cover of episode Tower of Babel

Tower of Babel

2024/11/24
logo of podcast The Ancients

The Ancients
AI Deep Dive AI Insights AI Chapters Transcript
People
L
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
T
Tristan Hughes
Topics
Tristan Hughes：巴别塔的故事源于圣经创世纪，解释了世界各地不同语言的起源。但如同许多古代神话一样，它也具有历史基础，考古学发现为其提供了现实依据，即巴比伦古城中宏伟的齐格拉特。 Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones：巴别塔的故事、圣经文本和古代伊拉克的历史与考古学之间存在密切的关联。早期考古学家在伊拉克发现的巨大泥砖建筑遗迹，被认为是巴别塔的候选者。旧约圣经中巴别塔的故事简短而精炼，讲述了人类试图建造通天塔，上帝为了阻止他们而使语言混乱的故事。这个故事反映了神与人之间的隔阂，神害怕人类获得权力，于是使他们的语言混乱，阻止了他们的计划。齐格拉特是一种阶梯金字塔，其目的是在塔顶设立神殿，被认为是天堂和地球的连接点。巴比伦人认为齐格拉特是天堂和地球相遇的地方，是神可以从天堂来到地球的地方，但凡人试图通过这种方式到达天堂将会受到惩罚。齐格拉特是美索不达米亚世界各地的重要宗教中心，几乎每个城镇都有自己的齐格拉特，通常供奉一个或多个神灵。巴比伦城有两座巨大的齐格拉特，一座是马杜克神休息的地方，另一座是他的神庙，是当时世界上最大的建筑之一。随着考古学研究的深入，人们意识到巴比伦本身就存在足够的齐格拉特证据，而巴别塔就是指巴比伦的塔。早期考古学家未能更早地意识到巴别塔就是巴比伦的塔，是因为当时对语言的研究还不够深入。纳布帕拉萨是公元前7世纪初恢复巴比伦权力的国王，他和他的儿子尼布甲尼撒二世一起美化了巴比伦城。巴比伦在公元前7世纪是世界上人口最多、最富有的城市，是文化中心，在亚述人统治下遭受了巨大的破坏。新巴比伦帝国的疆域包括叙利亚、埃及北部和整个黎凡特地区以及伊朗。巴比伦城墙长约11英里，城内有两座马杜克神庙，其中一座名为恩特姆阿努基，意为“天地基础”。马杜克是巴比伦的最高神，被认为居住在巴比伦的两座神庙中。恩特姆阿努基齐格拉特是巴比伦最大的齐格拉特，其规模巨大，至今仍可见其轮廓。恩特姆阿努基齐格拉特是所有齐格拉特中最大的，由尼布甲尼撒和他的父亲建造，使用了日晒砖和釉面砖。恩特姆阿努基齐格拉特可能在景观中闪耀，从齐格拉特向下延伸的是一条由蓝色砖块和狮子雕像组成的通道，通向伊什塔尔门。创世纪等早期圣经书籍是在巴比伦流亡期间由犹太人撰写的，其写作顺序与我们现在看到的顺序不同。公元前6世纪中叶，耶路撒冷沦陷，犹太精英被带到巴比伦。20世纪90年代，人们在巴比伦附近发现了大量亚述楔形文字文献，这些文献来自定居在巴比伦的犹太家庭。巴比伦流亡对犹太人来说是痛苦的，但一些人适应得比其他人更好，有些人同化了，有些人则没有。诗篇137篇反映了犹太人在巴比伦流亡的痛苦，他们失去了家园和神。犹太人在巴比伦流亡期间，为了记住自己的身份，开始编写自己的民族历史。犹太人在巴比伦流亡期间创作了摩西和出埃及记的故事，以及雅各、以撒、约瑟夫等人的故事，这些故事都融入了他们当时的经历。巴别塔的故事被写进了犹太人的叙事中，象征着他们最终将从巴比伦返回故土的希望。圣经是一个建构性的文本，需要从宗教和历史两个角度来解读。巴比伦的故事并没有随着犹太人从流亡中返回而结束，巴比伦一直是犹太人的重要中心。在巴比伦衰落后的几个世纪里，许多关于希伯来圣经的拉比学术著作都在巴比伦写成。巴比伦是一个多元文化城市，犹太人在那里经历了语言的冲击，这可能也影响了巴别塔的故事。巴别塔的故事在《启示录》中被重新利用，成为罗马帝国的隐喻。在《启示录》中，巴比伦被用作罗马帝国的隐喻，象征着罗马帝国的最终衰落。在欧洲宗教改革时期，巴比伦的形象再次被重新利用，成为教皇罗马的隐喻。马丁·路德的布道和16世纪北欧艺术作品中，巴别塔的形象被用来象征腐败的君主制、堕落的国家、衰落的宗教和邪恶的城市中心。布鲁盖尔的长篇绘画《巴别塔》以罗马斗兽场为原型，象征着人类的傲慢和腐败的权力。道格拉斯·亚当斯的《银河系漫游指南》中的巴别鱼，是巴别塔故事的逆转，象征着人们之间能够相互理解。圣经是古代历史的来源之一，应该与其他古代历史来源一起进行研究。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why did the story of the Tower of Babel originate?

The story originated as a way for Jewish scribes in exile in Babylon to deal with their current experiences and to create a national history, incorporating their surroundings and the great monuments of Babylon, such as the ziggurats.

What is the significance of the ziggurat in the Tower of Babel story?

The ziggurat, a step pyramid with a shrine at the top, symbolized the connection between heaven and earth in Mesopotamian culture. It was believed to be a divine staircase for gods to descend, which influenced the biblical narrative where God comes down to see the tower built by mortals.

How did the Babylonian exile influence the writing of the Hebrew Bible?

During the Babylonian exile, Jewish scribes wrote national histories, including the stories of Moses, Jacob, and the Tower of Babel, to maintain their identity and hope for a future return to Jerusalem. These stories were influenced by their experiences in Babylon and the surrounding culture.

What role did Babylon play in the New Testament?

In the New Testament, Babylon is used as a metaphor for Rome in the book of Revelation, symbolizing the wickedness and eventual downfall of the Roman Empire. This usage reflects the ongoing influence of the Tower of Babel story in Christian thought.

How did the Tower of Babel story influence later European art?

The Tower of Babel became a significant subject in Northern European art during the 16th century, particularly in the works of Peter Bruegel the Elder. His paintings depicted the tower as a symbol of human hubris and the corruption of monarchy and religion, reflecting the political and religious tensions of the time.

What is the connection between the Tower of Babel and modern language learning?

The concept of the Tower of Babel has been modernized in the idea of the 'Babelfish' from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a fictional device that allows instant language translation. This concept has influenced the naming of language learning platforms and tools, keeping the legacy of the Babel story alive.

Why is the study of Mesopotamia important for understanding the Bible?

The study of Mesopotamia provides historical context and influences that shaped the biblical texts. Understanding the cultural, religious, and architectural aspects of Mesopotamia helps to see how the stories in the Bible, such as the Tower of Babel, were formulated and what they symbolize.

Chapters
The chapter recounts the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, explaining how different languages came to be and the divine intervention that scattered humans across the earth.
  • The story is found in Genesis 11:1-9.
  • Humans attempt to build a tower to reach heaven, leading to God's intervention.
  • God confuses their language, causing them to scatter and stop building the tower.

Shownotes Transcript

The Tower of Babel story is iconic. Featured in the Book of Genesis, it explains how different languages came to be across the world. But what are its origins?

Join Tristan Hughes and Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones in this special episode of The Ancients - recorded live at the London Podcast Festival - as they delve into the biblical roots of the myth and uncover the real archeological remains that inspired the fable. They explore how ancient ziggurats influenced depictions of the tower, discuss the intersection between history and faith and discover how age-old texts and modern archaeology combine to unravel the mysteries behind the story of the Tower of Babel.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe). 

You can take part in our listener survey at https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK).

Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.