Is Lilith really the first wife of Adam?

Philippines
February 7, 2007 10:18am CST
Ive read in some literature that before eve, a woman named Lilith was created.. but this woman wanted to be on top when they were making love She said that she doesne't wannt be under his power - that they were created equal and therefore should have equal rights and equal authority.. and therefore she was cursed. Then God created eve. How true is this story? there was no mention of Lilith in the Bible, therefore, there was also no mention that she did not exist. Could she be related to the evil woman who drinks from the cups of kings mentioned in the bible? is she the great adulteress?
2 responses
@Gmens91 (389)
• Philippines
7 Feb 07
Hey I did'nt know that such a story existed. Thanks for expanding my knowledge about this very interesting subject. Maybe Lilith is the ancestor of all those equal-rights activists? lol
• Philippines
8 Feb 07
hahahaha! that was funny.
@RAMPersona (2033)
• Philippines
7 Feb 07
taken from wikipedia.org: A medieval reference to Lilith as the first wife of Adam is the anonymous "The Alphabet of Ben-Sira", written sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries. Genesis 2:18: After God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone.' He then created a woman for Adam, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air. (In this act, Lilith becomes unique in that she is not touched by Original Sin, having left the garden before Eve came into existence. Lilith also reveals herself to be powerful in her own right by knowing the name of God). Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he said, 'the woman you gave me has run away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof, to bring her back. "Said the Holy One to Adam, 'If she agrees to come back, fine. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.' The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, 'We shall drown you in the sea.' "'Leave me!' she said. 'I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.' "When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: 'Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.' She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers." Lilith then went on to mate with Samael and various other demons she found beside the Red Sea, creating countless lilin. The background and purpose of The Alphabet of Ben-Sira is unclear. It is a collection of stories about heroes of the Bible and Talmud, it may have been a collection of folk-tales, a refutation of Christian, Karaite, or other separatist movements; its content seems so offensive to contemporary Jews that it was even suggested that it could be an anti-Jewish satire, although, in any case, the text was accepted by the Jewish mystics of medieval Germany. The Alphabet of Ben-Sira is the earliest surviving source of the story, and the conception that Lilith was Adam's first wife became only widely known with the 17th century Lexicon Talmudicum of Johannes Buxtorf
• Philippines
8 Feb 07
wow! so informative! so that was the story of lilith.. are we supposed to believe that she existed? it somehow amazed me that the first woman (if lilith really was) is analytical, smart, independent-minded and liberal. Lol. If she became our ancestor, we will have a female-dominated world. Lol. Anyway, what you've given me is a very detailed narration of it. Thanx for that.