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.

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