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Monsters: A Biblical Bestiary

Explore the biblical Leviathan, a fierce sea creature with invulnerable armor, fiery breath, laser beam eyes, and multiple heads. Understand the symbolism and context of monsters in biblical texts.

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Monsters: A Biblical Bestiary

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  1. Monsters:A Biblical Bestiary Contextual Monsters:Here Be Dragons First Baptist Church of Christ November 20, 2013

  2. Job 41 1  Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,        restrain his tongue with a rope?2  Can you put a cord through his nose,        pierce his jaw with a barb?3  Will he beg you at length        or speak gentle words to you?4  Will he make a pact with you        so that you will take him as a permanent slave?

  3. Job 41 5  Can you play with him like a bird,        put a leash on him for your girls?6  Will merchants sell him;        will they divide him among traders?7  Can you fill his hide with darts,        his head with a fishing spear?8  Should you lay your hand on him,        you would never remember the battle.

  4. What Kind of Creature is Leviathan? In Biblical Hebrew, liwyatan means “twisted, coiled.”

  5. What Kind of Creature is Leviathan? In Biblical Hebrew, liwyatan means “twisted, coiled.” In Modern Hebrew, this is the word for “whale.”

  6. What Kind of Creature is Leviathan? In Biblical Hebrew, liwyatan means “twisted, coiled.” In Modern Hebrew, this is the word for “whale.” The word is a common English metaphor for any large sea creature.

  7. Job 41 15  His matching scales are his pride,        closely locked and sealed.16  One touches another;         even air can’t come between them.17  Each clings to its pair;        joined, they can’t be separated.

  8. Job 41 18  His sneezes emit flashes of light;        his eyes are like dawn’s rays.19  Shafts of fire shoot from his mouth;        like fiery sparks they fly out.20  Smoke pours from his nostrils        like a boiling pot over reeds.21  His breath lights coals;        a flame shoots from his mouth.

  9. Psalm 74 13 You split the sea with your power. You shattered the heads of the sea monsters on the water. 14 You crushed Leviathan’s heads. You gave it to the desert dwellers for food!

  10. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature

  11. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea

  12. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea • Has invulnerable armor

  13. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea • Has invulnerable armor • Weapons can’t hurt it

  14. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea • Has invulnerable armor • Weapons can’t hurt it • Breathes fire and smoke

  15. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea • Has invulnerable armor • Weapons can’t hurt it • Breathes fire and smoke • Eyes shoot laser beams

  16. Leviathan... • A fierce, untameable creature • Lives in the sea • Has invulnerable armor • Weapons can’t hurt it • Breathes fire and smoke • Eyes shoot laser beams • Has multiple heads! (Ps 74)

  17. In our previous lessons, we have seen… What’s Going On Here?

  18. In our previous lessons, we have seen… Sometimes, the “monsters” we find in the Bible are there because of a mistranslation. What’s Going On Here?

  19. In our previous lessons, we have seen… Sometimes, the “monsters” we find in the Bible are there because of a mistranslation. Sometimes, they are there because of an irregularity in the text. What’s Going On Here?

  20. In our previous lessons, we have seen… Sometimes, the “monsters” we find in the Bible are there because of a mistranslation. Sometimes, they are there because of an irregularity in the text. What if they’re sometimes there because the biblical writers believed in monsters? What’s Going On Here?

  21. Wherever we look, we can see evidence that the biblical writers reflect the cultural heritage of their times. Contextual “Monsters”

  22. The Bible reflects ancient COSMOLOGY. Contextual “Monsters”

  23. The Bible reflects ancient METEOROLOGY. Rain, hail, wind, and snow are kept in heavenly storehouses until God releases them (Deut 28:12; Job 38:22-23; Ps 135:6-7) Contextual “Monsters”

  24. The Bible reflects ancient PHYSIOLOGY. The heart: seat of will, decision-making The womb or intestines: seat of compassion The kidneys: seat of personality, emotions Contextual “Monsters”

  25. For us, all these things are metaphors, but for the first readers and hearers of the Bible, all these things were understood literally! Contextual “Monsters”

  26. For us, all these things are metaphors, but for the first readers and hearers of the Bible, all these things were understood literally! Apparently, God felt no need to correct their ancient, pre-scientific understanding of how the physical world works in order to teach them spiritual lessons. Contextual “Monsters”

  27. The biblical writers seemed content to reflect the science of the ancient world unchanged. The Bible and Mythology

  28. The biblical writers seemed content to reflect the science of the ancient world unchanged. They couldn’t do the same with the myths of the ancient world. The Bible and Mythology

  29. The biblical writers seemed content to reflect the science of the ancient world unchanged. They couldn’t do the same with the myths of the ancient world. Rather, they altered these myths in order to reflect the truths they experienced with respect to God. The Bible and Mythology

  30. An important aspect of those myths involved the Sea as a personification of evil or chaos. The Bible and Mythology

  31. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY Nu (or Nun) is the god of the primordial watery abyss, from which the first land arose. The Bible and Mythology

  32. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY Nu (or Nun) is the god of the primordial watery abyss, from which the first land arose. Both positive and negative aspects but, in later history, the negative aspects prevailed. The Bible and Mythology

  33. EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY Nu (or Nun) is the god of the primordial watery abyss, from which the first land arose. Both positive and negative aspects but, in later history, the negative aspects prevailed. Nu came to reflect the disorder or chaos inflicted by foreign conquerors. The Bible and Mythology

  34. BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY Tiamat was a goddess of the ocean and the embodiment of chaos. The Bible and Mythology

  35. BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY Tiamat was a goddess of the ocean and the embodiment of chaos. She went to war against the younger gods and was finally defeated by Marduk. The Bible and Mythology

  36. BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY Tiamat was a goddess of the ocean and the embodiment of chaos. She went to war against the younger gods and was finally defeated by Marduk. Marduk created the world from the severed parts of Tiamat’s body. The Bible and Mythology

  37. BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY Tiamat was a goddess of the ocean and the embodiment of chaos. She went to war against the younger gods and was finally defeated by Marduk. Marduk created the world from the severed parts of Tiamat’s body. Related to tehom (Gen 1:2)? The Bible and Mythology

  38. CANAANITE MYTHOLOGY Yam represents the destructive nature of water: rivers and seas flooding the land, ruining crops, and killing animals. The Bible and Mythology

  39. CANAANITE MYTHOLOGY Yam represents the destructive nature of water: rivers and seas flooding the land, ruining crops, and killing animals. Baal represents water’s positive powers. The Bible and Mythology

  40. CANAANITE MYTHOLOGY Yam represents the destructive nature of water: rivers and seas flooding the land, ruining crops, and killing animals. Baal represents water’s positive powers. Yam demanded that Baal be made his slave. The Bible and Mythology

  41. CANAANITE MYTHOLOGY Yam represents the destructive nature of water: rivers and seas flooding the land, ruining crops, and killing animals. Baal represents water’s positive powers. Yam demanded that Baal be made his slave. Baal fought and defeated Yam, seizing control of the waters. The Bible and Mythology

  42. The sea is thus strongly associated with chaos and destruction. The Bible and Mythology

  43. 6b The waters were higher than the mountains!7  But at your rebuke they ran away;        they fled in fear at the sound of your thunder.8  They flowed over the mountains,        streaming down the valleys        to the place you established for them.9  You set a boundary they cannot cross        so they’ll never again cover the earth. Psalm 104:6b-9

  44. 3  LORD, the floods have raised up—        the floods have raised up their voices;        the floods raise up a roar!4  But mightier than the sound of much water,        mightier than the sea’s waves,        mighty on high is the  LORD! Psalm 93:3-4

  45. Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.  But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake,  “Silence! Be still!”  The wind settled down and there was a great calm.  Jesus asked them,  “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” Mark 4:37-41

  46. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Revelation 21:1

  47. The biblical writers evicted Tiamat from the Creation story, but they didn’t kick her entirely out of the Bible! Biblical Chaos Monsters

  48. The biblical writers evicted Tiamat from the Creation story, but they didn’t kick her entirely out of the Bible! Rather, they keep her around as a kind of foil to display God’s sovereignty over the forces of chaos. Biblical Chaos Monsters

  49. The biblical writers evicted Tiamat from the Creation story, but they didn’t kick her entirely out of the Bible! Rather, they keep her around as a kind of foil to display God’s sovereignty over the forces of chaos. The point: Job can’t handle Leviathan…but God can! Biblical Chaos Monsters

  50. The biblical writers evicted Tiamat from the Creation story, but they didn’t kick her entirely out of the Bible! Rather, they keep her around as a kind of foil to display God’s sovereignty over the forces of chaos. The point: Job can’t handle Leviathan…but God can! We do a disservice to Job 41 by trying to “explain” Leviathan in twenty-first-century terms. Biblical Chaos Monsters

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