Adam's Second Wife?

I don't recall anything in the bible to do with a second wife.
Do you know which sect of Christianity you're talking about? (ie. Catholicism, Lutheranism, Baptist, etc.)

http://www.dunmaglas.ca

Uhm... Huh? Where is this info coming from?

~*Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem,
by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer:
Don't excite love, don't stir it up,
until the time is ripe—and you're ready*~

According to some legend/mythology, Lilith was Adam's first wife, but she would not submit to him (the first feminist) and left him and procreated with Satan. Eve was said to have come along (be created) after Lilith and was the "good wife".

At least that's the quick and dirty version I've heard and found online.

I've been looking around online, but the sources for this are pretty sketchy. Here's one:

"The Alphabet of Ben Sira Midrash goes even further and identifies a third wife, created after Lilith deserted Adam, but before Eve. This unnamed wife was purportedly made in the same way as Adam, from the "dust of the earth", but the sight of her being created proved too much for Adam to take and he refused to go near her. It is also said that she was created from nothing at all, and that God created into being a skeleton, then organs, and then flesh. The Midrash tells that Adam saw her as "full of blood and secretions," suggesting that he witnessed her creation and was horrified at seeing a body from the inside out. Ben Sira does not record this wife's fate. She was never named, and it assumed that she was allowed to leave the Garden a perpetual virgin, or was ultimately destroyed by God in favor of Eve, who was created when Adam was asleep and oblivous."

As I said, fairly sketchy - note that it can't even decide whether this wife was created "from the dust of the earth" or "from nothing at all." But you're a fiction-writer, sooo... take that and make it up as you go!

I think the idea of the mythology is... at first, God creates Adam and Lilith from the same substance - the earth. Then he creates a wife (from nothing at all? from the dust of the earth again?), but since he doesn't put Adam to sleep while he does so, Adam gets *completely* freaked out at seeing his wife-to-be constructed out of bones, organs, flesh, skin... (can't say I blame him). And finally, God sends Adam to sleep and makes a wife a) out of his own body ("flesh of my flesh"), and b) while Adam's not looking :)

I read someone else saying she had "translucent skin." I got the feeling this was made up, but it's a pretty cool thought.

Also, note that (according to Wikipedia) the Alphabet of Ben Sira was satire, and pseudonymous, and written around 700-1000 AD - a medieval satirical text purporting to be the work of Ben Sira (which it wasn't). Just something to be aware of, if you decide to use the mythology.

There's a whole wikipedia page on Lilith if you want to learn more about her.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

Hm. The idea of 'Adam's third wife' sounded vaguely familiar to me, and as I finish up this post, I'm remembering that one of my high school English teachers may have said something about this when we studied Genesis. If I find out anything more, I'll let you know.

There's a version of the three wives of Adam story in Neil Gaiman's Sandman. In "A Parliment of Rooks," if I recall correctly. It follows along the lines of what vega_maudlin mentions above.

The common though on Lilith goes as follows: Genesis Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 describe the same events. Chapter 2 does not pick up where 1 left off, it is a self-contained story. It's difficult to imagine, but sit down and read Chapter 1 and think about what happens, how it happens, and how it is told. Then read Chapter 2, not thinking about Chapter 1 and see if you can find out what happens, how it happens, etc.

They are two different stories and this isn't something uncommon in the Old Testament. The Christian New Testament was actually codiefied before an Old Testament existed. Previously, in Judaism, there were a variety of stories and the only connection to the content was based on the local rabbi and the stories he told (of course, he couldn't fit them all in and that is why there is such a variety). When The Old Testament was made the Tanakh in Judaism, there was disagreement about what should be in and what should stay off to the side. The same thing happened in the formation of the New Testament. In such councils, there had to be a high level of agreement, and this was often done by making a series of concessions.

Genesis 1 and 2 is one such example. One of the stories had come from an oral/folk tale about the creation. It was most popular in the regions of Israel in the north before the Bablylonian conquer. The other was the story most popular in Judah (which was the largest group and had considerable pull in some of the other regions). Genesis 1:24, it says that God created man in his image, man and woman at the same time. It ends on Genesis 2:4 where the text concludes the story of creation. Yet... it then goes on to spend a chapter on God creating the world of animals and plants, seeing a lack he created man, man was alone until God decided to make woman, and then he made woman from him. There is disagreement here. In one, man and woman are made at the same time and the world is created in 6 days. In the second, there is no time distinguished at all in the making of Earth. Rather, it starts with God seeing the empty expanse, creating Adam, and the creating Eve later. They disagree on nearly every point. This scholarship has been studied quite a bit and the clearest evidence of this concession in stories is in the manuscripts preceding the canonization. The Bible in Hebrew uses two distinct dialects in the first two Chapters of Genesis; that of Judah and that of Israel at large.

So, the story of Lilith is sort of based off of these chapters. Man and woman created at the same time, man then (somehow) becomes lonely, and Eve is created. A reading of the text as a concession during the canonization process doesn't really provide background for Lilith. But when read together, there appears to be missing characters. Note that these were literate men and didn't accidentally misspeel words or get there sentences confused. You can take it either way.

In Christianity this is little discussed and usually relegated to legend that may or may not be true as it is only really seen in the Hebrew original. Lilith is later told to have been banished from Eden because she refused to be subservient, and as she wanders outside of Eden she makes a deal with Satan (who was fallen when Adam was created) and they beget many demons. Some stories say that Cain and Lilith procreated demons after he was marked and sent away. The principle tale of Lilith revolves around childbirth. Lilith vows (this is in secondary texts, of course) to kill the children of Adam and to make childbirth painful for women. In ancient times, women often wore certain charms in protection from Lilith while pregnant.

Apologies for the above post taking it too far and/or overusing analogies.

it really depends on which religion you are. It does state that adam and his wife where created twice is this just a coincedence u decide Lilith was supposedly adams first wife who after a fight with him became angry and left him. She is then to become the first Demon in Christianity. This is reflected into todays lullibyes its lilith be gone songs she is the demon of death in young children and is near the power of legion(another very powerful demon)

ALL HAIL BRITTANIA!!!!!!!!

There is a joke of Adam spending more and more time away from Eve.
She asked if there was anyone else.
Adam denied it. there was no-one else around. He went fishing or climbing trees, mountains, etc.
One night, Adam woke up giggling. He felt someone was tickling him.
Actually, it was Eve counting his ribs.