Neo-Babylonian Literature: Creation and Rebellion Motifs in the Legend of the Worm

초록

This study compares the Legend of the Worm or the Tooth-Incantation Text, a cuneiform document on a clay tablet from Nineveh, dating around 650 BC, with the rebellion in heaven motif in Isaiah 14:12-14. The fact that each sign is arranged in precise lines of alignment within invisible “columns” and that there are open spaces between the signs suggest that this document may have had the function of a choir conductor's note indicating the correct rhythm. The worm's creation from the mud is compared to the human creation in Genesis 1-2. The description of the worm to be destructive and that it tried to "ascend" show parallels to Lucifer's rebellion in heaven to usurp the throne of God. Judgment followed here too. This text suggests the influence of the Hebrews’ presence in Nineveh since 723 BC.

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