Job Chapter 26
Sea Monsters and RetCons
An Ugaritic Story
Baal the storm god fights Yam, the sea god with help from Kothar-wa-Hasis. He smashes Yam's skull. The sea falters and Yam falls dead. Sea monsters and dragons accompany Yam to the grave. Anat rampages and roars, kills many but Baal stops her. In the poem, Baal brags about crushing Yam, El's beloved and shattering the twisting serpent. Anat promises to abolish warfare from the land.
Anat turns to El and demands that he build a separate house for Baal, else she will drag him to the ground like a lamb and make his gray hair bloody. Baal posseses no dwelling as other gods. Pidray lives in the light. Tallay is in the rain. Arsay is in the world. Where is Baal to live? Many goddesses make the same argument for Baal. Kothar, who made those clubs, now builds the palace of Baal.
Later on Baal battles Mot, the god of death. They fight for a long time. First, Baal loses, but then Anat kills Mot which essentially resurrects Baal. Baal and Mot fight until El declares for Baal. Baal has triumphed over death and sea monsters.
Most scholars agree that this story was written 14th century BCE, well before the Bronze Age collapse. The sea is chaotic and full of monsters. Baal uses the tools of his friends to destroy the sea monsters and sea god. El stands off, first favoring Baal's enemies but then favoring Baal. Baal's sister plays intercessor between Baal and El.
This story shares themes with Marduk destroying Tiamat. Only in that story, Marduk used Tiamat's corpse to create the world. Tiamat is also possibly a sea serpent and a dragon. In these tales, Creation is impossible without mythical violence. The sea monsers are desroyed but they are always reforming, boiling, waiting to pounce. Primordal chaos is the norm. The gods struggle to hold it back.
A Retcon
Before everything, Elohim, a singular name that is never translated as “all the gods”, created the heavens and the earth. In a week, he created the animals, the sea monsters, the stars, the moon, the sun and finally Adam. Adam was lonely so G-d split Adam in two. Then G-d told his new children to enjoy themselves except see that tree with fruit? Don't put it in your mouth. Like every parent thereafter, G-d met disappointment. Adam and Eve misbehaved and learaned the harsh truths. Adam would work for a living. Eve would have children, in a very painful process. They also learned that they would both would die some day.
Then they made children and their children begat children.
This story also has monsters and the raging sea. G-d was not fighting the sea. G-d made the monsers. G-d released the flood. As generations came and went, humanity started to believe in magic and gods. They saw the sun. They loved the sun. They loved the way that the sun made life possible. They worshiped the sun. They made up other gods. They told stories about great Baal and his battles. G-d put up with the idolatry but chose a people destined to kill those other gods - through indifference, belief and mockery.
A Bible Story
In Israel, Achav married Jezebel, a foreign queen and ushered in a time of cosmopolitan worship. Judah worshiped one god in the Temple; Israel worshipped many. Some worshipped old gods like Baal. Others worshiped Ishtar. The northern temple bopped and rocked with sacrifices. Achav and Jezebel were even open to the prophets of the southern god.
Along comes Eliyahu. He insults the gods and their worshipers. He calls northern gods Baal-Zebub (lord of the flies) which is an obvious poop joke. Where else do flies congregae? He announces a drought. After three years of no rains, he comes back to say “I told you so.” He challenges the northern priests to a duel of prayer and sacrifice. As the northern priests scream and beg their gods, he says “Shout a little louder. Maybe your god is on the toilet.”
Eliyahu loved his poop jokes.
Eliyahu killed all the pagan priests and then ran off. Jezebel swore revenge. Achav was caught in the middle. Eventually, Eliyahu anointed anotther prophet, Elisha, to carry out his work. Achav and Jezebel died. The northern temple was turned into a shithouse. Israelites still worshiped Baal but not with the same fervor.
Eventually Israel fell to the Assyrians. In this time, Isaiah the Prophet spoke or wrote about the reasons for the fall. In the Book of Isaiah, he mentions both the Leviathan and the Rahab as enemies that G-d will eventually destroy – as soon as Israel stops fucking around with idolatry.
Job's Retcon of the Baal Story
With his power, HE divides the sea and with discretion he shattered Rahab.
His Ruach cleared the Heavens. His hand pierced the Fleeing Serpent.
— Job 26:12-13
Job is telling Bildad and the rest of his friends that their pithy sayings about divine justice are garbage. They can't even conduct their own lives. They certainly aren't helping. They talk like experts when it comes to G-d but G-d is bigger than anything. He's spreading out the northern skies and covering the mooon. He controls light and darkness and can make the pillars of heaven quake.
G-d steals Baal's glory. Baal was the one fighting the Rahab and piercing the “fleeing serpent” (aka the Leviathan). Job speaking about G-d as a conquering deitty who fights the sea monsters feels like a reminder that these characters aren't Jewish and might not even be monotheists.
An Aristotlean Retcon
In The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides argued that G-d is unified, omnipresent and incorporeal. Anyone who believes that G-d literally had a face or hands is an idolater. What about all those places in the Bible where G-d is angry or showing his back? Maimonides not only states that these are all metaphorical stories but speculates on what the metaphor means.
The argument that many Bible passages are metaphorical and allegorical went over about as well in the 12th century as they do now. The book had its fans but many others wanted to burn it.
With an incorporeal G-d, how do we talk about G-d fighting sea monsters? Easy. The sea monsters are metaphors. Rahab is pride. The Zohar claims that the Leviathan a metaphor for enlightenment. So G-d divides the sea and destroys pride. G-d pins down englightenment.
This is not the last time that Leviathan appears in this book.
Like James Bond, Leviathan will return.
Can’t really talk about Achav and the Leviathan without linking to Moby Dick.
Since it’s still Xmas, you really should buy Sugarplum Zombie Motherfuckers.
Also, if you like Bible themed stuff, buy your copy of She Nailed a Stake Through His Head.