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](http://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

00:00:00 Ancient Frames and Why They Matter
00:06:09 Recap: Holiness as a Spatial/Ritual Frame
00:09:57 How to Read ANE Texts Responsibly
00:19:11 Clean/Unclean as Ritual Categories
00:21:30 Research Question: Did Purity Precede Holiness?
00:25:49 The Ancient World’s Pragmatic Religion
00:27:17 Demons, Disease, and Incantations
00:29:02 Demons in ANE vs the Bible
00:31:23 “Conflict Theology” vs Israel’s God
00:34:29 Tablet 7: Water Rites & Feeding the Ghosts
00:40:56 Tablet 8: Birds, Omens, and Red Garments
00:42:42 Tablet 9: Purifying Buildings
00:44:47 Tablet 12 (Reading): The Storm Demon’s Ruin
00:49:26 Context Matters: Storm God vs Storm Demon
00:52:04 Apkallu & Geography Cautions
00:54:59 Not Exegesis: Parallels to Genesis 1–9
00:58:14 “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