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Posted

I've never heard this before until today when an online friend began asking me what Mormon's believe. She said she heard that Adam had a second wife named Lilith.

Does anyone know the origin of this?

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Guest gopecon
Posted

I believe it is an old Jewish legend. I've never heard it associated with us.

Posted

Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.

Poor Adam, his first wife cheats on him with some archangel then his second wife gets him evicted from paradise. :P

Posted (edited)

See Original post

I saw that. I also saw an article by David L.C.E. Whitcombe, an Art Historian. But that's all I could find. So I thought I'd ask here.

Edited by estradling75
my bad... sorry
Posted

Boy, too bad she's a "bad girl," I kinda like the name.....darn it!

I've seen little girls with the name. Still around. Keep in mind, many people find the concept of Lilith as something to celebrate.

Posted

Boy, too bad she's a "bad girl," I kinda like the name.....darn it!

On the TV series Cheers, I believe Frasier Crane's wife Lilith was named for the "Adam's first wife" legend, but I never understood the humor of naming her that. I think maybe the legendary Lilith didn't like sex, or didn't like sex with Adam, or some such, so maybe that's the joke.

Posted

I saw that. I also saw an article by David L.C.E. Whitcombe, an Art Historian. But that's all I could find. So I thought I'd ask here.

Well then I think you have as much of the 'facts' that we have on the subject.

If you are looking for different opinion or interpretations then you might have to go abit farther afield then more typical Mormon circles.

Posted

now I have the giggles and I need to answer my friend in a serious way because for her its a serious question. I don't know if just telling her its an old Jewish legend is going to cut it. :( help???

Posted

Well then I think you have as much of the 'facts' that we have on the subject.

If you are looking for different opinion or interpretations then you might have to go abit farther afield then more typical Mormon circles.

No not at all. Just didn't know if I was finding what I would need to answer her. I still don't know how to answer her.

Posted

The best I've seen for "evidence" is scripture wording

From Genesis 1

27 So God created man in his own aimage, in the image of God created he him; male and bfemale created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be afruitful, and bmultiply, and creplenish the dearth, and subdue it: and have edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Then, after referring to woman once, in the next chapter we have...

From Genesis 2

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a awoman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and aflesh of my flesh: she shall be called bWoman, because she was taken out of Man.

The idea being that a woman was referred to once before the mention of Eve. Don't know if it's accurate--this was an explanation I saw years and years ago--but for me there are far too many holes.

Posted

I think "That isn't part of our doctrine, and any members I asked that heard of it only know about it as a Jewish legend" should suffice. If it's not something we believe, it's not. What more does she expect?

Posted

The best I've seen for "evidence" is scripture wording

From Genesis 1

Then, after referring to woman once, in the next chapter we have...

From Genesis 2

The idea being that a woman was referred to once before the mention of Eve. Don't know if it's accurate--this was an explanation I saw years and years ago--but for me there are far too many holes.

I agree...too many holes. Why would it not be the same woman spoken of twice? I don't get where these ideas come from. :(

Posted

I agree...too many holes. Why would it not be the same woman spoken of twice? I don't get where these ideas come from. :(

Neither do I.

For me, if male and female can be mentioned in Chapter 1, then a male and female can be mentioned again and by name in the 2nd chapter.... shouldn't it be just as valid the idea of a man before Adam? Why does this prove a Lilith?

Still, I suppose from a purely storybook perspective it's a fun idea.

Posted (edited)

If you need more than "it's an old Jewish legend, and I don't know anything more about it" maybe wikipedia's article will help?

Edited by beefche
removed link due to inappropriate image
Posted

Thanks everyone. Wish me luck. So far she's liked what I've explained about LDS doctrine. It seems she is a person who gets their religious information online, so I shouldn't be surprised by the Lilith thing. But it caught me off guard. I'd never heard anything about this before.

Hopefully she will be just as open minded about Lilith being just a legend.

Posted

Thanks everyone. Wish me luck. So far she's liked what I've explained about LDS doctrine. It seems she is a person who gets their religious information online, so I shouldn't be surprised by the Lilith thing. But it caught me off guard. I'd never heard anything about this before.

Hopefully she will be just as open minded about Lilith being just a legend.

Good luck! :banana:

Posted

I first heard of Lilith on one of those History Channel or Discovery Channel shows about "Lost Bible Legends" or something. The show never mentioned Mormonism, so I don't know why it has been attributed to LDS theology. In my 40 years as a Mormon, I have never heard of it.

Posted

I think that it was probably an idea to slam women a bit more. Not only did we eat the apple but we didnt even need the apple to corrupt an archangel and commit adultery. (notice the apple came after Lilith committed adultery)

Men have been trying to blame women for their adulterous behavior since the beginning of time. Nothing different here.

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