Lilith and the demonic world PDF

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LBST 2101 Dr. Thiede...

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LILITH AND THE DEMONIC WORLD Review of theological premises ● Judaeo-christian perspective is NOT A THING ● Christianity- anything that is demonic is associated with evil ○ Demons are intrinsically evil, supernatural forces, exist to oppose the deity, come from evil ○ God is on one side with angels, satan and his demons are on the other ○ Human beings are capable of becoming angels OR are capable of becoming demonic ○ Theme of medieval culture- sorcerers and witches make a compact with the devil and are doing their work in opposition to god ○ If you follow demons/the devil you burn in hell ● These things are not part of the Jewish system/tradition ○ God has created BOTH good and bad in the world ○ Humanity can possess good inclinations or evil inclinations ○ The deity commands the people by giving them a “set of laws” (scripture) ■ Following these laws will protect you from evil ■ This is also found in islam ○ Demons are part of god’s creation, so they are part of the created world- even though they are troublesome, etc. ■ Demons are subject to god’s will Where do demons come from? ● Intercourse between Adam and Lilith (the first wife) ● Adam parted from Eve and slept with a bunch of demons ● Created on the eve of Sabbath because god didn't get a chance to finish his work and so the creatures were not fully human Lilith...where did she come from? ● First appearance in a Sumerian tale called the Huluppu-Tree tale ○ Goddess makes her home in a tree and is rescued from floods and her plan is to make a chair and such from the tree, but a snake is living there and Lilith “the maid of desolation” is too ○ The word “lil” means “wind”, “ghost”, or “demon” ○ Serpents occupy an ambiguous position in ANE mythology ■ NOT associated with satan ■ Described as “cunning” and “tricky” ○ Anzu Bird is in the tree too ■ Lion-headed bird, infamous for stealing the Tablet of Destiny ○ Gilgamesh ■ Slays the serpent and tears down Lilith’s house

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Lilith is shown as having wings and talons ○ She has a birdlike association The semitic word “lyl” is associated with night One scholar says you can translate “Lilith” as “the female night-being” or “the female demon” “Incantation for the female flying demon” Pazuzu - another flying demon

The “jewish” Lilith: where do we find her? ● Isaiah 34:14- the ONLY place in the hebrew bible where the word “Lilith” appears ○ Some people translate it as “owl” ● Incantation bowls ● Described as a baby snatcher or a sexual temptress (specifically for rabbis) ○ This is because she wants to be human ○ If you get seduced by Lilith, you can't get accused of adultery because she is not human For jewish tradition, demons are ● Aggravating ● Annoying ● Tricky ○ The Kobold mimics and echos a man’s voice ○ The Mare rests on top of you when you’re sleeping and grabs your tongue so you can't breathe or cry out for help ■ nightMARE ● Even dangerous (but humans generally win...especially if they are learned rabbis) ● Demons would study in the synagogue at night ● Like to haunt marshy places and like dirt ● Bothersome ○ But you can control them by confusing them, studying, etc ■ Confusion of the enemy: change your name or do things backwards Lilith: what kind of demon is she, and what kind of demons are...demons? Magic is permissible...against demons Conclusions ● Magic is permissible ○ In order to thwart a demon ○ Uses variants of the letters of the holy name of God ○ Use angels ○ Distinction that you can remain a fully pious/religious jew and do magical things without that action being understood as evil ■ Studying religion/scripture/etc will protect you from demons

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Study and piety protects One place to exercise control? ○ Cultural retreat (?????) Jews use scripture for magic, but in the eyes of christians, they are aligned with the devil...