02x25 - Bilaam: The Story of a Talking Donkey

[bunniefuu]

What does it all mean?

This is where the archeology has been found.

Oh, hi how are you?

Look at that.

I need a planter.

A shrine to a bellybutton.

Is this a rock of salt?

Look at that!

No one gets into this place?

Whoa, don't take me too far!

Now that's naked archeology.

[theme music]

The bible tells us the story of Moses and the Exodus,

and the Israelites lead to the Promised Land.

And when it is time to go into the Promised Land

there's one evil that stands in their way- the Moabites.

Now these Moabites aren't people

with an ancient overbite problem.

In fact they are very strong, very healthy,

they got a king and an army.

But when they confronted the Israelites

they didn't send an army and they didn't send kings.

They sent one man... and his talking donkey...

They send one man, Bilaam...

I've got the giggles now with the talking donkey...

You think it's funny, but it's true...

Bilaam, he came with his talking donkey.

And before it was over, Bilaam would

initiate an orgy of sex and v*olence

that would leave , Israelites dead.

Is it just a story? What does archaeology have to say

about Bilaam and his talking donkey?

[SIMCHA] The first mention of Bilaam in the Bible

comes in the Book of Numbers,

as the Israelites come out of the desert

and set up camp on the Plains of Moab.

The Bible says that the Moabites were led by King Balak,

who saw the number of Israelites at his door

and got frightened, so Balak decided to hire a local prophet

who was known for his ability to curse anyone he wanted...

That prophet's name was Bilaam.

There's a bad guy, a Darth Vader of the Bible.

[SIMCHA] At first Bilaam refused to help the Moabites,

because God had come to him in a vision

and told him not to mess with the Israelites.

Get down there right away and take care of things!

SIMCHA] But when the Moabite King

offered Bilaam lots of dough,

Bilaam turned to the dark side and took the job anyway.

we have powerful friends who will help us!

[SIMCHA] But he took his ass, his donkey to the high places,

in order to curse the Israelites, without success, I might add.

And en route his donkey, his ass, spoke to him.

[SIMCHA] The donkey was trying to tell Bilaam to stop,

because it saw an angel of God standing in its path,

warning them away.

But Bilaam ignored the warning

and went to the mountaintop overlooking the Israelite camp,

where he built himself an altar

that he could curse from.

But then when he tried to utter his curse,

God intervened and put blessings in his mouth.

Bilaam's plan was foiled,

so he had to take another tack.

He decided that if he couldn't curse the Israelites,

then he would seduce them,

using Moabite women and sex idols as bait.

Sometimes rage, fear and love are aroused together.

[SIMCHA] I have to admit, Bilaam's story

sounds a bit far-fetched.

But I'm determined to find some answers.

The Book of Numbers tell us

that his name was Bilaam, Son of Beor,

it says that he was hired by the Moabites,

and that he was "a seer", or a prophet.

There is wisdom in your words!

[SIMCHA] It is said that he orchestrated

an act of sexual sabotage

against the Israelites and, last but not least,

it says that he had a talking donkey.

Who? Me?

[SIMCHA] If I'm going to decode the Biblical story of Bilaam,

I figure my best bet is to first visit the spot

where it's supposed to have taken place...

in the mountains of the Moabite Kingdom,

in what is now modern Jordan.

Your day has now come!

When Balaam took his ass

and brought it all the way up to the high places,

it would have been a place like this.

In a genuine high place, the kind described in the Bible.

The kind we can't even imagine

when we read those words:

And what does it mean?

It means a place where there was pagan worship.

Imagine the scene, animals

being slaughtered over there,

animals being consumed and slaughtered over here,

the high priest over there,

flames from the sacrificial animals,

there cooking those slaughtered animals.

They're collecting blood over there,

the high priest is standing here in full regalia,

the blood is being collected here,

the animals maybe are being butchered,

you know choice pieces for the kings and the priests.

From a place like this, the Bible describes

how Bilaam tried to curse the Israelites.

But he couldn't.

We have the scene described precisely.

I've never seen actually anything like it.

[SIMCHA] I had just seen evidence

of pagan worship as it happened

around the time of Bilaam,

but I had yet to find any evidence

of a real historical Bilaam.

Cut to the chase already

and tell me about the talking donkey.

[SIMCHA] But as it turns out,

there's another site here in Jordan

that's supposed to be associated with Bilaam.

Here, in the ancient city of Deir Alla,

there are artifacts from a pagan temple

that was known for sex priestesses

and ritual sex practices that just might have

been the headquarters for Bilaam's pagan congregation.

[SIMCHA] I'm looking for archaeology

that can give me some insight into the Biblical story

of Bilaam, the pagan prophet

who tried to curse the Israelites

when they were crossing into the Promised Land.

Don't forget he had a talking donkey.

[SIMCHA] So far, I've traveled to Jordan

and I'd seen a pagan sacrificial altar

that fits with the story of Bilaam found in the Bible.

But there's another site here in Jordan

that has the remains of a temple

that's believed to have been built by a cult

that venerated Bilaam and his gods.

The site is called Deir Alla,

an ancient Moabite city, less than an hour's drive

from the Jordan River.

I'm here to see what I can dig up.

Right here, right where I'm standing,

they found a temple, they found a school

where probably priests or priestesses

where inculcated in the religion of the temple...

[SIMCHA] There's not much left of the temple,

but the artifacts found here are stored

in a nearby field station.

They confirm that pagan worship took place here

years ago.

This is the Deir Alla archaeological field station

where archaeologists come from all over y'know,

Germany, Holland...

And this is where they keep the secret,

the secret stuff.

Nobody knows that this stuff exists here.

This is what they found at Deir Alla.

This is, for example, what they found in the temple,

the temple, where they worship

according to the religion of Bilaam.

That obviously is a ritual oil lamp.

And here, here is the smoking g*n

of the Bilaam story, because what you have is goddesses,

you have fertility goddesses.

At least you have women in a cultic context.

[SIMCHA] Back in ancient Moab, paganism and sex

went together like peanut butter and jelly.

Cultic sex was part and parcel of Bilaam's belief system.

When Bilaam's attempt to curse the Israelites failed

he was left in an awkward position.

King Balak was paying him big money

to get rid of the Israelites and Bilaam had to come up

with a really good Plan B.

So Bilaam convinced hundreds of Moabite

and nearby Midianite women to go under cover

and offer the Israelites free sex.

It was an offer that many of the Israelite men could not refuse.

When God found out about it,

he sent a plague down on the Israelites

that took the lives of , Israelite men.

We're talking about classic paganism

in a religious context, exactly as the Bible says

in the Book of Numbers,

when the Israelites get seduced by the Moabite women.

And here you have almost, you know,

profiles of those women from , years ago.

You've got stuff here literally from the time of Moses

and Bilaam.

These are the objects they may have touched.

It's incredible.

[SIMCHA] These goddess figurines

correspond with the Biblical account

of the Moabite seduction of the Israelite men:

not only do they provide evidence of a cult

that worshipped female fertility more than , years ago,

but the fact that they were found in a temple

that was built by a cult devoted to Bilaam,

tells us that Deir Alla must have been

an important center for pagan belief...

And speaking of pagan sex rituals,

I've heard some twisted tales

about Bilaam's talking donkey.

Oh Bilaam, you rascal.

[SIMCHA] I'm hot on the trail of Bilaam,

the pagan prophet who tried to curse the Biblical Israelites.

So far, I've found a sacrificial altar

that matches the kind that Bilaam would have built

when he traveled to the high places of Moab.

Y'know you feel like you're literally up in heaven.

[SIMCHA] I've also found the remains of a temple

where Bilaam is believed to have led a congregation

of sex worshipping Moabites,

again corroborating the Biblical narrative

about Bilaam's attempt to seduce the Israelites.

But there is still one part of the story

that I'm having some trouble with:

you know which part.

Bilaam's talking donkey.

Oh boy!]

Finally the part about the talking donkey.

[SIMCHA] You see, when Bilaam was traveling

with his donkey to the high places of Moab,

an Angel of the Lord appears

and stops the donkey right in its tracks.

Bilaam doesn't see the angel,

only the donkey does,

so Bilaam starts to b*at his donkey

in order to get her moving.

The donkey is so frightened by the angel,

she crushes Bilaam's leg, causing Bilaam to b*at her

over and over again until finally

she turns to Bilaam and says:

Why are you b*ating me?

Haven't I done everything you've asked me to?

[SIMCHA] The talking donkey

must have been a shock to Bilaam,

but it wasn't enough to stop him.

Bilaam still climbed to his altar

and tried to curse the Israelites,

leaving us to wonder, did that donkey really talk?

Or is it just a story?

It's a little bit hard to think about donkeys talking.

So I thought, well, if there's any place

to have a talking donkey, it's the Biblical Zoo

in the outskirts of Jerusalem.

I'm here.

I'm going to find myself a talking donkey.

Shmulik! Shmulik! How are you?

I've been looking forward to meeting you.

What we're looking for specifically is talking donkeys.

You know the Bilaam story in the Bible?

We brought two donkeys here to the zoo

and tried to persuade them to talk, but we failed.

Maybe I can succeed.

We can try it.

Lead me to the asses.

Okay. So let's go.

Did this surprise you, just on the surface of it,

that someone would think

that a donkey could speak?

No, actually.

If something stuck in the mouth of the donkey,

something like a thorn for example,

he moves his jaws in such a way

that maybe you can say he's talking,

because it's like movements- really harsh,

severe movements.

So it maybe something was stuck in the mouth

of the donkey, or this ass,

and the guy thought he was talking.

[SIMCHA] He had a point.

If the donkey had something stuck in its mouth,

or if it was really hot and Bilaam was hallucinating,

then it would have looked like the donkey was talking.

But still, I wasn't convinced that donkeys could talk,

and there was only one way to find out.

I actually am glad what your forbearers did to Bilaam.

Do you know that he was the Darth Vader of the Bible?

You did know that. See, once means yes.

Twice is no. Okay. Thank you.

Do you know the story of Bilaam's ass?

Do you realize that your ancestor

really helped by squishing him,

and he couldn't see what the ass saw.

Oh, you do realize that...

Are you going to say anything to me?

[SIMCHA] Maybe we need to rethink

this talking donkey thing.

If donkeys cannot talk, then why does the Bible

explicitly tell us that Bilaam's donkey did?

Maybe the talking donkey is a metaphor

that's trying to tell us something else.

In fact, according to the Talmud,

Bilaam's relationship with his talking donkey

wasn't the healthiest.

So I'm meeting with Rabbi Berel Wein,

an expert on the Talmud, to find out more.

Bilaam basically's a corrupt person,

you can't trust Bilaam.

And the story with the donkey

is that he even commits pedestry with his donkey.

That's the, that's the Talmud says it,

that's the story with the donkey.

That's the...

You mean sex?

Yeah sexual perversion, right?

So he's a combination of corruption,

sexual perversion.

The donkey's his girlfriend?

That's what it says.

I didn't know that.

You are my donkey that I've been with you

all the time.

How come you're not doing what I say?

What you mean during a...

Yeah so a...

Ok... I didn't know that.

What do you think about what that Rabbi's statement?

I never know, but Rabbinic literature saying

when the donkey's talking, they're having sex.

You're going to think I'm crazy

but it kinda makes sense to me.

If Bilaam was this real sicko

who was doing stuff with animals,

besides being evil, and the Bible wanted

to tell us that, what would it do?

They would have the donkey "talking"

and saying to Bilaam,

"Didn't I always do what you wanted me to do?

I bet you the audience in the Bronze Age

understood that.

Everybody must have stayed

around the campfire laughing.

Bilaam was not only evil, he was a sicko.

[SIMCHA] Of course whether Bilaam

got kinky with his donkey is totally up to interpretation.

Obviously there is no archeological evidence

that can prove it one way or another...

The talking donkey was just a euphemism?

What a rip off.

[SIMCHA] Luckily the archaeology does speak.

And back at Deir Alla, just metres

from where archaeologists found that temple

devoted to the cult of Bilaam,

they also found a year old inscription...

Where you see the red earth protruding from the ground.

That's where they found the temple,

and only a few meters away, over here,

they found one of the earliest inscriptions ever

of Hebrew, Aramaic, Phoenician,

meaning one of the earliest inscriptions

ever in the language of the Bible,

the five books of Moses.

It gets better...

They found the name Bilaam, Son of Beor,

how much better can it get,

but the earliest prophetic writing of any kind anywhere,

right here right where I'm standing.

And the inscription confirms, Bilaam, Son of Beor-

he was here.

And I'll continue his mission of vengance!

[SIMCHA] I was looking for evidence

that Bilaam was a real historical figure,

a real prophet that existed during the time of Moses,

back when the Israelites were trying

to make their way into the Promised Land.

So far I had found evidence of a temple

devoted to the same sex goddesses

that Bilaam would have used to convince the Moabites

to seduce the Israelites...

Only these guys think that he's the good guy.

[SIMCHA] Then, in , just a few metres

from the temple at Deir Alla,

archaeologists discovered a year-old inscription

that mentions Bilaam by name

and refers to him as a prophet.

If the Bilaam who is named in the inscription

is the same Bilaam that's named in the Bible,

then this inscription is the only physical evidence

for anyone mentioned in the first five books of the Bible.

But the inscription isn't at Deir Alla anymore,

it's now stored in the museum in Amman,

the capital of Jordan,

so I'm going there to take a closer look.

Look at this place. It's fantastic.

Come on, come on.

[SIMCHA] The inscription is in ancient Aramaic

and the most important passages

are written in red ink,

surrounded by a red border,

much the same as you see today

in newspapers and magazines.

But for some reason the inscription is hidden away.

Most of the museum's visitors

seem more interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls,

which happen to be on display just down the hall.

People milling about. Nothing very fancy.

The one place you would not think of looking is there.

It's the Deir Alla inscription.

You could actually see the writing.

Whoa. I don't want to drop it.

Whoa- Look at it. A puzzle.

One of the most important archaeological finds.

Oh this is really good.

This is good. You can really see.

Look how clear the red is

And you can see here the writing.

It's so clear.

[SIMCHA] The Bilaam inscription

mentions Bilaam by name and says that

he was a prophet and a seer,

but it also refers to him as Bilaam, Son of Beor,

the very same name that's used in the Bible.

Don't try this at home folks

[SIMCHA] I wanted to look at the inscription

a bit more closely,

which meant I had to take it out of the drawer.

In the original, it was up on a wall.

Here you see red. Perfect.

Here you see the red frame.

Here also you see traces of the red frame.

And you can actually make out the word-

I mean it's easy to read.

We're talking about the most ancient prophetic text.

This is at least years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

It's telling a story that's , years old.

It mentions by name exactly no variant a biblical figure.

It's the oldest, probably,

version of this kind of Hebrew-Aramaic text,

and the letters, as you can see

are perfectly preserved.

[SIMCHA] The inscription isn't the only amazing artifact

in the Amman museum that connects

the Biblical story of Bilaam to archaeology...

There's a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls here.

So I'm going to the other side of the museum

where I'm meeting with Prof. Israel Knohl,

a leading expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What are you studying? The Dead Sea Scrolls?

Yes. I'm reading here a piece of the Book of Deuteronomy,

and then we have the words of Balaam,

the prophecy of Balaam.

No!

On the other side, you know,

we have the Deir Alla inscription,

where the name of Balaam is mentioned.

And here we have the name of Balaam

mentioned in the Book of Numbers.

No way.

In the Pentateuch.

You want me to read it? Ok, I will...

[reads Aramaic text]

What - which means?

These are the words of the men

who know God,

know the words of God.

The seer.

And the seer who hears the words of God.

Balaam is the only personality

which is mentioned in the Torah

that we have extra biblical reference to it.

It is beautiful that we have the text about the words

of Balaam here, and here we have the evidence

outside of the Bible that this man really lived

and was active and was a seer,

exactly as it is said in the Torah, in the Pentateuch.

[SIMHA] It really is incredible.

Not only had I found evidence of sex goddesses

and pagan worship, but I had just found

archaeological evidence

that a prophet named Bilaam lived in ancient Moab

in biblical times.

Incredibly, without the museum realizing it,

they are displaying only a few metres from each other,

a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls

and a fragment of the Deir Alla inscription.

Can you image if they realize this,

and they put it next to each other?

Both of which mention Bilaam, Son of Beor...

Can you image what a display that would be?

Together they perfectly corroborate the Bilaam story

found in the Book of Numbers.

Let's hear it for the Bilaam inscription.

[SIMCHA] This is the greatest synchronicity

between archaeology and the Bible,

and so far no one seems to have noticed.