Sunday, October 10, 2010

[OT] Creation of Eve

Eve & Creatures (Gen. 2:18-25)
  • At the end of creation "it was very good," but now "it is not good" that Adam is alone.  In chapter 1, it was "good" before man and woman were created, but after it was "very good"
  • "helper" is literally "a helper as in front of him" - like him, suited to him, corresponding to him
  • The created animals are considered by some commentators unsuccessful attempts to create a helper for Adam.
  • Note the creatures (v.20) are of the three spheres of creation - land, sky & water
  • The creatures are formed, even though they were already formed in chapter 1
  • God, having dominion over the universe,  named the parts of the universe and it's time divisions in chapter 1, but lets man name the creatures over which he has dominion
  • She is called Issha (woman) because she was take from Ish (man)
  • The Rib is an allegory of the relationship of man and woman.  Just as the rib is found at the side of the man and is attached to him, even so the wife, the rib of her husband stands at his side to be his helper/counterpart.
  • 2:23 is divided into two parts.  In Hebrew, part 1 has 3 segments with two words, both accented.  The 2nd part has two segments each with 3 words, all accented, totaling 6 accented words.  Zo'th ("this," "she," "she") occurs three times in the man's utterance.  It is at the beginning, center and end of his speech.
Then the man said,
'This, at last, / is bone of my bones / and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman [Issa] / because she was taken out of Man [Is].'
  • 2:24 "Therefore a man leaves..." is not Adam's words, but a comment.
  • "A man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife" has been interpreted by some as a reference to matriarchy.  However, later note that "he shall rule over you"
Gen 2:18-25
  18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
  19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
  20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
  21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
  22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
  23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
  25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

[OT] Modern pronunciation of Old Testament names

Jeff Spector at MormonMatters notes:

One thing that has always intrigued me about the English version of the Old Testament were how the names, the Hebrew names, were modified away from a Hebrew pronunciation.  Sometimes the names are close and sometimes not even. The key to pronouncing a Hebrew name or any Hebrew word is that he accent is always syllable .

In some cases, a Greek/Latin pronunciation is used, in others, Middle English.

He has included a table including Old Testament name,  language where today's pronunciation comes from & the Hebrew transliteration.

 Check it out here.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

[OT] Thou shalt surely die

"In the day you eat of it you shall die" (Gen 2:16-17). 

The serpent challenges the truthfulness of this statement, and Adam and Eve die much later.  Common explanations for God's seemingly inconstant statement are:
  • Day may mean time
  • Cruel conditions out of the garden may be like death
  • You shall not attain the measure of life originally allotted to you (1000 years)
  • You deserve death, which will be fulfilled in due time
  • This is an exaggerated statement to motivate Adam from further sinning
  • Adam was to die until he repented
  • You are now immortal, but shall become mortal -- a type of death
  • Separation from God in the garden comprises a type of spiritual death
Cassuto's explanation is that Adam will not be allowed to eat from the tree of life, which would have prevented him from ever dieing.  After choosing the fruit of knowledge, he was not allowed to eat of the tree of life, ensuring he would eventually die.

Monday, May 17, 2010

[OT] Cherubim / Man - Serving and Guarding in the Garden of Eden

Serving and Guarding
  • Gen 2:15 "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to serve and to guard." 
  • The Babylonian creation epic mentions "serving and guarding" also.  Man was created with the blood of Kingu to serve the Gods, and subsequently the Anunnaki (deities of the 2nd rank) who had been the servants of the supreme gods were released from this duty and given the task of guarding, half guarding heaven and half guarding Sheol.
  • Israel's epic poems show the cherubim as those entrusted with guarding.  Ezekiel calls the Edenic cherurb "guardian cherub" or "measuring (anointed) guardian cherub" (Ezk 28:14, 16).
  • Cassuto believes the Torah amended this tradition and substituted man for the cherubs -- to both serve and guard.  The Cherubim's reduced status was reinstated  to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen 3:24)
Gen 2:15   The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Gen 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
--
Ezk 28:14,16   You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God  ....  I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub...

Saturday, May 15, 2010

[OT] Rivers and Stones

Genesis 2:10-14
  10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
  11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
  12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
  13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
  14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

Rivers of Eden (note, the Sumerians also spoke of 4 rivers in their mythology):
  • Hiddekel & Euphrates are will known rivers
  • Pishon comes from Hebrew "pus" - meaning to jump and run to and fro.
  • Gishon comes from Hebrew "giah" - to flow.
  • The rivers called Phshon and Gihon are not known in any source.  The best explanation for them seems to the the two streams making up the Nile which irrigates the land of Egypt.  Note that Egypt is mentioned with the Garden (see Gen 13:10) and that these rivers irrigate the whole land.
  • More info here
Metals:
  • Manna had the appearance of Bdellium (Num 11:7), which was a food that required no work, like Adam's food in the Garden
  • Shoham stones (usually translated Onyx) were part of the ephod of the priest (Ex 28:9,12, Ex 35:9,27).
  • In Ezekiel 28:13, the cherub of the Garden of Eden is covered in precious stones including gold and shoham.
  • Bdellium may be a precious stone (the Septuagint calls it 'carbuncle, ruby'), Num 11:77 calls it crystal.  It is also similar to a word that is an aromatic resin from a tree.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

[OT] Eden and the Tree of Life

Eden

'Some feel "Eden" comes from the Sumero-Akkadian "edinu" ('steppe-land, wilderness') or from a Hebrew expression "those who feasted on dainties" (Lam 4:5).  More likely the word means "a place that is well watered."'

'Sumerian legends tell of a pure land in the beginning, called Dilmun, that has many parallels with the Biblical Garden of Eden. Although pure, Dilmun had no water. Thus the god of water (Enki) commanded the god of the Sun (Utu) to bring fresh water from the Earth to Dilmun. This parallels Genesis 2:5-6, "...for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth...But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground." '

'With water flowing in the land of Dilmun, the Mother Goddess, Ninhursag, causes grass to grow, and trees to bear fruit, this garden creating Paradise on Earth. Ninhursag creates eight types of sprouting plant in this garden. Enki's messenger, Isimud, brings these plants to Enki to eat. Enki eats these plants, which infuriates Ninhursag, who curses Enki with death and then disappears.'

'Soon eight parts of Enki's body begin to fail, and his health worsens quickly. While the other gods ponder what to do, a fox offers to find and bring back Ninhursag if they reward him for his efforts. The gods agree, and the fox brings back Ninhursag. Ninhursag asks Enki which of his eight parts of his body are ailing. These organs were his jaw, tooth, mouth, arm, rib, and three other parts that were destroyed on the tablets that are known today. Ninhursag then creates eight healing deities, one for each of these organs, and Enki regains his strength.'
[http://www.ephemeris.com/history/mesopotamia.html]

  • In 2nd paragraph of Genesis 2:8-13, words occurring in triple (adding emphasis) are garden, tree, name, river & "hu."
Tree of Life
  • The Tree of Life - occurs with the definite article ("The"), which presumes common knowledge of it at the time of authorship.  References to the Tree of Life occur elsewhere in the Old Testament (Prov: 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, 15:4). 
  • The Akkadians had a "plant of life" in their lore, and there was a plant in the Gilgamesh epic that would cause an old man to become young again.  However, according to Cassuto, these parallels are weak, and he suggests there are no solid non-Hebrew middle eastern parallels currently known to The Tree of Life.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

[OT] Man / Ground / Deep

  • Man/Ground/Deep relationship (Genesis 2:5-7).  Each of the three have a relationship with the other, being created from, being protected from, caring for, etc...
    • v.5 man (Hebrew "Adam") to till the ground (Hebrew "Adamah")
    • v.6 waters of the deep water the ground ("Adamah")
    • v.7 man ("Adam") formed from dust of ground ("Adamah")
  • Waters of the deep ("edh" [ 'd"]) similar to Mesopotamian Id - a god who is a guardian of the Deep
  • Dust (apher) & Clay (homer), often used together.  Ashes (epher) is also used with clay.
    • Assyrian goddess Aruru "washed her hands, nipped off clay , cast it up the ground, the hero Enkidu she built."
    • Job 4:19 "those who dwell in houses of clay (human beings)"
    • "Thou has made me of [literally, 'as'] clay" (Job 10:8 & 9)
    • "shall the potter be regarded as the clay" (Isa. 29:16)
    • "Woe to him who strives his maker!  a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! shall the clay say to him who fashions it, what are you making" (Isa 45:9)
    • "We are the clay, and thou art our potter; we are all the work of thy hand" (Isa 64:8)
    • See also Jer 18:1-14

Sunday, April 25, 2010

[OT] Seven in Genesis 2

  • Seven in Genesis 2
    • Eden/East, has 7 occurrences
    • Adam/Man (Hebrew "Adam"/"ish"), 28 (4 X 7).  Note that "ish" is translated as "man," and "Adam" is translated as both "man" and "Adam"
    • Woman (issha) / Helper / Rib, 21 (3 X 7)
    • Root word for "Eat" (Akhal), 7 in the paragraph describing the sin
    • "take" (laqah), 7
    • There are seven paragraphs in this section

[OT] References to Deity in Genesis 2


  • "Elohim" ("God") is used exclusively in chap 1.  "YHWY Elohim" (i.e. "Lord God" or "Jehovah God") is used almost exclusively in this chapter except in the conversation between the serpent and woman ("Elohim" only).  After this, "YHWH Elohim" is not used together in Genesis.  "YHWH" is not used in the serpent conversation because God's name is holy.
  • Cassuto rejects the documentary hypothesis and explains the use of the titles of deity this way:
    • YHWH occurs when scripture reflects the concept of God -- his ethical aspect regarding the people of Israel
    • Elohim occurs in the abstract conception of God in international circles and as the creator of the material world, ruler of nature and source of life
    • YHWH expresses the direct and intuitive notion of God among the unsophisticated faith of the multitude
    • Elohim conveys the concept of those philosophically minded
    • YHWH expresses God's personal nature in relationship to humans or nature
    • Elohim  occurs speaking of God as a transcendental being outside of nature

Saturday, April 17, 2010

[OT] The Garden of Eden and parallels to other middle eastern traditions

  • Tree of Life
    • First use of "tree of life" is with the definite article ("the") showing previous familiarity with it.
  • Gilgamesh Epic similarities to the story of the Garden of Eden:
    • Has a garden of the goddess Siduri
    • Has same terms "pleasant to the sight" and "good to look upon" (see Gen 2:9, Gen 3:6)
    • Trees bear precious stones instead of fruit (soham [onyx]& saffir [saffire]- also listed in the Ezekiel reference to the Garden of Eden, and soham [onyx] in Genesis 2:12,  near references to the trees of life and of knowledge).
  • The Garden of Eden story has Adam created from the dust of the ground by God.  Middle eastern creation texts have man created by Aruru, Marduk or by both of them together; by Enki; by Enlil; by the four great gods; or by the Anunnaki.  Sometimes they speak of the gods giving birth to humans, sometimes of birth in connection with creation from the clay of the earth, and at other times through creation from the clay or clay mingled with the blood of a god slaughtered for this purpose, or mixed with his blood and flesh.  Egyptians had the god Khnum fashioning with his hands the bodies of men and women, performing this work on the potter's wheel.  These myths are opposed by the Torah (even dust is used instead of clay to create man).
  • Archaic items bearing similarities to the Garden of Eden story found in antiquity (although rejected as parallels by Umberto Cassuto):
    • A Babylonian seal with a man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a tree and a serpent behind the man
    • A discovery at Tepe-Gawra of a seal showing a man and woman in bent position bowed down by a burden with a serpent behind them (3500-4000 BCE)

Friday, April 9, 2010

[OT] Garden of Eden accounts in Genesis and Ezekiel

Poetic Epic of the Garden of Eden existed prior to Genesis
  • According to Cassuto, the Genesis 2-3 author appears to have taken material from the creation saga & extra-biblical Garden of Eden accounts.
  • The author rejected and nullified by silence or by critical remarks that which was considered objectionable in the material of the time.

Ezekiel 28 compares the King of Tire to to a cherub from the Garden of Eden.  Ezekiel refers to an older, already known epic -- apparently a cherub or one of the cherubim (plural for cherub) who dwelt in the Garden of Eden on the top of the mountain of God (which was as high as the the heavens).  The cherub sinned in his pride and was punished by being driven from the garden and cast to earth.  This may be related to stories of angels being cast down to the earth elsewhere.
  • Differences between Ezekiel and Genesis stories of the Garden of Eden
    • Garden of God (Ezekiel) vs Garden for Man (Genesis)
    • Garden on Sacred Mountain (Ezekiel).  Genesis implies rivers flow from the garden, so garden must be up high
    • Precious stones & gold in the garden (Ezekiel) and as a covering for the cherub vs  gold and soham out of the garden in the Land of Havilah (Genesis 2:11-12)
    • Stones of fire (similar to stones of lightening in Ugaritic & Akkadian texts) vs the Cherubim & a flaming sword in Genesis
    • Cherub inhabits & is cast out of garden (Ezekiel) vs man inhabiting and being cast out of the garden (Genesis)

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

[OT] Differences between creation stories of Genesis 1 & 2

Creation focus between Gen 1 & 2 are quite different:
    • Genesis 1 is more speculative, discussing the mystery of the world's existence, which likely appealing to the philosophically oriented
    • Genesis 2 is simpler, more anthropomorphic, more appealing to the masses, more colorful & vivid
    Differences between Genesis 1 / Genesis 2 creation stories
    • 6 days / 1 day for creation (Gen: 2:4)
    • World from a mass of water (Gen 1:2,6-7) / Land comes 1st (Gen: 2:5-6)
    • Sexes created at same time / Man formed 1st
    • Plants on 3rd day before man's creation / Man created before plants & herbs (Gen: 2:5-9)
    • Living creatures created before man / Living creatures created after man, and for his sake (Gen 2:19)

Friday, March 26, 2010

[OT] Chiastic Structure of Genesis 2 & 3 (Garden of Eden)

Garden of Eden, Gen ch 2-3

A -"These are the generations"
-B -No field economy "no one to till the ground"
--C -Human beings given life, installed in Garden
---D -Man prefers human companionship over beasts
----E -Man calls his companion "Woman"
-----F -Etiological summary: "Therefore a man leaves.."
-------G -Human couple "naked ... and not ashamed"
---------H -Serpent promises "eyes will be opened"
----------X -Transgression
---------H' The couple's "eyes are opened"
------G' They experience shame
-----F' Etiological summary: "For .. you are dust .."
----E' Man calls his companion "Eve" (life bearer)
---D' Man and woman wear skins of beasts
--C' Humans expelled from Garden, denied immortality
-B' Field economy begins
A' Birth of a child completes one generation

Sunday, March 21, 2010

[OT] Seven in Genesis 1

Occurrences of words in multiples of 7 in Genesis 1

Seven is an important number of perfection [Umberto Cassuto 12] in Hebrew thought.  Seven (and other numbers such as 3, 12, 50, 70) figures prominently in other middle-eastern cultures (for example the Sumerians had seven "fate-decreeing" gods, and fifty "great" gods [http://www.ephemeris.com/history/mesopotamia.html]).  Seven is used extensively in Genesis 1 and elsewhere in the Old Testament. 




  • Each of the three nouns in the introductory sentence (which express the basic concept of this chapter) are repeated in multiples of 7 [Umberto Cassuto 14-15]


    • "God" (Hebrew "Elohim"): 35 times (i.e. 7 X 5)

    • "Earth": 21 (7 X 3)

    • "Heavens" or "Firmament": 21


  • Seven "Let there" or "Let the" ...

  • Seven Days (of course)

  • "Light" and "Day": 7 times in 1st paragraph

  • "Light": 7 times in 4th paragraph.  (Remember 1st & 4th paragraphs have a parallel relationship)

  • "Water": 7 times in 2nd & 3rd paragraph

  • "hayya" (rendered "living" or "beasts" in English): 7 times in 5th & 6th paragraph

  • "it was good": 7 times with the 7th occurrence "very good"

  • 1st verse has 7 words (in Hebrew)

  • 2nd verse has 14 words (in Hebrew)

  • 7th paragraph has 35 words (in Hebrew, 5 X 7)

  • The 7th paragraph, dealing with the 7th day has these three (three was a common form of emphasis) consecutive sentences


    • And on the           Seventh day, God finished His work which He had done

    • and He rested on the Seventh day      from all His work which He had done

    • So God blessed the   Seventh day and hallowed it.

  • There are many instances of the phenomena occurring beyond the 1st chapter, for example, there are 70 nations mentioned in chapter 10

Friday, March 12, 2010

[OT] Comparison of Ancient Middle Eastern Views of Creation

Each middle eastern culture essentially tells of an original uncreated water-universe.  A firmament/sky/heaven/carcass holds back the waters for the earth. A god's wind/breath/air is an important component. A god (a child of the earth & sky) create man from clay to serve the gods.

Primordial State:
  • Sumer: Primordial sea Nammu (mother of all) produces An and Ki
  • Babylon: Apsu (Male, fresh water) and Tiamat (female, salt water -chaos)
  • Canaan: Stationary creations exist in the egg Mot
  • Egypt*: Nu & Naunet (snake)  are the primal waters, (dark, mysterious and never-ending. The call of Amon broke the stillness of the primeval waters, causing the Ogdoad and ennead to form.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): The Waters are not created by God.  His  breath blows over the waters.  Obscure reference to Tiamat ("the deep" - Tehom) may exist.  Stationary creations are created first, followed by moving creations
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): No details given, however water is  a topic in 5 of the 1st 10 verses.
  • Hebrew (Poetic*):The great deep ruled over by the dragon Rahab and his helpers. 
Heaven
  • Sumer: An (a hard, metallic disk) holds back the waters, filled with Lil (air)
  • Babylon: Ribcage of Tiamat forms the heavens
  • Canaan: Sky is formed, after which the waters are separated by the sky.  Twin mountains hold up the firmament above the earth-circling ocean.  Mt. Lel is the source of the two oceans and rivers -- and where the firmament meets the oceans.
  • Egypt: Shu and Tefnut represent the emergence of an empty space amid the waters.  The sky goddess is Nut.  Amon (as the Sun) sails through the sky in his boat each day.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): A firmament ("heaven") is created to separate the waters
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J):
  • Hebrew (Poetic):Heaven is like a curtain/ tent.  Pillars hold up  heaven.
Earth
  • Sumer: Ki
  • Babylon: Earth is the carcass of Tiamat - head is the mountains, clouds and rain from spittle
  • Canaan:
  • Egypt: Shu and Tefnut (air) produce the earth god Geb.  A pyramid mount or city rises up from the waters.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): Dry land appears when the waters under the firmament are gathered together.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): Earth is originally dry, then watered by the fountains of the deep
  • Hebrew (Poetic):Has a foundation with corner stones and strengthened fountains of the deep.
Offspring of Heaven & Earth (or the Hebrew God)
  • Sumer: An and Ki produce Enlil, God of the air.
  • Babylon: Apsu & Tiamat produce the gods who are noisy, and Apsu cannot sleep.  Apsu suggests killing the gods, but they kill him.
  • Canaan: Stationary creations are in the egg Mot, which gain motion when the egg is opened
  • Egypt: Geb and Nut (earth and sky) produce  four children,  representing the forces of life:  fertility and regeneration;  motherhood;  male & female sexuality.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P):
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): *Offspring of God implied when the Sons of God mate with the daughters  of man (Gen 6)
  • Hebrew (Poetic):*Offspring of God implied with multiple references to the Sons of God (Job)

Actions of chief offspring or God.
  • Sumer: Enlil lifts An off Ki, creating a space of atmosphere ("lil")  &  creates life
  • Babylon: Marduk god of light kills Tiamat
  • Canaan: Baal (air/storm), Yam (sea) & Mot (death), part of the Elohim (gods)  fight for kingship & favor from the supreme god El.
  • Egypt:
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): God (Elohim) creates light, firmament, earth, plants, sun, moon & stars,  birds, animals & man).  The first three are stationary creations, the 2nd three moving.  He does not create the Waters, which already existed.  Multiple gods are implied.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): Causes it to rain, creates man, plants garden, creates animals, creates eve. 
  • Hebrew (Poetic):God cut Rahab and broke him into pieces.   He measures the heavens and stretches them out like a tent / curtain. He  laid a foundation with corner stones for the earth, dried the waters of the deep, strengthened the fountains of the deep  &  created a boundary  preventing the deep from crossing onto the land.
Wind /Breath /Air
  • Sumer: Enlil is god of the air (lil),  where life is created
  • Babylon:
  • Canaan: Baal is the god of Air (rider of the clouds)
  • Egypt: Shu & Tefnut represent the empty space between the waters.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): The Ruah (wind / breath) of God blows / hovers over the primordial waters
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): Yahweh blows the breath of life into man.
  • Hebrew (Poetic):Yahweh is the rider of the clouds
http://old-testament.blogspot.com/2010/02/ot-canaan-cosmogony.htmlSun
  • Sumer: Sun, moon and stars are bright parts of lil
  • Babylon: Day created before the Sun, which acts as a marker for day.
  • Canaan:
  • Egypt: The sun is primary in Egyptian religion. The sun god Atum came from the primal waters by an act of will, independent of the other gods.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): Day & Light are created before sun and stars.  The sun is to rule the day and give light to the earth.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J):
  • Hebrew (Poetic):
Creation of Man
  • Sumer: Enki, son of Enlil  creates man in the image of the gods from clay (or blood mingled with clay from a slain god) .
  • Babylon: Marduk slays Quingu while battling Tiamat, uses Quingu's blood mixed with clay to form man. 
  • Canaan:
  • Egypt: Man is created from the tears of the sun-god Atum.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P): Male and female created by God(s) ("us") in His ("our") image.
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): Yahweh creates man  from the ground, who is lonely, so God creates animals, but they do not help him, so He creates Eve as a helper.  The serpent tells them how to gain knowledge.
  • Hebrew (Poetic):
Purpose of Man
Rivers
  • Sumer: Tigris and Euphrates come from the Abyss via Enki, the god of the abyss
  • Babylon: Tigris and Euphrates flow form slain Tiamat's (the abyss) eyes
  • Canaan: Rivers flow from Mt. Lil, home of the gods.
  • Egypt: The Nile is central to Egyptian religion
  • Hebrew ( Gen 1, P):
  • Hebrew ( Gen 2, J): One river comes from Eden, splitting into four main rivers including the Euphrates
  • Hebrew (Poetic):

* The Hebrew Poetic category is taken from  Job, Psalms, Isaiah & Jeremiah -- and I'm sure could be expanded.  The Egyptian elements are selections  from various Egyptian cities. This timeline may help put these beliefs in chronological context.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

[OT] Webb, "Forgotten Women of God" (reviewed by Laura Compton)


Review
======

Title:  Forgotten Women of God
Author:  Diana Webb
Publisher:  Bonneville Books (Cedar Fort)
Genre:  Scriptural criticism, interpretation
Year Published:  2010
Number of Pages:  xviii, 170, glossary, footnotes
Binding: Paper
ISBN10: n/a
ISBN13: 978-1-59955-384-9
Price: $13.99

Reviewed by Laura Compton

Anyone who's read the Old Testament is well aware that stories of women are few and far between.  But there are places where these women's stories – as well as the stories of other inspiring women of that era and culture – may be found.

Diana Webb has compiled a number of these women's stories in "Forgotten Women of God."  In pulling together the stories based on her master's thesis, Webb provides a readable and inspiring introduction to women of the Old Testament, The Apocrypha and the pseudepigrapha.

Lest modern readers unfamiliar with these extra-canonical books write them off as less-than-scriptural, Webb provides a brief history of the development of the Old Testament as we know it today.  "The process of canonization is a long and complicated story," she writes in her introduction (xvii).  "We don't know just when and why certain books became regarded as authoritative….Although these additions to the scriptures are not canonical, they often reflect the accepted theology and Jewish traditions of ancient times.  I personally love gaining new insights into the lives of the 'forgotten' women found in these texts. I am blown away by the strength these amazing women possessed, and their examples have given me a new awareness of my role as a woman."

Webb introduces us to these women with the First Woman, Eve.  She develops a theme that becomes the touchstone by which the rest of the women's stories are measured.  Eve, Webb writes, has a legacy of being an "ezer".  While modern readers often think of Eve's calling as being a helper to Adam, Webb describes a more accurate translation to be "power" or "strength."  The ancient Hebrew roots of the word include rescuing, saving, succoring, strength and "to save from extremity, and to deliver from death." (3)  Each of the women depicted in this book acts in some way with power or strength or rescues, saves, succors or delivers those around her – men, women, children and even countries.

In using this idea of "ezer" to bind these women together, Webb has turned her master's thesis into a layperson-friendly collection of stories of remarkable – and sometimes Biblically unnamed – heroines.  Of course there are the stories of Hannah, Deborah, Jael, Miriam and Zipporah, but there are also stories of Sitis (Job's wife) and Naamah (Noah's wife), Susannah, Judith, Hagar, Asenath and Tamar.  Some stories are expanded versions of familiar Old Testament women, but many will be unfamiliar to readers not well-versed in ancient writings.

Webb spends the majority of each chapter summarizing the women's stories as they are found in both Biblical and non-Biblical histories, adding explanations or commentary as needed to clarify confusing text or translations.  After introducing the reader to each woman, Webb describes why she believes that woman followed in Eve's legacy – why that woman could be called an "ezer."

Footnote references are dotted throughout the text, providing support for Webb's interpretations of the women's stories, and a Glossary is included to help readers keep track of perhaps unfamiliar terms and compilations.

Anyone wanting to learn more about ancient near-Eastern women would find Webb's book intriguing and the women inspiring and captivating.  It is definitely a book written with beginning students in mind – Webb takes great care to explain the sometimes intricate and puzzling web of ancient Jewish writing, lest one confuse Targum, Talmud, midrash, Septuagint, Torah, or any of a number Greek or Hebrew roots.






Sunday, March 7, 2010

[OT] Hebrew Priestly Tradition

Hebrew, Priestly tradition 550-400 BCE (Genesis 1) -- closely related to the Sumerian and Babylonian myths
  • Yaweh's ruah (breath or wind, how "spirit" was defined at the time) moves over the primordial waters
  • Day and night are created (before the sun)
  • A firmament is created to separate the waters, and earth is created
  • Vegetation is created, followed by the sun, Moon and stars.
  • The 1st three creations are motionless, the 2nd three have motion (compare to the Canaanite egg Mot)
  • Other life is created, followed by man & woman, who are told to multiply.
  • They are given dominion over the earth (rather than being slaves to the gods as in other traditions)
  • References to gods (plural)

[OT] Hebrew Jahwist cosmogony

Hebrews, The Jahwist tradition c 950 BC (Genesis 2:4-23)
  • Yahweh creates the heavens and earth, no details provided
  • Yahweh waters the earth and creates man from clay, followed by a garden.
  • Man is assigned to tend the garden for Yahweh, but He realizes man is lonely and needs help and companionship, so creates animals
  • Adam does not find a helper from the animals, so Yahweh creates woman
  • They gain knowledge by heeding the advise of the serpent
  • A river flows from Eden branching into four.

[OT] The story of Abraham

The story of Abraham is interesting.  If you've read through it, you may have noticed some of the stories repeat themselves.  For example, there are two incidents where a king want's Sarah to be his wive, so Abraham tells the king Sarah is his sister. (Gen 12:10-20; Gen 20:1-18)

These parallel stories are arranged in a chiastic format -- essentially like an elaborate sandwich with bread, mayo, mustard, lettus, cheeze and meat; followed by the same ingredients in reverse order.  The meat lies at the center of the inverted parallel structure.

Understanding this can bring a seemingly random collection of stories to life.  Comparing and contrasting the parallels often lead to further insight.

At the center of the Abraham chiasmus is the focal point -- Abraham's covenant with God.  Below is the chiastic structure of Abraham.  Note that C' and D' seem to be out of order. 


Gen 11:21-22:19
A Display of faith: Abram leaves his homeland; the first promise 11:31–12:3
   B Abram sojourns in Canaan 12:4-9
       C The stay in Egypt; Abram passes Sarai off as his sister 12:10-20
           D The separation of Abram, who has the promise, from Lot, who does not have the promise 13:1-18
               E The rescue of Lot 14:1-24
                   F Abram's fears of infertility are allayed by the promise of a son; God makes a covenant 15:1-21
                       G Sarai's attempt to get a son: Ishmael 16:1-16
                           X THE COVENANT; Abram's new name, etc. 17:1-10
                       G´ Circumcision; the rejection of Ishmael and the promise of a son through Sarah 17:9-27
                   F´ Sarah is told of the promise of a son, despite her fears of infertility 18:1-15
               E´ The rescue of Lot 18:16–19:38
        The stay in Gerar; Abraham passes Sarah off as his sister 20:1-18
           D´ The birth of Isaac; the separation of Isaac, the child of the promise, from Ishmael, the child outside the promise 21:1-21
   B´ Abraham sojourns among the Philistines 21:22-34
A´ Display of faith: Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac; the final promise 22:1-19



Saturday, March 6, 2010

[OT] Egyptian Cosmogonies


Egyptian cosmogonies are similar to those in the Middle East, but are dominated by the Sun and the Nile.  Kings and some other noblemen could be gods, and regular people immortal.  The Egyptian universe also emerged from primeval waters, with space hollowed out by Nun.  The female Nut acted like the firmament holding back the waters (sometimes a cow or shell).  The Sun (Ra) enters her mouth, passing through her star speckled body and emerging from her birth canal nine months later, from the spring equinox to the winter solstice (note Christian dating of the birth of Christ is based on conception on the spring equinox and birth at the winter solstice). Thus, Ra becomes a self-creating god, i.e. the Universe is self-creating and eternal. [http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/ast123/lectures/lec01.html]



The Egyptians realized the sun was the source of the day, who pushed back the darkness of the abyss.  Major cities had their own unique theologies, often placing themselves at the focal point of creation.

Hermopolis (meaning "eight-town", after the Ogdoad)

Nu and Naunet are the primal waters with other god pairs (Ogdoad - Eight original gods) representing the never ending size of the waters, the darkness (Kuk and Kauket), & the mystery of the waters.  The female gods are snakes, who merge with the male frogs causing  a great upheaval and the pyramid mounds rises & the sun God rises from the pyramids to light the world.

Heliopolis

Atum, the sun god came from the waters of Nun through an act of will, creating everything else. Atum appeared on the mound and sneezed out the air gods Shu and Tefnutave., whose existence represented the emergence of an empty space amid the waters.  Shu and Tefnut coupled to produce the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut, who defined the limits of the world. Geb and Nut in turn gave rise to four children, who represented the forces of life: Osiris (fertility and regeneration); Isis (motherhood); Se (male sexuality); and Nephthys (female complement of Set). They are part of the Ennead, the nine original gods (apparently a variation of the Ogdoad in Hermopolis).  The city Heliopolis was built to rise out of the waters.   Mankind is formed from the tears of Atum after he weeps for joy on finding his lost children in the abyss.

Memphsis

Similar to Helopolis, but included Ptah, the patron of craftsmen.  Atum was given form when he named him. By speaking their names, Ptah produced the gods and all other things (Compare "And God said, let there be ... and there was ...").

Thebes

Amon was the chief god, associated with the sun as Amon-Ra, who was self-created, and then created all else.  He sailed through the sky in his boat each day.  Amon was not merely a member of the Ogdoad (gods of the primordian waters), but the hidden force behind all things, existing separately from the created world as the first creator.  One Theban myth likened Amon's act of creation to the call of a goose, which broke the stillness of the primeval waters and caused the Ogdoad and Ennead to form.  Amon eventually became the supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon.

Greece had two traditions, one based on  scientific observation and the other on myth.  The mythical tradition begins with chaos.  Gaia (mother earth) arose from chaos giving birth to Uraunus (the sky) who holds back the chaos.  As in the middle east, a revolt among the gods leaves Zeus as the chief god.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

[OT] Hamblin on Genesis 1:1-2

Here are some useful videos by Dr. William J. Hamblin of Brigham Young University, combing through the Hebrew (and other) of the first two verses of Genesis [pointed out by the Mar 2010 FAIR newsletter]. 

  Genesis 1:1a, "create"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lRGDeLlhho
  Genisis 1:1b, "God/Gods"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c66tWR9rZxU
  Genesis 1:1c, "heavens"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ds0vFMVrSo
  Genesis 1:2a, "chaotic wasteland"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v85N1jJzl8U
  Genesis 1:2b, "the deep"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjzMeuM85LM
  Genesis 1:2b(2), "the abyss"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duZQ-b7eLYY
  Genesis 1:2c, "the Spirit"
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRh5zfB60hU

Monday, March 1, 2010

[OT] Welcome

Thanks to those of you who just signed up for the Old-Testament group!

This list is an open forum for any sort of discussion regarding items related to the Old Testament (except proselyting or bashing).

Please feel free to post, ask questions, state your opinion, introduce topics, etc...   Everyone is welcome!

Personally, I've been interested in understanding the early chapters of Genesis and the context of that book.  I'm cleaning up some old notes and posting them.  They're based on a nice commentary by Umberto Cassuto's on the early chapters of Genesis up through the flood, plus some other stuff I've run across on the Internet.

I'm fascinated with how the early Middle Eastern religions viewed the universe, and how it was created.  Genesis seems to hint at, and challenge the conceptions of it's neighbors.  There are both similarities and stark contrasts -- between the Hebrews and the Canaanites/ Babylonians/ Akkadians/ Sumerians/ Egyptians.  I've been trying to understand each of their views of how the Universe was created (cosomgenies) and compare them.

Here is what has been posted recently (oldest at the bottom).

Canaan Cosmogony    


Babylonian Cosmogony    


Sumerian Cosmogony    


Early Middle Eastern Chronology    


Days of Creation    


Rahab & Pre-biblical poetic epics    


Firmament    


References to Mesopotamian gods in Genesis 1:2    


Extra-Genesis biblical creation references    


Monotheism in the middle east    



Thanks again for joining!

Friday, February 26, 2010

[OT] Canaan Cosmogony

Canaan, about 1450-1200 BCE [Primary source is the Baal cycle.  A full account is missing due to incomplete and damaged text.  Later details of their cosmogony have Greek influences]
  • Gods such as chaos, ether, air, wind and desire were produced from the egg Mot. The egg was populated with creatures who remained motionless until opened.

  • The sky and heavenly bodies were formed. Later the waters were separated from the sky, and the gods were formed.

  • There were twin mountains, Targhizizi and Tharumagi, which held the firmament above the earth-circling ocean, bounding the earth.

  • Baal Hadad (sky and storm god, associated with the west wind) and Yam (god of the chaotic sea, also called "Judge Nahar {River}" the same as, or in league with Lotan / Leviathan, a Dragon / Serpent) live with the Canaanite high god El on mount Lel, the source of the rivers and two oceans, as well as where those waters meet those of the firmament. 

  • El holds a council of the gods ("Elohim";  note "El" is usually a generic description for "god" in the Old Testament, and "Elohim" {words ending with "im" are plural in Hebrew} is the most common designation for "God" in the Old Testament ).

  • After a dispute between El and Baal, Yam is made king of the gods, becoming the "darling of El."

  • Yam must drive Baal from his throne, but Baal triumphs, killing Yam.

  • Baal is rewarded with a palace and feast to which Mot (god of death, drought & sterility -- seemingly different than the egg Mot) is invited.

  • Mot is insulted with an offering of bread and wine when he prefers flesh and blood, and suggests eating Baal.  Later he kills Baal.

  • Anat, Baal's sister and lover, kills Mot and Baal is resurrected.  Seven years later, Mot also resurrects, but El has pronounced Baal his favorite, and Mot recognizes Baal as king.

  • The victory of Anat was perpetuated year after year in ritual celebration.  Canaanites reenacted their struggle against sterility to ensure the creativity and fertility of the world, celebrating the death of a god, the quest of the goddess, and his the triumphant return to the divine sphere.

  • Baal is often depicted as Yahweh's antagonist in the Old Testament. However, like Baal, Yahweh  is depicted as a god of the storm, who's voice is as thunder and sends lightning (Ps.18:10–16).  Both are the "rider of the clouds" (Isa.19:1; Ps. 68:5), dominating the sea (ym) and vanquishing the primordial dragon (Ps. 74:13–14; Isa. 27:1; 51:9–10; Job 26:12–13). They are both also responsible for human and natural fertility.

  • more info here here here and here.  Photo: Ba'al with raised arm.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Baal_Ugarit_Louvre_AO17330.jpg/180px-Baal_Ugarit_Louvre_AO17330.jpg

[OT] Babylonian Cosmogony


Babylonian Cosmogony.  A Semitic group (Amorites)  conquered Sumer about 2300 BCE, centered in Akkad (language Akkadian also called Assyro-Babylonian).  During Hammurabi's reign (1790s-50s BCE), the capital moved to Babylon.  They borrowed heavily from their Sumerian predecessors. The first 5 tablets of the creation/flood epic were likely written in the 1st Babylonian dynasty (1830-1531 BCE), the last two during the 2nd (Kassite) dynasty.

  • The fresh water god is the male Apsu (Ab=water, zu=far) and the salt water god, the female Tiamat (may be related to Aakadian tâmtu "sea" or Sumerian ti=life, and ama=mother, may have originally been a Nammu cult.  Signifies chaos.  May be related to "Tehom" in Gen 1:2, rendered "Deep").
  • Their mating produced the gods.  '"When above" the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, "the first, the begetter", and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, "she who bore them all"; they were "mixing their waters."'
  • These gods were noisy and Apsu could not rest by day or night (the sun, moon nor earth has not yet been created, yet day and night exist.  The Babylonians apparently had not yet conceived that the sun caused the day, but only marked the day).
  • Apsu suggests killing of their offspring gods, but they kill Apsu.
  • Marduk (counterpart to the Sumerian Enlil, god of light, called Merodach in the Bible, Asshur in Assyria), the chief of the offspring gods kills Tiamat, splits her body in half "like an oyster" and the two halves become the firmament (sky/heaven) and the earth.  Her spittle provide rain and clouds, and her head becomes the mountains.  From her eyes flow the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
  • Marduk was credited for bringing order from chaos, and good from evil.
  • Marduk slew Qingu while battling Tiamat, and mixed the blood of Qingu with clay to make Man, to work for the gods.
  • Man's  sins invite chaos, and elaborate rituals were needed to rectify their sins, providing a ritual rebirth of the world, free from sins of the past.
  • See  Brent Meeker, Cosmology and Cosmogony of Ancient Civilizations;  Wikipedia Mesopotamian Mythology.

http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Hammurabi%27s_Babylonia_1.svg/300px-Hammurabi%27s_Babylonia_1.svg.png


Thursday, February 25, 2010

[OT] Sumerian Cosmogony

Sumer - People from N.E. began settling Mesopotamia (meaning between rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates; swamp land at the head of the Persian gulf where Eden is thought to exist) about 5000 BC.  They later invented the wheel & writing.  Each city was ruled by a goddess or god with an elaborate priesthood with high priests ("En") discerning the god's will from a ziggurat, a temple shrine atop stairs with a purification pond in front (early ziggurats were elevated {one step}, later developing into stairs).

Sumerian pantheon was called Anunnaki (Anu = Heaven, Na = And, Ki = Earth)

The cosmology dates from approximately 3100 BCE
  • The primordial sea (abyss) is called Nammu (the mother of all)
  • The mother goddess Nammu (or Ninhursag "exalted lady" or Nintu, "the lady who gave birth," later Tiamat) creates "An" or Akkadian "Anu" (heaven) and "Ki" (earth). (Compare Gen 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.")  An is a hard metalic shell lying on Ki.
  • The union of Ki and An produced Enlil god of air, wind and storm (En=Lord or high priest, Lil = Air/wind.  Yahweh has also been depicted as a storm god at times. Compare "a mighty wind [ruah] swept over the waters." [Gen 1:2, NAB])  He is usually portrayed in human form but also appears as a snake to the humans eyes. 
  • Enlil lifted An away from Ki providing a space for humans to live, and filled with it with Lil.
  • The bright aspects of Lil form the sun, moon and stars
  • Enlil creates living things in the Lil.
  • Enki is the son of Enlil and god of the freshwater sea beneath the earth ("the abyss," later called "apsu"), source of the Tigris and Euphrates (presumed by the Sumerians to come from underground).  Sometimes he is considered the god of the fertile earth.
  • Enki (later Akkadian Ea) creates man from clay in the image of the gods (compare to Adam) to relieve the lesser gods (igigi) of their labor.
  • A related myth has Enlil and other powerful gods enslaving the lesser gods to work for them.  They rebel while Enlil sleeps and when he awakes they negotiate a solution.  Male-female pairs from clay mingled with the blood of Geshtu-e (or Kingu), "a god who had intelligence", who was sacrificed for this reason.  Mankind then become slaves instead of the lesser gods (note that Sumerians used slaves to support their hierarchical priestly structure).
  • More info at Cosmology and Cosmogony of Ancient Civilizations; Wikipedia, Sumerian Religion; Wikipedia Mesopotamian Mythology

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

[OT] Early Middle Eastern Chronology

Selected Chronology of Middle Eastern up to the establishment of the kingdom of Israel

Maps through time


  • Sumer
    • 3450 BCE - The world's first cities appear along the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers just north of what is now the Persian Gulf (near presumed location of Eden).  Collectively, these cities make up the Uruka.  No unified government links these cities, and they remain independent for almost one thousand years.

    • 3200 BCE - Sumerians invent the wheel

    • 3100 BCE - Writing invented by Sumarians. recording the first epics in world history, including Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta and the first stories about Gilgamesh.

    • 2700 BCE - The Sumerian King, Gilgamesh, rules the city of Uruk, which has now grown to a population of more than 50,000. Gilgamesh is the subject of many epics, including the Sumerian "Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Nether World" and the later Babylonian "Epic of Gilgamesh."

  • Akkadia (c.2350-2200 BCE)
    • 2320 BCE - Sargon conquers the independent city-states of Sumer and institutes a central government. But by 2130, Sumer regains its independence from Akkadian rule, though it does not revert back to independent city-states. At this time, Sumer is ruled from the important city of Ur.

    • 2320 BCE - Sargon conquers the independent city-states of SUMER and institutes a central government. But by 2130, Sumer regains its independence from Akkadian rule, though it does not revert back to independent city-states. At this time, Sumer is ruled from the important city of Ur.

    • 2100 BCE - The Sumerian King List is written, recording all the kings and dynasties ruling Sumer from the earliest times. According to this list, Eridu is named as the earliest settlement, a claim that seems to be confirmed by archeological evidence.

  • Babylonians / Amorites (c.2000-1600 BCE)
    • 2000-1600 BCE - The Old Babylonian period begins in Mesopotamia after the collapse of Sumer.  The Sumerians are conquered by the Amorites, who are situated in Babylon.  The Amorites introduce their Semitic language, an early ancestor to Hebrew, into the region.

    • 1900 BCE - The Epic of Gilgamesh is redacted from Sumerian sources and written in the Semitic language. Thus, though Gilgamesh was Sumerian, his Epic is Babylonian.

    • 1900-1500 BCE - Sometime between these dates a Semitic group of nomads migrate from Sumer to Canaan and then on to Egypt. They are led by a caravan trader, the Patriarch Abraham, who will become the father of the nation of Israel.

    • 1800 BCE - The Old Babylonians are employing advanced mathematical operations, such as, multiplication, division and square roots. In addition, they are using a duodecimal system (a system based on 12 and 6) to measure time. We still use their system for counting minutes and hours.

    • 1763BCE - The Amorite King, Hammurabi, conquers all of Sumer. Around the same time, he writes his Code of Laws containing 282 rules including the principles of "an eye for an eye" and "let the buyer beware." It is one of the first codes of law in world history, predated only by the Laws of Lipit-Ishtar.

  •  Kassites and Hittites (c.1600-717 BCE)
    • 1595 BCE - The Hittites, another non-Semitic people who speak an Indo-European language, capture Babylon and retreat, leaving the city open to Kassite domination. The Kassites remain in power for about three hundred years, maintaining the Sumerian/Babylonian culture without offering innovations of their own.

  • Assyrian  (c.1350- 612 BCE)
    • 1300-612 BCE - The Assyrians, a Semitic people, establish an empire spreading out from the town of Assur in northern Mesopotamia. By 1250, they commit themselves to conquering the Kassite Empire to the south.

    • 1286 BCE - The HITTITE  empire falls in 1185, to the "Sea People," an invading group coming from the West whose precise identity is unknown.

    • 1250-1200 BCE - The Hebrews, who migrated from Canaan to Egypt several hundred years earlier, return from Egypt after wandering for several years in the Sinai desert and begin the 100-year long conquest of Canaan. 

    • 1225 BCE - The Assyrian ruler, Tukulti-Ninurta, captures BABYLON and the region of southern MESOPOTAMIA, but Assyrian control does not last long.

    • 1200-1020 BCE - The Hebrews are ruled by the Judges during a period of relative stability that will be upset with the Philistine invasion of 1050.

    • 1050 BCE - The Philistines invade Israel from the North. Facing the threat of annihilation, the Hebrews ask Samuel, the last of the judges, to select a king.

    • 1020 BCE - Samuel selects Saul to be king of Israel thereby unifying the tribes of Israel into a nation. Facing many losses against the Philistines, Saul eventually commits suicide. Around the same time, David, undertaking his own campaign against the Philistines, proves victorious.

    • 1004 BCE - David becomes king of Israel. As such, he begins to build a centralized government based in Jerusalem, implementing forced labor, a census and a mechanism for collecting taxes. The First Temple period of Hebrew history begins with the rule of David





Saturday, February 20, 2010

[OT] Days of Creation


Days of Creation


Akkadian and Ugaritic literature indicate seven consecutive periods are considered a perfect period of time to do an important work, with action lasting six days and reaching it's conclusion/outcome on the 7th. [UC 13]  In their traditions,  6 days of labor were divided into three pairs, 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 with completion occurring in the 7th period.  Genesis does this a bit differently with 1&4, 2&5, 3&6 periods being related. 


Stationary Creation

Animated, Moving Creations

1; Light

4; Luminaries (sun , moon & stars)

2; Sea and Heaven

5; Fish and fowl

3; Earth (with it's plants)

6; Land creatures and Man

[UC 17]

Note the conceptual relationship in the symmetric pairs (rows).  The 1st column has the static phenomena or place, while it's parallel (2nd column) occupies and moves through the 1st [UC 42].

Some have felt the need to reconcile the order of the 6 "periods" of creation with a scientific understanding of creation.  This is difficult when the sun (4th day) is created after the plants (3rd day).  But this is not a scientific description of creation, but a literary parallel, and should be understood that way.



Friday, February 19, 2010

[OT] Rahab & Pre-biblical poetic epics


Rahab & Pre-biblical poetic epics
  • There appear to be intermediate links bridging the gap between the poems of the non-Israelites and their myths alluded to in the Bible. [UC 9]
  • The Old Testament contains evidence of pre-biblical poetic epics.  For example, the story of Rahab, prince of the sea who rose up in revolt against God, who subdued and slew him [UC 8].  Rahab, referred to in biblical and rabbinic literature, infers there were earlier ancient poetic stories about him.  The Old Testament refers to Rahab as if the reader were already aware of him.  Rahab, was the lord of the sea who opposed the will of God, and would not confine his waters within given limits until God subdued and slew him and fixed a boundary for the waters of the sea that they should never be able to pass. 

Genesis uses a simple prose style without embellishment of poetic metaphors or figures of speech, and avoids  making use of the legendary poetic material.  This is done as a voice of protest against the pagan myths.  So when the Torah simply says "God said 'Let the waters be gathered together,' the Mesopotamian stories of Tiamat & Rahab are trivialized, and the supremacy of the Hebrew God is emphasized simply by saying only "it was so." The following are biblical & rabbinic references to Rahab [UC 36-37]: 

  9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

  10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

  22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

  27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

  28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

  29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

  12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

  13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him (or "beneath Him bowed the helpers of Rahab")

  10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

  11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.

  12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

  8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

  9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

  10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

  9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

  10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

  • Hagiga 12a. Resh Lakish said: When the Holy One, blessed by He, created the sea it continued to expand until the Holy One, blessed by He, rebuked it and caused it to dry up.

  • Baba Bathra 74b: R. Judah said in the name of Rab: When the Holy One, blessed by He, desired to create the world, He said to the lord of the sea: "Open thy mouth and swallow up all the waters of the world."  The latter answered: "Sovereign of the universe, I have enough with my own!"  Thereupon God instantly trod him down and slew him as it is said: By this power He stamped down the sea; by His understanding He smote Rahab.  R. Isaac said:  From this you may infer that the lord of the sea is called Rahab.

  • Pirke Rabbi Eliezer, V: 'Thereupon the waters immediately became turbulent and rose up to cover the earth as in the beginning, until the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked them and subdued them, placing them under the soles of his feet; and He measured them with His palm so as not to augment or diminish them, and He made the sand the boundary of the sea, like a man who makes a fence for his vineyard; and when they [the waters] rise up and see the sand before them, they turn back, as it is said: Do you not fear Me? says the Lord; do you not tremble before Me?  I placed the sand as the bounds for the sea, (Jer. v22)


[OT] References to Mesopotamian gods in Genesis 1:2

References to Mesopotamian gods in Genesis 1:2
  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Hebrew transliteration here).
  • Form and Void in Hebrew: "Tohu" and "Bohu"
  • "Void" (Hebrew "bohu")  - possible reference to the  goddess Ba'u or Ba-u. [UC 22]

    • Bau was a Sumerian/Akkadian Goddess, daughter of An and Ninurta's wife who had seven daughters

    • The oldest king of Ur known to us is Ur-Ba'u (servant of the goddess Ba'u ).

    • According to Philo of Byblus, Ba'u, was a Goddess of the primal night, mother of the 1st mortals . But it is doubtful this reference is related to the Canaanite Goddess Ba-u.

  • Deep = "Tehom"  [UC 23-24]

    • Tehom belonges to the poetic creation epic tradition of the area.  It does not have a definite article ("the" or in Hebrew "ha").  It is not "The Deep" but simply "Deep" or "Tehom."  The definite article does not occur in Canaanite writings, and rarely in Hebrew poetry.

    • 'Tehom" is missing the feminine ending "t" but is still a feminine word in the context of this sentence.  It might have been rendered "Tehomat."

    • "Tiamat" was the Akkadian name of the goddess of the primeval World-Ocean, who had always existed and was the mighty foe of the creative god.

    • Her name seems ultimately to have been a Sumerian one, as in that language ti = Life, and ama = Mother, t = feminine ending, suggesting her original name may have been "the mother of all life" (compare Gen 3:20, Eve is the "mother of all living."  Tiamat is depicted as  a  dragon, and is shown rearing herself on two legs.  There could be parallels with Eve and the serpent).

    • Isaiah 51, 9-10 refers to tehom ("deep") saying regarding YHWH "was it not thou that didst cut rahab in pieces, that didst pierce the dragon?  was it not Thou that didst dry up the sea, the waters of the great DEEP...?"

    • The Babylonian epic Enuma Elish begins "When above" the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, "the first, the begetter", and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, "she who bore them all"; they were "mixing their waters".


This "mixing of the waters" is a natural feature of the middle Persian Gulf, where fresh waters from the Arabian aquifer mix and mingle with the salt waters of the sea. This characteristic is especially true of the region of Bahrain (whose name means in Arabic, "twin waters"), which is thought to be the site of Dilmun, the original site of the Sumerian creation.


    • Tiamat was the "shining" personification of salt water who roared and smote in the chaos of original creation. She and Apsu filled the cosmic abyss with the primeval waters.

    • Slicing Tiamat in half, he made from her ribs the vault of heaven and earth (compare to firmament). Her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and the Euphrates. With the approval of the elder gods, he took from Kingu the Tablets of Destiny, installing himself as the head of the Babylonian pantheon.  Kingu was captured and was later slain with his red blood mixed with the red clay of the Earth to make the body of humankind (see discussion of Adam below) created to act as the servant of the younger Igigi

  • "Ruah" (Hebrew for "spirit," "breath" or "wind") of God could be a strong wind that divides the upper waters from the lower water.  Using "wind" for ruah, "and the Wind of God moved upon the face of the waters."  (compare Moses parting the red sea: "the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.").

    • A possible connection between "Ruah" and "Lilith" exists.  In Mesopotamian literature, Lilith is a 'dark maid' who flies off on her wings to the desert.  In Akkadian tradition she is the goddess of the South wind. Rabbinic literature mentions her as the 1st wife of Adam.
    • "Lilith" is connected with two root words - LayiI, Hebrew for night, and Lil, Sumerian (c. 3000 BCE) for 'wind' or 'breath' or 'spirit'.
    • The possible connection to this verse is Ruah/Lilith, connotating darkness and/or wind, where she is a winged goddess hovering over Tiamat in darkness.
    • "Lilith" occurs once in the bible, in Isaiah 34:14, translated variously as 'night hag,'  'screech owl,` 'night-jar,' 'night monster,'  'vampires,'  a spirit or goblin, and "Lilith" (in the New American Bible, NRSV and The Message Bible).
  • Another possible translation of Genesis 1:1-2 is:
  • 'In the beginning, a number of gods ("Elohim") began to give birth to the heavens and the earth. The earth still belonged to Tohu and Bohu (goddesses of formlessness and ultimate space), and darkness was on the face of the mother creator goddess Tiamat, and a huge wind flapped its wings over the face of the water.