Babylon Through The Ages

     Babylon the Great, a city of mystery and intrigue, antiquities and abandonment. An ancient city named after a great kingdom that ruled the Mesopotamia from the heart of the Iraqi desert, fifty miles south of Bagdad. The city of the desert now lies deserted, desolate, lost and slumbering. Oh, the mysteries she hides in the decay of her ruins as she listens for the footsteps of her betrothed to awaken her and embrace her one last time.

   Both history and science back up the Biblical claim that the Fertile Crescent, the Mesopotamia was the birth place of man, the birth of civilization. The 'rebirth' was directly after the great flood. 

   The Mesopotamia is the area that extends from the base of the Nile River up the entire eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea then east through Israel. The Mesopotamian crescent continues through modern day Syria into Nineveh taking a sharp downward turn into Iraq by way of the Euphrates and Tigris River to what is now the Persian Gulf.

   This area, believed by many is the location of two of the four rivers that flowed from the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of man. Some have debated that the Garden of Eden was created in Israel, but, the great flood had changed the geophysical landscape in such a way that neither place can be substantiated.

   Southern Iraq is also the area of the Plains of Shinar or more commonly known as the Land of Shinar, the area between two rivers, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The Bible mentions Shinar 8 times; each reference pointing to Shinar as the location of Babel, the land of Nimrod, the Babylonian empire or more specifically to the city of Babylon.

   The Book of Daniel gives us a tiny glimpse into the ancient city of Babylon as a land of military might, merchants, sorcerers, necromancers, enchanters and idol worshippers.

Hislop and the Mother Child Religion

   The argument used by Alexander Hislop to explain the mystery religion or, the mother - child worship predominant in the Catholic church is that every false religion in the world is connected to the worship of a woman named Semiramis and her child, Tammuz, the reincarnation of Nimrod. His argument is that the mother-child religion flooded the entire world after the fall of Babel to honor or replicate the worship of Semiramis and Tammuz. He claims that these are the same beings with different names since the languages had changed. 

    His argument, based upon his research, is that Mary and Jesus are simply imitations of Semiramis and Tammuz reintroduced into religion and the birth of Christ Jesus was a replacement for this ancient Babylonian mystery religion. He ignores any reference to the rise of fertility cults consisting of a variety of deities that dominated the Mesopotamia. 

   History shows that the Mesopotamia was filled with a mixed combination of occult  rituals, idol worshippers and a saturation of fertility religions post-flood. History has no mention of a woman named Semiramis until the 8th century BC, long after the tower of Babel fell and Nimrod no longer walked the earth. Her memory was expounded upon and included in the writings of many Greek historians beginning with Greek physician and historian, Ctesias (5-4th C BC) who connected her to a mythological character, King Ninus. 

   According to Greek mythology, King Ninus ruled Assyria in 3000 BC. These myths and legends are what many historians, including Alexander Hislop, based their research on. 

Inanna and Ishtar and the Tale of Tammuz

As we move closer to Resurrection Sunday we see more memes about  Ishtar, Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz in order to tie the Resurrection of Christ Jesus to pagan myths. 

These are absolute garbage. 

Let me explain: 

   The oldest goddess documented in history was Inanna. Inanna was a the primary and first fertility goddess of the southern Mesopotamia. Her origins are found in Sumer, dating back to 4000 B.C.. Inanna was the original Queen of heaven. She was NEVER called Semiramis. She was the prototype of future goddesses of nomadic people who wanted a Queen of heaven of their own. 

   Inanna had a boyfriend, his name was Dumuzid or Dumuzi in the Sumerian language.  His beginnings are also found in Sumer, dating back to 4000 B.C.. as Inanna and Dumuzid were intimately linked in a romantic relationship. Their popularity and love affair eventually made their way into the Akkadian and Babylonian territories where they were known as Ishtar and Tammuz. 

   Tammuz was the youthful god of pastures and plants. He was not connected to sun worship nor was he ever a sun-god. His father was the primary god Ea or El, his mother was Davkina, mistress of the vine. This is documented in the form of hymns found on Cuneiform Sumerian tablet called the Babylonian Tammuz Lamentations. This tablet is number 15 and is housed in the British museum. 

   The hymns were translated by Frederick A. Vanderburgh in 1906 and placed into a book published in 1908: Sumerian Hymns from Cuneiform Texts in the British Museum. Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh, Columbia University Press, 1908

Nimrod Semiramis and Tammuz Deception

    The legend of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz is the biggest con in the majority of  Christian churches today.  This teaching uses mythology and fables as authentic sources when they are anything but authentic. This bizarre teaching had literally caught fire in the online churches beginning sometime around 2012, but is now creeping into community churches throughout America. 

This is an extremely dangerous teaching. 

   The myths are literally taught as historical events and Christian theology. These fables are  presented as an alternative narrative to explain the mystery of the woman in Revelation 17,  dating back to the time of Babel. 

   These fables replace a harlot city with a harlot religion that allegedly rose from Babel and consumed the earth with a mother-child mystery religion.  The narrative suggests that the .02% rise of mother-child cults tied to the spread of fertility religions after Babel was scattered is the underlying factor that explains the 'mystery woman' of Revelation 17. The reality is: from the hundreds of fertility religions that saturated the Mesopotamia perhaps four actual mother-child cults spread to other regions of the world. That leaves 196 that did not. Not very good odds if you ask me. 

   The mastermind behind these fabrications began with Scottish minister, Alexander Hislop. 

   History shows us that the spread in the occult, witchcraft and divination ran rampant after the flood, not mother-child religions.  

   If you are familiar with the Genesis story of Nimrod and the authentic histories of the ancient gods and goddesses of the Mesopotamia, reading the bizarre writings of Alexander Hislop will literally make your brain crawl. 

   As per Hislop, Nimrod (2500-2300 BC) was really Zoroaster, the Persian prophet who lived in the 5th C B.C. Hislop also claims that Zoroaster was really a Chaldean (9th century B.C.) who was a magician and sorcerer. Zoroaster (Nimrod) discovered the Chaldean Transmigration of Souls where he could reincarnate himself or possess humans throughout the ancient world and did so right up until the time of the Vikings. 

   By doing this little trick, he was able to establish himself throughout history as a god; many gods in fact. He was the Egyptian god Osiris, the Roman god Apollo, then Cupid son of Venus, Hercules, Vulcan (husband to Venus), Ninus, Kronos, the Norse god Odin among many others. Every ancient myth and pagan god or goddess that began in the new world was really the legacy of Tammuz / Nimrod and Semiramis passed down through the windmills of time for roughly 3000+ years.

  The creator of this myth never claims that these various gods have a common origin or were prototypes of Nimrod. Instead, his research is based upon his direct claim that they are the same being, the same divinity or the same person. And he (Hislop) creates that illusion by reincarnation. Is reincarnation a Christian concept? Of course not. But it was a concept heavily referenced in Greek mythology that Hislop relies on for his hypothesis.  

   Hislop claims that Nimrod's mother and wife, Semiramis was so popular and powerful that she was inserted into every future culture establishing herself as a goddess by way of her mystery religion. She was worshiped as the Greek goddess Rhea as the 'mother of the gods' in the 4th Century B.C. She was also worshiped in the 3rd Century A.D. as the Roman goddess Venus, the mother of impurity who corrupted the city with idolatry and prostitution. 

   

   Semiramis was worshiped throughout the entirety of history until she finally disappeared from view as Hislop tied her to the Catholic Church as Mary, completing his mission. These connections, as per Hislop's mapping of ancient 'mother' goddesses is what ties her to the Revelation 17 prophecy as the 'mother' of harlots. 

   And, just like that, the spiritually corrupt economic prostitute, the πόρνης (commercially corrupt one), the harlot city, becomes the Catholic church. 

   What a tangled web we weave.... 

   Here, we are told by Hislop that the members of the catholic church have worshiped her ever since, praying to Mary to hide the fact that they really pray to Semiramis. They are solely committed to concealing the Babylonian mystery religion that is deeply rooted to Catholicism. Even though there was never a primary mother-child religion centered in the city of Babylon or the Babylonian kingdom - the rumor mill is non-stop on this concept. There is no evidence that Nimrod had a wife named Semiramis or a child named Tammuz. I'm sure Nimrod being 'the mighty hunter before the Lord', was much desired by women; a real hunk of alpha male testosterone. But, still, no evidence exists from Babel to affirm this marriage. Also, Babel preceded Babylon by a thousand years, wouldn't that make her the Queen of Babel and not Babylon? 

   An example of meme's that float around the internet spreading fables. These are directly from the teachings of Alexander Hislop. 

   This is Hislop's theory as taught in the Christian church to explain the spread of the numerous fertility cults that rose in the Mesopotamia - which was a natural progression of a pagan, idol worshiping people. 

    Semiramis inserted herself into ancient history as a goddess. She was the mother of a god-child who was the reincarnation of her loving husband Nimrod. This was only after she had him killed and promoted him to sun-god status. She became pregnant with Tammuz after Nimrod was reincarnated as the Sun god. As the sun-god, Nimrod shined upon her, bathing her in sun light, creating a halo impregnating her with the rays of the sun. 

    This mystery religion of Semiramis and her child-god went deep underground, shrouded in secrecy and secret rites that are still practiced today. The religion was so well guarded that it survived nearly 3000 years. This, as per Hislop, was how the 'mystery religion', the  mother / child religion carried into the world after the scattering of Babel. We are told that this mystery religion is the religion found in the Catholic church. 

   But, history shows us another theory. The rise of fertility cults. Any god or goddess worth their salt had the power of fertility. There were roughly 200+ fertility gods and goddesses in ancient Mesopotamia after the flood. Perhaps four or five of these cults had a mother with child deity, a .02% ratio. Being idol worshipers, many idols and carvings were crafted so young woman could worship in the town square or carry fertility helpers with them where ever they went. 

   To be blessed with a family and a large one at that, was every woman's goal. A large family ensured the continuation of family lineage and was needed for hunting, farming, crop sharing and gathering. In the early days of civilization, temples were erected in the town square where idols of a fertility goddess were placed, available for worship. God said: go forth, multiply and fill the earth. And, that is exactly what they did. There were hundreds of fertility religions and cults that littered the plains. 

   But Alexander Hislop, thousands of years later decided there was another explanation to explain the explosion of fertility cults; Semiramis, Nimrod and Tammuz. He based his theory on  church historian Eusebius who wrote about an Assyrian queen, Queen Shammu-Ramat in the 4th century A,D. The writings of Eusebius were based on the research of the Greek physician and historian Ctesias (5-4th C BC) who connected her to a mythological character, King Ninus. This work was further cited by Diodorus from the 1st century B.C., and the work of Abydenus who lived around 200 B.C. 

   Diodorus wrote of the legend of Queen Shammu-Ramat, an Assyrian queen who lived around 811 B.C. and the Greek mythological king of Assyria King Ninus who Greek mythology places into Assyria in 3,000 B.C. He claimed Queen Shammu-Ramat was also called Semiramis and transported her legacy back into time to meet and marry King Ninus. They fell madly in love and had a son named Ninyas. Based upon the writings of Eusebius and Diodorus, Alexander Hislop assigned Ninus as Nimrod based on his understanding of Greek mythology and the biblical legend of Nimrod. He then switched the mythological child Ninyas to Tammuz, an ancient Akkadian and Babylonian child-god of plants and pastures. Tammuz was known as Damuzid in the Sumerian culture - 4,000 B.C.. 

   Not sure if you caught the date fluctuations? 

   This is literally how Hislop got his theory for The Two Babylons that he wrote in 1886 AD. Never mind the thousands of years that separate the two lives. According to Hislop's hypothesis, by the time Queen Shammu-Ramat (recreated as Semiramis) married King Shamshi-Adad V, she was already several thousands of years old.  You see, Queen Shammu-Ramat was a real queen who reigned over Assyria after her husband died in battle 811 B.C. She ruled until their son was old enough for the throne. But, unlike the fictional Semiramis she never married her son. This Queen was an actual historical figure whose legacy was tarnished by Alexander Hislop. This is what the fictional story of Semiramis and Nimrod is based upon, a queen who lived thousands of years after the flood. 

   She was transported back into the time to marry Nimrod leaving her husband and son in the 8th century BC. Hislop based his interpretation entirely on Greek myths and fictional characters (king Ninus) created from mythology. 

   Hislop carried on the tradition conducted by Diodorus and Eusebius uniting mythology and history together, intertwining them, erasing the lines of time to focus on a specific outcome: the legend of Semiramis and Nimrod. 

   There is way more to this sordid love / hate relationship that Hislop wrote about. For example, without any proof at all, Hislop claimed that Semiramis was the wife of Cush and Nimrod was their biological son. Semiramis left Cush (who became the god Bel, the 'ringleader' of apostasy) to marry Nimrod. Since the god Bel was the mythological father of the fictional king Ninus, Cush had to be transformed into the father: god Bel. Once Hislop put it to paper, Nimrod 'logically' became king Ninus, son of the god Bel who is really Cush. Then Nimrod becomes Osiris, Vulcan, Odin, Hercules, Cupid, ect... Hislop became the master of switcherooism; weaving tales and fables of mythological figures into biblical history. 

   I mean really? I have never read more made up garbage passed off as reality in my life. This is what many pastors are teaching their flocks and this is literally ingrained deep within many teachings of the YouTube churches. There has been hundreds of sermons preached on Semiramis, Tammuz and Nimrod surrounding the Revelation 17 prophecy. But, no matter how much you twist it, the woman in Revelation 17 does not metaphorically describe a church.  

   Do not go beyond what is written... I Corinthians 4:6

   I encourage you to read Hislop's theory on the Mother / Child religion that began with fertility cults in the land of Shinar. It gave me a headache each time but I got through it. Talk about bizarre mis-mapping and connecting Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz through every culture that ever existed in order to move them through history and tie them to the Catholic church. 

   And by the way, there is no mention of Semiramis or a wife of Nimrod in the Bible, nor in the writings of the Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius, nor on any ancient cuneiform tablets  found to date. In fact, nothing has survived from Babel on which to base these stories. Instead, these stories are based upon the writings of  one man: Alexander Hislop and his complex versions of mixing and matching Greek. Syrian, Latin and Roman mythologies. 

   I've been researching ancient Babylon, fertility cults, and the ancient god and goddess of the Mesopotamia since the 80's, and have never once come across this Nimrod, Semiramis, Tammuz 'mystery religion' that Hislop wrote about. (I truly believe he invented the entire narrative). What I did find were cultures deeply immersed in the occult, witchcraft, sorcery (drug induced spells) and divination scattered all through the Mesopotamia and Egyptian cultures. The practice of the dark arts was the common thread that dominated and spread throughout the world after Babel scattered, not a few mother-child mystery religions. 

   From over 200 fertility religions that dominated the Mesopotamia maybe four authentic mother-child religions sprung up after. That equals .02%, not a vast majority as Hislop would have you believe. 

   It wasn't until Bible teachers began preaching this as a historical narrative to explain this so-called mother / child religion that grew from the normal progression of fertility cults that I began to take notice. Having a background in authentic Mesopotamian history I began to  question where they were getting this information from. (As I said, I've been researching Mesopotamian history and mythology for as long as I can remember, and this version of history never existed in any authentic historical setting. The only setting this is found is from the pulpit.) As much as I hate to admit it, it's true. :( 

  If you believe that Adam, the first man was really the goat / man Pan, or that Nimrod had the power of reincarnation, then Hislop is your guy. Before you make any decisions please read the twisted tale, The Two Babylons thoroughly - but grab your Tylenol first!! 

   The online PDF versions: --   https://ia800309.us.archive.org/6/items/theTwoBabylons/TheTwoBabylons.pdf

and also: 

https://nazarenesoftheworld.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/THE-TWO-BABYLONS-HISLOP.pdf

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