I.                DISTANT DRUMS

Having hoisted anchor and set a course, let us consider some of the earliest manifestations of evil, or how we might contemplate it at this stage of our journey. In order to keep the search confined to familiar waters, we limit our search to western thought. Fair warning, some accounts may include references to concepts that we no longer call evil. Concomitantly, we shall find some practices considered normal by our ancient ancestors, and their gods, that we find abhorrent, if not purely evil, in our modern lives.

Early accounts emerge from literature, not history. Possibly, the earliest literary source of evil resides in the Babylonian creation myth called the Enuma Elish. It is a story ranging from classic conflicts of “hatred, envy, envy, fear, and murderous rage, to grandchildren getting on their grandparents’ nerves enough to generate murderous intent.[i]

In other words. The Universe itself is a breeding ground for evil.

Moving forward to a more familiar current, we come to the account of creation in the first chapter of the Hebrew Bible. In contrast to the percolating discord of other creation myths, the Genesis account is smooth and swift. All is good, pleasant, and harmonious. Some modern adjunct contributors to the scriptures even avow that dinosaurs were gentle vegetarians, somewhat akin to pets, during that era.[ii] At any rate, all was calm. All was bright.

Until.

It seems that the potential for evil lay not-very-well hidden in the Garden of Eden. All it took to release its cosmic destruction was a simple act of disobedience occasioned by a sweet talker passing through the garden.

And, as Dr. Bart Ehrman points out, disobedience weighed heavily on the mind of the Hebrew creator of the world.[iii] In fact, much, if not most, of the Old Testament finds disobedience, and the punishment for it, a central and dominating theme. As for the requisite punishment, the creator doesn’t rely on “time outs” or withholding of privileges for a short time. No, he isn’t above stoning an entire family—man, woman, children, and animals—because the father disobeys an order.[iv] Nations can find themselves exiled into bondage and slavery for recalcitrance.

Here we fact a mental squall that will threaten us for our entire journey: Is disobedience, or the chosen method of retribution for disobedience, the true evil?

In summary, the earliest entrances of evil give birth to some interesting questions.

Is succumbing to an implanted and appealing temptation evil? In modern times, we might call that entrapment.

Is disobedience of proper directives an evil in itself?

Is non-disobedience of proper directives an evil itself? (See: Adoph Eichman.) Veterans of the Mexican, Spanish, Vietnam, and Iraq wars would find this particularly interesting.

At what point does “sin” become an evil? Are there moral gradations and tipping points?

Are individuals to be punished for the sins of a nation or cult?

Can history cleanse an ancient evil, such as the eating of pork or shellfish as well as the ridiculing of a bald man?[v]

Can history darken an allowed and ancient practice such as polygamy or slavery and reclassify it as evil?

We now find ourselves sailing into troubled waters indeed. Best gird with a lifeline. Meanwhile, all is peace and harmony in the Garden of Eden.

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[i] Casey, Bary, Evil: Ancient and Modern Spectrum, May 1, 2018

[ii] From the so-called “Creation Museum, Petersburg, Kentucky

[iii] Ehrman, Bart D. God's Problem : How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question--Why We Suffer. Harper Collins, 2009

[iv] See Joshua 7. Other scripters in the Old Testament decry this treatment, creating one of many contradictions therein.

[v] 2 Kings 2:23–24