Number Seven in the days of Gudea, Abraham, Ismael and Isaac

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

28 August 2011

The time before the Ur III period gives evidence of a number of different mathematical systems. The decimal system (10 x) were used as well as the sexigesimal system at times. Duncan J. Melville in his article on Mesopotamian mathematics has a number of texts from the Old Babylonian period using a decimal system but others used a sexigesimal system (6 x). Some of the older texts, modern scholars could not yet work out the systems that were using. They are texts in the pre-Sargonic era.

Our specific interest in this part is the number seven used in the texts of Gudea the ensi of Lagash who lived between 2143-2124 BCE (Bibliotheca Orientalis 26 no. 3/4 May-July [1969]: 162-163).

Prof. dr. Charles Fensham taught me about Gudea. He said that in no other time of Sumer were there so much sources available as from the time of Gudea. There are more available on him than on Urnammu or Shulgi of the Ur III period. He does not mention that he used the source of F. Thureau-Dangin, but in all probability he read the source with the original texts of Gudea.

Gudea was a pious governor of Lagash who received from his god a dream to build the temple and also received instructions how to build it. A plan was shown him. His prayer life is described in detail. The temple is described in detail. He tried to bring ethics and religion together. He felt that if a person is pious with the gods the person's life will be extended. Fensham said that a Semite prayed only in time of need but a Sumerian prayed every day (Fensham 1970: 25).

Gudea was born in the same year as Ishmael, in 2143 BCE (see Genesis 16:3 for the birth of Ishmael). Isaac was born in 2129 BCE (Genesis 21:5). Fensham thought that Gudea was a contemporary of Urnammu but admitted that Gudea never mentioned Urnammu. It is now certain by scholars that Gudea was a predecessor of Urnammu by about 12 years. This was the time when Abraham was still alive. When Isaac was born, Abraham was 100 years old and 5 years later Gudea died. Gudea was born 26 years after the death of Noah in 2169 BCE. Abraham was born in 2229 BCE, so he could have known Noah.

Seven appears prominently in the texts of Gudea.

Gudea Statue B

B7:26. "As the e-ninnu 27. of his beloved temple 28. that he built 29. he freed his mind, washed his hands, 30. during seven days the obedient one was not seen, 31. the servants placed themselves equal to their lords, 32. the servants went with their lords side by side 34. in my city, the strong and the weak slept together."

line 30 ud-imin-ám še la-ba-ur

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 72-3 Lagash, Gudea: Statue B 7:26-34)

Gudea Statue D

D2:8. "did he built 9. therein his beloved gigunni from good 10. Sederwood he built 11. The e-pa, the Temple of the seven (heavenly) zones 12. he built."

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 76-7 Lagash, Gudea: Statue D 2:8-12)

Gudea Statue E

E1:16 "temple of the seven zones"

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 78-79 Lagash, Gudea: Statue E 1:16)

Gudea Statue G

G1:13 "temple of the seven zones"

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 84-85 Lagash, Gudea: Statue G 1:13)

Gudea Statue I

I2:12 "temple of the seven zones"

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 86-87 Lagash, Gudea: Statue I 2:12)

A21:1. "Over the Temple he pronounced a second blessing: 'It 2. (the Temple) is a vessel that a person carries on his/her head' 3. Over the Temple he pronounced a third blessing: 4. 'It is the young eagle the divine bird Im-gi(g)'. 5. Over the Temple he pronounced the fourth blessing: 6. 'It is the leopard, the fearful predator, that lifted itself up'. 7. Over the Temple he pronounced a fifth blessing: 8. 'It is the clear heaven full of glittering' 9. Over the Temple he pronounced a sixth blessing: 10. 'It is a day for offerings full of beauty'. 11. Over the Temple he pronounced a seventh blessing: 12. 'The e-ninni is the morning-light that brightens the land'. The su-ga-lam, the fearful place, he erected, 22.

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 112-3 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder A 21: 1-12)

A22:21. "The su-ga-lam, the fearful place, he errected, 22. and let it shine of glittering. The sanctuary gir-nun, the place of the judgment, 23. horn the governor of Lagash let it lift up like a great bull. 24. The great stone, which he brought together in broken pieces 23:1 in one year he brought them, in one year he worked on them 2. two, three days he did not rest: 3. similarly on the first day he erected (the stele) 4. in seven days he put it up in the Temple."

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 114-5 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder A 22: 21-23:4)

A24:24. "In the pillar hall ku-lal, in the 'Door of Battle' 25,26. he let the heroes dwell, the ones who killed the sixheaded Steenbok (deer well-known in South Africa). 27. Before the city, at a glitter-filling place, 28. he let the seven heroes dwell."

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 118-9 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder A 24: 24-25:2)

A29:1 "The seven stelae which were errected in the Temple 2. (agreed) with those that the King has decided"

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 120-1 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder A 29: 1-2)

B7:12 "With which he holds in his hand the seven headed battle weapon, 13. (with which he) opened in the Temple of en-kar the Winged door of the 'Portals of Battle', 14-16. with which he protected the eme-gir, the MI-IB, the a-ma-ru and the ḫar-ra-IB, the . . . of the Battle, 17 with which he [took under his command] the whole of the lands hostile to Enlil, 18 in the area of the deserts, 19. he let the soldiers, who (with) the šar-ur of the Battle in his hand, he brought the lands, 20. the captive opposers of e-ninnu, 21. the eagles of the enemy, 22. Lugal-kur-dub, his opposer, 23. with the Lord Nin-gir-su.

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 128-9 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B 7: 12-23)

B11:4. "Za-za-ru, 5. Im-pa-e, 6. Ur-e-nun-ta-e-a, 7. Ḫe-gir-nun-na, 8. Ḫe-ša(g)ga, 9. Gu-ur-mu, 10. Za-ar-mu, 11. the seven twin daughters of Ba-u, 12. witnessed by the Lord Nin-gir-su, 13. by whom they pronounce good prayers, 14. (Gu-de-a) placed them at the Lord Nin-gir-su."

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 132-33 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B 11: 4-14)

B12:1 "(With which) he placed in the ponds . . .fish, 2. placed in beautiful Tubing plants . . .pipes 3-4. bringing over Nin-gir-su in e-ninnu the words of the seven musicians, the boat of the gu-edin, 5. he let KAL, the fishmonger of the gu-edin, 6. at the Lord Nin-gir-su under his command (place)."

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 132-33 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B 12: 1-6)

B13:14 "(In) the Temple of the rebuilder of the Temple, 15. Gu-de-a, Patesi 16. of Lagash 17. brought gifts: 18. the weapon (named) kur-mu-gam, loaded with glittering, covered with beauty, 19. his donkey ud-gu-du(g)-du(g), 20. with his steering wheel, 21. the seven-headed battle weapon, the fierce weapon of the battle, 22. the weapon, which no one can counter, the weapon that brings death in battle, 23. the MI-IB, the lion headed weapon from ḫalalu rock, 14:1 which the countries cannot resist, 2. the sword with nine emblems, 3. arm of courage, 4. the bows, which sounds like . . . 5. the fearful arrows of the battle, which fly like thunderlight, 6. the on which wild animals and dragons 7. let their tongues hang out. 8. the Patesi, the rebuilder of the Temple, 10. Gu-de-a, Patesi 11. of Lagash,12 brought as a gift.”

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 134-5 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B 13: 14-14:12)

B17:17 "He freed his thoughts, let his hands rest: 18 on the days the King moved into the Temple, 19. during seven days, 20. the maid-servant was equal to her mistress, 21. the slave and the lord went side by side 18:1. in his city the strong and the humble lay next to each other, 2. on the bad tongues (bad) words were changed (in good), 3. all evil of the temple is laid as[ide], 4. on the la[w of Nina] and Nin-[gir-sus] 5. he focused his ey[e vision], 6. the orphan [did the rich] no [injustice] 7. the wido[w did] the strong no injustice. 8. In the house where there is no [male] child 9. the dau[ghter brought fat] from a sheep [to burn]. 10. The son let righteousness shine forth.”

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 136-9 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B 17: 17-18:10)

The theology of the Sumerians, and in the Gudea Cylinders, is that the temple he built on earth is a copy of the temple in heaven. The temple, "the e-ninnu was built in heaven and on earth".

(Thureau-Dangin 1907: 140-1 Lagash, Gudea: Cylinder B : 24-9)

This aspect is very important since the origin of temple sacrifices was not considered to be an anthropological invention by man or his own pscyhe. It is from above to below. In Genesis we learned that Abel and Kain brought offerings. There were already rules of what they could bring and not bring by God. It means that originally He may have given them an insight to the "Temple in heaven" of which Moses was able to see in 1448 BCE at Sinai. This theology of the heavenly sanctuary, probably given to Adam and Eve and their children and all afterwards, remembered by Noah and justifying his offering after the Flood in 2521 BCE means that Gudea preserved "rests" or fused ideas of pantheism and the truth to bring forth his own theology of the heavenly sanctuary, similating the truth we submit, existed in his time, the truth as presented in the Bible, fragmentally presented by Moses in examples of sacrifices by Abel, Kain, Noah, Jacob, and others.

The number seven was used in the Gudea texts for:

1. B7:30. "during seven days the obedient one was not seen."

2. D2:11. "the Temple of the seven (heavenly) zones."

3. E1:16 "temple of the seven zones."

4. G1:13 "temple of the seven zones."

5. I2:12 "temple of the seven zones."

6. A21:11. "Over the Temple he pronounced a seventh blessing."

7. A24:4. "in seven days he put it up in the Temple."

8. A24:28. "he let the seven heroes dwell."

9. A29:1 "The seven stelae."

10. B7:12 "the seven headed battle weapon."

11. B11:11. "the seven twin daughters."

12. B12:4. "the seven musicians."

13. B13:21. "the seven-headed battle weapon."

14. B17:19. "during seven days."

We summarize

Gudea uses seven for his secret weapon, act on various occations for seven days, blesses for seven days, erected seven stelae, had seven heroes situated in the temple, seven twin daugthers situated in the temple, had seven musicians and there were seven heavenly zones. The use of seven in the religious sphere of Gudea in Sumer in 2124 BCE, the time of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, is very important towards an understanding of the importance of the origin of the week, a week of seven days that were known very well in Genesis 1 with Adam and Eve, known to Noah with his description of the Flood (2521 BCE) and reiterated by Moses in 1448 BCE in Exodus 20:8-11.

Sources:

1. http://it.stlawu.edu/~dmelvill/mesomath/tablets/5times.htm

2. F. Thureau-Dangin, Die Sumerischen und Akkadischen Königs Inscriften (Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs' Buchhandlung, 1907) online available at ETANA.

3. Charles Fensham, Heersers van die Ou Nabye Ooste (Kaapstad: Tafelberg Uitgewers, 1970).