The Discovery of Genesis (70 page)

How significant that the Chinese word for
tower
is a shorthand record of this project. On the left side of the figure, artistically accommodating itself to the slope of the tower is the radical
dirt, clay
, of which the bricks were made. They had boasted, “‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar” (Genesis 11:3). Then they
united, joined together
in their rebellion against God. The Chinese placed upon the pinnacle of the
tower
the sign of Adam’s curse
, recognizing the folly of this venture. (It would be unlikely that
weeds
would grow on top of a brick tower!) One other aspect of the character might also have importance. They were originally all of one speech:
men
;
one
;
speech
. Adding the
grass
on the top,
means
to undertake.
The Chinese themselves built no towers or pagodas until the Buddhist era.
²
This character for
tower
must surely, therefore, refer to the Tower of Babel.