Golems,
Creation, Midrash, the Quran
Even though
Zionist Islamophobes attempt to fabricate a Judeo-Christian tradition that
stands in opposition to Islam, the Abrahamic faiths form a unitary system, and
each constituent community can learn from the others as the following
exegetically integrated analysis of scriptural accounts of the creation
demonstrates.
While many Christian and Muslims
express opposition to materialist theories, religious Jews seem to have fewer
problems with the scientific approach to the origin either of the universe or
of the human race.
The plain meaning of the Septuagint, Biblia Sacra Vulgata, and King James
versions of Genesis 1:1 looks creationist:
ἐν
ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν
ὁ θεὸς τὸν
οὐρανὸν καὶ
τὴν γῆν
in principio creavit Deus caelum et terram
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
In order to reconcile this verse with those succeeding, the
Rabbinic commentator RASHI applied a midrashic (i.e., comparative or homiletic
hermeneutic) analysis
of the Hebrew Biblical text to reinterpret the meaning word-by-word and opened
the door to scientific thinking about cosmogony.
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1. In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and
the earth. |
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א. בְּרֵאשִׁית
בָּרָא
אֱ־לֹהִים
אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם
וְאֵת
הָאָרֶץ |
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Further analysis and comparison of scripture shows that the Quran both explains
or elaborates Jewish and Christian written scripture while it critiques
the Talmudic oral tradition as explained in Quran 3:78.
وَإِنَّ
مِنْهُمْ
لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ
أَلْسِنَتَهُم
بِالْكِتَابِ
لِتَحْسَبُوهُ
مِنَ
الْكِتَابِ
وَمَا هُوَ
مِنَ
الْكِتَابِ
وَيَقُولُونَ
هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ
اللّهِ وَمَا
هُوَ مِنْ
عِندِ اللّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ
عَلَى اللّهِ
الْكَذِبَ
وَهُمْ
يَعْلَمُونَ
[And lo! there is a party of them who distort the Scripture
with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture,
when it is not from the Scripture. And they say: It is from Allah, when it is
not from Allah; and they speak a lie concerning Allah knowingly. (78) ]
The Quranic verse refers to distortion of the Book (the
Bible) with their tongues possibly via oral or hermeneutic traditions and not
to twisting (or falsification) of the actual written Biblical text.
The verse Genesis 1:26 can be interpreted to suggest that God was not the sole
creator.
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כו
וַיֹּאמֶר
אֱלֹהִים,
נַעֲשֶׂה
אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ
כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ;
וְיִרְדּוּ
בִדְגַת
הַיָּם
וּבְעוֹף
הַשָּׁמַיִם,
וּבַבְּהֵמָה
וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ,
וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ,
הָרֹמֵשׂ
עַל-הָאָרֶץ. |
26 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' |
RASHI explains
נַעֲשֶׂה (Let us create) as an
expression of God's modesty and as an effort to forestall the jealousy of the
angels in whose image man was created. The Midrash Genesis Rabbah 8:5
specifically addresses the involvement of the angels in the creation of man.
Original Text:
א"ר
סימון בשעה
שבא הקב"ה
לבראת את אדם
הראשון, נעשו
מלאכי השרת
כיתים כיתים, וחבורות
חבורות, מהם
אומרים אל
יברא, ומהם
אומרים יברא,
הה"ד (תהלים
פה) חסד ואמת נפגשו
צדק ושלום
נשקו, חסד
אומר יברא
שהוא גומל חסדים,
ואמת אומר אל
יברא שכולו שקרים,
צדק אומר יברא
שהוא עושה
צדקות, שלום
אומר אל יברא
דכוליה קטטה,
מה עשה הקב"ה
נטל אמת
והשליכו לארץ
הה"ד (דניאל ח)
ותשלך אמת
ארצה, אמרו
מלאכי השרת
לפני הקב"ה
רבון העולמים
מה אתה מבזה
תכסיס
אלטיכסייה
שלך, תעלה אמת
מן הארץ, הדא
הוא דכתיב
(תהלים פה) אמת
מארץ תצמח,
רבנן אמרי לה
בשם ר' חנינא
בר אידי ורבי
פנחס ורבי חלקיה
בשם רבי סימון
אמר, מאד, הוא
אדם, הה"ד וירא
אלהים את כל
אשר עשה והנה
טוב מאד, והנה
טוב אדם, ר'
הונא רבה של
צפורין אמר עד
שמלאכי השרת
מדיינין אלו
עם אלו ומתעסקין
אלו עם אלו
בראו הקב"ה,
אמר להן מה
אתם מדיינין
כבר נעשה אדם.
Translation:
R. Simon said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, came to
create Adam, the ministering angels formed themselves into groups and parties,
some of them saying, ‘Let him be created,’ whilst others urged, ‘let him not be
created.’ As it is written, [according to the standard interpretation]
"Loving-kindness and truth met, justice and peace kissed," [but this
midrash explains, "Loving-kindness and truth fought together, justice and
peace combated each other"] (Psalms 85:11). Loving-kindness said, ‘Let him
be created, because he will dispense acts of loving-kindness’; Truth said, ‘Let
him not be created, because he full of lies’; Justice said, ' Let him be
created, because he will perform acts of justice’; Peace said, ‘Let him not be
created, because he is full of strife."’ What did God do? God held Truth
and cast it to the ground, as it is written, "and truth will be sent to
the earth." (Dan. 8:12) The ministering angels said before the Holy One,
"Sovereign of the Universe! Why do you despise Thy seal [truth]? Let Truth
arise from the earth!" Hence it is written, "Let truth spring up from
the earth." (Psalms 85:12) All our Rabbis say the following in the name of
R. Hanina, while R. Phinehas and R. Hilkiah say it in the name of R. Simon:
Me'od (' very’) is [in reference to] Adam; as it is written, "And God saw
everything that God had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Genesis
1:31), i.e. and behold Adam was good.
R. Huna the Elder of Sepphoris, said: While the ministering
angels were arguing with each other and disputing with each other, the Holy One
created the first human. God said to them, "Why are you arguing. Man has
already been made!"
[AJWS translation]
The
reference to Dan. 8:12 is probably the basis of the legend of the Golem when it
is combined with Genesis 2:7.
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ז
וַיִּיצֶר
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהִים
אֶת-הָאָדָם,
עָפָר
מִן-הָאֲדָמָה,
וַיִּפַּח
בְּאַפָּיו,
נִשְׁמַת
חַיִּים;
וַיְהִי
הָאָדָם,
לְנֶפֶשׁ
חַיָּה. |
7 Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul. |
"Adam is described in the Talmud (Tractate Sanhedrin 38b)
as initially created as a golem when his dust was "kneaded into a
shapeless hunk". Like Adam, all golems are created from clay" and can
be brought to life "writing the word Emet (אמת,
"truth" in the Hebrew language) on its forehead."
In last paragraph of the midrash, Rav Huna shows how to read Genesis 1:26 to
avoid any suggestion of a plurality of creators when he explains
נעשה not as "Let us make" but as "is
created" by applying different vowels.
The Quran
addresses the same aspect of creation as the midrash:
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2:28 |
How can ye reject the faith in Allah?- seeing that ye were
without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will
again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return. |
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Kayfa takfuroona biAllahiwakuntum
amwatan faahyakum thumma yumeetukumthumma yuhyeekum
thumma ilayhi turjaAAoona |
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2:29 |
It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on
earth; Moreover His design comprehended the heavens, for He gave order and
perfection to the seven firmaments; and of all things He hath perfect
knowledge. |
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Huwa allathee khalaqa lakum mafee al-ardi
jameeAAan thumma istawa ila alssama-ifasawwahunna
sabAAa samawatin wahuwa bikullishay-in AAaleemun |
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2:30 |
Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a
vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who
will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy
praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know
not." |
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Wa-ith qala rabbuka lilmala-ikatiinnee
jaAAilun fee al-ardi khaleefatan qalooatajAAalu feeha
man yufsidu feeha wayasfiku alddimaawanahnu
nusabbihu bihamdika wanuqaddisu lakaqala innee aAAlamu ma
la taAAlamoona |
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2:31 |
And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He
placed them before the angels, and said: "Tell me the nature of these if
ye are right." |
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WaAAallama adama al-asmaakullaha
thumma AAaradahum AAala almala-ikatifaqala
anbi-oonee bi-asma-i haola-iin kuntum sadiqeena |
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2:32 |
They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have none,
save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in
knowledge and wisdom." |
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Qaloo subhanaka laAAilma lana
illa ma AAallamtanainnaka anta alAAaleemu alhakeemu |
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2:33 |
He said: "O Adam! Tell them their natures." When
he had told them, Allah said: "Did I not tell you that I know the
secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what ye
conceal?" |
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Qala ya adamu anbi/humbi-asma-ihim
falamma anbaahum bi-asma-ihim qalaalam aqul lakum innee
aAAlamu ghayba alssamawatiwaal-ardi
waaAAlamu ma tubdoona wamakuntum taktumoona |
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2:34 |
And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to
Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He
was of those who reject Faith. |
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Wa-ith qulna lilmala-ikatiosjudoo li-adama
fasajadoo illa ibleesa abawaistakbara wakana mina
alkafireena |
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2:35 |
We said: "O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the
Garden; and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will;
but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression." |
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Waqulna ya adamu oskunanta wazawjuka
aljannata wakula minha raghadan haythushi/tuma
wala taqraba hathihi alshshajaratafatakoona
mina alththalimeena |
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2:36 |
Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get
them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said:
"Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth
will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood - for a time." |
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Faazallahuma alshshaytanuAAanha
faakhrajahuma mimma kanafeehi waqulna ihbitoo
baAAdukum libaAAdinAAaduwwun walakum fee al-ardi
mustaqarrun wamataAAunila heenin |
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2:37 |
Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and
his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. |
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Fatalaqqa adamu min rabbihikalimatin
fataba AAalayhi innahu huwa alttawwabualrraheemu |
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2:38 |
We said: "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is
sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on
them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. |
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Qulna ihbitoo minhajameeAAan fa-imma
ya/tiyannakum minnee hudan faman tabiAAahudaya fala khawfun
AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona |
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Quranic verse 2:30 directly explains the meaning of Biblical verse 1:26 without
possible polytheistic or gnostic demiurgic interpretations and discusses the
dispute over Adam's creation without the mythological personifications. Quranic
verse 2:32 addresses the truth that God gave to man or instilled in him while
RASHI's commentary on Biblical verse 1:26 may give some insight into Iblis'
refusal to make obeisance before Adam in Quranic verse 2:34 and the subsequent
fall from the Garden. The Quranic narrative finishes in an expression of hope,
for God promises prophetic guidance to Adam and his descendants.