Read 04 The Edge of Darkness for Free Online Page B

and adiligent few were in their seats reviewing their notes from the previous week.
    Murphy acknowledged a number of them with a nod on his way down to the front. He placed his briefcase on the desk, took out his laptop, and hooked it into the cable for the PowerPoint projector. Once the program booted up, he clicked on the morning’s lecture.
    “Okay, gang. Let’s take our seats.”
    He was about to begin, when Clayton Anderson entered, dropping his books loudly as he looked for a seat. Everyone turned to look and then laughed. The class clown had arrived with his usual entrance. He turned up his palms and opened his mouth in mock shock.
What’s the problem?
he mouthed as he looked back at them, eliciting another appreciative laugh from his fellow students.
    “I’m glad that Mr. Anderson has graced us with his presence … we can now begin. Today we will be examining the subject of pagan gods. As you will recall from previous lectures, the worship of various gods was central in ancient cultures. This was an attempt to explain and deal with the forces of nature that everyone experienced. In Babylon, Enlil was the god of the weather and storms. Ea was the god of wisdom. Shamash was the god of the sun and justice. Gaia represented Mother Earth and Kishar was the Father of Earth. Presiding over all of them was Marduk, the national god of the Babylonians.”
    Murphy clicked on the PowerPoint projector.
    “Today we will look at a few more of the pagan gods.”
    Nebo

The god of education, literature, writing, and arts
Baal

The god of the productive forces of nature
Asherah

The favorite goddess of women
Ra

The sun god
Bes

The grotesque god who watched over childbirth

    “Each god had a number of priests or priestesses who would direct their followers in worship, and dedicated temples where the people would offer sacrifices. Some of the sacrifices would be in the form of grains and fruits. Others would be animals, like cows, sheep, and turtledoves.” He paused dramatically. “Occasionally the sacrifices would be human. The god of the Moabites was named Chemosh, and parents would offer their children on the altar to him. The same thing would be done for the Canaanite god Molech. In his temple, they would burn the children as a sacrifice.”
    Murphy heard groans from the students and many of the women were making faces. A chorus of such comments as “Gross!” and “Sick!” swept through the lecture hall.
    Murphy smiled. “If your parents had believed in these gods, maybe some of you wouldn’t be here today enjoying my lecture.”
    That got a good laugh from some of them. Murphy was about to click on the next slide when the door to the lecture hall opened again. As he looked up, the words stuck in his throat.
    She was tall, shapely, tan, and athletic-looking. She was wearing a baseball cap and her long blond hair flowed out the back of the hat in a loose ponytail.
    All the students turned to see who had entered the room. Murphy noticed them whispering to one another. Whoever the blonde was, she was the type of woman that both men and women noticed.
    She seemed older than the college students in the class. Whoever she was, she certainly looked like a professional model.
    Murphy forced his thoughts back to his lecture.
    “This next slide will indicate how the various gods were pictured to the people.”
    Nisrosh

Assyrian god with human body and eagle’s head
Horus

Human figure with a falcon’s head
Hathor

Goddess with cow’s body and a woman’s head
Set

Man’s body with animal head
Amon Ra

Supreme deity of the Egyptians, man’s body and head of a hawk
Dagon

The Philistine god with the head and hands of a man and the body of a fish

    “Many of the gods on this slide have been pictured on ancient artifacts, like jars and plates. Some were imprinted on coins. Others can be seen in paintings or reliefs on the walls of buildings. And yes, this will be on the test.”
    Murphy saw a hand go up.
    “Dr. Murphy?