Behemoti ja Leviatani metamorfoosid. Uurimus Piibli folkloorist ning selle retseptsioonist juudi, kristlikus ja gnostilises pärimuses

• Authors: Lahe Jaan

Title variants

EN

The metamorphoses of Behemoth and Leviathan: a study of biblical folklore and its reception in jewish, christian, and gnostic traditions

• Languages of publication: ET

Abstracts

EN

The article explores the transformation of Behemoth and Leviathan – mytho-logical creatures mentioned in the Bible – and traces their development within later Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic traditions. Although their role in the Bible is marginal, they attain significant importance in post-biblical literature, where they become associated with primordial chaos, divine power and eschatological cosmology. The first section of the article analyzes the descriptions of these two beings, especially in the Book of Job. Behemoth is portrayed as a massive land creature, often associated with the hippopotamus, while Leviathan is depicted as a sea monster, interpreted variously as a crocodile or a dragon, but with clear mythical and cosmological traits. The author emphasizes the possible origins of these creatures in Ancient Near Eastern chaos myths. The second section examines their development in Jewish pseudepigraphal texts (e.g., 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, 1 Enoch), where they are eschatological beings preserved by God for a future banquet for the righteous. These texts explore their separation and habitats – Behemoth on land and Leviathan in the sea – as well as their gender and symbolic significance. In the third section, the rabbinic tradition is addressed, where Leviathan and Behemoth acquire additional roles. New motifs emerge, such as their immense appetite and thirst, and Leviathan’s cosmological role as related to the axis mundi. The rabbinic tradition also emphasizes their roles in the messianic banquet and a cosmic struggle, with positive reinterpretations replacing earlier demonic associations. The fourth section focuses on the reception of Behemoth and Leviathan in early Christian tradition. Here, their demonic aspects become more pronounced, especially in the Book of Revelation, where they are interpreted symbolically as manifestations of evil – land and sea beasts opposing God. In Gnostic literature, Leviathan is linked to the demiurge and hostile cosmic forces, representing cosmic deception and material entrapment. The article demonstrates how the motifs of Behemoth and Leviathan underwent a complex evolution from peripheral biblical creatures to central figures in religious and cosmological worldviews, with their significance varying across traditions and historical contexts.

Keywords

EN

Behemoth; Leviathan; Bible; pseudepigrapha; early christian literature; gnostic tradition; Discipline; ethnology

• Publisher: Folk Belief and Media Group of the Estonian Literary Museum, Estonian Institute of Folklore, EKM Teaduskirjastus
• Journal: Mäetagused
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 92
• Pages: 113-150

Contributors

author

Lahe Jaan

• Institute of Theology of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pühavaimu str 6, 10123 Tallinn, ESTONIA
• Cultural and Religious Studies, School of Humanities, Tallinn University, M-307, Narva road 29, 10120 Tallinn, Estonia
• Faculty of Theology, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18, 50090 Tartu, Estonia