Leviathan Across Traditions: Religious Continuity from the Ancient Near East to Revelation

Abstract

This paper examines the consistent adoption of the sea-monster motif across time and through several religious traditions of the Ancient Near East. While common mythological themes like the embodiment of the sea as pure and primeval chaos are retained over time and across different religious groups, each iteration of the sea monster metaphor served a distinct function for each religious community and its evolution is instructive. Through a comparative analysis of the Enuma Elish from ancient Babylon, much of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the New Testament Book of Revelation, different utilizations of this metaphor are analyzed to highlight that the common mythological pattern reveals important differences. Many ancient Near Eastern religions used this metaphor to understand order in nature, the Israelites restructured the Leviathan myth to fit their monotheistic theological framework, and in Revelation, symbolic political layers were added to reach a diverse group of potential converts. This progression demonstrates that religion is not static or isolated, but situated significantly within its own socio-political context. As instruments for both inclusion and distinction, this shared myth across time and tradition acted as a tool for identity and context, and served a specific purpose pertaining to the geopolitical issues in each time and place in ways that will be demonstrated throughout.