Kultupe/Kultepe: in Turkish known as "Ash Hill", also known as Kanesh is an archaeological site in Turkey. In Old Assyrian inscriptions from the 20th and the 19th century BCE, the city was mentioned as Kanes (Kanesh); in later Hittite inscriptions, the city was mentioned as Nesa (Nesha, Nessa, Nesa), or occasionally as Anisa (Anisha). By 1880 cuneiform tablets had begun to appear on the market said to be from 'Kara Eyuk (“Black Village”) or Gyul Tepé (“Burnt Mound”)' near "Kaisariyeh", some being thus bought by the British Museum. In 1925, excavations from Kültepe found over 1000 cuneiform tablets, some of which ended up in Prague and Istanbul. There had been much digging for fertilizer which had destroyed a quarter of the mound. Of the excavations some attribute to burning to the conquest of the city of Assur. As of today, over 23000 cuneiform tablets have been recovered from the site.
News in 2017, in Diyarbakir, the Diyarbakir Police has seized a Medical Prescription belonging to the Sumerians. Of roughly 1000 cuneiform tablets, of which 660 medical tablets from the Library of Ashurbanipal are preserved in the British Museum. About 420 tablets from other sites also survived, including the library excavated from the private house of a medical practitioner (an asipu) from Neo-Assyrian Assur, and some Middle Assyrian and Middle Babylonia texts.
The surviving medical texts reveal that ancient doctors diagnosed and treated a wide variety of conditions and diseases, with mixed success. Among them were typhus, smallpox, bubonic plague, gonorrhea, gout, tuberculosis, epilepsy, colic, diarrhea, and various intestinal problems. Some forms of mental illness was also recognized, though not properly diagnosed. The germ theory of disease was unknown; yet it appears that some doctors were aware that a disease could be pass from person to person and therefore that it was helpful to limit a sick person’s contact with other people (quarantined). As no one in ancient Mesopotamia knew about the existence of germs, it was assumed that most illness was caused by evil spirits or demons sent by the gods to punish humans, and only way to receive healing – from the gods are doctors. Doctors in Mesopotamia were mainly the agents through which different deities (gods) worked in order to maintain the health of the people.
The first diagnosis to determine Infertility was made 4,000 years ago, an ancient Assyrian clay tablet discovered by Turkish researchers in central Kayseri province in Kultupe district. It's a premarital agreement written in cuneiform script discusses of a solution for which the inability of a wife to reproduce children through natural means. "The wife would allow her husband to hire a hierodule, a female slave brought in to serve as a surrogate if the couple failed to conceive a baby even after two years of their marriage. The female slave would be freed after giving birth to the first male baby and ensuring that the family is not be left without a child," said Professor Ahmet Berkiz Turp from Harran University.
All the above information is an introduction to the subject that is to follow. We know from the Bible that Abraham is the only one person who left his country Ur of Chaldea (Genesis 15:7), his family and his relatives, and started his journey towards the Promised Land as the Lord promised. Abraham belongs to the times of BC 2200, to be precise according to some studies, Abraham lived between BC 2166 to 1991. Abraham (Abram) was 75 years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran (Genesis 12:4). Sarah (Sarai) was barren (Genesis 16:1), and had an egyptian slave named Hagar. Sarai gave her as his wife to Abram. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years (Genesis 16:3). Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (Genesis 16:16). Again the Lord appeared to Abraham when he was 99 years old (Genesis 17:1&24) and promised to give an offspring through Sarah who was 90 years old by now (Genesis 17:17). Sarah bore Abraham a son as the Lord promised, when he was 100 years old (Genesis 21:5). This is a brief description of the timeline of Abraham.
We already have read about the Kultupe cueniform tablet which deals with infertility. It's a BC 4000 year old law of the land, that one take a hierodule, a slave woman in an prenuptial agreement to bore the family a male offspring. As Abraham is from the same land and the law of the land, though a precursor to the existing day, can still be applied if no changes/amendments were made to it. Abraham and Sarah a happy married couple can apply this 2000 (BC 4000) year old law of the land to their existing day, which is BC 2000 approximately, to have a slave woman as a surrogate. Abraham in spite of his deep grief for not having a son and that his slave Eliezer of Damascus might takeover everything he inherited (Genesis 15:2,3); despite the law of the land permit to have a surrogate woman to give an offspring, Abraham never lost his faith in the Lord. With which faith he stepped out of the land of Haran, he continued in his faith till death. Abraham never questioned the Lord. It was the decision of Sarah that gave her slave Hagar as a wife to Abraham which Abraham never asked for. Though one of the commandments "not to commit adultery", (Exodus 20:14) was a later development, the law of the land from which Abraham came out might permit to have a slave as wife but Abraham always stuck to the law of his conscience, not to commit adultery, which is nothing but prioritizing the law of the Lord.
There are also people who misuse the law of the land. And one such best example is the crucifixion of Jesus. After Lazarus has been brought back to life, the Pharisees called for Sanhedrin, and enquired about the steps to be taken to keep the temple from not being destroyed by the Romans and how to stop people from in believing in Jesus. From that day on they plotted to kill him (John 11:47,48,53). After Jesus was arrested, the chief priests and whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death (Matthew 26:59). Levying upon him that he is the Messiah which is a blasphemy and deserves death sentence (Matthew 26:63,65,66). They brought Jesus before Pilate on charges that he is the king and he's making people not to pay taxes and stirring people by his teaching from Galilee to this place (Luke 23:2,5). Despite the question by Jesus "who among you can convict me of sin?" (John 8:46), and Pilate not finding any fault in Jesus (Luke 23:4), though Pilate wanted to set Jesus free (John 19:12), the crowd kept on pressurising Pilate, saying that, "if you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar", and the chief priests answered, "we have no king but Caesar" (John 19:12,15). At last on the charges of treason and sedition, Jesus was judged for capital punishment. The law of the land was misused this way.
Abraham could have taken his chances on the law of the land in finding a new woman/wife for him, who can give him an offspring. But Abraham did not misuse the law but kept firm in his faith, the reason why he is called the father of faith.
"What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." (Romans 4:1-3,16,17 NIV).
Let's stand firm on that faith till the end.
Picture : A 4000 year old Assyrian tablet is the first evidence of surrogacy in infertility (Istanbul Archaeology Museum).
