Expert in theology and biblical languages, Mike Heiser critiqued theories of ancient astronauts, and alien DNA tinkering, such as espoused by the late Zecharia Sitchin, and also spoke about the possibilities of ET life in the universe, as well as biblical interpretations. Conducting his own study of the ancient Sumerian texts, he has found many of Sitchin's extrapolations to be baffling-- "You don't find things like the Annunaki on Niburi (a planet said to come into our solar system), or associated with Niburi in any way. You don't find known planets beyond Saturn in Mesopotamian astronomical texts," he commented. They also don't write about the Annunaki conducting genetic tinkering with humans, he added.
While the texts refer to the Annunaki as deities, Sitchin interprets these disembodied entities as literal flesh and blood beings-- something Heiser has not found evidence for in the materials. I think Sitchin "tends to superimpose the Mesopotamian account onto the biblical account, rather than looking at their differences," he noted. For more, including specific texts and images, see Heiser's site, sitchiniswrong.com.
Theologically, there's no reason there couldn't be life on other planets besides Earth, he said. According to the "principle of plenitude," if life were confined to just our planet that would be limiting the power of God, he continued. Heiser also shared his takes on various biblical descriptions. He doesn't see Ezekiel's wheel as being a UFO, but rather a riff on the Babylonian zodiac to depict God's omnipotence. In his interpretation of the Garden of Eden account, he suggested that the serpent is a shining spirit being, rather than something from the animal kingdom.
Biography:
Mike Heiser received his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and ancient Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently Academic Editor for Logos Bible Software, a company that creates ancient language research software and digital resources for studying the ancient and biblical world. Mike is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute for Biblical Research, the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, the American Academy of Religion, and the Evangelical Theological Society. In 2005, Mike was named by Fate Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Ufology.
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