Now, to think with Babylon about the crisis we are in: financial, political, moral. At all levels, not only “them”. Where, against what and whom, how, have we (they, but not only they) sinned? To frame it in Babylonian terms: the gods are angry, but which and why? Marduk seems firmly in charge and the order the kings of Babylonia represent through their epics and temples (I am thinking of presidents, political bodies, institutional bodies, think tanks with their omens and oracles, etc.), all of this asserts it is functioning properly and orderly, that is, it is following divine order, the order of celestial bodies, as its own epics have it: economic and political theories (note: theories are visions), it is worshipping at the altars of freedom (as a reified good, out there to be worshipped with blood offerings, but no history of salvation) and democracy (people’s power, but for whom?). It is even quite ready to bring the full force of the “law” (the likes of the Hammurabi code, and its successors, nomos et lex, constitutions, law codes) to bear on the rebellious and impious, those who would tell stories of redemption from divine (and other) debt. Its justification for that? The sacredness of the holy order(s) needs to be maintained, and see, the proper sacrifices are being offered: the tuning of the financial machinery is being accomplished, and incense offered. Prophetic oracles are telling us an inexorable progress and an inexhaustibly upwards market, except for short divine bursts of anger, are here and there, hidden perhaps, obscured (by the incense?), but nonetheless of the “essence”. The gods can be propitiated, if only order is maintained: the divine order in the realm of ideas depends on our maintaining physical order hic et nunc. Are we to believe our high and low priests, our paid prophets and oniromancers, necromancers, providers of apotropaic baubles and trinkets, tea-leaf readers et al? They have been quiet recently, since last year actually, when they realized Marduk could get really mad and perhaps they themselves could be swallowed up by monsters. But whew, the storm and judgment seem to have been avoided for now, enormous holocausts have been offered, and the cult can resume for a while….
3 thoughts on “View from the Esagila”
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This is incredibly insightful. I never considered that age-old human idiosyncrasies, like reverence to a “higher power,” might have just changed name and appearance but still serve the same societal functions. Emergent behaviors, indeed.
I love this. especially the comment in parenthesis “people’s power, but for whom?”
i have the distinct feeling that (Americans at least) have lost the will to protest and the power of protest. The Kinks wrote a song titled Shangri-La about how many people are too complacent with their riches to protest the Vietnam War. While protests still occurs, I get the feeling that people are less interested in participating, are scared of participating or do not believe that it will work.
I am a student of history and believe that history is important if we wish to know anything about the future. but I am also an optimist and hope for an escape.
i feel I must ask, does the possibility of derivation from the divine progression still exist at this time? Can our voices be heard? Or is this escalation of divine order the only way in which society can be ruled?
I hope we can get out of this divine rut: after all, it’s idolatry, and there are other ways of doing things!