Nephilim: Noah Primeval Part 1

Noah Primeval.

Chronicles of the Nephilim.

By Brian G.o.dawa.

Dedicated to my Emzara, my Muse, my Kimberly.

Song 2:1-2.

and to Michael S. Heiser, whose scholars.h.i.+p has opened my eyes like Elisha's servant.

2 Kings 6:1.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Special thanks always goes to my wonderful wife Kimberly, without whose support, I would not be writing much of anything, including this novel. Another special thanks to Neil Uchitel for all our rambling discussions all those years ago about fallen angels, vampires and the Nephilim. Thanks to my editor, Don Enevoldsen for his friends.h.i.+p and fellows.h.i.+p in the pa.s.sionate and weary struggle of the life of writing. And to John Kleinpeter for his excellent proofreading. And to Sarah Beach for her excellent editing of this fourth edition, that made it so much better. Most importantly, I thank Yahweh Elohim, my Creator, for his inspiration of imagination within his poetry, stories, and creation.

Inspired By True Events.

Preface.

The story you are about to read is the result of Biblical and historical research about Noah's flood and the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) context of the book of Genesis. While I engage in significant creative license and speculation, all of it is rooted in an affirmation of what I believe is the theological and spiritual intent of the Bible. For those who are leery of such a "novel" approach, let them consider that the traditional Sunday school image of Noah as a little old white-bearded farmer building the ark alone with his sons is itself a speculative cultural bias. The Bible actually says very little about Noah. We don't know what he did for a living before the Flood or even where he lived. How do we know whether he was just a simple farmer or a tribal warrior? Genesis 9:2 says Noah "began to be a man of the soil" after the Flood, not before it. If the world before the flood was full of wickedness and violence, then would not a righteous man fight such wickedness as Joshua or David would? Noah would not have been that different from Abraham, who farmed, did business and led his family and servants in war against kings.

We know very little about primeval history, but we do learn from archeological evidence that humanity was clearly tribal during the early ages when this story takes place. Yet, nothing is written about Noah's tribe in the Bible. It would be modern individualistic prejudice to a.s.sume that Noah was a loner when everyone in that Biblical context was communal. Noah surely had a tribe.

There is really no agreement as to the actual time and location of the event of the Flood. Some say it was global, some say it was in upper Mesopotamia, some say lower Mesopotamia, some say the Black Sea, some say the earth was so changed by the flood that we would not know where it happened. Since Genesis has some references that seem to match Early Bronze Age Mesopotamian contexts I have gone with that basic interpretation.

The Bible also says Noah built the ark. Are we to believe that Noah built it all by himself? It doesn't say. With his sons' help? It doesn't say. But that very same book does say earlier that Cain "built a city" (some scholars believe it was Cain's son Enoch) Are we to a.s.sume that he built an entire city by himself? Ridiculous. Cain or Enoch presided as a leader over the building of a city by a group of people, just as Noah probably did with his ark.

One of the only things Genesis says about Noah's actual character is that he was "a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with G.o.d" (Gen. 6:9). The New Testament clarifies this meaning by noting Noah as an "heir" and "herald" of righteousness by faith (Heb. 11:7; 2Pet. 2:5). The popular interpretation of this notion of "righteousness" is to understand Noah as a virtually sinless man too holy for his time, and always communing with G.o.d in perfect obedience. But is this really Biblical? Would Noah have never sinned? Never had an argument with G.o.d? Never had to repent? As a matter of fact, the term "righteous" in the Old and New Testaments was not a mere description of a person who did good deeds and avoided bad deeds. Righteousness was a Hebrew legal concept that meant, "right standing before G.o.d" as in a court of law. It carried the picture of two positions in a lawsuit, one "not in the right," and the other, "in the right" or "righteous" before G.o.d. It was primarily a relational term. Not only that, but in both Testaments, the righteous man is the man who is said to "live by faith," not by perfect good deeds (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17). So righteousness does not mean "moral perfection" but "being in the right with G.o.d because of faith."

What's more, being a man of faith doesn't mean a life of perfect consistency either. Look at David, the "man after G.o.d's own heart" (Acts 13:22), yet he was a murderer and adulterer and more than once avoided obeying G.o.d's will. But that doesn't stop him from being declared as "doing all G.o.d's will" by the apostle Paul. Or consider Abraham, the father of the Faith, who along with Sarah believed that G.o.d would provide them with a son (Heb. 11:8-11). Yet, that Biblically honored faith was not perfect, as they both laughed in derision at G.o.d's promise at first (Gen. 17:17; 18:12). Later, Abraham argued with G.o.d over his scorched earth policy at Sodom (Gen. 18). Moses was famous for his testy debates with G.o.d (Ex. 4; Num. 14:11-24). King David's Psalms were sometimes complaints to his Maker (Psa. 13; Psa. 69). The very name Israel means "to struggle with G.o.d."

All the heroes in the Hebrews Hall of Faith (Heb. 11) had sinful moments, lapses of obedience and even periods of running from G.o.d's call or struggling with their Creator. It would not be heresy to suggest that Noah may have had his own journey with G.o.d that began in fear and ended in faith. In fact, to say otherwise is to present a life inconsistent with the reality of every human being in history. To say one is a righteous person of faith is to say that the completed picture of his life is one of finis.h.i.+ng the race set before him, not of having a perfect run without injuries or failures.

Some scholars have even noted that the phrase "blameless in his generation" is an unusual one, reserved for unblemished sacrifices in the temple. This physical purity takes on new meaning when understood in the genetic context of the verses before it that speak of "Sons of G.o.d" or bene ha elohim leaving their proper abode in heaven and violating the separation of angelic and human flesh (Gen. 6:1-4; Jude 5-7). Within church history, there is a venerable tradition of interpreting this strangest of Bible pa.s.sages as referring to supernatural beings from G.o.d's heavenly host who mate with humans resulting in the giant offspring called Nephilim. Other equally respectable theologians argue that these Sons of G.o.d were either humans from the "righteous" bloodline of Seth or a symbolic reference to human kings or judges of some kind. I have weighed in on the supernatural interpretation and have provided appendices at the end of the book that give the Biblical theological foundation for this interpretation.

This novel seeks to remain true to the spa.r.s.e facts presented in Genesis (with admittedly significant embellishments) interwoven with theological images and metaphors come to life. Where I engage in flights of fancy, such as a journey into Sheol, I seek to use figurative imagery from the Bible, such as "a bed of maggots and worms" (Isa. 14:11) and "the appet.i.te of Sheol" (Isa. 5:14) and bring them to life by literalizing them into the flesh-eating living-dead animated by maggots and worms.

Another player that shows up in the story is Leviathan. While I have provided another appendix explaining the theological motif of Leviathan as a metaphor in the Bible for chaos and disorder, I have embodied the sea dragon in this story for the purpose of incarnating that chaos as well. I have also literalized the Mesopotamian cosmology of a three-tiered universe with a solid vault in the heavens, and a flat disc earth supported on the pillars of the underworld, the realm of the dead. This appears to be the model a.s.sumed by the Biblical writers in many locations (Phil. 2:10; Job 22:14; 37:18; Psa. 104:5; 148:4; Isa. 40:22), so I thought it would be fascinating to tell that story within that worldview unknown to most modern westerners. The purpose of the Bible is not to support scientific theories or models of the universe, but to tell the story of G.o.d through ancient writers. Those writers were people of their times just as we are.

I have also woven together Sumerian and other Mesopotamian mythology in with the Biblical story, but with this caveat: Like C.S. Lewis, I believe the primary purpose of mythology is to embody the worldview and values of a culture. But all myths carry slivers of the truth and reflect some distorted vision of what really happened. Sumer's Noah was Ziusudra, Babylon's Noah was Utnapishtim, and Akkad's was Atrahasis. The Bible's Noah is my standard. So my goal was to incorporate real examples of ANE history and myth in subjection to that standard in such a way that we see their "true origin." Thus my speculation that the G.o.ds of the ancient world may have been real beings (namely fallen "Sons of G.o.d") with supernatural powers. The Bible itself makes this suggestion in several places (Deut. 32:17; Psa. 106:34), and it also talks of the Sons of G.o.d as "G.o.ds" or supernatural beings from G.o.d's divine council (Psa. 82:1; 58:1; Ezek. 28:2). See the appendix at the back for my defense of this interpretation from the Bible.

Lastly, I have permitted myself to use extra-Biblical Jewish literature from the Second Temple period as additional reference material for my story. The most significant is the book of 1 Enoch, a doc.u.ment famous for its detailed amplification of the Genesis 6:1-4 pa.s.sage about supernatural Sons of G.o.d mating with human women and birthing giants, as well as leading humanity astray with occultic knowledge. I use these ancient Jewish sources not because I consider them completely factual or on par with the Bible, but simply in an attempt to incarnate the soul of the ancient Hebrew imagination in conversation with the text of Scripture rather than imposing my own modern western one upon the text. I am within the tradition of the Church on this since authors of the New Testament as well as early Church Fathers and other orthodox theologians in church history respected some of these ancient ma.n.u.scripts as well.

Many of these texts from the Second Temple Period, such as Jubilees, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs or The Life of Adam and Eve, and others found in the Pseudepigrapha, were creative extrapolations of the Biblical text. These were not intended to deceive or overturn the Bible, but rather to retell Biblical stories with theological amplification and creative speculation while remaining true to their interpretation of the Scriptures.

In short, I am not writing Scripture. I am not even saying that I believe this is how the story might have actually happened. I am simply engaging in a time-honored tradition of the ancient Hebrew culture: I am retelling a Biblical story in a new way to underscore the theological truths within it. The Biblical theology that this story is founded upon is provided in several appendixes at the back of the book for those who are interested in going deeper.

The beauty of fiction is that we can make a.s.sumptions regarding uncertain theological and historical information without having to prove them one way or another. The story requires only that we establish continuity within the made up world, and accepting those a.s.sumptions for the sake of the story does not imply theological agreement. So, sit back and let your imagination explore the contours of this re-imagined journey of one of the most celebrated religious heroes across all times and cultures.

Prologue.

Methuselah squinted through half opened eyes. Enoch traveled beside him as they descended onto crystalline blue waves, the eternal sea. Above him, the deep black sky. painted with a pulsating wave of ethereal color. stretched endlessly into the distance. Methuselah knew where they were - in the waters above the heavens. Before him, a lone ancient temple rested upon the waters like an island, crafted from white marble with gold tr.i.m.m.i.n.g and inlaid with innumerable precious jewels; jasper, sapphire, emerald, onyx, and others. Around this temple hovered a myriad of the Holy Ones, like phantasms of starlight that he could see, but not quite see. He knew what the structure was - the temple of Elohim, and it was terrifyingly wondrous.

Methuselah sighed with disappointment. Another vision. He was approaching his eight hundred and fiftieth year of life and these visions wearied his old soul.. His father, Enoch, hounded him like a ghost in his dreams. Enoch was known for being a righteous man who walked with Elohim, and Elohim spoke with him in visions. When he was young, Methuselah would often complain about his father's "head in the clouds," until he learned the frightening truth that Elohim's holiness was unbearable to sinful human nature. It made him more sympathetic to the effect it had on Enoch.

Elohim had taken Enoch up to heaven alive before he could experience the dismal universal experience that is death. No aching joints, no wavering eye sight, no difficulty in peeing as the years would wind him down to the grave.

From all this Enoch was spared.

It's not fair, thought Methuselah. But alas, Elohim is the creator of all things, and surely has the right to do as he pleases, no matter how strange or incomprehensible those actions may be to us mortals made of clay and nephesh, G.o.d's own breath.. Methuselah took the lesson hard. One day soon, this heavenly temple will be his permanent home. But not today. He resigned himself and took in the fearful symmetry of a terrifying yet wondrous cosmos through which Enoch escorted him on the wings of the wind.

Despite his sense of helplessness, Methuselah considered that maybe these visions were worth the irritation, after all. Who else is allowed to see such awesome marvels before their time? Maybe Elohim may yet take him, as he did Enoch.

Out of a myriad of stars some fell from the sky and plunged into the waters below. Pulled beneath the waters, Methuselah watched their descent. The murky depths deadened their s.h.i.+ning.

A s.h.i.+ver went through Methuselah's spine as he continued descending into the deep. Then he saw the reason for his chill. The spiny armored back of a long serpentine creature swerved just below him, and disappeared into the darkness. Gigantic, the creature measured maybe three hundred cubits long, a shadowy impression of its full fearful presence in the murky blackness. This was Leviathan, the seven-headed sea dragon of chaos, and the guardian of the deep. Few had ever seen it, fewer still had lived to tell about it. The only thing more terrifying than Leviathan was its mother, Rahab.

Methuselah and Enoch landed on the bottom of the heavenly ocean and began to move through a solid crystalline floor, known to his people as raqia, the firmament of heaven. Below this raqia the heavens and the earth were enveloped by the firmament like a vaulted dome. Embedded in the vault of heaven glittered the stars, planets, and the greater and lesser lights that rose upon the ends of the earth in the east and set upon the gates of the west.

As Methuselah and Enoch watched, the luminaries pa.s.sed through the clouds and approached the earth, a flat disc surrounded by the waters, under which were the pillars of the earth, and below that, Sheol, the underworld. Two hundred of them landed in succession on Mount Hermon in Bashan in the northwest and he knew he was watching many years of the past moving before his eyes. The s.h.i.+ning ones spread out across the earth from that cosmic mountain to reign as G.o.ds over mankind. These were the Bene ha Elohim, the Sons of G.o.d.

"Weep for mankind, Methuselah," said Enoch. "For every intent of the thought of his heart is only evil continually. And behold, the Lord will come with ten thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all, and to destroy the wicked. But I saw a vision of a Chosen Seed who will bring an end to the reign of the G.o.ds and bring rest from the curse of the land. Elohim promised in the Garden that the seed of the Woman, Havah, she who is also known as Eve, would be at war with the seed of the Serpent, Nachash. But through this chosen seedline will come an anointed King who will crush the head of the Nachash, the seed of the Serpent and their abominations in the land."

Hundreds of leagues southeast from Mount Hermon, directly below Methuselah's feet, sat Mesopotamia, the center of the earth, the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The rivers produced a fertile crescent that rose from the Lower Sea in the south up to Ebla and Amurru in the north, bounded on the west by the vast Great Desert, and on the east by the Zagros Mountains.

Methuselah descended to the southern part of Mesopotamia near the Lower Sea into the fertile land of s.h.i.+nar, now called Sumer. He was being taken home to the great cedar forest, where his nomadic tribe's camp was hidden from the city-states that bordered the rivers. He felt the vision fading to its end.

"I am not the Chosen Seed," complained Methuselah, "so why do you keep troubling me with these visions?"

"Because," replied Enoch, "the Chosen Seed is not listening. But you have his ear."

Methuselah knew who the Chosen Seed was. And he was going to tan his hide.

Chapter 1.

Noah ben Lamech dashed through the spa.r.s.e brush surrounding the mighty cedars, easily twisting his spear to avoid tangling low hanging branches. Five of his tribesmen trailed behind him, clad in animal skins, carrying spears, bows, and maces.

Lemuel, Noah's protege, ran fast, nocking his arrow and aiming the flint tip at the prey. The target was a pazuzu, a black monster with a double set of bat-like wings, talons for feet, and a ghastly looking doggish face. The arrow, loosed too quickly, buried into the tree inches from the pazuzu's head. The vile creature let loose a shriek that pierced the human's ears, and fluttered with increased frenzy.

A second pazuzu panicked and almost ran into the first one. They both flitted erratically around the thick trees, seeking shelter from their pursuers' missiles. Unable to find an opening through the heavy canopy of foliage overhead to reach the sky and freedom, they split apart to escape their predators.

Noah gestured to his men to split as well, three on one. Lemuel and Shafat veered into Noah's footsteps after the first pazuzu. The other three turned after the second one.

They are enemy spies, Noah thought, scouts for the city G.o.ds, gathering information on the last of the human tribes evading the conquering will of their Lords. We may have started the day hunting for food, but these things are no food for us. We must destroy them.

Until now, Noah had managed to avoid detection by staying nomadic and hiding in the forest with his people. His family had originally settled the city of Shuruppak in the midst of the southern plain generations ago. His father Lamech was the priest-king of the city-state and Noah had inherited the position as a young man. But when the pantheon of G.o.ds extended their dominion throughout the land of s.h.i.+nar, Noah's clan left the city because of their dedication to Elohim. They became nomads and roamed the forests, deserts, and mountains.

Noah's tribe had traversed all these territories and had found the forests to be the most inhabitable. But as his people grew in number, presently a few hundred, with children and herd, it was becoming more difficult to pick up quickly and move. If one of these d.a.m.nable creatures got away and reported to the G.o.ds, Noah's community would be in jeopardy. They would run to the mountains where the city G.o.ds refused to follow. The desert was bone dry, scorching and brutal for child mortality, and mountain life was not much less miserable to raise a family like the ancient cave dwellers who died out long ago. There were not many of the human tribes left, and Noah was determined to remain one of them.

His desperate need fueled him. Noah's spirit surged. His team spread out and surrounded their pazuzu. Hindered by the closeness of the trees and underbrush, the creature's wings slowed its progress, and the pursuit steadily gained ground. The pazuzu twisted and turned in confusion. With the desperation of a cornered animal, the quarry looked for an opening to strike back at the hunters.

Lemuel glanced away to check his position. He nearly ran headlong into a cedar tree.

The pazuzu pounced in that instant. It took its eyes off Noah for one moment to swoop down.

That was all Noah needed. He drew back and released his spear with the power of an arm accustomed to strenuous labor. The wooden shaft flew straight into the breast of the creature with such force that it impaled the pazuzu's body and pinned it into a tree. It screeched its last shriek and died, black blood oozing down the rough bark of the cedar.

Noah, Lemuel and young Shafat approached the beast. Their long hair, and beards flowed over their animal skins. Noah knew that it gave city dwellers the impression of uncivilized brutishness. But they would be wrong. His nomadic people were highly cultured, and their earthiness was a deliberate expression of their refusal to wors.h.i.+p the city G.o.ds. His were the people of the Creator Elohim and they were proud to be separate from the rest of humanity who had rejected Elohim's kings.h.i.+p and descended into the wors.h.i.+p of the G.o.ds of the land. Noah felt that the nomadic tribes could rightly be called the last of humanity.

Noah was over five hundred years old and in his prime as the leader of his people. This was middle age in a community where many lived as long as nine hundred years. As Lemuel was Noah's apprentice, so young twenty-year old Shafat was Lemuel's. They were as close as brothers in their community. They did everything together and protected one another.

"Stand back!" Lemuel snapped to Shafat. "These things are treacherous. They will feign death just to bring one of us with them to the grave. If its talons get hold of you, we will have to cut your arm off to loose you."

Its death throes were genuine. The pazuzu's legs twitched and the last of its air gurgled from its lungs.

"It stinks like excrement," blurted Shafat, with his hand over his nose in disgust.

"It is an abomination," said Lemuel. He reached up and jerked the spear out of the monster, letting it drop to the forest floor in a heap. He handed the spear to Noah.

"It is getting worse, Noah. There will soon be nowhere to hide. We cannot run forever."

Noah ignored the point. He prodded the creature with the tip of his spear, exposing a brand of the G.o.d's name in cuneiform on the twitching leg. "This is a scout of Anu."

"We killed a scout of the G.o.d Anu?" exclaimed Shafat.

"Quiet your fear," Noah said. "We bow to no G.o.d."

"No G.o.d but Elohim," Lemuel amended.

Noah shot an irritated glance at Lemuel, then caught himself and nodded reluctantly, "No G.o.d but Elohim."

This was a sensitive issue for Noah. He was not always on speaking terms with Elohim, who seemed to be quite distant, only conferring with crazy men like his grandfather Enoch and leaving so much to the mal'akim angels to do his bidding.

Noah had served Elohim through the years. He remained pure in his generation. He walked upright and kept separate from the pollution of the city G.o.ds who came from heaven and sought to mix their blood with humanity. Noah's tribe and the other human tribes of nomads refused to wors.h.i.+p these pretenders to the throne of Elohim, and refused to partic.i.p.ate in their corrupting sorceries.

But this was not enough for Noah. Though he knew Elohim was Lord of creation, he sometimes felt that there was little difference between the servitude Elohim expected and the servitude that the city G.o.ds demanded of their subjects. A G.o.d was a G.o.d after all, and in either case man was a servant.

Noah did not like being a servant. He yearned for freedom in his breast. Why can we not be left alone to live our lives? Why must we fight evil all the time? In a wicked generation, evil never sleeps. And Noah was growing weary from eternal vigilance. He preferred to hide away from it all and just enjoy his family, his beautiful wife, and his own concerns. He wanted to work the land and enjoy the fruit of his labors and be left alone. He had enough on his back to survive in this difficult world and to build his own community based on his own beliefs. If evil was left to run its course, it would destroy its own servants anyway, so why not let it? They deserved it. Why did Noah and his companions have to fight Elohim's battles for him?

The sound of breaking twigs interrupted his thoughts. The three turned toward the sound, tensed and ready.

Tobias and the other two warriors came through the brush. Noah instinctively glanced at their spears, hoping for a sign of pazuzu blood. There was none.

Tobias looked uncertain. "I think we got it. We reached the forest's edge and it broke out to the clearing. But we struck it twice. It managed to stay in the air, but I do not believe it could make it back the distance to the city with two flints in its flesh."

Noah pondered a moment. "We had best have an elder's meeting tonight and make a decision whether to move on."

Shafat let out a sigh of disappointment. Noah slapped him on the back of the head and gave him a warning glance. Without a word, Noah stomped off toward the camp.

Lemuel wondered just how long they could keep going like this. He had followed Noah's lead for many years and had always trusted him. Noah would do no wrong to any man. He was the patriarch of their tribe, a warrior who knew the land well and would not compromise with wickedness. But he could also be impatient and insensitive with those who lacked his resolve. Some men needed understanding and encouragement in the ways of the Lord. Zeal for righteousness did not mean one should give up compa.s.sion. Lemuel shook his head sadly as he walked.

But then again, Noah did listen to Lemuel. His pa.s.sion meant he might be quick to anger, but he was also quick to repent. Lemuel had never known a better man in all his days. He repressed another sigh and tramped after his leader.

Chapter 2.

Far away in the skies over Mesopotamia, the wounded pazuzu flapped its double wings struggling to navigate the air streams that helped it remain aloft on its journey to the city. The two arrows burned its muscles with searing pain, one in its left thigh and the other in its right calf. It had lost much blood. Its wings felt heavy. It labored on, knowing if it landed to rest, it would never make it back into the air.

The desert landscape gave way to the unmistakable marks of civilization as the pazuzu reached the outskirts of the city. Erech encompa.s.sed over one hundred hectares of land Below the pazuzu's labored flight stretched the agricultural fields and farms watered by ca.n.a.ls from the bordering Euphrates River. Since their very lives were interwoven with the river, the residents became expert ca.n.a.l builders. Levees and dikes brought water to their crops in the outlying areas within the city multiple man-made estuaries and aqueducts criss-crossed the various residential divisions, channeling lavish amounts of water for everything from cooking to cleaning to waste disposal. In between those channeled sections were the adobe and sun-dried brick homes. The Sumerian citizens went about their daily business, unaware of the flying presence high above.

In the center of this metropolis that boasted a populace of close to ten thousand, a raised hillock overlooked the city and its outlying farming villages. On the elevation rose the temple called Eanu. It was dedicated to the patron deity of the city, Anu, the father G.o.d of heaven. It consisted of a huge platform mound seventy-five cubits high, built from mud brick and limestone at the bottom. At the top of the platform terrace, raised another twenty cubits high, sat the White Temple, the holy place of the G.o.ds. Its intense whiteness, the result of gypsum plaster, created a s.h.i.+ning glow in the hot sun.

Next to this temple complex stood a smaller temple district called Eanna for Inanna, the G.o.ddess of s.e.x and war, and consort of Anu. Eanu dwarfed the Eanna temple. The compound of the G.o.ddess had a different design, reflecting the lesser divine status of the consort deity. The Eanna district harbored cult prost.i.tution and other deviant whims of the G.o.ddess.

Erech was one of the largest and most advanced cities of the alluvial plain. It was originally settled by Unuk ben Cain, son of Cain, who also built Eridu, the oldest city named after Unuk's son, Irad. The original human inhabitants had arrived from the Zagros mountains to establish the first urban civilization on the plains. Those inhabitants formed a slave force that would help them achieve their urban paradise.