The Resurrection of Tubalism in the New World

In a paper titled Babel Resurrected, or Divide and Conquer, Gustavo Bueno Sanchez, a professor of philosophy at the University of Oviedo (Spain), provides an incisive analysis of the effects of Tubalism in the history of the New World.

Bueno Sanchez begins his account pointing out that, in March 1999, the Institute of Culture of Mexico City issued a statement of gratitude to Italian novelist Umberto Eco, for being the first to point out (in The Search for the Perfect Language) a significant biblical inconsistency, namely that the differentiation of languages existed prior to the "episode of Babel," and that, therefore, diversity could be regarded in the West as a gift, instead of a punishment. (Babel redivivo, o divide y venceras)

In a somewhat facetious manner, Bueno Sanchez states that Giovanni Nanni de Viterbo, who "shamelessly improved" (Ibid) fragments of the fictitious Chaldean priest Beroso (see The Ancient Polemic of Tubalism below) to create a fictional primitive history of Spain, was much more "erudite" and "imaginative" than Umberto Eco.

Although Manuel Pintado states in La lengua de Tubal, based on the work of Julio Caro Baroja, that Father Juan de Mariana (1536-1623) wished to put an end to Tubalism, comparing it to a "platter of mixed appetizers," Bueno Sanchez cites a passage from Mariana's General History of Spain in which the author affirms that Tubal, the son of Japhet, was "the first man that came to Spain," adding that "many important authors feel and testify to that effect." (Ibid)

According to Bueno Sanchez, Mariana's historical version was "improved" by Rodrigo Mendez Silva who, in the spirit of "European competitiveness," did not forget to issue a reminder, stating that Spain was populated one year before France, "our neighbor and, therefore eternal enemy." ("a newcomer.")

"...It was populated by the patriarch Tubal, fifth son of Japhet, son of Noah, that populated it with his Armenian and Chaldean people in the year of the creation of the world 1798, of the Flood 142 and before the birth of Christ 2163, a year before Samotes or Samoteo, his brother began to populate the Kingdom of France, according to the famous chronologist Geronimo Martel..." (Ibid)

Sanchez Bueno states that even at present, "outstanding disciples" of Nanni, "the counterfeiter," continue to elaborate fictional versions of history at the "service of the ideologies that feed them, the interests that nurture them, and the politicians that collaborate arduously to maintain the entire scheme..." (Ibid)

Professor Sanchez Bueno also recognizes that the propagation of Tubalism was a necessary ploy that would benefit the upper echelons of the Spanish hierarchy, namely the Church and State.

By the end of the fifteenth century the Spaniards were well aware that Islam represented a great threat to Spain, to the Iberian Peninsula, and to the rest of Europe. The Muslims, who were "reorganizing themselves within the confines of the world, as it was known then, represented a threat to the throne." (Ibid) The Spaniard's first goal, after the reconquest of Granada, was the "rechristianization of North Africa, and the total conversion, or neutralization of the Turks." (Ibid) Likewise, threatened by geographers, explorers, and "ancient hypotheses about the sphericity of the world" (Ibid), the Spaniards were eager to find a new way to China. The limits of Asia and Africa were already well known. Queen Isabella was eager to promote the efforts of Columbus. Spain was well on the way to establish the world's first effective globalization scheme.

The discovery of the New World reordered the priorities of the Spaniards. The people of the Americas were not mentioned in the Bible. The throne was compelled to take action, before other thrones "could also take advantage of the new Discovery." (Ibid) There was an urgent need to "Christianize" the inhabitants of the New World, once it was established that they were not animals or monsters.

The Spaniards realized, early on, that the indigenous languages of the Americas could be transcribed into Latin and Spanish. The indigenous languages were soon written using the "Christian alphabet," and grammatical conceptualizations were soon developed. A campaign to teach the "Indians" to read and write Latin, rather than Spanish, as stated by Fray Juan Zumarraga in 1537, ensued. All these efforts were aimed at reviving the Latin language, and to develop the longed for papist theocracy. However, in 1550, Charles V issued a formal order to teach Spanish to the natives of the Indies, prompted by Rodrigo de la Cruz, who wrote to the King, expressing the necessity to impose a single language in Mexico, thereby overriding the inherent difficulties due to the existence of a great number of indigenous languages, since even some of the natives could not understand each other. de la Cruz proposed Nahuatl, as a lingua franca, insisting it would be easier to teach than Spanish. In 1590, the Council of the Indies was advised that it was extremely important to teach the "Indians" Spanish for the purpose of "teaching and indoctrinating them, and to do away with their idolatry and other vices and things with which they distract themselves by means of their language." (Ibid)

habanera

Sanchez Bueno, Gustavo. Babel redivivo, o divide y venceras. El Catoblepas 2:10, 2002

http://www.nodulo.org/ec/2002/n002p10.htm