The Historical Nimrod

 

 

[The AMAIC accepts this historical ID of Nimrod,

and would agree with this article in substance, though not in every detail]

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The book of Genesis states that Nimrod's kingdom began with "Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." On the ancient Sumerian King List Nimrod appears as the second king who ruled the Dynasty of Uruk (Erech) a short time after the Flood:

The First Dynasty of Uruk

- Mesh-ki-ang-gasher of E-ana, "the son of Utu": 324 years. "Mesh-ki-ang-gasher entered the sea and disappeared."
- Enmerkar, "the son of Mesh-ki-ang-gasher, the king of Unug, who built Unug (Uruk)": 420 years
- Lugalbanda, "the shepherd": 1200 years
- Dumuzid (Dumuzi), "the fisherman whose city was Kuara." ("He captured En-me-barage-si single-handed."): 100 years.
- Gilgamesh, "whose father was a phantom (?), the lord of Kulaba": 126 years. ...

British author David Rohl has written extensively about Enmerkar and his connections with the Biblical Nimrod. Rohl cites German scholar Werner Papke who translates the suffix 'kar' as "hunter" thus translating Enmer-kar as "Enmer the Hunter." The correlation with "Nimrod the Hunter" then becomes self-evident. However, as another Semitic languages scholar has pointed out to me, this translation is probably flawed. The cuneiform sign for "kar" can have a meaning of "to take away by force," yet this is as close as it gets. The truth is that the final sign used in the name En-me-er-kar is actually "kar₂", and this sign is translated as either "to blow; to light up, shine; to rise," or "to insult, slander." Either of these meanings may in fact be be related to Nimrod, yet neither of them has anything to do with the designation of "hunter." [1]

In any case the connection between Enmerkar and Nimrod is evidenced by the fact that both are directly associated with the origins of ancient Sumer. The Bible says that Nimrod's kingdom began at Babel and Uruk, while the historical King Enmerkar built Uruk and was also involved in a particular building project at Eridug the original city of Babel.

The origins of the city of Eridug date back to a time long before the Flood. In fact, the Sumerians believed that Eridug was the first city ever built and that it was the place where "kingship descended from heaven" for the very first time [2]. Given the fact that "kingship" was always associated with the "gods" and a divine right to rule, it becomes even more clear why the Babylonian historian Berossos translated Eridug into Greek as Babylon, which is itself derived from Bab-ilani which means "the gate of the gods." Eridug was the original "gate of god" or "gate of the gods," and when Nimrod rebuilt Eridug after the Flood he was attempting to re-establish physical contact with the "gods" once again.

Enmerkar the Builder

Enmerkar was the very first semi-divine Sumerian warrior-hero and the stories of his life can be found in several narratives that have survived from ancient times as hard-baked cuneiform tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh is very famous, but Gilgamesh was only an heir to the legacy that Enmerkar left behind. The most important narrative of the life of Enmerkar is found in the epic tale Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta. In this story Enmerkar demands tribute and raw materials from the mountainous region of Aratta for the purpose of building a temple in Uruk for the goddess Inana, whom he refers to as his "sister." In addition to this project Enmerkar also puts forth his plans to build a "great shrine" in Eridug. It will be the "abode of the gods" that will be built high and covered in gold and silver so that it gleams like a snow-capped mountain in the distance!

At that time, the lord chosen by Inana in her heart, chosen by Inana in her holy heart from the bright mountain, Enmerkar, the son of Utu, made a plea to his sister, the lady who grants desires, holy Inana:
"My sister, let Aratta fashion gold and silver skilfully on my behalf for Unug. Let them cut the flawless lapis lazuli from the blocks, let them …… the translucence of the flawless lapis lazuli ……. …… build a holy mountain in Unug. Let Aratta build a temple brought down from heaven -- your place of worship, the Shrine E-ana; let Aratta skilfully fashion the interior of the holy ĝipar, your abode; may I, the radiant youth, may I be embraced there by you. Let Aratta submit beneath the yoke of Unug on my behalf. Let the people of Aratta bring down for me the mountain stones from their mountain, build the great shrine for me, erect the great abode for me, make the great abode, the abode of the gods, famous for me, make my me prosper in Kulaba, make the abzu grow for me like a holy mountain, make Eridug gleam for me like the mountain range, cause the abzu shrine to shine forth for me like the silver in the lode. When in the abzu I utter praise, when I bring the me from Eridug, when, in lordship, I am adorned with the crown like a purified shrine, when I place on my head the holy crown in Unug Kulaba, then may the …… of the great shrine bring me into the ĝipar, and may the …… of the ĝipar bring me into the great shrine. May the people marvel admiringly, and may Utu witness it in joy." (Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, lines 33-64)

In the passage above the city of Unug is simply Uruk, and Kulaba is another name for Uruk. The shrine of the abzu is the E-abzu, or Temple of the Abyss, also known as the E-Nun or Nun.ki, which means "Mighty Place." What we learn from this passage is that Enmerkar intended to build a temple for the goddess Inana in Uruk, and he also wanted to rebuild the shrine of the abzu located at Eridug that had been destroyed in the Flood. He says, "Build the great shrine for me... the abode of the gods... make the abzu grow for me like a holy mountain..." We know that this "great shrine" is located at Eridug because of what we read at the end of lines 470-499:

"...let them take the mountain stones, and rebuild for me the great shrine Eridug, the abzu, the E-nun; let them adorn its architrave for me ……. Let them make its protection spread over the Land for me."

It would be a "great shrine," an "abode of the gods", that was to be re-built in order to spread its protection over the Land on behalf of Enmerkar. Now some may notice that in the text above we are told that "mountain stones" were to be used to rebuild this "great shrine," yet aren't we told in Genesis 11:3-4 that the Tower of Babel was built with brick? The truth is that Nimrod's people built both a city and a tower, and both structures used a good deal of brick. In fact, within the story of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta there are seven references to "brick-built Kulaba." The city of Uruk was built with brick, but for the "great shrine" at Eridu it seems that Enmerkar also used stone that was quarried and brought down from Aratta. Here are some further words on the subject of Enmerkar and his Tower from British scholar David Rohl:

"The conquest of resource-rich Aratta was the culmination of Enmer's expansionist policy. By the end of his long reign the king of Uruk controlled much of Mesopotamia and had greatly enriched the cult centres of Sumer. He also controlled the donkey trade routes through the Zagros mountains and sea trade via the Persian Gulf. To the north, large heavily fortified colonies were established close to the main waterways and therefore connected the heart of the empire by means of fast-moving ships. Exotic goods and metals were pouring into the capital city of Uruk and, of course, Enmer's palace coffers. This really does make him the first potentate on Earth, just as the Genesis tradition states. In his guise of warrior-hero Enmer/Nimrod is remembered as the founder of the mightiest cities in Assyria and Babylonia, as well as a great builder in the old religious centres of Sumer." [3]

"[Nun.ki] is otherwise known as Eridu – the very first royal capital in Sumer and the residence of the god of the abyss, Enki. Indeed, it seems that the sacred precinct at Babylon was named after that original Nun.ki, even going so far as to call the temple dedicated to Marduk, E-sagila or the 'lofty house' and also known as the 'mooring post of heaven and earth', after the original tower temple at Eridu. So, the biblical Tower of Babel/Nun.ki was not the second millennium Old Babylonian ziggurat at Babylon but rather the prototype third millennium ziggurat built at Eridu/Nun.ki in the Late Uruk period." [4]

Enki, Lord of Eridu

Enmerkar's source of inspiration was the god Enki whom we have identified as the Sumerian representation of Satan, the leader of the fallen angels who defected from the family of God and descended to earth as part of their rebellion. In the story of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta Enki is the god who imparts his "wisdom" to Enmerkar while he is engaged in his building projects. This myth also seems to make a reference to the confusion that resulted from the creation of the different languages that took place at this time because of the Tower of Babel as told in the book of Genesis:

Once, then, there was no snake, there was no scorpion,
there was no hyena, there was no lion,
there was no wild dog, no wolf,
there was no fear, no terror:
human had no rival

Once, then, the lands of Shubur-Hamazi, polyglot Sumer,
that land great with the me [5] of overlordship,
Uri, the land with everything just so,
the land Martu, resting securely,

the whole world—
the people as one—to Enlil in one tongue gave voice.

Then did the contender—the en (Lord)
the contender—the master
the contender—the king
the contender—the en
the contender—the master
the contender—the king
Enki, en of hegal (Lord of Abundance),

the one with the unfailing words,
en of cunning, the shrewd one of the land,
sage of the gods, gifted in thinking,
the en of Eridu, (Lord of Eridug)

change the speech of their mouths,
he having set up contention in it,
in the human speech that had been one. [6]

The god Enki is a very suspicious character. He is the Lord of Eridug and the Lord of the Abyss, and throughout Sumerian myths he is described as the great friend and champion of mankind. He is the god of wisdom and the god of magic, and all of the Sumerian heroes relied upon him as their guide to bring them through their trials. The late great Sumerologist Samuel Noah Kramer referred to Enki as "the crafty god" in his hard-to-find study of Enki, which I believe is an intentional allusion to Genesis 3:1. In the final lines quoted above we see that it is Enki who claims responsibility for "changing the speech" and bringing "contention" to a human family that had once been "as one." The parallels with the Genesis account of the Tower of Babel are obvious and unmistakable.

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Taken from: http://www.redmoonrising.com/Giza/raiders4.htm