This episode continues last week’s deep dive (Ep. 149) into Udug-hul Tablet 12, exploring how ancient Mesopotamians understood purity, sacred space, demons, and ritual—and how that compares (and collides) with the Bible’s worldview. Carey walks through Ea (Enki), Marduk, Belet-ili, Eridu, decreed destinies, and a striking black-goat “scapegoat” rite tied to breath, life, and expulsion—then turns to the big question: what’s the difference between magic and ritual for Christians, and how does that shape practices like baptism, exorcism, and embodied worship?

150 TRANSCRIPT

In this episode:

- Why look before Sinai to grasp biblical purity and sacred space

- Mesopotamian divine council logic: Ea → Marduk → priest as mediator

- Eridu as a prototype of divine order; destinies and lots language

- Belet-ili (Mami/Nintu) and “learning the ways of the demons”

- The black goat rite: breath, life, and removing the ālu/utukku demon

- Biblical contrasts: Leviticus 16 scapegoat vs. Mesopotamian incantation

- Magic vs. ritual: mechanistic tech vs. covenantal, participatory practice

- Embodied sacred space/time: why liturgy, baptism, Eucharist still matter

Mentioned texts & themes: Genesis 1–2 (cosmic temple), Deut 32 (lots), Enūma Eliš, Atrahasis, Eridu traditions, Leviticus 16 (scapegoat), Ezekiel 37 (breath & life).

150 TRANSCRIPT

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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

00:00:00 Mesopotamian demonology vs. Bible terms
00:04:59 Tablet 12 overview: the eco-destroying demon
00:07:27 “Not a god”: categories of beings & elohim
00:09:02 Ea (Enki), Marduk, and priestly mediation
00:15:03 Eridu, Apsu, and heavenly blueprints
00:24:21 Consulting Belet-ili: learning the demons’ ways
00:29:19 Order vs. chaos: does chaos have a pattern?
00:35:12 The black-goat rite: setup & purpose
00:38:56 Personal deities
00:43:30 Prayers & offerings: doing the same work
00:47:59 Who can be a "son of the god"?
00:50:58 Activated mercy via performance
00:52:37 The strange case of the breathing goat
00:56:23 Breath, life, and expulsion mechanics
01:03:50 Magic vs. ritual: Christian stakes
01:11:11 Embodied sacred space/time today