Simo Parpola

Simo Parpola is professor of Assyriology at the University of Helsinki located in Helsinki, Finland. He specialized in epigraphy of the Akkadian language, and has been working on the Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project since 1987. He is also Honorary Member of the American Oriental Society [http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/ANE/ANE-DIGEST/2001/v2001.n089] .

Parpola re-interpreted various Assyrian tablets in terms of these primitive Sefirot, such as the Epic Of Gilgamesh. He proposed that the scribes had been writing philosophical-mystical tracts, rather than mere adventure stories, and concluded that traces of this Assyrian mode of thought and philosophy eventually reappeared in Greek Philosophy and the Kabbalah.

Dr. Simo Parpola has suggested that the oldest versions of the Sephirot extend from Assyrian theology and mysticism. Noting the general similarity between the Sephirot of the Kabbalah and the tree of life of Assyrian mysticism, he reconstructed what an Assyrian antecedent to the Sephirot would look like [Parpola, S. (1993). "The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Jewish Monotheism and Greek Philosophy". Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 52 No. 3, pp. 161-208 ] . Matching the characteristics of Ein Sof on the nodes of the Sephirot to the gods of Assyria, he found textual parallels between these Assyrian gods and the characteristics of the Jewish God.

The Assyrians assigned specific numbers to their gods, similar to the way the Kabbalah assigns numbers to the nodes of the Sephirot. However, the Assyrians used a sexagesimal number system, whereas the Sephirot use a decimal system. Using the Assyrian numbers, additional layers of meaning and mystical relevance appear in the Sephirot. Normally, floating above the Assyrian tree of life was the god Assur—this corresponds to Ein Sof, which is also, via a series of transformations, supposedly derived from the Assyrian word Assur. Dr. Parpola remarks on the general similarity between the Sefirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the Tree of Life of Assyria. He reconstructed what an Assyrian antecedent to the Sephiroth might look like, [Parpola S. 1993. The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Jewish Monotheism and Greek Philosophy. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 52(3) pp161-208] and noted parallels between the characteristics of En Sof on the nodes of the Sefirot and the gods of Assyria. The Assyrians assigned specific numbers to their gods, similar to the numbering of the Sefirot. However, the Assyrians use a sexagesimal number system, whereas the Sefiroth is decimal. With the Assyrian numbers, additional layers of meaning and mystical relevance appear in the Sefirot. [ cite web|url=http://physics.ucsc.edu/cosmo/primack_abrams/htmlformat/inabeginning.html |title=In A Beginning...Quantum Cosmology and Kabbalah |accessdate=2008-03-14 |last=Primack |first=Joel |coauthors=Nancy E. Abrams ] Normally, floating above the Assyrian Tree of Life was the god Assur (god), corresponding to the Hebrew Ein Sof, which is also, via a series of transformations, derived from the Assyrian word Assur.

Parpola is also the chairman of "The Finland Assyria Association (Suomi-Assyria Yhdistys)". [ [http://www.aina.org/news/20071018142453.htm Assyrian Association Founded in Finland ] ]

Notes

ee also

*Sefiroth, for Dr. Parpola's reconstruction of an Assyrian Kabbalistic Sefiroth
*Asko Parpola, his brother, a specialist on the Indus script. [http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/Kimmo_60_years.pdf pdf]

Works

*cite journal
quotes =
author = Parpola, Simo
date =
year = 2004
month =
title = National and Ethnic Identity in the Neo-Assyrian Empire and Assyrian Identity in Post-Empire Times
journal = Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies
volume = Vol. 18
issue = No. 2
pages =
publisher = JAAS
location =
issn =
pmid =
doi =
bibcode =
oclc =
id =
url = http://www.jaas.org/edocs/v18n2/Parpola-identity_Article%20-Final.pdf
language = English
format = PDF
accessdate =
laysummary =
laysource =
laydate =
quote =
*"Neo-Assyrian Treaties and Loyalty Oaths"
*"The Correspondence of Sargon II"
*"The Standard Babylonian, Epic of Gilgamesh" - cited in the article Epic of Gilgamesh
*"Letters from Assyrian and Babylonian Scholars"
*"Assyrian Prophecies"
*" [http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/introduction/murderersennacherib.htm The murder of Sennacherib] " in "Death in Mesopotamia: XXVI Rencontre assyriologique internationale"
*" [http://www.bethsuryoyo.com/currentevents/simolecture/lecture.html The Mesopotamian Soul of Western Culture] "

External links

* [http://www.helsinki.fi/science/saa/publicat.html The Neo-Assyrian Corpus Project]
* [http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/introduction/sonsofgod.htm Sons of God - The ideology of Assyrian Kingship. In: Archaeology Odissy Archives, December 1999.] Article by Simo Parpola
*YouTube|5KrSSQd9NmU AUF - Assyrian Youth Federation in Sweden meet Simo Parpola