Sex, Drugs , Violence and the Bible
By Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen

Serpent Worship

The serpent imagery in the story of Moses is further shown by the fact that the name of the priestly caste created by Moses, the tribe of Levi, "was derived from the same verbal root as the word Leviathan." (Campbell 1964) In later Old Testament writings Leviathan is an underwater serpent-like creature.( See Job 41:1, Psalms 74:14, 104:26, Isaiah 27:1), whose name is believed to come from the Ugaritic serpent Lotan. In pre-Biblical mythology Lotan is the seven headed creature slain by Dagon's son Baal, an account that was later directly copied by Biblical writers who placed this victory on Yahweh. The name Levite however can be seen to refer more to the image of the serpent than to the creature Leviathan\Lotan.

The role of the Midianites in this Serpent Worship cannot be overlooked. Moses married into the tribe of Midian through his wife Zipporah. Her father Jethro became Moses' trusted counsellor. We read in the book of Exodus that "Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said." (Exodus 18:24) It was probably from the Midianites that Moses learned the art of metallurgy, as they were famed for their skill in this practice.

Interestingly, as can be demonstrated both historically and through etymological connections, as smiths, the Midianites worshipped the patron deity of craftsmen in the ancient world...Indeed, the God of the Midianite priesthood, whose image was that of a serpent, was the same wise instructor that seduced Adam and Eve in the fabled Garden of Eden. It is none other than the Sumerian god Ea, the serpent, also known by the names Oannes and Enki.

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