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 

Chapters

• (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