Isztojka 1 Klara-Sonia Isztojka Cosmin Ritivoiu Upper Division Writing The Tower of Babel The phrase Tower of Babel

is not actually recorded in the Bible; it is often referred to as the city and its tower, or simply as the city. According to Bible historians the city received its name from the Hebrew word balal, meaning to confuse(Harris, Understanding the Bible). This paper presents evidence showing that the incident of the Tower of Babel did take place, that it impacted the societal structure of that time, and that it impacts the world today. It is clear, from a historical and Biblical account, that the

origins of the multiplicities of languages are connected with the happenings of the Tower. Biblical Account Beginning with a Biblical account, the book of Genesis 11:1-9 relates of an ancient group of people, a generation following the great flood, who were speaking one language and resided on the land of Shinar. Some of the descendents of Noah, after the flood, began to fall away form God. Many believed in a God that was full of vengeance and hatred and soon some disbelieved in His existence. The book of Romans records: "When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither

Isztojka 2 were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened ( Romans 1:21). Here, the apostle Paul is including he great wickedness of the descendents of Noah. These unbelieving people were reproved by the righteous living of those who loved and believed in God. Because they were reproved, they decided to separate themselves from the godly. They found a

land and picked a large place to dwell in (White, 1996). They built a great city and a tower that reached unto the heavens. According to the Bible, they said: ... and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:9). The dwellers of the plain of Shinar disbelieved the account of Noah, that there would not be another flood to destroy the earth, and their purpose in the erection of the Tower of Babel was to secure their own safety in case of another flood (White, 1890). Another motif that lead the people of Shinar to construct the Tower, was to continue to turn the minds of the future generations away from God, and lead them into idolatry (White, 1890). Because of their sins, God confused them so that everyone spoke a different language and could not understand each other. As a result of the language confusion, they were angry with one another, could

not understand the reasons for their misunderstandings, each went their own way, and thus, scattered all over the earth (White, 1996). The Bible account of the Tower of Babel shows the origin of the linguistic multiplicity. Up to the time of the Tower mankind was able

Isztojka 3 to speak only one language. Then, God brought into existence diverse languages. Societal structure at that time Societal structure is the distinctive, stable arrangement of institutions whereby human beings in a society interact and live together. Social structure is often treated together with the concept of social change, which deals with the forces that change the social structure and the organization of society (Webster's Dictionary). The Tower of Babel not only had an impact on the dispersion of languages but also on the societal structure at that time. Up to that time the people of the Tower were attempting to urbanize the land of Shinar. God stopped their construction of great cities and magnificent towers through confounding their language. This caused them to be dispersed and therefore, changed their societal structure from an urbanized one back to a nomadic life just as before the flood. The society of the descendants of Noah before the time of Babel was portrayed as giving God supreme worship. This is exemplified in the account of Genesis 8:20 And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; ...and offered burnt offerings on the altar. By the giving of offerings Noah is expressing his allegiance to God. However, his descendants sought to do differently. They desired to defy God by building a tower which manifested their strength apart from God. This was definitely not a God centered society but one that sought to

Isztojka 4 elevate man to his desired position as god of this world. God's prevention of the completion of the tower impacted their racial, cultural, and ethnic group and their interaction with one another. The author's understanding of race is a class of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics (Webster's Dictionary). Although they were united in building the tower, the disparity in their languages created division and they were no longer able to complete their interest of building the tower. Despite their unified interest, characteristics, and habits this event separated them into different groups and thus they were no longer one race. Having different languages caused issues and misunderstandings, therefore they were unable to communicate with one another. This led to a beginning of new ethnic groups which were built upon shared interests and languages. Additionally, this impacted their culture--shared attitudes, values, or beliefs (Webster's Dictionary). Their attitudes were affected as they were unable to work together. There could have been different levels of authority in the building of the Tower. As the language were confounded this could have created negative attitudes toward each other and carried the same attitudes to their new established groups. Conclusion The outcomes of the post flood and Tower of Babel record greatly effect today's societal perspective. This account shows the diversity found in cultures. The attitudes these groups could have taken to

Isztojka 5 their community can still be seen today, such as racism and negative attitudes in differences of authority. It also increased linguistic variety that came as a result of this event. The account of the Tower of Babel gives evidence supporting the diversity of languages originated there. Not only did this event concern new languages but it also defined the changes in their social structure. From an urbanized society, this event gave rise to a nomadic one. Furthermore, their defiance toward God was to their demise, and concluded their aspirations in building the structure. They were forced to begin new groups in which to share the same language, interests and beliefs. Today the outcome is visible in cultural diversities.

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Works Cites Coogan, M. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in its Context. Oxford University Press: Oxford (2009). Print. Conlang Flag, Language Creation Society. Conlang.org. Retrieved march 21, 2013. societal structure Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ societal structure ?s=t (accessed march 21, 2013). culture Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture?s=t (accessed march 21, 2013).

ethnicity Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethnicity?s=t (accessed march 21, 2013).

race Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race? s=t (accessed march 21,2013). Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. The King James Bible. Ed. World Bible Publishers. Iowa: Iowa Falls, 1769. Print. White, Ellen. Patriarch and Prophets. Pacific Press Publishing Association, (1952): 119. Print.

Isztojka 7 White, Ellen. The Truth about Angels. Boise, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, (1996): 72. Print.