內(nèi)容參考文稿016 flood tablet

Episode16-FloodFloodTablet(madearound700-600BC).ClaywritingtabletfromnorthernWhenyouthinkaboutrainthatfallsfor'fortydaysandfortynights',youmightjustbeconsideringtheprospectoflivingthroughyetanothersummerinBritain.Butofcourse,whatyou'rereallyreferringtoisthebiblicalstoryofNoah,hisarkandtheGreatFlood-astorythat's esomuchpartofourlanguage,thatanychildinthecountrycanlyouthattheanimalswentintwobytwo.ButthestoryoftheGreatFloodisitselfhatgoesbackfarbeyondtheBibletomanyothersocieties,andispartofaglobalcollectiveconsciousness.Why?HowdidastorylikeNoah'sFlood,soancient,comeintobeing?Andforme,thatleadstothenextquestion-whendidtheideaofwritingdownastoryatallbegin?It'snoark,butthemainentranceoftheBritishMuseumisatleastdry-andthevisitorscertainlycomeinmorethantwobytwo.What'sgreataboutmuseumcollectionsisthattheyletyoustridethroughthecenturiesandacrossthecontinentsinasingleafternoon,withoutevengettingwet.Thisweek,I'llbestridingacrossatightlyinterconnectedworldthatstretchedfromthesouthernNiletotheBlackSea,andfromGreecetoIran-it'saworldthatflourishedaboutthreeandahalfthousandyearsago,soaround1500BC.TheobjectsI'mgoingtobelookingatraisebigquestionsandverybigideas,liketheoriginsofmathematicsand,inthisprogramme,thebeginningsofliture."There'sareallykindofahymntothebeautyandthefragilityofhumanculture,caughtbetweentheworldofthegodsandtheworldofanunforgivingnature."(David"AndwithoutthatJewishbreakwiththeworldofmyth,wewouldneverhavehadscience."(JonathanSacks)It'slunchtimeattheBritishMuseumandthece,asusual,isbustlingwithvisitors.LocalsfromBloomsburyaredropinastheyregularlydoforanynumberofreasonsand,justover140yearsago,oneofthoselocals,aregularlunchtimevisitor,wasamancalledGeorgeSmith.Hewasanapprenticetoaprintingfirmnotfarfromthemuseum,andhe'd efascinatedbythemuseum'scollectionofancientclaytablets.Hewassoengrossedbythese,thathetaughthimselftoreadthemand,induecourse,hebecameoneoftheleadingtranslatorsofhisday.In1872,SmithwasstudyingaparticulartabletfromNineveh(modernIraq)andthat'swhatIwanttolookatnow.I'vewalkedacrossthemuseum,andI'mnowsittinginthelibrarywherewekeeptheclaytabletsfromMesopotamia;aroomfilledwithshelvesfromfloortoceiling,andoneachshelfanarrowwoodentraywithuptoadozenclaytabletsinit-mostofthemfragments.ThefragmentthatGeorgeSmithwasparticularlyinterestedin,in1872,isaboutfiveorsixhes(130-150mm)high,it'sdarkbrownclayandit'scoveredwithverydenselywrittentextorganisedintwoveryclosecolumns.Fromadistance,itlooksabitlikethesmalladscolumnofanold-fashionednewspaper.Butthisfragment,onceGeorgeSmithhadrealisedwhatitwas,wasgoingtoshakethefoundationsofoneofthegreatstoriesoftheOldTestament,andindeedraisebigquestionsabouttheroleofscriptureanditsrelationshiptotruth.Ourtabletisaboutaflood-aboutamanwhoistoldbyhisgodtobuildaboatandtoloaditwithhisfamilyandanimals,becausethedelugeisabouttowipehumanityfromthefaceoftheearth.ThetaleonthetabletwasstartlinglyfamiliartoGeorgeSmith-becauseashereadanddeciphered,itbecameclearthatwhathehadinfrontofhimwasanancientmyththatparalleledand-mostimportantly-'predated'thestoryofNoahandhisArk.Justtoremindyou,hereareafewsnippetsoftheNoahstoryfromtheBible:"Maketheeanark...andofeverylivingthingofallflesh,twoofeverysortshaltthoubringuntotheark...Iwillcauseittorainupontheearthfortydaysandfortynights;andeverylivingsubstancethatIhavemadewillIdestroyfromoffthefaceoftheAndhere'sasnippetofwhatGeorgeSmithreadontheclay"...demolishthehouse,andbuildaboat!Abandonwealthandseeksurvival.Spurnproperty,savelife.Takeonboardalllivingthings'seed!Theboatyouwillbuild,herdimensionsallshallbeequal:herlengthandbreadthshallbethesame.Coverherwitharoof,liketheoceanbelow,andhewillsendyouarainofplenty."ThataHebrewbiblicalstoryshouldalreadyhavebeentoldonaMesopotamianclaytabletwasanastoundingdiscovery-andSmitewit-asacontemporaryaccountlsus:"Smithtookthetabletandbegantoreadoverthelineswhichtheconservatorwhohadcleanedthetablethadbroughttolight;andwhenhesawthattheycontainedtheportionofthelegendhehadhopedtofindthere,hesaid,'Iamthefirstmantoreadthatafter2,000yearsofoblivion'.Settingthetabletonthetable,hejumpedupandrushedabouttheroominagreatstateofexcitement,and,totheastonishmentofthosepresent,begantoundresshimself!"Butthisreallywasadiscoveryworthtakingyourclothesofffor.Thistablet,nowuniversallyknownastheFloodTablet-hadbeenwrittendowninwhatisnowIraqintheseventhcenturyBC,400yearsbeforetheoldestsurvivingversionoftheBiblenarrative.WasitthinkablethatthatBiblenarrative,farfrombeingaspecially-privilegedrevelation,wasmerelypartofacommonpooloflegendthatwassharedbythewholeMiddleItwasoneofthegreatmomentsintheneenthcentury'sradicalrewritingofworldhistory.GeorgeSmithpublishedthetabletonly12yearsafterDarwin's'OriginofSpecies'.Andinngso,heopenedareligiousPandora'sbox.ProfessorDavidDamrosch,fromColumbiaUniversity,gaugestheFloodTablet'sseismicimpact:"Peopleinthe1870swereobsessedbybiblicalhistory,andtherewasagreatdealofcontroversyastothetruthofthebiblicalnarratives.So,itcreatedasensationwhenGeorgeSmithfoundthisancientversionoftheFloodstory,clearlymucholderthanthebiblicalversion.PrimeMinisterGladstonecametohearhislecturedescribinghisnewtranslation,itwasreportedonfrontarticlesaroundtheglobe,andtherewasafrontarticleinthe'NewYorkTimes'in1872inwhichthey'realreadynotingthatthetabletcouldbereadeitherintwoquitedifferentways-doesthisprovetheBibleistrueorshowit'salllegendary?AndSmith'sdiscoverygavefurtherammunitioninthedebateonbothsidesastothetruthofbiblicalhistory,debatesoverDarwinandevolution,geology-allofthesethingswerecomingin."Andofcoursethesedebatesstillcontinuetoday.Butwhatdoesitdotoareligioustextwhenyoudiscoverthatitcomesinfactfromanoldersociety,withaverydifferentsetofbeliefs?WeaskedtheChiefRabbi,JonathanSacks:"Clearlythereisacoreeventbehindbothnarrativeswhichwasagreatflood,partofthefolkmemoryofallthepeoplesofthatarea.Whattheancienttextsthatlfloodstoriesdo,istheytalkessentiallyofthegreatsofnaturebeingcontrolledbydeitieswhodon'tlikehumanbeingsverymuch,andforwhom'mightmakght'.NowtheBiblecomesalongandrelsthestory,butdoessoinauniqueway-Godbringsthefloodbecausetheworldwasfilledwith,andtheresultisthatthe esmoralised,andthatispartoftheBible'sprogramme.Thisisaradicalleapfrompolytheismtomonotheism-toaworldinwhichpeopleworshippedpower,totheBible'sinsistencethatpowermustbejustandsometimescompassionate.Andfromaworldinwhichtherearemanys,manygods,fightingwithoneanother,tothisworldinwhichthewholeuniverseistheresultofasinglerationalcreativewill.SothemoreweunderstandwhattheBibleisarguing,thedeeperweunderstandtheBible."ButtheFloodTabletwasimportantnotjustforthehistoryofreligion,it'salsoakeyinthehistoryofliture.Smith'stabletcomesfromtheseventhcenturyBC,butwenowknowthatotherversionsoftheFloodstoryhadoriginallybeenwrittendownathousandyearsbeforethat.ItwasonlylaterthattheFloodstorywaswovenbystorylersintothefamousEpicofGilgamesh,thefirstgreatepicofworldliture.Smith'stabletformstheeleventhchapterofthatstory.Gilgameshisaherowhosetsoffonagrandquestforimmortalityandself-knowledge.Heconfrontsdemonsandmonsters,hesurvivesallkindsofperilsand,eventually,likeallsubsequentepicheroes,hehastoconfrontthegreatestchallengeofthemall:hisownnatureandhisownmortality.TheEpicofGilgameshhasalltheelementsofacrackinggoodtale,butit'salsoaturning-pointinthestoryof'writing'.WritingintheMiddleEasthadbegunaslittlemorethanbean-counting-createdessentiallyforbureaucratstokeeprecords.Ithadbeenusedaboveallforthepracticaltasksofthestate.Stories,ontheotherhand,wereusuallytoldorsung-andtheywerelearntbyButgradually,aroundfourthousandyearsago,storieslikeGilgameshbegantobewrittendown.Insightsintothehero'shopesandfearscouldnowbeshaped,refinedandfixed-anauthorcouldbesurethat'his'narrativeand'his'understandingofthetalewouldbetransmitteddirectly,andnotconstantlyreshapedbyotherstorylers.Hardlylessimportant,awrittentextcanbetranslated,andsoastorycouldpasseasilyintomanylanguages.Liturewrittendownlikethiscanalways eworldliture.DavidDamroschagain:"Gilgameshisnowverycommonlyassignedasaveryfirstworkinalltheliturecourses,anditshowsIthinkakindofearlyglobalisation.It'sthefirstworkofworldliturethatcirculateswidelyaroundtheancientworld.ThegreatthingaboutlookingatGilgameshtodayisthatweseethat,ifwegobackfarenough,wefindthere'snotaclashofcivilisationsbetweentheMiddleEastandtheWest.WefindinGilgameshtheoriginsofacommonculture-itsoffshoots,thatgooffintoHomer,andthe'1001Nights',andtheBible-soitisreallyasortofacommonthreadinourcommonglobalculture."WiththeEpicofGilgamesh,representedherebySmith'sFloodTablet,writingchangeditsnature.Andithaschanged'our'nature-forliturelikeGilgameshallowsusnotjusttothinkourownthoughts,buttoinhabitthethoughtworldsofothers-andthatformeisalsothepointoftheMuseum,andthepowerof