When Noah blunders into a catastrophic failure of leadership, although accidentally, nonetheless he transfers his Melchizedekian role to Shem, who is then known as “the father / authority of all the children / disciples of Eber” (Genesis 10:21). These are not his namesake Semites, who are defined by their common languages Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, and others. In the same way Abraham is defined as “the father / authority of all them that believe“, i.e. his followers, disciples, Melchizedek Shem’s begotten children are his spiritual heirs.
Cultural historians confirm the biblical account that righteous Shem’s great-grandson Eber is the namesake founder of the [H]ebre[w]s of whom Abraham “our father” is the first person identified as such.
“Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram; the same is Abraham.” (I Chronicles 1:24-17)
There is a logical reason why Eber is barely mentioned in the Bible despite his key role.
That would be his key role. Eber’s name / defining characteristic means “regions beyond”. Consistent with the biblical account, secular anthropology also states that “Little is known about the oldest eras of ancient Hebrew civilization because the culture was nomadic. Like Paul, Eber was constantly traveling to spread the gospel to the migrating heathen nations.
“For the [Old Testament] scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed…the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him….Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”
- For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
- and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
- and how shall they hear without a preacher?…as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:11-18)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:16-20)
This establishes the fact that all people had the opportunity – despite dispersal away from headquarters at Jerusalem to know and worship the One True God of Creation through the evidence of Creation.
As people groups spread over the earth and coalesced into
- nations / ethnic groups differentiated by inbred genetics and/or climate-determined foods, domiciles, clothing and ways of life,
- states defined as centralized political organizations that impose and enforce laws over a population within a geographically defined territory,
- cultures consisting of knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, and habits that define and maintains the norms and expectations within a society for each individual’s social behavior.
Civilization is defined as a advanced state of culture in society in contrast to a savage state.
If Western civilization can be said to have a clear beginning, the ancient Hebrews are it.
The idea of God’s transcendence, for example, establishes a higher law applicable to all men equally. This is a fundamental notion in the Western culture, the equality of people before the law, the dignity of the human person, the applicability of God’s moral truths to all men.”
Recognizing that men are typically too weak to wield much power impartially and for others’ service is a particularly Hebraic and influential cultural insight. America’s founders, for one, incorporated this insight into our form of government in “checks and balances” that limit leaders’ power.
“by one Spirit are we all baptized / immersed, emerging purified into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit…
Now – status post redemption of the Christ – ye are the body / association / organization / of Christ / The Seed of the Woman…” (I Corinthians 12:13,18, 27)
From my experience in Christianity, this is interpreted to mean that this international body of believers began with Christianity. A more accurate understand of “now ye are…” is that before there was already an existing group. That explains why one of the last books in the Christian New Testament is called Hebrews – the ongoing international body of believers.
- “God, who…spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets [the Hebrews, as per the opening address of this letter]
- Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, (Hebrews 1:1)
As detailed in the relevant post, Paul never accepted being identified as a “Christian”. Instead, he identified himself, in order of increasing significance, “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews;” (Philippians 3:5)
“The most distinct and long-lasting elements of ancient Hebrew civilization lay not in its architectural, artistic or diplomatic contributions but in the focus of the people on a monotheistic God who was radically different from the gods worshipped by most ancient peoples.” Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant
Hebrew contribution was not of a material nature. There was no unique technology, tool, architecture, art, pottery technique or even alphabet unique to Hebrews. The contribution was…ideological… monotheism. But Monotheism is not just a quantitative issue (believing in one God as opposed to many). Hebrew monotheism separated humans from nature – by believing that God created humans in His image and made it ontologically different from other animals. That allows for a completely different relation of humans to their environment…
The “ethical monotheism” of the ancient Hebrews also established the equality of all men – in that they are all created in God’s image. When the American Declaration of Independence talks about “all men are created equal” it’s referring to that Hebrew concept. No wonder that Martin Luther King used biblical references all the time.
Eber’s legacy of a religious institution – knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, and habits – can be discerned by its monotheism regardless of differences in languages and habitat-driven cultures throughout the world. This institution is not the nation-state of Israe to which one becomes a citizen, but a transending condition of belonging to a transcendental God with a supreme and transcendent moral reference. Good and Bad become absolute terms, and not what society or the king says it is, but what God says it is.
The Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (1353-1336 BCE) is often referred to as the first monotheist when during the Amarna Period, Akhenaten promoted the worship of Aten, the symbol of the sun, as the highest form of worship.
Zoroaster was a monotheistic prophet (with dates anywhere from 1000-600 BCE) who promoted the worship of one supreme deity, Ahura Mazda, who was the creator of everything in the universe as “the one” / i.e. Singularity. The extreme opposite of Ahura Mazda was druj, or ‘chaos,’ personified as Angra Mainyu.
Mesoamerican mythology provides evidence that knowledge of the One True God was carried throughout the world after the breakup into nations at the Tower of Babel in Mesopotamia, surely memorializing Eber’s missionary role.
In the beginning, all was darkness and nothing existed. Viracocha the Creator came forth from the watersof Lake Titicaca[the sea of space] and created the land and the sky [on Evening 1] before returning to the lake [darkness was upon the face of the deep during adversarial actions on Night 1). He also created a race of people – in some versions of the story they were giants / powerful immortals [aka angels]. [Some of ]These people and their leaders displeased Viracocha, so he came out of the lake again and flooded the world to destroy them. He also turned some of the men into stones. Then Viracocha created the Sun, Moon and stars on Day five.
Then Viracocha made men to populate the different areas and regions of the world…The Inca referred to the first men / angels as Vari Viracocharuna / Variation of Viracocha [same likeness, split off from the Singularity]. Viracocha then created another group of men, also called viracochas / [Same name as his – not just “like God” but exactly sons of God because made in his exact identity and delegated his exact uniquely identifying characteristic of dominion over the earth.]
Viracocha…sent one to the east to the region called Andesuyo and the other to the west to Condesuyo. Their mission, like the other viracochas, was as prophets and seers to awaken the people and tell them their histories past, purest and future.
Viracocha continued to Urcos, where he sat on the high mountain…Then Viracocha founded the city of Cuzco…Once that was done, he walked to the sea, awakening people as he went. When he reached the ocean, the other viracochas were waiting for him. Together they walked off across the ocean after giving his people one last word of advice: beware of false men who would come and claim that they were the returned [viracochas , sons of God].
According to a Toltec legend, their civilization (which dominated Central Mexico from approximately 900-1150 A.D.) was founded by a great hero, Ce Acatl Topiltzín Quetzalcoatl. According to Toltec and Maya accounts, Ce Acatl Topiltzín Quetzalcoatl lived in Tula for a while before a dispute with the warrior class over human sacrifice led to his departure. He headed east, eventually settling in Chichen Itza. The God Quetzalcoatl definitely has a link of some sort to this hero. It may be that the historical Ce Acatl Topiltzín Quetzalcoatl was deified into Quetzalcoatl the god.
