The Divining Snake: Reading Genesis 3 in the Context of Mesopotamian Ophiomancy (original) (raw)
The Snake Omens in the Mesopotamian Divinatory Series Šumma ālu (Tablets 22-24)
2021
The snake found her not long into her return. She was wending through a cluster of stiff reeds when she disturbed its rest. The cottonmouth bit her twice, in the calf and deep in the meat of her thigh. No sound but pain. Mabel refused to believe it. It was a water snake, it had to be. Ornery but harmless. When her mouth went minty and her leg tingled, she knew. She made it another mile. She had dropped her sack along the way, lost her course in the black water. She could have made it farther-working Randall land had made her strong, strong in body if nothing else-but she stumbled onto a bed of soft moss and it felt right. She said, Here, and the swamp swallowed her up.
And God Saw That It Was Good (Ed, by F. Čapek), 2021
If today's exegetes often locate Gen 3 in the sapiential milieu, it is worth comparing this text with the narratives in 2Sam 13-17. Here wisdom appears in the context of manipulation and flattery, and the terms טוב and טוב ורע also serve this purpose (similar to the serpent in Gen 3!). This reality is not taken seriously enough by the modern emphasis on human freedom of choice over good and evil. The second part of this contribution confronts the exegetical results with ethical concepts of the 20th century, some of which praise human autonomy. In contrast, Bonhoeffer and Barth see the original sin in the human will to know good and evil.
The Asbury Journal, 2022
This study pursues the question of why Yhwh, who in the Decalogue prohibits the creation and worship of divine images, would order Moses to create a snake image as the mode of healing snake bites in the desert (Num 21:4-9). This question is legitimated as the Judahites subsequently burn incense to Moses' bronze snake, which Hezekiah destroys as an act of loyalty to Yhwh symbolic action theory in cultural psychology, this essay explores what the bronze snake image would have meant for the earliest audiences of these stories. In the core of the essay, the biblical, iconographic, and mythologic contexts are investigated and prove to be suggestive for identifying the meaning(s). In the conclusion, recent studies in psychology offer insight for canonical reflection.
Semitic snake charms in the Egypt of Moses
“The text, written between 3,000 and 2,500 B.C. [sic], was inscribed on a subterranean wall of the pyramid of King Unas. Initial attempt at reading the text in the language of the pharaohs did not make sense in that language. Steiner recognized the transliterated inscription as Canaanite based on the evident reference of "mother snake," typical of Canaanite spells”.
American Journal of Archaeology + Archaeological Institute of America and The New Alexandria Library of Texas -(Note Not Uploaders IP number is present - this is how I found it with the Repetitive IP number message already on this Paper -), 1916
This Super rare / hard to find Paper explores the Mesopotamian roots of the Greek deity Hermes and his emblem, the caduceus. Frothingham posits that Hermes originated as a Babylonian snake-god, possibly linked to deities like Ningishzida, who was associated with serpents and served as a mediator between humans and the divine. He suggests that the caduceus, traditionally depicted as a staff with two entwined snakes, reflects this origin. Frothingham's analysis includes comparisons of iconography and symbolism between Babylonian artifacts and Greek representations, highlighting the transmission of cultural and religious motifs from Mesopotamia to Greece. This work contributes to the understanding of cross-cultural influences in ancient mythology and the development of religious symbols. Frothingham's research underscores the significance of Mesopotamian culture in shaping classical mythology, particularly in the context of Hermes' evolution from a snake-associated deity to the multifaceted god recognized in Greek tradition. Tags- Babylon, Hermes, snake-god, caduceus, A.L. Frothingham, Mesopotamia, Greek mythology, ancient religion, Babylonian influence, cultural transmission, Ningishzida, divine symbols, serpent worship, archaeology, mythology studies, ancient Greece, deity evolution, iconography, religious motifs, serpent staff, mythology origins, classical studies, Hermes mythology, Babylonian deities, divine mediation, ancient symbols, serpent mythology, Mesopotamian art, symbol transmission, Greek religion, ancient artifacts, Babylonian culture, sacred snakes, divine emblems, Mesopotamian influence, Greek art, religious history, god symbolism, ancient texts, Babylonian mythology, Hermes origins, symbolic motifs, ancient deities, snake symbolism, caduceus symbolism, archaeology studies, cultural exchange, Babylonian heritage, mythological connections, divine representation, ancient iconography, Mesopotamian religion, Greek influence, cultural diffusion, serpent imagery, classical archaeology, mythology connections, Mesopotamian symbolism, ancient history, deity studies, serpent staff origins, Babylonian art, snake worship, Mesopotamian connections, Hermes’ evolution, Babylonian artifacts, sacred iconography, Greek mythology studies, snake-god studies, caduceus origins, Babylonian mythology studies, Greek symbolism, ancient Mesopotamia, serpent deities, divine symbolism, Babylonian religious influence, serpent emblems, classical influence, ancient god studies, Babylonian culture studies, Hermes symbolism, Mesopotamian mythology links, snake iconography, divine serpent imagery, ancient myth connections, deity origins, religious iconography, Mesopotamian myths, snake-god origins, divine staff, Mesopotamian myths, ancient caduceus, cultural diffusion studies, sacred symbolism, Babylonian traditions, Greek god origins, ancient deities, caduceus research, Babylonian mythology origins, Hermes deity links, serpent-god studies, ancient artifact analysis, Babylonian-Greek connections, serpent deity links, caduceus mythology, ancient cross-cultural exchange, divine symbols studies, snake myths, Mesopotamian heritage studies, Hermes’ origins, Babylonian divine staff, serpent worship research, Mesopotamian art influence, cross-cultural mythology, Babylonian iconography, Greek god links, ancient symbolism studies, serpent staff research, divine representation analysis, ancient religion studies, mythology heritage, caduceus imagery, Mesopotamian deity studies, Babylonian culture research, Hermes mythology connections, sacred staff origins, divine imagery links, cultural influence studies, religious cross-influence, Babylonian-Greek mythology, ancient serpent myths, Babylonian staff research, deity worship, ancient symbolism research, cross-cultural transmission, sacred snakes research, mythology heritage analysis, ancient iconography research, caduceus symbol origins, snake-god myths, divine heritage, ancient cross-influences, caduceus artifact studies, cultural transmission studies, ancient religion connections, Babylonian-Greek religious links, divine artifact analysis, serpent mythology studies, sacred symbols heritage, Greek mythology research, ancient caduceus analysis, Babylonian-Greek iconography, Hermes studies, snake worship in Mesopotamia, ancient myth research, symbolic artifact analysis, cross-cultural influence analysis, Babylonian symbols, caduceus links, Mesopotamian culture research.Hermes origins, snake deity, ancient Babylon, religious artifacts, Babylonian myths, caduceus staff, divine snakes, mythology origins, cross-cultural symbols, Babylonian-Greek exchange, serpent gods, ancient iconography, Mesopotamian deities, Hermes mythology roots, symbolic transmission, divine mediation symbols, serpent imagery, cultural influences, classical religion, Ningishzida symbolism, Greek-Babylonian ties, snake-god imagery, Babylonian theology, Mesopotamian myths, divine staff history, cultural diffusion, serpent staff symbolism, divine representation, Hermes iconography, Babylonian traditions, sacred serpent motifs, deity symbolism, religious cross-influence, Babylonian art, Mesopotamian religion, Hermes archetype, ancient religious symbols, sacred staff meaning, mythological roots, serpent symbolism in art, divine beings, Babylonian artifacts, cross-cultural artifacts, Greek religion connections, caduceus mythology, sacred snakes in Babylon, classical influence on mythology, divine emblem evolution, religious synthesis, Mesopotamian culture, snake deity symbolism, divine artifact origins, Babylonian iconographic links, myth transmission, serpent in mythology, classical iconography, divine imagery in art, Mesopotamian-Greek ties, ancient religious symbols, Greek artifact analysis, sacred symbols history, Babylonian mythology research, symbolic heritage, deity iconography analysis, Hermes as snake god, ancient motifs, religious symbols comparison, Babylonian iconography influence, cultural synthesis, Mesopotamian deities in art, sacred serpent study, mythological studies, Babylonian theology analysis, divine symbolism roots, serpent myths across cultures, Babylonian god imagery, ancient symbolic connections, mythology artifact studies, Hermes symbolic meaning, snake cults, Mesopotamian god analysis, sacred motifs in mythology, classical artifact heritage, cross-cultural religion research, Babylonian art analysis, snake symbols in Greek culture, divine imagery study, sacred emblems of Babylon, serpent gods history, cultural artifact origins, Babylonian heritage influence, mythology transmission studies, ancient god analysis, caduceus interpretation, religious evolution, symbolic connections, Babylonian-Greek religious heritage, mythological traditions, serpent cult symbolism, Mesopotamian influence in Greece, ancient artifacts comparison, religious symbol evolution, Babylonian-Greek deity links, Hermes deity analysis, divine snake symbols, cultural history, sacred iconography study, religious icon links, ancient cross-influence, caduceus artifact meaning, divine snake heritage, classical mythology origins, Babylonian symbolic history, mythology comparisons, sacred imagery links, Mesopotamian icon study, divine snake artifacts, mythology legacy, Babylonian symbol research, ancient deities’ significance, Hermes cross-cultural origins, divine symbol study, cultural motifs study, religious symbols’ journey, Mesopotamian religious legacy, Babylonian influence analysis, ancient sacred symbols, snake deity worship, Babylonian-Greek iconography, sacred serpent artifacts, deity worship traditions, ancient religious connections, Mesopotamian cultural roots, sacred symbol heritage, divine serpent worship, cross-cultural religious imagery, Babylonian-Greek synthesis, mythology evolution analysis, sacred staff research, divine heritage links, cultural-symbolic analysis, Babylonian myths influence, Greek mythology comparisons, Mesopotamian sacred art, ancient imagery transmission, Hermes caduceus symbolism, divine symbol evolution, religious imagery meaning, Babylonian-Greek influence studies, cultural transmission analysis, sacred icon comparisons, religious tradition roots, divine staff research, mythology imagery meaning, Babylonian mythological studies, ancient deities worship, symbolic art heritage, Mesopotamian-Greek religious links, cultural-religious analysis, sacred artifact interpretation, divine staff in history, serpent worship evolution, ancient myth origins.
The Seed of the Woman and the Serpent: An Exegetical Study of Genesis 3:14-15
This paper analyzes Gen. 3:14-15 and proves that the fall was instigated by the acts of the serpent: Satan was the one that used the look of the snake to deceive Eve. But the first family was not left without hope in a sinful world: a special offspring was promised. Strong textual evidence highlights that a masculine descendent was waited for: this is the protoevanghelium.
Anatolica, 2019
The article attempts an alternative and anthropological-based hypothesis to explain the abundance of snake motives in the Earliest Near Eastern Neolithic, contrasted with their relative scarcity in later times. The focus is mainly, but not exclusively, on the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) of Southeast Turkey, with sites like Göbekli Tepe and Körtik Tepe having produced a huge number of snake motives applied to a variety of materials and items. The predominance of the snake motive is then related to venomous serpents being a cardinal thread to hominids and humans throughout their evolutionary history, and particularly to early farmers, where snakes were a notorious hidden danger for semi-sedentary, crop-cultivating communities.
Journal for The Study of The Pseudepigrapha, 2010
In the article, it is argued that the origin of Watchers derives from the Mesopotamian mythology of the antediluvian sages (apkallus). More precisely, it is proposed that the mythology of Watchers and their sons the giants derived from inverted versions of various Mesopotamian myths and beliefs about apkallus. On some layers of Mesopotamian mythology and ritual practices, the sages were already regarded as dangerous and potentially malicious creatures, upon which the Jewish authors could build their parody. Among other associations, the apkallus had strong ties to Mesopotamian demonology, and they were occasionally counted as evil beings, capable of witchcraft. This shows that the wickedness of antediluvian teachers of humankind in Jewish sources was not wholly an inversion of the Mesopotamian traditions by Jewish scholars, but was partly taken from already existing trends in Mesopotamian demonology.