Was Adam a Ugaritic? Study of the number KTU 1.107
An incorrect translation of one of the Ugaritic tablets is spreading on Facebook and other sites. Professor Firas Al-Sawah had previously asked me about it because of the logical doubt he felt after reading the post, so I quickly reviewed the text and its published translation. Recently, another friend asked me again about the text, so it is necessary to publish a comprehensive clarification regarding it.
The title of the post says: “Discovery of the oldest version of the story of Adam and Eve: Adam was a god and Eve was innocent of temptation.” The publication (whose original author I could not find) claims that this Ugaritic text deals with the story of Adam’s descent to earth from Paradise (the translation specifies its location on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey today!), and this Paradise is called “the field of the vine of the great gods” and is ruled by the chief god “El.” . The god “Horon” (Harran) opposes the authority of the god “El” and is expelled from Paradise, but he poisons the “Tree of Life” before being expelled. As for Adam, he is a god sent by El to Earth to restrain the evil “Horon,” but the latter turned himself into a snake that managed to catch Adam and bite him, so the latter lost his immortal nature. So the sun goddess presented Adam with a “good-hearted woman” as compensation for his loss of immortality, so that he could reproduce and regain some of his immortal nature. This publication does not name the tablet in question nor provide its reference number, but it does include a photo of the inscription (pictured above), through which I was able to painstakingly read the text.
First: This post deals with KTU 1.107, a shattered tablet with dimensions of 188 x 201 x 52 mm, which was found in Ras Shamra (Ugarit) in the house of the Hurrian priest. The tablet consists of 54 lines, none of which was spared from being partially or completely shattered. Given the difficulty of reading the remaining parts of the tablet, the researchers were not sure how to read it, and they did not know which side was the first. However, in its third and final edition, the KTU Encyclopedia published the text according to the new arrangement arrived at by the researchers, an arrangement I personally agree with.
Second: I will present some quick points that I will discuss in more detail later. (1): The expression “the vine field of the great gods” has nothing in the text to refer to, as there is no trace of the field (Shadi) or the vine (Jaffen/Karam), but the second line of the tablet includes the words “Ilm.Rubm” which mean: the great gods. . (2): There is nothing in the text that indicates the location of this paradise, nor its name, as we mentioned, and I do not know what prompted the “author” of the translation to specify its location as being on Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey! (3): The word “Adam” mentioned in the text at the end of the third line is not a proper name, and none of the Ugaritic tablets includes this word as a name for any personality, human or divine. Rather, it simply means “man” or “human being,” as is the case in Other Semitic languages. (4): The text does not include any word that carries the meaning of tree or refers to it from near or far, so Horon in the text did not poison “the tree of life” as the translation claims. (5): The tablet does not include anything indicating “Horon” turning into a snake. (6): The tablet does not mention any “good-hearted woman,” neither “Eve,” nor anyone else, and nothing indicates “Adam’s loss of his divine, immortal nature,” as the translation says.
Third: Despite the poor condition of the tablet, the general idea is clear in it due to the words and vocabulary that we were able to read, and it also includes some expressions that were used in other similar texts (see: Al-Fahla Umm Al-Fahal: An incantation for the poison of the hanch - KTU 1.100 ). Therefore, it is not difficult for a sober researcher of Ugaritic texts to realize that the tablet represents an Ugaritic incantation for treating snake bites, and it is a common type of tablet in Ugarit, and this is what I will explain next by trying to understand it and “repair the fractions” between the phrases and ideas contained in it. Those wishing to view the full text verbatim can read it in full in the translation section below.
Text translation:
First side:
(1-7) May the great gods remove the poison and save man from falling. He was bitten by a destructive snake, and he does not know how to extract the poison that almost kills him.
(8-25) The body of “Sharghaz” (= the name of the bitten man) fell, and he began to cry like a boy and shed tears like a child. The sun in the sky is calling: “Why did you fall alone? Why did you fall, “Shrugz” body? [Why] do you cry like a boy and cry like a little boy?” “Shargazz” replied, crying: “….” Then the sun called from the sky: “…. The poison that corrodes… the poison with the word of the priest… like the feet… of women’s hands…. ».
The second side :
(26-31) (The text is completely broken in this place, but some words can be read, such as “Hamat = poison,” and “Nefesh = soul/breath,” in addition to the words “Harn = Horon” and “Malik = king.”) .
(32-35) [O God] of the sun who lifts the thick clouds from the mountains, and raises them from the earth in every place, remove the poison! (This phrase is repeated twice) From the mouth of the stingray, from the mouth of the “destructive eater” [raise] the poison!
(36-40) [O God] of the sun who lifts the thick clouds from the mountains, and raises them from the earth in every place, remove the poison! Let [the two gods] “El” and “Harran” remove the poison! Let [the two gods] “Baal” and “Dajan” remove the poison! Let [the two goddesses] “Anat” and “Attar” remove the poison! Let [the two gods] “Rakh” (= the moon) and “Rashaf” (= Mars) lift the poison!
(41-44) Let [the two gods] “Athtar” and “Athtafar” remove the poison! Let [the two gods] “Zhaz” and “Kamith” remove the poison! May [God] “Malik” with the help of “Attaret” remove the poison! May [God] “Kawthar and Khass” remove the poison! Let [the two gods] “Shahar” and “Washalam” remove the poison!
(44-45) The [god] of the sun, who lifts the thick clouds from the mountains and the earth, has lifted the poison. Removing the poison from the mouth of the stingray, from the mouth of the “destructive eater” [removing] the poison.
(46-54) (The tablet is shattered in this place. We read words such as “blood,” “sweat,” “perfume,” “eat,” and perhaps “die.”)
Redaction of the Ugaritic text
The first side:
(1) [xxxxxxxxxxxxx] and [xx] is [xxxx]
(2)[xxxxxxxxx] bare. Class of Adam
(4) [xxxxxx] Eth [x]. He ate
(7) [xxxxxx] and he tired him
(8). She saw. She smelled.
She read (10) [xxxxx.] We escaped. Ih[x]. We made. She escaped. Bishr
(11) [sh]ragzz. And she cried. With [ـم.] narrated. Tears. How much
(12) [S] Gharbkm means [sharghzz xxxxx] and it
(13) [xxx] nnn.bnt.ish [xx]. [xxxxxxxx.]halk
(14) [xx]b.km.l.msf [rxxxxx]
(15) [sh.h.b.shmmm.tqra'. [xxxxxxxxxx]rt
(16) [xxx]htm.from[xxx]and [xxxxxxxxx]n.order
(17) [xxxx]I wish you had. [xxxxxxxxxx]Amr.Hoot
(18) [xxxxx]Thalat.Kahn [xxxxxxxxxx]Kafn
(19) [xxxxx]Yad.Nash. [xxxxxxxxxx]Lamdab St.
(20) [xxxxx]H.Makhlaft. [xxxxxxxx].Order
(21) [xxxxx]We know.n[xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
(22) [xxxxx]SH.H.N.AL[xxxxxxxxxxx]
(23) [xxxxxx]T.Ben. [xxxxxxxxxxx]
(24)[xxxxx].The second side:
(26) [xxxxx]M [xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
(27) [xxxx]Habbat.Nafsh. [xxxxxxxxx]n
(28) [xxxx]led.ql.th[xxxxxxxxxx]gt.athar
(29) [xxxxx]gram.y[xxxxxxxxxx].harn
(30) [xxxxx]rk.ham[xxxxxxxxxx].king
( 31 ).H]die
(34) [sef.sh]fsh.lhram.garfl.on.arz
(35) [because.]hamt.lv[n]thk.abd.lv eat
(36) [thumdal.]saf.hamt[ xxxxx.and]Haran.Yasf.Hamt
(39) [Baal.]Wadajn.Yasf.Hammat.Ananat.And Athtarat
(40) [Ta’i]sf.Hammat.Yarkh.warshaf.Yasf.Hammat
(41) [Aathat]r.And Aathfar.
(42 )ḍmṭ.ṣf.
Sweat.Blood
(47) [xxxxx] Sweat [.Shafsh]
(48) [xxxxxxxxxx] [xxxxxxxxxx]
(51) [xxxxxxxxxx]L.R.P.M.[ Shxxx]
(52) [xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]T.N.B[xxxx]MT[ ]
(53) [xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]L.T.M.[xxxx]NT[ ]
(54 ) ) [xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]u eat [xxxx]
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