.

Var Babels torn en ziggurat? Förutom den intressanta frågan analyserar jag också den intrikata litterära strukturen i den korta berättelsen.

Were there really ancient aliens that came to our planet to educate people? If so, who were they, where did they come from, when and how long were they here, what impact did they have, what were the results of their involvement, and will they eventually return?  Also, why would God allow this to happen?

This paper proposes that the ancient aliens were the sons of God (i.e., ex-angels) from Genesis chapter 6, who came to earth in the form of exalted men, mated with human women, and fathered a hybrid race known as the Nephilim. Their impact was both positive and negative – teaching people, increasing the food supply, and producing wealth, but like clever politicians, they also created hierarchies that degraded and enslaved the population. The sons of God were instrumental in building ancient structures such as the Great Pyramid in Egypt. However, they were also the source of the debasement and corruption of divine worship by encouraging and forcing people to worship them rather than the true God, as well as setting up individuals who were obsessed with power to declare themselves as a god in order to gain hegemony and create dictatorships. In other words, ancient deities such as Marduk, Baal, Ishtar, Isis, Osiris, Horus, and others were actually inspired by demons who in some cases prompted human leaders to personify them as their avatar. The negative influence of the sons of God on people led to the Great Flood as described in Genesis 6 – 9 as well as the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. But demonic manipulation didn’t end there – it has continued throughout human history, and the book of Revelation mentions the return of the sons of God to earth in a future time of great deception. The curtain is herein pulled back and the never-ending cosmic battle between the forces of good and evil is revealed. A timeline of the sons of God is presented, and their impact during seven eras of world history is described, from the beginning to the end.

Durante  o  programa  policiales-co Alerta Nacional, da RedeTV!, o apresentador  Sikêra  Jr.  proferiu  uma crítica homotransfóbica[1], ao comentar  o  anúncio  publicitário  “Como  explicar?”,  do  Burger  King  Brasil.  A  peça  em  questão  trazia  depoimentos  reais  de  crianças,  que  compartilharam  suas  per-cepções  e  vivências  em  famílias  LGBTI+, [2]fugindo  do  padrão  da  família tradicional brasileira. Nes-se sentido, cumpre problematizar o posicionamento de Sikêra Jr. en-dossado  pela  mídia,  no  caso  pela  emissora do programa, apesar da homotransfobia  ter  sido  crimina-lizada  no  País  desde  2019.  Posto  isso, o propósito deste artigo con-siste  em  compreender  a  estraté-gia  discursiva  adotada,  por  meio  da identificação das suas forma-ções  discursivas,  quais  sejam  (I)  religiosa fundamentalista; (II) em defesa  da  pátria;  e  da  (III)  famí-lia tradicional brasileira. Verifica-mos,  assim,  um  resgate  aos  va-lores  conservadores,  colocando  em  mira  a  comunidade  LGBTI+  e  elegendo-a  enquanto  inimiga  a  ser combatida.

The medieval world is a universe populated by monstrous creatures; thinkers aimed to establish whether or not this throng of anomalous anthropomorphic figures belonged to the human species. In this respect, the use of language and speech is recognized as an important prerequisite for developing the associative and political propensities of human beings. The inability to communicate thus becomes a fundamental yardstick for measuring the savagery of the individual or people in question. This article will analyse the relationship between the boundaries of the human and language, firstly by briefly outlining the metaphorical use made of expressions associated with devoration and secondly by examining the relationship between cannibalism, metamorphosis and speech. A special focus will be placed on lycanthropy.

A livello canonico, Babele/Babilonia è la prima città di cui si narra nella Bibbia. L'autore di Gen 11,1-9 sembrerebbe voler sintetizzare la storia di questa metropoli sin dalla sua fondazione 1. Malgrado la sua brevità (121 parole), il racconto della torre di Babilonia è uno dei più conosciuti di tutto l'Antico Testamento. Esso ha attirato l'attenzione di tanti semplici lettori, ma anche di filosofi, storici, linguisti, esegeti, teologi, poeti, artisti e di non pochi archeologi 2. Filone d'Alessandria (ca. 20 a.C.-ca. 50 d.C.) dedicò a Gen 11,1-9 un intero trattato, meglio conosciuto come La confusione delle lingue 3. Nel difendere la sua interpretazione allegorica, dopo aver elogiato Omero come il più grande poeta di tutti i tempi, lo cita a proposito degli Aloadi, i quali hanno tentato di mettere sopra il Monte Olimpo due montagne con lo scopo di raggiungere il cielo (oúranos). Ci tiene a precisare, sin dall'inizio, che anche se tutte le parti della terra fossero messe una sopra l'altra, la distanza dal cielo sarebbe ancora enorme (Confusione 1,4-5). Subito dopo, Filone cita un altro racconto, ove gli animali parlano la stessa lingua, ma successivamente vengono puniti dalla divinità per via della confusione (sýnchysis; 1,6-8). Con questi due esempi mitologici, il filosofo giudaico non solo avverte la necessità di prestare attenzione ai racconti di altri popoli-come fa, tra l'altro, l'autore biblico stesso-ma soprattutto evidenzia i tre elementi chiave che caratterizzano Gen 11,1-9: la torre, la questione delle lingue (diálektoi), e la grandezza di Dio. L’autore di Gen 11,1-9 si muove su più livelli: linguistico, letterario, poli
tico-ideologico, storico e, soprattutto, teologico. Egli si ispira alla tradizione
mesopotamica su Babele/Babilonia e la sua torre (ziqqurrat). Con pochissime informazioni e parole, riesce a trasmettere più di un messaggio. L’autore-scriba, forse un sacerdote, sceglie i lessemi più adatti che gli permettono di cogliere il massimo di ciò che vuol comunicare ai suoi destinatari; e lo fa in modo anche ironico. Mentre la città-capitale con le sue imponenti mura rappresentava la potenza politica e militare dell’impero, la sua torre era il simbolo visivo della supremazia religiosa.