Purity Before Sinai: Subverting Storm Demons - Episode 149
Today we step before Leviticus into Sumerian and Akkadian worlds to see how ancient people thought about purity, danger, and the sacred—and how Israel both echoes and upends that world. We sample Udug-hul exorcism tablets (incl. Tablet 12), meet storm-like demons, and trace common ancient ritual media (living water, flour circles, fire, incense, bells, tamarisk).
Along the way we test big claims: holiness as a spatial/ritual frame, why “purity precedes holiness,” why Israel’s God doesn’t do “conflict theology” like Mesopotamia, and how not to over-systematize the Divine Council.
If you’ve read Heiser, Walton, or dabbled in 1 Enoch, apkallu lore, or Enuma Elish, this episode gives you a more complex, historically grounded backdrop—without ransacking your faith.
Don’t forget to check out the community at On This Rock for resources for Geller’s Healing Magic and Evil Demons.
On This Rock Biblical Theology Community: https://on-this-rock.com/
Website: genesismarksthespot.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot
Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan
Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/
Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan
00:00 - Ancient Frames and Why They Matter
06:09 - Recap: Holiness as a Spatial/Ritual Frame
09:57 - How to Read ANE Texts Responsibly
19:11 - Clean/Unclean as Ritual Categories
21:30 - Research Question: Did Purity Precede Holiness?
25:49 - The Ancient World’s Pragmatic Religion
27:17 - Demons, Disease, and Incantations
29:02 - Demons in ANE vs the Bible
31:23 - “Conflict Theology” vs Israel’s God
34:29 - Tablet 7: Water Rites & Feeding the Ghosts
40:56 - Tablet 8: Birds, Omens, and Red Garments
42:42 - Tablet 9: Purifying Buildings
44:47 - Tablet 12 (Reading): The Storm Demon’s Ruin
49:26 - Context Matters: Storm God vs Storm Demon
52:04 - Apkallu & Geography Cautions
54:59 - Not Exegesis: Parallels to Genesis 1–9
58:14 - “Not a God,” Yet Gigantic: Status & Radiance
01:00:48 - Multiple Chaos Frames in the ANE
01:02:54 - Contrast of Solutions: Udug-hul vs Genesis
01:05:51 - Takeaways from Mesopotamian Materials
