Editing Lilith (section)

== History ==
In some Jewish folklore, such as the ''[[Alphabet of Sirach]]'' ({{circa|700–1000 AD}}), Lilith appears as Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same clay as Adam.{{efn|Compare Genesis 1:27<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|1:27|9}}</ref> (this contrasts with [[Eve]], who was created from one of Adam's ribs).<ref>{{Bibleverse|Genesis|2:22|9}}</ref>}} The legend of Lilith developed extensively during the [[Middle Ages]], in the tradition of [[Aggadah]], the [[Zohar]], and [[Jewish mysticism]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Schwartz|first=Howard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5psRDAAAQBAJ|title=Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-19-532713-7|page=218|author-link=Howard Schwartz}}</ref> For example, in the 13th-century writings of [[Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen]], Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the [[Garden of Eden]] after she had coupled with the [[archangel]] [[Samael]].<ref name="Kvam">{{cite book|last1=Kvam|first1=Kristen E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux3bSDa2rHkC&pg=PA220|title=Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender|last2=Schearing|first2=Linda S.|last3=Ziegler|first3=Valarie H.|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-253-21271-9|pages=220–221|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-date=17 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817084413/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux3bSDa2rHkC&pg=PA220|url-status=live}}</ref>

Interpretations of Lilith found in later Jewish materials are plentiful, but little information has survived relating to the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian views of this class of demons. Recent scholarship has disputed the relevance of two sources previously used to connect the Jewish {{Transliteration|he|lilith}} to an Akkadian {{Transliteration|akk|lilītu}} – the [[Gilgamesh]] appendix and the [[Arslan Tash amulets]]<ref>Freedman, David Noel (ed.) (1997, 1992). ''[[Anchor Bible Dictionary]]''. New York: Doubleday. "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view of these figures. Two sources of information previously used to define Lilith are both suspect."</ref> (see [[#Mesopotamian mythology|below]] for discussion of these two problematic sources).

In contrast, some scholars, such as Lowell K. Handy, hold the view that though Lilith derives from Mesopotamian [[demonology]], evidence of the Hebrew Lilith being present in the sources frequently cited – the Sumerian Gilgamesh fragment and the Sumerian incantation from Arshlan-Tash being two – is scant, if present at all.<ref name="Kvam" />{{rp|174}}

In Hebrew-language texts, the term {{Transliteration|he|lilith}} or {{Transliteration|he|lilit}} (translated as "night creatures", "night monster", "night hag", or "screech owl") first occurs in a list of animals in [[Isaiah 34]].<ref>{{Bibleverse|Isaiah|34:14|9}}</ref> The Isaiah 34:14 Lilith reference does not appear in most common Bible translations such as [[King James Version|KJV]] and [[New International Version|NIV]]. Commentators and interpreters often envision the figure of Lilith as a dangerous demon of the night, who is sexually wanton, and who steals babies in the darkness.<ref name="Hammer">{{Cite web |last=Hammer |first=Jill |date=n.d. |title=Lilith, Lady Flying in Darkness |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Issues/Magic_and_the_Supernatural/Practices_and_Beliefs/Supernatural_Beings/Lilith.shtml |access-date=20 November 2023 |website=My Jewish Learning |language=en-US |archive-date=25 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325165604/http://www.myjewishlearning.com/beliefs/Issues/Magic_and_the_Supernatural/Practices_and_Beliefs/Supernatural_Beings/Lilith.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Currently there is no scholarly consensus, with some adhering to the animalistic interpretation, where as others claim 34:14 is referencing a literal demon or a category of demons falling under the specification of "lilith". Historically, certain prominent Jewish rabbis in Talmudic texts feared the likes of liliths, some to such an extent that they recommended men not sleep in a home alone, as any who do would be "seized by Lilith."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Shabbath |url=https://halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_151.html |access-date=4 June 2024 |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720135514/https://halakhah.com/shabbath/shabbath_151.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Jewish [[incantation bowl]]s and amulets from Mesopotamia from the first to the eighth centuries identify Lilith as a female demon and provide the first visual depictions of her.<ref name="Hammer" /> The said amulets were often symbolic divorce papers, warding off a given lilith that was thought to be haunting one's house or family.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shaked |first=Shual |title=Aramaic Bowl Spells |year=2013 |pages=120–130}}</ref>