Show Notes
In this final episode, we try to bring all of the various threads together in a summary and recap to round off the series. In this series, we have taken a deep dive into the Babel story, unpacking the many allusions and wordplays, and taking note of perceptive scholarship revealing new insights on the customarily held understanding of the story’s meaning. The Tower of Babel is often read as a story about human pride: people try to build a tower with its top in the heavens, and God punishes them by confusing their language and scattering them. The people at Babel do disobey – but what they get wrong is frequently assumed to be this matter of pride and hubris – when it is more complex than that. We considered the possibility that God is really liberating the people from a tyranny of sorts and that the story is asking a more unsettling question. What happens when the human desire to build, achieve, organise and belong becomes a desire to make everyone speak the same words, pursue the same project and remain together under a single vision? The problem may not be human ingenuity itself, but the attempt to turn ingenuity into a system that leaves no room for difference. Read in the light of the wider biblical narrative, Babel becomes a recurring pattern rather than an isolated incident. We encounter it in the bricks and forced labour of Egypt, in the pursuit of a lasting name, in the concentration of political power, and in the temptation to mistake technological capability for wisdom. There are many identifiable links, especially with the Exodus story and the happenings at Pentecost. One of my aims with this podcast series was to demonstrate the power and importance of Biblical texts as underpinning the West and its values. We are currently living in a time where the west and what it stands for are frequently undermined by political ideology – ironically those who repeat slogans and mantras, in some sense having just one language and one set of words – leading to an inability to think, it might be argued. In our rush to expand upon the secular spaces of society, we now find ourselves lacking in confidence when it comes to the very texts that have supported us for many centuries. People know thy need to rediscover the Bible but find it hard to jump in from scratch. How to start? Where to start? And the awkward matter of belief in a world where modern scientific materialism is championed at every turn. My ‘sideways’ take on biblical texts aims to make the stories strange again as well as demonstrating their relevance to modern life. No special or particular theological beliefs are required, and all are welcome to partake and ask questions. Thank you for listening! We’ll be back soon with another sideways look at the Bible for the Bible Curious! NEXT! Series 2 We shall be returning to the Bible in future episodes. For now, the Sideways Thinker podcast continues with a reflective series on one of my first written pieces for the Substack, Rosemary’s Baby: This is Really Happening. In the new series I will reflect upon how I came to write the piece, what I think about its approach now, along with a consideration of the the themes of the film and book, the story’s treatment of the subject of evil and its curious links to biblical themes. There will also be some new music developed for the series which I hope you will enjoy! Catch up here if you would like to read the original essay: Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel. Other images posted above are obtained using Google searches, or are derivatives of the author’s own work. Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds. https://www.silvermansound.com Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post grad
More from The Sideways Thinker Podcast
What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible. In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in. In this episode, we take a look at the art inspired by the Babel story. The Tower of Babel story has inspired and influenced all kinds of human creativity and works of art. Paintings, literature, fiction, and films. And even philosophy. Babel has not simply been reproduced as a biblical story. It has been reinterpreted as a cultural metaphor, especially for things like technological ambition or even technology worship, technocratic centralisation, aspects of communication and language, and the unintended consequences of attempts to impose certain kinds of forced unity upon people. This episode takes a look at Bruegel’s work and the influence this has had on other interpretations, including political commentary and science fiction films. Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel. Other images posted above are obtained using Google searches, or are derivatives of the author’s own work. Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds. https://www.silvermansound.com Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Religions and Theology from the University of Wales Trinity St. David and the University of Manchester She also holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Art History with Biblical themes from the Manchester Metropolitan University. Books and references consulted for this episode: James Austin, The Tower of Babel in Genesis: How the Tower of Babel Narrative Influences the Theology of Genesis and the Bible, Bloomington, Westbow Press, 2012. Tom de Bruin, "The Tower of Babel," in Biblical Themes in Science Fiction, ed. Nicole L. Tilford and Kelly J. Murphy (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2023), 35–56. Daniel Gordis, “The Tower of Babel and the Birth of Nationhood,” Azure 40 (Spring 2010) pp 19-36. Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012 Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom:Reading Genesis, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006. Judy Klitsner, Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other, Philadelphia, JPS, 2009. Thank you for listening. Please feel free to comment and share. If you find my work interesting and worthwhile, I would be glad to receive one-off donations through the Buy me a Coffee scheme. Do subscribe if you haven’t already, subscribing alone supports my work. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SidewaysThm
What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible. In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in. In this episode, we will make some links across different Biblical stories to see how they connect and build upon their various themes. In particular, the Exodus and Pentecost in the New Testament. Very often when people study the Bible, they tend to look at discrete stories, as self-contained pericopes. And there’s nothing wrong with that because each story has something very important to offer. However, it can be really fruitful if we decide to join up the ideas and themes within and across the stories and see the important links that are made between the different parts of the Bible. This way, we see a bigger picture unfolding, a bigger story unfolding, a longer deeper more radical point to the whole narrative. Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel. Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds. https://www.silvermansound.com Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Religions and Theology from the University of Wales Trinity St. David and the University of Manchester She also holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Art History with Biblical themes from the Manchester Metropolitan University. Books and references consulted for this episode: James Austin, The Tower of Babel in Genesis: How the Tower of Babel Narrative Influences the Theology of Genesis and the Bible, Bloomington, Westbow Press, 2012. Daniel Gordis, “The Tower of Babel and the Birth of Nationhood,” Azure 40 (Spring 2010) pp 19-36. J.P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis: Specimens of Stylistic and Structural Analysis, 2nd Ed., Oregon, Wifpf & Stock, 1991. Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012 Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom:Reading Genesis, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006. Judy Klitsner, Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other, Philadelphia, JPS, 2009. Jordan B.Peterson, We who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine, London, Allen Lane, 2024. Dennis Prager, (Ed. Joseph Telushkin), Genesis: God, Creation and Destruction, The Rational Bible Series, Alperson Edition, Washington, Regenery Faith, 2019. Nahum M. Sarna, Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bble in the light of History, New York, Schocken Books, 1966, reprinted 1970. Thank you for listening. Please feel free to comment and share. If you find my work interesting and worthwhile, I would be glad to receive one-off donations through the Buy me a Coffee scheme. Do subscribe if you haven’t already, subscribing alone supports my work. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SidewaysThm
What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible. In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in. In this episode, I want to develop Daniel Gordis’s arguments (previous episode) about nationhood further and ask a darker question about the Babel story. Can we understand the Babel story as a warning about totalitarianism? In the episode, e consider the commentary of two thinkers that deviate from traditional readings of the Babel story and demonstrate a highly sophisiticated warning from Genesis about totalising systems. Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel. Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds. https://www.silvermansound.com Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Religions and Theology from the University of Wales Trinity St. David and the University of Manchester She also holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Art History with Biblical themes from the Manchester Metropolitan University. Books and references consulted or referred to in this episode: James Austin, The Tower of Babel in Genesis: How the Tower of Babel Narrative Influences the Theology of Genesis and the Bible, Bloomington, Westbow Press, 2012. Daniel Gordis, “The Tower of Babel and the Birth of Nationhood,” Azure 40 (Spring 2010) pp 19-36. Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012. Shai Held, “People have Names: The Torah’s Takedown of Totalitarianism,” Mechon Hadar, mechonhadar.org/ShaiHeld, 2015. Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom:Reading Genesis, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, (‘The Netziv’) Haamek Davar on Genesis, Vilna, c. 1879. Sefaria. sefaria.org. Judy Klitsner, Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other, Philadelphia, JPS, 2009. Thank you for listening. Please feel free to comment and share. If you find my work interesting and worthwhile, I would be glad to receive one-off donations through the Buy me a Coffee scheme. Do subscribe if you haven’t already, subscribing alone supports my work. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/SidewaysThm
What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible. In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in. In this episode we consider the question: is Babel actually the Bible’s first political theory? From one world to many nations, Scripture suggests freedom might require limits on power, and that the idea of the nation might just be the way to limit tyrannical power and to ensure human flourishing overall. We might even consider how and why the very idea of the nation has served us so well. In order to unpack this idea, we take a deep dive into the thesis of Daniel Gordis in a research article of 2010. His essay presents the idea that creation gives us biblical metaphysics, Eden theology, Cain and Abel ethics, while Babel introduces what Gordis calls the Bible's politics: nationhood, ethnicity, cultural difference and political particularity. There is so much to discuss that the episode runs a little longer at around 42 minutes in total. Images are AI adaptations of the author’s own sketches and drawings, in addition to adaptations from Breugel’s renowned paintings of the Tower of Babel. Music is Stars and Laurels by Shane Ivers for Silverman Sounds. https://www.silvermansound.com Dr Caroline Kaye (The Sideways Thinker) presents this series aimed at non believers and believers alike exploring the West’s foundational texts - in order to see them anew. Dr Kaye holds graduate and post graduate qualifications in Religions and Theology from the University of Wales Trinity St. David and the University of Manchester She also holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Art History with Biblical themes from the Manchester Metropolitan University. Books and references consulted or referred to in this episode: James Austin, The Tower of Babel in Genesis: How the Tower of Babel Narrative Influences the Theology of Genesis and the Bible, Bloomington, Westbow Press, 2012. Daniel Gordis, “The Tower of Babel and the Birth of Nationhood,” Azure 40 (Spring 2010) pp 19-36. J.P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis: Specimens of Stylistic and Structural Analysis, 2nd Ed., Oregon, Wifpf & Stock, 1991. Yoram Hazony, The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2012 Leon R. Kass, The Beginning of Wisdom:Reading Genesis, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2006. Judy Klitsner, Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other, Philadelphia, JPS, 2009. Jordan B.Peterson, We who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine, London, Allen Lane, 2024. Dennis Prager, (Ed. Joseph Telushkin), Genesis: God, Creation and Destruction, The Rational Bible Series, Alperson Edition, Washington, Regenery Faith, 2019. Nahum M. Sarna, Understanding Genesis: The World of the Bble in the light of History, New York, Schocken Books, 1966, reprinted 1970.
What if the Tower of Babel isn’t about a skyscraper at all, or trying to ‘reach God,’ but about language, thought and power? We begin our series with the strange little story - consisting of only nine verses- situated between the Noah episode and the great patriarch Abraham — and why it might be one of the few (if any) political passages in the Bible. In the series, we’ll be taking a deep dive into Genesis 11 (1-9) the Babel story to open up its valuable teaching. We’ll discover the Bible’s take on free speech, freedom, and human flourishing. We’ll encounter God in sarcastic mode, and we’ll consider whether or not the people in the story were actually punished or not. We will consider how the story speaks so clearly to us today – with some surprising conclusions about the way we live and the choices we make. And the danger we are in. In this episode we are going to consider a line from the story where God comes down to see what’s going on. It is an interesting and surprising moment. I’ve always seen a little bit of sarcastic humour coming in here – on the part of God that is. There is also irony here. The tower meant to reach heaven doesn’t seem tall enough to even notice. In order to see the significance of God coming down, we will need to consider the chiastic structure of the story. The Babel story is arranged rather like a mirror. It begins with humanity moving together towards a single purpose, and then, after reaching the centre of the story, everything happens in reverse.