The Ancient Tradition: Audio Writ

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.

The Osiris myth was one of the most prominent and influential myths in ancient Egypt; it permeated virtually every aspect of ancient Egyptian life.  While a singular manuscript of the myth remains elusive, allusions to the myth are abundant in a number of ancient Egyptian sources including the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead.  In the early 1900s, Scottish journalist and folklorist, Donald Alexander McKenzie, compiled the scattered elements of the myth into a unified historical narrative, which serves as the source of today's audio recording.

In the myth, the god Set, jealous of his brother Osiris’s kingship over Egypt, concocts a cunning plan to kill him.  At a grand royal feast, Set unveils an exquisitely adorned chest, declaring that the one who perfectly fits its dimensions shall claim it as a prize.  One by the one, the guests attempt to fit within the chest, but none succeed until the benevolent king Osiris fits flawlessly inside. Seizing the opportunity, Set’s malevolent followers spring up, ruthlessly nailing the chest shut, tragically suffocating Osiris.  Set secretly orders his followers to dump the coffin into the Nile river.  Devastated by the loss, Isis, Osiris’ queen consort, tirelessly searches the riverbank for any trace of the chest or her beloved’s remains.

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In the Babylonian rendition of the Epic of Anzu, known as the Anzu Myth, drawn from tablets unearthed in the ancient Assyrian cities  Nineveh, Tabisu, and Sultantepe, dating to the 7th century BC, the tale recounts the exploits of Anzu, a fearsome creature with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle.  Driven by a thirst for supremacy, the monster Anzu brazenly steals the Tablet of Destinies, the sacred emblem of kingship, from Enlil, the chief god of the Sumerian pantheon.

Confronted with this dire situation, the high god Anu convenes the Council of the Gods, seeking a champion to confront the monstrous Anzu and reclaim the Tablets of Destiny. His own sons- Adad, Gerra, and Shara- however, shy away from the perilous task.  It is only Ninurta, favored by his mother Mami, who heeds the call to action.  Determined to restore balance to the divine realm, Ninurta embarks on a heroic quest to vanquish Anzu and recover the tablets.

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In 1805, the British Museum acquired one of its first…and most important,
ancient Egyptian artifacts, the Shabaka Stone, an unassuming green breccia millstone. The inscription on the stone sat untranslated in the museum for nearly 100 years before American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted translated it into English in 1901. It was only then that Egyptologists realized the profound significance of what they had in their possession- a copy of the world's earliest (arguably) surviving creation story.  

The stone’s inscription begins with a list of King Shabaka’s royal names followed by a dramatic account of the unification of Upper and lower Egypt.  The inscription concludes with a description of the Supreme God Ptah’s creation of the gods, the cosmos, and the earth.

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