Human-god interbreeding The original scapegoat

Did mysterious superhumans influence God’s decision to send a flood?

THE BOOK OF GENESIS

The Book of Genesis says: "The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Their children were god-human hybrids that the Bible refers to as the Nephilim. God is unhappy about this interbreeding and, "regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled." So he sends a flood that wipes out many of the humans and Nephilim, but not before ordering Noah to build an ark that saved a select few. The biblical story suggests that the breeding between gods and humans was apparently a major factor in God's decision to send the flood.

“Breeding between gods and humans was a major factor in God’s decision to send the flood”

Standing behind curtains could cause all sorts of trouble

THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS

In the Book of Leviticus, God is annoyed at Aaron, the brother of Moses, for frequently standing behind a set of curtains near the Ark of the Covenant. God regards the area behind the curtain as a private area that people should stay away from when possible. God is also frustrated with the Israeli people in general for their, "uncleanness and rebellion." As atonement, God orders Aaron to present offerings, including two goats; one to be sacrificed and the other, "shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat."

A matter of translation and near-east tradition

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

Moses, on behalf of the Israelites, makes a covenant with God on Mount Sinai. In the covenant, God promises that the Israelites will take control of a vast amount of land in the Levant but, in return, must worship God and follow his rules — the Ten Commandments in particular. Moses chisels the covenant onto two stone tablets. After he returns from Mount Sinai, his face is transformed, and he is wearing a veil.

The word actually used to describe Moses’ appearance was ‘qaran’, which was translated as meaning he ‘shone’ or that his skin ‘was glorified’. However, the root word may have actually been ‘qeren’, which means ‘horn’. So did

Moses return from the mountain with horns?

Certainly a lot of people believed that Moses had grown horns and there are plenty of examples of this in artwork depicting this moment in the Bible. Another translation, however, could be that he had boils. Either way, it was an odd transformation.