Hebrew Myths Read online

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  1. An alleged desire of divine serpents to impregnate mortal women appears in many mythologies. Sacred serpents kept in Egyptian temples acted as the god’s procreative agents. The second Tanis Papyrus contains a list of sacred titles given to such beneficent serpents housed in the larger temples. Among the Greeks, too, barren women would lie all night on the floor of Asclepius’s temple, hoping that the god would appear in serpent shape and impregnate them during sleep. At the Phrygian Mysteries of Sabazius, women ritually married the god by letting live snakes, or golden replicas, slide between their breasts down to the thighs.

  2. Such rites may have originated in an identification of snakes, emerging from holes underground, with the spirits of dead heroes. These were frequently portrayed as snakes, or half-snakes—among them Cecrops, Erichthonius and Cadmus—and given divine honours, as happened to Asclepius and Sabazius. Alexander the Great believed that he had been fathered on Olympia by Zeus Ammon wearing serpent disguise; and his was not an isolated case. Barren women would also bathe in rivers, hoping for impregnation by the serpentine river-god. Trojan brides bathed in the Scamander, crying: ‘Scamander, take my maidenhead!’ The Babylonian Ea, as god of the Euphrates, was shown in serpent shape, or riding a serpent.

  3. Menstruation is ambivalently regarded by most primitive people as both holy and impure: holy, because marking a girl’s readiness for motherhood; impure, because men must avoid contact with menstruous women. Some tribes believe that menstruation results from a snake bite; though snake venom is a coagulant. The myth of Eve’s defilement by the Serpent was first told, perhaps, to explain the origin of menstruation: as caused by the lecherous Serpent whose bite made her nubile. According to one Talmudic passage, menstrual pains are among the curses that God laid on Eve.

  4. The Fourth Book of Maccabees contains evidence for a popular belief that snakes desire intercourse with women. A mother of seven sons tells them proudly that, until marriage, she was a modest virgin whom Satan could not defile in desert or field, nor the smooth-tongued Serpent rob of her maidenhead. This belief continued to be held so strongly that a discussion is recorded in the Talmud as to the best method of safeguarding a woman so threatened:

  If on seeing a snake, she is unsure whether he lusts after her or not, she should remove her garments and throw them before him. If he coils into them, then he lusts after her; otherwise, not. And if he does so lust after her, she should have congress with her husband in the snake’s presence. But, since others hold that the sight may merely increase his desire, she should rather, perhaps, take some nail parings and hair trimmings to throw at him, with the words: ‘I am impure!’ If a snake has already penetrated her, she should sit on two barrels, her thighs parted. Then let fat meat be thrown on burning coals, and a basket of cress moistened with sweet-smelling wine be set beside the meat; and let a pair of tongs be held in readiness. When the snake smells the good food he will leave her; whereupon he must be seized and burned in the fire, lest he return.

  This recalls the Serpent Samael who, grown jealous from watching Adam and Eve couple, seduced her.

  5. Michael led the hosts of Heaven against the false Cosmocrator (a planetary power of the Fourth Day—like Nabu in Babylonia, and Thoth in Egypt) because he had been appointed Archangel of that day. Among the Greeks, Hermes (‘Mercury’) held the same planetary power and had, with Pan’s help, rescued Zeus from the rebel Typhon in the deadly struggle on Mount Saphon.

  6. According to Genesis IV. 1, Eve called her first son Cain (qayin) because, as she said: ‘I have gotten (qaniti) a man from Yahweh.’ A later account derives his name from qaneh, a reed or stalk. Abel’s name, Hebel, remains unexplained perhaps because the word hebel was well known to mean ‘breath’, ‘nothingness’, ‘fleetingness’, in reference to human life (Psalm CXLIV. 4; Job VII. 16). However, in the Septuagint translation, hebhel was written ‘Abel’ which, transcribed into Hebrew, becomes abhel or ebhel: ‘mourning’ or ‘sorrow’.

  7. The twin sisters will have been invented in answer to the question: ‘Where did Cain and Abel find wives?’

  8. Samael’s fathering of Cain is intended to explain the origin of evil. In the early generations the evil Cainites and the pious Sethites formed separate branches of the human family. When however the daughters of Cain succeeded in seducing the sons of Seth (see 18, n–p), both good and evil became parts of man’s heritage. The two strains were considered to be continuously fighting for supremacy in every human heart: only knowledge of and obedience to the law could keep Cain’s blood in check.

  15

  THE ACT OF LOVE

  (a) Cast out of Eden, Adam and Eve rested on a riverbank and, though glad to have escaped immediate death, brooded on their loss of immortality, wondering how they might still assure the continuance of mankind. Samael, aware of Adam’s preoccupation with this problem, planned to take further revenge. He and ten of his angels escaped from their underground dungeon and, assuming the shape of incomparably beautiful women, came to the riverbank. There they greeted Adam and Eve, and Adam cried incredulously: ‘Has the earth truly bred such matchless creatures as these?’ Then he asked: ‘Friends, how do you multiply?’ Samael answered in a woman’s seductive voice: ‘Men lie beside us in love. Our bellies swell, we bear infants, they mature and do as we have done. If you disbelieve me, I will prove it!’

  At this, other fallen angels in disguise swam up from the riverbed. Samael said: ‘These are our husbands and children; and since you wish to know how infants are engendered, let us show you.’ Whereupon the women lay down in their nakedness, each with her supposed husband, and all did ugly things before Adam’s eyes. Afterwards Samael said: ‘Do thus and thus with Eve, for only so can you multiply your race.’

  The fire of sin began to burn in Adam’s veins, yet he refrained from performing an act of shame publicly in daylight, and implored God’s guidance. God then sent an angel, who married Adam to Eve, commanding them to pray forty days and forty nights before coupling as husband and wife.161

  (b) Some say that Adam and Eve were the first living creatures to perform the act of love.162

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  1. The Essene character of this myth is unmistakable: marital embraces being here called ‘ugly things’; and marital desire, ‘the fire of sin’. Nevertheless, certain Free Essenes, recognizing the physical and mental dangers of cloistered celibacy—such as sexual dreams and homosexual temptation—compromised by permitting marriages in which the act of love was performed in obedience to God’s command ‘Increase and multiply!’, but without sensual pleasure.

  2. A Hittite myth, Appu from Shudul, also contains the notion that coition is not an inborn human instinct, but must be taught.

  16

  THE FRATRICIDE

  (a) Cain offered God a sacrifice of first fruits, while his brother Abel offered a first-born lamb. When God accepted Abel’s gift but rejected the other, Cain’s face turned black with rage. God asked: ‘Why take this ill? Subdue your jealous pride!’163

  (b) God accepted Abel’s gift, and rejected Cain’s, with good reason: for whereas Abel had chosen the best lamb of his flock, Cain had set only a few flax-seeds upon the altar.164 Moreover, he answered God’s rebuke with a cry still echoed by blasphemers: ‘There is no law and no judge!’

  Meeting Abel in a field soon afterwards, he told him: ‘There is no world to come, no reward for the righteous, no punishment for evil-doers. This world was not created in mercy; neither is it ruled by compassion. Why else has your offering been accepted and mine rejected?’ Abel answered simply: ‘Mine was accepted because I love God; yours was rejected because you hate Him.’ Cain then struck and killed Abel.165

  (c) Some say that the quarrel arose at Earth’s division between the brothers, in which all land fell to Cain, but all birds, beasts and creeping things to Abel. They agreed that neither should have any claim on the other’s possessions. As soon as this pact had been concluded Cain, who was tilling a field, told Abel to move his floc
ks away. When Abel replied that they would not harm the tillage, Cain caught up a weapon and ran in vengeful pursuit across mountain and valley, until he overtook and killed him. Others report that Cain said unreasonably: ‘The soil on which you stand is mine. Rise into the air!’ and that Abel rejoined: ‘Your garments are taken from my flocks; strip them off!’

  Or that Cain proposed to Abel: ‘Let us divide Earth into three parts. I, the first-born, will take two; and you the remaining one.’ Since Abel would not accept less than a half share, Cain said: ‘Agreed, but the hill on which you sacrificed must be in my half.’ Because this was the Holy Mount at Jerusalem where, in due time, Abraham would make his covenant with God, and Solomon would raise Him a temple, Abel judged Cain unworthy to own such a site.

  (d) Still others hold that the brothers quarrelled for love of the First Eve, whom God had formed to be Adam’s helpmeet, but who had been rejected.166 Or that, when the brothers were ready for marriage, Adam said to Eve: ‘Let Cain take Qelimath, Abel’s twin sister; and let Abel take Lebhudha, Cain’s twin sister.’ But Cain wished to marry his own twin, who was more beautiful—though Adam warned him that this would be incest and made each of the brothers sacrifice to God before taking his assigned bride. When Cain’s offering was refused, Satan persuaded him to kill Abel for Lebhudha’s sake.167

  (e) Some say that Cain lured his brother into the open, and there struck him repeatedly with a club until Abel, lying helpless on the ground, cried: ‘Do not beat me to death, Brother; but if I must die, crush me with a rock at one blow!’ This Cain did. Or that Cain, as if he had been an adder, bit Abel to death.

  (f) According to others Abel, the stronger of the two, had Cain at his mercy. God encouraged Abel to despatch him, saying: ‘Do not spare this evil-doer!’ Yet when Cain wept and cried: ‘Brother, forgive me! There are only two of us in the world, and what will our parents say if I am killed?’, Abel mercifully released his grip. God then said: ‘Having spared him, you must die yourself!’ Whereupon Cain rose up, snatched a sharp reed and, not knowing where the vital organs lay, wounded Abel in every part, beginning at his hands and feet. Others say, however, that Cain had watched Adam slaughtering a bull, and therefore hacked at Abel’s neck with a sword.168

  (g) Abel’s spirit escaped from his body, but could find refuge neither in Heaven—where no other soul had as yet ascended; nor in the Pit—where no other soul had as yet descended; and therefore flew about near by. His blood lay, bubbling and seething, where it was spilt. The whole neighbourhood still supports no grass or trees.169

  (h) Afterwards God asked Cain: ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ Cain replied: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper? Why should One who watches over all creatures ask me this, unless He planned the murder Himself? But for Your preference of his offering to mine, I should not have envied him. Nor had I ever seen or heard of a corpse. Did You even warn me that, if I struck him, he would die? My grief is too heavy a burden to bear.’ God then cursed him, saying: ‘What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries unto Me from the ground!’ Yet God had given no signal for the brothers to break off their fight, but allowed Cain to deal Abel a mortal blow; hence Abel’s last words were: ‘My King, I demand justice!’

  (i) God, having detected something like repentance in Cain’s heart, let him live, though as an outlaw. Wherever he went, Earth would quake beneath his feet and the wild beasts would tremble. At first they tried to devour him, but he wept and prayed for mercy, at which moment a Sabbath began, and they were forced to desist. Some say that God then made a horn sprout from Cain’s brow, which protected him against their vengeance. Others, that God afflicted him with leprosy; or that He inscribed a mark upon his arm: a warning against any attempt to avenge Abel.

  (j) Adam, presently meeting Cain, was astonished to find him alive. ‘Did you not kill your brother Abel?’ he asked. Cain answered: ‘I repented, Father, and was forgiven.’ Smiting his own face, Adam cried: ‘Such is the power of repentance; yet I never knew!’170

  (k) God inflicted seven punishments on Cain, worse than death itself: namely, a shameful horn sprouting from his brow; the cry ‘Fratricide!’, with which mountains and valleys echoed; a palsy, that shook him like a poplar leaf; a voracious hunger, never sated; disappointment in every desire; a perpetual lack of sleep; and an edict that no man should either befriend or kill him.171

  (l) According to one account Cain, unaware that God sees and knows all, dug a grave and there hid Abel’s corpse. According to another, he doubted what to do until God sent down two birds, one of which killed its fellow and then buried it. Cain followed this example. Others again say that he fled, leaving Abel where he had fallen; and, when Adam and Eve found the corpse, they sat mourning and at a loss, while Abel’s sheepdog kept guard against carrion birds and beasts. At last they observed a raven interring its dead mate—a sign from which Adam learned what God required of him.172

  (m) Still others hold that Earth, though she drank Abel’s blood, refused to accept his flesh—quaking so violently that Cain, too, was almost engulfed. Wherever he tried to bury the corpse, Earth spewed it up again, and cried at last: ‘I will receive no other body until the clay that was fashioned into Adam has been restored to me!’ At this Cain fled, and Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael placed the corpse upon a rock, where it remained many years without corrupting. When Adam died, these same archangels buried both bodies at Hebron side by side, in the very field from which God had taken Adam’s dust. Yet Abel’s spirit still found no rest: his loud complaints could be heard in Heaven and on earth for centuries—until Cain, his wives and his children were all dead.173

  (n) After the birth of an eldest son Enoch, Cain was allowed by God to rest from wandering and build a city, called ‘Enoch’ in honour of the occasion. He then founded six more cities: Mauli, Leeth, Teze, Iesca, Celeth and Tebbath; and his wife Themech bore him three more sons: Olad, Lizaph and Fosal; as well as two daughters: Citha and Maac.

  (o) Yet Cain had not changed. He still indulged his bodily lusts, amassed wealth by rapine, taught evil practices and lived luxuriously. His invention of weights and measures ended mankind’s simplicity. Cain was also the first man who placed boundary stones around fields; and who built walled cities, in which he forced his people to settle.174

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  1. Scholars who interpret this myth as a record of ancient Palestinian conflicts, between nomadic herdsmen and agriculturists, fail to explain why, if so, Cain was not a nomad herdsman—and therefore prone to rob and murder the peaceful fanner—but a farmer himself; while Abel was the herdsman.

  In Genesis it is suggested that Cain grew jealous because Abel’s offering had been preferred to his own. But since Temple ritual required grain offerings as well as flesh sacrifices, early commentators felt that either some explanation of God’s preference for Abel’s gift should be found—or else some motive for the murder other than jealousy. They were loth to admit that God might have acted arbitrarily: denying a first-born the precedence due by law, and favouring a younger son—as a patriarchal chieftain might favour the child of his prettiest wife. Jacob’s preference for Joseph, a younger son, was a case in point; his brothers plotted to kill him (see 53. a–e).

  2. The historical events underlying this myth may be reconstructed as follows. Starving herdsmen break into a settled fanning area during a drought, and are accepted as tribute-paying guests. Later, they demand a share of the government. Simultaneous sacrifices to the state deity are then offered by both parties. The chief herdsman’s offering is preferred; whereupon the chief farmer, aided by his maternal kinsmen, murders him. As a result, the farmers are expelled and eventually found a city-state elsewhere. This political situation has been a commonplace in East Africa for centuries: intruding herdsmen, who first appear as starving suppliants, gain political ascendancy, after having aroused bitter antagonism by letting their animals trample crops.

  3. This myth has, however, been complicated by the brand incident, given to explain the origin of nomadic,
camel-herding bedouin who entered Palestine later than the goat-and-sheep-owning semi-nomads, and who still use tribal tattoos. The Hebrews pretended to see in these, and in the bedouins’ addiction to raids, God’s punishment on Cain and his descendants for the crime of murder.

  4. The theme of fratricide adds a further complication. What the wise woman of Tekoah told David was a commonplace of myth (2 Samuel XIV. 6): ‘Thy handmaids had two sons, and they strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other and killed him.’ Zerah and Perez fought even in their mother’s womb (Genesis XXXVIII. 27–30); as Jacob and Esau also did (see 38. a. 2). The woman in dispute seems always to have been a regnant princess of a matrilinear state, marriage to whom conferred kingship on the victor. Sometimes the rivals are uncle and nephew, as in the case of Set and Osiris.

  5. An ancient Palestinian myth comparable to that of Cain and Abel, and of Esau and Jacob, has been preserved in Philo’s Greek translation of Sanchuniathon’s Phoenician History. Usöus and Hypsouranius, heroes begotten on sacred harlots by Pyr and Phlox, sons of Phos (‘Fire and Flame, sons of Light’), were perpetually at odds. Usöus, the first hunter, discovered how to make skin garments. He thus resembles both Cain and Esau. Samemroumus—whose name Philo translates as ‘Hypsouranius’, corresponding to the Hebrew shme marom (‘High Heaven’)—is said to have invented reed tents. He thus resembles Jabal (Genesis IV. 20), ‘the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle’; and Abel, who was a shepherd (Genesis IV. 2); and Jacob, ‘a plain man living in tents’ (Genesis XXV. 27).

  Yet ‘Cain’ and ‘Abel’ may be versions of the mythical heroes Agenor and Belus: Agenor being the Greek form of ‘Canaan’, and Belus of ‘Baal’. These twin sons of Poseidon and Lamia were reputedly born in Egypt, whence Agenor was expelled by Belus. Belus then begot another pair of twins: Danaus and Aegyptus, whose quarrel was prolonged when Danaus’s daughters murdered Aegyptus’s sons.