BOOK I
IN the name of the Father, and of the Son,and of the Holy Ghost: One God. We begin, with the help of
God,to whom be glory,the writing of the Conflict of Adam and Eve,that befell
them after they had come out of the garden,and while they dwelt in the Cave
of Treasures,by command of God the Creator.
CHAPTER I
On the third day,God planted the garden in
the east of the earth,on the border of the world eastward,beyond which,towards the sun-rising, one finds nothing but
water,that encompasses the whole world, and reaches unto
the borders of heaven. And to the north of the garden there is a sea of water,clear and pure to the taste, like unto
nothing else,so that,through the clearness thereof,one may look
into the depths of the earth. And when a man washes himself in
it,he becomes clean of the cleanness thereof, and white of
its whiteness even if he were dark. And God created that sea of
His own good pleasure,for He knew what would come of the man He should make so that after he had left the garden,on account of
his transgression.
5 men should be born in the earth,from among
whom righteous ones should die,whose souls God would raise
at the last day when they should return to their flesh,should bathe in the water of that sea,and all of them repent of their sins. But when God made Adam go out of the garden.
6 He did not place him on the border of it
northward,lest he should draw near to the sea of water,and he and Eve wash themselves in it,be cleansed from their sins,forget the transgression they had
committed,and be no longer reminded of it in the thought of their punishment. Then,
again,as to the southern side of the garden, God was not pleased to let Adam
dwell there,because,when the wind blew from the north,it would bring him,on that southern side,the delicious smell of the trees of the
garden. Wherefore God did not put Adam there,lest he should
smell the sweet smell of those trees.
7 forget his transgression,and find consolation for what he had done,take
delight in the smell of the trees,and not be cleansed from his
transgression.
8 Again, also, because God is merciful and of
great pity,and
governs all things in a way He alone knows He
made our father Adam dwell in the western border of
the garden, because on that side the earth is very broad.
9 And God commanded him to dwell there in a cave in a rock the
Cave of Treasures below the garden.
10 world Or black with a deliberate plan or purpose of His own. Arab. sound or echo.
THE CAVE OF TREASURES. CHAPTER II
But when our father Adam, and Eve,went out
of the garden.
11 they trod the ground on their feet,not
knowing they were treading. And when they came to the
opening of the gate of the garden,and saw the broad earth spread before
them,covered with stones large and small,and with sand,
they feared and trembled,and fell on their faces,from the
fear that came upon them,and they were as dead. Because whereas they had hitherto been in the garden land,beautiful ly planted with all manner of
trees they now saw themselves,in a strange land,which they
knew not,and had never seen.
12 And because at that time they were filled
with the grace
of a bright nature.
13 and they had not hearts turned towards earth ly things. Therefore had God pity on them,and when He
saw them fallen before the gate of the garden,He sent
His Word unto father Adam and Eve,and raised them from
their fallen state.
CHAPTER III
Concerning the promise of the great five days
and a half.
God said to Adam,I have
ordained on this earth days and years, and thou and thy seed shall dwell and
walk in it, until the days and years are fulfilled,when I
shall send the Word that created thee, and against which thou
hast transgressed,By the Word of God throughout this book,is to be understood in general,the second person of the
most Holy Trinity,
6 Xoyog John or of the Targums and Talmuds also, as abundantly shown in the book Yezirah (p.84,89)their fall Or covenant.
6 Xoyog John or of the Targums and Talmuds also, as abundantly shown in the book Yezirah (p.84,89)their fall Or covenant.
4 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
the Word that made thee come out of the
garden,and that raised thee when thou wast fallen. Yea,the
Word that will again save thee when the five days and a half
are fulfilled. But when Adam heard these words from God,and of the great five days and a half, he did not
understand the meaning of them. For Adam was thinking that there
would be but five days and a half for him,to the end of the world. And
Adam wept,and prayed God to explain it to him. Then God in His mercy for Adam who was made after His own image and similitude,explained to him,that these
were 5000 and 500 years and how One would then
come and save him and his seed.
14 But God had before that
made this covenant with our father,f Adam, in the same terms,ere he came out
of the garden,when
According to Code Nasar. Ill, p. 69, this world is to last from the creation of Adam, 480,000 years. Or,made this promise to. Or, went away from. Or, made him this promise.
32 And God looked upon Adam thought,and sent the angel Michael as far as the sea that reaches unto India,to take from thence golden rods and bring them to Adam. This did God in His wisdom,in order that these golden rods,being with Adam in the cave,should shine forth with light in the night around him,and put an end to his fear of the darkness. Then the angel Michael went down by God s order, took golden rods,as God had commanded him,and brought them to God.
ADAM AND EVE UNDER TEE ROCK. 53
But when the rock fell,the whole earth quaked with it,and was shaken from the size of the rock. And as it quaked and shook,Adam and Eve awoke from sleep,and found themselves under a rock like a shed. But they knew not how it was;for when they fell asleep they were under the sky,and not under a shed,and when they saw it,they were afraid. Then Adam said to Eve,Wherefore has the mountain bent itself,and the earth quaked and shaken on our account? And why has this rock spread itself over us like a tent? Does God intend to plague us and to shut us up in this prison? Or will He close the earth upon us? He is angry with us for our having come out of the cave, without His order;and for our having done so of our own accord,without consulting Him,when we left the cave and
came to this place. Then Eve said,If,indeed,the earth quaked for our sake,and this rock forms a tent over us because of our transgression,then woe be to us, Adam,for our punishment will be
long. But arise and pray to God to let us know concerning this,and what this rock is, that is spread over us like a tent. Then Adam stood up and prayed before the Lord,to let him know about this strait. And Adam thus stood praying until the morning.
CHAPTER LV
Then came the Word of God to Adam and Eve,and raised them from their dead state,saying unto them,Why came ye up hither? Do you intend to go into the garden,from which I brought you out? It can not be to-day;but only when the covenant I have made with you is fulfilled.
Then Adam, when he heard the Word of God,and the fluttering of the angels whom he did not see,but only hear the sound of them with his ears,he and Eve wept,and said to the angels: O Spirits,who wait upon God,look upon me,and upon my
ADAM SPEAKS TO THE ANGELS 61
being unable to see you! For when I was in my former bright nature, then I could see you. I sang praises as you do;and my heart was far above you. But now,that I have transgressed,that bright nature is
gone from me, and I am come to this miserable state. And now am I come to this,that I cannot see you,and you do not serve me as you were wont. For I am become animal flesh. Yet now,O angels of God,ask God with me,to restore me to that wherein I was formerly;to rescue me from this misery,and to remove from me the sentence of death He passed upon me,for having trespassed against Him/Then,when the angels heard these words, they all grieved over him;and cursed Satan who had beguiled Adam,until he came from the garden to misery;from life to death;from peace to trouble;and from gladness to a strange land. Then the angels said unto Adam,Thou didst hearken to Satan, and didst forsake the Word of God who created thee;and thou didst believe that Satan would fulfill all he had promised thee. But now, Adam, we will make known to thee,what came upon us through him, before his fall from heaven. He gathered together his hosts,and deceived them,promising them to give them a great kingdom,a divine nature;and other promises he made them. His hosts believed that his word was true,so they yielded to him,and renounced the glory of God. He then sent for us according to the orders in which we were to come under his-command,and to hearken to his vain promise. But we would not, and we took not his advice. Then after he had fought with God,and had dealt forwardly with Him, he gathered together his hosts,and made war with us. And if it had not been for God's strength that was with us,we could not have prevailed against him to hurl him from heaven. Or, figure. to Ranks,or dignities.
62 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
One But when lie fell from among us,there was great joy in
heaven,because of his going down from us. For had he continued in heaven,nothing,not even one angel would have remained in it. But God in His mercy, drove him from among us to this dark earth; for he had become darkness itself and a worker of unrighteousness. And he has continued, Adam,to make war against thee,until he beguiled thee and made thee come out of the garden,to this strange land,where all these trials have come to thee. And death,which God brought upon him he has also brought to thee, Adam,because thou didst obey him,and didst transgress against God. Then all the angels rejoiced and praised God,and asked Him not to destroy Adam this time, for his having sought to enter the garden;but to bear with him until the fulfillment of the promise;and to help him in this world until he was free from Satan s hand.
CHAPTER LVI
Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said unto him: O Adam, look at that garden of joy and at this earth of toil,and behold the angels who are in the garden that is full of them, and see thyself alone on this earth, with Satan whom thou didst obey. Yet,if thou hadst submitted, and been obedient to Me,and hadst kept My Word, thou wouldst be with My angels in My garden. But when thou didst transgress and hearken to Satan,thou didst become his guest among his angels,that are full of wickedness;and thou earnest to this earth,that brings forth to thee thorns and thistles.
GOD SPEAKS TO ADAM 63
Adam, ask him who deceived thee, to give thee the divine
nature he promised thee, or to make thee a garden as I had
made for thee;or to fill thee with that same bright nature with
which I had filled thee. Ask him to make thee a body like the one I made thee, or to give thee a day of rest as I gave thee;or to create within thee a reasonable soul,as I did create for thee;or to remove thee hence to some other earth than this one which I gave thee. But, Adam, he will not fulfill even one of the things he told
thee. Acknowledge,then ,My favor towards thee,and My mercy
on thee,My creature; that I have not requited thee for thy
transgression against Me,but in My pity for thee I have promised thee that at the end of the great five days and a half I will come and save thee. Then God said again to Adam and Eve,Arise,go down hence,lest the cherub with a sword of fire in his hand destroy you. But Adam s heart was comforted by God s words to him, and he worshiped before Him. And God commanded His angels to escort Adam and Eve to the cave with joy,instead of the fear that had come upon them. Then the angels took up Adam and Eve, and brought them
down from the mountain by the garden,with songs and psalms,until they brought them to the cave. There the angels began to comfort and to strengthen them,and then departed from them towards heaven,to their Creator,who had sent them. But,after the angels were gone from Adam and Eve,came Satan,with shamefaced,and stood at the entrance of the cave in which were Adam and Eve. He then called to Adam, and said, Adam,come,let me speak to thee. Then Adam came out of the cave,thinking he was one of God s angels that was come to give him some good counsel.
64 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER LVIL
Seventh apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But when Adam came out and saw his hideous figure, he was afraid of him,and said unto him, Who art thou. Then Satan answered and said unto him,It is I,who hid myself within the serpent,and who talked to Eve,and beguiled
her until she hearkened to my command. I am he who sent her,through the wiles of my speech,to deceive thee,until thou and she ate of the fruit of the tree,and ye came away from under the command of God. But when Adam heard these words from him,he said unto him, Canst thou make me a garden as God made for me? Or canst thou clothe me in the same bright nature in which God had clothed me ?
"Where is the divine nature thou didst promise to give me ?
Where is that fair speech of thine,thou didst hold with us at
first,when we were in the garden? Then Satan said unto Adam, Thinnest thou,that when I have spoken to one about anything, I shall ever bring it to him or fulfill my word ? Not so. For I myself have never even thought of obtaining what I asked. Therefore did I fall,and did I make you fall by that for which I myself fell;and with you also,whosoever accepts my counsel,falls thereby. But now, Adam, by reason of thy fall thou art under my rule,and I am king over thee; because thou hast hearkened to me,and hast transgressed against thy God. Neither will there be any deliverance from my hands until the day promised thee by thy God. Again he said,Inasmuch as we do not know the day agreed upon with thee by thy God,nor the hour in which thou Sentence,or judgment.
SATAN S SPEECH TO ADAM. 65
shalt be delivered,for that reason will we multiply war and
murder upon thee and thy seed after thee. This is our will and our good pleasure,that we may not leave one of the sons of men to inherit our orders in heaven. For as to our abode, Adam, it is in burning fire; and we will not cease our evil doing, no,not one day nor one hour. And I, Adam,shall sow fire upon thee when thou comes into the cave to dwell there. When Adam heard these words he wept and mourned, and said unto Eve,Hear what he said;that he will not fulfill aught of what he told thee in the garden. Did he really then become king over us ? But we will ask God, who created us, to deliver us out of his hands.
CHAPTER LVIII
Then Adam and Eve spread their hands unto God, praying and entreating Him to drive Satan away from them;that he do them no violence,and do not force them to deny God. Then God sent to them at once His angel,who drove away Satan from them. This happened about sunset,on the fifty third day after they had come out of the garden. Then Adam and Eve went into the cave,and stood up and turned their faces to the earth, to pray to God. But ere they prayed Adam said unto Eve, Lo,thou hast seen what temptations have befallen us in this land. Come,let us arise,and ask God to forgive us the sins we have committed;and we will not come out until the end of the day next to the fortieth. And if we die herein, He will save us.
Then Adam and Eve arose,and joined together in entreating God. Ranks, or stations,There is confusion of numbers in the text. Or, trials.
66 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
They abode thus praying in the cave;neither did they come out of it,by night or by day, until their prayers went up out of their mouths,like a flame of fire.
CHAPTER LIX
Eighth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But Satan, the hater of all good,did not allow them to end their prayers. For he called to his hosts,and they came,all of them. He then said to them, Since Adam and Eve,whom we beguiled,have agreed together to pray to God night and day,and to entreat Him to deliver them,and since they will not come out of the cave until the end of the fortieth day.
And since they will continue their prayers as they have both agreed to do, that He will deliver them out of our hands,and restore them to their former state,see what we shall do unto them. And his hosts said unto him,Power is thine, O our Lord,to do what thou list est.
Then Satan,great in wickedness,took his hosts and came into the cave,in the thirtieth night of the forty days and one;and he smote Adam and Eve, until he left them dead. Then came the Word of God unto Adam and Eve,who raised them from their suffering,and God said unto Adam, Be strong,and be not afraid of him who has just come to
thee. But Adam wept and said,Where wast Thou, my God,that they should smite me with such blows, and that this suffering should come upon us; upon me and upon Eve, Thy handmaid? Then God said unto him, Adam, see,he is lord and master of all thou hast,he who said, he would give thee Or, steward, trustee, patron,master of all thou hast.
EIGHTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 67
divinity. Where is his love for thee? And where is the gift
he promised? For once has it pleased him, Adam, to come to thee,
to comfort thee,and to strengthen thee, and to rejoice with
thee,and to send his hosts to guard thee;because thou hast
hearkened to him,and hast yielded to his counsel;and hast
transgressed My commandment but has followed his behest ? Then Adam wept before the Lord, and said,Lord because I transgressed a little, Thou hast sorely plagued me in return for it, I ask Thee to deliver me out of his hands;or else have pity on me, and take my soul out of my body now in this strange land. Then God said unto Adam,If only there had been this sighing and praying before,ere thou didst transgress ! Then wouldst thou have rest from the trouble in which thou art now. But God had patience with Adam, and let him and Eve remain in the cave until they had fulfilled the forty days. But as to Adam and Eve, their strength and flesh withered from fasting and praying, from hunger and thirst; for they had not tasted either food or drink since they left the garden,nor were the functions of their bodies yet settled;and they had no strength left to continue in prayer from hunger,until the end of the next day to the fortieth. They were fallen down in the cave;yet what speech escaped from their mouths, was only in praises.
CHAPTER LX.
Ninth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. Then on the eighty-ninth day, Satan came to the cave,clad in a garment of light,40 and girt about with a bright girdle.
68 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
In his hands was a staff of light, and he looked most awful: but his face was pleasant and his speech was sweet. He thus transformed himself in order to deceive Adam and Eve,and to make them come out of the cave, ere they had fulfilled the forty days. For he said within himself,Now that when they had fulfilled the forty days fasting and praying,God would restore them to their former estate; but if He did not do so,He would still be favorable to them; and even if He had not mercy on them,would He yet give them something from the garden to comfort them; as already twice before. Then Satan drew near the cave in this fair appearance,and said: O Adam, rise ye, stand up,thou and Eve,and come along with me,to a good landand fear not. I am flesh and bones like you; and at first I was a creature that God created. And it was so, that when He had created me,He placed in a garden in the north,on the border of the world. And He said to me, Abide here/ And I abode there according to His Word,neither did I transgress His commandment. Then He made a slumber to come over me, and He brought thee, Adam,out of my side,but did not make thee abide by me. But God took thee in His divine hand, and placed thee in a garden to the eastward. Then I grieved because of thee,for that while God had taken thee out of my side,He had not let thee abide with me. But God said unto me: Grieve not because of Adam,whom I brought out of thy side;no harm will come to him. For now I have brought out of his side a help-meet for him;and I have given him joy by so doing/Then Satan said again,I did not know how it is ye are in of the north;the northern paradise or garden.
NINTH APPARITION OF SATAN 69
this cave,nor anything about this trial that has come upon you
until God said to me, Behold,Adam has transgressed,he whom I had taken out of thy side,and Eve also,whom I took out of his side;and I have driven them out of the garden;I have made them dwell in a land of sorrow and misery,because they transgressed against Me,and have hearkened to Satan. And lo,they are in suffering unto this day, the
eightieth/Then God said unto me, Arise,go to them,and make them
come to thy place,and suffer not that Satan come near them,and afflict them. For they are now in great misery;and lie helpless from hunger/He further said to me, When thou hast taken them to thyself,give them to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and give them to drink of the water of peace;and clothe them in
a garment of light,and restore them to their former state of
grace,and leave them not in misery,for they came from thee. But grieve not over them, nor repent of that which has come upon them/But when I heard this,I was sorry;and my heart could not patiently bear it for thy sake, my child. But, Adam, when I heard the name of Satan, I was afraid,and I said within myself,I will not come out,lest he ensnare me,as he did my children,Adam and Eve. And I said, God,when I go to my children,Satan will meet me in the way, and war against me,as he did against them/Then God said unto me, Fear not;when thou finest him,smite him with the staff that is in thine hand, and be not afraid of him,for thou art of old standing, and he shall not prevail against thee/Then I said, my Lord, I am old,and cannot go. Send Thy angels to bring them/Or, prostrate. Or, regret,grieve over. My thoughts,or mind.
70 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
But God said unto me, Angels, verily,are not like them\and they will not consent to come with them. But I have chosen thee,because they are thy offspring, and like thee,and will hearken to what thou sayest/God said further to me, If thou hast not strength to walk,I will send a cloud to carry thee and alight thee at the entrance of their cave;then the cloud will return and leave thee there. And if they will come with thee,I will send a cloud to carry thee and them. Then He commanded a cloud,and it bare me up and brought me to you;and then went back. And now,my children, Adam and Eve,look at my hoar hairs and at my feeble estate, and at my coming from that distant place. Come,come with me, to a place of rest. Then he began to weep and to sob before Adam and Eve,and his tears poured upon the earth like water. And when Adam and Eve raised their eyes and saw his beard,and heard his sweet talk, their hearts softened towards him;they hearkened unto him,for they believed he was true. And it seemed to them that they really were his offspring,when they saw that his face was like their own;and they trusted him.
CHAPTER LXI
Then he took Adam and Eve by the hand, and began to bring them out of the cave. But when they were come a little way out of it,God knew that Satan had overcome them,and had brought them out ere the forty days were ended,to take them to some distant place,and to destroy them. Then the Word of the Lord God again came and cursed Satan,and drove him away from them. Or,speech.
GOD SPEAKS TO ADAM AND EVE. 71
And God began to speak unto Adam and Eve,saying to them,What made you come out of the cave,unto this place? Then Adam said unto God, Didst thou create a man before us? For when we were in the cave there suddenly came unto us a good old man who said to us,I am a messenger from God unto you, to bring you back to some place of rest/And we did believe, God,that he was a messenger from
Thee;and we came out with him; and knew not whither we should go with him. Then God said unto Adam, See,that is the father of evil arts,who brought thee and Eve out of the Garden of Delights. And now, indeed,when he saw that thou and Eve both joined together in fasting and praying, and that you came not out of the cave before the end of the forty days,he wished to make
your purpose vain,to breaks your mutual bond;to cut off all
hope from you,and to drive you to some place where he might
destroy you. Because he was unable to do aught to you, unless he
showed himself in the likeness of you. Therefore did he come to you with a face like your own,and began to give you tokens as if they were all true. But I in mercy and with the favor I had unto you, did not\allow him to destroy you; but I drove him away from you.
Now,therefore, Adam, take Eve,and return to your cave, and remain in it until the morrow of the fortieth day. And when ye come out, go towards the eastern gate of the garden. Then Adam and Eve worshiped God, and praised and blessed Him for the deliverance that had come to them from Him. And they returned towards the cave. This happened at eventide of the thirty-ninth day. Or, wiles alter.to show you tokens hat appeared true. The fulfillment of the fortieth day.
72 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then Adam and Eve stood up and with great zeal,prayed to God,to be brought out of their want of strength;for their strength had departed from them,through hunger and thirst and prayer. But they watched the whole of that night praying, until morning. Then Adam said unto Eve, Arise, let us go towards the eastern gate of the garden as God told us. And they said their prayers as they were wont to do every day;and they went out of the cave,to go near to the eastern gate of the garden. Then Adam and Eve stood up and prayed, and besought God to strengthen them,and to send them something to satisfy their hunger.
41
But when they had ended their prayers,they remained where they were by reason of their failing strength. Then came the Word of God again,and said unto them, 0 Adam, arise, go and bring hither two figs. Then Adam and Eve arose, and went until they drew near
to the cave.
CHAPTER LXII.
Tenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,about the figs. But Satan the wicked,was envious,because of the consolation God had given them. So he prevented them,and went into the cave and took the
two figs, and buried them outside the cave,so that Adam and
Eve should not find them. He also had in his thoughts to destroy them. But by God s mercy,as soon as those two figs were in the earth,God defeated Satan s counsel regarding them; and labor, fervor, or toil, lack,or poverty. Or,because God had comforted them.
TENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 73
made them into two fruit-trees,that overshadowed the cave. For Satan had buried them on the eastern side of it. Then when the two trees were grown,and were covered with fruit,Satan grieved and mourned, and said,Better were it to have left those figs as they were; for now,behold,they have become two fruit-trees, whereof Adam will eat all the days of his life. Whereas I had in mind,when I buried them, to destroy them entirely,and to hide them for aye. But God has overturned my counsel;and would not that this sacred fruit should perish;and He has made plain my intention,and has defeated the counsel I had formed against His servants. Then Satan went away ashamed,of not having wrought out his design.
CHAPTER LXIII
But Adam and Eve, as they drew near to the cave,saw two fig-trees, covered with fruit,and overshadowing the cave. Then Adam said to Eve, It seems to me we have gone astray. When did these two trees grow here? It seems to me that the enemy wishes to lead us astray. Sayest thou that there is in the earth another cave than this? Yet, Eve,let us go into the cave,and find in it the two figs;for this is our cave,in which we were. But if we should not find the two figs in it,then it cannot be our cave. They went then into the cave,and looked into the four corners of it,but found not the two figs.
And Adam wept,and said to Eve,Are we come to a wrong cave, then,Eve? It seems to me these two fig-trees are the two figs that were in the cave. And Eve said, I, for my part,do not know. Then Adam stood up and prayed and said,O God, Thou
74 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
didst command us to come back to the cave,to take the two figs,and then to return to Thee. But now,we have not found them. God,hast Thou taken them,and sown these two trees,or have we gone astray
in the earth; or has the enemy deceived us? If it be real,then, God, reveal to us the secret of these two trees and of the two figs/Then came the Word of God to Adam,and said unto him, Adam, when I sent thee to fetch the figs,Satan went before thee to the cave,took the figs,and buried them outside, eastward of the cave,thinking to destroy them;and not sowing them with good intent. Not for his mere sake, then,have these trees grown up at once;but I had mercy on thee and I commanded them to grow. And they grew to be two large trees, that you be over shadowed by their branches, and find rest;and that I make you see My power and My marvelous works. And, also,to show you Satan s meanness,and his evil works,for ever since ye came out of the garden,he has not ceased, no,not one day,from doing you some harm. But I have not given him power over you. And God said, Henceforth, Adam,rejoice on account of the trees,thou and Eve ;and rest under them when ye feel weary. But eat not of their fruit, nor come near them. Then Adam wept, and said, God,wilt Thou again kill us, or wilt Thou drive us away from before Thy face,and cut
our life from off the face of the earth? God,I beseech Thee,if Thou know-est that there be in these trees either death or some other evil,as at the first time,root them up from near our cave,and wither them;and leave us to die of the heat,of hunger and of thirst. For we know Thy marvelous works, God,that they are
great,and that by Thy power Thou canst bring one thing out In the garden.
GOD GIVES THEM FIGS TO EAT. 75
of another,without one s wish. For Thy power can make rocks to become trees,and trees to become rocks.
CHAPTER LXIV.
Then God looked upon Adam and upon his strength of mind,upon his endurance of hunger and thirst,and of . the heat. And he changed the two fig-trees into two figs,as they were at first,and then said to Adam and to Eve, Each of you may take one fig. And they took them, as the Lord commanded them. And he said to them,Go ye into the cave, and eat the figs,and satisfy your hunger,lest ye die/So, as God commanded them,they went into the cave,about the time when the sun was setting. And Adam and Eve stood up and prayed at the time of the setting sun. Then they sat down to eat the figs; but they knew not how to eat them; for they were not accustomed to eat earthly food.
They feared also lest,if they ate,their stomach should be burdened and their flesh thickened,and their hearts take to liking earthly food. But while they were thus seated, God,out of pity for them,
sent them His angel,lest they should perish of hunger and thirst. And the angel said unto Adam and Eve, God says to you
that ye have not strength to fast until death; eat, therefore,
and strengthen your bodies; for ye are now animal flesh,that
cannot subsist without food and drink/Then Adam and Eve took the figs and began to eat of them. But God had put into them a mixture as of savory bread and blood. Then the angel went from Adam and Eve, who ate of the figs until they had satisfied their hunger. Then they put by what remained;but by the power of God,the figs became full will,or wish.
76 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
as before,because God blessed them. After this Adam and Eve arose,and prayed with a joyful heart and renewed strength,and praised and rejoiced abundantly the whole of that night. And this was the end of the eighty-third day.
CHAPTER LXV.
And when it was day,they rose and prayed,after their custom,and then went out of the cave. But as they felt great trouble from the food they had eaten,and to which they were not used,they went about in the cave saying to each other: What has happened to us through eating,that this pain should have come upon us? Woe be to us,we shall die! Better for us to have died than to have eaten;and to have kept our bodies pure,than to have denied them with food.
Then Adam said to Eve, This pain did not come to us in the garden, neither did we eat such bad food there. Thinnest thou, Eve,that God will plague us through the food that is in us,or that our inwards will come out;or that God means to kill us with this pain before He has fulfilled His promise to us? Then Adam besought the Lord and said, O Lord, let us not perish through the food we have eaten. Lord, smite us not;but deal with us according to Thy great mercy, and forsake us not until the day of the promise Thou hast made us. Then God looked upon them,and at once fitted them for eating food; as unto this day; so that they should not perish. Then Adam and Eve came back into the cave sorrowful and weeping because of the alteration in their nature. And they both knew from that hour that they were altered beings,that their hope of returning to the garden was now cut off;and that they could not enter it.
GOD GIVES THEM WATER TO DRINK. 77
For that now their bodies had strange functions;and all flesh that requires food and drink for its existence, cannot be in the garden.
Then Adam said to Eve, Behold,our hope is now cut off;and so is our trust to enter the garden. We no longer belong to the inhabitants of the garden;but henceforth we are earthy and of the dust,and of the inhabitants of the earth. We shall not return to the garden,until the day in which God has promised to save us,and to bring us again into the garden,as He promised us.Then they prayed to God that He would have mercy on them; after which, their mind was quieted,their hearts were broken,and their longing was cooled down;and they were like strangers on earth. That night Adam and Eve spent in the
cave,where they slept heavily by reason of the food they had
eaten.
CHAPTER LXVI
When it was morning,the day after they had eaten food, Adam and Eve prayed in the cave,and Adam said unto Eve, Lo, we asked for food of God, and He gave it. But now let us also ask Him to give us a drink of water. Then they arose,and went to the bank of the stream of water, that was on the south border of the garden, in which they had before thrown themselves. And they stood on the bank,and prayed to God that He would command them to drink of the water. Then the Word of God came to Adam,and said unto him, O Adam,thy body is become brutish,and requires water to drink. Take ye, and drink,thou and Eve;give thanks and praise. Adam and Eve then drew near,and drank of it,until their bodies felt refreshed. After having drunk, they praised
78 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
and then returned to their cave, after their former custom.
This happened at the end of eighty-three days. Then on the eighty-fourth day,they took two figs and hung them in the cave, together with the leaves thereof,to be to them a sign and a blessing from God. And they placed them there until there should arise a posterity to them, who should see the wonderful things God had done to them.
Then Adam and Eve again stood outside the cave, and besought God to show them some food wherewith to nourish their bodies. Then the Word of God came and said unto him, Adam,go down to the westward of the cave,as far as a land of dark soil,and there thou shalt find food. And Adam hearkened unto the Word of God, took Eve,and went down to a land of dark soil,and found there wheat growing, in the ear and ripe, and figs to eat;and Adam rejoiced over it. Then the Word of God came again to Adam,and said unto him, Take of this wheat and make thee bread of it,to nourish thy body withal. And God gave Adam s heart wisdom,to work out the corn until it became bread. Adam accomplished all that,until he grew very faint and weary. He then returned to the cave;rejoicing at what he had learned of what is done with wheat,until it is made into bread for one s use. Further details would lengthen too much the description of them;we therefore cut short our narrative .
CHAPTER LXVIL
First wonder that happened to Adam and Eve with Satan,respecting the wheat. But when Adam and Eve went down to the land of black Or,black mud.
GOD GIVES THEM WHEAT. 79
mud,and came near to the wheat God had showed them,and saw it ripe and ready for reaping,as they had no sickle to reap it withal they girt themselves,and began to pull up the wheat,until it was all done. Then they made it into a heap;and,faint from heat and from thirst,they went under a shady tree,where the breeze fanned them to sleep. But Satan saw what Adam and Eve had done. And he called his hosts, and said to them,Since God has shown to Adam and Eve all about this wheat,wherewith to strengthen their bodies and, lo,they are come and have made a heap of it,and faint from the toil are now asleep come,let us set fire to this heap of cornj, and burn it,and let us take that bottle of water that is by them,and empty it out,so that they may find nothing to drink,and we kill them with hunger and thirst. Then, when they wake up from their sleep,and seek to
return to the cave,we will come to them in the way,and will lead them astray; so that they die of hunger and thirst; when they may, perhaps, deny God, and He destroy them. So shall we be rid of them. Then Satan and his hosts threw fire upon the wheat and consumed it. But from the heat of the flame Adam and Eve awoke from their sleep,and saw the wheat burning,and the bucket of
water by them,poured out. Then they wept and went back to the cave.
But as they were going up from below the mountain where they were,Satan and his hosts met them in the form of angels,praising God. Then Satan said to Adam,why art thou so pained with hunger and thirst ? It seems to me that Satan has burnt up the wheat. And Adam said to him, Ay. Again Satan said to Adam,Come back with us; we are dry have rest from them.
80 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
angels of God. God sent us to thee,to show thee another field of corn,better than that;and beyond it is a fountain of good water, and many trees,where thou shalt dwell near it,and work the corn-field to better purpose than that which Satan has consumed. Adam thought that he was true,and that they were angels who talked with him; and he went back with them. Then Satan began to lead astray Adam and Eve eight days,until they both fell down as if dead, from hunger, thirst,and faintness. Then he fled with his hosts, and left them.
CHAPTER LXVIII
Then God looked upon Adam and Eve,and upon what had come upon them from Satan, and how he had made them perish. God, therefore,sent His Word, and raised up Adam and Eve from their state of death. Then, Adam, when he was raised, said, God,Thou hast burnt and taken from us the corn Thou hadst given us,and Thou hast emptied out the bucket of water. And Thou hast sent Thy angels,who have waylaid us from the corn-field. Wilt Thou make us perish ? If this be from Thee, O God,then take away our souls;but punish us not. Then God said to Adam,I did not burn down the wheat,and I did not pour the water out of the bucket,and I did not send My angels to lead thee astray. But it is Satan,thy master who did it;he to whom thou hast subjected thyself;My commandment being meanwhile set aside. He it is,who burnt down the corn,and poured out the water,and who has led thee astray; and all the promises he has made you,verily are but feint,and deceit,and a lie. But now, Adam,thou shalt acknowledge My good deeds done to thee.
ADAM S OFFERING OF WHEAT 81
And God told His angels to take Adam and Eve,and to bear them up to the field of wheat,which they found as before,with the bucket full of water. There they saw a tree,and found on it solid manna;and wondered at God s power. And the angels commanded them to eat of the manna when they were hungry. And God adjured Satan with a curse, not to come again,and destroy the field of corn. Then Adam and Eve took of the corn,and made of it an offering,and took it and offered it up on the mountain,the place where they had offered up their first offering of blood. And they offered this oblation again on the altar they had built at first. And they stood up and prayed, and besought
the Lord saying,Thus, God, when we were in the garden,did our praises go up to Thee, like this offering;and our innocencet went up to the like incense. But now, God,accept this offering from us, and turn us not back,reft of Thy mercy. Then God said to Adam and Eve,yet Since ye have made this oblation and have offered it to Me,I shall make it My flesh, when I come down upon earth to save you; and I shall cause it to be offered continually upon an altar,for forgiveness and for mercy,unto those who partake of it duly.And God sent a bright fire upon the offering of Adam and Eve,and filled it with brightness, grace,and light;and the Holy Ghost came down upon that oblation. Then God commanded an angel to take fire-tongs,like a spoon, and with it to take an offering and bring it to Adam place.
p. 414.Or, purity. Or, bare.
The Arabic adds: And God wondered at Adam s wisdom,and Adam's deed
pleased him. Or, body. Used at the Eucharist in the East.
82 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
and Eve. And the angel did so,as God had commanded him,and offered it to them. And the souls of Adam and Eve were brightened,and their
hearts were filled with joy and gladness and with the praises of
God. And God said to Adam,This shall be unto you a custom,to do so,when affliction and sorrow come upon you. But your deliverance and your entrance into the garden,shall not be until the days are fulfilled,as agreed between you and Me;were it not so, I would,of My mercy and pity for you,bring you back to My garden and to My favor for the sake of the offering you have just made to My name. Adam rejoiced at these words which he heard from God;and he and Eve worshiped before the altar,to which they bowed,and then went back to the Cave of Treasures. And this took place at the end of the twelfth day after the eightieth day,from the time Adam and Eve came out of the garden. And they stood up the whole night praying until morning;and then went out of the cave. Then Adam said to Eve,with joy of heart, because of the offering they had made to God,and that had been accepted of Him,Let us do this three times every week,on the fourth day Wednesday,on the preparation day Friday,and on the Sabbath Sunday, all the days of our life. And as they agreed to these words between themselves,God was pleased with their thoughts, and with the resolution they had each taken with the other. After this,came the Word of God to Adam,and said,Adam,thou hast determined beforehand the days in which sufferings shall come upon Me, when I am made flesh;for they are the fourth Wednesday,and the preparation day Friday. But as to the first day,I created in it all things,and I raised the heavens. And, again,through My rising again on
TWELFTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 83
this day, will I create joy,and raise them on high,who believe
in Me; Adam,offer this oblation,all the days of thy life. Then God withdrew His Word from Adam. But Adam continued to offer this oblation thus,every week three times,until the end of seven weeks. And on the first day,which is the fiftieth,Adam made an offering as he was wont,and he and Eve took it and came to the altar before God,as He had taught them.
CHAPTER LXIX
Twelfth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,while Adam was praying over the offering upon the altar; when Satan smote him. Then Satan,the hater of all good,envious of Adam and of his offering through which he found favor with God,hastened and took a sharp stone from among sharp iron-stones;appeared in the form of a man, and went and stood by Adam and Eve. Adam was then offering on the altar,and had begun to pray,with his hands spread unto God. Then Satan hastened with the sharp iron-stone he had with him, and with it pierced Adam on the right side,whence flowed blood and water,then Adam fell upon the altar like a corpse. And Satan fled. Then Eve came,and took Adam and placed him below the altar. And there she stayed,weeping over him; while a stream of blood flowed from Adam s side upon his offering. But God looked upon the death of Adam. He then sent His Word,and raised him up and said unto him, Fulfill thy offering,for indeed, Adam,it is worth much,and there is no shortcoming in it. God said further unto Adam,Thus will it also happen foo, Also: lack, or imperfection, defect,or deficiency.
84 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Me, on the earth, when I shall be pierced and blood shall flow,
blood and water from My side, and run over My body, which
is the true offering;and which shall be offered on the altar as
a perfect offering. Then God commanded Adam to finish his offering, and when he had ended it he worshiped before God, and praised Him
for the signs He had showed him. And God healed Adam in one day, which is the end of the seven weeks; and that is the fiftieth day.
Then Adam and Eve returned from the mountain,and went into the Cave of Treasures, as they were used to do. This completed for Adam and Eve,one hundred and forty days since their coming out of the garden. Then they both stood up that night and prayed to God.
And when it was morning,they went out,and went down westward of the cave,to the place where their corn was,and there rested under the shadow of a tree, as they were wont. But when there a multitude of beasts came all round them. It was Satan s doing,in his wickedness; in order to wage war against Adam through marriage.
CHAPTER LXX.
Thirteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,to make,war against him,through his marriage with Eve. After this Satan, the hater of all good,took the form of an angel,and witch him two others,so that they looked like the three angels who had brought to Adam, gold, incense,and myrrh. They passed before Adam and Eve while they were under the tree,and greeted Adam and Eve with fair words that were
full of guile. But when Adam and Eve saw their comely mien,and heard
THIRTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 85
their sweet speech, Adam rose,welcomed them,and brought them to Eve,and they remained all together;Adam s heart the while,being glad because he thought concerning them,that they were the same angels, who had brought him gold,incense,and myrrh. Because,when they came to Adam the first time, there came upon him from them,peace and joy,through their bringing him good tokens;so Adam thought that they were come a second time to give him other tokens for him to rejoice withal. For he did not know it was Satan;therefore did he receive them with joy and companied with them. Then Satan,the tallest of them, said, Rejoice, Adam,and be glad. Lo, God has sent us to thee to tell thee something. And Adam said,What is it? Then Satan answered,It is a light thing,yet it is a word of God, wilt thou hear it from us and do it? But if thou nearest not,we will return to God,and tell Him that thou wouldst not receive His word. And Satan said again to Adam,Fear not, neither let a
trembling come upon thee; dost not thou know us ?"
But Adam said,I know you not. Then Satan said to him, " I am the angel who brought thee gold,and took it to the cave ; this other one is he who brought thee incense;and that third one, is he who brought thee myrrh when thou wast on the top of the mountain, and who carried thee to the cave. But as to the other angels our fellows,who bare you to the cave,God has not sent them with us this time; for He said to us,You suffice. So when Adam heard these words he believed them,and said to these angels,Speak the word of God, that I may receive it. And Satan said unto him,Swear, and promise me that thou wilt receive it. Then Adam said,I know not how to swear and promise.
86 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And Satan said to him,Hold out thy hand,and put it inside my hand.
Then Adam held out his hand,and put it into Satan's hand;when Satan said unto him,Say,now so true as God is living, rational, and speaking,who raised the heavens in the space,and established the earth upon the waters,and has created me out of the four elements, and out of the dust of the earth I will not breakf my promise, nor renounce my word. And Adam swore thus. Then Satan said to him,Lo, it is now some time since thou earnest out of the garden,and thou know-est neither wickedness nor evil. But now God says to thee,to take Eve who came out of thy side,and to wed her,that she bear thee children,to comfort thee,and to drive from thee trouble and
sorrow;now this thing is not difficult,neither is there any
scandal in it to thee.
CHAPTER LXXI
But when Adam heard these words from Satan, he sorrowed much,because of his oath and of his promise,and said,Shall I commit adultery with my flesh and my bones,and shall I sin against myself,for God to destroy me,and to blot me out from off the face of the earth? Since, when at first,I ate of the tree,He drove me out of the garden into this strange land, and deprived me of my bright nature,and brought death upon me. If, then,I should do this,He will cut off my life from the earth, and He will cast me into hell,and will plague me there a long time. But God never spoke the words thou hast told me ; and ye are not God s angels,nor yet sent from Him. But ye are
devils,come to me under the false appearance of angels. Away
from me; ye cursed of God\as indeed foul.
ADAM OATH TO SATAN. 87
Then those devils fled from before Adam. And he and Eve arose,and returned to the Cave of Treasures,and went into it. Then Adam said to Eve,If thou sawest what I did, tell it not;for I sinned against God in swearing by His great name,and I have placed my hand another time into that of Satan/Eve, then, held her peace,as Adam told her.
Then Adam arose,and spread his hands onto God,beseeching and entreating Him with tears, to forgive him what he had done. And Adam remained thus standing and praying forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank until he dropped down upon the earth from hunger and thirst. Then God sent His Word unto Adam, who raised him up from where he lay,and said unto him, Adam,why hast thou sworn by My name,and why hast thou made agreement with Satan another time ?
But Adam wept,and said,God, forgive me,for I did this unwittingly; believing they were God s angels. And God forgave Adam,saying to him,Beware of Satan. And He withdrew His Word from Adam.
Then Adam s heart was comforted;and he took Eve,and they went out of the cave,to make some food for their bodies. But from that day Adam struggled in his mind about his wedding Eve;afraid as he was to do it,lest God should be wroth with him. Then Adam and Eve went to the river of water,and sat on the bank,as people do when they enjoy themselves. But Satan was jealous of them;and would destroy them.
CHAPTER LXXIL
Fourteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve;as coming up out of the river,in the similitude of young maidens. Then Satan, and ten from his hosts,transformed themselves into maidens,unlike any others in the whole world for grace.
88 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
They came up out of the river in presence of Adam and Eve,and they said among themselves,Come, we will look at the faces of Adam and of Eve,who are of the men upon earth. How beautiful they are, and how different is their look from our own faces. Then they came to Adam and Eve,and greeted them; and stood wondering at them. Adam and Eve looked at them also, and wondered at their beauty, and said, Is there, then, under us,another world, with such beautiful creatures as these in it ? And those maidens said to Adam and Eve, " Yes, indeed, we are an abundant creation. Then Adam said to them, " But how do you multiply? And they answered him,We have husbands who wedded us,and we bear them children,who grow up,and who in their
turn wed and are wedded,and also bear children;and thus we increase. And if so be, Adam,thou wilt not believe us, we will show thee our husbands and our children. Then they shouted over the river as if to call their husbands and their children,who came up from the river, men and children and every one came to his wife,his children being
with him. But when Adam and Eve saw them, they stood dumb, and
wondered at them. Then they said to Adam and Eve, You see our husbands and our children,wed Eve as we wed our wives,and you shall
have children the same as we." This was a device of Satan to
deceive Adam. Satan also thought within himself,God at first commanded. Adam concerning the fruit of the tree,saying to him,Eat
not of it;else of death thou shalt die/But Adam ate of it,and yet God did not kill him; He only decreed upon him death,and plagues and trials,until the day he shall come out of his body. Now, then,if I deceive him to do this thing,and to wed Eve without God's commandment,God will kill him then.
FOURTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 89
Therefore did Satan work this apparition before Adam and
Eve; because he sought to kill him,and to make him disappear
from off the face of the earth. Meanwhile the fire of sin came upon Adam,and he thought of committing sin. But he restrained himself, fearing lest if he followed this advice of Satan God would put him to death. Then Adam and Eve arose,and prayed to God,while Satan
and his hosts went down into the river, in presence of Adam
and Eve;to let them see that they were going back to their own regions. Then Adam and Eve went back to the Cave of Treasures,
as they were wont;about evening time. And they both arose and prayed to God that night. Adam remained standing in prayer,yet not knowing how to pray,by reason of the thoughts of his heart regarding his wedding Eve; and he continued so until morning. And when light arose, Adam said unto Eve, Arise let us go below the mountain,where they brought us gold,and let us ask the Lord concerning this matter.
Then Eve said, What is that matter,
Adam V
And he answered her,That I may request the Lord to inform me about wedding thee;for I will not do it without His order,lest He make us perish,thee and me. For those devils have set my heart on fire,with thoughts of what they showed us,in their sinful apparitions. Then Eve said to Adam,Why need we go below the mountain? Let us rather stand up and pray in our cave to God,to let us know whether this counsel is good or not. Then Adam rose up in prayer and said, God, Thou know-est that we transgressed against Thee,and from the
moment we transgressed,we were bereft of our bright nature;and our body became brutish,requiring food and drink ;and with animal desires. Command us, God,not to give way to them without Thy
90 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
order, lest Thou bring us to nothing. For if Thou give us not
the order,we shall be overpowered,and follow that advice of
Satan;and Thou wilt again make us perish. If not, then take our souls from us; let us be rid of this animal lust. And if Thou give us no order respecting this thing,then sever Eve from me, and me from her;and place us each far away from the other. Yet again, God, when Thou hast put us asunder from each other,the devils will deceive us with their apparitions,and destroy our hearts, and defile our thoughts towards each other. Yet if it is not each of us towards the other,it will,at all events,be through their appearance when they show themselves to us/Here Adam ended his prayer.
CHAPTER LXXIIL
Then God looked upon the words of Adam that they were
true,and that he could long await His order, respecting the
counsel of Satan. And God approved Adam in what he had thought concerning this,and in the prayer he had offered in His presence ; and the Word of God came unto Adam and said to him, Adam,if only thou hadst had this caution at first,ere thou earnest out of the garden into this land\After that,God sent His angel who had brought gold,and the angel who had brought incense,and the angel who had
brought myrrh to Adam,that they should inform him respecting his wedding Eve. Then those angels said to Adam,Take the gold and give
it to Eve as a wedding gift,and betroth her; then give her some incense and myrrh as a present; and be ye,thou and she,one flesh.
Adam hearkened to the angels,and took the gold and put
BIRTH OF CAIN AND OF LULUWA 91
it into Eve s bosom in her garment; and bethrothed;her with
his hand. Then the angels commanded Adam and Eve,to arise and
pray forty days and forty nights; and after that,that Adam
should come in to his wife; for then this would be an act pure
and undefiled; and he should have children who would multiply,and replenish the face of the earth. Then both Adam and Eve received the words of the angels; and the angels departed from them. Then Adam and Eve began to fast and to pray,until the end of the forty days; and then they came together,as the angels had told them. And from the time Adam left the garden until he wedded Eve,were two hundred and twenty-three days, that is seven months and thirteen days.
Thus was Satan s war with Adam defeated.
CHAPTER LXXIV.
And they dwelt on the earth working,in order to continue in the well-being of their bodies; and were so until the nine months of Eve's child-bearing were ended,and the time drew near when she must be delivered. Then she said unto Adam, This cave is a pure spot by
reason of the signs wrought in it since we left the garden;and we shall again pray in it. It is not meet, then,that I should bring forth in it; let us rather repair to that of the sheltering rock, which Satan hurled at us, when he wished to kill us with it; but that was held up and spread as an awning over us by the command of Grod;and formed a cave.Then Adam removed Eve to that cave; and when the time came that she should bring forth,she travailed much. So was Adam sorry,and his heart suffered for her sake; for she was
nigh unto death; that the word of God to her should be
92 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
fulfilled In suffering shalt thou bear a child,and in sorrow
slialt thou bring forth thy child/But when Adam saw the strait in which Eve was,he arose and prayed to God,and said, Lord,look upon me with the eye of Thy mercy,and bring her out of her distress. And God looked at His maid-servant Eve, and delivered her,and she brought forth her first-born son,and with-him a daughter. Then Adam rejoiced at Eve's deliverance,and also over the children she had borne him. And Adam ministered unto Eve in the cave, until the end of eight days; when they named the son Cain,and the daughter Luluwa. The meaning of Cain is hater/because he hated his sister in their mother s womb; ere they came out of it. Therefore did Adam name him Cain.
But Luluwa means beautiful/because she was more beautiful than her mother. Then Adam and Eve waited until Cain and his sister were
forty days old,when Adam said unto Eve,We will make an offering and offer it up in behalf of the children.And Eve said, We will make one offering for the first-born son; and afterwards we shall make one for the daughter.
CHAPTER LXXV.
Then Adam prepared an offering,and he and Eve offered it up for their children,and brought it to the altar they had built at first.
And Adam offered up the offering, and besought God to accept his offering. Then God accepted Adam s offering,and sent a light from
heaven that shone upon the offering. And Adam and the son
drew near to the offering,but Eve and the daughter did not
approach unto it.
Gail, Luluwa is the Arabic for a pearl.
ADAM'S OFFERING FOR HIS CHILDREN. 93
Then Adam came down from upon the altar,and they were joyful; and Adam and Eve waited until the daughter was eighty days old; then Adam prepared an offering and took it to Eve and to the children; and they went to the altar-where Adam offered it up,as he was wont, asking the Lord to accept his offering. And the Lord accepted the offering of Adam and Eve. Then Adam, Eve, and the children,drew near together,and came down from the mountain,rejoicing. But they returned not to the cave in which they were born; but came to the Cave of Treasures,in order that the children should go round it,and be blessed with the tokens brought from the garden. But after they had been blessed with these tokens,they went back to the cave in which they were born. However,before Eve had offered up the offering, Adam had taken her,and had gone with her to the river of water,in which they threw themselves at first; and there they washed themselves. Adam washed his body and Eve hers also
clean,after the suffering and distress that had come upon
them. But Adam and Eve,after washing themselves in the river of
water, returned every night to the Cave of Treasures, where
they prayed and were blessed; and then went back to their cave, where the children were born. So did Adam and Eve until the children had done sucking. Then, when they were weaned,Adam made an offering for the souls of his children; other than the three times he made an offering for them,every week. When the days of nursing the children were ended, Eve again conceived,and when her days were accomplished she brought forth another son and daughter; and they named the son Abel,and the daughter Aklemia. Then at the end of forty days,Adam made an offering for the son, and at the end of eighty days he made another offering
94 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
for the daughter,and did by them,as he had done before by Cain and his sister Luluwa. He brought them to the Cave of Treasures,where they received a blessing,and then returned to the cave where they were born. After the birth of these,Eve ceased from childbearing.
CHAPTER LXXVI
And the children began to wax stronger,and to grow in stature; but Cain was hard-hearted,and ruled over his younger brother. And oftentimes when his father made an offering, he would
remain behind and not go with them, to offer up. But, as to Abel,he had a meek heart,and was obedient to his father and mother,whom he often moved to make an offering,because he loved it; and prayed and fasted much. Then came this sign to Abel. As he was coming into the
Cave of Treasures,and saw the golden rods,the incense and the myrrh,he inquired of his parents Adam and Eve concerning them,and said unto them,How did you come by these ? Then Adam told him all that had befallen them. And Abel felt deeply about what his father told him. Furthermore his father Adam told him of the works of God,
and of the garden; and after that,he remained behind his father the whole of that night in the Cave of Treasures. And that night,while he was praying, Satan appeared unto him under the figure of a man, who said to him,Thou hast oftentimes moved thy father to make an offering,to fast and to pray,therefore I will kill thee,and make thee perish from this world. But as for Abel,he prayed to God,and drove away Satan from him; and believed not the words of the devil. Then when
SATAN APPEARS TO CAIN. 95
it was day, an angel of God appeared unto him, who said to him,Shorten neither fasting, prayer,nor offering no an
oblation unto thy God. For, lo,the Lord has accepted thy
prayer. Be not afraid of the figure which appeared unto thee
in the night,and who cursed thee unto death. And the
angel departed from him. Then when it was day, Abel came to Adam and Eve,and told them of the vision he had seen. But when they heard it,they grieved much over it,yet said nothing to him about it;they only comforted him. But as to hard-heated Cain, Satan came to him by night,showed himself and said unto him,Since Adam and Eve love
thy brother Abel much more than they love thee,and wish to
join him in marriage to thy beautiful sister,because they love
him; but wish to join thee in marriage to his ill-favored sister, because they hate thee; Now, therefore,I counsel thee,when they do that,to kill thy brother;then thy sister will be left for thee; and his sister will be cast away. And Satan departed from him. But the wicked One remained behind in the heart of Cain,who sought many
a time,to kill his brother.
CHAPTER LXXVIL
But when Adam saw that the elder brother hated the younger,he endeavored to soften their hearts,and said unto Cain, Take, O my son, of the fruits of thy sowing,and make an offering unto God, that He may forgive thee thy wickedness and thy sin. He said also to Abel,Take thou of thy sowing and make an offering and bring it to God,that He may forgive thy wickedness and thy sin.
Different from Gen. iv, 4.
96 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then Abel hearkened unto his father s voice,and took of his
sowing,and made a good offering,and said to his father, Adam, Come with me, to show me how to offer it up. And they went, Adam and Eve with him,and showed him how to offer up his gift upon the altar. Then after that, they stood up and prayed that God would accept Abel s offering. Then God looked upon Abel and accepted his offering. And God was more pleased with Abel than with his offering,because of his good heart and pure body. There was no trace of guile in him.
Then they came down from the altar,and went to the cave in which they dwelt. But Abel,by reason of his joy at having made his offering,repeated it three times a week,after the example of his father Adam. But as to Cain,he took no pleasure in offering; but after much anger on his father's part,he offered up his gift once;
and when he did offer up,his eye was on the offering he made
42 and he took the smallest of his sheep for an offering,and his eye was again on it. Therefore God did not accept his offering, because his heart was full of murderous thoughts. And they all thus lived together in the cave in which Eve had brought forth,until Cain was fifteen years old,and Abel twelve years old.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Then Adam said to Eve,Behold the children are grown up ,we must think of finding wives for them. Then Eve answered,How can we do it ?
Tankliuma (fol. 5), however,says that Cain and Abel were then about forty years old.
SATAN'S COUNSEL TO CAIN. 97
Then Adam said to her,We will join Abel's sister in marriage to Cain,and Cain s sister to Abel. Then said Eve to Adam,I do not like Cain because he is hard-hearted;but let them bide until we offer up unto the Lord in their behalf. And Adam said no more. Meanwhile Satan came to Cain in the figure of a man of the field,and said to him,Behold Adam and Eve have taken counsel together about the marriage of you two; and they have agreed to marry Abel's sister to thee, and thy sister to him. But if it was not that I love thee, I would not have told thee this thing. Yet if thou wilt take my advice,and hearken to me,I will bring thee on thy wedding day beautiful robes, gold and silver in plenty,and my relations will attendf thee.Then Cain said with joy, Where are thy relations? And Satan answered, " My relations are in a garden in the
north,whither I once meant to bring thy father Adam;but he
would not accept my offer. But thou,if thou wilt receive my words and if thou wilt come unto me after thy wedding,thou shalt rest from the misery in which thou art; and thou shalt rest and be better
off than thy father Adam. At these words of Satan Cain opened his ears, and leant towards his speech. And he did not remain in the field,but he went to Eve, his mother,and beat her,and cursed her, and said to her, Why are ye about taking my sister to wed her to my brother ? Am I dead? His mother, however, quieted him,and sent him to the field where he had been. Adam did so,in order to avoid marrying the brother to his sister of the same birth,and thus to prevent, as far as possible,consanguinity.
Masudi., ch. iii, p. 63.
98 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Then when Adam came, she told him of what Cain had done. But Adam grieved and held his peace, and said not a word. Then on the morrow Adam said unto Cain his son,Take of thy sheep, young and good,
43
and offer them up unto thy God;and I will speak to thy brother, to make unto his God an offering of corn/They both hearkened to their father Adam,and they took their offerings,and offered them up on the mountain by the altar. But Cain behaved haughtily towards his brother,and thrust him from the altar,and would not let him offer up his gift upon the altar; but he offered his own upon it,with a proud heart, full of guile,and fraud. But as for Abel,he set up stones that were near at hand,and upon that,he offered up his gift with a heart humble and free from guile. Cain was then standing by the altar on which he had offered up his gift;and he cried unto God to accept his offering; but God did not accept it from him;neither did a divine fire come down to consume his offering. But he remained standing over against the altar,out of humor and wroth,looking towards his brother Abel,to see if God would accept his offering or not. And Abel prayed unto God to accept his offering. Then a
divine fire came down and consumed his offering. And God
smelled the sweet savoir of his offering; because Abel loved
Him and rejoiced in Him. And because God was well pleased with him He sent him an angel of light in the figure of man who had partaken of his offering,because He had smelled the sweet savoir of his
offering,and they comforted Abel and strengthened his
heart. But Cain was looking on all that took place at his brother s
offering,and was wroth on account of it.
CAIN'S AND ABEL'S OFFERINGS. 99
Then he opened his naouth and blasphemed God,because He had not accepted his offering. But God said unto Cain,Wherefore is thy countenance sad?
44 Be righteous,that I may accept thy offering. Not against Me hast thou murmured, but against thyself. And God said this to Cain in rebuke,and because He abhorred him and his offering. And Cain came down from the altar, his colour changed and of a woeful countenance, and came to his father and mother and told them all that had befallen hirn. And Adam grieved much because God had not accepted Cain's offering. But Abel came down rejoicing,and with a gladsome heart, and told his father and mother how God had accepted his
offering. And they rejoiced at it and kissed his face. And Abel said to his father, Because Cain thrust me from the altar,and would not allow me to offer my gift upon it, I made an altar for myself and offered my gift upon it.But when Adam heard this he was very sorry, because it was the altar he had built at first,and upon which he had offered his own gifts. As to Cain,he was so sullen and so angry that he went into the field, where Satan came to him and said to him, Since thy brother Abel has taken refuge with thy father Adam, because thou didst thrust him from the altar, they have kissed his face,and they rejoice over him, far more than over thee. When Cain heard these words of Satan,he was filled with rage;and he let no one know. But he was laying wait to kill his brother,until he brought him into the cave,and then said to hirn: brother,the country is so beautiful,and there are such beautiful and pleasurable trees in it, and charming to look at! But brother,thou hast never been one day in the field to take thy pleasure therein.
100 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
To-day, 0, my brother,I very much wish thou wouldst come with me into the field/to enjoy thyself and to bless our fields and our flocks, for thou art righteous, and I love thee much, 0,my brother! but thou hast estranged thyself from me. Then Abel consented to go with his brother Cain into the field. But before going out,Cain said to Abel, Wait for me, until I fetch a staff,because of wild beasts.
Then Abel stood waiting in his innocence. But Cain, the froward, fetched a staff and went out. And they began,Cain and his brother Abel,to walk in the way; Cain talking to him,and comforting him to make him forget everything.
CHAPTER LXXIX.
Murder of Abel the Just,whom his brother,Cain the Infidel,did kill. And so they went on, until they came to a lonely place,
where there were no sheep;then Abel said to Cain, Behold,
my brother,we are weary of walking; for we see none of the
trees,nor of the fruits,nor of the verdure,nor of the sheep,
nor any one of the things of which thou didst tell me. Where
are those sheep of thine thou didst tell me to bless ? Then Cain said to him, Come on,and presently thou shalt see many beautiful things, but go before me,until I come up to thee. Then went Abel forward,but Cain remained behind him. And Abel was walking in his innocence, without guile; not believing his brother would kill him.
Then Cain, when he came up to him,comforted him with
CAIN KILLS HIS BROTHER ABEL 101
his talk, walking a little behind him; then he hastened,and smote him with the staff,blow upon blow,until he was stunned. But when Abel fell down upon the ground, seeing that his brother meant to kill him, he said to Cain, 0, my brother,have pity on me. By the breasts we have sucked,smite me not! By the womb that bare us and that brought us into the world,smite me not unto death with that staff! If thou wilt kill me,take one of these large stones, and kill me outright/Then Cain, the hard-hearted, and cruel murderer, took a
large stone, and smote his brother with it upon the head,
46 until his brains oozed out,and he weltered in his blood, before him. And Cain repented not of what he had done. But the earth,when the blood of righteous Abel fell upon it,trembled, as it drank his blood,and would have brought Cain to naught for it. And the blood of Abel cried mysteriously to God,to avenge him of his murderer. Then Cain began at once to dig the earth wherein to lay his brother;
47 for he was trembling from the fear that came upon him,when he saw the earth tremble on his account. He then cast his brother into the pit he made,and covered him with dust.
48 But the earth would not receive him; but it threw him up at once. Again did Cain dig the earth and hid his brother in it; but
again did the earth throw him up on itself; until three times
did the earth thus throw up on itself the body of Abel. The
muddy earth threw him up the first time, because he was not
the first creation; and it threw him up the second time and
would not receive him, because he was righteous and good,and
was killed without a cause ;and the earth threw him up the
third time and would not receive him,that there might remain
before his brother a witness against him. And so did the earth mock Cain, until the Word of God,came to him concerning his brother.
102 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then was God angry,and much displeased at Abel's death; and He thundered from heaven, and lightnings went before Him,and the Word of the Lord rod came from heaven to Cain,and said unto him, Where is Abel thy brother? Then Cain answered with a proud heart and a gruff voice, How, God? am I my brother s keeper ? Then God said unto Cain, Cursed be the earth that has drunk the blood of Abel thy brother;and thou,be thou trembling and shaking;and this will be a sign unto thee,that whosoever finds thee, shall kill thee.But Cain wept because God had said those words to him ;and Cain said unto Him,God, whosoever finds me shall kill me,and I shall be blotted out from the face of the earth. Then God said unto Cain,Whosoever shall find thee shall not kill thee because before this,God had been saying to
Cain,I shall forego seven punishments on him who kills Cain. For as to the word of God to Cain,Where is thy brother? God said it in mercy for him,to try and make him repent. For if Cain had repented at that time,and had said, God, forgive me my sin,and the murder of my brother, God would then have forgiven him his sin. And as to God saying to Cain, Cursed be the ground that has drunk the blood of thy brother
49 that also,was God's mercy on Cain. For God did not curse him but He cursed the ground; although it was not the ground that had killed Abel,and had committed iniquity. For it was meet that the curse should fall upon the murderer;yet in mercy did God so manage His thoughts as that no one should know it,and turn away from Cain.
And He said to him, Where is thy brother ? To which he answered and said, I know not. Then the Creator said to him,Be trembling and quaking. eighed over, was grieved.
CURSE AND PUNISHMENT OF CAIN. 103
Then Cain trembled and became terrified; and through this sign did God make him an example
50 before all the creation,as the murderer of his brother. Also did God bring trembling and terror upon him,that he might see the peace in which he was at first,and see also the trembling and terror he endured at the last; so that he might humble himself before God, and repent of his sin,and seek the peace he enjoyed at first. And in the word of God that said, I will forego seven punishments on whomsoever kills Cain," God was not seeking to kill Cain with the sword, but He sought to make him die of fasting,and praying and weeping by hard rule, until the time that he was delivered from his sin. And the seven punishments are the seven generations during
which God awaited Cain for the murder of his brother. But as to Cain, ever since he had killed his brother,he could find no rest in any place; but went back to Adam and Eve, trembling, terrified,and defiled with blood. When they saw him they grieved and wept,not knowing whence came his trembling and terror,and the blood with
which he was bespattered. Cain, then, came running to his sister that was born with him. But when she saw him, she was affrighted, and said unto him, 0, my brother,wherefore art thou come thus
trembling ? And he said to her,I have killed my brother
Abel in a certain place. Or, notorious.
104 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. BOOK II. CHAPTER I.
WHEN Luluwa heard Cain s words, she wept and went to call
her father and mother,and told them how that Cain had killed
his brother Abel. Then they all cried aloud and lifted up their voices,and slapped their faces, and threw dust upon their heads, and rent asunder their garments,and went out and came to the place
where Abel was killed. And they found him lying on the earth, killed,and beasts around him; while they wept and cried because of this just one. From his body, by reason of its purity,went forth a
smell of sweet spices. And Adam carried him, his tears streaming down his face;and went to the Cave of Treasures,where he laid him, and wound him up with sweet spices and myrrh. And Adam and Eve continued by the burial of him in great grief a hundred and forty days. Abel was fifteen and a half years old, and Cain seventeen years and a half.
1
As for Cain,when the mourning for his brother was ended,he took his sister Luluwa and married her,without leave from his father and mother; for they could not keep him from her,by reason of their heavy heart. He then went down to the bottom of the mountain, away
from the garden,near to the place where he had killed his
brother.
BIRTH OF SETH. 105
And in that place were many fruit trees and forest trees. His sister bare him children,who in their turn began to multiply by degrees until they filled that place. But as for Adam and Eve,they came not together after Abel's funeral,for seven years. After this, however, Eve conceived; and while she was with child, Adam said to her,Come, let us take an offering and offer it up unto God,and ask Him to give us a fair child, in whom we may find comfort,and whom we may join in marriage to Abel s sister. Then they prepared an offering and brought it up to the altar,and offered it before the Lord,and began to entreat Him to accept their offering,and to give them a good off
spring. And God heard Adam and accepted his offering. Then,
they worshiped, Adam, Eve, and their daughter,and came down to the Cave of Treasures and placed a lamp in it, to burn by night and by day, before the body of Abel. Then Adam and Even continued fasting and praying until Eve s time came that she should be delivered, when she said to Adam, I wish to go to the cave in the rock, to bring forth in it.And he said, Go, and take with thee thy daughter to wait on thee; but I will remain in this Cave of Treasures before the body of my son Abel. Then Eve hearkened to Adam,and went, she and her daughter. But Adam remained by himself in the Cave of
Treasures.
CHAPTER II.
And Eve brought forth a son perfectly beautiful in figure
and in countenance. His beauty was like that of his father
Adam, yet more beautiful.
3 Then Eve was comforted when she saw him, and remained
106 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
eight days in the cave; then she sent her daughter unto Adam
to tell him to come and see the child and name him. But the daughter stayed in his place by the body of her brother,until Adam returned. So did she. But when Adam came and saw the child s good looks, his
beauty,and his perfect figure, he rejoiced over him,and was
comforted for Abel. Then he named the child Seth,
4 that means,that God has heard my prayer,and has delivered me
out of my affliction. But it means also power and strength.
Then after Adam had named the child,he returned to the Cave of Treasures;and his daughter went back to her mother. But Eve continued in her cave,until forty days were fulfilled,when she came to Adam,and brought with her the child and her daughter. And they came to a river of water, where Adam and his daughter washed themselves,because of their sorrow for Abel;but Eve and the babe washed for purification. Then they returned,and took an offering, and went to the mountain and offered it up,for the babe;and God accepted their offering,and sent His blessing upon them,and upon their son Seth; and they came back to the Cave of Treasures. As for Adam, he knew not again his wife Eve,all the days of his life; neither was any more offspring born of them; but only those five, Cain, Luluwa, Abel, Aklia, and Sethf alone. Bat Seth waxed in stature and in strength;and began to fast and pray,fervently.
CHAPTER III.
Fifteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve, above the roof
of the cave. As for our father Adam,at the end of seven years from the day he had been severed from his wife Eve, Satan envied him, Or, Aclemia. This does not agree with other accounts.
See Fabric. Cod. Apoc. V. T., vol. i.
J i.e., without a twin sister. Lit. with hard lahour.
FIFTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 107
when lie saw him thus separated from her;and strove to make him live with her again.
5
Then Adam arose andwent up above the Cave of Treasures;and continued to sleep there night by night. But as soon as it was light every day he came down to the cave, to pray there and to receive a blessing from it. But when it was evening he went up on the roof of the cave, where he slept by himself,fearing lest Satan should overcome
him. And he continued thus apart thirty-nine days. Then Satan, the hater of all good,when he saw Adam thus alone, fasting and praying, appeared unto him in the form of a beautiful woman,who came and stood before him in the night of the fortieth day,and said unto him: Adam, from the time ye have dwelt in this cave, we have experienced great peace from you, and your prayers have reached us, and we have been comforted about you. But now, Adam,that thou hast gone up over the roof of the cave to sleep,we have had doubts about thee,and a great sorrow has come upon us because of thy separation from Eve. Then again,when thou art on the roof of this cave,thy prayer is poured out,and thy heart wanders from side to side. But when thou wast in the cave thy prayer was like fire gathered together;it came down to us,and thou didst find rest. Then I also grieved over thy children who are severed from thee; and my sorrow is great about the murder of thy son Abel; for he was righteous; and over a righteous man every one will grieve. But I rejoiced over the birth of thy son Seth; yet after a little while I sorrowed greatly over Eve,because she is my sister. For when God sent a deep sleep over thee,and drew her out of thy side,He brought me out also with her. But He raised her by placing her with thee,while He lowered me. I rejoiced over my sister for her being with thee. But God
had made me a promise before,and said, Grieve not when
108 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Adam has gone up on the roof of the Cave of Treasures,and is separated from Eve his wife, I will send thee to him,thou shalt join thyself to him in marriage,and bear him five children, as Eve did bear him five/And now, lo! God s promise to me is fulfilled; for it is He who has sent me to thee for the wedding; because if thou
wed me, I shall bear thee finer and better children than those
of Eve. Then again, thou art as yet but a youth; end not thy
youth in this world in sorrow; but spend the days of thy youth
in mirth and pleasure. For thy days are few and thy trial is great. Be strong; end thy days in this world in rejoicing. I shall take pleasure in thee, and thou shalt rejoice with me in this wise, and without fear. Up, then, and fulfill the command of thy God," she then drew near to Adam, and embraced him. But when Adam saw that he should be overcome by her, he prayed to God with a fervent heart to deliver him from her. Then God sent His Word unto Adam, saying, Adam, that figure is the one that promised thee the Godhead, and majesty;he is not favorably disposed towards thee; but shows himself to thee at one time in the form of a woman; another moment, in the likeness of an angel; on another occasion, in the
similitude of a serpent; and at another time, in the semblance
of a god; but he does all that only to destroy thy soul. Now, therefore, O Adam, understanding thy heart, I have delivered thee many a time from his hands; in order to show thee that I am a merciful God; and that I wish thy good,and that I do not wish thy ruin.
CHAPTER IV.
Then God ordered Satan to show himself to Adam plainly,in his own hideous form.
SATAN TEMPTS ADAM. 109
But when Adam saw him, lie feared,and trembled at the sight of him. And God said to Adam, Look at this devil,and at his hideous look, and know that he it is who made thee fall from brightness into darkness, from peace and rest to toil and misery. And look, Adam, at him, who said of himself that he is God! Can God be black ? Would God take the form of a woman? Is there any one stronger than God? And can He be overpowered? See, then, Adam,and behold him bound in thy presence, in the air, unable to flee away! Therefore,I say unto thee, be not afraid of him; henceforth take care,and beware of him,
in whatever he may do to thee. Then God drove Satan away from before Adam, whom He strengthened,and whose heart He comforted, saying to him, Go down to the Cave of Treasures,and separate not thyself
from Eve; I will quell in you all animal lust. From that hour
it left Adam and Eve,and they enjoyed rest by the commandment of God. But God did not the like to any one of Adam's seed; but only to Adam and Eve. Then Adam worshiped before the Lord,for having
delivered him, and for having layed his passions. And he came down from above the cave, and dwelt with Eve as aforetime. This ended the forty days of his separation from Eve.
CHAPTER V.
As for Seth, when he was seven years old, he knew good and evil,and was consistent in fasting and praying,and spent all his nights in entreating God for mercy and forgiveness. He also fasted when bringing up his offering every day, more than his father did; for he was of a fair countenance, like unto an angel of God. He also had a good heart.
110 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
preserved the finest qualities of his soul; and for this reason
he brought up his offering every day. And God was pleased with his offering; but He was also pleased with his purity. And he continued thus in doing the will of God,and of his father and mother, until he was seven years old. After that, as he was coming down from the altar, having ended his offering, Satan appeared unto him in the form of a beautiful angel, brilliant with light; with a staff of light in his hand, himself girt about with a girdle of light.
He greeted Seth with a beautiful smile,and began to beguile him with fair words, saying to him, Seth, why abidest thou in this mountain ? For it is rough, full of stones and of sand,and of trees with no good fruit on them; a wilderness without habitations and without towns; no good place to dwell in. But all is heat, weariness,and trouble. He said further, But we dwell in beautiful places, in
another world than this earth. Our world is one of light and
our condition is of the best; our women are handsomer than
any others;and I wish thee, Seth, to wed one of them; because I see that thou art fair to look upon, and in this land there is not one woman good enough for thee. Besides, all those who live in this world, are only five souls. But in our world there are very many men and many maidens, all more beautiful one than another. I wish, therefore, to remove thee hence,that thou mayest see my relations and be wedded to which ever thou likest. Thou shalt then abide by me and be at peace; thou shalt be filled with splendour and light, as we are. Thou shalt remain in our world, and rest from this world
and the misery of it; thou shalt never again feel faint and
weary; thou shalt never bring up an offering, nor sue for
mercy; for thou shalt commit no more sin, nor be swayed by passions.Or, innocence, conditions are.
SATAN TEMPTS SETH. Ill
And if thou wilt hearken to what I say,thou shalt wed one of my daughters; for with us it is no sin so to do; neither
is it reckoned animal lust. For in our world we have no God; but we all are gods we all are of the light, heavenly, powerful, strong and glorious.
CHAPTER VI.
When Seth heard these words he was amazed,and inclined his heart to Satan's treacherous speech,and said to him, Saidst thou there is another world created than this; and other creatures more beautiful than the creatures that are in this world ? And Satan said, Yes ; behold thou hast heard me; but I will yet praise them and their ways, in thy hearing. But Seth said to him, ff Thy speech has amazed me; and thy beautiful description of it all. Yet I cannot go with thee to-day; not until I have gone to my father Adam and to my mother Eve,and told them all thou hast said to me. Then if they give me leave to go with thee,I will come/Again Seth said, I am afraid of doing any thing without my father s and mother s leave, lest I perish like my brother Cain,and like my father Adam, who transgressed the commandment of God. But, behold, thou knowest this place; come,and meet me here to-morrow. When Satan heard this, he said to Seth, If thou tellest thy father Adam what I have told thee, he will not let thee come with me. But hearken to me; do not tell thy father and mother what I have said to thee; but come with me to
day, to our world; where thou shalt see beautiful things and enjoy thyself there,and revel this day among my children, beholding them and taking thy fill of mirth;and rejoice ever
112 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
more then I shall bring thee back to this place to-morrow; but if thou wouldst rather abide with me,so be it. Then Seth answered,The spirit of my father and of my mother,hangs on me; and if I hide from them one day,they will die,and God will hold me guilty of sinning against them. And except that they know I am come to this place to bring up to it my offering,they would not be separated from me one hour;neither should I go to any other place,unless they let me. But they treat me most kindly, because I come back to them quickly. Then Satan said to him, What will happen to thee if thou hide thyself from them one night, and return to them at break of day ? But Seth, when he saw how he kept on talking,and that he would not leave him ran,and went up to the altar,and spread his hands unto God,and sought deliverance from Him. Then God sent His Word,and cursed Satan,who fled from Him. But as for Seth,he had gone up to the altar,saying thus in his heart,The altar is the place of offering,and God is there;a divine fire shall consume it; so shall Satan be unable to hurt me,and shall not take me away thence/Then Seth came down from the altar and went to his father and mother,whom he found in the way, longing to hear his voice;for he had tarried a while. He then began to tell them what had befallen him from Satan,under the form of an angel. But when Adam heard his account,he kissed his face,and warned him against that angel, telling him it was Satan who thus appeared to him. Then Adam took Seth,and they went to the Cave of Treasures,and rejoiced therein. But from that day forth Adam and Eve never parted from of their sin.
SETS'S MARRIAGE. 113
him,to whatever place he might go,whether for his offering or for any thing else. This sign happened to Seth, when he was nine years old.
According to Code Nasar. Ill, p. 69, this world is to last from the creation of Adam, 480,000 years. Or,made this promise to. Or, went away from. Or, made him this promise.
PROMISE OF A
Lord, Thou didst send me to watch
at the gate of the garden,with a sword of fire. But
when Thy servants,Adam and Eve,saw me,they fell on their faces,and were as
dead. My Lord,what shall we do to Thy servants ? Then God had pity
on them, and showed them mercy, and sent His Angel to keep the garden. And the
Word of the Lord came unto Adam and Eve,and raised them up. And the Lord said
to Adam,I told thee that at the end of five days and a half,I will
send my Word and save thee. Strengthen thy heart,therefore,and
abide in the
Cave of Treasures
of which I have before spoken to
thee. And when Adam heard this Word from God,he
was comforted with that which God had told him. For
He had told him how He would save him.
CHAPTER IV
But Adam and Eve wept for having come out of
the garden,their first abode. And indeed when Adam
looked at his flesh,that was
altered, he wept bitterly, he and Eve, over
what they had done.
And they walked and went gently down into the
Cave of Treasures. And as they came to it Adam wept
over himself and said to Eve, Look at this cave that is to
be our prison in this world,and a place of punishment ! What is
it compared with the garden? What is its narrowness compared with the space of
the other? What is this rock, by the side of those groves ? What is the gloom
of this cavern, compared with the light of the garden ? Or, body, and so
throughout. Or, room, breadth.
6 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
What
is this overhanging ledge of rock to shelter us,compared with the mercy of the
Lord that overshadowed us ? What is the soil of this cave compared
with the garden land ? This earth, strewed with stones and that,planted with
delicious fruit-trees And Adam said to Eve,Look at
thine eyes,and at mine,which afore beheld angels in heaven,praising and they, too, without ceasing. But now we
do not see as we did:our eyes have become of flesh,they cannot see in like
manner as they saw before. Adam said again to Eve,What is
our body to-day,to what it was in former days,when we dwelt in the garden
? After this Adam did not like to enter the cave,under the overhanging
rock,nor would he ever have entered it.But he bowed to God s orders,and
said to himself,unless I enter the cave,I shall again be a
transgressor.
CHAPTER V
Then Adam and Eve entered the cave, and stood
praying.
13 in their own tongue,unknown to us,but which they knew well. And as they prayed, Adam raised his eyes,and saw the rock and the roof of the cave that covered him overhead,so that he could see neither heaven,nor God s creatures. So he wept and smote heavily upon his breast,until he dropped,and was as dead. And Eve sat weeping,for she believed he was dead. Then she arose,spread her hands towards God,suing Him for mercy and pity,and said,God, forgive me my sin,which I committed,and remember it not against
13 in their own tongue,unknown to us,but which they knew well. And as they prayed, Adam raised his eyes,and saw the rock and the roof of the cave that covered him overhead,so that he could see neither heaven,nor God s creatures. So he wept and smote heavily upon his breast,until he dropped,and was as dead. And Eve sat weeping,for she believed he was dead. Then she arose,spread her hands towards God,suing Him for mercy and pity,and said,God, forgive me my sin,which I committed,and remember it not against
me.
TEE CAVE
OF TREASURES. 7
For I alone
16 caused Thy servant to fall from the garden into this lost estate,from light into this darkness, and from the abode of joy into this prison. God,look upon this Thy servant thus fallen,and raise him from his death,that he may weep and repent of his transgression which he committed through me. Take not away his soul this once,but let him live that he may stand after the measure of his repentance, and do Thy will,as before his death. Bat if Thou do not raise him up, then,God,take away my own soul,that I be like him,and leave me not in this dungeon,one and alone,for I could not stand alone in this world,but with him only .For Thou,God,didst cause a slumber to come upon him,and didst take a bone from his side.
16 caused Thy servant to fall from the garden into this lost estate,from light into this darkness, and from the abode of joy into this prison. God,look upon this Thy servant thus fallen,and raise him from his death,that he may weep and repent of his transgression which he committed through me. Take not away his soul this once,but let him live that he may stand after the measure of his repentance, and do Thy will,as before his death. Bat if Thou do not raise him up, then,God,take away my own soul,that I be like him,and leave me not in this dungeon,one and alone,for I could not stand alone in this world,but with him only .For Thou,God,didst cause a slumber to come upon him,and didst take a bone from his side.
17 and didst restore the flesh in the place of it,by Thy divine
power. And Thou didst take me,the bone,and make me a woman,
bright like him,with heart, reason, and
speech,and in flesh,
like unto his own,and Thou didst make me
after the likeness
of his countenance,by Thy mercy and power. Lord,I and he are one,and Thou,God,art our Creator, Thou art He who made us both in
one day.
18 Therefore, God, give him life,
that he may be with me in this strange land, while we dwell in it on
account of our transgression. But if Thou wilt not give him
life,then take me, even me, like him,that we both may die the same day And Eve wept bitterly,and fell upon our
father Adam from her great sorrow.
CHAPTER VI
But God looked upon them,for they had
killed themselves
through great grief. extinction, destruction. Or, cast
down.
p. 11, 12. with a fervent
heart.
8 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
But He would raise them and comfort them. He, therefore, sent His Word unto them, that
they should stand and be raised forthwith.
And the Lord said unto Adam and Eve,You transgressed of your own free will, until you came out of
the garden in which I had placed you. Of your own free will have
you transgressed
19 through your desire for divinity, greatness,and an exalted state,such as I have,so that I deprived you of
the bright nature in which you then were,and I made you come out
of the garden to this land,rough and full of trouble. If only you had not transgressed
My commandment and had kept My law,and had not eaten of the fruit of the tree,near which I told you not to come ! And there
were fruit trees in the garden better than that one. But the wicked Satan.
20 who
continued not in his first estate,nor kept his faith,in whom was no
good intent towards Me,and who though I had created
him, yet set Me at naught,and sought the Godhead, so that I
hurled him down from heaven,he it is who made the tree appear pleasant in your eyes,until you ate of it, by
hearkening to him.
21 Thus have you transgressed My
commandment,and therefore have I brought upon you all these
sorrows.
22 For I am God the Creator,who,when I created My creatures,did not intend to destroy them.
But after they had sorely roused My anger,I punished them with
grievous plagues,until they repent. But,if on the contrary,they still continue
hardened in their transgression,they shall be under a curse
for ever.
CHAPTER VII
When Adam and Eve heard these words from God,
they wept and sobbed yet more,but they
strengthened their hearts Whose fruit was either grapes,apple of
Paradise, or figs. Beresh. are in debt of it.
THE
CAVE OF TREASURES. 9
in God,because they now felt that the Lord
was to them like a
father and a mother,and for this very
reason,they wept before
Him,and sought mercy from Him. Then God had pity on them,and said: Adam, I have made My covenant with thee,and I will not
turn from it,neither will I let thee return to the garden,until My covenant of the great five days and a half is
fulfilled.
5 Then Adam said unto God,Lord, Thou didst create us,and make us fit to be in the garden,and before I transgressed, Thou madest all beasts come to me, that I should name them. Thy grace was then on me,and I named every one according to Thy mind,and Thou madest them all subject unto me.
5 Then Adam said unto God,Lord, Thou didst create us,and make us fit to be in the garden,and before I transgressed, Thou madest all beasts come to me, that I should name them. Thy grace was then on me,and I named every one according to Thy mind,and Thou madest them all subject unto me.
23 But now, Lord God,that I have
transgressed Thy commandment, all beasts will rise against me and
will devour me,and Eve Thy handmaid,and will cut off our
life from the face of the earth. I therefore beseech Thee,God,that, since
Thou hast made us come out of the garden, and hast made us
be in a strange land, Thou wilt not let the beasts hurt
us.When the Lord heard these words from Adam, He
had pity on him,and felt that he had truly said that
the beasts of the field would rise and devour him and Eve,because He, the Lord, was angry with them two on account of
their transgression. Then God commanded the beasts,and the birds,and all that moves upon the earth,to come to Adam and to
be familiar with him,and not to trouble him and Eve,nor
yet any of the good and righteous among their posterity. Then the beasts did obeisance to Adam,according to the commandment of God,except the serpent,against which God was wroth. It did not come to Adam, with the
beasts. Or,I made thee a promise,Or,do obeisance to him,or to submit to
him. Another reading is that God did not bring
the serpent,or forbade it to come,with the other beasts, because He was
angry with it.
10 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER VIII.
Then Adam wept and said, God, when we dwelt in the garden,and our hearts were lifted up, we
saw the angels that sang praises in heaven,but now we do
not see as we were used to do.
24 nay, when we entered the cave, all creation
became hidden from us. Then God the Lord said unto Adam,When thou wast under subjection to Me,thou hadst a bright
nature within thee.
25 and for that reason could thou see
things afar off. But after thy transgression thy bright nature was
withdrawn from thee,and it was not left to thee to see
things afar off,but only near at hand,after the ability of the flesh,for it is brutish. When Adam and Eve had heard these words from
God,they went their way, praising and worshiping Hiui with a sorrowful heart. And God ceased to commune with them.
CHAPTER IX.
Then Adam and Eve came out of the Cave of
Treasures,and
drew near to the garden gate,and there they stood
to look
at it,and wept for having come away from it.
And Adam and Eve went from before the gate of the
garden to the southern side of it, and found there the
water that watered the garden, from the root of the Tree of Life,and that parted itself from thence into four rivers over the
earth. Then they came and drew near to that water,and looked at it,and saw that it was the water that came
forth from under the root of the Tree of Life in the garden.
And Adam wept and wailed,and smote upon his breast,for
being severed from the garden,and said to Eve
THE RIVER OF LIFE. 11
Why hast thou brought upon me,upon thyself,and upon our seed, so many of these plagues and
punishments ? And Eve said unto him, What is it
thou hast seen,to weep and to speak to me in this wise
? And he said to Eve,Sees thou not
this water that was with us in the garden, that watered the trees
of the garden,and flowed out thence ? And we, when we were in the
garden, did not care about it, but since we came to this strange land,we love it,and turn it to use for our body. But when Eve heard these words from him, she
wept and from the soreness of their weeping,they fell
into that water,and would have put an end to themselves in
it, so as never again to return and behold the creation, for
when they looked upon the work of creation,they felt they
must put an end to themselves.
CHAPTER X.
Then God, merciful and gracious,looked upon
them thus lying in the water,and nigh unto death,and
sent an angel,who brought them out of the water,and laid
them on the seashore as dead. Then the angel went up to God,was welcome,and said. God,Thy creatures have breathed their
last.Then God sent His Word unto Adam and Eve,who
raised them from their death. And Adam said, after he was raised,God, while we were in the garden we did not require, or care for this water, but since we came to this land we
cannot do without it. It is said that,he that increase knowledge increase sorrow (Eccl. i. 18). So did Adam increase his sorrow when he
increased his knowledge. from sorrow at having left the garden
so much more heavenly and more beautiful.
The Ethiopia translator added: For Thy mercy was with us,we needed not this water.
The Ethiopia translator added: For Thy mercy was with us,we needed not this water.
12 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then God said to Adam,While thou
wast under My command and wast a bright angel,thou knew-est not this water. But after that thou hast
transgressed My commandment,thou canst not do without water, wherein to
wash thy body and make it grow,for it is now like that
of beasts, and is in want of water. When Adam and Eve heard these words from God,they wept a bitter cry,and Adam entreated God to
let him return into the garden,and look at it a second
time. But God said unto Adam,I have
made thee a promise,when that promise is fulfilled,I will bring
thee back into the garden,thee and thy righteous
seed. And God ceased to commune with Adam.
CHAPTER XI.
Then Adam and Eve felt themselves burning
with thirst,and
heat,and sorrow. And Adam said to Eve,We shall not
drink of this water,even if we were to die. Eve,when this water
comes into our inner parts,it will increase our
punishments and that of our children,that shall come after
us. Both Adam and Eve then withdrew from the
water,and drank none of it at all,but came and
entered the Cave of Treasures. But when in it Adam could not see Eve,he
only heard the noise she made. Neither could she see
Adam, but heard the noise he made.
p. 14. I have bound thee to Me in a covenant,when that covenant is fulfilled.
p. 14. I have bound thee to Me in a covenant,when that covenant is fulfilled.
THE FIRST DARKNESS. 13
Then Adam wept, in deep affliction,and smote
upon his breast,and he arose and said to Eve,Where art thou ? And she said unto him,Lo,I am
standing in this darkness. He then said to her,Remember the bright nature in
which we lived,while we abode in the garden ! Eve ! remember the glory that
rested on us in the garden.
26
Eve ! remember the trees that overshadowed
us in the garden while we moved among them. Eve! remember that while we were
in the garden, we knew neither night nor day . Think of the
Tree of Life, from below which flowed the water,and that shed
lustre over
us
! Remember, Eve,the garden-land,and the brightness thereof
! Think,oh think of that garden in which was
no darkness,while we dwelt therein. Whereas no sooner did we come into this
Cave of Treasures than darkness compassed us round about,until we can no longer
see each other,and all the pleasure of this life has come to an end.
CHAPTER XII
Then Adam smote upon his breast, he and Eve,and they mourned the whole night until dawn drew near,and they sighed over the length of the night in
Miyazia And Adam beat himself,and threw himself on
the ground in the cave,from bitter grief,and because of
the darkness, and lay there as dead. But Eve heard the noise he made in falling
upon the earth. And she felt about for him with her hands,and found him like a corpse. Then she was afraid, speechless,and remained
by him. Or, grace, favor. Arab. Whose height was a walk of 500 years.
14 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
But the merciful Lord looked on the death of
Adam, and on Eve silence from fear of the darkness. And the Word of God came unto Adam and raised
him from his death,and opened Eve s mouth that she
might speak. Then Adam arose in the cave and said, God,wherefore has light departed from us,and darkness come
over us ? Wherefore dost Thou leave us in this long
darkness ? Why wilt Thou plague us thus ? And this darkness,Lord, where was it ere
it came upon us ? It is such,that we cannot see each
other. For,so long as we were in the
garden,we neither saw nor even knew what darkness is . I was not
hidden from Eve,neither was she hidden from me,until now
that she cannot see me,and no darkness came upon us,to
separate us from each other. But she and I were both in one
bright light. I saw her and she saw me. Yet now since we came into
this cave,darkness has come upon us,and parted us asunder,so that I do not see her,and she does not see me. Lord,wilt Thou then plague us
with this darkness ?
CHAPTER XIII.
Then when God,who is merciful and full of
pity,heard Adam voice, He said unto him: Adam, so long as the good angel
was obedient to Me. a bright light rested on him and on his hosts. But when he transgressed My
commandment,I deprived him of that bright nature, and he became
dark. And when he was in the heavens, in
the realms of light,he knew naught of darkness. Arab, adds: but now be gracious unto us.
THE FIRST DARK NIGHT. 15
But he transgressed,and I made
him fall from heaven upon
the earth,and it was this darkness that
came upon him.
And on thee,Adam, while in My
garden and obedient to Me,did that bright light rest also. But when I heard of thy
transgression,I deprived thee of that bright light. Yet,of My mercy,I did
not turn thee into darkness,but I made thee thy body of
flesh,over which I spread this skin,in order that it may bear
cold and heat. If I had let My wrath fall heavily
upon thee,I should have destroyed thee,and had I turned thee into
darkness,it would have been as if I killed thee. But in My mercy,I have made thee
as thou art,when thou didst transgress My commandment, Adam, I
drove thee from the garden,and made thee come forth
into this land,and commanded thee to dwell in this cave,and
darkness came upon thee,as it did upon him who
transgressed My commandment. Thus, Adam, has this night
deceived thee. It is not to last for ever,but is only of twelve hours,when it is over, day light will return. Sigh not,therefore, neither be
moved,and say not in thy heart that this darkness is long and drags on
wearily,and say not in thy heart that I plague thee with it. Strengthen thy heart,and be not afraid. This
darkness is not a punishment. But, Adam,I have made the
day,and have placed the sun in it to give light,in
order that thou and thy children should do your work. For I knew thou should-est sin and
transgress,and come out into this land. Yet would I not force
thee,nor be hard upon thee,nor shut thee up nor doom thee
through thy fall Arab. upon them all
together,Satan and his hosts, Arab, reads: but when thou didst transgress
against me, omitting I heard. to keep off heat and cold
from thee. Yet
thou wast not forced or obliged to transgress,neither did I fasten thee down seal thee nor doom thee to the fall.
16 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
nor through thy coming out from light into
darkness,nor yet through thy coming from the garden into
this land. For I made thee of the light,and
I willed to bring out children of light from thee,and like unto
thee. But thou didst not keep one day My
commandment,until I had finished the creation and blessed everything in it. Then I commanded thee concerning
the tree,that thou eat not thereof. Yet I knew that Satan,who
deceived himself, would also deceive thee. So I made known to thee by means
of the tree,not to come near him. And I told thee not to eat of the
fruit thereof,nor to taste of it, nor yet to sit under it,nor
to yield to it. Had I not been and spoken to thee,
Adam, concerning the tree,and had I left thee without a commandment, and thou hadst sinned it would have been an offence on
My part, for not having given thee any order,thou
wouldst turn round and blame Me for it. But I commanded thee,and warned
thee, and thou didst fall. So that My creatures cannot blame me,but the blame rests on them alone. And, Adam, I have made the day for
thee and for thy children after thee,for them to work,and
toil therein. And I have made the night for them to rest in it
from their work,and for the beasts [of the field] to go forth
by night and seek their food. But little of darkness now
remains, Adam,and day light will soon appear.
CHAPTER XIV
Then Adam said unto God: Lord, take Thou my soul,and let me not see this gloom any more,or
remove me to some place where there is no darkness. Satan Or works
THE WORD OF GOD TO ADAM. 17
But God the Lord said to Adam,Verily I say unto thee, this darkness will pass from thee, every day
I have determined for thee,until the fulfillment of My covenant,when I will save thee and bring thee back again into the
garden,into the abode of light thou longest for, wherein is no
darkness. I will bring thee to it in the kingdom of
heaven. Again said God unto Adam, All this
misery that thou hast been made to take upon thee because of
thy transgression, will not free thee from the hand of Satan,
and will not save thee. But I will. When I shall come
down from heaven,and shall become flesh of thy seed, and take upon
Me the infirmity from which thou sufferest,then the darkness
that came upon thee in this cave shall come upon Me in the
grave,when I am in the flesh of thy seed. And I,who am without years,shall
be subject to the reckoning of years,of times, of months,and
of days,and I shall be reckoned as one of the sons of men,in order to save thee. And God ceased to commune with Adam.
CHAPTER XV
Then Adam and Eve wept and sorrowed by reason
of God's word to them, that they should not return to
the garden until the fulfillment of the days decreed upon them, but mostly because God had told them that He should
suffer for their salvation.
CHAPTER XVI
After this Adam and Eve ceased not to stand
in the cave,praying and weeping,until the morning dawned
upon them. and God withdrew His Word from Adam.
18 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And when they saw the light returned to them,they restrained from fear,and strengthened their
hearts. Then Adam began to come out of the cave. And
when he came to the mouth of it,and stood and turned
his face towards the east,and saw the sun rise in glowing
rays,and felt the heat thereof on his body,he was afraid of it, and
thought in his heart that this flame came forth to plague
him. He wept then,and smote upon his breast,and fell upon the earth on his
face,and made his request, saying: Lord, plague me not, neither consume me,
nor yet take away my life from the earth. For he thought
the sun was God. Inasmuch as while he was in the garden and
heard the voice of God and the sound He made in the garden,and feared Him,Adam never saw the brilliant light of the
sun, neither did the flaming heat thereof touch his body. Therefore
was he afraid of the sun when flaming rays of it reached him. He thought God
meant to plague him therewith all the days He had decreed for him. For Adam
also said in his thoughts, As God did not plague us with darkness, behold, He
has caused this sun to rise and to plague us with burning heat. But while he was thus thinking in his heart,the Word of God came unto him and said: Adam, arise and
stand up. This sun is not God, but it has been created to give light by day, of
which I spake unto thee in the cave saying, that the dawn
would break forth,and there would be light by day. But I am God who comforted thee
in the night. And God ceased to commune with Adam.
CHAPTER XVII
Then Adam and Eve came out at the mouth of
the cave,and went towards the garden.
CURSE OF THE SERPENT. 19
But as they drew near to it, before the
western gate, from which Satan came when he deceived Adam and
Eve, they found the serpent that became Satan coming at the
gate, and sorrow fully licking the dust, and wriggling on its
breast on the ground, by reason of the curse that fell upon
it from God.
27 And whereas fore time the serpent was the
most exalted
of all beasts.
28 now it was changed and become slippery,
and the meanest of them all, and it crept on its breast and went on its belly.
29 And whereas it was the fairest of all beasts,
it had been
changed,and was become the ugliest of them
all. Instead of
feeding on the best food, now it turned to
eat the dust. Instead
of dwelling, as before, in the best places,
now it lived in the
dust. And, whereas it had been the most
beautiful of all beasts,
all of which stood dumb at its beauty, it was
now abhorred of
them. And, again, whereas it dwelt in one
beautiful abode,to which all other animals came from elsewhere,and where it drank,they drank also of the same ; now, after it
had become venomous, by reason of God s curse, all beasts fled from its abode,and would not drink of the water it drank; but fled from it.
CHAPTER XVIII
When the accursed serpent saw Adam and Eve,
it swelled its head, stood on its tail, and with eyes blood-red, did as if it
would kill them. It made straight for Eve, and ran after her, while Adam standing
by, wept because he had no stick in his hand 30 wherewith to smite the serpent,
and knew not how to put it to death. But with a heart burning for Eve,Adam
approached thee.
20 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
serpent, and held it by the tail; when it
turned towards him
and said unto him: Adam, because of thee and of Eve,I am slippery, and go upon my belly." Then by reason of
its great strength, it threw down Adam and Eve and pressed upon
them, as if it would kill them. But God sent an angel who threw the serpent
away from them, and raised them up. Then the Word of God came to the serpent,and
said unto it,In the first instance I made thee
glib, and made thee to go upon thy belly;but I did not deprive
thee of speech. Now, however, be thou dumb; and speak no
more, thou and thy race.
31 because in the first place, has the ruin
My creatures
happened through thee, and now thou wishes to kill them. Then the serpent was struck dumb, and spake
no more. And a wind came to blow from heaven by
command of God, that carried away the serpent from Adam and
Eve, threw it on the sea shore,and it landed in India.
CHAPTER XIX
But Adam and Eve wept before God. And Adam
said unto Him: Lord,when I was in the cave,I said this to
Thee, my Lord,that the beasts of the field would
rise and devour me,and cut off my life from the earth. Then Adam, by reason of what had befallen him,smote upon his
breast, and fell upon the earth like a corpse;then came to him
the Word of God, who raised him, and said unto him, Adam, not
one of these beasts will be able to hurt thee;because when I made the beasts and other moving things come to
thee in the cave, I did not let the serpent come with them,
lest it should rise against you, make you tremble; and the fear
of it should fall.
ADAM DESTROYS HIMSELF. 21
into your hearts. For I knew that that
accursed one is wicked, therefore would I not let it come
near you with the other beasts. But now strengthen thy heart and
fear not. I am with thee unto the end of the days I have
determined on thee.
CHAPTER XX.
Then Adam wept and said,O God, remove us to some other place,that the serpent may not come
again near us, and rise against us. Lest it find Thy handmaid
Eve alone and kill her;for its eyes are hideous and evil. But God said to Adam and Eve,Henceforth fear not,I will not let it come near you,I have driven
it away from you, from this mountain, neither will I leave in
it aught to hurt you. Then Adam and Eve worshiped before God and
gave Him thanks,and praised Him for having delivered
them from death.
CHAPTER XXI.
Then Adam and Eve went in search of the
garden. And the heat beat like a flame on their
faces;and they sweated from the heat,and wept before the
Lord. But the place where they wept was nigh unto a high mountain,facing the western gate of the
garden. Then Adam threw himself down from the top of
that mountain;his face was torn and his flesh
was flayed;much blood flowed from him,and he was nigh unto
death. Meanwhile Eve remained standing on the
mountain weeping over him,thus lying. And she said,I wish not to live after him, for all that he did to himself was through me.
22 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then she threw herself after him,and was
torn and scotched by stones,and remained lying as dead. But the merciful God, who looks upon His
creatures,looked upon Adam and Eve as they lay dead, and He
sent His Word unto them, and raised them. And said to Adam,all this
misery which thou hast wrought upon thyself,will not avail
against My rule,neither
will it alter the covenant of the 5500 years.
CHAPTER XXII
Then Adam said to God,I wither in
the heat;I am faint from walking, and am loth of this world. And
I know not when Thou wilt bring me out of it, to
rest. Then the Lord God said unto him, Adam,it cannot be at present,not until thou hast ended thy
days. Then shall I bring thee out of this wretched
land. And Adam said to God,While I was
in the garden I knew neither heat, nor languor, neither moving
about, nor trembling, nor fear;but now, since I came to this
land,all this affliction has come upon me. Then God said to Adam, So long as
thou wast keeping My commandment, My light and My grace rested on
thee. But when thou didst transgress My commandment,sorrow and misery befell thee in this land, And Adam wept and said, Lord, do not cut me off for this, neither smite me with heavy plagues,nor yet repay me according to my sin, For we,of our own
will,did transgress Thy commandment,and forsook Thy law,and
sought to become gods like unto Thee, when Satan the enemy deceived us. Then God said again unto Adam, Because thou hast borne fear and trembling in this land, languor and
suffering,treading paid, redeemed, hater.
FIRST OFFERING BY ADAM. 23
and walking about,going upon this mountain,
and dying from it,I will take all this upon Myself
in order to save thee.
CHAPTER XXIII
First offering made by Adam. Then Adam wept more and said, God, have mercy on me, so far as to take upon Thee, that which I
will do. But God took His Word from Adam and Eve. Then Adam and Eve stood on their feet,and
Adam said to Eve,Gird thyself, and I also
will gird myself.And she girded herself, as Adam told her. Then Adam
and Eve took stones and placed them in the shape of an
altar, and they took leaves from the trees outside the garden,
with which they wiped, from the face of the rock, the blood
they had spilled. But
that which had dropped on the sand, they took together with the dust wherewith it was mingled and
offered it upon the altar as an offering unto God. Then Adam and Eve stood under the altar and
wept, thus entreating God, Forgive us our
trespass and our sin,and look upon us with Thine eye of mercy. For
when we were in the garden our praises and our hymns went up
before Thee without ceasing. But when we came into this strange
land, pure praise was no longer ours, nor righteous prayer, nor
understanding hearts, nor sweet thoughts, nor just counsels, nor
long discernment, nor upright feelings, neither is our bright
nature left us. But our body is changed from the similitude in
which it was at first,when we were created. toil, labor. This is the literal rendering in Ethiopia of the Arabic word that means also brace, or strengthen
thyself of an ark,the middle part of a church
in Abyssinia. the sanctuary or temple;literal
rendering of the probable Arabic original. It is a canopy over the Holy Table,on which
the Rabat, or ark,is placed.
24 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Yet now look upon our blood which is offered
upon these stones,and accept it at our hands, like the
praises we used to sing unto Thee at first,when in the
garden. And Adam began to make more requests unto
God.
CHAPTER XXIV
Then the merciful God, good and lover of men,
looked upon Adam and Eve, and upon their blood, which
they had held up as an offering unto Him;without an order
from Him for so doing. But He wondered at them;and accepted
their offerings.And God sent from His presence a bright fire,
that consumed their offering. He smelt the sweet savor of their offering,and showed them mercy. Then came the Word of God to Adam,and said
unto him, Adam,as thou hast shed thy blood,so will I shed My own blood when I become flesh of thy seed,and
as thou didst die, O Adam,so also will I die. And as thou didst
build an altar, so also will I make for thee an altar on the
earth;and as thou didst offer thy blood upon it, so also will I
offer My blood upon an altar on the earth. And as thou didst sue for
forgiveness through that blood,so also will I make My blood forgiveness of
sins,and blot out transgressions in it. And now, behold,I
have accepted thy offering, Adam,but the days of the covenant, wherein I have bound
thee,are not fulfilled. When they are fulfilled,then
will I bring thee back into the garden. Now, therefore, strengthen thy
heart;and when sorrow comes upon thee, make Me an offering,and I
will be favor able to thee.
FIRST OFFERING BY ADAM 25/ CHAPTER XXV
But God knew that Adam had in his thoughts,
that he should often kill himself and make an
offering to Him of his blood. Therefore did He say unto him, O
Adam, do not again kill thyself as thou didst, by throwing
thyself down from that mountain/But Adam said unto God, It was in my mind to
put an end to myself at once, for having
transgressed Thy commandments,and for my having come out of the
beautiful garden, and for the bright light of which Thou hast deprived
me, and for the praises which poured forth from my
mouth without ceasing, and for the light that covered me. Yet of Thy goodness, God, do not
away with me altogether,but be favorable to me every
time I die,and bring me to life. And thereby it will be made known
that Thou art a merciful God, who wiliest not that one should perish,who loves not that one should fall, and who
dost not condemn any one cruelly, badly, and by whole
destruction/Then Adam remained silent. And the Word of God came unto him, and
blessed him, and comforted him, and covenanted with him, that
He would save him at the end of the days determined upon
him. This, then,was the first offering Adam made
unto God,and so it became his custom to do.
CHAPTER
Then Adam took Eve,and they began to return
to the Cave of Treasures where they dwelt. But when they
neared it and saw it from afar, heavy sorrow fell upon Adam
and Eve when they looked at it.
26 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then Adam said to Eve,When we
were on the mountain we were comforted by the Word of God that
conversed with us,and the light that came from the east,shone over us. But now the Word of God is hidden
from us,and the light that shone over us is so changed as to
disappear, and let darkness and sorrow come upon us. And we are forced to enter this
cave which is like a prison,wherein darkness covers us,so that
we are parted from each other,and thou canst not see me,neither can I see thee. When Adam had said these words,they wept and spread their hands before God;for they were full
of sorrow. And they entreated God to bring the sun to
them,to shine on them,so that darkness return not upon
them,and they come not again under this covering of rock.
And they wished to die rather than see the darkness. Then God looked upon Adam and Eve and upon
their great
sorrow,and upon all they had done with a
fervent heart,on account of all the trouble they were in,instead of their former well-being,and on account of all the
misery that came upon them in a strange land. Therefore God was not wroth with them;nor
impatient with them; but He was long-suffering and
forbearing towards them,as towards the children He had
created. Then came the Word of God to Adam,and said
unto him, Adam,as for the sun, if I were to
take it and bring it to thee,days, hours,years and months would
all come to naught,and the covenant I have made with thee,would
never be fulfilled. But thou should est then be turned
and left in a long plague,and no salvation would be left to
thee for ever. Yea, rather,bear long and calm thy
soul while thou abidest night and day; until the fulfillment of the days,and the time of My covenant is come. to withhold it, days
FIRST
APPARITION OF SATAN 27
Then shall I come and save thee,
Adam, for I do not wish that thou be afflicted. And when I look at all the good
things in which thou didst live, and why thou earnest out of them,
then would I willingly show thee mercy. But I cannot alter the covenant
that has gone out of My mouth; else would I have brought thee back
into the garden. When, however,the covenant is
fulfilled, then shall I show thee and thy seed mercy,and bring thee
into a land of gladness, where there is neither sorrow nor
suffering; but abiding joy and gladness, and light that
never fails,and praises that never cease;and a beautiful
garden that shall never pass away/And God said again unto Adam,Be
long suffering and enter the cave,for the darkness of which
thou wast afraid,shall only be twelve hours long;and when
ended,light shall arise. Then when Adam heard these words from God,he
and Eve worshiped before Him, and their hearts were
comforted. They returned into the cave after their
custom, while tears flowed from their eyes,sorrow and wailing
came from their hearts,and they wished their soul would
leave their body. And Adam and Eve stood praying,until the
darkness of night came upon them,and Adam was hid from
Eve,and she from him. And they remained standing in prayer.
CHAPTER XXVII
First apparition of Satan to Adam. When Satan,the hater of all good,saw how
they continued in prayer,and how God communed with them,and comforted them,and how He had accepted their
offering Satan made
28 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
an apparition. He began with transforming his
hosts,in his hands was a flashing fire,and they were
in a great light. He then placed his throne near the mouth of
the cave because he could not enter into it by reason
of their prayers. And he shed light into the cave,until the
cave glistened over Adam and Eve,while his hosts began to sing
praises. And Satan did this,in order that when Adam
saw the light,he should think within himself that it was a
heavenly light,and that Satan hosts were angels; and
that God had sent them to watch at the cave, and to give him light
in the darkness. So that when Adam came out of the cave and
saw them,and Adam and Eve bowed to Satan, then he
would overcome Adam thereby,and a second time humble him
before God. When,therefore,Adam and Eve saw the light,fancying it was real,they strengthened their hearts,yet,as they were trembling,Adam said to Eve,Look at that great light,and at
those many songs of praise,and at that host standing outside
that do not come in to us,do not tell us what they say,or
whence they come,or what is the meaning of this light,what
those praises are,wherefore they have been sent hither, and why
they do not come in. If they were from God,they would
come to us in the cave, and would tell us their
errand. Then Adam stood up and prayed unto God with a fervent heart,and said. Lord,is there in the world
another god than Thou,who created angels and filled them with
light,and sent them to keep us,who would come with them? But,lo we see these hosts that
stand at the mouth of the cave;they are in a great light;they sing
loud praises. If Or,sway.
SECOND
APPARITION OF SATAN 29
they are of some other god than Thou, tell me,and if they
are sent by Thee,inform me of the reason for
which Thou hast
sent them. No sooner had Adam said this,than an angel
from God
appeared unto him in the cave, who said unto
him, Adam,fear not. This is Satan and his hosts;he
wishes to deceive you as he deceived you at first. For the first
time,he was hidden in the serpent,but this time he is
come to you in the similitude of an angel of light, in order
that,when you worshiped him, he might enthrall you,in the
very presence of God. Then the angel went from Adam,and seized
Satan at the opening of the cave,and stripped him of the
feint he had assumed,and brought him in his own hideous
form to Adam and Eve, who were afraid of him when they
saw him. And the angel said to Adam, This
hideous form has been his ever since God made him fall from
heaven. He could not have come near you in it;therefore did he
transform himself into an angel of light/Then the angel drove away Satan and his hosts
from Adam and Eve,and said unto them,Fear not, God who created you,will strengthen you/And the angel went from them. But Adam and Eve remained standing in the
cave, no consolation came to them;they were divided in their thoughts. And when it was morning they prayed; and then
went out to seek the garden. For their hearts were
towards it,and they could get no consolation for having left
it.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Second apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But when the wily Satan saw them, that they
were going to
30 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
the garden, lie gathered together his host,and came in appearance upon a cloud,intent on deceiving
them. But when Adam and Eve saw him thus in a
vision,they thought they were angels of God come to
comfort them about their having left the garden, or to bring
them back again into it. And Adam spread his hands unto God,beseeching Him to make him understand what they were. Then Satan,the hater of all good,said unto
Adam,I am an angel of the great God,and,behold
the hosts that surround me. God has sent me and them to take
thee and bring thee to the border of the garden northwards,to the
shore of the clear sea,and bathe thee and Eve in it,and
raise you to your former gladness,that ye return again to the
garden. These words sank into the heart of Adam and Eve. Yet God withheld His Word from Adam,and did
not make him understand at once,but waited to see his
strength,whether he would be overcome as Eve was when
in the garden,or whether he would prevail.Then Satan called to Adam and Eve, and said,Behold, we go to the sea of water,and they
began to go. And Adam and Eve followed them at some little
distance. But when they came to the mountain to the
north of the garden,a very high mountain, without any steps to
the top of it,the Devil drew near to Adam and Eve,and made
them go up to the top in reality,and not in a vision;wishing,as he did,to throw them down and kill them,and to wipe
off their name from the earth,so that this earth should
remain to him and his hosts alone.
CHAPTER XXIX
But when the merciful God saw
that Satan wished to kill
SECOND APPARITION OF SATAN. 31
Adam with his manifold devices,and saw that
Adam was meek
and without guile,God spake unto Satan in a
loud voice, and
cursed him. Then he and his hosts fled,and Adam and Eve
remained
standing on the top of the mountain, whence
they saw below them the wide world, high above which they
were. But they saw none of the host which anon were by them.They wept,both Adam and Eve,before God, and
begged for forgiveness of Him. Then came the Word from God to Adam, and said
unto him,Know thou and understand
concerning this Satan,that he seeks to deceive thee and thy seed after
thee. And Adam wept before the Lord God,and begged and entreated Him to give him something from the
garden,as a token to him,wherein to be comforted.
32 And God looked upon Adam thought,and sent the angel Michael as far as the sea that reaches unto India,to take from thence golden rods and bring them to Adam. This did God in His wisdom,in order that these golden rods,being with Adam in the cave,should shine forth with light in the night around him,and put an end to his fear of the darkness. Then the angel Michael went down by God s order, took golden rods,as God had commanded him,and brought them to God.
CHAPTER XXX
After these things,God commanded the angel
Gabriel to go down to the garden,and say to the cherub
who kept it,Behold,God has commanded me to
come into the garden,and to take thence sweet smelling incense,and give it to Adam. Then the angel Gabriel went down by God s
order to the garden,and told the cherub as God had
commanded him.
32 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
The cherub then said, Well. And Gabriel went in and took the incense. Then God commanded His angel Raphael to go
down to the garden,and speak to the cherub about some
myrrh,to give to Adam. And the angel Raphael went down and told the
cherub as
God had commanded him,and the cherub said. Well Then Raphael went in and took the myrrh. The golden rods were from the Indian sea,
where there are precious stones. The incense was from the
eastern border of the garden;and the myrrh from the western
border, whence bitterness came upon Adam. And the angels brought these three things to
God, by the Tree of Life,in the garden. Then God said to the angels,Dip them in the spring of water,then take them and sprinkle their
water over Adam and Eve,that they be a little comforted in
their sorrow,and give them to Adam and Eve. And the angels did as God had commanded them,and they gave all those things to Adam and Eve on the
top of the mountain upon which Satan had placed them,
when he sought to make an end of them. And when Adam saw the golden rods,the
incense and the myrrh, he was rejoiced and wept because he
thought that the gold was a token of the kingdom whence he had
come,that the incense was a token of the bright light which
had been taken from him,and that the myrrh was a token of
the sorrow in which he was.
CHAPTER
XXXI.
After these things God said unto Adam,Thou didst ask of Me something from the garden,to be
comforted therewith,and I have given thee these three tokens as a
consolation to thee,that thou trust in Me and in My
covenant with thee.
THE
GOLD,INCENSE AND MYRRH. 33
For I will come and save thee and kings
33 shall bring me when in the flesh, gold, incense and myrrh, gold as a token of My kingdom ;f incense as a token of My
divinity, and myrrh as a token of My sufferings and of My
death.
34 But, Adam,put these by thee in
the cave,the gold that it may shed light over thee by night,the
incense,that thou smell its sweet savor,and the myrrh,to
comfort thee in thy sorrow. When Adam heard these words from God,he worshiped before Him. He and Eve worshiped Him and
gave Him thanks,because He had dealt mercifully with
them. Then God commanded the three angels,Michael, Gabriel and Eaphael,each to bring what he had
brought, and give it to Adam. And they did so,one by one. And God commanded Suriyel and Salathiel to
bear up Adam and Eve,and bring them down from the top of
the high mountain,and to take them to the Cave of Treasures. There they laid the gold on the south side of
the cave, the incense on the eastern side, and the myrrh on
the western side. For the mouth of the cave was on the north
side.
p. 277. See the note at the end of this work. of My being king. The word bat, cave,and bet, house,were probably mistaken the one for the other.
p. 277. See the note at the end of this work. of My being king. The word bat, cave,and bet, house,were probably mistaken the one for the other.
34 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And these three things, as they continued
with Adam in the cave,gave him light by night,and by day
they gave him a little relief from his sorrow.
CHAPTER XXXII
And Adam and Eve remained in the Cave of
Treasures until the seventh day,they neither ate of the
fruit of the earth,nor drank water. And when it dawned on the eighth
day,Adam said to Eve. We prayed God to give us
somewhat from the garden,and He sent His angels who brought us what we
had desired. But now, arise,let us go to the
sea of water we saw at first,and let us stand in it,praying that
God will again be favorable to us and take us back to the
garden,or give us something,or that He will give us comfort
in some other land than this in which we are. Then Adam and Eve came out of the cave,went
and stood on the border of the sea in which they had
before thrown themselves,and Adam said to Eve: Come,go down into this place,and
come not out of it until the end of thirty days,when I shall come to
thee. And pray to God with a fervent heart and a sweet voice,
to forgive us. And I will go to another place,and go down into it,and do like thee. Then Eve went down into the water,as Adam
had commanded her. Adam also went down into the
water;and they stood praying,and besought the Lord to
forgive them their offence,and to restore them to their former
state. And they stood thus praying, unto the end of
the thirty five days.
See note 38.
THIRD
APPARITION OF SATAN. 35 CHAPTER XXXIII
Third apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But Satan,the hater of all good,sought them
in the cave,but found them not,although he searched
diligently for them. But he found them standing in the water
praying, and thought within himself, Adam and Eve are thus standing in that water beseeching God to forgive them
their transgression,and to restore them to their former estate,and to take them from under my hand. But I will deceive them so that
they shall come out of the water,and not fulfill their vow. Then the hater of all good,went not to Adam,but he went to Eve,and took the form of an angel of God,praising and rejoicing,and said to her: Peace be unto thee! Be glad and
rejoice! God is favorable unto you,and He sent me to Adam. I have
brought him the glad tidings of salvation, and of his
being filled with bright light as he was at first. And Adam,in his joy for his
restoration has sent me to thee, that thou come to me,in order that I
crown thee with light like him. And he said to me,Speak unto
Eve,if she does not come with thee,tell her of the
sign when we were on the top of the mountain;how God sent
His angels who took us and brought us to the Cave of
Treasures,and laid the gold on the southern side;incense,on the eastern side;and myrrh on the western side/Now come
to him. When Eve heard these words from him,she
rejoiced greatly. And thinking that Satan appearances was
real,she came out of the sea. He went before,and she followed him until
they came to Adam. Then Satan hid himself from her,and
she saw him no more. Or, desire sign.
36 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
She then came and stood before Adam, who was
standing by the water and rejoicing in God s forgiveness. And as she called to him, he turned round,found her there and wept when he saw her,and smote upon his
breast,and from the bitterness of his grief,he sank
into the water. But God looked upon him and upon his misery,and upon his being about to breathe his last. And the
Word of God came from heaven, raised him out of the
water,and said unto him,Go up the high bank to Eve. And when he came up to Eve he said unto her,Who said to thee come hither? Then she told him the discourse of the angel
who had appeared unto her and had given her a sign. But Adam grieved, and gave her to know it was
Satan. He then took her and they both returned to the
cave. These things happened to them the second time
they went down to the water,seven days after their
coming out of the garden. They fasted in the water thirty-five days, altogether forty two days since they had left the garden.
35 CHAPTER XXXIV
And on the morning of the forty-third day,they came out of
the cave,sorrowful and weeping. Their bodies
were lean,and
they were parched from hunger and thirst,
from fasting and
praying,and from their heavy sorrow on
account of their
transgression. And when they had come out of the cave they
went up the mountain to the west of the garden. There they stood and prayed and besought God
to grant them forgiveness of their sins.
And after their prayers Adam began to entreat
God,saying,my Lord, my God,and my Creator,Thou didst command greatness.
ADAM 8 PRAYER. 37
the four elements to be gathered together,and they were
gathered together by Thine order. Then Thou spreader Thy hand and
didst create me out of one element,that of dust of the earth,and
Thou didst bring me into the garden at the third hour,on a
Friday,and didst inform me of it in the cave. Then,at first, I knew neither
night nor day, for I had a bright nature, neither did the light in
which I lived ever leave me to know night or day. Then, again, Lord,in that third hour in which Thou didst create me, Thou broughtest to me all
beasts, and lions,and ostriches, and fowls of the air, and all
things that move in the earth, which Thou hadst created at the
first hour before me of the Friday. And Thy will
was that I should name them all,one by one,with a suitable name. But Thou gave-st me understanding and knowledge,and a pure heart and
a right min from Thee, that I should name them after
Thine own mind
regarding the naming of them. God,Thou maddest them obedient to
me, and didst order that not one of them break from my sway,
according to Thy commandment, and to the dominion which Thou
hast given me over them. But now they are all estranged
from me. Then it was in that third hour of Friday,in which Thou didst create me, and didst command me
concerning the tree,to which I was neither to draw near, nor to
eat thereof,for Thou sadist to me in the garden, When thou eat est of it,of death thou shalt die/And if Thou hadst punished me as
Thou said, with death, I should have died that very moment. Moreover, when Thou commandment me
regarding the tree,I was neither to approach nor to eat thereof,
Eve was not with me; Thou hadst not yet created her, neither
hadst Thou yet
See note 8. f Lit. judged, sentenced. In my hour, or time.
See note 8. f Lit. judged, sentenced. In my hour, or time.
38 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
taken her out of my side ; nor had she yet
heard this order
from Thee. Then, at the end of the
third hour of that Friday, O Lord, Thou didst cause a slumber and a sleep to
come over me,and
I slept,and was overwhelmed in sleep. Then Thou didst draw a rib out of my
side,and created it after my own similitude and image. Then I
awoke;and when I saw her and knew who she was, I said,This is bone of my bones,and flesh of my flesh;henceforth she shall be called woman. It was of Thy good will, God, that
Thou broughtest a slumber and a sleep over me,and that Thou didst forthwith bring Eve out of my side,until she was out,
so that I did not see how she was made;neither could I
witness,my Lord,how awful and great are Thy goodness and
glory. And of Thy goodwill, O Lord, Thou maddest us both with bodies of a bright nature,and Thou maddest us
two, one,and Thou gravest us Thy grace,and didst fill us
with praises of the Holy Spirit;that we should be neither
hungry nor thirsty,nor know what sorrow is,nor yet faintness
of heart;neither suffering, fasting,nor weariness. But now, God,since we
transgressed Thy commandment and broke Thy law, Thou hast brought us out
into a strange land,and has caused suffering,and faintness,hunger and
thirst to come upon us. Now, therefore, God,we pray Thee,
give us something to eat from the garden,
36 to satisfy our hunger with it;and something wherewith to quench our thirst. For, behold, many days, God,we have tasted nothing and drunk nothing,and our flesh is dried up,and our strength is wasted, and sleep is gone from our eyes from faintness and weeping. Then, God, we dare not gather aught of the fruit of satisfy.
36 to satisfy our hunger with it;and something wherewith to quench our thirst. For, behold, many days, God,we have tasted nothing and drunk nothing,and our flesh is dried up,and our strength is wasted, and sleep is gone from our eyes from faintness and weeping. Then, God, we dare not gather aught of the fruit of satisfy.
PRAYER FOR THE FRUIT OF LIFE. 39
trees, from fear of Thee. For when we
transgressed at first
Thou didst spare us,and didst not make us
die. But now, we thought in our hearts,
if we eat of the fruit of trees, without God s order, He will
destroy us this time,and will wipe us off from the face of the earth. And if we drink of this water,
without God order, He will make an end of us, and root us up at once. Now, therefore, God, that I am
come to this place with Eve, we beg Thou wilt give us of the fruit of
the garden, that we may be satisfied with it. For we desire the fruit that is on
the earth,and all else that we lack in it.
CHAPTER XXXV
Then God looked again upon Adam and his
weeping and groaning,and the Word of God came to him,
and said unto him: 0 Adam, when thou wast in My
garden,thou knew-est neither eating nor drinking,neither
faintness nor suffering, neither leanness of flesh,nor change;
neither did sleep depart from thine eyes. But since thou transgress,and earnest into this strange land,all these trials are
come upon thee.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Then God commanded the cherub, who kept the
gate of the garden with a sword of fire in his hand, to
take some of the fruit of the fig-tree, and to give it to
Adam. The cherub obeyed the command of the Lord
God, and went into the garden and brought two figs on two twigs, each fig hanging to its leaf; they were from two
of the trees among which Adam and Eve hid themselves when God
went to walk.
40 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
in the garden, and the Word of God came to
Adam and Eve and said unto them, Adam,
where art thou ? And Adam answered, God, here am I. I
hid myself among fig-trees, and when I heard the sound of
Thee and Thy voice, I hid myself, because I am naked. Then the cherub took two figs and brought
them to Adam and to Eve. But he threw them to them from
afar, for they might not come near the cherub by reason of their
flesh, that could not come near the fire. At first, angels trembled at the presence of
Adam and were afraid of him. But now Adam trembled before
the angels and was afraid of them. Then Adam drew near and took one fig, and Eve
also came in turn and took the other. And as they took them up in their hands, they
looked at them, and knew they were from the trees among
which they Lad hidden themselves. And Adam and Eve wept sore.
CHAPTER XXXVII
Then Adam said to Eve, Sees thou
not these figs and their leaves, with which we covered ourselves
when we were stripped of our bright nature ? But now, we
know not what misery and suffering may come upon us from
eating them. Now, therefore, Eve, let us restrain
ourselves and not eat of them, thou and I,and let us ask God
to give us of the fruit of the Tree of Life. Thus did Adam and Eve restrain themselves,
and did not eat of those figs. But Adam began to pray to God and to beseech
Him to give him of the fruit of the Tree of Life,
saying thus: O God, when we transgressed Thy commandment at
the sixth
See note 24.
PRAYER
FOR THE FRUIT OF LIFE 41
hour of Friday, we were stripped of the
bright nature we had
37 and did not continue in the garden after our
transgression,
more than three hours. But on the evening Thou maddest us
come out of it. God, we transgressed against Thee one hour,
and all these
trials and sorrows have come upon us until
this day. And those days together with this
the forty-third day, do not redeem that one hour in which we
transgressed ! God, look upon us with an eye of
pity,and do not requite us according to our transgression of
Thy commandment, in presence of Thee. God, give us of the fruit of the
Tree of Life, that we may eat of it, and live, and turn not to see
sufferings and other trouble , in this earth ; for Thou art God. When we transgressed Thy
commandment, Thou maddest us come out of the garden, and didst send a
cherub to keep the Tree of Life, lest we should eat thereof, and
live;and know nothing of faintness after we transgressed. But now, Lord, behold, we have
endured all these days, and have borne sufferings. Make these
forty-three days an equivalent for the one hour in which we
transgressed.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
After these things the Word of God came to
Adam,and said unto him Adam, as to the fruit of the Tree
of Life, for which thou askest, I will not give it thee now, but when
the 5500 years are fulfilled. Then will I give thee of the
fruit of the Tree of Life, and thou shalt eat,and live for ever,
thou, and Eve, and thy righteous seed. Or, make up for. Even
with.
42 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
But these forty-three days cannot
make amends for the hour in which thou didst transgress My
commandment. Adam, I gave thee to eat of the
fig-tree in which thou didst hide thyself. Go and eat of it, thou
and Eve. I will not denyf thy request, neither will I
disappoint thy hope, therefore, bear up unto the fulfillment of the covenant I made with thee. And God withdrew His Word from Adam.
CHAPTER XXXIX
Then Adam returned to Eve, and said to her, Arise, and take a fig for thyself, and I will take
another; and let us go to our cave.
Then Adam and Eve took each a fig and went
towards the cave, the time was about the setting of the
sun, and their thoughts made them long to eat of the fruit. But Adam said to Eve, " I am afraid
to eat of this fig. I know not what may come upon me from
it. So Adam wept, and stood praying before God,
saying, Satisfy my hunger, without my having to eat
this fig, for after I have eaten it, what will it profit me
? And what shall I desire and ask of Thee, God, when it is
gone ? And he said again, I am afraid to eat of it, for I
know not what will befall me through it.
CHAPTER XL
Then the Word of God came to Adam, and said
unto him, Adam, why hadst thou not this
dread, neither this fasting, nor this care ere this ? And why hadst thou
not this fear before thou didst transgress ? Or, redeem. f Or, reject, turn back.
GOD GIVES THEM TWO FIGS 43
" But when thou earnest to dwell in
this strange land, thy
animal body could not be on earth without
earthly food, to strengthen it and to restore its
powers. And God withdrew His Word from Adam.
CHAPTER XLI
Then Adam took the fig, and laid it on the
golden rods.
Eve also took her fig,and put it upon the
incense.
38
And the weight of each fig was that of a
water-melon, for
the fruit of the garden was much larger than
the fruit of this
land. But Adam and Eve remained standing and
fasting the
whole of that night, until the morning dawned. When the sun rose they were at their prayers,and Adam said to Eve, after they had done praying: Eve, come, let us go to the border
of the garden looking south, to the place whence the river flows,
and is parted into four heads. There we will pray to God, and
ask Him to give
us to drink of the Water of Life. For God has not fed us with the Tree of
Life, in order that we may not live. We will, therefore, ask
Him to give us of the Water of Life, and to quench our
thirst with it, rather than with a drink of water of this
land. When Eve heard these words from Adam, she
agreed,and they both arose and came to the southern
border of the garden, upon the brink of the river of water
at some little distance from the garden. And they stood and
prayed before the Lord, and asked Him to look upon them this once, to forgive
them, and to grant them their request. Or, streams. As read by Dillmann, it may also mean, that we
may do without the water of this land or, of this earth.
44 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
After this prayer from both of them, Adam
began to pray
with his voice before God, and said: Lord, when I was in the garden and
saw the water that flowed from under the Tree of Life, my heart
did not desire, neither did my body require to drink of it ;
neither did I know thirst, for I was living ; and above that
which I am now. So that in order to live I did not require
any Food of Life,neither did I drink of the Water of Life. But now, God,I am dead;my flesh
is parched with thirst. Give me of the Water of Life that I
may drink of it and live. Of Thy mercy, God, save me from
these plagues and trials,and bring me into another land
different from this, if Thou wilt not let me dwell in Thy
garden.
CHAPTER XLII.
Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said
unto him: Adam, as to what thou sayest,Bring
me into a land where there is rest/it is not another land
than this,but it is the kingdom of heaven where alone there is
rest. But thou canst not make thy
entrance into it at present, but only after thy judgment is past and fulfilled. Then will I make thee go up into
the kingdom of heaven, thee and thy righteous seed,and I will give
thee and them the rest thou asks for at present. And if thou saidst,Give me of the
Water of Life that I may drink and live it cannot be this day,but
on the day that I shall descend into hell,and break the
gates of brass,and bruise in pieces the kingdoms of iron. Then will I in mercy save thy soul
and the souls of the righteous,to give them rest in My garden.
And that shall be when the end of the world is come.thy
sentence or, punishment.
FOURTH APPARITION OF SATAN 45
And, again, as regards the Water of Life thou
seek,it will not be granted thee this day ; but on
the day that I shall shed My blood upon thy head in the land of
Golgotha. For My blood shall be the Water of
Life unto thee, at that time, and not to thee alone, but unto all
those of thy seed who shall believe in Me;that it be unto them
for rest for ever. The Lord said again unto Adam,when thou wast in the garden, these trials did not come to
thee. But since thou didst transgress My
commandment,all these sufferings have come upon thee. Now, also,does thy flesh require
food and drink,then of that water that flows by thee on
the face of the earth. Then God withdrew His Word from Adam. And Adam and Eve worshiped the Lord, and
returned from the river of water to the cave. It was
noon-day,and when they drew near to the cave, they saw a
large fire by it.
CHAPTER XLIII
Fourth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. Then Adam and Eve were afraid,and stood
still. And Adam said to Eve,What is that fire by
our cave ? We do nothing in it to bring about this fire. We neither have bread to bake
therein,nor broth to cook there. As to this fire, we know not the like,
neither do we know what to call it. But ever since God sent the cherub
with a sword of fire that flashed and lightened in his hand,from
fear of which we fell down and were like corpses have we not seen
the like . But now,Eve behold, this is the
same fire that was in Or, soup, mess, cooking.
46 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
the cherub s hand, which God has sent to keep
the cave in
which we dwell. Eve, it is because God is angry
with us,and will drive us from it. Eve, we have again transgressed His commandment in that cave, so that He has sent this fire to burn around it, and to prevent us from going into it. If this be really so, Eve, where
shall we dwell? and whither shall we flee from before the face of
the Lord ? Since,as regards the garden, He will not let us
abide in it, and He has deprived us of the good things thereof;
but He has placed us in this cave, in which we have borne
darkness, trials and hardships, until [at last] we found comfort
therein. But now that He has brought us out
into another land, who knows what may happen in it ? And who knows
but that the darkness of that land may be far greater than
the darkness of this land ? Who knows what may happen in that
land by day or by night ? And who knows whether it will be far
or near, Eve ? Where it will please God to put us,maybe far from the garden,Eve! or where God will prevent us
from beholding Him,because we have transgressed His commandment, and because we have made requests unto Him at all
times? Eve,if God will bring us into a
strange land other than this, in which we find consolation,it must
be to put our souls to death, and blot out our name from the face
of the earth. Eve,if we are farther estranged
from the garden and from God,where shall we find Him again,and ask
Him to give us gold, incense, myrrh,and some fruit of the
fig-tree? Where shall we find Him,to
comfort us a second time ? Where shall we find Him,that He may think of
us,as regards the covenant He has made on our behalf? Or and He will not let us enter into it. Or the promise He has made us.
SATAN TRIES TO BURN THE CAVE 47
Then Adam said no more. And they kept
looking, he and Eve,towards the cave, and at the fire that
flared up around it. But that fire was from Satan. For he had
gathered trees and dry grasses,and had carried and brought
them to the cave,and had set fire to them,in order to consume
the cave and what was in it. So that Adam and Eve should be left in
sorrow,and he should cut off their trust in God, and make
them deny Him. But by the mercy of God he could not burn the
cave,for God sent His angel round the cave to guard it
from such a fire,until it went out. And this fire lasted from noon- day until the
break of day. That was the forty-fifth day.
CHAPTER XLIV
Yet Adam and Eve were standing and looking at
the fire,and
unable to come near the cave from their dread
of the fire.
And Satan kept on bringing trees and throwing
them into the fire, until the flame thereof rose up on
high,and covered the whole cave, thinking, as he did in his
own mind,to consume the cave with much fire. But the angel of the
Lord was guarding it. And yet he could not curse Satan,nor injure
him by word, because he had no authority over him,neither
did he take to doing so with words from his mouth. Therefore did the angel bear with him,
without saying one bad word,until the Word of God came who said
to Satan, Go hence,once before didst thou deceive My
servants,and this time thou seek to destroy them. Were it not for My mercy I would
have destroyed thee.
The Arabic here adds:for God defeated the thoughts of that deceiver, so that the fire did not hurt the care,but the angel.
The Arabic here adds:for God defeated the thoughts of that deceiver, so that the fire did not hurt the care,but the angel.
48 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And Tlingit hosts from off the earth. But I have
had patience
with thee, unto the end of the
world. Then Satan fled from before the Lord. But the
fire went on burning around the cave like a coal-fire
the whole day, which was the forty -sixth day Adam and Eve
had spent since they came out of the garden. And when Adam and Eve saw that the heat of
the fire had somewhat cooled down, they began to walk
towards the cave to get into it as they were wont, but they
could not, by reason of the heat of the fire. Then they both took to weeping because of the
fire that made separation between them and the cave,
and that drew towards them, burning. And they were afraid. Then Adam said to Eve,See this
fire of which we have a portion in us: which formerly yielded to us,but no longer does so, now that we have transgressed the
limit of creation,and changed our condition,and our nature is
altered. But the fire is not changed in its nature, nor
altered from its creation. Therefore has it now power over us,and when
we come near it,it scorches our flesh.
CHAPTER XLV
Then Adam rose and prayed unto God, saying, See,this fire has made separation between us and the
cave in which Thou hast commanded us to dwell; but now,
behold,we cannot go into it. Then God heard Adam, and sent him His Word,
that said: Adam,see this fire ! how different the flame and heat thereof are from the garden of delights and
the good things in it ! When thou wast under My control,all creatures yielded to Or, respited thee.
GOD
SPEAKS TO ADAM 49
thee, but after thou hast transgressed My
commandment,they all rise over thee. Again said God unto him, See, Adam, how Satan has exalted thee! He has deprived thee of the
Godhead,and of an exalted state like unto Me,and has not
kept his word to thee, but,after all,is become thy foe. It
is he who made this fire in which he meant to burn thee and Eve. Why, Adam, has he not kept his
agreement with thee, not even one day, but has deprived thee of
the glory that was on thee when thou didst yield to his command
? Think-est thou, Adam, that he loved
thee when he made this agreement with thee ? Or, that he loved
thee and wished to raise thee on high ? But no, Adam, he did not do all
that out of love to thee, but he wished to make thee come out of light
into darkness,and from an exalted state to degradation, from glory to abasement,from joy to sorrow,and from rest
to fasting and fainting. God said also to Adam,See this
fire kindled by Satan around thy cave,see this wonder that
surrounds thee, and know that it will encompass about both thee
and thy seed, when ye hearken to his behest, that he will
plague you with fire,and that ye shall go down into hell after ye
are dead. Then shall ye see the burning of
his fire, that will thus be burning around you and your seed. There shall
be no deliverance from it for you, but at My coming, in
like manner as thou canst not now go into thy cave,by reason of
the great fire around it,not until My Word shall come
that will make a way for thee on the day My covenant is
fulfilled. There is no way for thee at
present to come from hence to rest,not until My Word cones, who is My
Word. Then will He make a way for thee, and thou shalt
have rest. Then God called with His Word to that fire that
burned around the The Arabic original here reads more
definitely: not until My voice comes,which is My Word God
speaking to us through His Son.
50 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
cave, that it part itself asunder, until Adam
had gone through
it. Then the fire parted.itself by God's
order,and a way was
made for Adam. And God withdrew His Word from Adam.
CHAPTER XLVI
Then Adam and Eve began again to come into
the cave. And when they came to the way between the
fire,Satan blew into the fire like a whirlwind, and made
on Adam and and Eve a burning coal-fire, so that their
bodies were singed,and the coal- fire scorched them. And from the burning of the fire Adam and Eve
cried aloud,and said,Lord, save us! Leave us not to be
consumed and plagued by this burning fire, neither
requite us for having transgressed Thy commandment. Then God looked upon their bodies,on which
Satan had caused fire to burn,and God sent His angel
that stayed the burning fire. But the wounds remained on
their bodies. And God said unto Adam, See Satan love for thee, who pretended to give thee the Godhead and
greatness and, behold,he burns thee with fire,and seeks to destroy
thee from off the earth. Then look at Me, Adam, I created
thee,and how many times have I delivered thee out of his hand ?
If not, would he not have destroyed thee ? God said again to Eve,What is
that he promised thee in the garden,saying, At the time ye shall eat
of the tree,your eyes will be opened,and you shall become like
gods,knowing good and evil. But lo ! he has burnt your
bodies with fire,and has made you taste the taste of fire,for the
taste of the garden,and has made you see the burning of fire,and
the evil thereof,and the power it has over you.
THEY RETURN TO THE CAVE 51
Your eyes have seen the good he
has taken from you,and in truth he has opened your eyes;and you
have seen the garden in which ye were with Me,and ye have
also seen the evil that has come upon you from Satan. But
as to the God head he cannot give it you, neither fulfill his speech to you. Nay,he was bitter against you and your seed,that will come after you. And God withdrew His Word from them.
CHAPTER XLVII
Then Adam and Eve came into the cave,yet trembling
at the fire that had scorched their bodies. So
Adam said to Eve: Lo,the fire has burnt our flesh in
this world, but how will it be when we are dead, and Satan shall
punish our souls ? Is not our deliverance long and far off,unless God come,and in mercy to us fulfill His promise ? And Then Adam and Eve passed into the cave,blessing themselves for coming into it once more. For it
was in their thoughts,that they never should enter it,when they saw the fire around it. But as the sun was setting the fire was still burning and nearing Adam and Eve in the cave, so that
they could not sleep in it. After the sun had set,they went
out of it. This was the forty-seventh day after they came out
of the garden. Adam and Eve then came under the top of hill
by the garden to sleep,as they were wont. And they stood and prayed God to forgive them
their sins, and then fell asleep under the summit of the
mountain. But Satan,the hater of all good,thought
within himself: Whereas God has promised salvation to Adam by
covenant,and that He would deliver him out of all the
hardships that judge,or sentence of.
52 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
have befallen him but has not promised me by covenant,and will not deliver me out of my hardships,nay, since He has promised him that He should make him and his seed dwell in the kingdom in which I once was I will kill Adam. The earth shall be rid of him,and shall be left to me alone,so that when he is dead he may not have any seed left to inherit the kingdom that shall remain my own realm,God will then be in want of me,and He will restore me to it with my hosts.
CHAPTER XLVIII
Fifth apparition of Satan to Adam and five. After this Satan called to his hosts,all of which came to him,and said unto him: 0,our Lord, what wilt thou do ? He then said unto them,Ye know that this Adam, whom God created out of the dust,is he who has taken our kingdom. Come,let us gather together and kill him;or hurl a rock at him and at Eve, and crush them under it. When,Satan hosts heard these words, they came to the part of the mountain where Adam and Eve were asleep. Then Satan and his hosts took a huge rock,broad and even,and without blemish,thinking within himself,If there should be a hole in the rock,when it fell on them, the hole in the rock might come upon them, and so they would escape and not die. He then said to his hosts,Take up this stone,and throw it flat upon them,so that it roll not from them to somewhere else. And when ye have hurled it, flee and tarry not. And they did as he bid them. But as the rock fell down from the mountain upon Adam and Eve,God commanded it to become a kind of shed over them,that did them no harm. And so it was by God's order.
52 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
have befallen him but has not promised me by covenant,and will not deliver me out of my hardships,nay, since He has promised him that He should make him and his seed dwell in the kingdom in which I once was I will kill Adam. The earth shall be rid of him,and shall be left to me alone,so that when he is dead he may not have any seed left to inherit the kingdom that shall remain my own realm,God will then be in want of me,and He will restore me to it with my hosts.
CHAPTER XLVIII
Fifth apparition of Satan to Adam and five. After this Satan called to his hosts,all of which came to him,and said unto him: 0,our Lord, what wilt thou do ? He then said unto them,Ye know that this Adam, whom God created out of the dust,is he who has taken our kingdom. Come,let us gather together and kill him;or hurl a rock at him and at Eve, and crush them under it. When,Satan hosts heard these words, they came to the part of the mountain where Adam and Eve were asleep. Then Satan and his hosts took a huge rock,broad and even,and without blemish,thinking within himself,If there should be a hole in the rock,when it fell on them, the hole in the rock might come upon them, and so they would escape and not die. He then said to his hosts,Take up this stone,and throw it flat upon them,so that it roll not from them to somewhere else. And when ye have hurled it, flee and tarry not. And they did as he bid them. But as the rock fell down from the mountain upon Adam and Eve,God commanded it to become a kind of shed over them,that did them no harm. And so it was by God's order.
ADAM AND EVE UNDER TEE ROCK. 53
But when the rock fell,the whole earth quaked with it,and was shaken from the size of the rock. And as it quaked and shook,Adam and Eve awoke from sleep,and found themselves under a rock like a shed. But they knew not how it was;for when they fell asleep they were under the sky,and not under a shed,and when they saw it,they were afraid. Then Adam said to Eve,Wherefore has the mountain bent itself,and the earth quaked and shaken on our account? And why has this rock spread itself over us like a tent? Does God intend to plague us and to shut us up in this prison? Or will He close the earth upon us? He is angry with us for our having come out of the cave, without His order;and for our having done so of our own accord,without consulting Him,when we left the cave and
came to this place. Then Eve said,If,indeed,the earth quaked for our sake,and this rock forms a tent over us because of our transgression,then woe be to us, Adam,for our punishment will be
long. But arise and pray to God to let us know concerning this,and what this rock is, that is spread over us like a tent. Then Adam stood up and prayed before the Lord,to let him know about this strait. And Adam thus stood praying until the morning.
CHAPTER XLIX.
Then the Word of God came and said: Adam, who counselled thee,when
thou earnest out of the cave,to come to this place ? And Adam said unto God, Lord, we came to this place Tent or awning. and earnest.
54 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
because of the heat of the fire, that came
upon us inside the
cave. Then the Lord God said unto Adam,thou deadest the heat of fire for one night,but
how will it be when thou dwell-est in hell? Yet, Adam,fear not,neither say in
thy heart that I have spread this rock as an awning over thee,to
plague thee there with. It came from Satan, who had
promised thee the Godhead and majesty. It is he who threw down this
rock to kill thee under it,and Eve with thee, and thus to
prevent you from living upon the earth. But,in mercy for you,just as
that rock was falling down upon you,I commanded it to form an awning
over you,and the rock under you,to lower itself. And this sign, Adam,will happen
to Me at My coming upon earth: Satan will raise the people of
the Jews to put Me to death,and they will lay Me in a rock,and seal a large stone upon Me,and I shall remain within that rock
three days and three nights. But on the third day I shall rise
again,and it shall be salvation to thee, Adam,and to thy seed,to
believe in Me. But, Adam, I will not bring thee from under
this rock until three days and three nights are
passed. And God withdrew His Word from Adam. But Adam and Eve abode under the rock three
days and three nights, as God had told them. And God did so to them because they had left
their cave and had come to this same place without God's
order. But,after three days and three nights,God
opened the rock and brought them out from under it. Their
flesh was dried up, and their eyes and their hearts were troubled
from weeping and sorrow.
Arab: Low would it be if thou wert
dwelling or abiding iu hell ?
ADAM
IN SEAEGE OF RAIMENT 55/CHAPTER L
Then Adam and Eve went forth and came into
the Cave of
Treasures,and they stood praying in it the
whole of that day, until the evening. And this took place at the end of fifty days
after they had left the garden. But Adam and Eve rose again and prayed to God
in the cave the whole of that night, and begged for mercy
from Him.
And when the day dawned, Adam said unto Eve,Come! let us go and do some work for our
bodies. So they went out of the cave,and came to the
northern border of the garden,and they sought
something to cover their bodies withal. But they found nothing,and
knew not how to do the work. Yet their bodies were stained,and they were speechless from cold and heat. Then Adam stood and asked God to show him something wherewith to cover their bodies. Then came the Word of God and said unto him,Adam,take Eve and come to the sea-shore,where ye
fasted before. There ye shall find skins of sheep,whose
flesh was devoured by lions,and whose skins were left. Take
them and make
raiment for yourselves,and clothe yourselves
withal.
CHAPTER LI
When Adam heard these words from God,he took
Eve and removed from the northern end of the garden
to the south of it,by the river of water,where they once fasted. But as they were going in the way, and before
they reached that place,Satan the wicked one,had heard
the Word of God communing
with Adam respecting his covering.
56 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
It grieved him,and he hastened to the place
where the sheep-skins were,with the intention of
taking them and throwing them into the sea,or of burning
them with fire,that Adam and Eve should not find them. But as he was about to take them, the Word of
God came from heaven,and bound him by the side of
those skins until Adam and Eve came near him. But as they
neared him they were afraid of him,and of his hideous look. Then came the Word of God to Adam and Eve,and said to them,This is he who was hidden in
the serpent,and who deceived you,and stripped you of the garment
of light and glory in which you were. This is he who promised you
majesty and divinity. Where,then, is the beauty that was on him ? Where
is his divinity? Where is his light? Where is the glory that
rested on him? Now his figure is hideous,he is
become abominable among angels,and he has come to be called
Satan. O Adam, he wished to take from you
this earthly garment of sheepskins, and to destroy it,and not let
you be covered with it. What,then, is his beauty that
you should have followed him ? And what have you gained by hearkening
to him? See his evil works and then look at Me,at Me,
your Creator,and at the good deeds I do you. See,I bound him until you came
and saw him and beheld his weakness,that no power is left with
him. And God released him from his bonds.
CHAPTER LII.
After this Adam and Eve said DO more,but
wept before God on account of their creation,and of
their bodies that required an earthly covering.
GOD CLOTHES ADAM AND EVE 57
Then Adam said unto Eve,this is the skin of beasts with which we shall be covered. But
when we have put it on, behold,a token of death shall
have come upon us,inasmuch as the owners of these skins have
died,and have wasted away. So also shall we die,and pass
away. Then Adam and Eve took the skins,and went
back to the
Cave of Treasures,and when in it,they
stood and prayed as they were wont. And they thought how they could make garments
of those skins,for they had no skill for it. Then God sent to them His angel to show them
how to work it out. And the angel said to Adam, Go forth,and bring some palm-thorns/Then Adam went out,and
brought some, as the angel had commanded him. Then the angel began before them to work out
the skins,after the manner of one who prepares a shirt.
And he took the thorns and stuck them into the skins,
before their eyes. Then the angel again stood up and prayed God
that the thorns in those skins should be hidden,so as
to be,as it were,sewn with one thread. And so it was, by God s order;they became
garments for Adam and Eve,and He clothed them withal.
39
From that time the nakedness of their bodies
was covered
from the sight of each other s eyes. And this happened at the end of the
fifty-first day. Then when Adam and Eve s bodies were covered,
they stood and prayed, and sought mercy of the Lord,and
forgiveness,and gave Him thanks for that He had had mercy
on them, and had covered their nakedness. And they ceased not from prayer the whole of that night. Then when the morn dawned at the rising of
the sun,they said their prayers after their custom,and
then went out of the cave.
58 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And Adam said unto Eve,Since we
know not what there is to the westward of this cave,let us go forth
and see it to-day. Then they came forth and went towards the
western border.
CHAPTER LIIL
Sixth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. They were not very far from the cave,when
Satan came towards them, and hid himself between them
and the cave,under the form of two ravenous lions three
days without food,that came towards Adam and Eve,as if
to break them
in pieces and devour them. Then Adam and Eve wept,and prayed God to
deliver them from their paws. Then the Word of God came to them, and drove
away the lions from them. And God said unto Adam,what seek-est thou on the western border? And why hast thou left
of thine own accord the eastern border,in which was thy
dwelling-place ?
Now, then,turn back to thy cave,and remain in it,that Satan do not deceive thee, nor work his purpose upon thee. For in this western border, Adam,there will go from thee a seed,that shall replenish it and
that will defile themselves with their sins,and with their
yielding to the behests of Satan, and by following his works. Therefore will I bring upon them
the waters of a flood,
and overwhelm them all. But I will deliver
what is left of the
righteous among them,and I will bring them
to a distant land,
and the land in which thou dwell-est now shall
remain desolate
and without one inhabitant in it. After God had thus discoursed to them, they
went back to
Arab. he stepped,or placed
himself Or,counsel.
ADAM MEETS THE CHERUB. 59
the Cave of Treasures. Bat their flesh was
dried up,and their
strength failed from fasting and praying,and
from the sorrow
they felt at having trespassed against God.
CHAPTER LIV.
Then Adam and Eve stood up in the cave and
prayed the whole of that night until the morning dawned.
And when the sun was risen they both went out of the
cave,their heads wandering from heaviness of sorrow,and they
not knowing whither they went. And they walked thus unto the southern border
of the garden. And they began to go up that border
until they came to the eastern border [beyond] which
there was no farther space. And the cherub who guarded the garden was
standing at the western gate,and guarding it against
Adam and Eve, lest they should suddenly come into the garden.
And the cherub
turned round,as if to put them to death;according to the
commandment God had given him. When Adam and Eve came to the eastern border
of the garden thinking in their hearts that the
cherub was not watching as they were standing by the gate as
if wishing to
go in,suddenly came the cherub with a
flashing sword of fire
in his hand; and when he saw them, he went
forth to kill them. For he was afraid lest God should
destroy him if they went into the garden without His order. And the sword of the cherub seemed to flame
afar off. But when he raised it over Adam and Eve, the
flame thereof did not flash forth. Therefore did the cherub
think that God was favorable to them, and was bringing them
back into the garden. And the cherub stood wondering. He could not go up to Heaven to ascertain God
s order regarding
their getting into the garden; he therefore abode
60 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
standing by them,unable as he was to part
from them;for he
was afraid lest they should enter the garden
without leave from
God,who then would destroy him. When Adam and Eve saw the cherub coming
towards them with a flaming sword of fire in his hand,
they fell on their faces from fear,and were as dead. At that time the heavens and the earth shook,and other cherubim came down from heaven to the cherub
who guarded the garden,and saw him amazed and silent.
Then, again, other angels came down nigh unto
the place where Adam and Eve were. They were divided
between joy and sorrow. They were glad,because they thought that God
was favor able to Adam,and wished him to return to the
garden; and wished to restore him to the gladness he
once enjoyed. But they sorrowed over Adam,because he was
fallen like a dead man, he and Eve; and they said in
their thoughts, Adam has not died in this place;but God has
put him to
death,for his having come to this place,and
wishing to get into the garden without His leave.
CHAPTER LV
Then came the Word of God to Adam and Eve,and raised them from their dead state,saying unto them,Why came ye up hither? Do you intend to go into the garden,from which I brought you out? It can not be to-day;but only when the covenant I have made with you is fulfilled.
Then Adam, when he heard the Word of God,and the fluttering of the angels whom he did not see,but only hear the sound of them with his ears,he and Eve wept,and said to the angels: O Spirits,who wait upon God,look upon me,and upon my
ADAM SPEAKS TO THE ANGELS 61
being unable to see you! For when I was in my former bright nature, then I could see you. I sang praises as you do;and my heart was far above you. But now,that I have transgressed,that bright nature is
gone from me, and I am come to this miserable state. And now am I come to this,that I cannot see you,and you do not serve me as you were wont. For I am become animal flesh. Yet now,O angels of God,ask God with me,to restore me to that wherein I was formerly;to rescue me from this misery,and to remove from me the sentence of death He passed upon me,for having trespassed against Him/Then,when the angels heard these words, they all grieved over him;and cursed Satan who had beguiled Adam,until he came from the garden to misery;from life to death;from peace to trouble;and from gladness to a strange land. Then the angels said unto Adam,Thou didst hearken to Satan, and didst forsake the Word of God who created thee;and thou didst believe that Satan would fulfill all he had promised thee. But now, Adam, we will make known to thee,what came upon us through him, before his fall from heaven. He gathered together his hosts,and deceived them,promising them to give them a great kingdom,a divine nature;and other promises he made them. His hosts believed that his word was true,so they yielded to him,and renounced the glory of God. He then sent for us according to the orders in which we were to come under his-command,and to hearken to his vain promise. But we would not, and we took not his advice. Then after he had fought with God,and had dealt forwardly with Him, he gathered together his hosts,and made war with us. And if it had not been for God's strength that was with us,we could not have prevailed against him to hurl him from heaven. Or, figure. to Ranks,or dignities.
62 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
One But when lie fell from among us,there was great joy in
heaven,because of his going down from us. For had he continued in heaven,nothing,not even one angel would have remained in it. But God in His mercy, drove him from among us to this dark earth; for he had become darkness itself and a worker of unrighteousness. And he has continued, Adam,to make war against thee,until he beguiled thee and made thee come out of the garden,to this strange land,where all these trials have come to thee. And death,which God brought upon him he has also brought to thee, Adam,because thou didst obey him,and didst transgress against God. Then all the angels rejoiced and praised God,and asked Him not to destroy Adam this time, for his having sought to enter the garden;but to bear with him until the fulfillment of the promise;and to help him in this world until he was free from Satan s hand.
CHAPTER LVI
Then came the Word of God to Adam, and said unto him: O Adam, look at that garden of joy and at this earth of toil,and behold the angels who are in the garden that is full of them, and see thyself alone on this earth, with Satan whom thou didst obey. Yet,if thou hadst submitted, and been obedient to Me,and hadst kept My Word, thou wouldst be with My angels in My garden. But when thou didst transgress and hearken to Satan,thou didst become his guest among his angels,that are full of wickedness;and thou earnest to this earth,that brings forth to thee thorns and thistles.
GOD SPEAKS TO ADAM 63
Adam, ask him who deceived thee, to give thee the divine
nature he promised thee, or to make thee a garden as I had
made for thee;or to fill thee with that same bright nature with
which I had filled thee. Ask him to make thee a body like the one I made thee, or to give thee a day of rest as I gave thee;or to create within thee a reasonable soul,as I did create for thee;or to remove thee hence to some other earth than this one which I gave thee. But, Adam, he will not fulfill even one of the things he told
thee. Acknowledge,then ,My favor towards thee,and My mercy
on thee,My creature; that I have not requited thee for thy
transgression against Me,but in My pity for thee I have promised thee that at the end of the great five days and a half I will come and save thee. Then God said again to Adam and Eve,Arise,go down hence,lest the cherub with a sword of fire in his hand destroy you. But Adam s heart was comforted by God s words to him, and he worshiped before Him. And God commanded His angels to escort Adam and Eve to the cave with joy,instead of the fear that had come upon them. Then the angels took up Adam and Eve, and brought them
down from the mountain by the garden,with songs and psalms,until they brought them to the cave. There the angels began to comfort and to strengthen them,and then departed from them towards heaven,to their Creator,who had sent them. But,after the angels were gone from Adam and Eve,came Satan,with shamefaced,and stood at the entrance of the cave in which were Adam and Eve. He then called to Adam, and said, Adam,come,let me speak to thee. Then Adam came out of the cave,thinking he was one of God s angels that was come to give him some good counsel.
64 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER LVIL
Seventh apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But when Adam came out and saw his hideous figure, he was afraid of him,and said unto him, Who art thou. Then Satan answered and said unto him,It is I,who hid myself within the serpent,and who talked to Eve,and beguiled
her until she hearkened to my command. I am he who sent her,through the wiles of my speech,to deceive thee,until thou and she ate of the fruit of the tree,and ye came away from under the command of God. But when Adam heard these words from him,he said unto him, Canst thou make me a garden as God made for me? Or canst thou clothe me in the same bright nature in which God had clothed me ?
"Where is the divine nature thou didst promise to give me ?
Where is that fair speech of thine,thou didst hold with us at
first,when we were in the garden? Then Satan said unto Adam, Thinnest thou,that when I have spoken to one about anything, I shall ever bring it to him or fulfill my word ? Not so. For I myself have never even thought of obtaining what I asked. Therefore did I fall,and did I make you fall by that for which I myself fell;and with you also,whosoever accepts my counsel,falls thereby. But now, Adam, by reason of thy fall thou art under my rule,and I am king over thee; because thou hast hearkened to me,and hast transgressed against thy God. Neither will there be any deliverance from my hands until the day promised thee by thy God. Again he said,Inasmuch as we do not know the day agreed upon with thee by thy God,nor the hour in which thou Sentence,or judgment.
SATAN S SPEECH TO ADAM. 65
shalt be delivered,for that reason will we multiply war and
murder upon thee and thy seed after thee. This is our will and our good pleasure,that we may not leave one of the sons of men to inherit our orders in heaven. For as to our abode, Adam, it is in burning fire; and we will not cease our evil doing, no,not one day nor one hour. And I, Adam,shall sow fire upon thee when thou comes into the cave to dwell there. When Adam heard these words he wept and mourned, and said unto Eve,Hear what he said;that he will not fulfill aught of what he told thee in the garden. Did he really then become king over us ? But we will ask God, who created us, to deliver us out of his hands.
CHAPTER LVIII
Then Adam and Eve spread their hands unto God, praying and entreating Him to drive Satan away from them;that he do them no violence,and do not force them to deny God. Then God sent to them at once His angel,who drove away Satan from them. This happened about sunset,on the fifty third day after they had come out of the garden. Then Adam and Eve went into the cave,and stood up and turned their faces to the earth, to pray to God. But ere they prayed Adam said unto Eve, Lo,thou hast seen what temptations have befallen us in this land. Come,let us arise,and ask God to forgive us the sins we have committed;and we will not come out until the end of the day next to the fortieth. And if we die herein, He will save us.
Then Adam and Eve arose,and joined together in entreating God. Ranks, or stations,There is confusion of numbers in the text. Or, trials.
66 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
They abode thus praying in the cave;neither did they come out of it,by night or by day, until their prayers went up out of their mouths,like a flame of fire.
CHAPTER LIX
Eighth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. But Satan, the hater of all good,did not allow them to end their prayers. For he called to his hosts,and they came,all of them. He then said to them, Since Adam and Eve,whom we beguiled,have agreed together to pray to God night and day,and to entreat Him to deliver them,and since they will not come out of the cave until the end of the fortieth day.
And since they will continue their prayers as they have both agreed to do, that He will deliver them out of our hands,and restore them to their former state,see what we shall do unto them. And his hosts said unto him,Power is thine, O our Lord,to do what thou list est.
Then Satan,great in wickedness,took his hosts and came into the cave,in the thirtieth night of the forty days and one;and he smote Adam and Eve, until he left them dead. Then came the Word of God unto Adam and Eve,who raised them from their suffering,and God said unto Adam, Be strong,and be not afraid of him who has just come to
thee. But Adam wept and said,Where wast Thou, my God,that they should smite me with such blows, and that this suffering should come upon us; upon me and upon Eve, Thy handmaid? Then God said unto him, Adam, see,he is lord and master of all thou hast,he who said, he would give thee Or, steward, trustee, patron,master of all thou hast.
EIGHTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 67
divinity. Where is his love for thee? And where is the gift
he promised? For once has it pleased him, Adam, to come to thee,
to comfort thee,and to strengthen thee, and to rejoice with
thee,and to send his hosts to guard thee;because thou hast
hearkened to him,and hast yielded to his counsel;and hast
transgressed My commandment but has followed his behest ? Then Adam wept before the Lord, and said,Lord because I transgressed a little, Thou hast sorely plagued me in return for it, I ask Thee to deliver me out of his hands;or else have pity on me, and take my soul out of my body now in this strange land. Then God said unto Adam,If only there had been this sighing and praying before,ere thou didst transgress ! Then wouldst thou have rest from the trouble in which thou art now. But God had patience with Adam, and let him and Eve remain in the cave until they had fulfilled the forty days. But as to Adam and Eve, their strength and flesh withered from fasting and praying, from hunger and thirst; for they had not tasted either food or drink since they left the garden,nor were the functions of their bodies yet settled;and they had no strength left to continue in prayer from hunger,until the end of the next day to the fortieth. They were fallen down in the cave;yet what speech escaped from their mouths, was only in praises.
CHAPTER LX.
Ninth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve. Then on the eighty-ninth day, Satan came to the cave,clad in a garment of light,40 and girt about with a bright girdle.
68 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
In his hands was a staff of light, and he looked most awful: but his face was pleasant and his speech was sweet. He thus transformed himself in order to deceive Adam and Eve,and to make them come out of the cave, ere they had fulfilled the forty days. For he said within himself,Now that when they had fulfilled the forty days fasting and praying,God would restore them to their former estate; but if He did not do so,He would still be favorable to them; and even if He had not mercy on them,would He yet give them something from the garden to comfort them; as already twice before. Then Satan drew near the cave in this fair appearance,and said: O Adam, rise ye, stand up,thou and Eve,and come along with me,to a good landand fear not. I am flesh and bones like you; and at first I was a creature that God created. And it was so, that when He had created me,He placed in a garden in the north,on the border of the world. And He said to me, Abide here/ And I abode there according to His Word,neither did I transgress His commandment. Then He made a slumber to come over me, and He brought thee, Adam,out of my side,but did not make thee abide by me. But God took thee in His divine hand, and placed thee in a garden to the eastward. Then I grieved because of thee,for that while God had taken thee out of my side,He had not let thee abide with me. But God said unto me: Grieve not because of Adam,whom I brought out of thy side;no harm will come to him. For now I have brought out of his side a help-meet for him;and I have given him joy by so doing/Then Satan said again,I did not know how it is ye are in of the north;the northern paradise or garden.
NINTH APPARITION OF SATAN 69
this cave,nor anything about this trial that has come upon you
until God said to me, Behold,Adam has transgressed,he whom I had taken out of thy side,and Eve also,whom I took out of his side;and I have driven them out of the garden;I have made them dwell in a land of sorrow and misery,because they transgressed against Me,and have hearkened to Satan. And lo,they are in suffering unto this day, the
eightieth/Then God said unto me, Arise,go to them,and make them
come to thy place,and suffer not that Satan come near them,and afflict them. For they are now in great misery;and lie helpless from hunger/He further said to me, When thou hast taken them to thyself,give them to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and give them to drink of the water of peace;and clothe them in
a garment of light,and restore them to their former state of
grace,and leave them not in misery,for they came from thee. But grieve not over them, nor repent of that which has come upon them/But when I heard this,I was sorry;and my heart could not patiently bear it for thy sake, my child. But, Adam, when I heard the name of Satan, I was afraid,and I said within myself,I will not come out,lest he ensnare me,as he did my children,Adam and Eve. And I said, God,when I go to my children,Satan will meet me in the way, and war against me,as he did against them/Then God said unto me, Fear not;when thou finest him,smite him with the staff that is in thine hand, and be not afraid of him,for thou art of old standing, and he shall not prevail against thee/Then I said, my Lord, I am old,and cannot go. Send Thy angels to bring them/Or, prostrate. Or, regret,grieve over. My thoughts,or mind.
70 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
But God said unto me, Angels, verily,are not like them\and they will not consent to come with them. But I have chosen thee,because they are thy offspring, and like thee,and will hearken to what thou sayest/God said further to me, If thou hast not strength to walk,I will send a cloud to carry thee and alight thee at the entrance of their cave;then the cloud will return and leave thee there. And if they will come with thee,I will send a cloud to carry thee and them. Then He commanded a cloud,and it bare me up and brought me to you;and then went back. And now,my children, Adam and Eve,look at my hoar hairs and at my feeble estate, and at my coming from that distant place. Come,come with me, to a place of rest. Then he began to weep and to sob before Adam and Eve,and his tears poured upon the earth like water. And when Adam and Eve raised their eyes and saw his beard,and heard his sweet talk, their hearts softened towards him;they hearkened unto him,for they believed he was true. And it seemed to them that they really were his offspring,when they saw that his face was like their own;and they trusted him.
CHAPTER LXI
Then he took Adam and Eve by the hand, and began to bring them out of the cave. But when they were come a little way out of it,God knew that Satan had overcome them,and had brought them out ere the forty days were ended,to take them to some distant place,and to destroy them. Then the Word of the Lord God again came and cursed Satan,and drove him away from them. Or,speech.
GOD SPEAKS TO ADAM AND EVE. 71
And God began to speak unto Adam and Eve,saying to them,What made you come out of the cave,unto this place? Then Adam said unto God, Didst thou create a man before us? For when we were in the cave there suddenly came unto us a good old man who said to us,I am a messenger from God unto you, to bring you back to some place of rest/And we did believe, God,that he was a messenger from
Thee;and we came out with him; and knew not whither we should go with him. Then God said unto Adam, See,that is the father of evil arts,who brought thee and Eve out of the Garden of Delights. And now, indeed,when he saw that thou and Eve both joined together in fasting and praying, and that you came not out of the cave before the end of the forty days,he wished to make
your purpose vain,to breaks your mutual bond;to cut off all
hope from you,and to drive you to some place where he might
destroy you. Because he was unable to do aught to you, unless he
showed himself in the likeness of you. Therefore did he come to you with a face like your own,and began to give you tokens as if they were all true. But I in mercy and with the favor I had unto you, did not\allow him to destroy you; but I drove him away from you.
Now,therefore, Adam, take Eve,and return to your cave, and remain in it until the morrow of the fortieth day. And when ye come out, go towards the eastern gate of the garden. Then Adam and Eve worshiped God, and praised and blessed Him for the deliverance that had come to them from Him. And they returned towards the cave. This happened at eventide of the thirty-ninth day. Or, wiles alter.to show you tokens hat appeared true. The fulfillment of the fortieth day.
72 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then Adam and Eve stood up and with great zeal,prayed to God,to be brought out of their want of strength;for their strength had departed from them,through hunger and thirst and prayer. But they watched the whole of that night praying, until morning. Then Adam said unto Eve, Arise, let us go towards the eastern gate of the garden as God told us. And they said their prayers as they were wont to do every day;and they went out of the cave,to go near to the eastern gate of the garden. Then Adam and Eve stood up and prayed, and besought God to strengthen them,and to send them something to satisfy their hunger.
41
But when they had ended their prayers,they remained where they were by reason of their failing strength. Then came the Word of God again,and said unto them, 0 Adam, arise, go and bring hither two figs. Then Adam and Eve arose, and went until they drew near
to the cave.
CHAPTER LXII.
Tenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,about the figs. But Satan the wicked,was envious,because of the consolation God had given them. So he prevented them,and went into the cave and took the
two figs, and buried them outside the cave,so that Adam and
Eve should not find them. He also had in his thoughts to destroy them. But by God s mercy,as soon as those two figs were in the earth,God defeated Satan s counsel regarding them; and labor, fervor, or toil, lack,or poverty. Or,because God had comforted them.
TENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 73
made them into two fruit-trees,that overshadowed the cave. For Satan had buried them on the eastern side of it. Then when the two trees were grown,and were covered with fruit,Satan grieved and mourned, and said,Better were it to have left those figs as they were; for now,behold,they have become two fruit-trees, whereof Adam will eat all the days of his life. Whereas I had in mind,when I buried them, to destroy them entirely,and to hide them for aye. But God has overturned my counsel;and would not that this sacred fruit should perish;and He has made plain my intention,and has defeated the counsel I had formed against His servants. Then Satan went away ashamed,of not having wrought out his design.
CHAPTER LXIII
But Adam and Eve, as they drew near to the cave,saw two fig-trees, covered with fruit,and overshadowing the cave. Then Adam said to Eve, It seems to me we have gone astray. When did these two trees grow here? It seems to me that the enemy wishes to lead us astray. Sayest thou that there is in the earth another cave than this? Yet, Eve,let us go into the cave,and find in it the two figs;for this is our cave,in which we were. But if we should not find the two figs in it,then it cannot be our cave. They went then into the cave,and looked into the four corners of it,but found not the two figs.
And Adam wept,and said to Eve,Are we come to a wrong cave, then,Eve? It seems to me these two fig-trees are the two figs that were in the cave. And Eve said, I, for my part,do not know. Then Adam stood up and prayed and said,O God, Thou
74 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
didst command us to come back to the cave,to take the two figs,and then to return to Thee. But now,we have not found them. God,hast Thou taken them,and sown these two trees,or have we gone astray
in the earth; or has the enemy deceived us? If it be real,then, God, reveal to us the secret of these two trees and of the two figs/Then came the Word of God to Adam,and said unto him, Adam, when I sent thee to fetch the figs,Satan went before thee to the cave,took the figs,and buried them outside, eastward of the cave,thinking to destroy them;and not sowing them with good intent. Not for his mere sake, then,have these trees grown up at once;but I had mercy on thee and I commanded them to grow. And they grew to be two large trees, that you be over shadowed by their branches, and find rest;and that I make you see My power and My marvelous works. And, also,to show you Satan s meanness,and his evil works,for ever since ye came out of the garden,he has not ceased, no,not one day,from doing you some harm. But I have not given him power over you. And God said, Henceforth, Adam,rejoice on account of the trees,thou and Eve ;and rest under them when ye feel weary. But eat not of their fruit, nor come near them. Then Adam wept, and said, God,wilt Thou again kill us, or wilt Thou drive us away from before Thy face,and cut
our life from off the face of the earth? God,I beseech Thee,if Thou know-est that there be in these trees either death or some other evil,as at the first time,root them up from near our cave,and wither them;and leave us to die of the heat,of hunger and of thirst. For we know Thy marvelous works, God,that they are
great,and that by Thy power Thou canst bring one thing out In the garden.
GOD GIVES THEM FIGS TO EAT. 75
of another,without one s wish. For Thy power can make rocks to become trees,and trees to become rocks.
CHAPTER LXIV.
Then God looked upon Adam and upon his strength of mind,upon his endurance of hunger and thirst,and of . the heat. And he changed the two fig-trees into two figs,as they were at first,and then said to Adam and to Eve, Each of you may take one fig. And they took them, as the Lord commanded them. And he said to them,Go ye into the cave, and eat the figs,and satisfy your hunger,lest ye die/So, as God commanded them,they went into the cave,about the time when the sun was setting. And Adam and Eve stood up and prayed at the time of the setting sun. Then they sat down to eat the figs; but they knew not how to eat them; for they were not accustomed to eat earthly food.
They feared also lest,if they ate,their stomach should be burdened and their flesh thickened,and their hearts take to liking earthly food. But while they were thus seated, God,out of pity for them,
sent them His angel,lest they should perish of hunger and thirst. And the angel said unto Adam and Eve, God says to you
that ye have not strength to fast until death; eat, therefore,
and strengthen your bodies; for ye are now animal flesh,that
cannot subsist without food and drink/Then Adam and Eve took the figs and began to eat of them. But God had put into them a mixture as of savory bread and blood. Then the angel went from Adam and Eve, who ate of the figs until they had satisfied their hunger. Then they put by what remained;but by the power of God,the figs became full will,or wish.
76 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
as before,because God blessed them. After this Adam and Eve arose,and prayed with a joyful heart and renewed strength,and praised and rejoiced abundantly the whole of that night. And this was the end of the eighty-third day.
CHAPTER LXV.
And when it was day,they rose and prayed,after their custom,and then went out of the cave. But as they felt great trouble from the food they had eaten,and to which they were not used,they went about in the cave saying to each other: What has happened to us through eating,that this pain should have come upon us? Woe be to us,we shall die! Better for us to have died than to have eaten;and to have kept our bodies pure,than to have denied them with food.
Then Adam said to Eve, This pain did not come to us in the garden, neither did we eat such bad food there. Thinnest thou, Eve,that God will plague us through the food that is in us,or that our inwards will come out;or that God means to kill us with this pain before He has fulfilled His promise to us? Then Adam besought the Lord and said, O Lord, let us not perish through the food we have eaten. Lord, smite us not;but deal with us according to Thy great mercy, and forsake us not until the day of the promise Thou hast made us. Then God looked upon them,and at once fitted them for eating food; as unto this day; so that they should not perish. Then Adam and Eve came back into the cave sorrowful and weeping because of the alteration in their nature. And they both knew from that hour that they were altered beings,that their hope of returning to the garden was now cut off;and that they could not enter it.
GOD GIVES THEM WATER TO DRINK. 77
For that now their bodies had strange functions;and all flesh that requires food and drink for its existence, cannot be in the garden.
Then Adam said to Eve, Behold,our hope is now cut off;and so is our trust to enter the garden. We no longer belong to the inhabitants of the garden;but henceforth we are earthy and of the dust,and of the inhabitants of the earth. We shall not return to the garden,until the day in which God has promised to save us,and to bring us again into the garden,as He promised us.Then they prayed to God that He would have mercy on them; after which, their mind was quieted,their hearts were broken,and their longing was cooled down;and they were like strangers on earth. That night Adam and Eve spent in the
cave,where they slept heavily by reason of the food they had
eaten.
CHAPTER LXVI
When it was morning,the day after they had eaten food, Adam and Eve prayed in the cave,and Adam said unto Eve, Lo, we asked for food of God, and He gave it. But now let us also ask Him to give us a drink of water. Then they arose,and went to the bank of the stream of water, that was on the south border of the garden, in which they had before thrown themselves. And they stood on the bank,and prayed to God that He would command them to drink of the water. Then the Word of God came to Adam,and said unto him, O Adam,thy body is become brutish,and requires water to drink. Take ye, and drink,thou and Eve;give thanks and praise. Adam and Eve then drew near,and drank of it,until their bodies felt refreshed. After having drunk, they praised
78 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
and then returned to their cave, after their former custom.
This happened at the end of eighty-three days. Then on the eighty-fourth day,they took two figs and hung them in the cave, together with the leaves thereof,to be to them a sign and a blessing from God. And they placed them there until there should arise a posterity to them, who should see the wonderful things God had done to them.
Then Adam and Eve again stood outside the cave, and besought God to show them some food wherewith to nourish their bodies. Then the Word of God came and said unto him, Adam,go down to the westward of the cave,as far as a land of dark soil,and there thou shalt find food. And Adam hearkened unto the Word of God, took Eve,and went down to a land of dark soil,and found there wheat growing, in the ear and ripe, and figs to eat;and Adam rejoiced over it. Then the Word of God came again to Adam,and said unto him, Take of this wheat and make thee bread of it,to nourish thy body withal. And God gave Adam s heart wisdom,to work out the corn until it became bread. Adam accomplished all that,until he grew very faint and weary. He then returned to the cave;rejoicing at what he had learned of what is done with wheat,until it is made into bread for one s use. Further details would lengthen too much the description of them;we therefore cut short our narrative .
CHAPTER LXVIL
First wonder that happened to Adam and Eve with Satan,respecting the wheat. But when Adam and Eve went down to the land of black Or,black mud.
GOD GIVES THEM WHEAT. 79
mud,and came near to the wheat God had showed them,and saw it ripe and ready for reaping,as they had no sickle to reap it withal they girt themselves,and began to pull up the wheat,until it was all done. Then they made it into a heap;and,faint from heat and from thirst,they went under a shady tree,where the breeze fanned them to sleep. But Satan saw what Adam and Eve had done. And he called his hosts, and said to them,Since God has shown to Adam and Eve all about this wheat,wherewith to strengthen their bodies and, lo,they are come and have made a heap of it,and faint from the toil are now asleep come,let us set fire to this heap of cornj, and burn it,and let us take that bottle of water that is by them,and empty it out,so that they may find nothing to drink,and we kill them with hunger and thirst. Then, when they wake up from their sleep,and seek to
return to the cave,we will come to them in the way,and will lead them astray; so that they die of hunger and thirst; when they may, perhaps, deny God, and He destroy them. So shall we be rid of them. Then Satan and his hosts threw fire upon the wheat and consumed it. But from the heat of the flame Adam and Eve awoke from their sleep,and saw the wheat burning,and the bucket of
water by them,poured out. Then they wept and went back to the cave.
But as they were going up from below the mountain where they were,Satan and his hosts met them in the form of angels,praising God. Then Satan said to Adam,why art thou so pained with hunger and thirst ? It seems to me that Satan has burnt up the wheat. And Adam said to him, Ay. Again Satan said to Adam,Come back with us; we are dry have rest from them.
80 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
angels of God. God sent us to thee,to show thee another field of corn,better than that;and beyond it is a fountain of good water, and many trees,where thou shalt dwell near it,and work the corn-field to better purpose than that which Satan has consumed. Adam thought that he was true,and that they were angels who talked with him; and he went back with them. Then Satan began to lead astray Adam and Eve eight days,until they both fell down as if dead, from hunger, thirst,and faintness. Then he fled with his hosts, and left them.
CHAPTER LXVIII
Then God looked upon Adam and Eve,and upon what had come upon them from Satan, and how he had made them perish. God, therefore,sent His Word, and raised up Adam and Eve from their state of death. Then, Adam, when he was raised, said, God,Thou hast burnt and taken from us the corn Thou hadst given us,and Thou hast emptied out the bucket of water. And Thou hast sent Thy angels,who have waylaid us from the corn-field. Wilt Thou make us perish ? If this be from Thee, O God,then take away our souls;but punish us not. Then God said to Adam,I did not burn down the wheat,and I did not pour the water out of the bucket,and I did not send My angels to lead thee astray. But it is Satan,thy master who did it;he to whom thou hast subjected thyself;My commandment being meanwhile set aside. He it is,who burnt down the corn,and poured out the water,and who has led thee astray; and all the promises he has made you,verily are but feint,and deceit,and a lie. But now, Adam,thou shalt acknowledge My good deeds done to thee.
ADAM S OFFERING OF WHEAT 81
And God told His angels to take Adam and Eve,and to bear them up to the field of wheat,which they found as before,with the bucket full of water. There they saw a tree,and found on it solid manna;and wondered at God s power. And the angels commanded them to eat of the manna when they were hungry. And God adjured Satan with a curse, not to come again,and destroy the field of corn. Then Adam and Eve took of the corn,and made of it an offering,and took it and offered it up on the mountain,the place where they had offered up their first offering of blood. And they offered this oblation again on the altar they had built at first. And they stood up and prayed, and besought
the Lord saying,Thus, God, when we were in the garden,did our praises go up to Thee, like this offering;and our innocencet went up to the like incense. But now, God,accept this offering from us, and turn us not back,reft of Thy mercy. Then God said to Adam and Eve,yet Since ye have made this oblation and have offered it to Me,I shall make it My flesh, when I come down upon earth to save you; and I shall cause it to be offered continually upon an altar,for forgiveness and for mercy,unto those who partake of it duly.And God sent a bright fire upon the offering of Adam and Eve,and filled it with brightness, grace,and light;and the Holy Ghost came down upon that oblation. Then God commanded an angel to take fire-tongs,like a spoon, and with it to take an offering and bring it to Adam place.
p. 414.Or, purity. Or, bare.
The Arabic adds: And God wondered at Adam s wisdom,and Adam's deed
pleased him. Or, body. Used at the Eucharist in the East.
82 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
and Eve. And the angel did so,as God had commanded him,and offered it to them. And the souls of Adam and Eve were brightened,and their
hearts were filled with joy and gladness and with the praises of
God. And God said to Adam,This shall be unto you a custom,to do so,when affliction and sorrow come upon you. But your deliverance and your entrance into the garden,shall not be until the days are fulfilled,as agreed between you and Me;were it not so, I would,of My mercy and pity for you,bring you back to My garden and to My favor for the sake of the offering you have just made to My name. Adam rejoiced at these words which he heard from God;and he and Eve worshiped before the altar,to which they bowed,and then went back to the Cave of Treasures. And this took place at the end of the twelfth day after the eightieth day,from the time Adam and Eve came out of the garden. And they stood up the whole night praying until morning;and then went out of the cave. Then Adam said to Eve,with joy of heart, because of the offering they had made to God,and that had been accepted of Him,Let us do this three times every week,on the fourth day Wednesday,on the preparation day Friday,and on the Sabbath Sunday, all the days of our life. And as they agreed to these words between themselves,God was pleased with their thoughts, and with the resolution they had each taken with the other. After this,came the Word of God to Adam,and said,Adam,thou hast determined beforehand the days in which sufferings shall come upon Me, when I am made flesh;for they are the fourth Wednesday,and the preparation day Friday. But as to the first day,I created in it all things,and I raised the heavens. And, again,through My rising again on
TWELFTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 83
this day, will I create joy,and raise them on high,who believe
in Me; Adam,offer this oblation,all the days of thy life. Then God withdrew His Word from Adam. But Adam continued to offer this oblation thus,every week three times,until the end of seven weeks. And on the first day,which is the fiftieth,Adam made an offering as he was wont,and he and Eve took it and came to the altar before God,as He had taught them.
CHAPTER LXIX
Twelfth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,while Adam was praying over the offering upon the altar; when Satan smote him. Then Satan,the hater of all good,envious of Adam and of his offering through which he found favor with God,hastened and took a sharp stone from among sharp iron-stones;appeared in the form of a man, and went and stood by Adam and Eve. Adam was then offering on the altar,and had begun to pray,with his hands spread unto God. Then Satan hastened with the sharp iron-stone he had with him, and with it pierced Adam on the right side,whence flowed blood and water,then Adam fell upon the altar like a corpse. And Satan fled. Then Eve came,and took Adam and placed him below the altar. And there she stayed,weeping over him; while a stream of blood flowed from Adam s side upon his offering. But God looked upon the death of Adam. He then sent His Word,and raised him up and said unto him, Fulfill thy offering,for indeed, Adam,it is worth much,and there is no shortcoming in it. God said further unto Adam,Thus will it also happen foo, Also: lack, or imperfection, defect,or deficiency.
84 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Me, on the earth, when I shall be pierced and blood shall flow,
blood and water from My side, and run over My body, which
is the true offering;and which shall be offered on the altar as
a perfect offering. Then God commanded Adam to finish his offering, and when he had ended it he worshiped before God, and praised Him
for the signs He had showed him. And God healed Adam in one day, which is the end of the seven weeks; and that is the fiftieth day.
Then Adam and Eve returned from the mountain,and went into the Cave of Treasures, as they were used to do. This completed for Adam and Eve,one hundred and forty days since their coming out of the garden. Then they both stood up that night and prayed to God.
And when it was morning,they went out,and went down westward of the cave,to the place where their corn was,and there rested under the shadow of a tree, as they were wont. But when there a multitude of beasts came all round them. It was Satan s doing,in his wickedness; in order to wage war against Adam through marriage.
CHAPTER LXX.
Thirteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve,to make,war against him,through his marriage with Eve. After this Satan, the hater of all good,took the form of an angel,and witch him two others,so that they looked like the three angels who had brought to Adam, gold, incense,and myrrh. They passed before Adam and Eve while they were under the tree,and greeted Adam and Eve with fair words that were
full of guile. But when Adam and Eve saw their comely mien,and heard
THIRTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 85
their sweet speech, Adam rose,welcomed them,and brought them to Eve,and they remained all together;Adam s heart the while,being glad because he thought concerning them,that they were the same angels, who had brought him gold,incense,and myrrh. Because,when they came to Adam the first time, there came upon him from them,peace and joy,through their bringing him good tokens;so Adam thought that they were come a second time to give him other tokens for him to rejoice withal. For he did not know it was Satan;therefore did he receive them with joy and companied with them. Then Satan,the tallest of them, said, Rejoice, Adam,and be glad. Lo, God has sent us to thee to tell thee something. And Adam said,What is it? Then Satan answered,It is a light thing,yet it is a word of God, wilt thou hear it from us and do it? But if thou nearest not,we will return to God,and tell Him that thou wouldst not receive His word. And Satan said again to Adam,Fear not, neither let a
trembling come upon thee; dost not thou know us ?"
But Adam said,I know you not. Then Satan said to him, " I am the angel who brought thee gold,and took it to the cave ; this other one is he who brought thee incense;and that third one, is he who brought thee myrrh when thou wast on the top of the mountain, and who carried thee to the cave. But as to the other angels our fellows,who bare you to the cave,God has not sent them with us this time; for He said to us,You suffice. So when Adam heard these words he believed them,and said to these angels,Speak the word of God, that I may receive it. And Satan said unto him,Swear, and promise me that thou wilt receive it. Then Adam said,I know not how to swear and promise.
86 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And Satan said to him,Hold out thy hand,and put it inside my hand.
Then Adam held out his hand,and put it into Satan's hand;when Satan said unto him,Say,now so true as God is living, rational, and speaking,who raised the heavens in the space,and established the earth upon the waters,and has created me out of the four elements, and out of the dust of the earth I will not breakf my promise, nor renounce my word. And Adam swore thus. Then Satan said to him,Lo, it is now some time since thou earnest out of the garden,and thou know-est neither wickedness nor evil. But now God says to thee,to take Eve who came out of thy side,and to wed her,that she bear thee children,to comfort thee,and to drive from thee trouble and
sorrow;now this thing is not difficult,neither is there any
scandal in it to thee.
CHAPTER LXXI
But when Adam heard these words from Satan, he sorrowed much,because of his oath and of his promise,and said,Shall I commit adultery with my flesh and my bones,and shall I sin against myself,for God to destroy me,and to blot me out from off the face of the earth? Since, when at first,I ate of the tree,He drove me out of the garden into this strange land, and deprived me of my bright nature,and brought death upon me. If, then,I should do this,He will cut off my life from the earth, and He will cast me into hell,and will plague me there a long time. But God never spoke the words thou hast told me ; and ye are not God s angels,nor yet sent from Him. But ye are
devils,come to me under the false appearance of angels. Away
from me; ye cursed of God\as indeed foul.
ADAM OATH TO SATAN. 87
Then those devils fled from before Adam. And he and Eve arose,and returned to the Cave of Treasures,and went into it. Then Adam said to Eve,If thou sawest what I did, tell it not;for I sinned against God in swearing by His great name,and I have placed my hand another time into that of Satan/Eve, then, held her peace,as Adam told her.
Then Adam arose,and spread his hands onto God,beseeching and entreating Him with tears, to forgive him what he had done. And Adam remained thus standing and praying forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank until he dropped down upon the earth from hunger and thirst. Then God sent His Word unto Adam, who raised him up from where he lay,and said unto him, Adam,why hast thou sworn by My name,and why hast thou made agreement with Satan another time ?
But Adam wept,and said,God, forgive me,for I did this unwittingly; believing they were God s angels. And God forgave Adam,saying to him,Beware of Satan. And He withdrew His Word from Adam.
Then Adam s heart was comforted;and he took Eve,and they went out of the cave,to make some food for their bodies. But from that day Adam struggled in his mind about his wedding Eve;afraid as he was to do it,lest God should be wroth with him. Then Adam and Eve went to the river of water,and sat on the bank,as people do when they enjoy themselves. But Satan was jealous of them;and would destroy them.
CHAPTER LXXIL
Fourteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve;as coming up out of the river,in the similitude of young maidens. Then Satan, and ten from his hosts,transformed themselves into maidens,unlike any others in the whole world for grace.
88 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
They came up out of the river in presence of Adam and Eve,and they said among themselves,Come, we will look at the faces of Adam and of Eve,who are of the men upon earth. How beautiful they are, and how different is their look from our own faces. Then they came to Adam and Eve,and greeted them; and stood wondering at them. Adam and Eve looked at them also, and wondered at their beauty, and said, Is there, then, under us,another world, with such beautiful creatures as these in it ? And those maidens said to Adam and Eve, " Yes, indeed, we are an abundant creation. Then Adam said to them, " But how do you multiply? And they answered him,We have husbands who wedded us,and we bear them children,who grow up,and who in their
turn wed and are wedded,and also bear children;and thus we increase. And if so be, Adam,thou wilt not believe us, we will show thee our husbands and our children. Then they shouted over the river as if to call their husbands and their children,who came up from the river, men and children and every one came to his wife,his children being
with him. But when Adam and Eve saw them, they stood dumb, and
wondered at them. Then they said to Adam and Eve, You see our husbands and our children,wed Eve as we wed our wives,and you shall
have children the same as we." This was a device of Satan to
deceive Adam. Satan also thought within himself,God at first commanded. Adam concerning the fruit of the tree,saying to him,Eat
not of it;else of death thou shalt die/But Adam ate of it,and yet God did not kill him; He only decreed upon him death,and plagues and trials,until the day he shall come out of his body. Now, then,if I deceive him to do this thing,and to wed Eve without God's commandment,God will kill him then.
FOURTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 89
Therefore did Satan work this apparition before Adam and
Eve; because he sought to kill him,and to make him disappear
from off the face of the earth. Meanwhile the fire of sin came upon Adam,and he thought of committing sin. But he restrained himself, fearing lest if he followed this advice of Satan God would put him to death. Then Adam and Eve arose,and prayed to God,while Satan
and his hosts went down into the river, in presence of Adam
and Eve;to let them see that they were going back to their own regions. Then Adam and Eve went back to the Cave of Treasures,
as they were wont;about evening time. And they both arose and prayed to God that night. Adam remained standing in prayer,yet not knowing how to pray,by reason of the thoughts of his heart regarding his wedding Eve; and he continued so until morning. And when light arose, Adam said unto Eve, Arise let us go below the mountain,where they brought us gold,and let us ask the Lord concerning this matter.
Then Eve said, What is that matter,
Adam V
And he answered her,That I may request the Lord to inform me about wedding thee;for I will not do it without His order,lest He make us perish,thee and me. For those devils have set my heart on fire,with thoughts of what they showed us,in their sinful apparitions. Then Eve said to Adam,Why need we go below the mountain? Let us rather stand up and pray in our cave to God,to let us know whether this counsel is good or not. Then Adam rose up in prayer and said, God, Thou know-est that we transgressed against Thee,and from the
moment we transgressed,we were bereft of our bright nature;and our body became brutish,requiring food and drink ;and with animal desires. Command us, God,not to give way to them without Thy
90 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
order, lest Thou bring us to nothing. For if Thou give us not
the order,we shall be overpowered,and follow that advice of
Satan;and Thou wilt again make us perish. If not, then take our souls from us; let us be rid of this animal lust. And if Thou give us no order respecting this thing,then sever Eve from me, and me from her;and place us each far away from the other. Yet again, God, when Thou hast put us asunder from each other,the devils will deceive us with their apparitions,and destroy our hearts, and defile our thoughts towards each other. Yet if it is not each of us towards the other,it will,at all events,be through their appearance when they show themselves to us/Here Adam ended his prayer.
CHAPTER LXXIIL
Then God looked upon the words of Adam that they were
true,and that he could long await His order, respecting the
counsel of Satan. And God approved Adam in what he had thought concerning this,and in the prayer he had offered in His presence ; and the Word of God came unto Adam and said to him, Adam,if only thou hadst had this caution at first,ere thou earnest out of the garden into this land\After that,God sent His angel who had brought gold,and the angel who had brought incense,and the angel who had
brought myrrh to Adam,that they should inform him respecting his wedding Eve. Then those angels said to Adam,Take the gold and give
it to Eve as a wedding gift,and betroth her; then give her some incense and myrrh as a present; and be ye,thou and she,one flesh.
Adam hearkened to the angels,and took the gold and put
BIRTH OF CAIN AND OF LULUWA 91
it into Eve s bosom in her garment; and bethrothed;her with
his hand. Then the angels commanded Adam and Eve,to arise and
pray forty days and forty nights; and after that,that Adam
should come in to his wife; for then this would be an act pure
and undefiled; and he should have children who would multiply,and replenish the face of the earth. Then both Adam and Eve received the words of the angels; and the angels departed from them. Then Adam and Eve began to fast and to pray,until the end of the forty days; and then they came together,as the angels had told them. And from the time Adam left the garden until he wedded Eve,were two hundred and twenty-three days, that is seven months and thirteen days.
Thus was Satan s war with Adam defeated.
CHAPTER LXXIV.
And they dwelt on the earth working,in order to continue in the well-being of their bodies; and were so until the nine months of Eve's child-bearing were ended,and the time drew near when she must be delivered. Then she said unto Adam, This cave is a pure spot by
reason of the signs wrought in it since we left the garden;and we shall again pray in it. It is not meet, then,that I should bring forth in it; let us rather repair to that of the sheltering rock, which Satan hurled at us, when he wished to kill us with it; but that was held up and spread as an awning over us by the command of Grod;and formed a cave.Then Adam removed Eve to that cave; and when the time came that she should bring forth,she travailed much. So was Adam sorry,and his heart suffered for her sake; for she was
nigh unto death; that the word of God to her should be
92 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
fulfilled In suffering shalt thou bear a child,and in sorrow
slialt thou bring forth thy child/But when Adam saw the strait in which Eve was,he arose and prayed to God,and said, Lord,look upon me with the eye of Thy mercy,and bring her out of her distress. And God looked at His maid-servant Eve, and delivered her,and she brought forth her first-born son,and with-him a daughter. Then Adam rejoiced at Eve's deliverance,and also over the children she had borne him. And Adam ministered unto Eve in the cave, until the end of eight days; when they named the son Cain,and the daughter Luluwa. The meaning of Cain is hater/because he hated his sister in their mother s womb; ere they came out of it. Therefore did Adam name him Cain.
But Luluwa means beautiful/because she was more beautiful than her mother. Then Adam and Eve waited until Cain and his sister were
forty days old,when Adam said unto Eve,We will make an offering and offer it up in behalf of the children.And Eve said, We will make one offering for the first-born son; and afterwards we shall make one for the daughter.
CHAPTER LXXV.
Then Adam prepared an offering,and he and Eve offered it up for their children,and brought it to the altar they had built at first.
And Adam offered up the offering, and besought God to accept his offering. Then God accepted Adam s offering,and sent a light from
heaven that shone upon the offering. And Adam and the son
drew near to the offering,but Eve and the daughter did not
approach unto it.
Gail, Luluwa is the Arabic for a pearl.
ADAM'S OFFERING FOR HIS CHILDREN. 93
Then Adam came down from upon the altar,and they were joyful; and Adam and Eve waited until the daughter was eighty days old; then Adam prepared an offering and took it to Eve and to the children; and they went to the altar-where Adam offered it up,as he was wont, asking the Lord to accept his offering. And the Lord accepted the offering of Adam and Eve. Then Adam, Eve, and the children,drew near together,and came down from the mountain,rejoicing. But they returned not to the cave in which they were born; but came to the Cave of Treasures,in order that the children should go round it,and be blessed with the tokens brought from the garden. But after they had been blessed with these tokens,they went back to the cave in which they were born. However,before Eve had offered up the offering, Adam had taken her,and had gone with her to the river of water,in which they threw themselves at first; and there they washed themselves. Adam washed his body and Eve hers also
clean,after the suffering and distress that had come upon
them. But Adam and Eve,after washing themselves in the river of
water, returned every night to the Cave of Treasures, where
they prayed and were blessed; and then went back to their cave, where the children were born. So did Adam and Eve until the children had done sucking. Then, when they were weaned,Adam made an offering for the souls of his children; other than the three times he made an offering for them,every week. When the days of nursing the children were ended, Eve again conceived,and when her days were accomplished she brought forth another son and daughter; and they named the son Abel,and the daughter Aklemia. Then at the end of forty days,Adam made an offering for the son, and at the end of eighty days he made another offering
94 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
for the daughter,and did by them,as he had done before by Cain and his sister Luluwa. He brought them to the Cave of Treasures,where they received a blessing,and then returned to the cave where they were born. After the birth of these,Eve ceased from childbearing.
CHAPTER LXXVI
And the children began to wax stronger,and to grow in stature; but Cain was hard-hearted,and ruled over his younger brother. And oftentimes when his father made an offering, he would
remain behind and not go with them, to offer up. But, as to Abel,he had a meek heart,and was obedient to his father and mother,whom he often moved to make an offering,because he loved it; and prayed and fasted much. Then came this sign to Abel. As he was coming into the
Cave of Treasures,and saw the golden rods,the incense and the myrrh,he inquired of his parents Adam and Eve concerning them,and said unto them,How did you come by these ? Then Adam told him all that had befallen them. And Abel felt deeply about what his father told him. Furthermore his father Adam told him of the works of God,
and of the garden; and after that,he remained behind his father the whole of that night in the Cave of Treasures. And that night,while he was praying, Satan appeared unto him under the figure of a man, who said to him,Thou hast oftentimes moved thy father to make an offering,to fast and to pray,therefore I will kill thee,and make thee perish from this world. But as for Abel,he prayed to God,and drove away Satan from him; and believed not the words of the devil. Then when
SATAN APPEARS TO CAIN. 95
it was day, an angel of God appeared unto him, who said to him,Shorten neither fasting, prayer,nor offering no an
oblation unto thy God. For, lo,the Lord has accepted thy
prayer. Be not afraid of the figure which appeared unto thee
in the night,and who cursed thee unto death. And the
angel departed from him. Then when it was day, Abel came to Adam and Eve,and told them of the vision he had seen. But when they heard it,they grieved much over it,yet said nothing to him about it;they only comforted him. But as to hard-heated Cain, Satan came to him by night,showed himself and said unto him,Since Adam and Eve love
thy brother Abel much more than they love thee,and wish to
join him in marriage to thy beautiful sister,because they love
him; but wish to join thee in marriage to his ill-favored sister, because they hate thee; Now, therefore,I counsel thee,when they do that,to kill thy brother;then thy sister will be left for thee; and his sister will be cast away. And Satan departed from him. But the wicked One remained behind in the heart of Cain,who sought many
a time,to kill his brother.
CHAPTER LXXVIL
But when Adam saw that the elder brother hated the younger,he endeavored to soften their hearts,and said unto Cain, Take, O my son, of the fruits of thy sowing,and make an offering unto God, that He may forgive thee thy wickedness and thy sin. He said also to Abel,Take thou of thy sowing and make an offering and bring it to God,that He may forgive thy wickedness and thy sin.
Different from Gen. iv, 4.
96 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then Abel hearkened unto his father s voice,and took of his
sowing,and made a good offering,and said to his father, Adam, Come with me, to show me how to offer it up. And they went, Adam and Eve with him,and showed him how to offer up his gift upon the altar. Then after that, they stood up and prayed that God would accept Abel s offering. Then God looked upon Abel and accepted his offering. And God was more pleased with Abel than with his offering,because of his good heart and pure body. There was no trace of guile in him.
Then they came down from the altar,and went to the cave in which they dwelt. But Abel,by reason of his joy at having made his offering,repeated it three times a week,after the example of his father Adam. But as to Cain,he took no pleasure in offering; but after much anger on his father's part,he offered up his gift once;
and when he did offer up,his eye was on the offering he made
42 and he took the smallest of his sheep for an offering,and his eye was again on it. Therefore God did not accept his offering, because his heart was full of murderous thoughts. And they all thus lived together in the cave in which Eve had brought forth,until Cain was fifteen years old,and Abel twelve years old.
CHAPTER LXXVIII.
Then Adam said to Eve,Behold the children are grown up ,we must think of finding wives for them. Then Eve answered,How can we do it ?
Tankliuma (fol. 5), however,says that Cain and Abel were then about forty years old.
SATAN'S COUNSEL TO CAIN. 97
Then Adam said to her,We will join Abel's sister in marriage to Cain,and Cain s sister to Abel. Then said Eve to Adam,I do not like Cain because he is hard-hearted;but let them bide until we offer up unto the Lord in their behalf. And Adam said no more. Meanwhile Satan came to Cain in the figure of a man of the field,and said to him,Behold Adam and Eve have taken counsel together about the marriage of you two; and they have agreed to marry Abel's sister to thee, and thy sister to him. But if it was not that I love thee, I would not have told thee this thing. Yet if thou wilt take my advice,and hearken to me,I will bring thee on thy wedding day beautiful robes, gold and silver in plenty,and my relations will attendf thee.Then Cain said with joy, Where are thy relations? And Satan answered, " My relations are in a garden in the
north,whither I once meant to bring thy father Adam;but he
would not accept my offer. But thou,if thou wilt receive my words and if thou wilt come unto me after thy wedding,thou shalt rest from the misery in which thou art; and thou shalt rest and be better
off than thy father Adam. At these words of Satan Cain opened his ears, and leant towards his speech. And he did not remain in the field,but he went to Eve, his mother,and beat her,and cursed her, and said to her, Why are ye about taking my sister to wed her to my brother ? Am I dead? His mother, however, quieted him,and sent him to the field where he had been. Adam did so,in order to avoid marrying the brother to his sister of the same birth,and thus to prevent, as far as possible,consanguinity.
Masudi., ch. iii, p. 63.
98 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Then when Adam came, she told him of what Cain had done. But Adam grieved and held his peace, and said not a word. Then on the morrow Adam said unto Cain his son,Take of thy sheep, young and good,
43
and offer them up unto thy God;and I will speak to thy brother, to make unto his God an offering of corn/They both hearkened to their father Adam,and they took their offerings,and offered them up on the mountain by the altar. But Cain behaved haughtily towards his brother,and thrust him from the altar,and would not let him offer up his gift upon the altar; but he offered his own upon it,with a proud heart, full of guile,and fraud. But as for Abel,he set up stones that were near at hand,and upon that,he offered up his gift with a heart humble and free from guile. Cain was then standing by the altar on which he had offered up his gift;and he cried unto God to accept his offering; but God did not accept it from him;neither did a divine fire come down to consume his offering. But he remained standing over against the altar,out of humor and wroth,looking towards his brother Abel,to see if God would accept his offering or not. And Abel prayed unto God to accept his offering. Then a
divine fire came down and consumed his offering. And God
smelled the sweet savoir of his offering; because Abel loved
Him and rejoiced in Him. And because God was well pleased with him He sent him an angel of light in the figure of man who had partaken of his offering,because He had smelled the sweet savoir of his
offering,and they comforted Abel and strengthened his
heart. But Cain was looking on all that took place at his brother s
offering,and was wroth on account of it.
CAIN'S AND ABEL'S OFFERINGS. 99
Then he opened his naouth and blasphemed God,because He had not accepted his offering. But God said unto Cain,Wherefore is thy countenance sad?
44 Be righteous,that I may accept thy offering. Not against Me hast thou murmured, but against thyself. And God said this to Cain in rebuke,and because He abhorred him and his offering. And Cain came down from the altar, his colour changed and of a woeful countenance, and came to his father and mother and told them all that had befallen hirn. And Adam grieved much because God had not accepted Cain's offering. But Abel came down rejoicing,and with a gladsome heart, and told his father and mother how God had accepted his
offering. And they rejoiced at it and kissed his face. And Abel said to his father, Because Cain thrust me from the altar,and would not allow me to offer my gift upon it, I made an altar for myself and offered my gift upon it.But when Adam heard this he was very sorry, because it was the altar he had built at first,and upon which he had offered his own gifts. As to Cain,he was so sullen and so angry that he went into the field, where Satan came to him and said to him, Since thy brother Abel has taken refuge with thy father Adam, because thou didst thrust him from the altar, they have kissed his face,and they rejoice over him, far more than over thee. When Cain heard these words of Satan,he was filled with rage;and he let no one know. But he was laying wait to kill his brother,until he brought him into the cave,and then said to hirn: brother,the country is so beautiful,and there are such beautiful and pleasurable trees in it, and charming to look at! But brother,thou hast never been one day in the field to take thy pleasure therein.
100 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
To-day, 0, my brother,I very much wish thou wouldst come with me into the field/to enjoy thyself and to bless our fields and our flocks, for thou art righteous, and I love thee much, 0,my brother! but thou hast estranged thyself from me. Then Abel consented to go with his brother Cain into the field. But before going out,Cain said to Abel, Wait for me, until I fetch a staff,because of wild beasts.
Then Abel stood waiting in his innocence. But Cain, the froward, fetched a staff and went out. And they began,Cain and his brother Abel,to walk in the way; Cain talking to him,and comforting him to make him forget everything.
CHAPTER LXXIX.
Murder of Abel the Just,whom his brother,Cain the Infidel,did kill. And so they went on, until they came to a lonely place,
where there were no sheep;then Abel said to Cain, Behold,
my brother,we are weary of walking; for we see none of the
trees,nor of the fruits,nor of the verdure,nor of the sheep,
nor any one of the things of which thou didst tell me. Where
are those sheep of thine thou didst tell me to bless ? Then Cain said to him, Come on,and presently thou shalt see many beautiful things, but go before me,until I come up to thee. Then went Abel forward,but Cain remained behind him. And Abel was walking in his innocence, without guile; not believing his brother would kill him.
Then Cain, when he came up to him,comforted him with
CAIN KILLS HIS BROTHER ABEL 101
his talk, walking a little behind him; then he hastened,and smote him with the staff,blow upon blow,until he was stunned. But when Abel fell down upon the ground, seeing that his brother meant to kill him, he said to Cain, 0, my brother,have pity on me. By the breasts we have sucked,smite me not! By the womb that bare us and that brought us into the world,smite me not unto death with that staff! If thou wilt kill me,take one of these large stones, and kill me outright/Then Cain, the hard-hearted, and cruel murderer, took a
large stone, and smote his brother with it upon the head,
46 until his brains oozed out,and he weltered in his blood, before him. And Cain repented not of what he had done. But the earth,when the blood of righteous Abel fell upon it,trembled, as it drank his blood,and would have brought Cain to naught for it. And the blood of Abel cried mysteriously to God,to avenge him of his murderer. Then Cain began at once to dig the earth wherein to lay his brother;
47 for he was trembling from the fear that came upon him,when he saw the earth tremble on his account. He then cast his brother into the pit he made,and covered him with dust.
48 But the earth would not receive him; but it threw him up at once. Again did Cain dig the earth and hid his brother in it; but
again did the earth throw him up on itself; until three times
did the earth thus throw up on itself the body of Abel. The
muddy earth threw him up the first time, because he was not
the first creation; and it threw him up the second time and
would not receive him, because he was righteous and good,and
was killed without a cause ;and the earth threw him up the
third time and would not receive him,that there might remain
before his brother a witness against him. And so did the earth mock Cain, until the Word of God,came to him concerning his brother.
102 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then was God angry,and much displeased at Abel's death; and He thundered from heaven, and lightnings went before Him,and the Word of the Lord rod came from heaven to Cain,and said unto him, Where is Abel thy brother? Then Cain answered with a proud heart and a gruff voice, How, God? am I my brother s keeper ? Then God said unto Cain, Cursed be the earth that has drunk the blood of Abel thy brother;and thou,be thou trembling and shaking;and this will be a sign unto thee,that whosoever finds thee, shall kill thee.But Cain wept because God had said those words to him ;and Cain said unto Him,God, whosoever finds me shall kill me,and I shall be blotted out from the face of the earth. Then God said unto Cain,Whosoever shall find thee shall not kill thee because before this,God had been saying to
Cain,I shall forego seven punishments on him who kills Cain. For as to the word of God to Cain,Where is thy brother? God said it in mercy for him,to try and make him repent. For if Cain had repented at that time,and had said, God, forgive me my sin,and the murder of my brother, God would then have forgiven him his sin. And as to God saying to Cain, Cursed be the ground that has drunk the blood of thy brother
49 that also,was God's mercy on Cain. For God did not curse him but He cursed the ground; although it was not the ground that had killed Abel,and had committed iniquity. For it was meet that the curse should fall upon the murderer;yet in mercy did God so manage His thoughts as that no one should know it,and turn away from Cain.
And He said to him, Where is thy brother ? To which he answered and said, I know not. Then the Creator said to him,Be trembling and quaking. eighed over, was grieved.
CURSE AND PUNISHMENT OF CAIN. 103
Then Cain trembled and became terrified; and through this sign did God make him an example
50 before all the creation,as the murderer of his brother. Also did God bring trembling and terror upon him,that he might see the peace in which he was at first,and see also the trembling and terror he endured at the last; so that he might humble himself before God, and repent of his sin,and seek the peace he enjoyed at first. And in the word of God that said, I will forego seven punishments on whomsoever kills Cain," God was not seeking to kill Cain with the sword, but He sought to make him die of fasting,and praying and weeping by hard rule, until the time that he was delivered from his sin. And the seven punishments are the seven generations during
which God awaited Cain for the murder of his brother. But as to Cain, ever since he had killed his brother,he could find no rest in any place; but went back to Adam and Eve, trembling, terrified,and defiled with blood. When they saw him they grieved and wept,not knowing whence came his trembling and terror,and the blood with
which he was bespattered. Cain, then, came running to his sister that was born with him. But when she saw him, she was affrighted, and said unto him, 0, my brother,wherefore art thou come thus
trembling ? And he said to her,I have killed my brother
Abel in a certain place. Or, notorious.
104 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. BOOK II. CHAPTER I.
WHEN Luluwa heard Cain s words, she wept and went to call
her father and mother,and told them how that Cain had killed
his brother Abel. Then they all cried aloud and lifted up their voices,and slapped their faces, and threw dust upon their heads, and rent asunder their garments,and went out and came to the place
where Abel was killed. And they found him lying on the earth, killed,and beasts around him; while they wept and cried because of this just one. From his body, by reason of its purity,went forth a
smell of sweet spices. And Adam carried him, his tears streaming down his face;and went to the Cave of Treasures,where he laid him, and wound him up with sweet spices and myrrh. And Adam and Eve continued by the burial of him in great grief a hundred and forty days. Abel was fifteen and a half years old, and Cain seventeen years and a half.
1
As for Cain,when the mourning for his brother was ended,he took his sister Luluwa and married her,without leave from his father and mother; for they could not keep him from her,by reason of their heavy heart. He then went down to the bottom of the mountain, away
from the garden,near to the place where he had killed his
brother.
BIRTH OF SETH. 105
And in that place were many fruit trees and forest trees. His sister bare him children,who in their turn began to multiply by degrees until they filled that place. But as for Adam and Eve,they came not together after Abel's funeral,for seven years. After this, however, Eve conceived; and while she was with child, Adam said to her,Come, let us take an offering and offer it up unto God,and ask Him to give us a fair child, in whom we may find comfort,and whom we may join in marriage to Abel s sister. Then they prepared an offering and brought it up to the altar,and offered it before the Lord,and began to entreat Him to accept their offering,and to give them a good off
spring. And God heard Adam and accepted his offering. Then,
they worshiped, Adam, Eve, and their daughter,and came down to the Cave of Treasures and placed a lamp in it, to burn by night and by day, before the body of Abel. Then Adam and Even continued fasting and praying until Eve s time came that she should be delivered, when she said to Adam, I wish to go to the cave in the rock, to bring forth in it.And he said, Go, and take with thee thy daughter to wait on thee; but I will remain in this Cave of Treasures before the body of my son Abel. Then Eve hearkened to Adam,and went, she and her daughter. But Adam remained by himself in the Cave of
Treasures.
CHAPTER II.
And Eve brought forth a son perfectly beautiful in figure
and in countenance. His beauty was like that of his father
Adam, yet more beautiful.
3 Then Eve was comforted when she saw him, and remained
106 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
eight days in the cave; then she sent her daughter unto Adam
to tell him to come and see the child and name him. But the daughter stayed in his place by the body of her brother,until Adam returned. So did she. But when Adam came and saw the child s good looks, his
beauty,and his perfect figure, he rejoiced over him,and was
comforted for Abel. Then he named the child Seth,
4 that means,that God has heard my prayer,and has delivered me
out of my affliction. But it means also power and strength.
Then after Adam had named the child,he returned to the Cave of Treasures;and his daughter went back to her mother. But Eve continued in her cave,until forty days were fulfilled,when she came to Adam,and brought with her the child and her daughter. And they came to a river of water, where Adam and his daughter washed themselves,because of their sorrow for Abel;but Eve and the babe washed for purification. Then they returned,and took an offering, and went to the mountain and offered it up,for the babe;and God accepted their offering,and sent His blessing upon them,and upon their son Seth; and they came back to the Cave of Treasures. As for Adam, he knew not again his wife Eve,all the days of his life; neither was any more offspring born of them; but only those five, Cain, Luluwa, Abel, Aklia, and Sethf alone. Bat Seth waxed in stature and in strength;and began to fast and pray,fervently.
CHAPTER III.
Fifteenth apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve, above the roof
of the cave. As for our father Adam,at the end of seven years from the day he had been severed from his wife Eve, Satan envied him, Or, Aclemia. This does not agree with other accounts.
See Fabric. Cod. Apoc. V. T., vol. i.
J i.e., without a twin sister. Lit. with hard lahour.
FIFTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 107
when lie saw him thus separated from her;and strove to make him live with her again.
5
Then Adam arose andwent up above the Cave of Treasures;and continued to sleep there night by night. But as soon as it was light every day he came down to the cave, to pray there and to receive a blessing from it. But when it was evening he went up on the roof of the cave, where he slept by himself,fearing lest Satan should overcome
him. And he continued thus apart thirty-nine days. Then Satan, the hater of all good,when he saw Adam thus alone, fasting and praying, appeared unto him in the form of a beautiful woman,who came and stood before him in the night of the fortieth day,and said unto him: Adam, from the time ye have dwelt in this cave, we have experienced great peace from you, and your prayers have reached us, and we have been comforted about you. But now, Adam,that thou hast gone up over the roof of the cave to sleep,we have had doubts about thee,and a great sorrow has come upon us because of thy separation from Eve. Then again,when thou art on the roof of this cave,thy prayer is poured out,and thy heart wanders from side to side. But when thou wast in the cave thy prayer was like fire gathered together;it came down to us,and thou didst find rest. Then I also grieved over thy children who are severed from thee; and my sorrow is great about the murder of thy son Abel; for he was righteous; and over a righteous man every one will grieve. But I rejoiced over the birth of thy son Seth; yet after a little while I sorrowed greatly over Eve,because she is my sister. For when God sent a deep sleep over thee,and drew her out of thy side,He brought me out also with her. But He raised her by placing her with thee,while He lowered me. I rejoiced over my sister for her being with thee. But God
had made me a promise before,and said, Grieve not when
108 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Adam has gone up on the roof of the Cave of Treasures,and is separated from Eve his wife, I will send thee to him,thou shalt join thyself to him in marriage,and bear him five children, as Eve did bear him five/And now, lo! God s promise to me is fulfilled; for it is He who has sent me to thee for the wedding; because if thou
wed me, I shall bear thee finer and better children than those
of Eve. Then again, thou art as yet but a youth; end not thy
youth in this world in sorrow; but spend the days of thy youth
in mirth and pleasure. For thy days are few and thy trial is great. Be strong; end thy days in this world in rejoicing. I shall take pleasure in thee, and thou shalt rejoice with me in this wise, and without fear. Up, then, and fulfill the command of thy God," she then drew near to Adam, and embraced him. But when Adam saw that he should be overcome by her, he prayed to God with a fervent heart to deliver him from her. Then God sent His Word unto Adam, saying, Adam, that figure is the one that promised thee the Godhead, and majesty;he is not favorably disposed towards thee; but shows himself to thee at one time in the form of a woman; another moment, in the likeness of an angel; on another occasion, in the
similitude of a serpent; and at another time, in the semblance
of a god; but he does all that only to destroy thy soul. Now, therefore, O Adam, understanding thy heart, I have delivered thee many a time from his hands; in order to show thee that I am a merciful God; and that I wish thy good,and that I do not wish thy ruin.
CHAPTER IV.
Then God ordered Satan to show himself to Adam plainly,in his own hideous form.
SATAN TEMPTS ADAM. 109
But when Adam saw him, lie feared,and trembled at the sight of him. And God said to Adam, Look at this devil,and at his hideous look, and know that he it is who made thee fall from brightness into darkness, from peace and rest to toil and misery. And look, Adam, at him, who said of himself that he is God! Can God be black ? Would God take the form of a woman? Is there any one stronger than God? And can He be overpowered? See, then, Adam,and behold him bound in thy presence, in the air, unable to flee away! Therefore,I say unto thee, be not afraid of him; henceforth take care,and beware of him,
in whatever he may do to thee. Then God drove Satan away from before Adam, whom He strengthened,and whose heart He comforted, saying to him, Go down to the Cave of Treasures,and separate not thyself
from Eve; I will quell in you all animal lust. From that hour
it left Adam and Eve,and they enjoyed rest by the commandment of God. But God did not the like to any one of Adam's seed; but only to Adam and Eve. Then Adam worshiped before the Lord,for having
delivered him, and for having layed his passions. And he came down from above the cave, and dwelt with Eve as aforetime. This ended the forty days of his separation from Eve.
CHAPTER V.
As for Seth, when he was seven years old, he knew good and evil,and was consistent in fasting and praying,and spent all his nights in entreating God for mercy and forgiveness. He also fasted when bringing up his offering every day, more than his father did; for he was of a fair countenance, like unto an angel of God. He also had a good heart.
110 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
preserved the finest qualities of his soul; and for this reason
he brought up his offering every day. And God was pleased with his offering; but He was also pleased with his purity. And he continued thus in doing the will of God,and of his father and mother, until he was seven years old. After that, as he was coming down from the altar, having ended his offering, Satan appeared unto him in the form of a beautiful angel, brilliant with light; with a staff of light in his hand, himself girt about with a girdle of light.
He greeted Seth with a beautiful smile,and began to beguile him with fair words, saying to him, Seth, why abidest thou in this mountain ? For it is rough, full of stones and of sand,and of trees with no good fruit on them; a wilderness without habitations and without towns; no good place to dwell in. But all is heat, weariness,and trouble. He said further, But we dwell in beautiful places, in
another world than this earth. Our world is one of light and
our condition is of the best; our women are handsomer than
any others;and I wish thee, Seth, to wed one of them; because I see that thou art fair to look upon, and in this land there is not one woman good enough for thee. Besides, all those who live in this world, are only five souls. But in our world there are very many men and many maidens, all more beautiful one than another. I wish, therefore, to remove thee hence,that thou mayest see my relations and be wedded to which ever thou likest. Thou shalt then abide by me and be at peace; thou shalt be filled with splendour and light, as we are. Thou shalt remain in our world, and rest from this world
and the misery of it; thou shalt never again feel faint and
weary; thou shalt never bring up an offering, nor sue for
mercy; for thou shalt commit no more sin, nor be swayed by passions.Or, innocence, conditions are.
SATAN TEMPTS SETH. Ill
And if thou wilt hearken to what I say,thou shalt wed one of my daughters; for with us it is no sin so to do; neither
is it reckoned animal lust. For in our world we have no God; but we all are gods we all are of the light, heavenly, powerful, strong and glorious.
CHAPTER VI.
When Seth heard these words he was amazed,and inclined his heart to Satan's treacherous speech,and said to him, Saidst thou there is another world created than this; and other creatures more beautiful than the creatures that are in this world ? And Satan said, Yes ; behold thou hast heard me; but I will yet praise them and their ways, in thy hearing. But Seth said to him, ff Thy speech has amazed me; and thy beautiful description of it all. Yet I cannot go with thee to-day; not until I have gone to my father Adam and to my mother Eve,and told them all thou hast said to me. Then if they give me leave to go with thee,I will come/Again Seth said, I am afraid of doing any thing without my father s and mother s leave, lest I perish like my brother Cain,and like my father Adam, who transgressed the commandment of God. But, behold, thou knowest this place; come,and meet me here to-morrow. When Satan heard this, he said to Seth, If thou tellest thy father Adam what I have told thee, he will not let thee come with me. But hearken to me; do not tell thy father and mother what I have said to thee; but come with me to
day, to our world; where thou shalt see beautiful things and enjoy thyself there,and revel this day among my children, beholding them and taking thy fill of mirth;and rejoice ever
112 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
more then I shall bring thee back to this place to-morrow; but if thou wouldst rather abide with me,so be it. Then Seth answered,The spirit of my father and of my mother,hangs on me; and if I hide from them one day,they will die,and God will hold me guilty of sinning against them. And except that they know I am come to this place to bring up to it my offering,they would not be separated from me one hour;neither should I go to any other place,unless they let me. But they treat me most kindly, because I come back to them quickly. Then Satan said to him, What will happen to thee if thou hide thyself from them one night, and return to them at break of day ? But Seth, when he saw how he kept on talking,and that he would not leave him ran,and went up to the altar,and spread his hands unto God,and sought deliverance from Him. Then God sent His Word,and cursed Satan,who fled from Him. But as for Seth,he had gone up to the altar,saying thus in his heart,The altar is the place of offering,and God is there;a divine fire shall consume it; so shall Satan be unable to hurt me,and shall not take me away thence/Then Seth came down from the altar and went to his father and mother,whom he found in the way, longing to hear his voice;for he had tarried a while. He then began to tell them what had befallen him from Satan,under the form of an angel. But when Adam heard his account,he kissed his face,and warned him against that angel, telling him it was Satan who thus appeared to him. Then Adam took Seth,and they went to the Cave of Treasures,and rejoiced therein. But from that day forth Adam and Eve never parted from of their sin.
SETS'S MARRIAGE. 113
him,to whatever place he might go,whether for his offering or for any thing else. This sign happened to Seth, when he was nine years old.
CHAPTER VII.
When our father Adam saw that Seth was of a
perfect heart,he wished him to marry; lest the enemy
should appear to him another time,and overcome him. So Adam said to his son Seth, I
wish, my son,that thou
wed thy sister Aklia, Abel's sister, that she
may bear thee children,who shall replenish the earth,
according to God s
promise to us. Be not afraid, my son; there is
no disgrace in it. I wish thee to marry, from fear lest the enemy
overcome thee. Seth, however,did not wish to marry; but in
obedience to his father and mother, he said not a word. So Adam married him to Aklia. And he was
fifteen years old. But when he was twenty years of age,he
begat a son, whom he called Enos;J and then begat other
children than
him.Then Enos grew up, married,and begat Cainan. Cainan also grew up, married,and begat
Mahalaleel Those fathers were born during Adam's life-time,and dwelt by the Cave of Treasures. Then were the days of Adam nine hundred and
thirty years,and those of Mahalaleel one hundred. But
Mahalaleel, when he was grown up, loved fasting, praying, and
with hard labour, until the end of our father Adam s days drew
near. Adam gave to Seth, Owain, Abel's sister, in marriage.
p. 18, see note p. 106. A hundred and five years old.
p. 17. continually and earnestly.
114 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER VIII.
When our father Adam saw that his end was
near,
6 he called his son Seth, who came to him in the Cave of
Treasures,and he said unto him: Seth, my son, bring me thy
children and thy children, that I may shed my blessing on them
ere I die.
When Seth heard these words from his father
Adam, he went from him, shed a flood of tears over his
face,and gathered together his children and his
children s children,and brought them to his father Adam. But when our father Adam saw them around him,
he wept at having to be separated from them. And when they saw him weeping, they all wept
together, and fell upon his face saying, How shalt thou be severed from us, O our father ? And how shall the earth
receive thee and hide thee from our eyes ? Thus did they
lament much,and in like words. Then our father Adam blessed them all,and
said to Seth,after he had blessed them: Seth, my son, thou know-est this world that it is full of sorrow,and of weariness; and thou know-est all that has come upon us, from our trials in it. I therefore
now command thee in these words: to keep innocence, to be
pure and just,and trusting in God; and lean not to the
discourses of Satan, nor to the apparitions in which he will show
himself to thee. But keep the commandments that I give thee this
day; then give
the same to thy son Enos; and let Enos give
it to his son Cainan; and Cainan to his son Mahalaleel;
so that this commandment abide firm among all your children.
7
Seth, my son, the moment I am dead
take ye my body and wind it up with myrrh, aloes, and cassia,
and leave me here down his cheeks. Or, strains.
ADAM’S COUNSEL TO SETH. 115
in this Cave of Treasures in which are all
these tokens which
God gave us from the garden. my son, hereafter shall a flood
come
8
and overwhelm allcreatures,and leave out only eight souls. But, my son, let those whom it
will leave out from among your children at that time, take my
body with them outof this cave;and when they have taken it
with them, let the oldest among them command his children to lay
my body in a ship until the flood has been assuaged, and
they come out of the ship. Then they shall take my body and
lay it in the
middle of the earth, shortly after they have
been saved from
the waters of the flood. For the place where my body shall
be laid, is the middle of the earth; God shall come from thence and
shall save all our kindred. But now, Seth, my son, place
thyself at the head of thy people; tend them and watch over them in the
fear of God;and lead them in the good way. Command them
to fast unto
God;and make them understand they ought not
to hearken
to Satan, lest he destroy them. Then, again, sever thy children
and thy children's children from Cain's children; do not let them ever
mix with those, nor come near them either in their words or
in their deeds/Then Adam let his blessing descend upon Seth,and upon
his children,and upon all his children s
children. He then turned to his son Seth,and to Eve
his wife,and said to them, Preserve this gold,
this incense, and this myrrh, that God has given us for a sign; for in
days that are coming, a flood will overwhelm the whole creation.
But those who shall go into the ark shall take with them
the gold, the incense,and the myrrh, together with my body; and
will lay the gold, the incense, and the myrrh, with my body in
the midst of the earth. Then, after a long time, the city
in which the gold, the incense,and the myrrh are found with my body, shall be plun.
116 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
dered. But when it is spoiled, the gold, the
incense, and the
myrrh shall be taken care of with the spoil
that is kept;and
naught of them shall perish, until the Word
of God, made
man shall come; when kings shall take them,and shall offer
to Him, gold in token of His being King;
incense, in token of
His being God of heaven and earth; and
myrrh, in token of
His passion. Gold also, as a token of His
overcoming Satan,and all our foes; incense as a token that He will rise
from the dead,and
be exalted above things in heaven and things
in the earth ; and
myrrh, in token that He will drink bitter
gall; and feel the
pains of hell from Satan. And now, Seth, my son, behold I
have revealed unto thee hidden mysteries, which God had revealed
unto me. Keep my
commandment, for thyself, and for thy people.
CHAPTER IX.
When Adam had ended his commandment to Seth,
his limbs were loosened, his hands and feet lost all
power, his mouth became dumb,and his tongue ceased altogether
to speak. He closed his eyes and gave up the ghost.
9 But when his children saw that he was dead,
they threw
themselves over him, men and women, old and
young, weeping. The death of Adam took place at the end of
nine hundred and thirty years that he lived upon the earth; on the fifteenth day of Barmudeh, after the reckoning of an
epact of the sun, at the ninth hour. It was on a Friday
10 the very day on which he was created,and on which he rested ; and the
hour at which he died, was the same as that at which he came
out of the garden. Then Seth wound him up well,and embalmed him
with
plenty of sweet spices, from sacred trees and
from the Holy the gold, the incense,and the myrrh.
TEE DEATH OF ADAM. 117
Mountain ; and lie laid his body on the
eastern side of the inside of the cave, the side of the incense;and placed in front of him a lamp-stand kept burning. Then his children stood before him weeping
and wailing over him the whole night until break of day. Then Seth and his son Enos,and Cainan, the
son of Enos, went out and took good offerings to present
unto the Lord,and they came to the altar upon which Adam
offered gifts to God, when he did offer. But Eve said to them, Wait until we have first asked God to accept our offering,and to keep by Him
the soul of Adam His servant,and to take it up to rest/And they all stood up and prayed.
CHAPTER X.
And when they had ended their prayer, the
Word of God came and comforted them concerning their
father Adam. After this, they offered their gifts for
themselves and for their father. And when they had ended their offering, the
Word of God came to Seth, the eldest among them, saying
unto him,Seth, Seth, Seth, three times. As I was with
thy father, so also shall I be with thee, until the fulfillment of the promise I made him thy father saying, I will send My
Word and save thee and thy seed. But as to thy father Adam, keep
thou the commandment he gave thee;and sever thy seed from that of
Cain thy brother. And God withdrew His Word from Seth. Then Seth, Eve,and their children, came down
from the mountain to the Cave of Treasures. But Adam was the first whose soul died in the
land of
118 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Eden, in the Cave of Treasures; for no one
died before him,but his son Abel, who died murdered. Then all the children of Adam rose up,and
wept over their father Adam,and made offerings to him, one
hundred and forty days.
CHAPTER XI.
After the death of Adam and of Eve,
18 Seth
severed his children,and his children s children, from
Cain's children. Cain and his seed went down and dwelt
westward, below theplace where he had killed his brother Abel.
13
But Seth and his children, dwelt northwards
upon the mountain of the Cave of Treasures, in order
to be near to their father Adam. And Seth the elder, tall and
good, with a fine soul,and of a strong mind, stood at the head
of his people;and tended them in innocence, penitence, and
meekness,and did not allow one of them to go down to Cain
s children. But because of their own purity, they were named Children of God/and they were with God, instead of the
hosts of angels who fell; for they continued in praises to
God,and in singing
psalms unto Him, in their cave the Cave of
Treasures. Then Seth stood before the body of his father
Adam,and of his mother Eve,and prayed night and day,and
asked for mercy towards himself and his children; and
that when he had some difficult dealing with a child, He would
give him counsel. But Seth and his children did not like
earthly work, but gave themselves to heavenly things
14 for they had no other thought than praises, doxologies,and psalms
unto God. Therefore did they at all times hear the voices of
angels, praisingand glorifying God; from within the garden,
or when they
were sent by God on an errand, or when they
were going up to heaven.
In the land in which he was created the
land of Eden.
Kufale, p. 19.
THE
CHILDREN OF SETH. 119
For Seth and his children, by reason of their
own purity, heard and saw those angels. Then, again, the
garden was not far above them, but only some fifteen
spiritual cubits. Now one spiritual cubit answers to three cubits
of man, altogether forty-five cubits. Seth and his children dwelt on the mountain
below the garden; they sowed not, neither did they
reap; they wrought no food for the body, not even wheat; but
only offerings. They ate of the fruit and of trees well
flavoured that grew on the mountain where they dwelt. Then Seth often fasted every forty days, as
did also his eldest children. For the family of Seth smelled the
smell of the trees in the garden, when the wind blew that way. They were happy, innocent, without sudden fear, there
was no jealousy, no evil action, no hatred among them. There
was no animal passion; from no mouth among them went forth
either foulwords or curse; neither evil counsel nor
fraud. For the men of that time never swore, but under hard
circumstances, when
men must swear, they swore by the blood of
Abel the just. But they constrained their children and their
women every day in the cave to fast and pray,and to
worship the most High God. They blessed themselves in the body of
their father Adam,and anointed themselves with it. And
they did so until the end of Seth drew near.
CHAPTER XII.
Then Seth, the just, called his son Enos, and
Cainan, son of
Enos, and Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, and said
unto them: As my end is near, I wish to build
a roof over the altar which gifts are offered/of the arm. They dwelt on Mount Hermon leading a life
of purity,and abstaining from marriage; wherefore were they called Watchers
and Sons of God.
Bar. Hebr. Dyn., p. 4.
120 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
They hearkened to his commandment and went
out, all of
them, both old and young, and worked hard at
it,and built a
beautiful roof over the altar. And Seth/s thought, in so doing, was that a
blessing should come upon his children on the mountain ; and
that he should present an offering for them before his
death.
Then when the building of the roof was
completed, he com
manded them to make offerings. They worked
diligently at
these, and brought them to Seth their father,
who took them
and offered them upon the altar; and prayed
God to accept
their offerings, to have mercy on the souls
of his children, and
to keep them from the hand of Satan. And God accepted his offering, and sent His
blessing upon him and upon his children. And then God made
a promise to Seth, saying, At the end of the great five days and a
half, concerning which I have made a promise to
thee and to
thy father, I will send My Word and save thee
and thy seed. Then Seth and his children, and his children
s children, met
together,and came down from the altar,and
went to the
Cave of Treasures where they prayed,and
blessed themselves
in the body of our father Adam,and anointed
themselves
with it. But Seth abode in the Cave of Treasures, a
few days, and
then suffered sufferings unto death. Then Enos, his first-born son, came to him,
with Cainan, his son, and Mahalaleel, Cainan s son, and
Jared, the son of Mahalaleel,and Enoch, Jared's son, with
their wives and children to receive a blessing from Seth. Then Seth prayed over them, and blessed them,
and adjured them by the blood of Abel the just,
15
saying,I beg of you, my children, not to let one of you go
down from this Holy and pure Mountain. Make no fellowship
with the children of Cain the murderer and the sinner,
who killed his brother; for ye know, O my children,that we
flee from him,
LAMECH THE BLIND. 121
and from all his sin with all our might
because he killed his
brother Abel. After having said this, Seth blessed Enos,
his first-born son,and commanded him habitually to minister in
purity before
the body of our father Adam, all the days of
his life; then, also, to go at times to the altar which he Seth had built. And he commanded him to feed his people in
righteousness, in judgment and purity all the days of his
life. Then the limbs of Seth were loosened, his
hands and feet lost all power; his mouth became dumb and
unable to speak;and he gave up the ghost and died the day
after his nine hundred and twelfth year on the
twenty-seventh day of the
month Abib;Enoch being then twenty years
old. Then they wound up carefully the body of
Seth,and embalmed him with sweet spices, and laid him
in the Cave of Treasures, on the right side of our father
Adam s body, and they mourned for him forty days. They offered
gifts for him, as they had done for our father Adam. After the death of Seth, Enos rose at the
head of his people, whom he fed in righteousness,and judgment,
as his father had commanded him.
16
But by the time Enos was eight hundred and
twenty years old, Cain had a large progeny; for they
married frequently, being given to animal lusts; until the land
below the mountain, was filled with them.
CHAPTER XIII.
In those days lived Lamech the blind, who was
of the sons
of Cain. He had a son whose name was Atun,and they two
had much cattle. But Lamech was in the habit of sending them to feed with a young shepherd, who tended them;and who,
when coming
In Arabic, it means hot, hard, hasty.
122 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
home in the evening wept before his
grandfather,and before his father Atun and his mother Hazina,and
said to them, As for me, I cannot feed those cattle alone,
lest one rob me of some of them, or kill me for the sake of
them/For among the children of Cain, there was much robbery,
murder,and sin. Then Lamech pitied him, and he said, Truly, he when alone, might be overpowered by the men of
this place. So Lamech arose, took a bow he had kept ever
since he was
a youth, ere he became blind,and he took
large arrows,and smooth stones, and a sling which he had, and
went to the field with the young shepherd, and placed
himself behind the cattle; while the young shepherd watched the
cattle. Thus did Lamech many days.
Meanwhile Cain, ever since God had cast him
off,and had
cursed him with trembling and terror, could
neither settle nor
find rest in any one place; but wandered
from place to place.
In his wanderings he came to Lamech's
wives, and asked them about him. They said to him, He is in the field with the cattle. Then Cain went to look for him; and as he
came into the field, the young shepherd heard the noise he
made,and the cattle herding together from before him. Then said he to Lamech, my lord,
is that a wild beastor a robber ? And Lamech said to him, Make me
understand which way he looks, when he comes up. Then Lamech bent his bow, placed an arrow on
it,and fitted a stone in the sling, and when Cain
came out from the open country, the shepherd said to Lamech,Shoot, behold,
he is coming. Then Lamech shot at Cain with his arrow and
hit him in his side. And Lamech struck him with a stone from
his sling,
that fell upon his face,and knocked out both
his eyes; then
Cain fell at once and died.
LIFE AND DEATH OF ENOS 123
Then Lamech and the young shepherd came up to
him,and found him lying on the ground. And the young
shepherd said to him, It is Cain our
grandfather, whom thou hast killed, my lord! Then was Lamech sorry for it,and from the
bitterness of his regret, he clapped his hands together,and struck with his flat palm the head of the youth, who fell as
if dead; but Lamech thought it was a feint; so he took up
a stone and smote him,and smashed his head until he
died.
CHAPTER XIV.
When Enos was nine hundred years old, all the
children of
Seth, and of Cainan,and his first-born, with
their wives and
children, gathered around him, asking for a
blessing from
him. He then prayed over them and blessed them,
and adjured
them by the blood of Abel the just, saying to
them, Let not
one of your children go down from this Holy
Mountain,and
let them make no fellowship with the children
of Cain the
murderer. Then Enos called his son Cainan and said to
him, See, my son, and set thy heart on thy people,and
establish them in
righteousness,and in innocence; and stand
ministering before
the body of our father Adam, all the days of
thy life. After this Enos entered into rest, aged nine
hundred andeighty-five years;and Cainan wound him up,and laid him in the Cave of Treasures on the left of his
father Adam; and made offerings for him, after the custom of
his fathers.
CHAPTER XY.
After the death of Enos, Cainan stood at the
head of his
people in righteousness and innocence, as his
father had
124 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
commanded him; lie also continued to minister
before the body of Adam, inside the Cave of Treasures.
19
Then when he had lived nine hundred and ten
years, suffering and affliction came upon him. And
when he was about to enter into rest, all the fathers
with their wives and children came to him,and he blessed them,
and adjured them by the blood of Abel the just
20
saying to them, Let not one among you go-down from this Holy Mountain; and make no fellowship with the children of Cain the
murderer. Mahalaleel, his first-born son, received this
commandment
from his father,who blessed him and died. Then Mahalaleel embalmed him with sweet
spices,and laid him in the Cave of Treasures, with his
fathers; and they made offerings for him, after the custom of their
fathers.
CHAPTER XVI.
Then Mahalaleel stood over his people,and
fed them in righteousness and innocence,and watched them
to see they held no intercourse with the children of
Cain. He also continued in the Cave of Treasures
praying and ministering before the body of our father
Adam, asking God for mercy on himself and on his people;
until he was eight
hundred and seventy years old,when he fell
sick. Then all his children gathered unto him, to
see him,and to ask for his blessing on them all, ere he left
this world. Then Mahalaleel arose and sat on his bed, his
tears streaming down his face,and he called his eldest son
Jared, who came to him. He then kissed his face, and said to him,Jared, my son, I adjure thee by Him who made heaven and
earth.
See also Eutych. Nazam al-j., p. 22.
f-Mahalaleel adjured his son Jared, by the
blood of Abel, not to let one of his children go down from the mountain to the
children of Cain the accursed. Eutych. Nazam al-j., p. 22.
DEATH
OF MAHALALEEL. 125
watch over thy people,and to feed them in
righteousness and in innocence; and not to let one of them go
down from this Holy Mountain to the children of Cain, lest
he perish with them. Hear, my son, hereafter there
shall come a great destruction upon this earth on account of them ; God
will be angry with the world,and will destroy them with
waters. But I also know that thy children
will not hearken to thee,and that they will go down from this mountain and hold thee,and that they will go down from this
mountain and hold
intercourse with the children of Cain,and
that they shall
perish with them. my son ! teach them,and watch
over them, that no guilt attach to thee on their account. Mahalaleel said, moreover, to his son Jared, When I die, embalm my body and lay it in the Cave of
Treasures, by the bodies of my fathers; then stand thou by my
body and pray to God;and take care of them, and fulfill thy
ministry before them, until thou enterest into rest
thyself. Mahalaleel then blessed all his children;and then lay down on his bed,and entered into rest like his
fathers. But when Jared saw that his father Mahalaleel
was dead, he wept, and sorrowed,and embraced and kissed
his hands and his feet;and so did all his children. And his children embalmed him carefully,and
laid him by the bodies of his fathers. Then they arose,
and mourned for him forty days.
CHAPTER XVII.
Then Jared kept his father s commandment,and
arose like a lion over his people. He fed them in
righteousness and innocence,and commanded them to do nothing
without his counsel. For he was afraid concerning them,
lest they should go to the children of Cain.
126 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Wherefore did lie give them orders
repeatedly;and continued to do so until the end of the four
hundred and eighty fifth year of his life.
At the end of these said years, there came
unto him this sign. As Jared was standing like a lion
before the bodies of his fathers, praying and warning his people,
Satan envied him,and wrought a beautiful apparition, because Jared
would not let his children do aught without his counsel. Satan then appeared to him with thirty men of
his hosts, in the form of handsome men; Satan himself
being the elder and tallest among them, with a fine beard. They stood at the mouth of the cave, and
called out Jared, from within it. He came out to them,and found them looking
like fine men, full of light,and of great beauty. He
wondered at their beauty and at their looks;and thought
within himself whether they might not be of the children of
Cain. He said also in his heart, As the children of Cain cannot
come up to the height of this mountain,and
none of them is so
handsome as these appear to be;and among
these men there is not one of my kindred they must be
strangers. Then Jared and they exchanged a greeting,and
he said to the elder among them, my father,
explain to me the wonder that is in thee,and tell me who these are,
with thee; for they look to me like strange men. Then the elder began to weep,and the rest
wept with him; and he said to Jared, I am Adam whom God made first;
and this is Abel my son, who was killed by his
brother Cain, into whose heart Satan put to murder him. Then this is my son Seth, whom I
asked of the Lord, who gave him to me, to comfort me instead of
Abel. Then this one is my son Enos,
son of Seth,and that other one is Cainan, son of Enos, and that other
one is Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, thy father/But Jared remained wondering at their
appearance,and at the
speech of the elder to him.
SATAN APPEARS TO JARED. 127
Then the elder said to him, Marvel
not, my son;we live in the land north of the garden, which
God created before the world. He would not let us live there,
but placed us inside the garden,below which ye are now dwelling. But, after that I transgressed, He
made me come out of it,and I was left to dwell in this cave; great
and sore troubles came upon me;and when my death drew near, I
commanded
my son Seth to tend his people well; and
this my commandment is to be handed from one to another,
unto the end of the generations to come. But, Jared, my son, we live in
beautiful regions, while
you live here in misery, as this thy father
Mahalaleel informed
me ;telling me that a great flood will come
and overwhelm the
whole earth. Therefore, my son, fearing for
your sakes, I rose and
took my children with me,and came hither for
us to visit thee
and thy children; but I found thee standing
in this cave
weeping,and thy children scattered about
this mountain, in the heat and in misery. But, my son, as we missed our way,
and came as far as this, we found other men below this mountain
; who inhabit a
beautiful country, full of trees and of
fruits, and of all manner
of verdure; it is like a garden; so that
when we found them
we thought they were you; until thy father
Mahalaleel told me
they were no such thing. Now, therefore, O my son, hearken to my
counsel,and go down to them, thou and thy children. Ye will
rest from all this suffering in which ye are. But if thou
wilt not go down tothem, then, arise, take thy children, and
come with us to our
garden ; ye shall live in our beautiful land,and ye shall rest
from all this trouble, which thou and thy
children are now
bearing. But Jared when he heard this discourse from
the elder,
wondered ;and went hither and thither, but
at that
128 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then lie answered and said to the elder, Why have you hidden yourselves until this day? And the elder replied, If thy father had not told us, we should not have known it. Then Jared believed his words were true. So the elder said to Jared, Wherefore didst thou turn about, so and so? And he said, I was seeking one of nay
children, to tell him about my going with
you,and about their
coming down to those about whom thou hast
spoken to me/When the elder heard Jared s intention, he
said to him, Let alone that purpose at present,and come with us; thou shalt see our country; if the land in which
we dwell pleases thee, we and thou shall return hither and
take thy family with us. But if our country does not please thee,
thou shalt come back to thine own place. And the elder urged Jared, to go before one
of his children came to counsel him otherwise. Jared, then, came out of the cave and went
with them,and
among them. And they comforted him, until
they came to the top of the mountain of the sons of Cain. Then said the elder to one of his companions, We have forgotten something by the mouth of the cave,
and that is, the chosen garment we had brought to clothe Jared
withal. He then said to one of them, Go
back, thou, some one;
and we will wait for thee here, until thou
come back. Then will we clothe Jared,and he shall be like
us, good, handsome,and fit to come with us into our
country. Then that one went back. But when he was a short distance off, the
elder called to him and said to him, Tarry thou, until I come up and speak to thee. Then he stood still, and the elder went up to
him and said to him, One thing we forgot at the
cave, it is this to put out the lamp that burns inside it, above the
bodies that are therein. Then come back to us, quick.
JABED AMONG THE SONS OF CAIN. 129
That one went, and the elder came back to his
fellows and to Jared. And they came down from the
mountain,and Jared with them; and they stayed by a fountain of
water, near the houses of the children of Cain, and waited
for their companion until he brought the garment for Jared. He, then, who went back to the cave, put
out the lamp,
and came to them and brought a phantom with
him and showed it them. And when Jared saw it he wondered at
the beauty and grace thereof, and rejoiced in his heart,
believing it was all true. But while they were staying there, three of
them went into houses of the sons of Cain, and said to them, Bring us to-day some food by the fountain of water, for us
and our companions to eat. But when the sons of Cain saw them, they
wondered at them and thought: These are beautiful
to look at, and such as we never saw before. So they rose and
came with them to the fountain of water, to see their companions. They found them so very handsome, that they
cried aloud about their places for others to gather
together and come and look at these beautiful beings. Then they
gathered around them both men and women. Then the elder said to them, We are
strangers in your land, bring us some good food and drink, you
and your women,to refresh ourselves with you/When those men heard these words of the
elder, every one
of Cain s sons brought his wife,and another
brought his
daughter,and so, many women came to them;
every one addressing Jared either for himself or for
his wife ; all alike. But when Jared saw what they did, his very
soul wrenched itself from them; neither would he taste of
their food or of their drink. The elder saw him as he wrenched himself from them,and said in their thoughts. Or, hia soul wrenched itself from them.
130 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
said to him, Be not sad; I am the
great elder, as thou shalt Bee me do, do thyself in like
manner. Then he spread his hands and took one of the
women,and five of his companions did the same before
Jared, that he should do as they did. But when Jared saw them working infamy he
wept,and said in his mind, My fathers never did the like.
He then spread his hands and prayed with a
fervent heart,and with much weeping,and entreated God to
deliver him from their hands.
No sooner did Jared begin to pray than the
elder fled with his companions; for they could not abide in
a place of prayer.
Then Jared turned round but could not see
them, but found
himself standing in the midst of the children
of Cain. He then wept and said, God, destroy me not with this race, concerning which my fathers have warned
me; for now, O my Lord God, I was thinking that those who
appeared unto me were my fathers; but I have found them
out to be devils, who allured me by this beautiful apparition,
until I believed them. But now I ask Thee, God, to
deliver me from this race, among whom I am now staying, as Thou didst
deliver me from
those devils. Send Thy angel to draw me out
of the midst of
them; for I have not myself power to escape
from among them. When Jared had ended his prayer, God sent His
angel in the midst of them, who took Jared and set
him upon the mountain, and showed him the way, gave him
counsel,and then departed from him.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The children of Jared were in the habit of
visiting him hour
after hour, to receive his blessing and to
ask his advice for thought.
JARED RETURNS TO THE MOUNTAIN. 131
every thing they did; and when he had a work
to do, they did
it for him. But this time when they went into the cave
they found not Jared, but they found the lamp put out,and
the bodies of the
fathers thrown about,and voices came from
them by the power of God, that said, Satan in an apparition has
deceived our son, wishing to destroy him, as he destroyed
our son Cain. They said also, Lord God of heaven and earth,
deliver our son from the hand of Satan, who wrought a
great and false apparition before him. They also
spake of other matters, by the power of God. But when the children of Jared heard these
voices they feared,and stood weeping for their father;
for they knew not what had befallen him. And they wept for him that day until the
setting of the sun. Then came Jared with a woeful countenance,
wretched in mind and body,and sorrowful at having been
separated from the bodies of his fathers. But as he was drawing near to the cave, his
children saw him,and hastened to the cave,and hung upon
his neck, crying, and saying to him, father, where hast thou been,and why hast thou left us, as thou wast not wont to
do? And again, 0 father, when thou didst
disappear, the lamp over the bodies of our fathers went out, the bodies
were thrown about,and voices came from them. When Jared heard this he was sorry, and went
into the cave; and there found the bodies thrown
about, the lamp put out,and the fathers themselves praying for
his deliverance
from the hand of Satan. Then Jared fell upon the bodies and embraced
them,and said, 0 my fathers, through your
intercession, let God
deliver me from the hand of Satan! And I beg
you will ask God to keep me and to hide me from him
unto the day of my death.
132 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Then all the voices ceased save the voice of
our father Adam, who spake to Jared by the power of God, just
as one would speak to his fellow, saying, Jared my son, offer gifts to God for having delivered thee from the hand
of Satan;and when thou briniest those offerings, so be it,
that thou offer-est them on the altar on which I did offer. Then
also, beware of Satan; for he deluded me many a time with
his apparitions, wishing to destroy me, but God delivered me
out of his hand. Command thy people that they be on
their guard against him; and never cease to offer up gifts to
God. Then the voice of Adam also became silent;
and Jared and his children wondered at this. Then they laid
the bodies as they were at first;and Jared and his
children stood praying the whole of that night, until break of day. Then Jared made an offering and offered it up
on the altar, as Adam had commanded him. And as he went up
to the altar, he prayed to God for mercy and for
forgiveness of his sin, concerning the lamp going out. Then God appeared unto Jared on the altar and
blessed him and his children, and accepted their
offerings; and commanded Jared to take of the sacred fire from the
altar,and with it to light the lamp that shed light on the body of
Adam.
CHAPTER XIX.
Then God revealed to him again the promise He
had made to Adam; He explained to him the 5500 years,and
revealed unto him the mystery of His coming upon the
earth. And God said to Jared, As to that
fire which thou hast taken from the altar to light the lamp
withal, let it abide with you to give light to the bodies; and let it
not come out of the cave, until the body of Adam comes out of
it. But, Jared, take care of the fire, that it
burn bright in the lamp; neither go thou again out of the
cave,until thou
THE STORY OF GENUN. 133
receiyest an order through a vision,and
not in an apparition,
when seen by thee. Then command again thy people not to hold
intercourse with the children of Cain,and not to learn
their ways; for I am God who loves not hatred and works of
iniquity. God gave also many other commandments to
Jared,and blessed him. And then withdrew His word from
him. Then Jared drew near with his children, took
some fire,and came down to the cave, and lighted the
lamp before the body of Adam; and he gave his people
commandments as
God had told him to do. This sign happened to Jared at the end of his
four hundred and fiftieth year; as did also many other
wonders, we do not record. But we record only this one for
shortness sake, and in order not to lengthen our narrative. And Jared continued to teach his children eighty
years; but after that they began to transgress the
commandments he had given them,and to do many things without his
counsel. They began to go down from the Holy Mountain one
after another,and to mix with the children of Cain, in foul
fellowships. Now the reason for which the children of
Jared went down the Holy Mountain, is this, that we will now
reveal unto
you.
CHAPTER XX.
After Cain had gone down to the land of dark
soil,and his children had multiplied therein,there was
one of them, whose name was Genun,
21 son of Lamech the blind who slew Cain. But as to this Genun, Satan came into him in his childhood; and he made sundry trumpets and horns, and string he inhabited a land that is trembling, being low. p. 15.
21 son of Lamech the blind who slew Cain. But as to this Genun, Satan came into him in his childhood; and he made sundry trumpets and horns, and string he inhabited a land that is trembling, being low. p. 15.
134 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
cymbals and psalteries,and lyres and
harps,and flutes;and he played on them at all times and at
every hour.
22
22
And when he played on them, Satan came into
them, so that from among them were heard beautiful and
sweet sounds, that ravished the heart.
Then he gathered companies upon companies to
play on them; and when they played, it pleased well
the children of Cain, who inflamed themselves with sin among
themselves, and burnt as with fire; while Satan inflamed
their hearts one with another,and increased lust among them. Satan also taught Genun to bring strong drink
out of corn; and this Genun used to bring together
companies upon com
panies in drink-houses;and brought into
their hands all manner of fruits and flowers; and they drank
together. Thus did this Genun multiply sin exceedingly;
he alsoacted with pride,and taught the children of
Cain to commit all manner of the grossest wickedness, which they
knew not; and put them up to manifold doings which they
knew not before. Then Satan, when he saw that they yielded to
Genun and hearkened to him in every thing he told them,
rejoiced greatly
increased Genun's understanding, until he
took iron and with it
made weapons of war. Then when they were drunk, hatred and murder
increased among them; one man used violence against
another to teach
him evil, taking his children and defiling
them before him. And when men saw they were overcome, and
[saw] others that were not overpowered, those who were
beaten came to Genun, took refuge with him, and he made them
his confederates. Then sin increased among them greatly; until
a man married his own sister, or daughter, or mother,and
others ; or the daughter of his fathers sister, so that there
was no more hearts. it seemed well in the eyes of. Arab: that is now called beer.
GENUN BEGUILES THE SONS OF SETH. 135
distinction of relationship,and they no
longer knew what is iniquity ; but did wickedly,and the earth
was defiled with sin ;and they angered God the Judge, who had
created them. But Genun gathered together companies upon
companies, that played on horns and on all the other
instruments we have already mentioned, at the foot of the Holy
Mountain ;and they did so in order that the children of Seth who
were on the Holy Mountain should hear it. But when the children of Seth heard the
noise, they wondered,and came by companies, and stood on
the top of the mountain to look at those below;and they
did thus a whole year. When, at the end of that year, Genun saw that
they were being won over to him little by little, Satan
entered into him,and taught him to make dyeing-stuffs for
garments of divers
patterns,and made him understand how to dye
crimson and purple,and what not. And the sons of Cain who wrought all this,and shone in
beauty and gorgeous apparel, gathered
together at the foot of
the mountain in splendour, with horns and
gorgeous dresses,
and horse races; committing all manner of
abominations. Meanwhile the children of Seth, who were on
the Holy Mountain, prayed and praised God, in the
place of the hosts of angels who had fallen; wherefore God
had called them angels, because He rejoiced over
them greatly. But after this, they no longer kept His
commandment, nor
held by the promise He had made to their
fathers; but they relaxed from their fasting and praying,and
from the counsel of Jared their father. And they kept on
gathering together on the top of the mountain, to look upon the
children of Cain, from morning until evening,and upon what
they did, upon their beautiful dresses and ornaments. Then the children of Cain looked up from
below,and saw
Until they knew not either parents or
children.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 25.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 25.
136 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
the children of Seth, standing in troops on
the top of the mountain; and they called to them to come
down to them. Bat the children of Seth said to them from
above, We don't know the way. Then Genun, the
son of Lamech, heard them say they did not know the way,and he
bethought himself how he might bring them down. Then Satan appeared to him by night, saying, There is no way for them to come down from the mountain
on which they dwell; but when they come to-morrow, say to
them, Come ye to the western side of the mountain ; there
you will find the way of a stream of water, that comes down to the
foot of the mountain, between two hills; come down that
way to us. Then when it was day, Genun blew the horns
and beat the drums below the mountain, as he was wont. The
children of Seth heard it,and came as they used to do. Then Genun said to them from down below, Go to the
western side of the mountain, there you will
find the way to come down/But when the children of Seth heard these
words from him,
they went back into the cave to Jared, to
tell him all they had heard. Then when Jared heard it, he was grieved; for
he knew that they would transgress his counsel. After this a hundred men of the children of
Seth gathered together
23 and said among themselves, Come, let us go down to the children of Cain, and see what they
do,and enjoy ourselves with them/But when Jared heard this of the hundred men,
his very soul was moved,and his heart was grieved. He then
arose with great fervor,and stood in the midst of
them,and adjured them by the blood of Abel the just, Let not one of you go down from this holy and pure mountain, in which
our fathers have ordered us to dwell/But when Jared saw that they did not receive
his words, he said unto them, my good and
innocent and holy children,
THE FALLEN SONS OF SETH. 137
know that when once you go down from this
holy mountain, God will not allow you to return again to
it. He again adjured them, saying, I
adjure by the death of our father Adam, and by the blood of Abel, of
Seth, of Enos, of Cainan,and of Mahalaleel, to hearken to
me,and not to go down from this holy mountain; for the moment
you leave it,
you will be reft of life and of mercy ;and
you shall no longer be called children of God/but children of
the devil/But they would not hearken to his words. Enoch at that time was already grown up,and
in his zeal for God, he arose and said, Hear me, ye sons of Seth, small
and great when ye transgress the commandment
of our fathers,and go down from this holy mountain ye shall
not come up hither again for ever.
24
But they rose up against Enoch, and would not
hearken to his words, but went down from the Holy
Mountain. And when they looked at the daughters of
Cain, at their beautiful figure,and at their hands and feet
dyed with colour,and tattooed in ornaments on their faces,J
the fire of sin was kindled in them. Then Satan made them look most beautiful
before the sons of Seth, as he also made the sons of Seth
appear of the fairest in the eyes of the daughters of Cain, so that
the daughters of Cain lusted after the sons of Seth like
ravenous beasts,and the sons of Seth after the daughters of Cain,
until they committed abomination with them. But after they had thus fallen into this
defilement, they returned by the way they had come,and tried
to ascend the Those rebellious souls are for death, the
sword, perdition,and extinction like. A description of Egyptian women, of that,
as well as of the present, day. But the Author of evil unable to curse the
holy life and happiness of the children of Seth
p. 17. Eutychus tells the same in words that had better remain in the original.
p. 17. Eutychus tells the same in words that had better remain in the original.
138 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Holy Mountain. But they could not, because
the stones of that holy mountain were of fire flashing before
them, by reason of which they could not go up again.
25
And God was angry with them,and repented of
them, because they had come down from glory, and
had thereby lost or forsaken their own purity or innocence,
and were fallen
26 into the defilement of sin.
27
Then God sent His Word to Jared, saying, These thy
26 into the defilement of sin.
27
Then God sent His Word to Jared, saying, These thy
children, whom thou didst call My children/behold they have
transgressed My commandment,and have gone
down to the
abode of perdition, and of sin. Send a
messenger to those that
are left, that they may not go down, and be
lost. Then Jared wept before the Lord, and asked of
Him mercy and forgiveness. But he wished that his soul
might depart from his body, rather than hear these words
from God about the going down of his children from the Holy
Mountain. But he followed God s order,and preached
unto them not to go down from that holy mountain,and not to
hold intercourse
with the children of Cain. But they heeded not his message, and would
not obey his counsel.
CHAPTER XXL
After this another company gathered together,and they went to look after their brethren; but they
perished as well as they. And so it was, company after company,
until only a few of them were left.
Then Jared sickened from grief,and his
sickness was such that the day of his death drew near. Then he called Enoch his eldest son, and
Methuselah Enoch's son,and Lamech the son of Methuselah,and
Noah the son of Lamech.
JARED 8 LAST WORDS TO HIS SONS. 139
And when they were come to him he prayed over
them and blessed them, and said to them, Ye
are righteous, innocent sons; go ye not down from this holy mountain; for behold, your children and your children's children
have gone down from this holy mountain,and have estranged
themselves from this holy mountain, through their abominable
lust and transgression of God s commandment. But I know, through the power of
God, that He will not leave you on this holy mountain,
28 because your children have transgressed His commandment and that of our fathers, which we had received from them. But, my sons, God will take you to a strange land,and ye never shall again return to behold with your eyes this garden and this holy mountain. Therefore, my sons, set your hearts on your own selves,and keep the commandment of God which is with you. And when you go from this holy mountain, into a strange land which ye know not, take with you the body of our father Adam,and with it these three precious gifts and offerings, namely,the gold, the incense,and the myrrh; and let them be in the
28 because your children have transgressed His commandment and that of our fathers, which we had received from them. But, my sons, God will take you to a strange land,and ye never shall again return to behold with your eyes this garden and this holy mountain. Therefore, my sons, set your hearts on your own selves,and keep the commandment of God which is with you. And when you go from this holy mountain, into a strange land which ye know not, take with you the body of our father Adam,and with it these three precious gifts and offerings, namely,the gold, the incense,and the myrrh; and let them be in the
place where the body of our father Adam shall
lay. And unto him of you who shall be left, my
sons, shall the Word of God come,
29 and when he goes out of this land he shall take with him the body of our father Adam, and shall lay it in the middle of the earth, the place in which salvation shall be wrought. Then Noah said unto him, Who is he of us that shall be left ? And Jared answered, Thou art he that shall be left.
29 and when he goes out of this land he shall take with him the body of our father Adam, and shall lay it in the middle of the earth, the place in which salvation shall be wrought. Then Noah said unto him, Who is he of us that shall be left ? And Jared answered, Thou art he that shall be left.
30 And thou shalt take the body of our father Adam
from the cave, and place it with thee in the ark when the flood
comes. And thy son Shem, who shall come
out of thy loins, he it Or, on your souls.
140 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
is who shall lay the body of our father Adam
in the middle of the earth, in the place whence salvation
shall come. Then Jared turned to his son Enoch,and said
unto him, Thou, my son, abide in this cave,
and minister diligently before the body of our father Adam all the
days of thy life;and feed thy people in righteousness and
innocence. And Jared said no more. His hands were
loosened, his
eyes closed,and he entered into rest like
his fathers. His death took place in the three hundred and
sixtieth year of Noah,and in the nine hundred and eighty -ninth
year of his own life; on the twelfth of Takhsasf on a Friday. But as Jared died, tears streamed down his
face by reason of his great sorrow, for the children of
Seth, who had fallen in his days. Then Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah,
these four, wept over him; embalmed him carefully,and then
laid him in the Cave of Treasures. Then they rose and mourned
for him forty
days. And when these days of mourning were ended,
Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah remained in
sorrow of heart, because their father had departed from them,
and they saw him no more.
CHAPTER XXII.
But Enoch kept the commandment of Jared his
father,and continued to minister in the cave. It is this Enoch to whom many wonders
happened,and who also wrote a celebrated book.
31 but those wonders may not be told in this place. Then after this, the children of Seth went
astray and fell, they, their children and their wives. And
when Enoch, Or, continually.
That is the Ethiopic December.
whereas the Arabic original has Tishrin(October), the month in which he was born and also died.
That is the Ethiopic December.
whereas the Arabic original has Tishrin(October), the month in which he was born and also died.
by whom also there is a celebrated
book.
ENOCH'S ADVICE TO HIS SONS. 141
Methuselah, Lamech and Noah saw them, their
hearts suffered
by reason of their fall into doubt full of
unbelief; and they
wept and sought of God mercy, to preserve
them,and to bring them out of that wicked generation. Enoch continued in his ministry before the
Lord three hundred and eighty-five years, and at the end
of that time he became aware through the grace of God, that
God intended to
remove him from the earth. He then said to his son, 0 my son,
I know that God intends to bring the waters of the Flood upon
the earth, and to destroy our creation.
32
32
And ye are the last rulers over
this people on this mountain; for I know that not one will be left you to
beget children on this holy mountain; neither shall any one of
you rule over the children of his people; neither shall any
great company be left of you, on this mountain. Enoch said also to them, Watch over
your souls,and hold
fast by your fear of God and by your service
of Him,and worship Him in upright faith,and serve Him
in righteousness, innocence and judgment,in repentance and
also in purity.
33
When Enoch had ended his commandments to
them, God transported him from that mountain to the
land of life, to the mansions of the righteous and of the chosen,
the abode of Paradise of joy, in light that reaches up to heaven, light that is outside the light of this world; for it is the light of God, that fills the whole world, but which no place can contain.
the abode of Paradise of joy, in light that reaches up to heaven, light that is outside the light of this world; for it is the light of God, that fills the whole world, but which no place can contain.
Thus, because Enoch was in the light of God,
he found himself out of the reach of death; until God
would have him die.Altogether, not one of our fathers or of
their children, remained on that holy mountain, except those
three, Methuselah, Lamech,and Noah. For all the rest
went down from the mountain and fell into sin with the
children of Cain. Therefore were they forbidden that mountain,and none remained on it but those three men.
See S. Ephrem, vol. ii, p. 325, for a
sermon on Enoch.
142 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/BOOK III CHAPTER
I.
NOAH noticed from his youth up, how sin had
multiplied,
how wickedness prevailed; how generations of
men perished,
how sorrow increased, how righteous men
diminished.
1 Therefore did he afflict his soul; he
restrained his members,
and retained his virginity;and grieved over
the ruin wrought
by the generations of men. And this Noah habitually mourned and wept and
was of a sad countenance;and thus he held his soul
in fasting, so that the enemy had no advantage over him, and did
not come near
him. This Noah also, ever since he was a child
with his parents,
never made them angry, never transgressed
against them; nor
ever did a thing without their advice. And
when he was away
from them, if he wished to pray or to do
aught else; he would
ask of God, to guide him aright therein;
wherefore God
watched over him. And while he was on the mountain, he did not
transgress against God in any one evil thing,nor did he willfully depart from what pleased God; neither did he ever
anger God. Many were the wonderful things which happened
to him,
more than to any of his fathers before him,
about the time of
the Flood. father.
NOAH BUILDS THE ARK. 143
And Noah continued in his virginity and in
his obedience to
God five hundred years; but after that it
pleased God to raise
him a seed; He therefore spake unto him,
saying,Arise, O
Noah, and take unto thyself a wife, that of
her thou mayest
have children that may be a comfort to thee;
for thou art left
alone,and thou shalt go out of this country
unto a strange
land; for the earth shall be peopled with
thy posterity. Then when Noah heard this from God, he did
not transgress His commandment, but took unto himself a
wife, whose name was Haikal, the daughter of Abaraz, who was
of the children of Enos's children, that went into perdition. And she bare unto him three sons, Shem, Ham,
and Japhet.
CHAPTER II.
After these things, God spake unto Noah about
the Flood;
that it should come upon the earth,and
destroy all creatures, so
as not to let one of them be seen. And God said unto Noah,Guard thy
children; command them and make them understand not to have
intercourse with the children of Cain, lest they perish with
them.
And Noah hearkened to God s words, and kept
his children
on the mountain, and would not let them go
down to the
children of Cain. Then God spake again unto Noah, saying, Make unto
thyself an ark of wood that will not rot; to
be a deliverance to
thee and to the men of thy house
2 But begin to build it in the low
land of Eden, in presence
of the children of Cain, that they may see
thee working at it;
and if they will not repent they shall perish;and the blame
shall rest on them. But cut on this holy mountain, the
trees whereof thou shalt make the ark; let the length of the ark be
three hundred
144 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
cubits, the breadth thereof fifty cubits,and
the height thereof
thirty cubits.
3 And when thou hast made and
finished it, let there be in it
ona door above, and three compartments,and
every compartment ten cubits high. The first story shall be for
lions, and beasts, animals and ostriches all together. The second story
shall be for birds,
and creeping things. And the third story shall be for
thee and thy wife, and for thy sons and their wives. And make in the ark wells for
water, and openings to them, to draw water thereat, for drink to
thee and to those that are with thee. And thou shalt line those
wells with lead, both in and out. And make in the ark store-houses
for corn; for food to thee and to those that are with thee. Then make also unto thyself a
trumpet
4 of ebony wood,three cubits long, one and a half cubit wide,
with a mouthpiece of the same wood. And thou shalt blow it three times; the first time in the morning, that the workmen working at the
ark may hear it,and gather to their work. Then thou shalt blow
it the second
time,and when the workmen hear it, they will
gather to their
meal. And thou shall blow it a third time in
the evening, for
the workmen to go and rest from their labor. And God said unto Noah, Go about
among the people and tell them that a flood shall come and shall
overwhelm them;and make the ark before their eyes.
And when they question thee about
the making of the ark, tell them: God has commanded me to make it,
that we may get into it, I and my children, and be saved
from the waters of the Flood. But when Noah went about among them and told
them, they Or, stories.
DEATH OF LAMECH. 1 15
laughed at him, and only committed adultery
and revelled together all the more, and said,That twaddling old man ! Whence will ever the waters come, above the
tops of high mountains ? We never saw water rise above
mountains;and this old man says, a flood is coming !
But Noah did all his works, as God had told
him concerning
them.
CHAPTER III.
And Noah begat his three sons, during the
first hundred
years he worked at the ark. During these hundred years he ate no food,
whence blood flows; the shoes on his feet were neither
changed, nor worn, nor grown old. During these hundred years also, he did not
change his garments from off him, neither did they wear
out, in the least; he did not change the staff in his hand, nor
did the cloth about his head grow old;and the hair of his head
neither increased nor grew less. As to those three sons of Noah, the first of
them is Shem; the next is Ham; and the third is Japhet.
They married wives from among the daughters of Methuselah; as the wise
LXXII interpreters have told us; as it is
written in the first sacred book of the Greeks. The life also of Lamech, Noah s father, was
five hundred and fifty-three years;and when he drew nigh
unto death, he called unto him his father Methuselah and his son
Noah, and he wept before his father Methuselah and said unto
him, " Dismiss me, my father, and bless me. Then Methuselah blessed his son Lamech,and
said, Not one of all our fathers died before his
father, but the father died before his son, in order that there
should be his son to bury him in the earth. Now, however, O my
son, thou diest
146 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
before me,and I shall drink the cup of sorrow on thy account, ere I go out of the flesh. Henceforth, my son, behold the
world is changed,and the order of deaths of men is changed: for
from to-day the son shall die before his father;and the
father shall not rejoice
in his son, nor be satisfied with him. So
also shall the son not
be satisfied with his father, nor rejoice in
him. Then Lamech died, and they embalmed him, and
laid him in the Cave of Treasures. His death took place
seven years before the Flood came;and his father Methuselah
and his son Noah remained alone on the Holy Mountain.
But Noah went down every day to work at the
ark,and came up at eventide. And he instructed his
sons and their wives not to come down after him, and not to
hold intercourse with the children of Cain. For Noah was anxious about his sons, and said
in his mind,
They are young and might be
overcome by passion." So he
went down by night;and gave old Methuselah
directions about them.
CHAPTER IV.
But Noah preached repeatedly to the children
of Cain, saying,
The flood will come and destroy
you, if we do not repent. But they would not hearken
to him; they only laughed at him.
5
When the children of Seth went down from the
Holy Mountain,and dwelt with the children of Cain,and defiled themselves with their abominations, there were born unto
them children called Garsina, who were giants, mighty men
of valour, such as no other giants were of equal might.
6
Certain wise men of old wrote concerning
them, and say in their sacred books, that angels came down
from heaven,and A corruption of the Arabic term.
ABOUT THE RAGE OF GIANTS. 147
mingled with the daughters of Cain, who bare
unto them these
giants. But those wise men err in what they say.
God forbid
such a thing, that angels who are spirits, should be found
committing sin with human beings. Never;
that cannot be.
7
And if such a thing were of the nature of
angels, or Satan's,
that fell, they would not leave one woman on
earth, undefiled.
For Satan's are very wicked and infamous.
Moreover, they are
not male and female by nature; but they are
small, subtle
spirits, that have been black ever since they
transgressed.
But many men say, that angels came down from
heaven,and
joined themselves to women,and had children
by them. This
cannot be true. But they were children of
Seth, who were of
the children of Adam, that dwelt on the
mountain, high up or
suspended, while they preserved their
virginity, their innocence and their glory like angels;and were
then called angels of God. But when they transgressed and mingled with
the children of Cain, and begat children, ill-informed men
said, that angels had come down from heaven, and mingled with
daughters of men, who bare them giants.
CHAPTER V.
Then the ancient old man Methuselah who
remained on the mountain with Noah s sons, lived nine hundred
and eighty-seven years and then sickened;and his sickness was
such that,on account of it, he must depart from this
world. When Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japhet,
became aware of it, they came to him with their
wives, and wept before The Ethiopic construction is not quite
correct here. The Arabic reads: Angelic spirits. See S. Matt, xxii, 30, and the same in S.
Mark and in S. Luke. See abo
note 5 from the Coran. Sur. vi, xxxvii, and
liii, etc.10
148 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
him, and said,our father, and our elder, bless
us,and pray God to have mercy on us when thou art
gone from us. Then Methuselah said to them with a sorrowful
heart,Hear me, my dear children; for none of our
fathers are left, but you, eight souls. The Lord God created our father
Adam and our mother Eve,and from them filled the earth with people in the neighbourhood of the garden,and multiplied their
seed. But they have not kept His
commandment,and He will destroy them. But had they kept His
commandment, He would then have filled heaven and earth with
them. Yet will I ask the Lord my God to
bless you, to multiply you,and to spread your race in a strange
land, to which ye shall go. And now, my children, behold, God
will bring you inside an ark unto a land to which ye have never
been. And the
Lord God of all our pure fathers, be with
you ! And the glorious gifts God
bestowed on our father Adam from the garden in this blessed Cave of
Treasures, may He bestow them on you also ! These are the three glorious gifts
which God made to Adam. The first is kingdom wherein God made
Adam king over His works. The second glorious gift is
priesthood, in that God breathed into his face a spirit of
life. And the third glorious gift is prophecy, for Adam
prophesied concerning what God thought of doing. But I will ask the Lord my God, to
bestow those three glorious gifts on your posterity.
Then Methuselah said also to Noah, "
Noah, thou art blessed of God. I warn thee and tell thee
that I am going from thee to be with all our fathers that
have gone before me. But thou, who shalt be left alone
with thy children on this holy mountain, keep the commandment I give
thee, and forsake not anything of what I have told thee.
LAST WORDS OF METHUSELAH. 149
Behold my God shall quickly bring
a flood upon the earth;
embalm my body, and lay it in the Cave of
Treasures. Then take thy wife with thy sons
and their wives,and go down from this holy mountain,and take with
thee the body of our father Adam.
8 go into the ark and lay it there, until the waters of the Flood are assuaged from off the
face of the earth. my son, when about to die, command
thy first-born son Shem, to take Melchizedec, son of
Cainan, and grandson of Arphaxad
9 for that Melchizedec is priest of the Most
High God.
10 and to take with them the body of our
father Adam from within the ark,and remove it and lay it
in the earth. And Melchizedec shall stand
ministering on that mountain that is in the middle of the earth, before
the body of our father Adam for ever. For from that place, Noah my
son, God shall work salvation for Adam and for all of
his seed that believe in God. Methuselah said also to Noah and to his sons, The angel of God will go with you, until you come to
that place in the middle of the earth. Again Methuselah said to Noah, my
son, let him who ministers unto God and before the body of our
father Adam, have a clothing of skin,and be girt about
his loins with leather.Let him wear no ornament, but let his raiment
be poor; let him be alone,and stand praying our Lord God
to watch over
the body of our father Adam; for it is a
body of great value
before God. And let him continue in his
ministry, he the priest of the Most High God; for he is well pleasing unto
God, and so is
the ministry he fulfills before God. After this Methuselah commanded Noah saying, ind,then, all these commandments, and keep
them. Then Methuselah s hands were loosened; he
ceased speak-
The Arabic reads: Melchizedec thy son s
son; i.e., Son of Shem, as generally believed in the East.t i.e., single.
150 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
he gradually closed his eyes,and
entered into rest like all his fathers; his tears the time
streaming down his cheeks,and his heart grieving at being separated
from them all; but mostly because of that mountain of the
garden, on which not one of them was left ; for God was purposed
to destroy all creatures,and to blot them out from the face
of the earth. The rest of Methuselah took place when he was
nine hundred and sixty-seven years old, on the twelfth of
Magabit on a Sunday. Then Noah and his sons embalmed him, weeping
and sorrowing over him, and laid him in the Cave
of Treasures. And they wailed over him with a great
wailing, they and their wives, forty days. And when mourning and
grief over Methuselah were ended, Noah and his sons began to
do as Methuselah had commanded them.
CHAPTER VI.
After his death, Noah, his sons, and their
wives came to the bodies of our fathers, worshiped them,and
blessed themselves in them, weeping and being in the deepest
grief. But Noah had finished the ark, and not one
workman was left in it. And he, with his sons, continued
in prayer to God, asking Him to show them the way of safety. When Noah and his sons had ended their
prayers, God said
unto him, Go thou into the Cave of
Treasures, thou and thy
sons,and take the body of our father Adam
and lay it in the
ark; likewise take the gold, the incense,and the myrrh, and
lay them in the ark together with his
body. And Noah hearkened to God s voice, and went
into the Cave of Treasures, he and his sons ; they worshiped the bodies of our fathers, and then Noah took the body of
our father Adam,and carried it in the strength of God, not
requiring the help of any one.
11 Lit. and would (or wished) not that one
should help him.
ADAM S BODY TAKEN TO THE ARK. 151
Then Shem his son, took the gold with him,
and Ham carried the myrrh,and Japhet carried the
incense;and they brought them out of the Cave of Treasures,
their tears the while streaming down their cheeks. But as they were bringing them out, the bodies
among which
Adam had been laid, cried out, Are we then to be separated from thee, our father Adam ? Then Adam s body answered, Oh,
that I must part from you my sons, from this holy mountain ! Yet do I
know, my sons, that God will gather all our bodies together
another time.
But wait patiently until our Savior have pity on us. And the other bodies went on talking
together, by the power of God s Word. Then Adam asked God that the divine fire
might remain in the lamp, before his sons, until the time
when bodies shall rise again. And God left the divine fire by them, to shed
light on them. He then closed the cave upon them,and left
not a trace to show where it is until the day of the
Resurrection, when He will raise them up, like all other bodies. But the discourse Adam held, and that too, he
being dead, was by the command of God, who would show His
wonders among the dead and the living. After this let none of you say, that Adam s
soul had already been under Satan's judgment. It was not so;
but God commanded the souls of the dead, to come from
under His hand;and to speak of the wonders of God from
within their bodies. Then they returned to their places until the
day of the sure deliverance that shall be unto them all.
CHAPTER VII.
But when Noah and his sons heard these voices
from those dead bodies, they wondered greatly,and their
faith in God was
strengthened.
152 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Then they went out of the cave and began to
go down from the Holy Mountain, weeping and wailing with a
fervent heart, for their being thus parted from the holy
mountain, the abode of their fathers. And Noah and his sons went back and sought
the cave, but could not find it. Then they broke out into
bitter lamentation and deep sorrow; for they saw that from that
day forth, they should have neither existence nor abode in
it. Then once more they raised their eyes and
looked at the garden and at the trees that were in it,
and they lifted up their voices in weeping and in loud crying,
and said, We salute thee in worship, garden of joy !
12 abode of brilliant beings, a place for the righteous ! We salute
thee, place of joy that was the abode of our father Adam,
the chief ofcreation ; who, when he had transgressed,
fell from thee;and
then saw his body in life, naked and
disgraced. And we, behold, we depart from the
Holy Mountain to the lower side of thee ; neither shall we dwell
in it, nor yet behold thee so long as we live. We wish God would
remove thee with us to the country to which we shall go; but
God would not remove thee into a cursed land. But God will take us,and will
bring us into that land with our children, until He has ended the
punishment for our transgression of His commandment.
Noah and his sons said also, We salute thee, cave, abode of the bodies of our holy fathers ; we salute
thee, pure spot, hidden from our eyes, yet fit to have those
bodies laid within thee ! The Lord God preserve thee, for the
sake of the bodies of our fathers !
Again they said, We greet you, our fathers,
righteous judges,and we ask you to pray for us before
God, that He will have pity on us,and deliver us out of this
passing world. We ask you to pray for us for us,
the only ones left of your seed; We give you a greeting of peace ! Seth, great master, among the
fathers, we greet thee
NOAH LEAVES THE MOUNTAIN. 153
with peace ! Holy Mountain abode of our
fathers, we give thee a greeting of peace ! Then Noah and his sons wept again,and said, Alas, for us eight souls that are left ! Behold we are
taken away from the sight of the garden. And as they were coming down the mountain
they greeted the stones, took them in their hands and put
them upon their shoulders; they stroked down the trees, and
did so weeping. And they continued coming down from the
mountain, until
they came to the door of the ark. Then Noah and his sons turned their faces to
the east,and requested the Lord to have mercy on them, to
save them,and to command them where to lay the body of our
father Adam.Then the Word of God came to Noah, saying, Lift up the
body of Adam to the third story of the ark,and lay it there
on the eastern side;and the gold, the
incense and the myrrh
together with him.
13 And thou and thy sons shall stand
before him praying. But thy wife, and the wives of thy sons,
shall be on the western side of the ark;and they and their
wives shall not come together. Then when Noah heard these words from God, he
and his sons went into the ark, and laid the body of
our father Adam on the eastern side, and the three offerings
together with him. And Noah brought into the ark the body of
Adam, on a Friday, at the second hour, on the
twenty-seventh of the month of Gembot.
CHAPTER VIII.
Then God said unto Noah, Go upon
the top of the ark and blow the trump three times, that all beasts
gather together unto the ark.
154 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
But Noah said, Shall the sound of the trump reach
unto the ends of the earth to gather together the
beasts and the birds ? Then God said unto him, It is not
the sound of this trump alone that shall go forth, but My power shall
go with it, to make it come into the ears of the beasts and of
the birds. And when thou blowest thy trump,
1
will command My angel to blow the horn from heaven;and all
these animals shall be gathered unto thee. Then Noah made haste and blew the trump, as
God had told him. Then the angel blew the horn from
heaven, until the earth quaked,and all creatures on it
trembled.
Then all the beasts, birds and creeping things were gathered
together at the third hour, on a Friday;
when all the beasts,
lions and ostriches went into the lower story
at the third hour.
Then at midday, came the birds and creeping
things into the middle story;and Noah and his sons went
into the third story, at the ninth hour of the day. And when Noah, with his wife, his sons and
their wives came into the upper story, he commanded the
women to dwell
on the western side ; but Noah and his sons,
with the body of
our father Adam, dwelt on the eastern side.
CHAPTER IX.
And Noah stood asking God to save him from
the waters of the Flood. Then God talked to Noah,and said to him, Of every kind of birds, take one pair, male and female of
the clean;and of the
unclean also one pair, male and female. But
also of the clean take six more pairs, male and
female. All these beasts, birds,and
creeping things, shall come to thee by the hand of the angel who shall take and bring them to
thee to keep them alive.
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. vii.
THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD. 155
And Noah did all this. Then when they all had
got into the ark, God shut to the door of the ark upon
them by His power. He then commanded the windows of heaven to
open wide,and to pour down from them cataracts of
water. And so it was; by God s order. And He commanded all fountains to burst open,and the depths to pour forth water, upon the face of
the earth. So that the sea all round rose above the whole
world, and surged,and the deep waters arose. But when the windows of heaven opened wide,
all stores of water and depths were opened,and all the stores of the winds, and the whirlwind, thick mist, gloom
and darkness spread abroad. The sun and moon and stars,
withheld their light. It was a day of terror, such as had
never been. Then the sea all round, began to raise its
waves on high like mountains;and it covered the whole face of
the earth.
But when the sons of Seth, who were fallen
into wickedness and adultery with the children of Cain, saw
this, they then knew that God was angry with them;and that
Noah had told them the truth. Then they all ran round the ark, to Noah,
begging and entreating him to open for them the door of
the ark; inasmuch as they could not climb the Holy Mountain, by
reason of the stones thereof, that were like fire. But as to the ark, it was closed and sealed by
the power of
God.
14 An angel of God sat upon the ark, and was like a captain to Noah, to his sons, and to all inside the ark. And the waters of the flood increased on the children of Cain and overwhelmed them;and they began to sink,and the words of Noah were fulfilled, which he preached to them saying, the waters of the Flood should come and drown them. And the waters continued above and below over Noah and
14 An angel of God sat upon the ark, and was like a captain to Noah, to his sons, and to all inside the ark. And the waters of the flood increased on the children of Cain and overwhelmed them;and they began to sink,and the words of Noah were fulfilled, which he preached to them saying, the waters of the Flood should come and drown them. And the waters continued above and below over Noah and
locks.
156 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
his sons, until they were suspended in the
ark;and by the
strength of the water, the ark rose from the
earth;and the
flesh of every moving thing perished. And the water rose until it covered the
earth, and until it covered all high mountains;
15
and the waters rose above them,and above the tops of high mountains fifteen cubits, by the cubit of the Holy Ghost, which is equal to three cubits of man. So that the number of these were forty- five cubits above the highest mountains. And the water increased and bare the ark, and brought it to the lower side of the garden, which the waters, the rain, the whirlwind and all that went about on the earth did worship. As did also Noah and his sons and all that was in the ark they bowed in worship to the holy garden. And the water returned to its former state, and destroyed every thing that was upon the earth and under heaven. But the ark was floating on the waters and rose up before the winds; while the angel of God steered and led it from east to west. And the ark thus moved about on the face of
and the waters rose above them,and above the tops of high mountains fifteen cubits, by the cubit of the Holy Ghost, which is equal to three cubits of man. So that the number of these were forty- five cubits above the highest mountains. And the water increased and bare the ark, and brought it to the lower side of the garden, which the waters, the rain, the whirlwind and all that went about on the earth did worship. As did also Noah and his sons and all that was in the ark they bowed in worship to the holy garden. And the water returned to its former state, and destroyed every thing that was upon the earth and under heaven. But the ark was floating on the waters and rose up before the winds; while the angel of God steered and led it from east to west. And the ark thus moved about on the face of
the waters a hundred and fifty days. After that, the ark stood upon the mountains
of Ararat,
16 on the twenty-seventh day of the month of
Tkarnt.
CHAPTER X.
Then God sent again His order to Noah,
saying, Be quiet and wait until the waters are
assuaged. Then the waters parted asunder and returned
every water to its own place, where it was at first; the
fountains ceased to pour forth over the earth; the depths that
are on the face of the earth, ceased to rise;and the windows
of heaven were closed. For floods of rain fell from heaven
at the beginning
of the Flood forty days and forty nights.
Lit, rendered by. Or, spread.
THE RAVEN AND THE DOVE. 157
But on the first day of the eleventh month
the tops of high
mountains were seen;and Noah waited yet
forty days,and then opened the window he had made on the
western side of the ark,and let go a raven, to see if the
waters were assuaged from the face of the earth or not.
17
Then the raven went forth, but returned no
more to Noah; for the harmless dove is the sign of the
mystery of the Christian Church.
But Noah waited yet a little while after the
waters were
assuaged,and then sent out a dove, to see if
the water had
retired or not. But when the dove went out, she found not a
place whereon to rest her foot,and no abode;and she
returned to Noah.
Then Noah waited seven days more, and sent
out the dove to see if the water had retired or not. And
the dove came back to Noah, about eventide;and in her
mouth was an oliveleaf. The meaning of the dove is, that she is taken
as a figure of the old and of the new covenants,
18 The first time when she went out,and found nowhere to rest her feet,
that is, a place of rest is a figure of the stiff-necked Jews,
in whom no grace remained, nor any mercy whatever. Wherefore
Christ, the meek one, who is figured in the dove, did not
find among them
rest for the sole of His feet. But the second time when the dove found a
place of rest is a figure of the nations that have received
the glad tidings of the holy Gospel, and among whom Christ has
found a restingplace.
CHAPTER XI.
In the six hundred and seventh year of Noah s
life, on the second day of the month Barmudeh, the water
dried from off Plucked on the Mount of Olives.
158 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
the earth.19 And in the next month, which is
Gembot, on the
twenty-seventh day thereof, which is the day
on which Noah went into the ark, on that self-same day did
Noah also come out of the ark, on a Sunday. But when Noah, his wife, his sons and their
wives went out of the ark, they again came together, and did
not part asunder one from another; at first, when they went
into the ark, the men and the women remained apart, Noah
fearing lest they
should come together. But when the Flood was
over, they
again came together, the husband with his
wife.
20
20
God also had sent great quietness over the
beasts, the lions
that were in the ark,and over the birds and
creeping things,
not to disagree among themselves. Then Noah came out of the ark, and built an
altar upon the mountain. And he stood, and requested the
Lord to show him of what sacrifices he ought to take,and
bring them unto Him in offerings. Then God sent His Word to Noah, saying, Noah, take of the clean kind, and offer of them upon the
altar before me;
and let the animals go out of the
ark. Then Noah went into the ark, and took of
clean birds as many as God had commanded him ; and offered
them up in offerings upon the altar before the Lord.
CHAPTER XII.
Pattern of the covenant God made with Noah,
when He showed
him the bow on the cloud in heaven. And God smelled the smell of Noah s
offerings,and He made a covenant with him, that the waters of the
flood should not again come upon the earth, henceforth and for
ever. This was the altar built by Adam, on which
he, Cain and Abel had offered sacrifices.
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. viii. It was injured by the Flood ; but Noah
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. viii. It was injured by the Flood ; but Noah
repaired it. Ibid.
NOAH BUILDS A CITY. 159
And this is the covenant God made with Noah: God said unto Noah, I will make
the bow of My covenant come out in the cloud;and when it appears,
then men shall know that it is done in truth. And if I was wroth, when the bow
was seen in the cloud, then it would show that My anger and the
punishment I meant to bring upon men were over. Then, again, Noah, I have made
this bow of My covenant to be seen in heaven, in order that all
creatures should see it,and think of the trials and afflictions that
came upon them at first,and repent,and turn from their evil
ways/And God accepted Noah's offering, and blessed
him and his sons,and said unto them, Be
fruitful and multiply,and replenish the face of the earth. Then God commanded the earth to bring forth
herb as it did of old, for beasts, for birds, and for all
that moves on the earth. Then Noah worshiped before God, with his
sons and their wives;and they praised Him for the
salvation He had wrought for them.
CHAPTER XIII.
After this Noah took his sons,and built them
a city and called it Semanan;
21 as they were eight souls that came out of the ark. And Noah and his sons dwelt on that mountain
about a hundred years, until he had children and
children s children. And Noah took a root of vine and planted it,
and dressed it until it yielded fruit.
22 It was sweet, and
Noah took some of it,and pressed wine out of it, and took it
one night and drank of it,and was drunk.
23 And he came in to his
wife unawares. Then Ham, his son, came into the house in the
morning and saw his father uncovered,and drunk with
wine,and with out sense to know anything.
160 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
Then Ham his son kept on laughing at him,and
said, What is this thou hast done, thou old man
? But the old man understood not what he said;
only Noah's wife understood it well. Then Ham went out laughing at his father,and
told his brothers Shem and Japhet what his father had
done;and laughed at his parents. But his brothers were angry with him,and
rebuked him well for so doing; because they were afraid of
him, as regards the old man; for Ham was rough and hard in his
talk. Then Shem and Japhet rose quickly,and took
with them a coverlet,and put behind their backs that
coverlet that reached unto their feet;and they walked backwards,and turned their
face towards the way they had gone, until
they came to their
parents. Then they threw the coverlet over
them,and went from them in haste, so as not to see them. But on the morrow after this, Noah's wife
told him what Ham had said and what he had done. Then was Noah very angry with his son Ham for what he had done;and he cursed him,and made him
servant of his brothers. But Noah blessed Shem and Japhet, his sons,
because they had behaved well to him.
Then Noah married another wife, who bare him
seven children. And he continued to dwell on that
mountain until the days drew near when he must depart this
life. And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years
after he came out of the ark. Then he called his first-born son Shem, and
conversed with him, saying, my son, hearken unto what I
command thee.
24
24
Behold what I command thee now is, to
hold good until I die and ye bury me. Then, when ye
have ended mourning for me, go into the ark in which we were
saved from the flood; then bring out of it the body of our
father Adam
NOAIRS LAST WORDS TO SEEM. 161
let no one know of it but one that is of thy
seed. Then make a
beautiful case for it, and lay it therein. Then take with thee some bread to
be for provision unto thee by the way,and wine whereof to drink on
thy way;for the land to which thou shalt go is rough and
hungry. Then take Melchizedec the youngest
son of Cainan, thy son; for God has chosen him from all
generations of men, to stand before Him to worship and to
minister unto Him, by the body of our father Adam.
25
25
Then lay the body of Adam in the
midst of the earth;and set Melchizedec to stand by it;and show him
how to fulfil his
ministry before God. Moreover Noah said unto Shern his son, If ye will keep my commandment and go as I tell you, an
angel of the Lord will go with you, and show you the way, until
ye come to the
place where ye shall lay the body of Adam in the midst of the earth; for in that self-same place shall
God work salvation for the whole world. But, my son, I know that our
children forsook this good
commandment,and went down the Holy Mountain,
and mingled with the children of Cain, and that they
perished with them in the waters of the Flood. Know, my son, that from Adam until
this day, every
one of the ancients, gave commandments to one
of the rest, at
the time of his resting from the flesh, and
that they taught
these commandments among themselves. The first, my son, who taught this
commandment and made it plain, was our father Adam; he gave
it to his son Seth, who received it. Then Seth handed it to his son
Enos who kept it. And Enos gave it to his son Cainan who kept it.
Then Cainan gave it to his son Mahalaleel, who kept it,and
handed it to his son Jared. And Jared kept it and gave it to
his son Enoch, who also
Here the Arabic has Arphaxad. instead of
Cainan see above, p. 149.
162 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
kept this commandment and gave it to his son
Methuselah, who kept it,and gave it to his son Lamech
who kept it,and who gave it to me, his son;and I have kept
it. But my grandfather Methuselah also
gave me a great commandment which I have kept;and which I
give thee
likewise. So, then, receive my commandment,and hold fast my words; and hide this mystery within thy
heart; but reveal it not to one of all thy kindred. But go,and
lay the body of our father Adam in the earth;and let it
remain there unto the day of salvation.
CHAPTER XIY.
But the ark was closed during the days of
Noah; neither was any one allowed to touch it. Yet they
went to it, blessed themselves in it, and talked about it. Noah, however, went into it every evening, to
light the lamp which he had made before our father Adam, and
blessed himself in that body. And he did not neglect his office regarding
the lamp, as it was at first in the Cave of Treasures. But as Noah knew that after him, the ark
would not remain whole,and that his children would part
asunder and not return to look after the body of our father Adam,
and that wickedness would increase in the earth and abominations
among men, therefore did he command his son Shem to
hasten to take the body of our father Adam,and to remove it
unto the middle of the earth; according to God's order.
CHAPTER XV.
Then when Noah had ended giving orders to his
son Shem, concerning the body of our father Adam, Noah
said to his son
See below, ch. xviii.
NOAH GIVES PORTIONS TO HIS SONS. 163
Shem, Bring hither to me thy
brothers,and make them come near me. Then when they came to Noah, he looked at
them and said
unto them, my sons, after my death
ye shall part asunder,and sore troubles shall happen to your race. But I will from now, divide among
you the earth into three portions; as every one of you shall be
settled in his own portion. Unto Shem my first-born son, shall
his lot be from Jerusalem which is a great city, as far as
Qardayun and Andika. It takes in the border mountain that
reaches unto
Gefur, between the land of Egypt and that of
the Philistines.
" Unto my next son Ham, his portion
shall be from Aris
towards the south, unto Fardundan and unto
Gaduriun,and unto the borders of the west. And unto my third son Japhet, his
portion shall be from the corner of the west towards the south unto
Damatha, a large tract of country;and all the north also as
far as Aris.
26
He then said to them, Let every
one of you take a portion
different from that of his brothers;and let
every one of you
dwell in his own portion. And they
settled in it, as he
commanded them. And they all had sons and daughters during
their father Noah s lifetime. And Noah divided the earth
among them by
God s order, in order that there should be no
enmity between
the three brothers. Then when Noah had ended his commandments to
Shem and to his brothers, his hands dropped, his
tongue became dumb,
his eyes closed and he died, like his
fathers. He died aged nine
hundred and fifty years,
27 on a Wednesday, the second day of the month Gembot, on the mountain on the
which was the ark;and there he will remain until the day
God reveals his resting-place. And they mourned for him forty days. That is, Bactriana and India. f Eutych., p.
45.11
164 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER XVI.
After they had ended mourning for Noah, an
angel of God appeared unto Cainan father of Melchizedec,and said unto him in a vision, Knowest thou me ? And
Cainan answered, No, my Lord.
Then the angel said to him, I am
the angel whom God has sent unto thee, to give thee this
commandment. And transgress not the command of God. When Cainan heard this from the angel of God,
he wondered
and said unto him, Speak, my Lord
! And the angel of God said unto him, I am the angel who brought gold to thy father Adam, when he was
below the garden; I am the angel who entreated God
together with him, when he offered his own blood upon the altar. I am Michael the angel who
received the soul of Abel the just; I am the angel who was with Seth when
he was born in the cave. I am the angel who was with Enos
and Cainan, and Mahalaleel and Jared and Enoch,and
Methuselah and Lamech, and with Noah. But since he entered into
rest, I stand by his first-born son Shem. And, behold,God has sent me to thee, to
take thy son Melchizedec,and to remove him to the land,
in which God shall lay the body of our father Adam,and
that he may be high exalted before God. Let not thy heart be
grieved at his going away. When Cainan heard these words from the angel,
he worshipped before him;and said unto him,The will of God be done ! Behold, I and my son are in His hands.
Let Him do what He pleases. This angel appeared unto Cainan, not on
account of Cainan's righteousness and purity, but on account of
Melchizedec, and of his righteousness and purity.
AN ANGEL APPEARS TO MELCIIIZEDEC. 165
Then the angel said unto Cainan, Commit not this mystery to any one but to Shem alone. And the angel departed from him.
CHAPTER XVII.
Then the angel of God came unto Melchizedec
that night while he was lying on his bed. And he appeared unto him in the figure of a
youth like him, who smote him on the side, and awoke him out
of his sleep.
When Melchizedec heard it, he rose up, and
saw the house full of light, and a figure standing before
him. And he was afraid, for he was not accustomed to see
angels, but this once only. But the angel prevented fear from overcoming
him,and anointed him on the head and on the breast,
and said unto him, Fear not, I am an angel of God;
and He has sent me to thee with this message, that thou fulfill it unto
thy God. Melchizedec then said unto him, "
What is that message. For he was a youth of a perfect heart. And the angel said unto him, It is
that thou go with the body of our father Adam, unto the middle of
the earth;and that thou stand ministering before it there;and that thou serve God; for He has chosen thee-from thy
childhood. For thou art of the seed of the
blessed. Then Melchizedec said unto him, Who will
bring the body of my father Adam, and me with it, unto the
middle of the earth ? And the angel said unto him, Shem,
the son of Noah thy father's grandfather. Then the angel strengthened his heart,and
comforted him tenderly one whole hour, and then said unto
him, Commit not these hidden words to any but to Shem
only.
166 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
report of it spread abroad j and they hang on
to the body of
Adam,and not let it go to the land, to which
God has commanded it to be taken And the angel departed from him.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Then the angel went to Shem the son of Noah
and said unto him, Arise, and take the body of Adam, as thy
father Noah
gave thee commandment;and take with thee
Melchizedec and go with them to the place ordered by God;and tarry not. When it was day, Shem made a beautiful case
and hid it close to the ark. He then prepared bread and
wine and provisions,and came to Cainan;and inquired
for his son Melchizedec. Then Cainan began to tell him
all that the angel had said unto him;and he gave him up
his son
Melchizedec, with a good heart. Then Shem said to Cainan, Keep
this mystery secret,and reveal it to no one/Then Shem took Melchizedec and they saddled
an ass between them,and they went to the ark. But
they had no key wherewith to open the ark; for Noah had
fastened it with a padlock, after he had come out of it. When, therefore, they came to the ark, they
bethought themselves how to open it. Then came Shem to
the door,and said to Melchizedec, Come, open
it, thou great God. Then came Melchizedec to the door when he
heard Shem's voice, and seized the padlock;and at once
the door was opened. But a voice cried from within the ark, and
said, Rejoice,thou priest of the Most High God, for that
thou hast been found meet to enter upon the office of priest of
God; the first created by Him in the world.
SHEM AND MELCHIZEDEC DEPART. 167
This voice was from the Holy Ghost. And Melchizedec knew that voice when it
breathed into his face; he knew it also through great grace
that was in him. He then marvelled,and said to Shem, my Lord, I know
by the breathing in my face, though I saw no
form,and heard no voice speaking to me; for I saw no one.
This voice is from the body of our father Adam. And Shem remained trembling, not knowing what
to say to
him. But while they were wondering at the door of
the ark, the Word of God came, that said, I am He that made thee priest and that breathed of My Spirit into thee.
Thou art My righteous priest;and thou art worthy to bear the body
of Adam whom I created,and into whom I breathed of My
Spirit. And I made him priest and a king,and a prophet. Go in
first,and bring out his body. Then Melchizedec went into the ark,and bowed
in worship to the body of our father Adam; he blessed
himself in it,and brought it out; the angel Michael,
helping him the while to carry it. And Shem went in also,and brought out the
gold, the incense and the myrrh,and laid them together
with the body
of our father Adam; he then placed the body
within the case,and shut it upon the body. And then he shut
the door of the ark, as it was at first.
CHAPTER XIX.
Then Shem and Melchizedec took the body of
Adam,and went on their way;and the angel of God went
with them and showed them whither to go. And so they went
on that day until the evening;and alighted at a certain
place to rest. Then Shem and Melchizedec stood up to pray;
and while they prayed there came a voice from inside
the coffin of Adam,
168 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
that said, Glory to God who created me, who
gave me life, who made me die;and who again returns me to
the earth out of which He took me ! And the voice blessed the youth Melchizedec
and said unto him, Of all our race, God chose no
one but thee; neither did He anoint any one of them priest with His own
hand, but thee; neither did He breathe into the face of any
one His pure Spirit as He breathed it into thee;and I rejoice,
my son, that thou hast been found worthy of such honour from
God. Then the voice withdrew from Melchizedec, who
wondered at this voice that came forth from a dead
man. But it was
done by the power of God. But when Shem saw this first wonder wrought
on Melchizedec, he kissed his face,and rejoiced greatly
on his account. But as for Melchizedec, he tasted nothing
that night, for the joy that filled his heart; but he continued
standing before the coffin of Adam, praising God and praying
until morning. This
vision happened to Melchizedec in the
fifteenth year of his age.
Then Shem and Melchizedec put the coffin upon
the ass,and went on their way;and the angel of God
went with them. And it was so that when they came to rough
places, the angel bare them up by the power of God,and made
them pass over them, whether they were lands or mountains. And so they went on their way until the
evening of the
second day, when they alighted to rest, after
their custom. Then Shem and Melchizedec stood up to pray;and as they were praying, behold a great light shone over
them, wherefore Melchizedec did not feel aught of fatigue,
by reason of the strength of God, that was in him; but he
rejoiced like one that is going to his wedding. But they stood praying as they were wont
before the coffin of our father Adam. Then came a voice from
the top of the coffin, that said to Melchizedec and to Shem,
fi Behold, we are drawing near to the place our Lord has
decreed for us know.
THEY COME TO GOLGOTHA. 169
And the voice said unto Melchizedec, Upon the land to which we are going, shall the Word of God
come down;and suffer and be crucified on the place in which
my body is laid. The crown of my head shall be
baptized with His blood;and then shall my salvation be wrought;and
He shall restore me to my kingdom,and shall give me my
priesthood and my gift of prophecy. Then the voice was-silent by the power of God. But Melchizedec and Shem marvelled at the
voice that talked with them. And Melchizedec remained
the whole of that night praying joyfully until the day
dawned. Then they put the body of Adam on the ass, and went on
their way. And the aw gel of God went with them, until
they neared the place. Then he went before them, and stood before
the ass,and took down from her the coffin, himself alone;and not as on the two former occasions, when Melchizedec
took it down
from the ass. But when the coffin reached the rock, the
rock split asunder into two parts, that was the place for the
coffin;and
Melchizedec and Shem knew thereby that it was
the place God
had appointed. Then the angel went up from them into heaven,
while saying unto God, Behold, the body of our
father Adam has arrived
and is come to the place Thou didst choose. I
have done that
which Thou didst command me. Then came the Word of God to the angel,
saying, Go down to Melchizedec and strengthen his heart; and
command him to abide by the body of Adam. And when Shem
enters into
rest, tell Melchizedec to go,and to take
from Shem the bread
and wine he has with him,and to preserve
them.
170 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER XX.
Then the angel came down from God, in the
figure of a man,
who appeared to Melchizedec and to Shem,and
strengthened
their hearts. He then laid the body of our father Adam in
its place; and said to Melchizedec, Take from Shem
the bread and the
wine. And he took them, as the
angel told him to do. But Melchizedec and Shem stood praying by the
body of our father Adam until the evening, when a
great light came down upon the body,and angels ascended and
descended in that place upon the body of our father Adam. They were rejoicing,and praising, and
saying, Glory be
to Thee, God, who didst create the worlds;and madest men of the dust of the earth, to exalt them
above heavenly beings. And the angels thus praised God over the body
of our father Adam, the whole of that night, until
the dawn of day. But as the sun rose, the Word of God came to
Melchizedec, and said to him, Arise,and take
twelve of these stones; make of them an altar,and offer upon it of
the bread and
wine that was with Shem;and offer them,
thou and he. Then when Melchizedec heard the Word of God,
he worshipped between his hands; and he
hastened, and did as God commanded him. And at the time he was offering the gift upon
the altar,and asked God to sanctify it, the Holy Ghost came
down upon the offering; and the mountain was filled
with light. And angels said unto him, This
offering is acceptable unto God. Glory be to him who created earthly men,and has
revealed great mysteries unto them
! Then the Word of God appeared to Melchizedec,and said
SEEM PARTS FROM MELCHIZEDEC. 171
unto him, Behold, I have made thee
priest;and thou and Shem shall offer this offering thou didst
make first;and in like manner as thou didst set upto these
twelve solid foundation stones, will I raise twelve apostles to be
the pillars of the world. And they are firm.
In like manner also, as thou didst
make this altar, will I make thee an altar in the world;and like as
thou didst make an offering of bread and wine, will I also
present the offering of My Body and Blood, and make it to be unto forgiveness of sins. And this place on which thou art
standing and in which the body of Adam is laid, will I make a holy
place; all creatures on earth shall be blessed in it;
and in it I will grant forgiveness unto all who come
hither. Then the Word of God, blessed Melchizedec
named him priest and then went up from him into heaven
in glory and rejoicing with His angels.
CHAPTER XXI.
Then Melchizedec praised God;and he and
Shem made an offering. And Shem stayed with him that day,
to rest from the toil of the journey.
But when the day dawned, it seemed good to
Shem to depart. Then Melchizedec wished him God
speed,and blessed him,and said unto him The Lord
God who led us to this place, be with thee;and guide thee until
thou come to thine own place.
31
Melchizedec said also to him, When
they inquire of thee about me, direct them not in the way; that
they come not to me. And when my father and my mother ask thee
about me, say to them, He has departed on a
pilgrimage;and I do not know the place of his pilgrimage.
172 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
So that, when thou sayest so to
them, their hope of me will be cut short;and they will feel it is of no
use thinking of me;
so that they will not press thee, and make
thee come to me/
Shem, then departed, and returned to his
kindred;
32. while Melchizedec remained standing before the body of our father Adam, ministering unto God,and worshiping Him evermore.
32. while Melchizedec remained standing before the body of our father Adam, ministering unto God,and worshiping Him evermore.
And an angel abode with him, who protected
him and brought him food, until the time of Abraham
the patriarch. And the raiment of this Melchizedec was of
skins, with a leathern girdle around his loins. And he
ministered unto God, with much praying and fasting.
CHAPTER XXII.
But Shem and his brothers, multiplied
abundantly upon the
earth;and begat sons and daughters;and
went on this way,
until Shem was five hundred and fifty years
old, when he
died.
33. Then they embalmed him, and continued mourning for him
33. Then they embalmed him, and continued mourning for him
forty days. After this, Arphaxad, son of Shem, lived four
hundred and eighty-five years, and then died;and they
embalmed him and
mourned for him forty days. Then after him was Cainan, son of Arphaxad
and father of Melchizedec, who lived five hundred and
eighty-nine years,and then died.
34. After him Saleh, son of Cainan,and brother of Melchizedec
34. After him Saleh, son of Cainan,and brother of Melchizedec
lived four hundred and eight years,and then
died. After him Eber his son, lived four hundred
and thirty-four years,and then died.
Then Phalek was born when his father was two
hundred
and seven years old. In the days of Phalek,
the earth was
divided a second time among the three sons of
Noah, Shem,
Ham, and Japhet. Eber took to wife Azurad Nebrud's Nimrud's daughter.
Kufale, c. viii, p. 34.
Kufale, c. viii, p. 34.
THE
DIVISION OF TONGUES. 173
Wherefore were they much aggrieved through
this division among themselves; because during their
father s life-time, they were gathered together. But now they were
divided asunder,and much affliction, befell them on that
account. But Phalek died, and they buried him in his
own city Phalek. For they had built a city,and had
called it after his name. But after his death, which happened when he
was four hundred and thirty years old, there were
great disturbances,and men gathered together within fenced
cities.
And after this, tongues there are
seventy-two were divided;
for God divided them when men built the tower
in Sennaar.
35. but it was destroyed over them.
36. And God divided their languages; and what remained of them He dispersed over the earth ; because they built without a fixed plan. Therefore God dispersed them and scattered them,and brought upon
36. And God divided their languages; and what remained of them He dispersed over the earth ; because they built without a fixed plan. Therefore God dispersed them and scattered them,and brought upon
them the division of their languages ; until
if one of them
spake, no other understood what he said.
37. And the number of languages is seventy-two. And when they were thus divided, they had over them seventy-two rulers, one to every tongue, and to every country, by way of a king. And of the seed of Japhet were six peoples.
37. And the number of languages is seventy-two. And when they were thus divided, they had over them seventy-two rulers, one to every tongue, and to every country, by way of a king. And of the seed of Japhet were six peoples.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Then Ragu, Phalek s son, lived two hundred
and thirty-two years,and died. But when Ragu, Phalek s
first-born son, was one hundred and thirty years old, there
reigned one of the first kings that ever reigned on the earth,
whose name was Nimrud, a giant. That Nimrud saw a cloud of light under
heaven; a mere apparition of Satan. And he inclined his
heart to it,and coveted its beauty; and then called to one
whose name was Nimrud provided them with food from his
hunt. Abul-pharaj. Dyn. Arab., p. 18; and 8yr., p. 9.
174 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Santal, a carver, and said to him, Carve me a crown of gold, after the pattern of that cloud.
38. Then Santal made him a crown of gold which
Nimrud took and placed upon his own head. Wherefore
was it said that a cloud had come down from heaven,and
overshadowed him. And he became so wicked, as to think
within himself that he was God. And in those days Ragu was one hundred and
eighty years old,and in his one hundred and fortieth year,
Yanuf reigned over the land of Egypt. He is the first king that reigned over it;and he built the city of Memphis,and named it after his own
name. That is Misr; whose name is rendered Masrin.
This Yanuf died; and in his stead, in the
days of Ragu, one from the land of India reigned, whose name
was Sasen; and who built the city of Saba. And all the kings
who reigned over that country were called Sabaeans, after
the name of the city. And it was so, until the days of Solomon, son
of David. Then again Phar an reigned over the children
of Saphir,and built the city of Saphirf with stones of gold;and that is the land of Sar ania, and because of these
stones of gold, they say that the mountains of that country and
the stones thereof are all of gold. Then the children of Lebensa of the country
of India, made king over them, one named Bahlul, who built
the city of Bahlu. Then Ragu died in his two hundred and
eighty-ninth year.
CHAPTER XXIV.
After him came Serok
39. his son, in whose days idol-gods of stone, were openly worshipped in the world. The children Called Panophis
[Apop, Apophis] by Bar. Hebr., Syr., p. 8. Sophir (Ophir) is the Coptic word for India.
39. his son, in whose days idol-gods of stone, were openly worshipped in the world. The children Called Panophis
[Apop, Apophis] by Bar. Hebr., Syr., p. 8. Sophir (Ophir) is the Coptic word for India.
Or, city. The whole of this chapter is given, almost
word for word, by Eutychus, in his
Nazam al-jawahir, pp. 58, 60.
INCREASE OF IDOLATRY. 175
of men began to make idols of stone, the
first of which were
Kalithon and Helodon. And the children of men multiplied upon the
earth,and their wickedness increased also; for they had
neither law nor order; and no teachers to guide them in the way of
righteousness; nor any one to be judge among them. Wherefore they grew worse and worse, and
wandered farther from the way of God; every one of them did
what he himself listed; and they made for themselves
idol-gods, which they worshipped. They had no hope in the resurrection of the
dead. But whenever one of them died, they buried him,and set up an idol over his grave; and said, that was his
god, that would show him mercy in his grave. They said also,
as regards the dead, that when his god was set up over his
grave, the
remembrance of him, would not be cut off
from-the face of the
earth. This was a common saying brought out by Satan; and the
earth was thus filled with idols; and those
idols were of divers
kinds, men and women. After this Serok died two hundred and thirty
years old; and they embalmed him in Sar ania his city, that
was built in his name. After that Nahor, when twenty-nine years old
begat Terah. And when Nahor was eighty-six years of age,
God looked
down upon the children of men, and saw that
they were ruined and worshipped idols. Then God sent forth winds, and the whirlwind,and earthquakes on the earth, until the idols were
broken one against another. Yet the children of men did not
repent of their sins, neither did they turn to God from their
iniquities that He
might save them ; but rather increased in
wickedness. And in the twentieth year of Terah s life,
the worship of idols spread over the earth in the city of
Aarat, which Barwin,the son of Eber, had built.
176 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
And at that time there was a rich man living
in it, who died; and his son made an idol of gold in
the likeness of his father,and set it up on his father's grave. He then ordered one of his servants, to stand
by the idol,and to minister unto it; to sweep the ground
around it, to pour
water to it and to burn incense.
But when Satan saw this he entered into the
idol of gold, and talked to the servant, like his master s
father that was dead; and said to him, Thou doest
well thus. After this a thief took by surprise the house
of the youth, son of the man who was dead; who then came
to his father's grave, weeping. And he said, my father, they have carried away
all my goods. Then Satan answered him from within the idol,and said, Do not stay here, but go and bring
thy son, and offer him up in oblation to me,and then I will return
to thee all thy
goods. Then that youth went,and did with his son,
as Satan had
commanded him. And at that time Satan entered
into him,and taught him to practise enchantments, and
magic, the mixture of drugs,and divination. That was the first evil example of the kind set to men, to take their children and to offer them up in
oblation to idols
and to devils.
CHAPTER XXV.
Then in the hundredth year of Nahor, God
looked down upon the children of men and saw that they
sacrificed their children to idols. Then God commanded the stores of winds to
open,and to
send forth the whirlwind,and gales, and
darkness upon the
whole face of the earth, until all the idols
and images.
ORIGIN
OF FIRE-WORSHIP. 177
figures were brought together by the winds in mountains upon mountains high. And the idols remained
buried under them until this day.
40. Many wise men have written about this wind,
that it was the wind of the Flood; and many of them say
it was the water of the Flood that thus brought together these
mountains of idols. But they erred,and said what is false
concerning it; because ere the water of the Flood came upon the
earth, there were no idols in it. But the Flood came upon the men
at that time because of their adulteries,and of the sins
which they committed among themselves; both the children of
Cain,and those who followed them. Moreover at that time the whole earth was not
filled with people; but only the land of the garden, in
which dwelt the children of Seth; and the place inhabited by
the children of Cain; besides that, the whole earth was bare of inhabitants. But when the Flood came, it bare the ark,and
brought it
to this land of trouble. And this earth was
filled with people;and that land was laid waste. Then in those days, king Nimrud saw a flaming
fire in the east, which arose from the earth. Then said Nimrud, What is that fire? He then went towards it; and when he saw it, he bowed to
it in worship,and appointed a priest to minister before it,
to burn incense to. it, and to sacrifice victims to it. From
that day the men of Fars began to fill the earth. Then Satan the worker of idols saw a fountain
of water near the fire-pit,and he came to it, and
looked at it,and made a horse of gold,and set it up on the edge of
the fountain of water; and it so happened that all those who
came to wash in that fountain of water, bowed in worship to
that golden horse.
Joseph., Ant. Jwci, lib. i, c. iv, 2, 3.
The whole of this paragraph is told word
for word by Eutychus, Nazam al-j., p. 62, sq. 12
178 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
and from that time, the people of Fars began
to worship horses.
But the priest whom Nimrud appointed to
minister to the fire and to burn incense to it, wished to be
a teacher,and wise of the same wisdom as Nimrud, whom Barwin,
Noah s fourth son had taught. That priest, therefore, kept on asking Satan,
while standing before the fire, to teach him this evil
ministry and abominable wisdom. So, when Satan saw him doing his best
in the service of the fire, he talked to him,and
said, No man can become a teacher, or wise, or great before
me, unless he hearkens to me,and goes and weds his mother,
his sister and his daughter. Then that priest hearkened to Satan in all
that he commanded him,and taught him all manner of
wisdom and of wickednesses. And from that time, the people
of Fars have committed like sins unto this day. And Nimrud built great cities in the east;and wrought all manner of iniquities in them.
41. That priest was called Ardcshaii. Nazam al-j., p. 65.
41. That priest was called Ardcshaii. Nazam al-j., p. 65.
BIRTH OF ABRAHAM. 179/BOOK IV. CHAPTER I.
THEN when Terah was two hundred and thirty
years old, he fell sick, and called Abraham
1. his son,
2. and said unto him, my son, I wish to die. But Abraham stood up and comforted him, paid him all due honour,and did not aggrieve him about his being a maker of idols. For Abraham his son, was a righteous man,and could not
1. his son,
2. and said unto him, my son, I wish to die. But Abraham stood up and comforted him, paid him all due honour,and did not aggrieve him about his being a maker of idols. For Abraham his son, was a righteous man,and could not
bear idols;
3. but he paid him all due respect, as being
his father. Then Terah died; and Abraham and Nahor
buried him in a mountain. But when Abraham was grown up, God said unto
him, Abraham, come out of thy land, of thy kindred
and of thy father's house,and go to the land that I
will show thee. Then Abraham arose, and took Sarah his wife,
and Lot his brother s son,and they came to the land of
the Amorites.
4. And Abraham was seventy years old when he saw this vision;and this was his first wandering from the land of the east, to
4. And Abraham was seventy years old when he saw this vision;and this was his first wandering from the land of the east, to
the western side of the river Euphrates. So Abraham came,and dwelt among kings;and those kings rose up against his brother s son,and
carried him away. Lot was the son of Haran, Abraham s
brother, who perished in trying to put out the fire set by Abraham to the idol
temple at Ur. Abul-pharaj.
Dyn. Arab,p. 20. Cedrenus, Hist. Comp., p. 48.
Dyn. Arab,p. 20. Cedrenus, Hist. Comp., p. 48.
180 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
captive. Then Abraham took his servants,and
all those who were about him, and came to his brother s
son,and delivered him out of their hands. At that time Abraham was eighty years old,and no son was
born to him, because that Sarah his wife, was
barren. Then as he was returning from the war with
those kings, the grace of God drew him, until he had
passed over the hill of Nablus; and from the hill of Nablus, he came
near to Jerusalem, ere it was built. Then Melchizedec, priest of the Most High
God, came out, and welcomed him with joy. And Abraham, when
he saw Melchizedec, made haste and bowed to him in
worship,and kissed him on the face ; and Melchizedec gave
him a good blessing.
5. Then Abraham gave Melchizedec a tenth of all
he had with him. After that Abraham communed with
Melchizedec of the holy mysteries which Melchizedec had
consecrated with his own hand. For that was an exalted place,
not by man's hand, but God Himself had anointed it.
But after Abraham had communed with
Melchizedec, God said unto Abraham, Fear not, great
is thy reward with Me;and in like manner as Melchizedec My high
priest blessed thee,and made thee partaker with himself of
Holy Mysteries, so will I make thee partaker with him of
heavenly grace. Again did God say to Abraham, In
blessing will I bless thee,and in multiplying will I multiply thy
seed upon the face
of the earth. Og, King of Bashan, who had been saved by
sitting on the top of Noah s ark,and who was among those kings, came and told
Abraham that they had taken Lot captive.
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. xiv.
The Kufale dwells at great length on the history of Abraham, borrowed chiefly from the Scripture account. But whether by accident or otherwise, it makes no mention of Melchizedec, but only of priests and of tithe, as an institution of God for ever.
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. xiv.
The Kufale dwells at great length on the history of Abraham, borrowed chiefly from the Scripture account. But whether by accident or otherwise, it makes no mention of Melchizedec, but only of priests and of tithe, as an institution of God for ever.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 66.
ABRAHAM IN EGYPT. 181/CHAPTER II.
After this there was a famine in the land of
Palestine;and Abraham went down into the land of Egypt. And Sarah his wife was with him, and she was
good-looking. So Abraham said to her, Say not, I am Abraham s wife, lest they kill me, and take thee from me. But
say, I am his sister. Then when they came into the land of Egypt,
6. men spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt,and said to him, Behold a man has come hither;and with him is his beautiful
sister. Then Pharaoh sent and took her from Abraham,
who remained weeping. But God in His mercy sent an angel who smote
Pharaoh,and said to him, Send back to
Abraham his wife, lest God kill thee. Then in the morning, Pharaoh called Abraham,and said unto him, Forgive me. He
then gave him his wife Sarah; and gave to Sarah, Hagar the Egyptian,and
gave her many
presents. After this Abraham took Sarah his wife, with
Hagar her
maid-servant,and returned to Palestine. And after that, Abraham took to himself Hagar
to wife,who bare him Tshmael, when Abraham was
eighty-seven years old. But in that Abraham said, Sarah is my sister, he
did not lie; inasmuch as Terah, his father, married
two wives; one of which was called Tona, the mother of
Abraham, who died
shortly after he was born. Then Terah married again another wife whose
name was Tahdif, who bare him Sarah, whom Abraham
married,and
She was the daughter of Pharaoh, son of
Nimrud who had cast Abram into the fiery furnace.
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. xvi.f Called Yuna, Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 65. J Called Tohwait, Eutych., ibid,
Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. xvi.f Called Yuna, Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 65. J Called Tohwait, Eutych., ibid,
182 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
who, for that reason, said, She is my sister; on my
father's side, but not on my mother's. After this, when Abraham was dwelling in
tents, the Lord came to him with angels of His,and gave him
a sign of the birth of his son Isaac,
7. who was born to him when he was a hundred years old. The Lord showed him also
many mysteries. Then days after this, God said to Abraham,
when Isaac was fourteen years old, Offer unto me thy son Isaac, in
oblation.
8. Then Abraham fortified himself and took courage for this
8. Then Abraham fortified himself and took courage for this
trial; and brought his son to offer him in
oblation to God.
9. But God redeemed Isaac with a lamb that was tied to a bush.
9. But God redeemed Isaac with a lamb that was tied to a bush.
And the bush to which the lamb was tied, is
the very place
into which the tree of the Cross was planted.
And the lamb
that saved Isaac from death, was a figure of
the Lamb of God
who saved us all from death. That mountain also, on which king David saw
an angel standing with a sharp sword of fire in his
hand, as if going to smite Jerusalem with it is the place where
Abraham saw with
the eye of the Holy Ghost, the Son of God,
hanging on it. For this reason did the Lord say to the Jews, Abraham, your father, rejoiced and longed to see my
day,and he did see it,and was glad. Again, this is the place, as the blessed Paul
said, For the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord am I minister of
the circumcision where Christ was circumcised on the eighth day. That is also the place where the patriarch
Abraham offered up an oblation to God. And again, as it was in the days of Moses,
when they offered up a lamb for the sins of the people, to
cleanse them from their sins so also did the Lamb of God-offer
up Himself in oblation for us, to set us free from our
sins. The translator or writer of the book
evidently thought Christ was circumcised in the Temple. This clause seems ill-joined
with the rest.
MELGIIIZEDEO AT JERUSALEM. 183/CHAPTER III.
After this Melchizedec showed himself to men,
who saw him,and who were comforted by his words,
everywhere. The kings of the earth and peoples, when they
heard his voice, did gather together; a multitude of
creatures and of kings, that numbered twelve hosts. They came to him and bowed to him in worship,and were blessed by him,and asked him, saying, Come, let us make thee king over us. But Melchizedec king of Salem,and priest of
the Most High God, would not. And the kings wondered at his beauty; their
hearts were drawn to him by his discourse,and they fell
down at his feet in worship; and they asked God, that
Melchizedec might dwell among them in their palaces.
But Melchizedec would not,and said unto
them, I cannot leave this place,and go to another one.
So those kings said among themselves, Let every one of us who can, come,and let us build a city on this
mountain for Melchizedec. They all took pleasure in the work, brought
together materials in abundance, and built the City of
Jerusalem, that means the middle of the
earth. Then Melchizedec continued to dwell in it, at
that place; and the kings came,and were blessed by him,
until the day of his departure, when his life ended in this
world.
CHAPTER IV.
After this, Abraham ordered one of his
servants, to take a They were twelve in number.
Eutych., Naz. al-j., p. 66, sq.,
where the same story is told. Eliezer, of Damascus, son of Mesek, one of Abraham's servants,
Kufale, c. xiv., p. 55, 6 dt VLOQ MaatK TiJG oiKoyivovg jj-ov, OVTOQ Aa^aa^ EXtf&p, Ixx, Gen. xv, 3.
Eutych., Naz. al-j., p. 66, sq.,
where the same story is told. Eliezer, of Damascus, son of Mesek, one of Abraham's servants,
Kufale, c. xiv., p. 55, 6 dt VLOQ MaatK TiJG oiKoyivovg jj-ov, OVTOQ Aa^aa^ EXtf&p, Ixx, Gen. xv, 3.
184 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
wife for his son Isaac; and adjured him not
to marry Isaac, but to one of his own kindred. And Abraham entered into rest when one
hundred and seventy-five years old; and Isaac and
Ishmael his sons buried him.
10. Then Isaac married when he was forty years old; and Esau and Jacob his sons, were born unto him when he was about sixty years of age. And God blessed Isaac greatly. Then after this Jacob went to the land of Haran, to Laban, his mother s brother,and married his two daughters Leah and Rachel. He had by Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,and Zebulun; and by Rachel he had Joseph and Benjamin. Then he had also by Zilpah, Leah s maid-servant, Gad and
10. Then Isaac married when he was forty years old; and Esau and Jacob his sons, were born unto him when he was about sixty years of age. And God blessed Isaac greatly. Then after this Jacob went to the land of Haran, to Laban, his mother s brother,and married his two daughters Leah and Rachel. He had by Leah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,and Zebulun; and by Rachel he had Joseph and Benjamin. Then he had also by Zilpah, Leah s maid-servant, Gad and
Aser; and by Bilhah, Rachel s maid-servant,
he had Dan and
Naphtali. And about twenty years after Jacob s return
from the land
of Haran, before his father Isaac died,
Joseph was sold by his
brothers, because they were jealous of him. But when Isaac died, his two sons Esau and
Jacob came to him, embalmed him,and laid him in the
sepulchre of his father. Then six years after the death of Isaac,
Rebecca died; and they buried her by Sarah, Abraham s wife. And
when, after that Leah, Jacob's wife died, they buried her
by the side of them. Then after this Judah took to himself a wife
whose name was Habwadiya, that means, house-wife but in the law her name is Sewa. She was of a Canaanitish family,and Jacob's
heart suffered
Rebecca, when -with child and before the
birth of Esau and Jacob, went to consult Melchizedec, who told her she had two
nations in her womb,and that the elder should serve the younger.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 77.
And in the Arabic original it is rendered,
Sahaniyeb, that means a black linen girdle.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p. 77.
And in the Arabic original it is rendered,
Sahaniyeb, that means a black linen girdle.
JACOB DIES IN EGYPT. 185
much on that account; and he said to Judah
his son who had married that wife, The God of Abraham and of Isaac
will not allow the seed of this Canaanitish woman
to mingle with my seed. But some days after this, Sewa bare three
sons unto Judah, whose names were Er, Onan,and Selah. And
when Er was grown up, Judah married him, his first-born
son, unto a woman named Tamar, daughter of Kadesh Levi.
And Er continued with her a long time, and
behaved after the manner of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah.
But God looked down upon his evil deeds and killed
him. Then Judah married his son Onan to Tamar,
saying, He shall raise seed unto his brother/But him also did God kill because of his evil
deeds; on account of Jacob's curse, That no Canaanitish seed should mingle with his own. So God would
not let any of it mingle with that of Jacob the righteous. Therefore did Tamar go to Judah her
father-in-law, who had intercourse with her, not knowing she was his
son s wife; and she bare unto him twins, Pharez and Zarah.
CHAPTER V.
After this Jacob went to Joseph,and
continued fourteen years in the land of Egypt, where he died at
the age of one hundred and fifty-seven; when the good
Joseph was fiftythree years old. Then when he was dead, Joseph called cunning
Egyptian embalmers, who embalmed him beautifully; and
then Joseph carried his body to the land of Canaan, and
buried him in the sepulchre of his fathers Abraham and Isaac.
After this Pharez begat Judah,and Judah
begat Ezrom,and Ezrom begat Aram; and Aram begat
Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson.
186 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
And this Naasson was great among the sons of
Judah; and the daughter of Atninadab married Eleazar the
son of Aaron, who prayed to God, until His wrath abated. Thus, my son, have I told thee in detail the
genealogies from the first until now.
CHAPTER VI.
After this, there began to issue a race from
Naasson, who was great among the sons of Judah;and from
him began a kingdom and a priesthood,and the Jews
became celebrated through him. Then Naasson begat Salmon, and Salmon begat
Boaz of Kahab. And thou must know that from Boaz and
Ruth the Moabitess, began the kingdom whereby Lot, the
son of Abraham's brother, obtained a share in the
generations of the kingdom of Judah. For God denied not seed to Lot, neither would
He cut it short. For this Lot was righteous,and shared
all Abraham's troubles with him; and received the angels
of God in Sodom and Gomorrah. Therefore did God give to Lot s children fellowship in the kingdom,and that was reckoned for
righteousness unto Lot the righteous. For this reason also were Lot's children
mentioned among the genealogies of the
kingdom of Abraham and of Lot; for Christ was born of their
seed. Then, again, Obed, Ruth s son, was of Lot's
seed, on his mother's side; and Obed begat Jesse; and
Jesse begat David the king. And king David begat Solomon; all these are of Ruth the Moabitess. Again, Amnan, the daughter of Dan, king of
the Ammonites, was of Lot's seed;and Solomon the
king took this
Naamah. 1 Kg., xiv, 21, 31.
BIRTH OF MOSES. 187
daughter of Dan to wife; and had by her,
Rehoboam, who reigned after Solomon. But king Solomon took to himself many wives,
seven hundred daughters of kings, three hundred
concubines, one thousand in number. But although Solomon took to himself these
many wives, they did not bare him a single male child,
but Rehoboam, of Amnan, the daughter of Dan, king of Ammon;
who was of a blessed race. Thus, again, God would not allow the seed of
Canaanites to mingle with that of strange peoples, which
God had made strangers. And this shows that Christ came of
the seed of Abraham the blessed father,and of Lot his
brother s son. And all the families of the children of
Israel in the land of Egypt, were Levi, Amram, Moses, Joshua, and
Caleb, son of Jephunneh; all these were great chiefs over
their peoples.
CHAPTER VII.
As to Moses, when they had thrown him into
the river, Sephurah, the daughter of Pharaoh, took him
up thence,and brought him up. She it is, whom the Hebrews
call Mariam, the mother of Moses. And Moses abode forty years in Pharaoh s
house; and other forty years in the land of Midian, ere God
spake to him. Then, again, when God spake to Moses from
within the bush his tongue faltered; and his tongue was as
God said, From the time that I spake to My servant Moses, he
was of a faltering tongue/And Moses dwelt forty years in the land of
Egypt,and forty years in the land of Midian, with the priest
Jethro, his fatherin-law; then forty years more in the wilderness; when Moses died, aged one hundred and twenty years. Then after him arose Joshua, the ton of Nun.
He was
188 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
twenty-seven years judge over the children of
Israel,and exercised judgment over them; he was prophet
among them,and kept them, and led them in the right way; and he entered into rest and died, when sixty years old. Then after him arose Kusarat the judge, eight
years,and he died; and after him Phutamiral, the son of
Kaba, judged the
children of Israel forty years,and died. After him Naod, son of Phuru, judged the
children of Israel eighty years. But in the twenty-fifth year of
Naod, ended four thousand years since Adam. Naod died,and Sikar judged the children of Israel. But in his days a
king of Canaan rose against Sikar, wishing to make war against
him. But God gave Sikar victory over him, whom he
defeated; and Sikar
judged forty years. After him Yarod was judge over the people of
Israel, forty years; and after him Abimelec judged ten
years,and died. And after him Banu, son of Yuorani, judged
twenty-three
years, and died. After him Yar of Phila,
judged twenty-two
years, and died. After him the son of Aminadab, judged
fifty-eight years, and died. And after him the daughter of Nasyamu
judged seven
years, and died. After her, Ansyus judged seven years, and
died ; and after him the Philistine judged forty years. But
God gave him
into the hands of the champion Samson, who
slew him. Then the champion Samson arose and was judge
over the children of Israel twenty years, and then
died. Then the children of Israel were left without
a judge twelve years, when Eli the priest began to judge ;
and judged them forty years, and then died. After him Samuel was judge over the children
of Israel forty years, and died. Then after him, Saul reigned
over them forty years, and died. Then after him, David reigned over the
children of Israel forty years,and then died. And after him,
his son Solomon
REIGN OF SOLOMON. 189
arose, who also reigned forty years over the
children of Israel,and then died. He wrought more wonders in the earth than all
other kings, who were before him. For he was the first
whom God filled
with wisdom. So that he made and did many
things peculiar to him; so far as to make a ship, and go in
it to the city of Saphir; where he wrought gold in ornaments,and brought it to Jerusalem. During his reign, there was great peace;
there was no trouble; but there was peace between him and
Hiram king of Tyre; who reigned five hundred years over
the city of Tyre,and whose kingdom lasted from the reign of
Solomon, to that of Zedekiah; until, from the length of his
days and of his years,and from the greatness of his kingdom,
he exalted
himself and said, I am God, and no man.
11. God was wroth against him because of his evil
deed; and God looked down upon it, and delivered him
into the hands of king Nebuchadnezzar who put him to death ;
removed his army,and took his spoil.
CHAPTER VIII.
But we will inform thee of the things king
Solomon
12. gave every day in his house. On account of his many wives, they
12. gave every day in his house. On account of his many wives, they
made bread in his house of thirty cores of
fine flour; one hundred cores of wheat flour, which hardly
sufficed. And they slaughtered in his house daily, ten bullocks
well-fatted,and twenty fat oxen, and one hundred sheep;
besides what they slew of buffaloes, gazelles and wild deer,
which they hunted every day. And in Solomon s house they drank
daily four hundred basins of wine. And many other things
did they. And Solomon reigned over his large kingdom
with the greatest wisdom ever found. But he did not
keep his soul; but inclined his heart to the love of women,and forsook God
190 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
who had created him,and who had given him
this kingdom. And he died in his denial of Him, and in his
sins. After him reigned Rehoboam, his son,
seventeen years,and did evil. He defiled Jerusalem with
abominable sacrifices,and sacrificed to Satan; and adultery
increased greatly in his days. Wherefore God cut off his kingdom
swiftly; and took it from the house of David. But in the fifth year of Rehoboam, a king
whose name was Susakim came up against Jerusalem. He took
all the spoil of the temple,and spoiled all Roboam had,and
spoiled all the house of David,and removed them and took
them to his own country. And he boasted,and said to the Jews, The things I have taken from you as spoil, are goods that
belonged to my fathers, of which your fathers spoiled them, when they
came out of the land of Egypt, and which they brought unto
this place; and behold, I have taken them from you. And Rehoboam died in his denial of God;and after him, his son Abius, reigned twenty years over the
children of Israel. But he, too, walked in his father's ways, by
reason of Makia his mother, the daughter of Absalom;
wherefore, did he many wicked things,and then died. After him arose Asaph his son, who reigned
forty-one years over the children of Israel. He did what was
right, just and good before God; he brake down the idols
that were in his day,and removed their images from the face
of the land; and he took his wicked mother Anna,and threw
her down from the roof of her house and she died,
because of her
adulteries. After that, came Eleazar a black king, who
was king of
Endena, to fight Asaph. But God delivered him
into the hands
of Asaph, who defeated him. Then Asaph died; and his son Jehoshaphat
reigned in his stead. He also did that which is just and
good before God,and pleased God all his days, and then died.
KINGS OF JUDAS AND OF ISRAEL. 191
Then his son Aram reigned in his stead; but
he transgressed the commandments of God,and forsook His law,and sacrificed unto idols.
Then Zambri rose up against him, made war
against him,and he died in his denial of God. Then Yusia, his son, reigned after him;
but on account of his transgressions, God delivered him into
the hands of his enemies, who put him to death. But when he
was dead, his mother rose up against all the royal children
and put them to death,and said, I will take the kingdom from the
house of David. Then Yusabet daughter of the king of Aram,
arose, took Agragarina,and slew him before the eyes of
the royal children that were left. But when she had put him to
death, she feared,and hid herself and those with her, under a
bed. And Gotholia was queen over the children of Israel,and
died. Then the whole people of Israel said, Whom shall we make king over us ? Then when Yuda the high priest heard they spake
thus, he
gathered together the whole of the Jews
within the Temple,and waited until the messengers of thousands
and the messengers of hundreds came; and then Yuda
the high priest, said to them, What do you require
of me,and who is he whom ye will make king over the house of
David ? Then they said to him, Thou hast
authority. Then Yuda rose and took Barsia,and brought
him before them, and said to them, Does this
one suit you for a king ? The people were pleased with him; so Yuda
brought him into the house of God, and set him over the
kingdom; then all the people rejoiced,and the whole
country was quiet in his days; and he was king in Jerusalem forty
years. But Barsia did not bear in mind all the good
things Yuda the priest had told him; but he took him and
put him to death. After this, enemies rose up against
Barsia and put him also to death.
192 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/CHAPTER IX.
After him his son Amazias reigned twenty-nine
years,and put to death those who had killed his father; but he did not put to death their children, so as to fulfil
the law of Moses, that says, Ye shall not put to death children
for the sins of their fathers. Then Amazias died,and after him Ozia reigned
fifty-two years,and in his reign exercised justice and
judgment,and right before God. Yet did he do one wicked
act,and that was that without due orders, he offered
sacrifices unto God, and oblations that did not become him. So he
died. After him Yonathan his son, reigned sixteen
years. But during his reign, he did evil before God,and
angered his Creator,and forsook His commandment and His
law; and burnt incense to idols,and sacrificed unto
them. For this reason did God deliver him to death, into the hands
of Caran, king of Elmosal. And when the king of Elmosal led him away captive, he Yonathan took all the vessels he found in
the house of God,and sent them all to the great king of
Elmosal; and left nothing in the house of God. In the days of this king, did the children of
Israel, go the first time into captivity. He removed them to
his own country,and the land of Israel remained bare. Then the king of Elmosal, sent people to
dwell in the land and to till it, instead of the children
of Israel who had left it.
But when those people came to dwell in that
land, wild beasts rent them asunder and devoured them,
and prevailed against them in all the borders of the land. Then they sent word to the king in their own
tongue,and asked him to send them Urias the priest, to
give them the Or, being ordained. Mosul or
Assyria.
REIGN F HEZEKIAH 93
law, so that wild beasts should no longer
come near them,and hurt them. When the king heard this he sent them Urias
the priest,and commanded him to give them a law, for
them to keep, so that the wild beasts hurt them not. Urias the priest came, and did as the king
had commanded him,and he gave the people the law of the
Jews; it was in
their hands, they recited it and ruled
themselves after it. And those were the Samar; whom the king, of whom
we have just spoken, had sent to till the land of
Israel. Then Yunathan died,and after him reigned
Akaz his son, who did well before God,and then died. After him reigned his son Hezkias, when he
was twenty-five
years old;and he reigned twenty-two years;and did good,and judgment, equity and justice; and he
pleased the Lord; he kept His law and His commandments; he
brake down the idols,and destroyed their houses.
But in the fourth year of his reign, came
Sanakreb king of Assarium, and took away captive all that were
left and sent them to Babylon.
But Hezkias served the Lord God,and
fulfilled His law, until he fell sick and became very weak,and was in
great distress by reason of his sickness; his heart
suffered, and he said to himself, Woe is me ! I shall die without a
son to reign after me. And in his sickness he wept before God and
said, Woe is me, Lord! behold, I die without a son;and
behold the promise Thou niadest unto David, shall fail
in me;and the kingdom shall pass from the house of
David. Then God looked upon his sorrow of heart,and
upon his sickness, for his sickness was sore. And God
had pity on him and gave him fifteen years over and above the
rest of his days;and he recovered from his sickness. Then three years after he had recovered,and
God had raised him from his sickness, he begat
Manassch. And he
194 THE BOOK OF ADAH AND EVE.
died, rejoicing greatly at having a son born
unto him, to sit
upon his throne.
CHAPTER X.
After him Manasseh his son reigned twelve
years in Jerusalem. He did much evil,and made the
people of Jerusalem worship idols.
13. Then when he had thus transgressed the law of God, Isaias the prophet came to him and rebuked him for the wickednesses he had wrought. Then Manasseh was angry with him,and commanded valiant and wicked men to take Isaias the prophet,and to saw him asunder with a saw of wood, from his head down to his feet, among the trees of the wilderness; and then to cast him to the beasts of the field to devour him. And they did so to him.
14. Isaias was then one hundred and twenty years old. His raiment was of shaggy goat s hair upon his body;and he fasted regularly every second day of the week all the days of his life. Then Manasseh died; and after him reigned his son Amots, who did evil before God; for he offered sons and daughters in sacrifice unto idols. Then Amots died; and after him reigned Yusias his son. He was twenty years old when he began to reign,and continued twenty-two years in his kingdom in the city of Jerusalem. He did justice and right before God;and kept the Passover of the Lord, such as the children of Israel never were able to keep, except the one Moses kept for them in the wilderness. This king purified Jerusalem of all wickedness. But Pharhon the lame, king of Egypt, killed Yusias in
13. Then when he had thus transgressed the law of God, Isaias the prophet came to him and rebuked him for the wickednesses he had wrought. Then Manasseh was angry with him,and commanded valiant and wicked men to take Isaias the prophet,and to saw him asunder with a saw of wood, from his head down to his feet, among the trees of the wilderness; and then to cast him to the beasts of the field to devour him. And they did so to him.
14. Isaias was then one hundred and twenty years old. His raiment was of shaggy goat s hair upon his body;and he fasted regularly every second day of the week all the days of his life. Then Manasseh died; and after him reigned his son Amots, who did evil before God; for he offered sons and daughters in sacrifice unto idols. Then Amots died; and after him reigned Yusias his son. He was twenty years old when he began to reign,and continued twenty-two years in his kingdom in the city of Jerusalem. He did justice and right before God;and kept the Passover of the Lord, such as the children of Israel never were able to keep, except the one Moses kept for them in the wilderness. This king purified Jerusalem of all wickedness. But Pharhon the lame, king of Egypt, killed Yusias in
Carmelos. i.e., a saw used in sawing or felling trees.
CAPTIVITY OF BABYLON. 195
Then after him Akaz reigned three months. Bat
Pharhon bound Akaz in chains and sent him into the
land of Egypt;and he died in that place. After his death Yuakem his brother reigned
fourteen years;
but in the third year of his reign,
Nabukadanatsor came to the
city of Jerusalem, and God delivered Yuakem
into his hands; and Yuakem was under his orders, bowed unto
him,and paid him tribute; he then sickened and died. After him reigned his brother Yekonias three
months; then came Nabukadanatsor who took captive Yekonias
and all his army,and sent them to Babylon. On the way thither, Daniel's mother gave him
birth. Anania, Azaria,and Misael, sons of Yekonias., were
also born on the first transportation of Yuakem. Then Yekonias died, and after him Zedekias
reigned twelve years. This was the end of kings that reigned
over the children of Israel,and all Judah; after them
no king was left to them. And at the end of the fourteenth year of
Zedekias, Nabuka danatsor came and transported all the people
of Jerusalem, as far as the west,and as far as the river
Euphrates,and as far as the great river. He laid waste Tyre, and
burnt Hiram king of Tyre with fire, who had reigned five hundred
years. Then after this Nabukadanatsor went into
Egypt,and put to
death Pharhon; destroyed his army,and laid
waste the land of Egypt and then took the city of
Jerusalem. And God delivered Zedekias into his hands, whom he
took,and brought out before idols,and set him before the
people,and slew his children before him, without pity. He then
put out his eyes, bound his hands with chains and his feet with
fetters; and sent him to Babylon, because of his folly,and of
the evil he had done to Irmias the prophet, by casting him
into springs of water in a marsh, Jeremiah.
196 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
After this Nabuzaradan captain of the king s
army, destroyed the walls of Jerusalem, burnt the House of
God with fire;and did all manner of evil to Jerusalem. But Simeon the priest, found favour and grace
with the captain of the king s army,and requested him
to give him the house of records; and he gave him a command
accordingly.
Then Simeon the priest came in and gathered
together the ashes of the books,and laid them in a pot in
a vault,and he took a censer of brass, and put fire therein,and threw pure incense upon it,and hung it in the vault
over the place in which the ashes of the books lay.
But Nebuzaradan laid waste Jerusalem, like
a wilderness. And Jeremiah the prophet sat weeping and
mourning over Jerusalem twenty years, after which this prophet
Jeremiah went into the land of Egypt,and died there. But the writers and the interpreters
destroyed the writings,and the Hebrews changed the writings; and
the Syrians and the Greeks rejected many sections of those
writings. So that
the children of the people could not
ascertain their kindred,
neither could men or women hear who were
their fathers or their mothers, except very few of them; And this was because of the laying waste of
Jerusalem; so that until this day, nothing certain is found
among the writings, except the chief writings alone,
which writings had been translated before the ruin of Jerusalem. Then again since some of the writings were
altered, people could not ascertain how they were married,
and could not know who were their wives or daughters; they
did not know their names or their kindred; nor the order
of generations; neither did they know that of the priesthood.
And Jechonias remained twenty-seven years
bound in prison at Babylon. After that he was released by
Marzuk king of Babylon, who gave him to wife, a woman called
Dalilah daughter Or, repository, ark, chest.
RETURN FROM THE CAPTIVITY. 197
of Eliakim, by whom he had Salathiel in
Babylon. But Jechonias, SalathiePs father, died at
Babylon. Then Salathiel took to wife Hadast, daughter
of Elkanah; and had by her Zerubbabel. And Zerubbabel
married a woman whose name was Malka, daughter of Ezra
the scribe; but he had no child by her in Babylon. Then in the days of Zerubbabel, who was elder
among the children of Israel, a Persian king,
called Cyrus, who reigned over Babylon, took to wife a woman
called Meshar, sister of Zerubbabel, elder among the
children of Israel; and he made her queen after the manner of the
queens of Persia. And when she became queen, she found favour
with the king,
and asked him to show mercy to the children
of Israel, and to send them back to the city of Jerusalem.
CHAPTER XI.
But Cyrus loved much Meshar, sister of
Zerubbabel, even as his own soul. So he gave an urgent order that they should
go about the
whole land of the Chaldaeans,and gather
together the children
of Israel into Babylon, the house of the
kingdom;and they gathered them according to the king's order. Then Cyrus said to Zerubbabel, his wife s
brother, Take thy people and go to thy city Jerusalem; and
rebuild it as it was at first. Then when dutiful Cyrus had given this order
concerning the return of the children of Israel to
Jerusalem, in the land of the sanctuary; God appeared unto him in a vision during
sleep,and said unto him, Because thou hast done this, they
shall call thee Cyrus the Messiahnic;and this name,
Messiahnic, shall be given thee, because thou hast sent back
strangers to their own
198 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
city and because thou hast given
commandment concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Then the children of Israel returned from the
captivity of Babylon, Zerubbabel was elder over them;and
Josiah, son of Zadok, of the sons of Aaron, was high
priest over them; as the angel of God spake to the prophet
Zachariah saying, Those two sons that stand before
the Lord of the whole earth shall minister unto them, as becomes
their service. Cyrus had assumed the kingdom two years, when
the captivity returned from Babylon; and at the
end of that year, the five thousand years spoken of to Adam
were fulfilled. But when the children of Israel returned from
Babylon they had not the law, neither was there a book in
their hands;
inasmuch as the voices of the prophets had
departed from among them.
So, when they came to Jerusalem and were
settled in it, Ezra the scribe came to the vault in which
were the ashes of the books, which Simeon the priest, had
gathered together. And Ezra found the censer that was full of
fire, hanoing o with smoke of incense rising from it on
high. Then Ezra prayed to God, wept abundantly,and
spread his
hand towards the ashes of the books of the
law and of the prophets, and all of them three times. Then came the Spirit of God upon him, and the same. Spirit spake through him that had spoken
through the
prophets. And he wrote the law and the
prophets,and made them new a second time. And the fire which he found in the censer, is
the divine fire that was all the time in the House of God. Then Zerubbabel settled in Jerusalem as king
over the children of Israel, and Josiah son of Zadok
as high priest, with Ezra the scribe of the law and the prophets
also, as chief over the children of Israel.
Eutych., Nazam al-j., p 226.
THEY REBUILD THE TEMPLE. 199
And the children of Israel kept a solemn
Passover unto the Lord, when they returned from their captivity
at Babylon. These were the three great, fall and solemn
feasts of the Passover, which the children of Israel kept
during their existence. The first Passover was in Egypt,
in the days of Moses; the second Passover was in the days
of king Josiah; and the third Passover was when they returned
from their captivity in Babylon.
CHAPTER XII.
From the first transportation to Babylon,
when they carried away Daniel's mother,and she brought him
forth, unto the second year of Cyrus the Persian, are seventy
years, during which the children of Israel were captive,
according to the prophecy of holy Jeremiah the prophet. And the children of Israel began to build the
House of God,
in the days of Zerubbabel, of Josiah the son
of Zadok,and of Ezra the scribe. And they were forty-six
years building it, until it was finished, as it is written in
the holy Gospel that they were forty-six years building it. Moreover, scribes arranged tables of
genealogy,and recorded the names of the men; but they could not
record the names of the women because they knew them not, except
very few. But, my brethren, I have watched much, and I
have searched long in the books of the Greeks and
of the ancient Hebrews,and I have found the name of the
women written in them. For I found that when the children of Israel
came from Babylon, that Zerubbabel begat Abiud of
Maukabf the daughter of Ezra the scribe; and that Abiud took to
wife Tsamita the daughter of Zadok the high priest,and she
bare Eliakim. Or, innocent.
Called Malka at p. 197.
Called Malka at p. 197.
200 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
And Eliakim married Hasina, the daughter of
Aram,and brought forth Azar. And Azar begat Zadok of
Lebaida. And Zadok took to wife Kalem, the daughter of
Waikam, who gave birth to Akim. And Akim married Asbaidi, who gave birth to
Eliud. And Eliud married Awad, the daughter of Gasulius,
who gave birth to Azar. And Azar married Hayat, daughter of Walha,
who brought forth Mattan; and Mattan married Sabartyal
the daughter of Phulius, who brought forth twins, namely,
Jacob and Joachim. And Jacob married Gadat, the daughter of
Eleazar, who gave birth to Joseph the betrothed of Mary.
And Joachim, the brother of Jacob, married Hannah the
daughter of Makah;
and she brought forth the pure Virgin Mary;
and of her was born Christ. The former scribes, however, could not find a
good lineage for the Virgin and her father, or kindred;
wherefore did the
Jews crucify Christ,and taunt Him, and mock
Him,and say to Him, Show us the fathers of Mary
the Virgin and her people,and what is her genealogy. Therefore did they blaspheme her and Christ. But henceforth shall the mouth of those
unbelieving Jews be closed;and they shall know that Mary is of
the seed of David the king,and of that of the patriarch
Abraham. Moreover, the unbelieving Jews had no
registers to guide them aright, neither did they know, how the
lines of kindred ran at first, inasmuch as the law and the
prophets were three times burnt out from them. The first time in the days of Antiochus, who
burnt down the whole House of God; The second time they
burnt those books in the days of Qablar the great king of
Mosul;And the third time they burnt the books was at the transportation by king Nabukadaiiatsor when Abumirdan came and
burnt the Eutychus attributes the last destruction of
all Jewish chronicles, to Herod the Great,
Nazam al-j., p. 309,
Nazam al-j., p. 309,
GENEALOGY OF THE B.V. MARY. 201
House of God, and destroyed the walls of
Jerusalem; when Simeon the priest asked of him the store of
books,and he gave them to him.
CHAPTER XIII.
But we will make known to you all the
genealogies in detail. Judah begat Pharez,and Pharez married Barayah,
the daughter of Levi, and begat Esrom. And Esrom married Kanita, the daughter of
Zebulun,and he begat Aram. And Aram married Phozib the
daughter of Judah;and he begat Aminadab. And Aminadab married Thehara, the daughter of
Esrom, and he begat Naasson. And Naasson married Simar,
the daughter of Yuhanas,and he begat Salmon; and Salmon
married Saphila, the daughter of Aminadab, by whom he
had Booz. And Booz married Ruth the Moabitess, of the
seed of Mot,and begat Obed; and Obed married Abalit, the
daughter of Sonas,and begat Jesse. Jesse married Habliar, the daughter of Abrias, and begat David the king. And king David took to wife Bathsheba, the
wife of Uriah,and begat Solomon. And Solomon married Nan,
the same as Makiya, the daughter of Dan king of Ammon, of
the seed of Lot, and begat Rehoboam. And Rehoboam married Makin, the daughter of
Bilos,and begat Abia. And Abia married Malkit, the
daughter of Absalom, and begat Asaph. And Asaph married Nirona, the daughter of
Sala, and begat Joshaphat. And Joshaphat married Malkiya, the daughter
of Abiud,and begat Joram. And Joram married Phitalia, the
daughter of Naphrim, and begat Osias;and Osias married
Sophia, the daughter of Habralias, and begat Jotham. And Jotham married Hadast, the daughter of
Elkanah.
202 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
begat Ahaz. And Ahaz married Bikaz, the
daughter of Zachariah,and begat Hezekiah;and Hezekiah
married Basyar, the daughter of Bartenas,and begat
Manasseh; And Manasseh married Amasisan,and begat Amos; and Amos married Nadyas, and begat Josias. And
Josias married
Dalilah, the daughter of Kermias, and begat
Joachim. And Joachim married Phurdia, the daughter of
Phulek,and begat Jechonias and his brother during
the captivity of Babylon. And Marsas who reigned over Babylon, released
Jechonias from prison, and gave him to wife, a woman
whose name was Dalilah, the daughter of Eliakim, by whom he
had Salathiel. But Jechonias died at Babylon ; where
Salathiel continued forty-nine years after him, and married
Hadast, the daughter of Elkanah,and begat Zerubbabel. And
Zerubbabel married
Maukab, the daughter of Esdras the scribe,
and had by her Abiud. And Abiud married Hadast, the daughter of
Zadok the high priest,and begat Eliakim. And Eliakim
married Kwebedai, the daughter of Aram, and begat Azar. And Azar married Salambeta, the daughter of
Zadok. And Zadok married Kalim, the daughter of Waikan,and
begat Akim. And Akim married Zasbaidi, and begat
Eliud. And Eliud married Awad, the daughter of
Gasalias,and begat Eleazar. And Eleazar married Hayat, the
daughter of Thalka, and begat Matthan. And Matthan
married Sabartia, the daughter of Phunius, and had by her
twins, namely, Jacob and Joachim. And Jacob married Gadat, the daughter of
Eleazar, and begat Joseph the betrothed husband of Mary. But Joachim married Hannah, the daughter of
Makah,and begat the pure Mary; Here ends the genealogy
of pure Mary.
THE SEVEN WEEKS OF DANIEL. 203/CHAPTER XIV.
And here, my brother, behold, I have settled
for thee that which is true, and I have revealed unto
thee the genealogy, and laid for thee the firm foundation, which
not one of the writers and of the wise men, could make
known. But, my brother, give me thy heart and make
it clean, that I may tell thee what things remain,and
how the reckoning of generations come all round to reach unto
and to stand firm by the birth of Christ. But after the birth of Christ there remained
no more trustworthy reckoning of kindred to the
Jews. For Christ was the end of the generations; He took it
and gave it to us.
But let me tell thee, my brother, that the
five thousand years from the creation of Adam, did not
end before the days of Cyrus, king of Persia. Then from
Cyrus to the sufferings of our Savior Jesus Christ, even as the faithful Daniel prophesied, saying, After seven weeks Christ shall come,and shall be put to death . Now seven weeks are four hundred and ninety
years; for a great week is of seventy years. But in that
the prophet said, After seven years/he pointed to
the ten years that remained; for he did not say, Christ shall come at the end of the seven weeks, but he said, After seven weeks He
shall come and be put to death. But the meaning here of after, is those ten years, that make up the five hundred years. And that is
the fulfillment of the promise that God made to Adam, that He
would save him at the end of that time.
16. Henceforth are the mouths of the Jews struck
dumb,and to them belongs shame, because they blaspheme
and say that Christ is not yet come. But while they say so, they, of necessity,
believe the first
204 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
statement of the prophets to be true and
the last to be a lie. If they say, Christ came/believing, as they
do, the prophecy of the prophet Daniel, they now see that the
prophecy of Daniel is fulfilled,and that the House of
God is laid waste and taken from them; that the priesthood
is abolished,and that the seven weeks were fulfilled, and that
Christ came,and was put to death; and that the Holy City was
laid waste by king Vespasian and his son Titus. But let me also tell thee, my
brother, that in the thirtysecond year of the reign of Augustus Caesar, Christ
was born in Bethlehem of Judah, as it is written in
the Gospel. And, behold, it is made plain to us, that Christ
came when the prophecy was fulfilled. As Micah the prophet said, But thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, thou art not lower than
the kings of Judah; for from thee shall come a king, that shall
feed my people Israel. Let the Jews now feel ashamed of themselves;
for if they make Daniel a liar, they cannot again make
the prophet Micah a liar; yet if they will make them liars
still, behold, Christ was born in Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when He was born at Bethlehem in the
land of Judah, a star in the East made it known,and
was seen by Magi. That star shone in heaven, amid all the
other stars; it flashed and was like the face of a woman,
a young virgin, sitting among the stars, flashing, as it were
carrying a little child of a beautiful countenance. From the beauty of His looks, both heaven and
earth shone,and were filled with His beauty and light
above and below;and that child was on the virgin woman's arms;and there was a cloud of light around the child's head,
like a crown. But it was a custom of the Chaldasans to
observe the stars
of heaven; to take counsel from them; and
they were numbered by them. So when they saw the star of the figure we
have just
THE STAR AND THE MAGI. 205
mentioned, they were greatly troubled,and
said among themselves,
Surely the king of the Heloneeans is putting
himself in battle array against us ! And they inquired among soothsayers and
philosophers,
until they ascertained the fact and
discovered that the king of
the children of Israel was born. As to this matter of the stars, the
Chaldasans used to work it out,and to take counsel from the power*
of the stars; so that they knew every event that should be,
ere it happened. Likewise the captains of large ships, when
they went on a
voyage upon the seas, knew beforehand the
signs of winds, of whirlwind, of gloom,and of thick
darkness. Thus the Magi when they read in their books,
knew from them, that Christ should be born in the land
of Judah. So they went upon a high mountain in the
east, while coming westward;and they took with them the
presents they had prepared ere they set off on their
journey; that is, gold,
frankincense and myrrh that had been with
Adam in the Cave of Treasures. Gold, namely as unto a king;
frankincense, as unto God; and myrrh, as for His death.
CHAPTER XV.
But when Hor, king of Persia, heard who it
was they called King of kings, he prepared his chariot and
mounted it. Basantar also, king of Saba, came out; and
Karsundas, king of the East, got himself ready and came out
also. They were all in great tribulation,and also
all other kings in the borders of the West trembled with
them,and every country in the East was in great alarm at the
sight of that
glory.
206 THE WOK OF ADAM AND EVE
Then the Magi while on their journey said, This star has not risen but for some great event. And they went on their way until they came to Jerusalem.
17. But when Herod heard of it, he was troubled,and called the Magi to him,and communed with them; and they rehearsed unto him the whole thing. Then he and all his hosts trembled; and he said to the Magi, Go ye,and inquire diligently concerning this Child;and when ye have found Him, come and tell me, that I also may go and worship Him. Then the Magi went forthwith to Bethlehem,and found Christ,and offered Him their gifts. But they did not return to Herod; they went back to their own country. But after they were gone, Herod was wroth,and commanded all children of two years and under, to be put to death. Then an angel of the Lord .appeared unto Joseph,and said
17. But when Herod heard of it, he was troubled,and called the Magi to him,and communed with them; and they rehearsed unto him the whole thing. Then he and all his hosts trembled; and he said to the Magi, Go ye,and inquire diligently concerning this Child;and when ye have found Him, come and tell me, that I also may go and worship Him. Then the Magi went forthwith to Bethlehem,and found Christ,and offered Him their gifts. But they did not return to Herod; they went back to their own country. But after they were gone, Herod was wroth,and commanded all children of two years and under, to be put to death. Then an angel of the Lord .appeared unto Joseph,and said
to him, Arise,and take the Child
and His mother,and go to the land of Egypt;and abide there until I
tell thee. And Joseph went into the land of Egypt. Then Herod began to slay all children, until
he had not left one. And he died of an evil death. After his death an angel of the Lord appeared
unto Joseph in the land of Egypt, And Joseph came up out
of Egypt,and dwelt at Nazareth, he, the child,and Mary
His mother. And they abode at Jerusalem until Christ was
thirty years of age, and was baptized by John. This John lived all his days in the
wilderness, and his food was locusts and wild honey. And in the nineteenth year of Tiberius, our
Lord Christ was crucified. He died in the body,and was
buried, and rose again from among the dead on the third day;
as it is written. And He went down into hell, and saved Adam
and Eve,and all their righteous seed, according to His
first and firm promise.
FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY. 207
And thus He fulfilled all that the prophets
had prophesied concerning Him. He then went up into heaven; whence He will
come again with His holy angels, to judge the
quick and dead.
Unto Him be glory,and thanksgiving, and honor,and power and worship for ever. Amen.
208 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE/NOTES TO BOOK I
1. He rooted up from elsewhere, trees no larger than the horns antennrc of locusts,and planted the garden full of them. Bereshith Rabbah,
sect. fol.18, ed. Frkf.; and Yalkut Rubeni, fol. 13, ed. Armst.) II.
Abarbanel, however, denies that;and says that Goddid not take trees from elsewhere to plant them there; but the meaning is, that the garden and the trees thereof, were a plant of His own planting, to
sect. fol.18, ed. Frkf.; and Yalkut Rubeni, fol. 13, ed. Armst.) II.
Abarbanel, however, denies that;and says that Goddid not take trees from elsewhere to plant them there; but the meaning is, that the garden and the trees thereof, were a plant of His own planting, to
take pleasure therein the perfection of His creation.
(Comm. in Pent., fol. 22.)Yalkut Rubeni (fol. 13,ed. Amst.), quotes
(Comm. in Pent., fol. 22.)Yalkut Rubeni (fol. 13,ed. Amst.), quotes
from the Bk. Zoar,
that as God made two Paradises, one on earth for Adam,and one above for the righteous who are to be there girt with light, so also
that as God made two Paradises, one on earth for Adam,and one above for the righteous who are to be there girt with light, so also
has He made two Gehennas; one under the earth, and one above it. The one below, is for all who do not believe in God,and have not entered into covenant with Him. But the Gehenna above is for all Israelites who have broken the commandments,and care not to repent.
2. The Angel of the Face revealed unto Moses the creation of the world,and how on the third day God created the waters, dry lands, woods, fruit trees,and the Garden of Eden, for delight.
(Kufale, p. 7; and R. Maim., Sanlied. X) 3 R. Abarbanel renders ^mpbtt(Targum Onfc., Gen. iii, 8), by TIPTD ynSH
the utmost limit of the earth created at the beginning
(Comm. in Pent., fol. 22).
It was planted on a mountain the Holy Mountain in the north; eastward; whence flowed the rivers down into the world.
(Socle Raza, in Talk. Rubeni, fol. 13.)4 S.
Ephrem had a different idea of Paradise. In his first sermon on this subject
(vol. iii, p. 564),
he compares Paradise to the orbit of the moon, that embraces within itself both the earth and the seas.
(S. Chrys., Horn, xiii, in Gen.)
the utmost limit of the earth created at the beginning
(Comm. in Pent., fol. 22).
It was planted on a mountain the Holy Mountain in the north; eastward; whence flowed the rivers down into the world.
(Socle Raza, in Talk. Rubeni, fol. 13.)4 S.
Ephrem had a different idea of Paradise. In his first sermon on this subject
(vol. iii, p. 564),
he compares Paradise to the orbit of the moon, that embraces within itself both the earth and the seas.
(S. Chrys., Horn, xiii, in Gen.)
5. Then the Lord God the Word of the Lord, Targ. Hier said to the
ministering angels: Behold, Adam is alone in the earth as I am alone in the high heavens,and men shall come from him who shall know good from evil. Had he kept My commandment he would have lived and continued stood like the Tree of Life, for ever. But now since he has transgressed, let us decree to drive him out of Eden ere he take of the Tree of Life. And God drove Adam from the Garden of Eden,and he went and dwelt on Mount Moriah, to till the ground from which
he had been taken.
(Targ. Jonathan,in Gen. iii.)
(Targ. Jonathan,in Gen. iii.)
The Jews, says S. Basil
(Horn, in Hexaemeron, ix, c. 6),
being reduced to great straits, say there were many persons to whom God addressed the words. Let us make man, namely to the angels air, who waited on Him. but it is.
(Horn, in Hexaemeron, ix, c. 6),
being reduced to great straits, say there were many persons to whom God addressed the words. Let us make man, namely to the angels air, who waited on Him. but it is.
NOTES. 209
a Jewish fiction and fabulous for is the image of God and of angels one and the same ? In the Coran, Mahomet inveighs against al-mushrimn, those who gave companions to God,and worshipped them, in the shape of angels? together with Him. And in,and elsewhere, he further blames them and the former inhabitants of Mecca in particular for believing that angels were of the female sex,and
daughters of God. Have we created angels females, says he,and do we
prefer daughters to sons ?
6. Adam and his wife were seven years in the Garden of Eden, tilling and keeping it,and we, says the Angel
of the Face, gave him work and taught him everything needful for husbandry;and he laboured at it, and gathered the fruit thereof,and laid it in store for himself and his wife.(Kufale, p. 13.)
7. The air of Paradise is full of sweet and fragrant smells; Adam drew breath from it,and grew thereby.(S.Ephrem,Serm. X, on Par., vol. iii, p. 595.)
8. Adam the first man, king of all that is on the earth, was created on the Friday of the first week in Nisan, the first month of the first year of the world(Bar. Hebrseus, Syr., Dyn. i, p. 3). After
having created everything, God said to His angels: Let us create man after our own image and similitude, knowing good and evil,and with the power of doing either. Then there appeared
an open right hand, with particles of the four elements in it; into which God breathed a living soul, whence Adam came into existence.(Abulpharaj. Arab. Hist. Dyn., p. 5.) God created Adam in the last hour of the first Friday. He created him of the surface of the earth, taking a handful of earth of all colours, He mixed it up with divers waters; red earth being virgin soil;and having formed him, He breathed a breath into him,and he became a living and sensible creature, after having been a senseless vessel of clay. Jelal says(according to Maracci, p. 769), that Adam had been forty years a form of clay no one ever
mentioned, for there was nothing remarkable or to be noticed (remembered) in it, until God breathed into him the breath of life. Truly such writers,and their readers, are easily pleased; for if,
Jelal says, Adam was created on the Friday of the creation, where had he been, as a figure of clay, during those forty years ? Pyrrhon in his history, says indeed, that Adam came into the Garden of Paradise on the fortieth day [of his creation] but I don't know, says M. Glycas, where Adam could have been spending forty days outside Paradise. (Annal. i, p.156.) This legend was probably derived from the reveing, or Ethiopia Kufale, where we read in ch. iii, p. 12, When Adam had passed forty days in the land in which he was created, we, the Angel of the Face, brought him into the Garden of Eden;and Eve his wife, after eighty days. Wherefore it is written in the tables of heaven, that a woman continues forty days until
cleansed, for the birth for a man-child,and eighty days for that of a female. Philo (Qucest. xxv, Armen. in Gen.) alludes to this, when he says that, man's formation being
more perfect than woman's , only required half the time, that is forty days ; but woman s nature being less perfect, took grgnagi avurts twice as 14
210 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE.
many days eighty. This may have been clear to Philo, but to no one else. Targ. Jonathan in Gen. ii. says that God took dust from. the sanctuary and from the four winds of the world, mixed it up with waters from the whole world,and made man brown, black and white and He, breathed
into him a living soul, to light up his eyes,and to quicken his ears to hearken. Ebn-Ali adds that while Adam was
thus a figure of clay either forty nights or forty years. Satan came and kicked it;and as it gave a sound, he said, This
is not created, but to rule and
govern. And God said to His angels, When I have animated it, ye shall fall down and worship him. They did so, but Satan would not,(Maracci, p. 22). Man was as high as a palm-tree, and the hair of his head was long and thick,(Jahias, p. 270.) But Masudi (Maruj ez-zahdbi, p.50, sq.) improves upon this account,and
says, that God having finished the earth, peopled it with genii or demons, one of which was Eblis before He created Adam. They began to fight among themselves,and were driven to distant islands; while Eblis was made regent of the sky [the heaven of the world], but harboured pride in his breast,and refused to worship Adam when created. Then God sent Gabriel and Michael,and after them the Angel
of Death, who took a handful of clay of red, black and white colours; whence men are of different complexions. The first man was called Adam [from adim,surface],and left forty years, some say one hundred and twenty years, a figure of clay. The angels passed by and
stared at it,and Eblis himself was astonished,and gave it a kick that made it resound. Afterwards, when commanded to worship Adam, he refused, saying to God, I am Thy
vicaron earth, created of fire, with wings and a glory round my head but this one is of clay. Then God cursed Eblis, hurled him down from heaven, but gave him respite, until a fixed time the day of the resurrection. R. Meir says God made the first man of dust gathered from the whole world; and R.Oshaya says his body was made of dust from Babel/Babylon, his
head from the land of Israel,and his other members from different lands. But R. Jochanan Bar Hanina says that there being twelve hours in the day: At hour one, God gathered the dust; at two, He formed the mass; at three, He spread out his members; at four, He put
breath into him; at five, He set him up on his feet; at six, he called the names[of the beasts]; at seven, He joined him to Eve; at eight, they begat twins; at nine, they were ordered not to take food
from the tree; at ten, they transgressed; at eleven, they were judged; and at twelve, they were driven from Paradise. (Talmud Bab. Sanhedrin, p.75, 76, ed. W.) The same story is also told in P. Avoth. of R. Nathan, fol. 2.Philastrius (Cotel., Pat ap., vol. i, p.
642) speaks of heretics, who taught that Adam was created blind.(S.
Clem., tiomil. Hi, 39 and 24.) See also Simon Magus and S. Peter arguing on this at Rome, if Adam was formed blind as thou sayest, how could God have commanded him, showing him the tree of good and evil, if it had not been plain to him ? (Credrenus, Hist. Comp., vol. i, p. 364.)
9. When God drove Adam from Paradise, He in His mercy made Adam
NOTES.
211
dwell in a lower land (valley or plain) away from it.(S. Ephr., vol. iii, Serin.I, on Par., p. 554.)
10. Quando expulsi stint de paradiso fecerunt sibi tabernaculum, et fuerunt vii dies lugentes et lamentantes in magna tristitia(Vita Adas et Evas, p. 37 gt;ed. Meyer.)
11. God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden abroad in the earth, at the ninth hour of the same Friday on which they had been created at the first hour.(Abulphar. Dyn. i, p.6; Geo.Syncellus, Cfvron. p.5.)S. Chrysostom (in S. Matt.) says,
ry fiery rovr tart Ty aury, avrov, Agya Tov V Evav. If driven from Paradise at the sixth hour on the Friday, how could they have been created at the eleventh hour on that day, according to the Koran ?
12. According to the Kufale, Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden exactly seven years, two months,and seventeen days, after having been brought into it from the land of Elda, where they had been created,and to which they now returned. On this day the 10th of
May, Syncel. Adam offered a sweet smelling sacrifice of incense and other spices, at sun-rise;and on this day were all creatures driven from the garden,and their speech taken from them. For until the day Adam was driven from the garden, all animals, birds,and reptiles, had one speech of their own.(Kufale, p. 14, 15.) Geo. Syncellus adds
to this from(p. 15, ed.Dind.) that all animals spake the same language as Adam and Eve before their fall (so also Joseph. Ant. Jud., lib. i, c.
i,4); for the serpent spake to Eve with a
human voice, a statement Syncellus did not believe; albeit he says, we do not doubt the serpent was four footed before the fall, and afterwards, became creeping. Speaking of the Xerrrj, the probable Greek original of the Ethiopic Kufale, of Jewish authorship,and possibly alluding to this present work of Christian origin, Geo. Syncellus says, he was driven to quote from them
against his will, on account of the naming of the beasts by Adam, of the fall, although such particulars do not seem to be authentic(p.7).
13. And the King of Light commanded me Jebel Zivo [who with Anush and Shetel, attended Adam] saying, Go
to the world of darkness which is full of evil,and bring out every thing to light let the earth be formed,and bring forth food and every living thing, male and female. Let man and woman be, and call them Adam and Eve;and let all things, even the Angels of Fire, serve him. With the aid of Fetahil
[Demiurgus] the world will come to light. Adam and Eve were then
created,and a soul given them, in the garden. Go then, Jebel Zivo [Brilliant
Ruler] and cause Adam s heart to shine,and establish him so that his mind shine; converse with him, thou and the two angels that are to go about with him in the world. And teach him and Eve
and their children, to eschew evil and Satan,and to practise righteousness in the earth,(Codex Nasarceus i, p. 62, 64, 66.)
Adam was clothed in the brightness of life,and three pure Genii Ebel, Anush and Shetel were given him for companions, i, p. 193; ii, p. 120, [See a long quotation from Emeq hammelech on this subject, in Eisenmenger's Entdecktes Judenthum, vol. i, p. 459.]
14. The world was created by God the Father through His only Begotten Son, says Syncellus (p. 1, 2, ed.
D.), on the first of Nisan, or 25th of
March.
212 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
or 29th of Phamenoth. On the same day the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary,and on that day also did Christ rise from the dead, being 5534 years from the creation of the world; a matter I will diligently try to prove(the discrepancy between 5500 and 5534 is explained further on). The general opinion among Jews has always been that this world will last 7000 years. Thus in Avoda Zara, p.17,
we read, 6000 years will be to the world 2000 years inih of emptiness; 2000 years mid of the law; 2000 years, the days of the Messiah in our manifold afflictions. These, adds
the commentary, are determined according to the days of the week, and the last 1000 years are the Sabbath. This account of the first 2000 years does not
agree with what is said elsewhere, that the law was given before the creation,and that Adam and the Patriarchs had
it. O Bfoc; Why then did God hallow
the seventh day ? asks Cedrenus. Because whereas every other day had within itself the blessing resting on the works itself the blessing resting on the works done therein [that were very good] the seventh day had no such distinction. God, therefore, hallowed it as a day of rest, Kal we and as a figure of the seventh thousandth of years [or millennium] as told by Josephus,and in the which some say is the Revelation of Moses.(Cedrenus, Hist. Compend ,p. 9, ed. D.)
15. And the Lord called me [Ebel Zivo],and said, Go, tell Adam, with
a clear voice, of the most high King of Light; of the kings of praise, who stand praising Him; of the creatures of light, that live for ever. Teach them to pray and to give thanks, to stand praying to the King of Light, Lord of all creatures, three times a day and twice in the night,(Codex Nasar. i, p. 68.) Targum Onkelos (Gen. ii. 7), says of the living soul,that it
became (or was) in man a speaking spirit [which no missing link possesses].
16. After God had given His commandment to Adam and Eve, not to
touch the tree, Satan said within himself, I shall not be able to make Adam fall, but I can make Eve do so. He then drew near to her, and while whispering in her ears, he shook the tree with his hands and feet, until the fruit thereof fell to the ground; so that
Eve should take of it without touching even the root of the tree. (Pirtce Avoth of R. Nathan, fol. 2.) Quoniam in hora glorias ejus intravit serpens, et invenit Evam solam, et decepit Evam. (Protoev. Jacobi, c. xiii, ed. Thilo.) And S. Ephrem (in Gen., vol. i, p.
31), says that, Eve trusting to what the serpent said, ate the fruit first, hoping thereby to obtain divinity,and thus to become superior to her husband, whom she wished to rule, rather than obey. When, however, she found herself deceived, she gave him of the fruit, in
order that he should fare as she did. And she did not die at once, lest Adam should be terrified at the sight of her death,and so, not eat of the fruit. S Ephrem's opinion agrees in part with the words of Eve: Come hither, my lord, Adam,and hearken to me and eat of the fruit of the tree, of which God told us not to eat;and thou shalt be as God, which she said, when disappointed and mortified at her own disobedience and.
NOTES. 213
transgression remarks on one of his
ribs, is feminine,and means side, that confirms the opinion of Rabbis of blessed memory, that Adam was created, with two sides, or faces; the one male, the other
female. See notes 18 and 24.Targ. Jonathan, in Gen. ii, does not
agree with that; but says that the rib taken out by God was the thirteenth rib on the right side.
18. But R. Jeremiah B. Eliezer says, that in the hour God created Adam, He made him DID you, man and woman; as it is written: male and female created He
them, Gen. i, 27. But R. Shemuel Bar Nathan, holds that God created Adam, with two faces; the one looking one way,and
the other looking the other way. He then sawed them asunder, into two backs, a back to the one and a back to the other,(Bcreshith Rab.} fol. 9;and Talk. Shimoni, fol. 6, 20), to which Matnoth Kah. adds, that one side was male and the other female. The same story is told in Talmud Bab. (Berachoth,p. 121, ed. W.) where the commentary
(R, Shelomoh) adds, that God did not saw Adam asunder, but
split him in two,and made Eve out of one half. And elsewhere (Erubin, p. 35), R. Jeremiah Ben Eliezer, repeating the same thing, founds his belief on Psalm cxxxix. 5, Thou hast beset me, behind
and before. Adam and Eve were twenty years old when created. dust
is
masculine and lift is earth is feminine;and He who formed them made them thus of the dust of the earth, male and female. And God made Adam. from earth to the firmament and then put breath into him. For soul is understood in five different ways:(1. Spirit;(2. breath; (3. intelligent single use of double members ;(4. life ;(5. and soul which is blood, as it is written: For blood is the soul.(Beresh.Rab.,iol. 17.) [This is treated at length in R. Sh. Palkeire's Sepher Nephesh, on Hebrew psychology, 1864; and by Maimonides, in his preface to Pvrke Avoth.] R. S. Ben
Melech (Miclol Yophi, Gen. i) understands in the image of God, in the image of angels, like an angel, with breath given him from on high. And S. Macarius, Horn, xv, p. 88, R. Abarbanel (Com. in Pent., fol. 17) explains this, saying, Adam alone was created after the image and similitude of God [circumcised, according to R.Nathan, in Yalk. Shimoni, fol. 5, 16], being as it were the perfection of His
creatures. And that, as some say, Adam was a Greek term, means that he had both the name and the form within him; wherefore is he also
said to have had two faces (or sides) the one male and the
other female; but the male was actually wrought out, whereas the female was in posse.(in oen., foi.22, ad Liv.) explains it thus: God said to His companions, O ye that are
with Me, is not this Adam a male emanation, with the female hidden within him ? So was Adam. yet in reality he had neither form nor similitude, but was very high exalted, with a name that.
214 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
reached up to an idea of God clad in the light God created at first.
R. M. Maimonides (quoted in fol. 9) says, that God addressed the earth when He said, Let us make man. The earth was to give him all his earthy matter,and God, all his srpiritual and intellectual faculties. The same is also told in by R. Bekai. See note 25.
19. The tree had not in itself good and evil, for there could be nothing evil in Paradise; but the tree was set up as a mark (or
limit) in order to bring out Adam's freedom of action whether to obey(good) or to disobey (evil). For his knowledge of either was before the commandment given, not to touch of the fruit of the tree. (Cedrenus, Hist. Compend.,p. 13.)
20. When God said to his angels: I, indeed, will put a [khaliph] vicar in the earth and commanded them to worship him,and they did so. But Eblis [Satan] would not; he (Coran,sur. ii, 30, sq.) was proud, and became one of the infidels then God asked him: Why wilt thou not worship Adam ? Because, replied Eblis, I am better than he; Thou didst create me of fire, but him of mud(Coran, sur. vii,
12 and
9). Then Satan, or the serpent, made Adam and Eve fall from Paradise to the earth: Adam in Serandib [Ceylon; Adam's Peak] and Eve at Jeddah in Yemen, where she was buried. her head is said to be at one end of the burial ground, her body under the wely in the centre of it, and her feet at the farther end, some hundred yards apart.
The Arab who took me to see it, could not help saying: Yd Khawajah, hi thaweett, wallah ! O sir, she was long indeed !] Ibn-Batutah (Travels, vol. iv, p. 179,sq.) gives a description of Adam s
Peak in Serandib, of the two ways, for Adam and Eve, to the summit; of the print of the foot, sunk into a black rock; of trees whose leaves when eaten, restore old age to youth. Masudi tells the same story, but adds, that some of the fig-leaves with which Adam was girt about, having been scattered by the wind in his fall from
Paradise, those leaves became the sweet spices for which Ceylon is celebrated.(Masudi, ch. iii, p. 60, 61.)
21. R. Eliezer improves upon the account given in Beresh. Eabbah, quoted above (note 18), and says the first man reached from earth to the sky, and from east to west when he lay down. But after his transgression God laid His hand upon him and made him small; as it is said Psalm cxxxix. 5, Thou hast beset me,and laid
Thy hand upon me. So also R. Jehudah avers in the name of all the Rabbis of
blessed memory that it was so. (Talmud Bab. Hagigah, p. 23.) While reading the Kandjur, I often wondered there could be men found to write and to believe such things. But they are not more absurd
than the lore of the Talmud, whereof we read among other warnings: My son, give heed to the words of the writers (Rabbis) rather than to the law
itself.(Erubin, p. 42.) For he who has only the text of the Bible, without the Talmud, is like one that has no
God.(Share tsedelc, fol. 9 Eis.) And to contradict such teaching, like one who would differ from, or contradict the Shekinah(Presence of God, or Holy Ghost, according to Sepher Yezirah, p. 1 12, ed.Rittang). And for a man to go from the Talmud and to return to the Bible(or text) there is no more peace! (Talm.
Bab. Hagiyah, p. 17.)
NOTES. 215
22 Atch. xxvi (ii,p. 276) Masudi tells of a wonderful cup said to have be longed to Adam, that always remained full, however much was drunk out of it, whose virtue Alexander the Great tried on his visit to Ceylon. And Ibn Batutah (vol. iv, p. 167,sq.) relates his adventures on his pilgrimage to Adam's foot, the print of which is of an enormous size.[But is it not also Buddha's foot ?] Hyde in his notes to Peritsol (Itinera Mundi, p. 25) refutes the etymology of Taprobana from Div (isle) Rohan the name for Adam's Peak in the Coran;and proposes to bring Serandib, from Selen , or Seilan-
dib, island of Seylan Singhala.] El-kazwini (Ajaib i, p. 165), speaks of Jebel Serandib upon which Adam alighted which shines with gold up to heaven,and is seen from a great distance by sea-faring men. There is the print of Adam's foot sunk in the stone and about seventy yards long. The reason for which there is only one foot is
that Adam rested the other on the bottom of the sea.
23. On the second week, says the Angel of the Face, we brought all the beasts to Adam, by command of God. On the first day, beasts; on the second, cattle; on the third, birds; on the fourth, all that moves(creeps)on the face of the earth;and on the fifth, all that
moves in the waters;and Adam called them all by their names,and that which he called them, was their name. (Kufale,p. 11.)
24. Immediately after the transgression, Adam and Eve lost the angelic vision and intelligence they had before they transgressed God's commandment. And now their sight and power of discerning
became limited only to matters corporeal and sensible. (S. Ephrem, vol. i, p. 139.) Bereshith Rabbah (Gen. ii, 7; and Talkut Rubeni, fol. 13), says That God gave Adam a twofold nature, partly of things above or divine,and partly of things earthly, such as eating, drinking;and as to heavenly gifts, he was to stand over ministering angels. These were called who were appointed to wait on him, namely,
-ffibel, Shetel, and Anush (Cod. Nasar.,p. 192, etc.). They were, however, frightened at Adam's size, that reached from earth to heaven (Talk. Rubeni, fol.10) and so went up terrified, to ask God
what He had created, according to Talkut Shimoni, on Gen. i. It must then have been when they came down back into Paradise, that according to R. Jehudah (Talkut Shimoni, fol. 4; and Avoth of R. Nathan, fol. 2),they waited on Adam, roasted his meat,and mixed his wine, Other heavenly gifts of Adam were speech, understanding,and faculty to look on the ministering angels; for animals cannot do it. Tor God said: If I make him only of the earth he will die; if of heaven only, he will live. So his Creator made
him up of those,and gave him a twofold nature knowing good and evil; for animals know not the good.[See
also Talm. Bab. Berachoth, p. 61, on this
same subject.]But R. S. Ben Melech (Hiclol Tophi and Talk. Shimoni, fol. 6, 20, on Gen. i) says, that God made use of the expression:
Let us make man,
merely as a mark of respect, being about to create Adam in presence of the four elements,and to make him partly of
heavenly things,and partly things of below, earthy. Instead of the four elements, Talmud Bab. (Sanhedrin, p. 78), says they were the great of the world;and Midrash Nehelam (quoted in Talkut Rubeni, fol. 10, ed. Amst.) says, that the Wheel, the Angel,and the
Throne
(Ezech. i) joined together, saying, Let us make man to be in fellowship with
216 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
us, his breath from the Throne; his spirit from the Angel,and his soul from the Wheel, in blessing, sanctification,
and unity. Ruleni, id.
however, quotes another Midrash to show that
God gathered together all things above and all things below, in fellowship with Himself, to take their share in the creation of man.
25 K. Bekai (Pvrush al atth.,fo\.8,ed. Crac.) sums up these and other explanations of Let us make
man, according to the text or simple sense, it is God and the earth, He as Creator and the earth
as the mother of man;(2) as R. Kimchi says, it is an expression of majesty; or, it is an address of God to Moses, when He told him to write,
26. When God, says R, Akha, came to create man, He took counsel with the ministering angels,and said to them: Let us make man. Then
they asked Him: What will be his
property ? His wisdom shall be greater than your own, said God;and He brought before them beasts and birds, and asked them what they were. The angels did not know. God then asked Adam, who said, This is an ox, an ass, a horse,and a camel. And what is thy name ? said God. It befits me to be
called for Adam, because I was made of the earth. And what is My name ? said God to Adam. It befits
Thee, said Adam, to be called the Lord of all Thy [creatures]. Then God said:
That is My name given Me first by Adam.
(Beresh. R., sect, xvii, fol. 20.) And God said to the ministering
angels who were created on the second day,and who ministered before Him: Let us make man after our own
image and similitude with 248 members, 365 nerves; He spread a skin over them,and filled the whole with flesh and blood, etc. (Targ. Jonathan, B.Uzziel in Gen. i.)
[For a learned treatise on with reference to Gen. i, 26, see More NevuUm, sect, i, c. i, of R.
Maimonides.] When God set about creating the world, said R. Jehudah, He created one legion of ministering angels,and said to them: Is it your good pleasure
that we should create man ? To which they replied: What is man that Thou art mindful of him ? Then God thrust His finger between them and consumed them. And so with a second legion. But the third said to Him: What the first angels said availed nothing; the
world is Thine; do what seemeth the best.(Yalkut Shimoni, ed. Crac.,
fol. 4.) There is another
tradition, says R. Eliezer, that God said to the
Law [which, according to the Talmud, was created before the world], Let us make man one To which the Law answered: What, he the ruler of the world ?
his days will be shortened through sin; a
child of wrath;and unless Thou be long suffering, it will be as if he had not been. Am I then long suffering in vain ? said God.He then
took some earth, red, white and greenish, from the four corners of the world; red, adorn, for Adam; white, for his intestines;and greenish for his
body,(16. ibid., fol. 4.)
27. After Adam s transgression God brought him, Eve,and the Serpent to judgment: He said to the Serpent: Because thou didst that, thou
shalt be cursed among all the beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, thy legs shall be cut short;and thou shalt shed thy
skin once in seven years; a deadly venom shall be in thy mouth,and thou shalt eat dust all the days of thy life. I will put enmity between thee and the seed of the woman; those who keep the Law, shalt smite thee on the head.
NOTES. 217
thou shalt bite them in the heel. But there will be a remedy for them, STIVER and they will apply that healing power to their heel, in the days of King Messiah. But when the Lord God said to Adam,Thou shalt eat the herb of the surface of the
field, Adam answered and said: By the mercies that are of Thee, O Lord, let me pray that we be not reckoned as beasts of the field, to eat grass that grows thereon; Let us arise and toil with the labour of our hands, to eat
our food from the yield of the earth; so that from now a difference be made between the children of men and the beasts of the field(Targum,Jonathan, in Gen. iii.) In Bereshith Rob., sect, xix, we are told that R. Meir taught that the serpent was wonderfully high; Jonathan, that he was erect, and his feet like canes; R. Jeremiah, that he was(Epicurus) a heretic or infidel; R. Simeon, that he was like a camel; Maimonides(in More Nevukim, sect, ii, c. 30) calls attention to a passage in the Midrash, where it is said that the serpent was being ridden,and was like a hairy camel;and that he who rode him was he who beguiled Eve, namely, Samael, or Satan. And, again: When the serpent seduced Eve, Samael was riding him; but God shall laugh at the serpent and at his rider. Also, When the
serpent came to Eve, he sprinkled his filth over her; it will be wiped off the Israelites who stood on Mount Sinai: but the Gentiles retain it. (Hid.) The same story is told somewhat differently by
R. Eliezer, in YalTcut Shimoni, fol. 8,25. According to Bereshith E.,
sect. 20,and to Yalk. Shimoni, fol. 9, 31, the ministering angels came down and cut off his hands and his feet,and his cries were heard from one end of the world to the other.
28. What did that old serpent, that was jealous of Adam s glory, surrounded by ministering angels, think at the hour that he tempted Eve ? I will go and kill Adam and the woman his wife,and I shall be king of the whole world;and I shall walk erect, and enjoy all the pleasures of the world. Then God said to him: Therefore will I put
enmity between thee and man; therefore shalt thou alone be cursed of all beasts; therefore, also, because of thy pride,and wish to walk erect and to enjoy all the pleasures of earth, shalt thou creep on thy belly all the days of thy life.(P. Avoth of R. Nathan,
fol.
2 ;and Bk. Zoar in Yalkui Rubeni, fol.16.)
The Rabbis hold that the serpent had intercourse with Eve, whence Cain was born and with him, sundry female infirmities;and that Samael, not being able (not having strength or power) to seduce Adam, turned to Eve as to the weaker of the two. (Zoar, in Talk.
Ritbeni, fol. 16.)
29. S. Ephrem (in Gen. vol. i, p. 35)
says the serpent was made to crawl on its belly, for having increased the pangs of childbearing, through the seduction of Eve. And at p. 135, that the serpent was deprived of feet because it
had hastened on them to come to Eve,and had sought to be chief among
30. It is said, however, by R. Eliezer(quoted in Eisenmenger s Entd. Jud. i,377), that Adam had a staff which he gave to Enoch, Enoch to Noah, Noah to Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; after Joseph's death his house was plundered,and the staff came into the hands of Pharaoh, who planted it in Jethro's garden. But when Moses
was grown up he found it there covered with written characters; he then took it.
218 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
and told Jethro this rod should deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt, inside be ? Paris. 1628, fol. 8, we read that, Moses
having fled to Midian,and having become known to Jethro as an exile from Egypt, was by him put in prison. Moses, however, having pleased Zipporah, she fed him in prison, where she always found him standing on his feet, praying (fol. 9). She then told her father that divine vengeance would over take him, if he maltreated his prisoner.
Jethro at once brought him out;and gave public notice that whosoever would come and root out the rod that was planted and growing in his garden, to him would he give his daughter Zipporah to wife. Many came, small and great, kings, princes, great men,and men of valour, but could not root it up. But Moses, while walking in Jethro's
garden, saw that rod of sapphire (or diamond)with the glorious name of Jehovah, engraved on it. He then rooted it up thence, at once, and it became a rod in his hand;and he returned home with it in his hand. Jethro seeing this, marvelled much,and gave his daughter
Zipporah to wife unto Moses.[Another story says that the inscription on that rod was the initials of the ten plagues of Egypt.] But in the Delwritlio of Mar Salomon of Botsra, c. xvii, we are told that
Adam's stick was a branch of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which he broke (or cut) off the tree as he was leaving the Garden of Eden.(Assem, Bi6l. Or., vol. iii, p. 212.)
31. The Talmud and Josephus, as we have seen, teach that at first all animals had speech; and Philo (Qucest. xxxii,Armen, in Gen.) is of opinion that, in the beginning of the existence of the world, all animals (or living creatures) were not altogether deprived of reasoning power; although man excelled in this respect and in a clearer voice. Thus attributing a voice to the serpent, given
it at (he time, in order to seduce Eve; which the gloss, however, says, iprshtchmamp, was only a hissing, understood by Eve for what it meant.
32. Our father Adam wept before the gates of Paradise, and the angels said unto him, What wilt thou that we
do to thee. Adam ? He then answered, Behold, ye cast me out; I
therefore intreat you to give me some sweet spices from Paradise, that when I am driven out of it, I may offer a sacrifice to God, that He may hear me. Then
at the request of the angels, God gave Adam leave to gather from the garden, saffron and spike nard,and sweet-cane and cinnamon, and other seeds for his support. Having gathered them, he left the garden and dwelt in the land. (Vita Adce et E., p. 57.)
33. We read in the History of Georgia(Kart his tskhovreba, ch. x, p. 39), that in the first year of king Aderki, ishwa up hali chweni Yeso Kriste, our Lord Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of
Judah;and that Magi came to bring him presents. Then news came to
Mtzkhet ha the capital of Georgia at that time about this coming of the Magi, that an army was come to destroy Jerusalem. This caused
great.
NOTES. 219
wailing among the Jews of the place, until the year after, other news was brought that the army was not come to destroy the Holy City, but had with them presents they brought and offered to a certain male child, respecting his birth. This caused great joy among the Jews; until some fourteen years later, a certain disciple called Anna came from Jerusalem, with other Jews of Mtzkhet ha,and told the people that the child, to whom Magi had offered gifts, was now grown up,and called Himself the Son of God,and proclaimed a new law and service, See on this subject the last chapter of this work, and the notes thereon.
34. (Clem. Al. Pcedag., lib. ii, p. 176.)
the myrrh, but in De Idol., c. ix, he mentions, the gold, the
incense, and the myrrh.
38. It seems as if the legend of the golden rods, and of these figs and figtrees of an enormous size, reached farther east than Egypt, where the original of this Ethiopic translation was probably written. For R. M. Maimonides, speaking of the Sabaans(or Zabians), says: They all believed in the antiquity of the world, for heaven (the heavens) are to them instead of God. They also believed
that the first man Adam was born of a man and a woman, like all other men. But they extolled him greatly.
220 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE
saying he was a prophet-apostle for the moon,and called men to the worship of the moon;and that there are books of his extant on the tillage of the land. They say of Adam, moreover, that when he came from the [climate] land of [Tasom, or Tasham], near India, and dwelt in the land of Babylon, he brought with him wonderful things; among others, a tree of gold that yielded branches, leaves,and flowers [of gold]; also a like tree of stone, with leaves that fire could not
burn,and that could shelter 10,000 men as tall as Adam. And he brought with him two leaves, each of which could cover two men. But they also say that Seth departed from Adam s worship of the moon,(More Nevukim, sect, iii,ch. 29.)
They also say that Adam relates in his book on the tillage of land, that there is in India a tree, whose branches, when thrown upon the ground, wriggle and creep like a serpent,(Ibid)
39. In Targum Jonathan, however, we read that God made for Adam and Eve, robes of honour of the skin of the serpent, which it had
sloughed off;and God covered their skin withal, instead of their own beauty of which they were stripped. (In Gen., iii.)
41. Before the law fell on Adam [doom, after his transgression] he ate no food; but after the law had fallen on him, he and his family [Abel was born to him before the fall, II, p. 122] arose,and ate of all the fruits, vegetables,and living things Fetahil had prepared for him. (Cod. Nasar. ii, p. 134.)
42. This account agrees with that of Abul-pharaj or Bar. Hebraeus (Dyn. Arab., p. 6 ; Chron. Syr., p. 3), who calls Cain's sister Climia,and Abel's Lebuda. Arab writers on the Coran, however,
say that Eve always brought forth twins; a boy and a girl (Maracci, sur. v); while Sidra I Adam (Codex Nasar.) of the Mandseans (ed. Norberg ii, p. 120,sq.), says that after Fetahil had created the world and Adam and Eve, to whom he gave feet to walk and a mouth to
speak, he made for Adam a son like unto himself pure and sinless, called Abel; before Abel the son of Eve. But after Adam and Eve had returned to the land (Elda) in which they had been created, Eve brought forth twins, son and daughter, three years following, According to the Kufale (p. 15), however, Cain was born in the third week(of years) of the second Jubilee(seventieth year from creation, Syncell.), Abel in the fourth;and his sister Awan
(Aswam, Asauna, Syncell.) in the fifth. But according to Methodius (Bar. Hebr.,Syr.) called Mar Thudiusi in Arabic,(Dyn., p. 6), Cain and Climia were born thirty years after Adam and Eve came out of the garden; Abel and Lebuda thirty years later. It was seventy years
after, that Adam wishing to marry them one to another, Cain slew his brother. Targ. Orikelos in Gen. iv, 2, renders the Hebrew text correctly ; but Targ. Jonathan, says that after the birth of Cain, Eve brought forth his twin sister and Abel although it is not easy to understand how that could be. Eve, says. Ibn-Batrik (Eutychus),
conceived and brought forth a son called Cain and a daughter called Azrun. Then she conceived again and gave.
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