A Story That Existed Before the Old Testament... The Origin of the Bible Found in Mesopotamia

Summary

Joo Won-joon, Senior Researcher at Hannim Biblical Institute, begins Season 2 of his series on ancient history by exploring how Old Testament concepts of gods and divine judgment were influenced by Mesopotamian traditions. He discusses the gods of the Nile and Euphrates-Tigris rivers, the river ordeal in Hammurabi's Code, the Hebrew term 'ed' for calamity/judgment, and challenges in Korean Bible translation. No investment or financial advice is offered.

• The speaker explains that the Old Testament was shaped by earlier ancient Near Eastern literature, not just pure divine dictation
• The Egyptian god Hapi represents the Nile flood and fertility, not the river itself
• The Mesopotamian water god Enki/Ea and the concept of the 'river ordeal' as a form of divine judgment are examined
• The Hebrew word 'ed' (calamity/judgment) derives from Akkadian 'id' meaning the river of ordeal
• Hammurabi's Code article 2 describes trial by river for suspected sorcery, reflecting ancient views of justice through extreme chance
• Korean Bible translations inconsistently render 'ed' as calamity, disaster, or distress, which the speaker critiques
• The speaker highlights the tension between maintaining scholarly accuracy and adapting translation for modern sensibilities
• No financial instruments, securities, or economic forecasts are mentioned