Chapter I The Beginning of Mystery By the River of Babylon – Father of the Gods The Glory of the gods of Heaven – The Legacy of the Gods The Enûma Elish – Marduk the Dragon Slayer The Mystery of Ti.Amat – The Mystery of the Celestial Serpent By The River of Babylon It has been almost Twenty Six Thousand years, according to the sacred records of the priesthood, since the great floodwaters had ravaged this blessed land. The beautiful awe inspiring land of the gods. Today, all this was just a distant memory in the minds of the new generation of youths crowding the bustling sidewalk of the new golden city. The year was 605 BC, and the greatest King of the ancient world occupied the Dragon Throne of the god Marduk. In the golden city of Bab.Ili, the great gods had once aga in smiled favourably upon the once ravished land. Throughout the great city once ravaged by the floodwaters, the majestic temples of Babylon gleamed triumphantly in the hot unrelenting sun of the god Shamash. It was the golden age of the city of god, and u pon the throne of Marduk sat the god - King, Nebuchadnezzar. Descended from a long line of god - Kings, he had conquered the foreign lands of his old enemies, built and repaired the temples of the gods, fed the teeming masses of his people, and created the aw e inspiring city walls and the golden lapis lazuli gate of the goddess Ishtar. This indeed was a city of the great gods, a place where the gods could descend from their celestial barge, to dwell in the holy of holies of the towering ziggurat and the majest ic E.Sagila, built for the god Marduk. Throughout the old world, the fear and dread of the days of chaos compelled ancient man to raise magnificent temples to his god, every day for thousands of years, the sweet smell of incense would bathe the morning air with an aroma that was truly god - scent. Man and his god co - existed in all aspects of his daily life, it was for his god that he laboured, the product of the land was a gift from a benevolent god who loved and nurtured his people. The people worshiped and honoured their gods, not from fear, but from love for the good things they enjoyed from the hand of god, if the land was barren, or the livestock is depleted through drought and famine, it was to the gods that the people turned for help and relieve. The pr iesthood was the gateway to the sanctuary of the god, and the god - King his shepherd who fed his flock, order must be maintained and chaos held at bay. For a people living with such reverence and devotion to his god, it was only natural that his life be one of servitude to his god, in return for the gift of life and the abundance of food. Babylon, the city of god, the golden city with its temples touching the Heavens, its great agricultural plains and celebrated rivers flowing through the city walls, was ab out to enter a new and terrifying age of change. A change that would bring about its downfall in only a few decades, leaving the golden city of god buried in the sands of the desert for all eternity. In the year 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, son of the god Mardu k, invaded the land of the Hebrews deposing King Jehoiachin and deported him to Northern Babylonia. Among the people taken into exile were the sons of the elite and the clergy, one such young man was the soon to be prophet, Ezekiel. His visions would chang e the world of the Hebrews, and fire the imagination of many for a thousand years. A new era was about to begin on the world stage with the coming of a God whose majesty was truly awe - inspiring, the golden city of Bab.Ili and the ancient cities of Egypt were about to fall in ruins by the hand of this God. In the summer of 592 BC, the exiled Hebrew priest Ezekiel experienced a vision of God on the banks of the River Khabur in the ancient land of Chaldea in Northern Syria. This was no ordinary vision as you shall see, neither was the place of revelation an ordinary location, but this was the ancient land of the Chaldean race of Arphaxad the son of Shem. This land was therefore in the very heart of the ancient land of the Shemites, the people to whom w as given the epithet, "The Mighty Ones". This epithet was also given to the fallen sons of God and their offspring, the Nephilim, as recorded in the book of Genesis Chapter six. The importance of the vision is therefore just as important as the one to who m it was given, and the place where god descended to reveal such a vision to the children of Shem. This River is therefore of utmost importance to the history of the Hebrews, it was well known to the ancients as recorded in historical writings. In Arabic i t was known as the: Nahr Al - Khabur, in Turkish: Habur Nehri, in Sumerian: Khubur River, and in Akkadian: Khabur River, it is an important tributary of the Euphrates River. It rises in the mountains of south - eastern Turkey near Diyarbakir and flows south ea stward to Al - Hasakah in Syria, where it receives its main tributary, the Jaghjagh. It then meanders south to join the Euphrates downstream from Dayr az - Zawr. The Khabur ("Source of Fertility") has a total length of about 200 miles (320 km). There can be no doubt that Nebuchadnezzar chose to relocate the exiles to this region, if it was known to him that the ancient Hebrews who were known as the "Ibri", meaning "to cross over", were originally from this region in ancient times. As we shall see later in thi s book, it was to this very land in Northern Syria that Abraham would later send his servant to fetch a wife for Isaac his son. And it was to this land and the city of Haran that the family of Terah journeyed in the days of the Kings of Ur. As Ezekiel walk ed besides the banks of the Khabur River in the year 568 BC, he looked up and beheld a most terrifying vision that would change his life forever, a vision that is truly awe inspiring and so overwhelming that even today, thousands of years later, modern man is still struggling to accept or comprehend it's meaning. His vision is one that can be taken straight out of our modern day science fiction stories, or Hollywood blockbuster movies. This vision is one that will forever change our conception of Gods and t he long held myth of celestial beings and their dwelling among mortal man. Let us hear first hand from this ancient priest, as we take a front row seat on a celestial drama unfolding before our very eyes, nearly three thousand years ago. A God is about t o enter on centre stage in a most dramatic entrance that will leave the audience stunned, dazed and enthralled for all ages to come. The mysterious vehicle of god described in this vision, has been a source of intrigue for both religious and scientific sec ts for ages. The detailed, yet mythical descriptions of the celestial craft given by Ezekiel cannot be understood in this form, but when decoded, shows a space craft drawn by mythical creatures to the awestruck Ezekiel. Like John in the book of Revelation, the prophet could only interpret his vision as it unfolded in the form of mythical creatures. Let us hear from him in his own words: Ezekiel Chapter: I 1 : In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the K'var River, the Heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 : On the fifth day of the month which was during the fifth y ear of King Y'hoyakhin's exile 3 : the word of Yahweh came to the Cohen Yechezk'el son of Buzi, in the land of the Kasdim by the K'var River; there the hand of Yahweh was on him. 4 : I looked and saw a windy storm approaching from the North and a huge cloud with flashing fire, glowing brightly all around with the colour of gleaming amber from within the fire. 5 : Inside, there appeared to be four living creatures that looked like huma n beings; 6 : but each one had four faces and four wings. 7 : Their legs were straight, with feet like calves' hoofs. They glittered like burnished bronze. 8 : Beneath their wings they had human hands on their four sides. The four of them had faces and win gs as follows: 9 : they touched one another with their wings; they did not turn when they moved, but each one moved straight forward; 10 : as for the appearance of their faces, t hey had human faces (in front) , each of the four had a lion's face on the righ t, each of the four had a bull's face on the left, and each of the four had an eagle's face toward the rear: 11 : T hus their faces. As for their wings, each had two that stretched upward and joined those of others; and two more that covered their bodies. 12 : Each living creature moved in the direction of any of its faces; in whichever direction the spirit wanted to go, they went, without turning as they moved 13 : T hus the appearance of the living creatures. With them was something that looked like fiery c oals burning the way torches do, with the fire flashing here and there between the living creatures; the fire had a brilliance, and out of the fire went lightning. 14 : The living creatures kept speeding here and there like flashes of lightning. 15 : As I gazed at the living creatures, I saw wheels on the ground, one next to each of the four - faced living creatures. 16 : All four wheels looked the same: their inner parts gleamed like Beryl, and their structure seemed to be that of a wheel inside a wheel. 17 : When they moved, they could go in any of the four directions without turning as they moved. 18 : Their rims were tall and fearsome, because the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 : When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved along wi th them; and when the creatures were lifted off the ground, the wheels went with them. 20 : Wherever the spirit was to go, they went, in the direction the spirit wanted to go. The wheels were lifted up next to them, because the spirit of the living creatur es was in the wheels. 21 : When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the former stood still, the latter stood still; and when the former were lifted off the ground, the wheels were lifted up next to them; because the spirit of the living crea tures was in the wheels. 22 : Over the heads of the living creatures was what appeared to be a dome glittering like ice; it was awesome, spread out over their heads, above them. 23 : Under the dome each had a pair of wings spread out straight toward those of others, and each had a pair which covered his body. 24 : I heard the sound of their wings when they moved; it was like the sound of rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a tumultuous crowd or army. When they stopped, they lowered t heir wings. 25 : Whenever there was a sound from above the dome over their heads, they stopped and lowered their wings. 26 : Above the dome that was over their heads was something like a throne that looked like a sapphire. On it, above it, was what appeare d to be a person. 27 : I saw what looked like gleaming, amber - colored fire radiating from what appeared to be his waist upward. Downward from what appeared to be his waist, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all around him. 28 : This bri lliance around him looked like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was how the a ppearance of the glory of Yahweh looked. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking. Visions of Divine Glory Never in the recorded history of mankind, has such a graphic description of a god and his celestial vehicle been given as we have just witnessed above. The many stories from Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, India and other ancient nations concerning the gods and t heir aerial cars suddenly seems like they were not written by some deluded priest after all. The numerous stories we have heard from childhood about gods and divine heroes, are to be found all over the ancient world, and should not be lightly dismissed as myth and fiction. Here for the first time in human history, a Hebrew priest is granted an audience to a spectacular show as no one will ever witness again, not even Moses and John of the Revelations'. Today the hunt for extraterrestrials and UFO's are all too familiar to us in a modern age, but from what we have read above and in the pages of scripture including the Bible, we can be assured that our planet does not belong solely to mortal man. Others have been here before and have continued to re - visit our planet announced or in secret. We cannot deny in light of such overwhelming evidence, the fact that we are indeed not alone in this universe. From the dawn of civilization, mankind has yearned for the experience of living in a Heavenly paradise with his g od. This undying passion to be with his god has led to the creation of magnificent tombs the world over for the dead to ascend to the gates of Paradise. You have witness the mass of treasures buried for thousands of years in the hill cut tombs of Egypt, se en the sandy graves of the Incas, the stone tombs of the Aztecs, the Chinese and other ancient people from around the world. What, one may ask, would compel ancient man to horde his treasures in tombs instead of leaving it behind for the living? The simple answer is this; the dead were deemed to be alive in a mythical Heavenly paradise. All the things he did and owned on earth would simply continue in the new world. Death was a new beginning and the newly reborn would need his sustenance in the new world, a s he served his god in this world so also must he serve in the new paradise. Therefore he must possess all his earthly goods in the new world to serve his god and to continue his existence. But, were the gods real, or did the ancients simply invent a mythi cal deity in order to satisfy a longing for religion and holiness? No matter what the age in which we live; mortal man must have a religion of some sorts; something to believe in, some divinity to turn to in times of chaos and catastrophe. Surely mankind n eeds his god, and nowhere else in the classical world can we find such adoration of the gods as among the Greeks and Hindus'. One of the best known authors of ancient Greek, Hesiod, has left us a rich heritage of poems lauding the glory of Zeus, the great god of the Greeks and the ancient Romans. This poem found in The Theogony serves to highlight the adoration given to Zeus and other such gods of the ancient world, today in our materialistic and scientific world, such adoration would be deemed uncivilized and unrealistic. The vision of the prophet Ezekiel is a constant reminder that ancient man were in close contact with their deities, they built lavish temples and ascribed their very livelihood to the gods of Heaven. Father of the Gods (II: 1 - 25) From the Heliconian Muses let us begin to sing, who hold the great and holy Mount of Helicon, and dance on soft feet about the deep - blue spring and the altar of the almighty son of Cronos, and, when they have washed their tender bodies in Permessus the Ho rse's Spring, or Olmeius, make their fair lovely dances upon highest Helicon and move with vigorous feet. Thence they arise and go abroad by night, veiled in thick mist, and utter their song with lovely voice, praising Zeus the Aegis - holder and Queenly Her a of Argos who walks on golden sandals, and the daughter of Zeus the Aegis - holder, bright - eyed Athena, and Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis who delights in arrows, and Poseidon the Earth - holder who shakes the Earth, and reverend Themis and quick - glancing Aphrod ite, and Hebe with the crown of gold, and fair Dionne, Leto, Iapetus, and Cronos the crafty counsellor, Eos and great Helios and bright Selene, Earth too, and great Oceanus, and dark Night, and the holy race of all the other deathless ones that are foreve r. And one day they taught Hesiod glorious songs while he was shepherding his lambs under holy Helicon. And this word first the Goddesses said to me; the Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who holds the Aegis. (1) The Theogony of Hesiod Throughout the anc ient world, we have numerous stories of gods and heroes who have left their legends behind for later generations. From the Bible to the Popol Vu of the ancient Inca people, we have tales of heroic deeds that are today hard to accept muchless comprehend by a disbelieving and sceptic modern man. Yet to these ancient people, the gods of Heaven were just as real as the man next door, they were mysterious and aloft dwelling on high mountains or inhabiting the towering temples and ziggurats' of ancient days. Toda y in modern India, one still marvels in awe at the majestic temples and shrines built by the ancients to the great gods who once ruled the land. The sheer scale of such building projects can be only imagined today seeing that they did not possess the vast array of modern tools and equipment at our disposal today. The ancient people raised these monumental structures to their gods in honour of the blessings bestowed upon them; and in all cases they claim that the knowledge to construct such majestic buildin gs was handed down to them by the gods of Heaven. Among the ancient gods of classical times, none was more famous or loved by the Greeks and Romans than great Zeus. In the above passage taken from Hesiod's Theogony, we see the high praises lauded upon this well known god. The muses who attended the altar of Zeus here openly praise the father of the pantheon of Greek gods with much adoration. Mount Helicon ( Ἑ λικ ῶ ν) is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, with an elevation of 1,749 meters (5,735 ft). It is located just off the Gulf of Corinth. In Greek mythology, the mountain was celebrated by Hesiod because two springs sacred to the Muses were located here: the Aganippe and the Hippocrene, both of which bear "horse" ( ἵ ππος hippos) in their toponym. In a related myth, the Hippocrene spring was created when the winged horse Pegasus aimed his hoof at a rock, striking it with such force that the spring burst from the spot. On Helicon too was the spring where Narcissus was inspired by his own b eauty. In Greek myth, Helicon was sacred especially to the divinely inspiring Muses. Callimachus recounts his dream in which he was young once more and conversed with the Muses on Helicon. There had been a temple built on Helicon in their honour which cont ained statues of these Muses. The Hippocrene spring was considered to be a source of poetic inspiration. In the late seventh century BC, the poet Hesiod sang how in his youth he had pastured his sheep on the slopes of Helicon where Eros and the Muses alrea dy had sanctuaries. There was a dancing ground near the summit, where "their pounding feet awaken desire". There the Muses inspired him and he began to sing of the origins of the gods. Thus Helicon became an emblem of poetical inspiration. Callimachus exp licitly follows in the footsteps of Hesiod, and he placed on Helicon, the episode in which Tiresias stumbles upon Athena bathing and is blinded but given the art of prophecy. As we shall see in the table of the ancient gods, Zeus was known by other names t o various people. To the Greek poets, Mount Helicon was the sacred mountain where the Muses inspired mortal man with songs and the praise of the Olympian gods. As ruler of the pantheon, Zeus enjoyed the highest honour among the ancient gods. It was to him that many of the ancient poets lent their voice in praise and sacred song. The many great wonders and gifts ascribed to Zeus throughout ancient history, is indeed a testimony to the great place of honour in which he was held. Many historians have erroneou sly linked him with the planet Jupiter as King of the Heavenly planets. This association is understandable for those who would want to assign the largest planet to the King of the gods. However, his ascension to the head of the pantheon could best be under stood by looking at the Greek legends concerning his origins. Concerning his parentage we read: “ IAPETOS (or Iapetus) was one of the Titan gods, sons of Ouranos (Heaven - Sumerian god Anu) and Gaia (Earth - Sumerian Ki). Led by Cronos, Iapetus and his brothers conspired against their father, preparing an ambush for him as he descended to lie with Earth. * Krios, Koios, Hyperion and Iapetus were posted at the four corners of the world where they seized hold of the Sky - god and held him fast, while Cronos, hidden in the centre, castrated him with a sickle. In this myth, Iapetus and the three brothers represent the four cosmic pillars which appear in Near - Eastern cosmogonies holding Heaven and earth apart. Iapetus himself was no doubt the pillar of the West, a position which was later and more obviously held by his son Atlas. Iapetus "the piercer" may also have been regarded as the Titan god of the mortal life - span. Indeed, his sons Prometheus and Epimetheus were represented as the creators of mankind and other mortal creatures. The Titans were eventually deposed by Zeus and cast into the pit of Tartarus. Hesiod describes this as a void lying beneath the foundations of the cosmos, where earth, sea and sky all have their roots. Here the Titans shift in cosmological terms from being holders of Heaven to bearers of the entire cosmos. According to Pindar and Aeschylus (in his lost play Prometheus Unbound) the Titans were eventually released from the pit through the clemency of Zeus ” The importance of the ancestry of Zeus and his association with the Titan god Iapetus is even more interesting, where we read that Iapet us has been equated with Japheth ( יֶפֶת ), the son of Noah. This legend is based on the similarity of their names and ancient Jewish traditions that held Japheth to be the ancestor of the Greeks, the Slavs, the Italics, and the Teutons. The historian Joseph us, in Antiquities of the Jews, also makes mention of the genealogy of Japheth. The story of how the sons of Ouranos conspired against him for the throne of Heaven is of great interest. This seemingly innocent story of ritual castration among the gods; wou ld have a profound impact on later generations as we shall see in the cult of Attis. With the overthrow of Ouranos by his sons in which he was ritually castrated by Cronos, the story of Zeus and his ascension to the celestial throne of Heaven would begin a new chapter in human history. Cronus, Kronos or Cronos (Ancient Greek Κρόνος, Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own sons, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, and imprisoned in Tartarus. As a result of his association with the virtuous Golden Age, Cronus was worshipped as a harvest deity, overseeing crops such as gra ins, nature and agriculture in general. He was usually depicted with a sickle, which he used to harvest crops and which was also the weapon he used to castrate and depose Uranus. In Athens, on the twelfth day of the Attic month of Hekatombaion, a festival called Kronia was held in honour of Cronus to celebrate the harvest. Cronus was also identified in classical antiquity with the Roman deity Saturn. After dispatching Uranus, Cronus re - imprisoned the Hecatonchires, the Gigantes, and the Cyclopes and set th e dragon Campe to guard them. He and his sister Rhea took the throne of the Heaven as King and Queen. This period of the rule of Cronus was known as the Golden Age, the people of the time had no need for laws or rules; everyone did the right thing, and imm orality was absent. Cronus learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, just as he had overthrown his father. As a result, although he sired the gods Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon by Rhea, he devoured them a ll as soon as they were born to pre - empt the prophecy. When the sixth child, Zeus , was born Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save them and to eventually get retribution on Cronus for his acts against his father and children. Rhea secretly gave birth t o Zeus in Crete, and handed Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, also known as the Omphalos Stone, which he promptly devoured, thinking that it was his son. This very ancient story found in all Greek legends, is meaningless to those who are not ver sed in the secret knowledge of the priesthood and wise men of olden days. What exactly is the meaning of such a tale of ritual castration, did the gods really castrate each other in order to rule on the throne of Heaven? Surely no one will think this is th e meaning to such a legend, the key therefore to unlocking the mystery is in the names of the deities and the planets they represented. In this legend we read that Zeus was indeed the sixth child of Kronos, born on the island of Crete in a cave as attested by many and attended by the Korybantes. This in itself may look like any other Greek legend until you realize just who this god was meant to represent. This very ancient and most honoured god was known to the priesthood as none other than the god of Mars by reason of his animalistic symbols, the eagle and the wolf. The birth of Zeus as the god of Mars on the island of Crete amidst the clashing of bronze shields and spears is related in later legends told of him. Today we know from astronomy that Mars inde ed holds the sixth position among the celestial planets. It is the planet of the Dragon Throne associated with all major thunder and fire gods of the ancient world as you shall see. Not only then was he born as the sixth son of Kronos, but he was also the seventh god to rule the celestial throne. In the pantheon of Greek gods, Zeus holds the seventh position been born to Kronos the sixth god. Having castrated his father according to the Greek legends, Zeus then ascended the Dragon Throne of the former Tita ns who had ruled from ancient days. Ouranos and Gaia fathered twelve great olden gods known as the Titans. The eldest of these, the giant Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, he locked away inside the belly of Earth. Gaia suffered immense pain and persuaded her Tit an sons to rebel. Four of these were set as sentinels at the four corners of the universe, ready to grasp their father as he descended to lie upon his bride, Mother Earth. The fifth son, Kronos, took his place in the centre, and armed with an adamantine si ckle, castrated Ouranos while his brothers held him firm. The sky - god's blood fell and drenched the earth, producing the avenging Erinyes and the Gigantes. After his downfall, Ouranos prophesied the fall of the Titanes and the punishment they would suffer for their crimes. It is a prophecy which was later fulfilled by Zeus, who deposed the brothers and cast them into the Tartarean pit. The Titanes were known in Greek legend as: Okeanos, Koios (Moon), Krios (Mars), Hyperion (Sun), Iapetus (Jupiter), and Kro nos (Saturn). The twelve Titan Gods and Goddesses were known as: Oceanus and Tethys, Hyperion and Theia, Koios and Phoebe, Cronus and Rhea, Mnemosyne, Themis, Krios, and Iapetus. The children of Hyperion were Eos, Helios, and Selene. The daughters of Coeus were Leto and Astoria; the sons of Iapetus were Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. The Twelve Titans gods, also known as the elder gods, ruled the earth before the Olympians overthrew them. The ruler of the Titans was Cronus who was dethroned b y his son Zeus. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and were punished by being banished to Tartarus. In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. The Titans are also mentioned in the Theogony of Hesiod, as well as most Greek literature. Pseudo - Apollodorus, in Bibliotheca, adds a thirteenth Titan, Dione, a double of Theia, or Medusa. The six male Titans are known as the Titanes, and the female as the Titanides or Titanesses. The tw elve first - generation Titans were led by the youngest god, Cronus, who overthrew their father, Uranus, at the urging of their mother, Gaia. The Titans preceded the Twelve Olympians, who, led by Zeus, eventually overthrew them in the Titanomakhia (War of th e Titans). The Titans were then imprisoned in Tartarus, the depths of the underworld. The ascension of Zeus to the dragon throne of Heaven marked a turning point in the history of man. From the days of his rulership, the ancient Greeks began a new era of the Olympian gods among men. His birthplace is said to be on the island of Crete where also the worship of Aphrodite was prominent in their days. The birth of this goddess is said to be from the castrated member of Ouranos, whose blood caused the goddess t o be borne up on the waters of the sea according to the Greek legend. We will return to this in a later chapter, for we have much to say concerning this legend. The Glory of the Gods of Heaven In this section we will review the legacy of the olden gods and their many epithets and deeds. Migrating after the fall of Sumer, the people of the orient brought the olden gods to the new lands. Template shows a table charting the ancient council of the gods as they were know in different cultures. One of the most amazing stories to be found in the ancient world is the account of Gudea and the building of the temple of Nin.Girsu, the god of ancient Lagash. This story is worth reading as it is one of the first divine accounts of a god appearing to his servant. Image s of this event are forever enshrined in an image of this king. This image is now on display in the British Museum in London; here the King is seated with a tablet on his lap. This tablet is said to be the one given to him in his vision by the gods who app eared to him. This is his account of the vision as it appeared to him some two thousand years BC. The Building of Ninĝirsu's Temple 1 - 4: On the day when in Heaven and earth the fates had been decided, Lagaš raised its head high in full grandeur, and Enlil looked at Lord Ninĝirsu with approval. In our city there was perfection. 5 - 9: The heart overflowed with joy, Enlil's heart, a river in flood, overflowed with joy. The heart overflowed with joy, and just as the Tigris brings sweet water, so Enlil, who se will is an enormous flood, sparkling and awe - inspiring, came to a sweet decision: 10 - 16: "The lord called for his house and I intend to make the grandeur of E - ninnu known everywhere. Using his wisdom, the ruler (i.e. Gudea) will achieve great things. He will direct faultless cattle and kids for offering. It is for him the fated brick is waiting. It is by him that the building of the holy house is to be done." 17 - 2: On that day, in a nocturnal vision Gudea saw his master, Lord Ninĝirsu. Ninĝirsu spoke to him of his house, of its building. He showed him an E - ninnu with full grandeur. Outstanding though his mind was, the message remained to be interpreted for him. 90 - 100: He stepped aboard his boat, directed it towards the city Niĝin, mooring it at the quay of Niĝin. The ruler raised his head high in the courtyard of the goddess from Sirara. He offered bread, poured cold water and went to Nanše to pray to her: "Nanše, mighty lady, lady of most precious....power, lady who like Enlil determine fates, my Nanše, your word is trustworthy and takes precedence. You are the interpreter of dreams among the gods; you are the lady of all the lands. Mother, my matter today is a dream:" 101 - 109: "In the dream there was one who was as enormous as the Heavens, who were as en ormous as the Earth. His head was like that of a god, his wings were like those of the Anzud bird, and his lower body was like a flood storm. Lions were lying at his right and his left. He spoke to me about building his house, but I could not comprehend it s meaning, then daylight rose for me on the horizon." 110 - 114: "Then there was a woman -- whoever she was. She ...... sheaves. She held a stylus of refined silver in her hand, and placed it on a tablet with propitious stars, and was consulting it." 115 - 123: "T here was, furthermore, a warrior. His arm was bent, holding a lapis lazuli tablet in his hand, and he was setting down the plan of the house. The holy basket stood in front of me, the holy brick mould was ready and the fated brick was placed in the mould f or me. In a fine ildag tree standing before me tigidlu birds were spending the day twittering. My master's right - side donkey stallion was pawing the ground for me." 124 - 131: His mother Nanše answered the ruler: "My shepherd, I will explain your dream for y ou in every detail. The person who, as you said, was as enormous as the Heavens, who was as enormous as the Earth, whose head was like that of a god, whose wings, as you said, were like those of the Anzud bird, and whose lower body was, as you said, like a flood storm, at whose right and left lions were lying, was in fact my brother Ninĝirsu (Ninurta). He spoke to you about the building of his shrine, the E - ninnu." 132 - 133: "The daylight that had risen for you on the horizon is your personal god Ninĝišzida, who will rise for you as the daylight on the horizon." 134 - 140: "The young woman ...... sheaves, who held a stylus of refined silver in her hand. Who had placed it on a tablet with propitious stars and was consulting it, was in fact my sister Nisaba. She anno unced to you the holy stars auguring the building of the house." 141 - 143: "The second one, who was a warrior and whose arm was bent, holding a lapis lazuli tablet in his hand, was Nindub, putting the plan of the house on the tablet." 144 - 14: "As regards th e holy basket standing in front of you, the holy brick mould which was ready and the fated brick placed in the mould, this part of the dream concerns the good brick of the E - ninnu." 147 - 149: "As regards the fine ildag tree standing before you, in the tigidlu birds were spending the day twittering, this means that the building of the house will not let sweet sleep come into your eyes." 150 - 151: "As regards that part when the right - side donkey stallion of your master, as you said, pawed the ground for yo u; this refers to you, who will paw the ground for the E - ninnu like a choice steed." (Gudea, cylinders A and B) Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature This amazing story and the massive building project undertaken by Gudea after a visit from his go d, can be read in full in his life story from ancient text such as the one quoted above. Indeed the very descriptions' of the E.ninnu and the surrounding seven great standing stones are almost uncannily similar to the great stone circle of Stonehenge in Br itain. The splendid house of precious stones, tin, copper, gold and lapis lazuli built by Gudea for his god Ninurta aka Nin.Girsu, was a true wonder of the ancient world, this building and its massive stones has unfortunately not survived the ages of conqu est but we have a graphic description of its grandeur from ancient writings. Here in this text, we read of the appearance of divine beings who are both astronomers and architects, celestial beings that are capable of communicating to a mortal the precise p lans, written on a stone of lapis lazuli, of an awesome house of precious stones and metals. The measurements and scale of not only the house, but the very materials to be used in its construction are given in minute details to the King. The lengthy text goes on to show how Gudea entered a vast cedar forest, and traversed distant mountains in his quest for the right materials for the building of the temple of his god. Even though we no longer can visit his masterpiece, we have today evidence of its constru ction in the many surviving temples built by man for his god in ancient days. Although Gudea was receiving his instructions in what might be referred to as a dreamscape, this was no illusion of an overzealous mind. The instructions once clarified were so r eal that he was able to read the very drawings from the lapis lazuli tablet he had seen in his dream, somehow, the stone tablet on which the plans were drawn up was later found in his possession. There is even a carving of the King seated with the tablet on his lap, it was from the mouth of his god that Gudea had received instructions to build the magnificent E.ninnu, and it was from the hand of his god that he received the tablets outlining the plan of the temple. Not leaving anything to chance the gods t hen opened his understanding so that he may complete the task he was given. An experience that is truly worthy of the history books for all ages to come. 463 - 470: For the one looked on with favour by Nanše, for the favourite of Enlil, for the ruler favou red by Ninĝirsu, for Gudea, born in the august sanctuary by Ĝatumdug, Nisaba opened the house of understanding and En.Ki put right the design of the house. The book of Exodus has a very similar story of Moses on the mountain when he received the instruct ions for the dwelling place of Yahweh God in the wilderness. Although we are not told if Moses received his plans drawn on a stone tablet, one can only assume that, like the tablets of the Ten Commandments written with a fiery stylus he must have been give n other items not mentioned in the book. If indeed Moses did not receive any instructions for the tabernacle on stone, then he would have had to remember every last detail of the plan he was shown on the mountain. For such a meticulous God was Yahweh of th e Hebrews, i would very much doubt if this was the case. The plans were so precise and the instructions so detailed, that today anyone reading these plans would be able to build just such a sanctuary, just as the ancient Hebrews did more than three thousan d years ago. The fact that a record has been kept word for word, just as in Gudeas' vision, is proof that the plans were not verbally given, but were written with the hand of God just as the commandments were. Exodus 25:40: "See that you make them after t he pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain". This chapter in Exodus gives a lengthy and detailed description for the materials and measurements of the Tabernacle, and all its utensils that was to be made in the wilderness by the Hebrew cra fts man. With so many details to remember, it is doubtful if Moses could have relayed all this word for word to the many workmen employed to construct this dwelling place of Yahweh, without written material been present. Also we have a very strong clue fr om the finishing line, where God reminds Moses to implement the planed works according to the pattern he was shown on the mountain. What this means is that God was physically showing Moses a finished product with details of how to build the tabernacle, and all the items to be placed in it. Today we will employ the very same methods of construction, from the drawing board to the foreman's table; a detailed plan would be on hand for the work been carried out. What Moses and Gudea saw in their divine encounter with a god, was a planned work with all its materials and specifications as drawn up by a divine architect, a plan that was then handed to them to follow through to completion. And just as Gudea received the much needed wisdom to comprehend and complete such a divine plan from his god; so too we are told in Exodus that God endowed the Hebrew craftsmen with divine intelligence for the building of his tabernacle in the wilderness. Exodus Chapter 31:1 - 11 1: And God spake unto Moses, saying; 2: See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah 3: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5: And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6: And I, behold, I have given him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom,