In 2009, Douglas Simmonds, son of RAF pilot, Leonard Simmonds, who’d acquire a small cuneiform tablet while serving in the Middle East in the 1940s, took his father’s tablet to Dr. Irving Finkel, one of the world’s leading Assyriologist, a curator at the British Museum. Dr. Finkel translated the tablet and discovered that it contained a remarkable account of the Mesopotamian Flood story, where Atrahasis, the Mesopotamian Noah, was commanded by Enki, the son of the High God An, to construct a circular boat to survive the deluge.

The tablet, known as The Ark Tablet, dated to the Old Babylonian period (circa 1900-1700 B.C.), is particularly significant for its detailed portrayal of the ark as circular in shape, its emphasis on housing the heart of life within, its meticulous attention to waterproofing the vessel, and for its focus on the ark as a sanctuary offering protection from the catastrophic floodwaters. These elements collectively suggest that the ark was not just a boat, but a temple- a microcosmic model of the macrocosm.

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In 1900, Depot Charlie, Chief of the Tituni-Joshua people—whose ancestral lands are situated in southern Oregon—narrated the creation story of his people to an anthropologist, who subsequently documented it in Volume 28 of the Journal of American Folklore. The Tituni-Joshua people had significant interactions with European settlers in the late 1700s, though the extent to which these encounters shaped Chief Charlie's account remains unknown.

The Tituni-Joshua creation narrative is particularly significant for its depiction of the creator residing on the primordial waters in a sweat lodge, the mention of a foundation stone, the involvement of the First Man in the creation process, and the portrayal of the creator imparting instructions to the First Man prior to his ascension to the sky.

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In the early 1900s, the creation account of the Native American Maidu people, whose ancestral lands are located in northern California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, was documented in Volume 17 of the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. During the mid-19th century, amid the Gold Rush, the Maidu people had significant encounters with European settlers. The extent to which these interactions influenced their creation narrative is unclear.

The Maidu account is notable for its anthropomorphic description of the creator, the inclusion of co-creators, mention of a “sky rope”, mention of a raft on the primordial waters, the growth of a sacred tree, the onset of physical entropy on the earth, and most importantly, an account of the creator visiting and imparting important instructions to the First Man, instructions which the First Man subsequently imparts to the Maidu people.

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The Esira Temple Text, known as Weld-Blundell 161, or "A Hymn of Eridu", is hailed by the distinguished British Assyriologist Stephen Langdon as a document of exceptional "theological, epigraphical, and philological" significance. Discovered in the spring of 1922 by Weld Blundell of Queen's College, this cuneiform prism details the grandeur of a temple dedicated to the Sumerian god Enki, situated in Eridu, one of the oldest cities in the ancient world (c. 5400 B.C.).

The Esira Temple, also referred to as the Apsu, served as the epicenter of southern Mesopotamian society, central to both religious practice and the institution of kingship. The text's significance lies in its portrayal of the temple as a source of fertility, abundance, and life-giving power, the repository of sacred mysteries, instruction, a "profound ritualistic order", and wisdom, and its prominence as the "Mountain of the Land".

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The Kesh Temple Hymn stands as one of humanity's oldest preserved literary treasures, originating in the city of Nippur nestled in ancient Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq. Unearthed by archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania during excavations in the 19th century, the hymn, inscribed on clay tablets, dates to the Early Dynastic IIIa period, circa 2600-2500 BCE.

The hymn's significance lies not only in its antiquity, but in the elaborate description it provides of the temple's pivotal role in the religious ethos of ancient Mesopotamia. Revered as a sacred locus, the hymn lavishes praise upon the temple's fixed foundation, verdant properties, live-giving power, heaven-reaching height, three-fold “upper end”, mighty name, guarded gate, auspicious position as the birthplace of kings, and the place where “heroes make their way straight into its interior and perform its oracle rites perfectly.” Eight songs illuminate the profound reverence and significance bestowed upon the Kesh Temple in ancient Sumer.

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In this episode, Dr. Logan delves into the treasures concealed within the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter 1, uncovering remarkable textual evidence of The Ancient Tradition.

Join us for this episode and visit us on the web at theancienttradition.com and www.youtube.com/@theancienttradition for more amazing comparative religion.

Join us for this episode and visit us on the web at theancienttradition.com and www.youtube.com/@theancienttradition for more amazing comparative religion.

Join us for this episode and visit us on the web at theancienttradition.com and www.youtube.com/@theancienttradition for more amazing comparative religion.