This has been a predominant idea about Adam having a different wife at first called Lilith who was made from the ground alongside Adam. A common legend suggests Lilith going beyond her boundary of submission to Adam and even resisting angelic intervention of disciplinary environment. Later God gives him Eve. This sort of story seems to come from a medieval Jewish text named The Alphabet of Ben Sira (or Sirach) (8th-10th century CE). The legends vary significantly, but they all essentially agree that Lilith left Adam because she did not want to submit to him. Lilith isn't even found in any manuscript of Genesis.
According to the legends, Lilith was an evil, wicked woman who committed adultery with Satan and produced a race of evil creatures. None of this is true. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests this idea except for a vague word from Isaiah 34:14 which actually indicates either a night creature or a screech owl or some sort of demonic creature instead 😅. There is no hint of presence of Adam anywhere in that passage.
Another reason for this legend is believed to be the difference between Genesis 1 and 2. The Lilith story suggests Genesis 1 talking about the first wife of Adam and Genesis 2 about second wife. However, even if they vary, no mere trusted scholarly works on Genesis 1 and 2 interpretation suggest such view. Instead, the view in agreement has always been Adam and Eve since the laying of creation scenario by God! A popular view could be Genesis 2 as zoom in section of Genesis 1 particularly diving deep into the sixth day. Even in the ancient near east cultures, having dual stories were usually common where one addressed a general description while the other addressed specific one. John Walton puts forward that Gen. 2 is indeed a sequel to Gen. 1 even if we take other popular alternative views. The second chapter could be understood as explanation on what it means to be in God's image.
This "Lilith" myth is popular in some radical feminist movements because Lilith is an example of a woman refusing to submit to male headship.
[Concerned source: https://www.gotquestions.org/Lillith.html]
[Concerned source: https://youtube.com/shorts/AM5Hs1gfHy4?si=A8EaqwH2VJ-5P5GO]
[Concerned source: https://youtu.be/74psg_IsW-A?si=EqfqRpPfGJ2bb9GA]
'It is true that according to medieval Jewish folklore, that there is a story about a Lilith, who was Adam’s first wife. The most obvious problem with the conspiracy claim is that one of the first Jewish writings to definitively tie Lilith to Adam was a mystical text, the Alphabet of Sirach, composed somewhere between the years 700 C.E. to 1000 C.E. This is several hundred of years after the New Testament was already completed, and well over a thousand years after the story of Adam and Eve made its way into the Bible.
What gives a little bit of life to the conspiracy claim is that a legend about a female demon, Lilith, did originate in Sumerian and Babylonian writings, centuries before Christ. Tales about Lilith crept into later Jewish writings. But the Alphabet of Sirach was one of the first written works to have made any serious connection between Adam and Lilith, and the Christian church had already been in existence for several centuries.'
[Source: https://sharedveracity.net/2020/08/25/who-was-lilith-did-adam-have-a-first-wife-prior-to-eve/]
This site recommends a video of Late Dr. Michael Heiser.
Dr. Michael Heiser, a prominent Old Testament scholar, insists we have no reason to believe Lilith myth to be a part of Biblical narration except for its origin from post-Biblical time and enforced by Jewish literatures to fill between Gen. 1 and 2.
Video link for self-study: https://youtu.be/AlD60R0gZhk?si=KtSwecTfy0lkyNQf
Important notes from the video:
Lilith is Not in the Bible:
a) He makes it clear that the story of Lilith (as Adam's first wife) is not found in the Bible.
b) It's crucial to distinguish between what is biblical and what is extra-biblical (comes from outside the Bible).
Source of the Lilith Story:
a) The Lilith narrative emerged many centuries after the Bible was written, particularly in medieval Jewish texts (like the 11th-12th century AD "Chronicles of Jerahmeel" and the Talmud).
b) These are rabbinic (Jewish scholarly) interpretations and speculations, not biblical scripture.
Why Was the Lilith Story Conceived?
a) Rabbis may have developed the Lilith story to explain certain aspects or perceived "gaps" in the Genesis account.
b) For instance, it was used to address the origin of evil and demons. The "Chronicles of Jerahmeel" (mentioned in the video) suggests that during a 130-year separation from Eve, Adam had relations with Lilith, who then bore demons, spirits, and evil spirits.
c) This is an interpretation, not a direct teaching from the Bible.
Background of the Name "Lilith":
a) The name "Lilith" has roots in ancient Sumerian and Mesopotamian cultures, where terms like "Lil" or "Lilitu" referred to wind or storm demons.
b) These spirits were often depicted as night creatures that could harm children or seduce men.
c) Later, an association with the owl (a nocturnal bird) also developed.
The Importance of Primary Sources:
a) When studying religious or historical topics, it's essential to consult the original (primary) sources.
b) For Christian theology, the Bible is the primary source. Later interpretations, commentaries, or folklore should not be confused with the Bible's actual teachings.
c) Presenting human speculations as biblical truth can lead to confusion.
Also,
Lilith: considered to be the arch she-devil.
Source: https://carm.org/kabbalah/what-does-kabbalah-teach/
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