Ancient Mesopotamia Return to Eden Ancient History Documentary

Dieter Koch
15 Jun 201859:05

Summary

TLDRThis script explores the enduring legend of the Garden of Eden, tracing its roots through ancient civilizations like Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer in Mesopotamia. It delves into archaeological discoveries, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Moabite Stone, which provide historical evidence and insights into biblical narratives, shedding light on the origins of human civilization and the quest for faith.

Takeaways

  • 🌳 The Garden of Eden is a legendary story found in multiple civilizations, often associated with seduction, divine wrath, and the loss of paradise.
  • πŸ” The search for the Garden of Eden leads to Mesopotamia, a region that was home to some of the earliest human civilizations, including Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer.
  • 🌟 The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 is a significant event in biblical archaeology, providing the earliest known version of the Old Testament and sparking international interest and debate.
  • πŸ“œ The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered precious by both Jews and Christians, offering insights into a crucial period in Jewish history and being contemporaneous with John the Baptist and Jesus.
  • 🏺 The Bible has been read from both a sacred and historical perspective, with some books being recognized as excellent historical records due to their accuracy and corroboration with other sources.
  • πŸ›οΈ Archaeological efforts have been driven by a desire to confirm biblical history, with scholars using ancient artifacts like pottery, city walls, and weapons to illustrate biblical stories.
  • πŸ—Ώ The Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868, is an example of an archaeological find that confirmed a biblical story, providing written evidence of a battle also described in the Bible.
  • πŸ“š The Babylonian civilization, which influenced the Bible, was known for its diverse culture and significant innovations, including the first written legal code, Hammurabi's Code.
  • 🏰 Assyria, known for its ruthless military power, also contributed to biblical narratives and had a significant impact on the development of the Bible, particularly in the areas of law and governance.
  • πŸš€ The Sumerian civilization, often considered the first civilization on earth, introduced many foundational concepts like writing, government, and agriculture, and their stories, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, have parallels with biblical narratives.

Q & A

  • What is the significance of the Garden of Eden in various civilizations?

    -The Garden of Eden is an enduring legend found in many great civilizations, symbolizing a story of seduction, the wrath of God, and the loss of Paradise. It represents a place of origin and a lost utopia.

  • Why is the search for the Garden of Eden connected to Mesopotamia?

    -The search for the Garden of Eden leads to Mesopotamia because it is a region where the first seeds of human civilization were sown, and it was home to three of the greatest ancient civilizations: Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer.

  • What was the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947?

    -The Dead Sea Scrolls are significant because they include the earliest known version of the Old Testament, including the first five books known as the Torah. They provide a crucial historical and religious context for Judaism and Christianity.

  • Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls considered precious to both Jews and Christians?

    -The Dead Sea Scrolls are precious to Jews because they come from a crucial period in Jewish history. For Christians, they are important because they are contemporaneous with the times of John the Baptist and Jesus, offering insights into the historical context of their teachings.

  • What was the role of archaeology in the 19th century in relation to biblical history?

    -In the 19th century, archaeology was used to fortify belief in the Bible. It sought to prove the historical accuracy of biblical narratives by locating sites and finding artifacts that illustrated the stories from the Bible.

  • What was the significance of the Moabite Stone discovered in 1868?

    -The Moabite Stone was significant because it provided the first written confirmation of a story from the Bible, specifically the account of a battle also described in the Bible, offering tangible evidence of the Bible's historical accuracy.

  • How did the Babylonian captivity influence the development of the Bible?

    -The Babylonian captivity was a period when the Israelites were allowed to keep their own culture and religion. This environment led to the unification of Israel's oral tradition, new writings, and sacred texts into a single manuscript, effectively giving birth to the Bible as a written text.

  • What influence did Babylonian culture have on the Bible?

    -Babylonian culture profoundly influenced the Bible, reflecting stories and traditions from Babylon and earlier Mesopotamian civilizations. The cultural exchange in Babylon contributed to the development of the Bible's narratives and legal codes.

  • What is the connection between Hammurabi's code and biblical law?

    -Hammurabi's code, one of the earliest written legal codes, influenced the legal code in the Bible, particularly in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Concepts such as 'an eye for an eye' can be traced back to Hammurabi's laws.

  • How did the Assyrians impact the biblical narratives and the Israelites?

    -The Assyrians, known for their military might and efficient war machine, are depicted in the Bible as symbols of tyranny and oppression. Their attacks on the Israelites, such as the siege of Lachish, are recorded in the Bible and reflect the historical conflicts between the two cultures.

  • What is the significance of the Sumerian civilization in the context of the script?

    -The Sumerian civilization is significant as it represents the earliest known civilization, with innovations such as writing, the wheel, and city planning. Their stories, including the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Great Flood, predate and parallel biblical narratives, suggesting a shared cultural heritage.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 The Quest for Eden and Mesopotamian Civilizations

This paragraph introduces the enduring legend of the Garden of Eden and its prevalence in various civilizations. It suggests the possibility of the story having a basis in historical truth and leads the audience on a journey to Mesopotamia, a region where the earliest seeds of human civilization were sown. The narrative mentions the flourishing of ancient civilizations such as Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer, hinting at archaeological and historical evidence that might support the Biblical narratives. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper exploration into the historical foundations of these stories, beginning with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, which are significant for both Jews and Christians.

05:02

πŸ“œ The Dead Sea Scrolls and Biblical Archaeology

The paragraph delves into the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered by Bedouin shepherds near Qumran, east of Jerusalem. These ancient texts, written by the Essenes, include the earliest known version of the Old Testament and have sparked international interest and debate among scholars and theologians. The scrolls are precious for their historical accuracy and their connection to a crucial period in Jewish and Christian history. The paragraph also discusses the broader context of biblical archaeology, which aims to locate sites and evidence from the Bible, and the fervor with which scholars pursued these findings in the 19th century, leading to what was termed a 'biblical gold rush'.

10:04

🏺 The Historical Impact of Babylon on the Bible

This paragraph explores the influence of the Babylonian civilization on the development of the Bible. It discusses how the Israelites, during their captivity in Babylon, formalized their oral traditions into a written text, leading to the creation of the Bible as we know it. The paragraph highlights the cultural diversity of Babylon and how it shaped the religious texts, including the possible influence on the story of the Tower of Babel. It also touches on the Babylonian legal code of Hammurabi and its potential reflection in the biblical laws found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.

15:04

πŸ—‘οΈ Assyrian Dominance and Its Biblical Portrayal

The paragraph examines the Assyrian Empire, known for its military might and despotic rule, and its depiction in the Bible as a symbol of tyranny and oppression. It recounts the biblical story of King Sennacherib's attack on the Israelites, as described in the second book of Kings, and the subsequent Assyrian dominance in the region. The paragraph also discusses the archaeological discoveries in Assyria, including the palace of Nineveh and its library of clay tablets, which provide insights into Assyrian daily life and culture.

20:06

πŸ‘‘ Assyrian Queens and the Legacy of Nimrod

This paragraph focuses on the discovery of the ancient palace of Nimrod and the tomb of an Assyrian Queen, revealing the status and privilege of Assyrian queens in contrast to the limited status of ordinary women. The narrative describes the unearthing of a royal treasure, including jewelry and artifacts, which provides a glimpse into the opulence and craftsmanship of the Assyrian civilization. It also touches on the Assyrian King Sennacherib's military campaigns and the biblical account of the siege of Lachish.

25:06

🌊 The Great Flood: Sumerian and Biblical Accounts

The paragraph presents the story of the Great Flood as told in both the Bible and the ancient Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh. It discusses the similarities between the two accounts and highlights the discovery of Sumerian tablets that predate the Bible's version by at least 2,000 years. The paragraph also explores the Sumerian civilization, recognized as the first civilization on Earth, and its contributions to human progress, such as the invention of the wheel, writing, and the establishment of government.

30:07

πŸ™οΈ The Lost City of Ur and Woolley's Excavations

This paragraph narrates the story of the British archaeologist Leonard Woolley and his excavations in the lost city of Ur, once believed to be the birthplace of Abraham. Woolley's work brought to life the daily lives and innovations of the Sumerians through his detailed archaeological findings. The paragraph also discusses Woolley's claim of discovering evidence of the Biblical Flood in the form of a silt layer amidst the ruins, a claim that captured the public's imagination and contributed to the popular interest in archaeology.

35:08

πŸ›– The Royal Tombs of Ur and Woolley's Funeral Account

The paragraph describes Woolley's discovery of the royal tombs in Ur, which contained 74 skeletons, suggesting a mass burial possibly related to a royal funeral. Woolley's interpretation of the scene as a pre-dynastic royal funeral, where the court drank poison to accompany their prince in death, has become a significant account in archaeology. The paragraph emphasizes the sensational nature of this discovery and its contribution to our understanding of early civilization's funerary practices.

40:09

🐍 The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Search for Paradise

This paragraph connects the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh with the concept of paradise, suggesting that the story's paradise, known as Dilmun, may have been based on a real location. The narrative discusses the island of Bahrain as a possible candidate for Dilmun, once a lush island with abundant water and life, and compares it to the Biblical Garden of Eden. The paragraph also mentions the presence of snakes in the burial mounds of Bahrain, echoing the serpent's role in both the epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible.

45:10

πŸ“– The Dead Sea Scrolls Revisited and Biblical Archaeology's Quest

The final paragraph revisits the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, emphasizing their significance in Jewish and Christian history and their role in the historical validation of the Bible. The paragraph concludes the journey through Mesopotamian history by reflecting on the quest for the Garden of Eden and the exploration of the ancient civilizations of Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer. It highlights the ongoing efforts of biblical archaeology to uncover the historical foundations of religious beliefs and the profound mysteries of the Bible.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Garden of Eden

The 'Garden of Eden' is a biblical location described as a paradise where Adam and Eve lived before the fall of man. In the video, it symbolizes the search for the origins of human civilization and the quest for a historical or geographical basis for biblical stories. The script suggests that the legend of the Garden of Eden might be rooted in ancient Mesopotamian civilizations.

πŸ’‘Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, referred to as 'the land between the rivers' (Tigris and Euphrates), is where some of the earliest human civilizations emerged. The script positions Mesopotamia as the cradle of civilization and the possible location for the biblical Garden of Eden, linking it to the historical foundations of biblical narratives.

πŸ’‘Dead Sea Scrolls

The 'Dead Sea Scrolls' are a collection of Jewish texts discovered between 1947 and 1956, dating from the third century BCE to the first century CE. They include the oldest known copies of biblical texts, including the Torah. The script highlights the discovery's significance in verifying the historical accuracy of the Bible and its emotional and religious impact.

πŸ’‘Babylon

Babylon, as mentioned in the script, was an ancient city and the capital of Babylonia, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. It is associated with King Nebuchadnezzar and the biblical story of the Babylonian exile. The script suggests that Babylon had a profound influence on the development of the Bible and its legal codes.

πŸ’‘Assyria

Assyria was an ancient Mesopotamian kingdom known for its military power and the construction of the great city of Nineveh. In the script, Assyria is depicted as a brutal empire with a significant impact on biblical narratives, particularly in the context of the Israelites' captivity.

πŸ’‘Sumer

Sumer represents the earliest urban civilization in southern Mesopotamia, known for its innovations in writing, agriculture, and architecture. The script connects Sumer to the origins of civilization and the possible source of biblical stories, such as the Great Flood narrative.

πŸ’‘Hammurabi's Code

Hammurabi's Code is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world, dating back to about 1754 BCE. It is a set of laws that influenced legal systems, including those in the Bible. The script presents Hammurabi's Code as a precursor to biblical laws, showing the cultural exchange between Mesopotamia and the authors of the Bible.

πŸ’‘Moabite Stone

The 'Moabite Stone' is an inscribed stone stele that provides an account of a battle described in the Bible, offering one of the earliest corroborations of biblical events from an external source. The script recounts the discovery of the Moabite Stone as a significant event in biblical archaeology.

πŸ’‘Archaeology

Archaeology, as discussed in the script, is the scientific study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts. It is central to the video's theme as it provides evidence and context for biblical narratives, connecting them to the historical and geographical realities of ancient civilizations.

πŸ’‘Biblical Archaeology

Biblical Archaeology is a subfield of archaeology that focuses on the material evidence related to the Bible and the history of the ancient Near East. The script describes it as a quest to confirm the historical accuracy of biblical stories and to locate sites mentioned in the Bible, such as Jerusalem, Babylon, and Nineveh.

πŸ’‘Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, invented by the Sumerians. The script mentions cuneiform as the writing system found on clay tablets in the library of Nineveh, providing direct communication with the ancient world and insights into the daily life and culture of the Assyrians.

Highlights

The Garden of Eden is a recurring legend across civilizations, often associated with seduction, divine wrath, and lost paradise.

The search for the Garden of Eden leads to Mesopotamia, a region that cradled the first seeds of human civilization.

Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq, was home to the great civilizations of Babylon, Assyria, and Sumer.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947, are the earliest known version of the Old Testament, including the Torah.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls sparked international interest and debates among scholars and theologians.

The Bible has been read from both sacred and historical perspectives, with its historical accuracy being a subject of ongoing research.

Biblical archaeology began in the Holy Land and expanded to Mesopotamia, aiming to locate biblical sites and validate biblical narratives.

The Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868, provided the first written confirmation of a biblical story.

The Babylonian captivity led to the formalization of the Bible as a written text, influenced by Babylonian culture.

Babylon's influence on the Bible is evident in its legal codes, which predate the Israelites' captivity.

The Assyrian Empire, known for its brutal military, also contributed to the biblical narrative, particularly in the story of Sennacherib.

The discovery of the library of Nineveh revealed 22,000 clay tablets, providing direct communication with the ancient Assyrians.

Assyrian queens enjoyed great privilege, as evidenced by the treasure of Nimrod, discovered in 1989.

The Sumerians were the first civilization, inventing the wheel, government, and writing.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, discovered in Sumer, is the world's first written epic and predates the Bible's story of the Great Flood.

The Sumerian city of Ur, thought to be the birthplace of Abraham, was the site of significant archaeological discoveries.

The concept of paradise, like the Garden of Eden, is a universal theme found in various cultures and legends.

The island of Bahrain, once lush and abundant, is suggested as a possible location for the Garden of Eden.

Transcripts

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[Music]

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the Garden of Eden our most enduring

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legend a story found in one great

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civilization after another

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a story of seduction

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[Music]

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the wrath of God

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and Paradise Lost

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but is it merely a fable is there

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evidence the great stories of the Bible

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might be true

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was there ever really such a place as

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even

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today the search for the Garden of Eden

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leads us to a dry and desolate land to a

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place called Mesopotamia

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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this is the land where the first seeds

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of human civilization were sown and it

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was here that three of the greatest

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civilizations of the ancient world

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flourished Babylon Assyria and Sumer

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among their ruins the faithful of long

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sought answers to the Bible's most

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profound mysteries while archaeologists

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scoured these lands for the historical

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foundations of belief our quest for Eden

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as a journey back in time first to

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Babylon

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the last of these lost civilizations

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then further into the past to the

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Assyrians fierce masters of the art of

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war

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and finally to a moment in the past so

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distant only Eden could have preceded it

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to Sumer

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and the creation of civilization itself

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the great arc of the Fertile Crescent

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over the course of more than 6,000 years

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this rich land cradled between the

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Tigris and Euphrates rivers gave birth

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to the first great civilizations the

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Greeks called it Mesopotamia

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we call it Iraq by peeling back the

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layers of history here we can trace the

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origins of our oldest stories and travel

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back to the deepest roots of faith our

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journey begins on the western edge of

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Mesopotamia in Israel a chance discovery

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in 1947 would rivet the world's

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attention to archaeology and to the

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Bible to Bedouin shepherds are moving a

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herd of goats along the cliffs of Qumran

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a few miles east of Jerusalem in the

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sun-baked desert they noticed a small

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cave obscured by a rocky slope

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curious one begins to climb it's not

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uncommon for ancient and valuable

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artifacts to be found along these Bluffs

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inside the cave the Shepherd discovers

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the wreckage of ancient pots leather

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scroll fragments and some papyrus sheets

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all untouched since the time of Jesus

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these writings by an obscure Jewish sect

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called the Essenes would come to be

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known throughout the world as the Dead

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Sea Scrolls in surrounding caves

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hundreds of ancient scrolls would

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eventually be unearthed one of them

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would prove to be the earliest known

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version of the Old Testament including

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the crucial first five books known to

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the Jews as the Torah the Dead Sea

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scrolls instantly became the focus of a

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tremendous international uproar as

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scholars and theologians fought over

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their ownership and their meaning and

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their sensation was outstanding this was

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described as one of the most outstanding

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archaeological finds anywhere so they're

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very precious to the Jews because that

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Jewish had come from a very crucial

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period in Jewish history they're very

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precious to the Christians because

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they're contemporaneous with John the

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Baptist's in Jesus and so on so they are

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very informative but beyond that we have

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a great emotional attachment to this

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library the Bible has always been a book

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read from two points of view the sacred

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and the historical a traditional Torah

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is always written by hand the words are

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read aloud as the scribe writes so they

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become a living prayer and each Torah is

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considered holy from the moment it is

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written nay an hakeem but the historical

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accuracy of the Bible has never been so

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easily confirmed it's an effort that

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continues to this day

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deny some of the books of the Bible are

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excellent historical books as a matter

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of fact the earliest historical books

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that we have and quite accurate because

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we have cross references from

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sources and they are found to be most

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very precise so they are very important

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the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

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was the most famous event in biblical

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archaeology but it was by no means the

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first the urge to explore biblical

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history has a venerable tradition it's a

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search that began in the Holy Land but

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would lead to Mesopotamia

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throughout history Crusaders mystics and

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believers have been drawn to sites where

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the great Bible stories took place but

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with the arrival of the 19th century a

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new kind of pilgrim sought to fortify

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their belief in the Bible through the

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infant science of archaeology surely

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there could be no greater confirmation

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of their faith than to prove that

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biblical history was true the first aim

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of the biblical archaeologists was to

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locate sites mentioned prominently in

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the biblical narratives and to see if

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any illustration of those tales could be

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found to use the ancient pottery the

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ancient city walls the ancient weapons

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as illustrations of biblical stories

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that all of them had been taught from

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their childhood

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[Music]

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fueled by the excitement of early finds

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scholars from all over the world raced

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to stake out claims and a kind of

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biblical gold rush

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[Music]

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competing British German and French

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archaeologists descended on the Holy

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Land

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teams of theological detectives digging

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for both God and country

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[Music]

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the prestige of each of the European

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nations in the Holy Land was measured by

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the kind of biblical discoveries that

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they were uncovering and one of the most

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intense diplomatic and political battles

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that occurred in the history of Biblical

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Archaeology was the discovery of the

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famous Moabite stone in 1868 deep in the

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land of Moab Bedouins zuv the bonny

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Hamid a tribe stumbled onto a mysterious

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stone tablet buried in the desert the

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tribesmen were no strangers to the

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antiquities of the area or to their

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value to Europeans the first Westerner

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to hear of the curious black stone was

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the Reverend Frederick Augustus Cline he

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immediately set off through the bandit

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infested wasteland accompanied only by a

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few bedouin guides Cline was a

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missionary not an archaeologist when he

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first saw the peculiar basalt carving he

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felt a rush of excitement suspecting the

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black tablet might confirm his deepest

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held beliefs

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he examined the stone and made a rough

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impression of the inscription it was in

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a language Klein didn't recognize

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back in Jerusalem he sought help

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deciphering the stone as news of the

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find began to spread the streets and

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bazaars buzzed with rumours of a great

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discovery the writing on the stone

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proved to be a Moabite Kings account of

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a battle also described in the Bible for

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the first time ever here was written

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confirmation itched in stone of a story

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from the Bible two sources for the same

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event for the faithful it was the proof

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they'd been looking for concrete

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evidence of the Bible's historical

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accuracy

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[Music]

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many sought to buy the stone but the

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Bedouin had reason to be wearing in the

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past they'd been cheated even robbed by

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European treasure hunters assuming that

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anything so highly prized by Europeans

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must contain gold they dumped the stone

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into a fire in an attempt to break it

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apart as fire heated the stone they

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poured water over it again and again

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until finally it exploded

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they found no gold and the stone was

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destroyed the first archaeological

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confirmation of a Bible story the first

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corroborating evidence ever found in the

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Holy Land was shattered the loss of the

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stone was devastating but it didn't end

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the biblical treasure hunt

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now that the Bible itself was verified

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as history it pointed the way even

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further into the past back more than

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2500 years ago to a great Empire ruled

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from Babylon to the very moment the

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Bible itself was born

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the year is 586 BC the armies of

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Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon descend

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on Jerusalem with the wrath of an angry

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god it is almost 6 centuries before the

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birth of Christ the Romans have not yet

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even dreamed of Empire it is a dark

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chapter in the history of the Jews while

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babylons fierce star is rising the Bible

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describes the Babylonian attack homes

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are pillaged King Solomon's Temple is

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set ablaze and utterly destroyed

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10,000 Israelite captives princes

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soldiers artisans and scribes all are

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led to Babylon in Chains the Israelites

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crossed more than 500 miles of desert

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following ancient trade routes across

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modern-day Jordan Syria and Iraq to

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Babylon in Psalms 137 the Israelites

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lament by the rivers of Babylon there we

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sat down and wept when we remembered

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Zion how shall we sing the Lord's song

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in a foreign land

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broken and exhausted the Israelites

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entered Babylon in awe of his scope and

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frenzy torn from the modest city of

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Jerusalem they beheld the majestic

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capital of the ancient world

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[Music]

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but somehow the Israelites managed to do

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more than singing the Lord's song in

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this foreign land they also wrote it

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down if you look at any piece of oral

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literature and then you write it down

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you're formalizing it you're immediately

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setting down a text which people can

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criticize or can say this is the truth

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everything else is wrong that I think is

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the biggest effect of writing down the

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Bible or the Old Testament today the

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reconstructed walls surrounding Babylon

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are stamped with the name Saddam Hussein

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but once the bricks bore another name

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King Nebuchadnezzar

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[Music]

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this was a land of many gods and pagan

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idols an unlikely birthplace for one of

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the world's most sacred texts yet

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babylons great diversity created the

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perfect climate and they come into this

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cause important and bound even the most

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educated among them and literate among

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them were being bombarded with direct

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contact with other people and I mean

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other people the Israelites found

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themselves in a melting pot of different

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races and languages conflicting gods and

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alien demons what city is this the book

play15:12

of Revelation would ask clothed in

play15:14

purple and scarlet and decked with gold

play15:16

and pearls the habitation of devils and

play15:20

the hold of every foul spirit Babylon

play15:24

the great mother of harlots and the

play15:26

abominations of the earth

play15:29

but among all the abominations even

play15:32

perhaps because of them this was where

play15:34

the Bible first became a book threatened

play15:39

by an overwhelming new culture Hebrew

play15:41

scribes were desperate to preserve and

play15:43

solidified Jewish identity over three

play15:47

generations of captivity the scribes

play15:50

unified Israel's oral tradition new

play15:52

writings and sacred texts into a single

play15:55

manuscript the Bible was born

play15:58

fortunately for them

play16:00

the Babylonians were pretty liberal they

play16:04

allowed to them to keep their own

play16:06

culture their own religion to study

play16:09

their own books this is what preserved

play16:11

the Bible to this very day but as the

play16:16

books of the Bible came together over

play16:18

the long years of Exile Babylonian

play16:21

culture would profoundly influence the

play16:23

work of the Israelite scribes useful

play16:26

fairly literate people I suspect many of

play16:28

the people who went into exile and

play16:29

scribes talked to scribes and I'm sure

play16:32

that was how a lot of information was

play16:34

transmitted and the exchange of ideas

play16:38

and knowledge must have been I would use

play16:40

the word devastating it must have been

play16:42

mind-blowing the Bible would eventually

play16:46

reflect stories and traditions from

play16:48

Babylon and even earlier Mesopotamian

play16:52

civilizations the Israelites couldn't

play16:56

easily ignore babylons thriving culture

play16:59

and great monuments

play17:01

it's temples were among the largest

play17:03

structures in the ancient world big

play17:06

public buildings the ceremonial walkway

play17:10

Palace of Nebuchadnezzar with its

play17:12

legendary Hanging Gardens armed trees

play17:15

gorillas if you had walked through the

play17:19

Ishtar Gate you would have felt the

play17:22

wolfed and this was delivered you were

play17:25

in the presence of something powerful

play17:29

but on all sides of it was the city the

play17:35

people the commoners narrow winding

play17:39

alleyways rows and rows of small stores

play17:43

donkeys brain crowds of people walking

play17:47

[Music]

play17:48

small closely met quarters teeming with

play17:52

life

play17:59

and it was here the Bible tells us that

play18:02

one of Antiquities most extraordinary

play18:04

monuments soared into the sky the Tower

play18:07

of Babel for ages adventurers and

play18:12

pilgrims hoped that finding the famous

play18:15

Tower would prove the truth of Bible

play18:17

stories one seeker who failed would

play18:20

write no man Durst go near to the tower

play18:23

for it is all desert and full of dragons

play18:27

and great serpents and full of diverse

play18:30

venomous beasts medieval travelers

play18:35

claimed they had found the tower this

play18:37

spiral minaret still standing in

play18:39

northern Iraq

play18:45

but they were wrong this tower was built

play18:47

1,500 years too late and far from the

play18:51

walls of Babylon perhaps the most

play18:54

intriguing possibility was posed by

play18:56

Robert called away a German

play18:58

archaeologist in the early 1900's he

play19:02

discovered a rectangular ditch with only

play19:04

a few ancient bricks remaining many

play19:07

experts believe called away had found

play19:09

all that survives of the famous Tower

play19:14

Babylon's great monuments made a strong

play19:17

impression of the biblical scribes but

play19:20

her most enduring legacy surviving to

play19:23

this day is a Babylonian innovation far

play19:26

more impressive still the rule of law

play19:30

Babylon was the first civilization on

play19:32

earth to have a written legal code the

play19:36

original carved stone is an astonishing

play19:39

relic lost for hundreds of years it

play19:42

would emerge in the late 19th century a

play19:45

stone engraved with one of the most

play19:47

important legal documents of all time

play19:51

twelve hundred years before the

play19:53

Israelites were taken captive a

play19:54

Babylonian King had this stone carved

play19:57

with the laws that bear his name

play19:59

Hammurabi's code these writings can be

play20:03

read as precursors to the legal code in

play20:05

Exodus Leviticus and Deuteronomy in

play20:08

societies where knowledge and law is

play20:12

transmitted orally and dealt with orally

play20:15

precedent is terribly important when he

play20:18

got written down the people who wrote it

play20:20

down had immense power Hammurabi's code

play20:23

has influenced nearly every civilization

play20:26

since Babylon today even some of its

play20:29

more primitive methods of judgment

play20:31

survived virtually intact Hammurabi

play20:35

described a ritual called the ordeal a

play20:37

painful even deadly test of guilt or

play20:41

innocence in some remote Bedouin tribes

play20:44

the ordeal is still practiced much as it

play20:47

was in the time of Hammurabi in this

play20:50

rare footage a holy man called the

play20:52

mabashi will judge the accused by

play20:54

examining their tongues after they lick

play20:56

a red-hot

play21:02

[Music]

play21:08

these men have been accused of theft

play21:11

they must submit to the ordeal for be

play21:14

found guilty by default family members

play21:17

look on anxiously as the young men

play21:19

prepare themselves for the painful

play21:21

ritual come little Turkey will be

play21:32

Netherlands how much they're getting

play21:34

little there was the National are you

play21:45

water doesn't ease the pain it's meant

play21:48

to cleanse and purify the drinker and -

play21:51

ready him for judgement the holy man

play21:55

prays and then examines the singed

play21:58

tongues seeking a sign from God

play22:01

only the mabashi can divine guilt or

play22:04

innocence and he alone will determine

play22:06

the men's fate at last a verdict one man

play22:15

is found innocent to the great relief of

play22:17

his family the other is not as fortunate

play22:21

declared guilty he will be fined for his

play22:24

crime the ordeal is an intriguing

play22:29

modern-day echo of hammurabi but his

play22:32

laws reach even more directly into the

play22:34

present through the Bible

play22:45

thou shalt not bear false witness

play22:48

against a guy

play22:50

the ten commandments the foundation of

play22:54

biblical law and yet only the beginning

play22:58

of a complex set of codes and covenants

play23:01

central to the Old Testament

play23:02

[Music]

play23:12

and in these laws the clear voice of

play23:15

Hammurabi can still be heard Hammurabi

play23:19

set down laws he didn't innovate a great

play23:22

deal he nearly set down inviting laws

play23:24

which had operated by president for

play23:28

hundreds if not thousands of years an

play23:30

eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth and

play23:32

principles like this many of which is

play23:33

still codified in law today but the

play23:40

babylon that shaped the bible and its

play23:42

laws had its roots in an even earlier

play23:44

civilization one that reached its peak

play23:47

seven centuries before Christ it was the

play23:50

brutal Empire of Assyria a place the

play23:52

Bible called

play23:53

a land bathed in blood

play24:00

[Music]

play24:03

deadliest of all Mesopotamian armies to

play24:06

sweep through the ancient world were the

play24:08

Assyrians in the Bible they are the

play24:12

ultimate symbol of bloody tyranny and

play24:14

ruthless oppression

play24:22

[Music]

play24:25

a hundred years before Nebuchadnezzar

play24:27

took the Israelites captive in Babylon

play24:29

the Bible tells us the Assyrian King

play24:32

Sennacherib attacked the lands of the

play24:34

Israelites

play24:39

in the second book of Kings the Bible

play24:42

says behold with the kings of Assyria

play24:44

have done to our lands destroying them

play24:48

utterly

play24:54

the Assyrians were ruled by despotic

play24:59

Kings they believed in absolute power

play25:02

now absolute power means crooks law and

play25:06

absolute power almost invariably is kept

play25:10

in power by military efficiency and

play25:13

might and the 'silly ins maintained an

play25:16

enormous ly powerful and efficient war

play25:21

machine and on the walls of the city and

play25:23

King's palaces were the Chronicles of

play25:27

some of our expeditions written in

play25:29

vainglorious grandiloquent terms the

play25:34

Assyrians

play25:35

they would take a city and they would

play25:37

stack up the heads of the leading

play25:39

citizens outside the gate or they would

play25:41

take the king of the of the city and

play25:43

Flay him alive and nail his skin to the

play25:45

wall or something like that but

play25:47

everybody did that Assyrian power

play25:50

symbolized by the Royal lion hunt lay in

play25:53

the hands of merciless warrior kings

play25:57

[Music]

play26:03

even the Bible betrays grudging

play26:06

admiration behold of the Assyrian under

play26:09

his shadow dwelt all great nation

play26:12

Ezekiel 31 when the city of Rome was in

play26:15

its infancy Assyria was the greatest

play26:18

empire in the world for more than a

play26:24

thousand years details of Assyrian

play26:26

civilization were few even its great

play26:29

capital city of Nineveh was unknown to

play26:31

the modern world

play26:32

then in 1852 these desolate ruins were

play26:37

explored by British archaeologist Austen

play26:39

Henry Layard what Laird found here in

play26:43

northern Iraq was nothing less than the

play26:46

royal palace of Nineveh an unspoiled

play26:49

treasure of Assyrian civilization

play26:53

tunneling like a miner through the earth

play26:55

layered uncovered great winged balls and

play26:58

spectacular artistry hidden from human

play27:01

view for a millennium the world was

play27:04

stunned and excited by his breakthrough

play27:07

Nineveh was another biblical city found

play27:10

yet more confirmation of the Bible's

play27:12

historical accuracy but the most

play27:16

momentous of Layard discoveries was the

play27:18

great library of Nineveh an

play27:22

extraordinary collection of 22,000 clay

play27:25

tablets inscribed with the cuneiform

play27:27

writing of the Assyrians the only direct

play27:32

communication that we have with the

play27:34

people in the ancient world really is

play27:35

what they left behind in their writings

play27:37

we can know from that what they ate what

play27:40

their medical treatments were what their

play27:42

family life was like what their politics

play27:45

was like how they viewed religion

play27:47

details of Assyrian daily life reveal a

play27:50

patriarchal society a world where

play27:52

commoners and especially women had

play27:54

little status every assyrian woman once

play27:57

in her early life before marriage would

play28:00

go to the temple of Ishtar and she would

play28:02

sit on the steps and she would wait

play28:04

there until some man came along and

play28:06

dropped a coin on the hem of her dress

play28:09

and then she would go inside with him

play28:11

and do her thing and that was it

play28:13

yet in this despotic world there was a

play28:16

kind of justice in marriage even a wife

play28:19

had certain rights

play28:20

the woman could specify in her marriage

play28:23

contract that her husband would have no

play28:26

other wives

play28:27

she might specify that he could have all

play28:29

the prostitutes he wanted but no

play28:31

otherwise

play28:33

but if ordinary women had only limited

play28:35

status recent discoveries reveal

play28:37

Assyrian Queens enjoyed great privilege

play28:41

in 1989 the ancient palace of Nimrod in

play28:46

northern Iraq set the stage for a

play28:48

startling find experts called it the

play28:51

most significant discovery since King

play28:53

Tut's tomb

play28:54

the treasure of Nimrod while we were

play28:57

cleaning some of the rooms we discovered

play29:00

that there are some indications for

play29:02

revolting underneath the floor we took

play29:07

everything out and we tried to sort it

play29:12

and we discovered that we have here the

play29:17

bodies of at least two Queens solid gold

play29:22

bracelets still adorned there bones

play29:24

a royal treasure entombed more than

play29:28

2,000 years ago this remarkable footage

play29:31

shot by Iraqi archaeologists is an

play29:35

exclusive record of their extraordinary

play29:37

discoveries for the very first time the

play29:41

tomb of an Assyrian Queen had been

play29:44

uncovered intact the royal Sepulchre

play29:48

still displayed a curse to protect its

play29:50

occupants should anyone break open the

play29:53

seal and remove me from my tomb let his

play29:57

spirit roam in thirst under the bitter

play30:00

rays of the Sun and may the great gods

play30:03

of the underworld in

play30:04

his corpse and ghosts with eternal

play30:07

restlessness ignoring the curse

play30:11

archaeologists excavated more than a

play30:13

hundred and twenty-five pounds of

play30:15

beautifully crafted jewelry crystal

play30:19

goblets and exquisite carvings the

play30:24

ancient Assyrians were master

play30:26

Goldsmith's and artisans but the value

play30:29

of this treasure far exceeds its worth

play30:31

and gold in death Assyrian queens were

play30:36

lavished with riches but in life it was

play30:39

her kings who forged history Kings with

play30:42

a taste for Empire in the year 701 BC

play30:48

King Sennacherib and his army struck out

play30:51

across the desert toward the

play30:52

Mediterranean Sea the bold Assyrians

play30:57

were determined to conquer all that lay

play30:59

in their path the cities of Judah

play31:02

including Jerusalem and it's rebellious

play31:05

King Hezekiah fortress after fortress

play31:09

fell to the Assyrians but it was the

play31:11

city of Lachish whose brutal destruction

play31:13

is best recorded in the historical

play31:15

record and in the Bible

play31:19

the siege of Lachish is a beautiful

play31:22

example of how an Assyrian army

play31:24

descended on a city surrounded it

play31:27

besieged it reduced it and took away its

play31:30

inhabitants to slavery those that were

play31:33

not executed men women and children

play31:41

their technique was very simple it was

play31:44

brutal conquest fast-moving conquest

play31:46

systematic efficient conquest and on the

play31:50

best beliefs in Assyrian palaces you see

play31:52

the siege engines the soldiers moving up

play31:55

the mounds or the shields above them

play31:57

protecting them from the debris thrown

play31:58

down below but they had no hope in hell

play32:00

those guys were professional soldiers it

play32:03

was a machine from the capital city of

play32:07

Jerusalem King Hezekiah knew an Assyrian

play32:09

attack was inevitable he raced to

play32:13

fortify the city and ordered an

play32:15

underground aqueducts dug a desperate

play32:18

effort to protect the city's water

play32:20

supply in the face of a siege as a

play32:22

kaya's plan worked the Bible tells us

play32:25

the Lord saved Jerusalem and the king of

play32:28

Assyria returneth shamefaced

play32:30

to his own land

play32:34

Sennacherib version of the conflict was

play32:37

found on a clay prism unearthed in

play32:39

Nineveh

play32:39

it matches the Bible story down to the

play32:42

smallest details but it's point of view

play32:44

is sharply different but as for his

play32:47

Akaya the Jew who did not bow down in

play32:50

submission to my yoke 46 of his strong

play32:52

world towns I besieged and conquered the

play32:55

awful splendor of my lordship

play32:57

overwhelmed him stories are told from

play33:01

different angles but they are in

play33:05

agreement if you will have to tell about

play33:09

what happened today and I'll have to

play33:10

tell will tell different stories

play33:11

we have the story of Sennacherib

play33:14

invading to this country each tells

play33:18

basically about the same story Levant

play33:21

with absolutely no contradictions no

play33:25

contradictions but one the result in

play33:28

Sanok rubs version Hezekiah is shut up

play33:31

in Jerusalem like a caged bird but in

play33:34

the Bible the Assyrian armies are held

play33:37

back by Jerusalem's walls it is perhaps

play33:40

the earliest example of spin-doctors at

play33:42

work the god of the Israelites has the

play33:46

last word I will break the Assyrian in

play33:49

my land the Bible says for through the

play33:51

voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be

play33:53

beaten down Isaiah chapter 6

play33:57

and the Bible tells us God does destroy

play34:01

Nineveh throne of the greatest Syrian

play34:03

kings it wasn't the first such

play34:06

annihilation long before the Almighty

play34:09

had laid waste an entire civilization

play34:12

there is not a single mention of their

play34:15

name in the Bible but they were called

play34:17

Sumer and they told the story of a great

play34:20

flood

play34:25

it's one of the most familiar of all

play34:28

Bible stories the saga of Noah's Ark

play34:34

an angry god a wooden boat

play34:37

I tell you

play34:40

[Music]

play34:42

it's the story of Noah and his family

play34:44

escaping to the ark with every species

play34:46

of animal and surviving the punishing

play34:49

flood while the rest of mankind is

play34:52

destroyed it's a primal tale stirring

play34:58

our deepest hopes and fears a story

play35:02

found in the Bible but also in another

play35:05

ancient text a text discovered in the

play35:08

ruins of Sumer early this century a

play35:15

group of Mesopotamian tablets were

play35:17

translated they revealed the earliest

play35:20

known legend of a cataclysmic flood the

play35:23

world's very first written epic it is

play35:26

the story of the mythic King Gilgamesh

play35:28

his tale of a Great Flood predates the

play35:32

Bible's by at least 2,000 years for

play35:36

seven days and seven nights the flood

play35:39

had slipped over the lag and the huge

play35:42

boat had been tossed about by the storms

play35:45

boat then ones around on a mountain he

play35:49

sends out birds which is the story which

play35:52

has an eerie similarity to the story of

play35:54

the Biblical Flood it's a wonderful

play35:56

story more than 5000 years ago the story

play36:01

of the Great Flood was first told here

play36:03

in the ancient cities of Sumer Baroque

play36:06

era do and er in Sumer we find the first

play36:11

of almost everything that makes us

play36:13

civilized they invented the wheel

play36:15

government and gardening Sumer the first

play36:20

civilization on earth in a land without

play36:24

stone they devised mud bricks like those

play36:28

still made and used today

play36:30

and from these simple building blocks

play36:33

they erected the first great monuments

play36:35

called ziggurats towering temples

play36:38

soaring hundreds of feet into the air

play36:40

the Sumerians invented the 62nd minute

play36:43

and even the troubled teenager where did

play36:46

you go I didn't go anywhere if you

play36:49

didn't go anywhere of why do you idle

play36:50

about go to school stand before your

play36:53

teacher recite your homework

play36:54

write your tablet do you understand me

play36:59

we know about the Sumerians they're

play37:03

startling innovations and their everyday

play37:05

lives thanks to their most impressive

play37:07

invention writing we know their ancient

play37:10

legends and their intimate secrets

play37:12

because someone wrote them down it was

play37:15

something no one had ever done before

play37:19

it's a window but it's a window that's

play37:21

composed of many panes some of which we

play37:23

can see through and some of it recount

play37:25

we we lack much more than we have so

play37:29

well what we have is spectacular in some

play37:31

cases we always have to bear in mind

play37:32

that there are parts of the daily lives

play37:34

of people that we can never see and

play37:36

which we may never see because they're

play37:39

people that those writing the tablets

play37:41

didn't care about 5,000 years ago

play37:44

someone etched their stories into clay

play37:47

providing us with a glimpse of the world

play37:49

in the first blush of civilization as a

play37:52

people the Sumerians were in some ways

play37:55

much like ourselves they are concerned

play37:57

about meeting other people and drinking

play37:59

beer and so on and there are several

play38:02

collections of poems which relate the

play38:05

preparations of a woman for her lover

play38:07

and how she dresses and waits for her

play38:09

lover to come

play38:12

the center of Sumerian civilization was

play38:15

the lost city of or once thought to be

play38:18

the birthplace of Abraham first of the

play38:21

Bible's patriarchs

play38:26

it is the epitome of the biblical city

play38:29

and archaeological terms because it was

play38:31

the site of one of the most famous

play38:33

archeological digs ever carried out in

play38:35

the 1920s and 30s by a remarkable

play38:38

British archeologist called Leonard

play38:40

Woolley a British archeologist once

play38:44

described archaeology as the science of

play38:47

a rubbish which is so true

play38:53

but give me the archaeologists who can

play38:56

make the stones and the bones and bricks

play38:59

and the pots come alive then Emily was

play39:03

like that he would take people on a tour

play39:05

of a small quarter of her of the

play39:09

quarries where the house foundations are

play39:11

exposed and as you walk through he would

play39:13

talk about the lives of the people who

play39:15

lived in these houses talk about the

play39:17

ovens the sills the low ceilings the

play39:21

furniture and her in what his hands came

play39:26

alive

play39:31

well he dubbed this enormous pit and he

play39:34

went down to the city and it got smaller

play39:35

and smaller and then there was this deep

play39:38

sterile layer of silt and Willie himself

play39:43

recounts how his wife came over looked

play39:45

at it and she was a rather casual lady

play39:48

in some ways and doc didn't said no well

play39:51

of course that's the flood and the

play39:53

lights went off and Willie claimed that

play39:56

this was evidence of the Biblical Flood

play39:59

and it captured the popular imagination

play40:02

what did it do it brought in money and

play40:05

uh was a dig that was sold brilliantly

play40:08

[Music]

play40:11

speculation about the biblical flood

play40:13

caused a sensation even without solid

play40:16

proof It was as if science and the Bible

play40:19

had united in the Bleak desert of

play40:21

southern Iraq

play40:24

Willie would eventually unearth an

play40:27

indisputable treasure a discovery that

play40:30

provided extraordinary insight into this

play40:32

earliest of civilizations the royal

play40:35

tombs of or digging in the thick mud

play40:39

wooly uncovered 74 carefully arranged

play40:42

skeletons all entombed at the same time

play40:46

the burial told the shocking story of a

play40:49

king's final journey into the afterlife

play40:51

and of those who accompanied him and

play40:53

from this he developed a remarkable

play40:56

story of a pre-dynastic royal funeral

play40:59

and his story went something like this

play41:04

first a dad was big hit with Wham

play41:07

on one side in the pit they erected a

play41:12

Sepulcher a stone

play41:15

in which the body the while personnage

play41:19

was placed

play41:33

then the entire court filed into the pit

play41:44

everybody lined up and stood there with

play41:48

two clay pots in their hands and then it

play41:52

was sick they all drank poison

play42:18

lay down and died

play42:22

so the prince went to his grave

play42:26

accompanied by all his retainers

play42:36

this has become one of the great

play42:39

discovery is one of the great funeral

play42:41

accounts of archaeology and early

play42:43

history the discovery of the grave pizza

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door was a triumph of archaeology

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revealing ancient secrets of the first

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civilization but science alone can take

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us only so far where the trail ends

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the epic of gilgamesh provides the final

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tantalizing clues clues leading us back

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to a garden and a place some called

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paradise

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a Garden of Eden in the beginning God

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created the world it's a familiar story

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you get these sort of creation myths in

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almost every society on earth it's a

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really compelling longing of people for

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a better world gardens of Eden paradises

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are people's longing for the less

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complicated life or a life of years or a

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reward for having worked so hard in the

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ancient Sumerian epic of gilgamesh the

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name given to paradise as doorman

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it's a place beyond the edge of normal

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human habitation because how it features

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in the Cimmerian like me that's where

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the flood survivor goes to live and

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there are other myths which feature

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Dillman as a place where everything was

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perfect Gillman figures in Mesopotamian

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legend as a sort of Garden of Eden was a

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sort of paradise a place verdant green

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and abundant water and cool winds and

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breezes it is a place of wonder a

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perfect place

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yet it is also home to a serpent

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in the ancient epic the snake steals

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away the flower that bestows immortality

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and so like Adam Gilgamesh must leave

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the garden and die the idea of paradise

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seems Universal but what is it based on

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was there ever really such a place the

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clues point to an enchanted yet very

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real location 400 miles south of the

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ancient Sumerian city of war lies the

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island of Bahrain a pivotal marketplace

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on the trade routes across the arid

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desert sand salt seas of Mesopotamia

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today Bahrain is something less than

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paradise

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but it was once lush once this island

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had abundant water and thus abundant

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life once long ago this was Dillman but

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was it paradise

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[Music]

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by comparison to the surrounding desert

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it would certainly have seemed so there

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was so much water here that what is now

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a desert island bloomed it was a garden

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bearing lush fruit and there were people

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here who apparently led a blessed life

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more than 85,000 burial mounds dot this

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landscape probably the most in any one

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location in the ancient world the

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ancient bones tell us these people were

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taller and healthier and they lived

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longer than anyone else in the region

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and in the burial mounds is one more

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astonishing clue the remains of snakes

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ritually embalm dat some lost moment

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more than 4,000 years ago

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here in Bahrain we find the serpent just

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as we found it in the epic of gilgamesh

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and just as we found it in the Bible

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our journey back in time has crossed the

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lands for the Babylonians the Assyrians

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and the ancient Sumerians once walked

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the earth is it possible to venture even

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farther to the land that conceals the

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very footsteps of Adam

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here faith and reason must part company

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we now know there was once an island

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garden in Mesopotamia we may choose to

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believe it was paradise

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[Music]

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[Music]

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[Music]

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[Music]

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[Music]

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and a few miles east of Jerusalem

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in the sun-baked desert they notice a

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small cave obscured by a rocky slope

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curious one begins to climb it's not

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uncommon for ancient and valuable

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artifacts to be found along these Bluffs

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inside the cave the Shepherd discovers

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the wreckage of ancient pots leather

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scroll fragments and some papyrus sheets

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all untouched since the time of Jesus

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these writings by an obscure Jewish sect

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called the Essenes would come to be

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known throughout the world as the Dead

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Sea Scrolls in surrounding caves

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hundreds of ancient scrolls would

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eventually be unearthed one of them

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would prove to be the earliest known

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version of the Old Testament including

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the crucial first five books known to

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the Jews as the Torah the Dead Sea

play51:00

scrolls instantly became the focus of a

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tremendous international uproar as

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scholars and theologians fought over

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their ownership and their meaning and

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their sensation was outstanding this was

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described as one of the most outstanding

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archaeological finds anywhere so they're

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very precious to the Jews because that

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Jewish come from a very crucial period

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in Jewish history

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they are very precious to the Christians

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because they're contemporaneous with

play51:29

John the Baptist's in Jesus and so on so

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Dov

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the first aim of the biblical

play51:36

archaeologists was to locate sites

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mentioned prominently in the biblical

play51:42

narratives and to see if any

play51:44

illustration of those tales could be

play51:47

found to use the ancient pottery the

play51:51

ancient city walls the ancient weapons

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as illustrations of biblical stories

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that all of them had been taught from

play51:58

their childhood fueled by the excitement

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of early finds scholars from all over

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the world raced to stake out claims and

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a kind of biblical gold rush

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[Music]

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competing British German and French

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archaeologists descended on the Holy

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Land

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teams of theological detectives digging

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for both God and country

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[Music]

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the prestige of each of the European

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nations in the Holy Land was measured by

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the kind of biblical discoveries that

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they were uncovering and one of the most

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intense diplomatic and political battles

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that occurred in the history of Biblical

play52:54

Archaeology was the discovery of the

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famous Moabite stone in 1868 deep in the

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land of Moab better ones of the Bonnie

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Hama de tribe

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stumbled onto a mysterious stone tablet

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buried in the desert the tribesmen were

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no strangers to the antiquities of the

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area or to their value to Europeans the

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first Westerner to hear of the curious

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black stone was the Reverend Frederick

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Augustus Klein he immediately set off

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through the

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[Music]

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the Garden of Eden our most enduring

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legend a story found in one great

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civilization after another

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a story of seduction

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[Music]

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the wrath of God

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and Paradise Lost

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but is it merely a fable

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is there evidence the great stories of

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the Bible might be true

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was there ever really such a place as

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even

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today the search for the Garden of Eden

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leads us to a dry and desolate land to a

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place called Mesopotamia

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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this is the land where the first seeds

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of human civilization were sown and it

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was here that three of the greatest

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civilizations of the ancient world

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flourished Babylon Assyria and Sumer

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among their ruins the faithful of long

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sought answers to the Bible's most

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profound mysteries while archaeologists

play55:30

scoured these lands for the historical

play55:33

foundations of belief our quest for Eden

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as a journey back in time first to

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Babylon

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the last of these lost civilizations

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then further into the past to the

play55:48

Assyrians fierce masters of the art of

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war

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and finally to a moment in the past so

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distant only Eden could have preceded it

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to Sumer

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and the creation of civilization itself

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the great arc of the Fertile Crescent

play56:21

over the course of more than 6,000 years

play56:24

this rich land cradled between the

play56:26

Tigris and Euphrates rivers gave birth

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to the first great civilizations the

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Greeks called it Mesopotamia we call it

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Iraq by peeling back the layers of

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history here we can trace the origins of

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our oldest stories and travel back to

play56:46

the deepest roots of faith our journey

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begins on the western edge of

play56:53

Mesopotamia in Israel a chance discovery

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in 1947 would rivet the world's

play56:59

attention to archaeology and to the

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Bible to Bedouin shepherds are moving a

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herd of goats along the cliffs of Qumran

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very informative but beyond that we have

play57:13

a great emotional attachment to this

play57:17

library the Bible has always been a book

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read from two points of view the sacred

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and the historical a traditional Torah

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is always written by hand the words are

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read aloud as the scribe writes so they

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become a living prayer and each Torah is

play57:37

considered holy from the moment it is

play57:39

written neh and Hakeem but the

play57:45

historical accuracy of the Bible has

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never been so easily confirmed it's an

play57:50

effort that continues to this day

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deny some of the books of the Bible are

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excellent historical books as a matter

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of fact the earliest historical books

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that we have and quite accurate because

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we have cross references from other

play58:06

sources and they are found to be most

play58:09

very precise so they are very important

play58:14

the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls

play58:16

was the most famous event in Biblical

play58:18

Archaeology but it was by no means the

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first the urge to explore biblical

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history has a venerable tradition it's a

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search that began in the Holy Land

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but would lead to Mesopotamia

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throughout history Crusaders mystics and

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believers have been drawn to sites where

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the great Bible stories took place but

play58:47

with the arrival of the 19th century a

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new kind of pilgrim sought to fortify

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their belief in the Bible through the

play58:55

infant science of archaeology surely

play58:58

there could be no greater confirmation

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of their faith than to prove that

play59:02

biblical history was true

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Related Tags
Biblical ArchaeologyMesopotamian CivilizationsDead Sea ScrollsAncient BabylonAssyrian EmpireSumerian OriginsHistorical QuestReligious BeliefsScriptural EvidenceArchaeological Discoveries