The Forgotten Mission Of Jesus Christ — Part 2 | Michael Heiser

Part 1: https://youtu.be/x6CHmJcvfYk The Enoch story, especially as found in texts like 1 Enoch, originates as a fuller preservation and response to themes found in Mesopotamian literature, particularly flood narratives connected to the pre-flood period and divine culture heroes called the Apkallu (or Akcalu). These Apkallu were seen in Mesopotamian thought as wise, semi-divine beings from the abyss who imparted knowledge and civilisation, but were viewed negatively in the biblical Genesis 6:1-4 passage, which frames their presence as evil and corrupting. The Mesopotamian texts include a tradition of seven pre-flood Apkallu assisting kings, and after the flood, divine-human hybrids like Gilgamesh appear as post-flood Apkallu. The biblical story and Enochian literature carry this cultural memory, reflecting a Jewish reinterpretation and polemic against those Mesopotamian ideas. Early Jewish scribes were deeply familiar with these traditions, integrating and responding to them in biblical and Second Temple literature, with the New Testament authors also being influenced by this matrix of ideas. This complex interplay highlights how Jewish writers adapted and reinterpreted ancient Near Eastern motifs, including flood stories, divine beings, cosmic knowledge, and genealogies with embedded hints toward sexual transgression and redemption, all contributing to the messianic expectations about Jesus as the figure who reverses the effects of pre-flood wickedness. #jesus #jesuschrist #gospel #saved #michaelheiser #newtestament #epicnarrative #enoch #theflood #ancientneareastern