In Gaster's article "Two Thousand Years of a Charm Against the Child-Stealing Witch," there is reference to an amulet from the "Book of Raziel," which Gaster claims is actually "a compilation made in the tenth century from much older materials" (152). Shown in illustration #3, this amulet has more recently been placed as a twelfth century Kabbalistic work by Eleazar ben Judah ben Kalonymos of Worms (Patai 237). A passage taken from this work, quoted in Gaster's article, incorporates both the myth of Lilith as a "primitive Eve" and Lilith as child-slayer. It reads:
I conjure thee, primitive Eve, by the name of the one who created thee, and by the names of the three angels which the Lord sent after thee, and who found thee in the islands of the sea, to whom thou didst swear, that wherever thou salt find their names neither thou nor thine host shall do any harm, also not to those who carry those names with them. I therefore conjure thee by their names and by their seals, which are written down here, that thou do no harm, neither thou, nor thy host, nor thy servants, to this woman or to the young babe to which she has given birth; neither during day-time nor during the night; neither in their food nor in their drink; neither in their head nor in their heart; nor in their 208 members, nor in their 305 veins. I conjure thee, thy hosts and thy servants, with the power of these names and these seals. (Gaster 153)
Gaster notes here that under the epithet "primitive Eve" "Lilith" is understood, which is substantiated by the fact that the words "Adam and Eve, Out Lilith!" appear twice on the amulet (Patai 138). If Gaster's assertions as to the date of this amulet were correct, then the story of Lilith as a first wife of Adam would not have been originated in The Alphabet at all. Since his assertions have since been disproved, it seems almost certain that the first reference to Lilith as a first wife of Adam was indeed originated in The Alphabet account.
However, whether the "Raziel" amulet proves that the story of Lilith as a first Eve was indeed originated with The Alphabet or simply was reiterated in The Alphabet is not of vital importance to this study. What is important to note is that the story of Lilith as the first wife of Adam makes its first appearance of any consequence and fame in The Alphabet and that it is this work which contains the first truly literary reference to such a story.
"Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree"
The Lilith Relief
Isaiah 34:14
Testament of Solomon
The Talmud
The Nippur Bowls
The Alphabet of Ben Sira
Book of Raziel
The Zohar
Hebrew Amuletic Tradition
Return to Outline of Chapter One
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