old story - proposal part i

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As a prelude to the sacred verse from the Old Testament, I recite verse from the mythology of the Sumerians, specifically from Ur – the birthplace of Abraham – as scholars maintain that the stories born in the cradle of civilization that was the Tigris Euphrates River Valley informed the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Included in this segment is the first in a cycle of hymns to the patron deity of Ur, Inanna. The story of the Huluppu Tree is known to Biblical scholars for its Old Testament parallels. This is followed by excerpts from a hymn to Inanna and Dumuzi, or Tammuz, an excerpt from the Lament for Tammuz that was once heard by the prophet Ezekiel at the gates of Jerusalem, a Hymn to the Stars from Sumer-Akkad, and a brief verse from the Egyptian Song of The Harper that dates from the 3rd millennium B.C. Also included in this is segment a sung verse from the Babylonian Creation Story – the Enuma Elish – which is the oldest song in the world from Ancient Sumer. (Scholars maintain that the song reads in translation: “ We were born of thee; The mother loves us in her heart….”

We conclude this portion of our story with my own poetic response to the ancient verse: “I, Inanna, the one-time Queen of Heaven and All Mother, with news from Southern Iraq in our Millennium.”

Note: The myth of Inanna and The Huluppu Tree was translated into English by Noah Kramer. It was subsequently edited for this program to reduce the repetition that was a feature of the ancient recitations of myth. 

The Mission, an introductory poem by Dianne Tittle de Laet

Victory Song of Deborah, A recitation at the harp from the Old Testament. The Song of Deborah is found in I Judges 5:2-31 and is a victory hymn about the defeat of the Canaanites by the united tribes of Israel. 

The Canaanites were the inhabitants of Ancient Canaan, a region that roughly corresponds to present day Israel and Palestine, Western Jordan, Southern and coastal Syria, and Lebanon up to the coast of Southern Turkey. The Canaanites are believed to have been one of the oldest civilizations in human history. The name Canaan appears throughout the Bible as a geography associated with the Promised Land. Citing archaeological findings, Biblical scholar Mike Smith, suggests that the “Israelite culture largely overlapped and derived from Canaanite culture…In short, Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature."

The story of Jepthah the Gileadite and his daughter. (also, from Judges).  Before winning a decisive battle over the Ammonites, Jepthah vows to offer as a burnt offering that which comes forth from his house to greet him when he returns in peace from the children of Ammon.

The Ammonites were a Semitic people in the Bible who were neighbors to the Israelites in the East. They were descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot, and were related to the Moabites. The biblical nation of Ammon east of the Jordan River is believed to be in the modern-day Kingdom of Jordan. In the Bible, Rabbah, or Rabbath Ammon, is the capital of Ammon and would have stood where the Jordanian capital, Amman, stands today.

Two Poems by Dianne Tittle de Laet

- Jerusalem 2000

- Mary Magdalene’s Magnificat for Mother Mary at Golgotha

The Magnificat was a well-known example of Hebrew poetry. In this poem, Mother Mary is seen at the crucifixion of her son by Mary Magdalene. Mary was the Jewish girl who grew up to become the mother of the Messiah. To those of the Christian faith, and the mother of a prophet to the followers of Islam. As a mother who mourns, Mary is that mother who yet to realize.

Note: The Victory Song of Deborah is recited in its entirety. The story of Jepthah omits the verse that details the particulars of the land dispute between the Ammonites and the Israelites.