Cost of a Curse?

What’s a curse cost? In this case well over a million dollars. The picture on the right above shows what fits on top of the figure on the left. As one sculpture, it depicts an Assyrian King from around 810 BC, Adad-Nirai III, ruler of Mesopotamia. He stands in a position of worship directed to Ishtar (precursor to Jezebel), Adad, the weather god, and the supreme deity Salmanu. The inscription proclaims that Salmanu is the Lord who protects Adad’s throne. Also included on the side is a curse carved in stone, invoking evil on anyone who removes this stele from the temple. Of course that has long since been done. The British Museum has the head fragment in its collection. The lower part is due to be auctioned in London at Bonhams, world renowned auctioneer of arts and antiques, for as much as 800,000 GBP.

The words of the curse declare, Whoever discards this image from the presence of Salmanu and puts it into another place, whether he throws it into waters or covers it with earth . . . may his name and his seed disappear in the land. These are harsh words whose impact, some may assume, were mere invocations of intimidation. Maybe, but what if the buyer at Bonhams gets more than he bargained for? I realize that something 3,000 years old has unique value, but not at the real price the purchaser of Salmanu’s curse might have to pay. I pray that if that person is foolish enough to risk the curse that he will eventually find an exorcist to anoint Adad-Narai III and cut off the evil intentions it bears. Such declarations of evil can be more than ancient superstitions. Like all curses, they are for perpetuity until someone ends the evil. (See my book CURSE BREAKING for more detail. To order  CLICK HERE.) May the true God, Jehovah, have mercy on the bidder at Bonhams if this curse hasn’t been broken.