Humor (6)

I requested a book from my library on humor in the Bible.  It is nice to know that I am not the only one who thinks that the Bible contains humor.  I am not an expert in the New Testament.  I have read it, but not recently enough to make the claim that I think Jesus had a sense of humor.  The notion that Jesus is the biological son of God could be seen in a humorous way.  Again, we must suspend our disbelief to accept this.  Having a divine parent did not start with Jesus.  One of the oldest stories in history, the Epic of Gilgamesh tells us that Gilgamesh is two-third god and one-third human.  I never quite figured out how that works mathematically.

Jesus as the son of God seems to be based on the idea that David and Solomon were the sons of God.  For example, II Samuel 7:14,

אֲנִי֙ אֶֽהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ לְאָ֔ב וְה֖וּא יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְבֵ֑ן אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּהַ֣עֲות֔וֹ וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙ בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וּבְנִגְעֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃

I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to Me. When he does wrong, I will chastise him with the rod of men and the affliction of mortals.

Psalms 2:7

אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל־חֹ֥ק יְֽהֹוָ֗ה אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֝נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃

I will tell of the law, the Lord said to me, 'you are my son, today I sired you.

Psalm 89:27

ה֣וּא יִ֭קְרָאֵנִי אָ֣בִי אָ֑תָּה אֵ֝לִ֗י וְצ֣וּר יְשׁוּעָתִֽי׃

He will call me, my father you are to me, rock and my victory.

Most interpreters understand the concept of David and Solomon as the son of God metaphorically, not literally.  Jesus, on the other hand is understood as the literal son of God.  I have a high school friend who is a devout Christian.  As a Christian, he does not accept my interpretation of why it went from metaphorical to literal with Jesus.  Paul took the message of Jesus to pagans.  With their mythological understanding, pagans, like the Greeks, had a history of demigods, so portraying Jesus as one would be acceptable.  In the same way, the death and resurrection of god was part of their mythological understanding. 

The ancient Israelites were probably aware of demigods, since a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered in Israel.  With that knowledge, they created what in my mind is a humorous satire on the idea of divine beings mating with humans in the birth of Samson.  More on this later.  We see the idea of demigods first in Genesis 6:2-4:

וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ׃

The sons of God saw the daughters of the humans that they were good and they took wives for themselves from all that they had chosen.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה לֹֽא־יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגַּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃

(This is one of the most difficult verses in the Hebrew Bible to translate).  

The Lord said, 'my spirit/breath will not "abide" (Jewish Publication Society translation states "meaning of Hebrew uncertain") in man for ever, "since"(?) he is flesh; his days will be 120 years.'

הַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָ֘רֶץ֮ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם׃ 

The "Nefillim (fallen ones) were on the earth in those days, and also afterwards, when the sons of God came to (had sex with) the daughters of the humans, heroes were born to them who were men of renown.

Are these verses a product of deliberate ambiguity?  By this I mean, that in the original version of the story, much more information was given.  A later editor or redactor might have found it to be offensive, shortened it, and made it deliberately impossible to understand.  Another example of this deliberate ambiguity is Exodus 4:24-26, when God sought to kill Moses, and Tziporah circumcised her son to save him (Moses or her son?).  Or, over time, did the association of these words lose their meaning, since language changes so rapidly?

In either case, the idea that divine beings could have sex with human woman is there, unless we accept the rabbinic understanding that the "sons of God" are a metaphor as well.  Rashi does not think the word אלוהים, eh-lo-him, always means "God or gods".  It could mean power, so the "sons of God" are not divine, but powerful men on earth.  All this sets us up for what I consider to be the most comic story in the Hebrew Bible, Judges 13-16, the story of Samson.  I request that you read the story in preparation for part 2 of this blog.