History · 26 · Prophet and Priest
'What lion ever consulted a liver-reader?'
A Mesopotamian legend has the mighty king Naram-Sin ignore the oracles and rely on his own strength. He suffers massive defeats.
Hubris ignores warnings.
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Like the Bible's stories of kings who must 'inquire of Yhwh' before battle, the legend warns rulers against self-reliance. But in the Bible, the prophets increasingly turn their warnings on the king himself.
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 409–410
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