Playing with Leviathan: Interpretation and Reception of Monsters from the Biblical World

343 Pages·2017·11.123 MB·English

by  Koert van Bekkum, Jaap Dekker, Henk van de Kamp, Eric Peels

Playing with Leviathan
Themes in
Biblical Narrative
Jewish and Christian Traditions
Editorial Board
George H. van Kooten
Robert A. Kugler
Jacques T.A.G.M. van Ruiten
Loren T. Stuckenbruck
Advisory Board
Reinhard Feldmeier
Judith Lieu
Florentino García Martínez
Hindy Najman
Martti Nissinen
Ed Noort
volume 21
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/tbn
Playing with Leviathan
Interpretation and Reception of Monsters from the
Biblical World
Edited by
Koert van Bekkum, Jaap Dekker,
Henk van de Kamp and Eric Peels
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: Cornelis Anthonisz., Battle between good and evil, c. 1530, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at http://catalog.loc.gov
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016053996
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ISSN 1388-3909
isbn 978-90-04-33795-4 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-33796-1 (e-book)
Copyright 2017 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Abbreviations xii
List of Contributors xv
Introduction xvii
Part 1
Ancient Near East
1 The Leviathan in the Ancient Near East 3
Marjo Korpel and Johannes de Moor
Part 2
Old Testament
2 God and the Dragons in the Book of Isaiah 21
Jaap Dekker
3 As a Fish on Dry Land. Some Remarks on Tannîn in Ezekiel 40
Ben van Werven
4 “Is Your Rage Against the Rivers, Your Wrath Against the Sea?”.
Storm-God Imagery in Habakkuk 3 55
Koert van Bekkum
5 The Monster as a Toy. Leviathan in Psalm 104:26 77
Gert Kwakkel
6 “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find The(ir Wisdo)m”. Behemoth and
Leviathan in the Book of Job 90
Nicholas Ansell
vi Contents
Part 3
Early and Rabbinic Judaism
7 Leviathan on the Menu of the Messianic Meal. The Use of Various
Images of Leviathan in Early Jewish Tradition 117
Michael Mulder
Part 4
New Testament and Early Christianity
8 Romans 16:17–20a: Imminent Danger and Victory 133
Theo van Spanje
9 The Air Combat between Michael and the Dragon. Revelation 12:7–12
in Relation to Similar Texts from the New Testament 151
Rob van Houwelingen
10 Leviathan and the Monsters in Revelation 167
Henk van de Kamp
Part 5
Theological Reflections
11 God and the Suffering of Animals 179
Gijsbert van den Brink
12 “God Deals More Roughly with His Creature than We Would Like”.
Leviathan in the Work of Arnold A. van Ruler 201
Dirk van Keulen
13 Modern Political Society as Leviathan. Interpretation and Application
of Thomas Hobbes’ Use of a Biblical Symbol 213
Ad de Bruijne
14 The Dragon / Snake in Myth, Religion and Mission. Fear of Death
Defeated by the Message of Life 233
Kees Haak
Contents vii
Part 6
Iconographic Representations
15 A Glimpse of the Beast. Leviathan in Late Medieval and Early
Modern Art 249
Anique de Kruijf
16 Incarnations of Death: Leviathan in the Movies 280
Reinier Sonneveld
Index of Ancient Sources 297
Index of Geographical and Personal Names 304
Index of Subjects 308
Index of Modern Authors 310

List of Illustrations
1.1 Seven-headed monster from Mesopotamia (from Joan Goodnick
Westenholz, Dragons, Monsters and Fabulous Beasts, Jerusalem 2004, 191,
Fig. 160) 4
1.2 Another seven-headed monster from Mesopotamia (from O. Keel, Die
Welt der altorientalischen Bildsymbolik und das Alte Testament: Am
Beispiel der Psalmen, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1972, 45, No. 52) 5
1.3 The youthful sun-god is still shut in by the primordial sea which is
depicted as a circular serpent chasing after its own tail. However, his
foot is already on the beast (from B.H. Stricker, De grote zeeslang, Leiden
1953, 11, Fig. a) 6
1.4 The three-headed serpent Apophis encircles the lifeless body of the sun-
god (from Stricker, De grote zeeslang, 11, Fig. c) 7
1.5 The snake Ladon encircling the apple tree of the Hesperides. Okeanos
(ocean) and Strymon (a river) are sitting left and right of the tree (date
ca. 475 BCE, from H.-G. Buchholz, “Furcht vor Schlangen und Umgang
mit Schlangen in Altsyrien, Altkypros und dem Umfeld,” UF 32 [2000],
36–168 [166], Fig. 23) 8
1.6 Hercules defeats the serpent guarding the Tree of Life (terracotta plate,
2nd to 3rd century CE; Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich, Room
2, Accession Number SL 89, Loeb Collection) 9
1.7 Cylinder seal in the British Museum depicting Marduk’s victory over
Tiāmat. Since the god has bundles of lightnings in his hands Marduk is
seen as the storm-god. The dragon only has forelegs, the rest of its body
drags along. The skin of the horned monster is scaly, like the skin of the
Leviathan according to Job 41:7–8 [15–16] 10
1.8 The storm-god pierces the sea-dragon with his spear. Flames and
bubbles suggest that the writhing monster causes the sea to boil (after
Keel, altorientalischen Bildsymbolik, 44, No. 50) 11
1.9 Baal standing on the serpentine body of Yam (Sea), piercing him with
his lightning spear. The artisan used the grain of the stone to suggest
heavy rainfall (Musée du Louvre, Paris) 13
1.10 The partly theriomorph Seth thrusts his spear into the mouth of
Apophis (Cairo Museum) 14
15.1 Crispijn van der Passe, The rich man and the poor Lazarus, c. 1595,
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum 253
15.2 Anonymous, Harrowing of Hell, c. 1320, Paris, Musée du Louvre 255
x List of Illustrations
15.3 Pieter van der Heyden, Harrowing of Hell, c. 1561, Rotterdam,
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Photo: Studio Tromp,
Rotterdam 256
15.4 Anonymous, Boxwood tabernacle, c. 1520, London, British Museum,
inv.nr. WB233, © The Trustees of the British Museum 257
15.5 Detail tabernacle with devotional scenes of the harrowing of
Hell 258
15.6 Anonymous, Opening of the first six seals, c. 1400, Facsimile Edition
Flemish Apocalypse, © M. Moleiro Editor (moleiro.com) 259
15.7 Hans Memling, Triptych for the Saint John’s Hospital, c. 1475, Bruges,
Musea Brugge © www.lukasweb.be—Art in Flanders vzw, Photo:
Dominique Provost 260
15.8 Detail of the right panel of the triptych by Hans Memling 260
15.9 Anonymous, Blowing the fifth trumpet, c. 1400, Facsimile Edition
Flemish Apocalypse, © M. Moleiro Editor (moleiro.com) 262
15.10 Anonymous, Rider ‘Faithful and true’ conquers evil, c. 1400, Facsimile
Edition Flemish Apocalypse, © M. Moleiro Editor (moleiro.
com) 263
15.11 Anonymous, Rider ‘Faithful and true’ conquers evil, c. 1465, London,
British Museum, f.40r 264
15.12 Anonymous, Dead rise, c. 1400, Facsimile Edition Flemish
Apocalypse, Facsimile Edition Flemish Apocalypse, © M. Moleiro
Editor (moleiro.com) 265
15.13 Anonymous, Death and Hell hurled into Lake Fire, c. 1465, London,
British Museum, f.44r 266
15.14 Anonymous, detail of the Theodosia-altarpiece, 1545, Utrecht,
Museum Catharijneconvent, Photo: Ruben de Heer) 267
15.15 Lucas Cranach, Luther preaching and pope hurled into the mouth
of hell, c. 1550, Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen
Dresden, Photo: Herbert Boswank 269
15.16 Anonymous, Pope and Leviathan, Jena Codex, c. 1500, Prague,
Knihovna Narodniho Muzea, f.80r 270
15.17 Cornelis Anthonisz., Battle between good and evil, c. 1530,
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum 271
15.18 Master van Catherine of Cleves, The mouth of Hell, c. 1440, New York,
The Pierpont Morgan Library, Ms M.917/945, f.168v. Purchased on
the Belle da Costa Green Fund and with assistance of the Fellows,
1963 273
15.19 Detail margin of the miniature from the book of hours of Catherine
of Cleves 274