THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE,

ALSO CALLED

THE CONFLICT OF ADAM AND EVE
WITH SATAN,

A book of the early Eastern Church,
Translated from the Ethiopic,

WITH NOTES FROM THE KUFALE, TALMUD, MIDRASHIM
AND OTHER EASTERN WORKS,



BY

THE REV. S. C. MALAN, D.D.,

VICAR OF BROADWINDSOR

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LONDON
G, NORMAK AND SON, PRINTERS, HART STREET,
COVENT GARDEN,

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To

THE KEV. DR. ERNEST TRUMPP,

REGIUS PROFESSOR OF ORIENTAL LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH, AND ORDINARY MEMBER OF THE ROYAL
BAVARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES,

In token of respect for his accurate and profound Oriental   scholarship, from the Translator.

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PREFACE.

In the Sixth Book of the Apostolic Constitutions,* we find a severe censure of certain early works, among which are reckoned βιβλ𝒾α àπóκрνφα Μωδєως κα𝒾 ´Eνωϰ, κα𝒾 ´Αδàµ, ´Hσαtoν τє κα𝒾 ΔαΒ𝒾δ κ. τ. λ. "The apocryphal Books of Moses, of Enoch, of Adam, as well as those of Isaiah and David," etc. Those works, however, do not deserve all that the Apostles are made to say of them.

The apocryphal "Book of Moses," there alluded to, is probably the λєπτη Γєνєσιç or "lesser Genesis," known as having existed of old in Greek, under that name; and also under that of ´Απoκáλνψιç M., or τà ´IoνΒηλαîα "the Apocalypse of Moses," or "the Book of Jubilees," quoted by S. Epiphanius,† Geo. Syncellus,‡ Geo. Cedrenus,§ and others. Of those three titles, τà ´IoνΒηλαîα remained little understood, until Dr. Dillmann published in 1859, the Ethiopic Kufale, or "Liber Jubilaeorum ;" so named by him, because throughout the book, said to have been revealed to Moses by "the Angel of the Face," or Michael--the division of periods of time is by jubilees of forty- nine--fifty years. The Kufale is often quoted in the notes to this book.

As to the "Book of Enoch," it was known only through a quotation from it by S. Jude v. 14, 15 ; and after him, from allusions to it by S. Hilarius, S. Clement of Alexandria, Origan, Geo. Syncellus, and others--until it was discovered in Abyssinia by Bruce, who brought several Ethiopic copies of it from thence to Europe ; one of which is now in the Bodleian Library. This was published and also translated by Archbishop Lawrence, in 1838. A later and more accurate edition of it was issued by Dr. Dillmann at Leipzig, in 1851, from several MSS. brought from Abyssinia since the days of Bruce; and it has been translated moçare than once within the last few years. It is highly interesting, as a work of the probable date of its composition--not long before or after the coming of Christ. It is often quoted in the following pages.

As to the "Book of Adam," mentioned in the passage above given from the Apostolic Constitutions, if it is not the Sidra l'Adam, also called "the Book of Adam," of the Mandaeans, it may be Βioç ´Αδáµ "the Life of Adam," alluded to by Geo. Syncellus,* as distinct from the λєπτη Γєνєσις. It is also said to exist in Syriac and in Arabic, in the Vatican Library; and "Vita Adæ et Evæ" has lately been worked out of the Αποĸáλυψιç Αδáμ, and of other documents in Latin, by Dr. W. Meyer, of the Academy of Munich, and published there in 1879.

Lastly, by the apocryphal "Book of Isaiah," is probably meant his "Ascension," only known in Ethiopic; and published in Ethiopic and in English, by Archbishop Lawrence, at Oxford, in 1819. It dates, probably, from the early days of the Church, and is mentioned by Origen and by S. Epiphanius,† as τò àνаΒаτιϰòν ´Ησаïου. It alludes, among other things, to the martyrdom of Isaiah, who was sawn asunder by order of Manasseh.

The present interesting work, however, has little in common with those apocrypha; among which it has no right to take place. Whereas they all are apparently of Jewish origin, this "Conflict of Adam" is altogether a Christian work, and of a later date than those writings. It is probably the work of some pious and orthodox Egyptian of the fifth or sixth century, who tells his story, or stories--some of which are also found in the Talmud and thence in the Coran and elsewhere--as they were then believed; adding here and there a good deal of his own. Yet all is told in the simple--to Western taste, perhaps, childish--style of pious Eastern writers of those days. The author's devout faith runs throughout his narrative; he seems willing and ready to believe much rather than to doubt; to take things for granted, rather than to question the truth of them.

His object then, is to connect the first Adam with the coming of the second, Christ; five thousand five hundred years* after Adam's fall in Eden, and in fulfilment of the promise then made him of a Saviour. In our author's words, Adam holds frequent intercourse with "the Word of God," who tells him of His coming in the flesh in order to save him; a promise Adam charges his children to remember and to hand down to their own children. Then, when dead, his body is embalmed, and laid in the Cave of Treasures, where he and Eve had spent their life; it is thence taken by Noah, with the gold, the incense and the myrrh brought from Eden, and laid in the ark; whence it is taken out by Melchizedec after the Flood; and brought by him, together with Shem and an angel sent to show them the way, to "the Middle of the Earth;" ομфаλòç τηç јηç, to the hill "Cranium," or Golgotha. There, the rock opens of its own accord to receive the body of Adam, and then closes in again. It is the very spot on which the Saviour's cross was raised, when He was crucified.

This book, now first translated into English, and that tells much that will be new to most readers--was probably written in Arabic in Egypt; whence it was taken farther south, and translated into Ethiopic. At all events no Greek or Egyptian original of it, is, as yet, known to exist; neither does it betray the least vestige of Hellenism. There is, indeed, a Syriac work of the early Church, called M'drāth gāze, "the Cave of Treasures"* mentioned by Asseman,* and ascribed to S. Ephrem by the presbyter Simeon,† who lived in the thirteenth century. Judging from its title, it may have much in common with the present work; yet in the absence of all knowledge of that Syriac MS., one can, for the present, only look upon the Arabic copy, written in Egypt, as the probable original. For the Ethiopic version, although written in good style, bears unmistakable marks of an Arabic origin.

It is, of course, as yet impossible to fix with certainty the date of either the Arabic original, or of the Ethiopic translation. Dr. Dillmann, in the preface to his German translation, seems to think this "Conflict of Adam" may date from the fifth or sixth century; and there does not seem to be any good reason for thinking otherwise. It is, however, certain that it must have been written before the ninth century; judging from the numerous extracts from it, given word for word, by Saîd Ibn-Batrik, or Eutychus, physician, and also Melkite Patriarch, who lived in the ninth century; when he wrote his Nazam al-jawāhir, or "String of Gems" as he called his "Annals of the World," from the creation to his own time. It is a work of merit; although, perhaps, too full of stories that cannot be received as authentic.

The present translation was made on the accurate and scholarly Ethiopic edition lately published by the great orientalist Dr. E. Trumpp, Professor at the University of Munich. He had the advantage of the Arabic original which he frequently quotes in his valuable notes, of which I have often availed myself; an advantage the "magnus Apollo," in Ethiopic lore, Dr. Dillmann, does not seem to have had, for comparison with the more or less imperfect MSS. on which he made his German translation in 1853.

As the Ethiopic text is irregularly divided in sections, --some of great length, owing to the subject in hand,-- I thought more convenient to divide my translation into Books, and chapters, some of which have the same headings as those given in the text.

Book I--takes in the whole life of Adam and Eve, from the day they left Eden; their dwelling in the Cave of Treasures; their trials and temptations; Satan's manifold apparitions to them, and the Word of God coming to comfort and help them. Then the birth of Cain, of Abel, and of their twin sisters; Cain's love for his own twin sister, Luluwa, whom Adam and Eve wished to join to Abel; hence Cain's hatred and murder of his brother; and Adam's sorrow and death.

Book II--gives the history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood; the dwelling of the children of Seth on the Holy Mountain--Mount Hermon--until they were lured by Genun and by the daughters of Cain, to come down from the mountain; and as "fallen angels," to lose God's love for them. Then Cain's death, when slain by Lamech the blind; and the lives of the other patriarchs, until the birth of Noah.

Book III--gives the history of the building of the ark; of the Flood, of the settlement of Noah and his family; and of the carrying of the body of Adam to "the Middle of the Earth;" the growth of idolatry under Nimrud; the destruction of idols; and the call of Abraham.

Book IV--gives a short history of the patriarchs, judges and kings, from Abraham to the coming of Christ.

The first three Books are by far the most interesting.

The fourth professes to give genealogies that were irretrievably lost; yet somehow, discovered and given in detail by the author. Most of the names are of pure Ethiopic origin, and others are so disfigured as not to be recognized. I have, therefore, given them unaltered; as they cannot be of any great moment.

I have only to add that although frequently obliged to translate freely sundry passages unfit for a more accurate rendering, I have yet kept as much as I could to the style of the original, as best in a work of this kind. I have also added a few notes from the Talmud, Midrashim and other Eastern writings, placed at the end of the volume, and numbered, to which reference is made in the text--in order either to illustrate the matter in hand, or to supply details of particular interest.

		S. C. MALAN.
The Vicaraqe, Broadwindsor, July I2th, 1882.

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 planted¹ the garden² in the east of the earth, on the border of the world³ eastward, beyond which, towards the sun-rising, one finds nothing but water, that encompasses the whole world, and reaches unto the borders of heaven.⁴‡

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 he 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

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, 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,† Adam, in the same terms, ere he came out of the garden, [when he was] by the tree whereof Eve took [the fruit] and gave it him to eat.

Inasmuch as, when our father Adam came out of the garden, he passed by‡ that tree, and saw how God had then changed the appearance of it into another form, and how it withered.

And as Adam went to it he feared, trembled and fell down ; but God in His mercy lifted him up, and then made this covenant with him.§

And, again, when Adam was by the gate of the garden, and saw the cherub with a sword of flashing fire in his hand, and the cherub grew angry and frowned at him, both Adam and Eve became afraid of him, and thought he meant to put them to death. So they fell on their faces, and trembled with fear.

But he had pity on them, and showed them mercy; and turning [from them] went up to heaven, and prayed unto the Lord, and said:--

"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. O 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?

"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 gardenland? 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, [compared] 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,¹⁵ 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, [the sin] which I committed, and remember it not against me.

"For I alone¹⁶ 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.

"O 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.

"But 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, O 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.

"O Lord, I and he are one, and Thou, God, art our Creator, Thou art [He] who made us both in one day.¹⁸

"Therefore, O 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.

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 owp free will, until you came out of the garden in which I had placed you. Of your own free will have you transgressed¹⁹ 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 Satan²⁰ 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 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."

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.‡

CHAPTER VIII.

Then Adam wept and said, "[0] 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 couldst 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 worshipping Him 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:--

"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, "Seest 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 sea- shore as dead.

Then the angel went up to God, was welcome, and said, "[O] 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.

Then God said to Adam, "While thou wast under My command and wast a bright angel, thou knewest 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.

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!"

"O Eve! remember the glory* that rested on us in the garden.²⁶ O Eve! remember the trees that overshadowed us in the garden while we [moved] among them.

"O 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.

But, the merciful Lord looked on the death of Adam, and on Eve's 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, O 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's 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.

"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, O 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, O 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, O Adam, has this night deceived thee. It is not to last for ever; but is only of twelve hours; when it is over, daylight 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 shouldest 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;§ 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 hight; 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, O 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, O 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, O Adam; and daylight will soon appear."

CHAPTER XIV.

Then Adam said unto God: "O 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."

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 fulfilment 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 fulfilment 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 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.

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 aforetime [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 the 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 race³¹ because in the first place, has the ruin My creatures happened through thee, and now thou wishest 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:—

"O 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 hia breast, and fell upon the earth like a corpse; then came to him the Word of God, who raised him, and said unto him, "O 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 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, "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 worshipped 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."

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, "O 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, "O 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 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 hy Adam.

Then Adam wept more and said, "O 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.

"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 savour 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 favourable to thee."

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 favourable 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 lovest 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 XXVI..

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.

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 shouldest 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 fulfilment of the days, and the time of My covenant is come.

"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 camest 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 worshipped 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.

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 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^s] 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:--

"O 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 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 worshipped 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.

But when the wily Satan saw them, that they were going to the garden, he 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, "0 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.

But when the merciful God saw that Satan wished to kill 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's 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.

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.

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.

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.

"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;† 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 savour; and the myrrh, to comfort thee in thy sorrow."

When Adam heard these words from God, he worshipped before Him. He and Eve worshipped Him and gave Him thanks, because He had dealt mercifully with them.

Then God commanded the three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, 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.

The angels then comforted Adam and Eve, and departed.

The gold was seventy rods; the incense, twelve pounds; and the myrrh, three pounds.

These remained by Adam in the House‡ of Treasures; therefore was it called "of concealment." But other interpreters say it was called the "Cave of Treasures," by reason of the bodies of righteous men that were in it.

These three things did God give to Adam, on the third day after he had oome out of the garden, in token of the three days the Lord should remain in the heart of the earth.

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.**

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, "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 favourable 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 five-and-thirty days.

I.] 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 Grod 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 fulfil 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 favour-
able 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's] appearancef 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. t Lit. sign.

3 *



36 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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.^^



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,
" O my Lord, my God, and my Creator, Thou didst command

* Lit. greatness.



1.] ADAM'S PRAYER. 37

the four elements to be gathered together,* and they were
gathered together by Thine order.

'' Then Thou spreadest 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 gavest me under-
standing 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] .

" O God, Thou madest 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. Bat 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 saidst to me in the garden, ' When thou eatest of it, of
death thou shalt die.'

" And if Thou hadst punishedf me as Thou saidst, with
death, I should have died that very moment. J

" Moreover, when Thou commandedst 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.

X Lit. in my hour, or time.



38 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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, O 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, O my Lord,
how awful and great are Thy goodness and glory.

" And of Thy goodwill, O Lord, Thou madest us both with
bodies of a bright nature, and Thou madest us two, one ; and
Thou gavest 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] f aintness 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 sufiering, and faintness, hunger and
thirst to come upon us.

" Now, therefore, O God, we pray Thee, give us something
to eat from the garden,^^ to satisfy our hunger with it j 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, O God, we dare not gather aught of the fruit of

* Lit. satisfy.



I.] 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's 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 : —

" Adam, when thou wast in My garden, thou knewest
neither eating nor drinking ; neither faintness nor suffering ;
neither leanness of flesh, nor change; neither did sleep depart
from thine eyes. But since thou transgressedst, and camest
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

* Lit. and.



40 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

in the garden, and the Word of God came to Adam and Eve
and said unto them, " Adam, Adam, where art thou V 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 DOt 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
had hidden themselves.

And Adam and Eve wept sore.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

Then Adam said to Eve, " Seest 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.



I.] PRAYER FOR TEE FRUIT OF LIFE. 41

hour of Friday, we were stripped of the bright nature we had,"
and did not continue in the garden after our transgression,
more than three hours.

''But on the evening Thou madest 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 command-
ment, in presence of Thee.

" O 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 madest
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
equivalentf for the one hour in which we transgressed.



CHAPTER XXXVIII.

After these things the Word of God came to Adam, and
said unto him : —

" O 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. f Even with.



42 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

" 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 deny t thy request, neither will I disappoint thy
hope ; therefore, bear up unto the fulfilment 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 j 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,
" O 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.



I.] 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.'®

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.

WTien 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.^'f

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.

t 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. [book

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,
tbee and thy righteous seed ; and I will give thee and them
the rest thou askest 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.

* i.e., thy sentence — or, panishment.



T.] FOURTH APPABJTION OF SATAN. 45

" And, again, as regards the Water of Life thou seekest, 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, " O 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 ; 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 worshipped 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 XLIIL

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, O Eve, behold, this is the same fire that was in

* Or, soup, mess, cooking.



46 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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, [may be] 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 soulsf
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?" J

* Or, and He will not let us enter into it.
t Or, " us," X Or, " the promise He has made us."



I.] SATAN TRIES TO BURN TEE CAVE. 47

Then Adam said no more. And they kept looking, he and
Ere, 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 Grod, 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 seekest 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," &c.



48 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

and tliy 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 thfey 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."



I.] GOD SPEAKS TO ADAM. 49

thee ; but after thou hast transgressed My commandment, they
all rise over thee."

Again said God unto him, " See, O 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 bum thee and Eve.

" Why, O 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 ?

" Thinkest 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 deliver-
ance 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 comes, 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 Won)," i.e., God speaking to us through His Son.

4



50 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 XL VI.

Then Adam and Eye 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's 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 hke 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,
»nd the power it has over you.



I.] TEEY RETURN TO THE GAVE. 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 fulfil 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 XLYII.

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 fulfil His promise ? "

Then Adam and Eve passed into the cave, blessing them-
selves 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 f 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

* Lit. jndge, or sentence. f Lit. of.

4*



52 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 j 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 Eve.

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's 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.



I.] ADAM AND EVE UNDER TEE ROOK. 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 transgres-
sion, 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 camest out of
the cave, to comef to this place ? "

And Adam said unto God, " Lord, we came to this place

* Tent or awning. f Lit. and earnest.



54 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

because of the heat of the fire, that came upon us inside the
cave."

Then the Lord God said unto Adam, " O Adam, thou
dreadest the heat of fire for one night, but how will it be
when thou dwellest in hell ?*

" Yet, O 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, O Adam, and to thy seed, to believe in Me.
But, O 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.

* Also Arab. : how would it be if thou wert dwelling or abiding in hell ?



I.] ADAM IN SEABGH 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, " O 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.

* Lit. dyed.



56 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 no more, but wept before
God on account of their creation, and of their bodies that
required an earthly covering.



I.] OOD CLOTHES ADAM AND EVE. 57

Then Adam said unto Eve, " O Eve, this [is the] skin of
beasts with which we shall he 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 ; aad 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.^^

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
saidt their prayers after their custom ; and then went out of
the cave.

* Lit. moVed. t I^t. prayed.



68 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 LIII.

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, " Adam, what seekest 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 purposef upon thee.

" For in this western border, O Adam, there will go from
thee a seed, that shall replenish it ; and that will defile them-
selves 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 dwellest 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 plated himself." t ^)^> counsel.



T.] ADAM MEETS THE CEEBVB. 59

the Cave of Treasures. But 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
favourable 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. [book

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 jQaming 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 favour-
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 : —

" Spirits, who wait upon God, look upon me, and upon my



I.] ADAM SPEAKS TO TEE 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, 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 gneved
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 fulfil 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, pro-
mising 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 ordersf 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 frowardly
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. t Ranks, or dignities.



62 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

" But when he 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 fulfilment of
the promise ; and to help him in this world until he was free
from Satan's hand.



CHAPTEE 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.



I.] GOB 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 fulfil even one of the things he told
thee.

" Acknowledge, then. My favour 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 worshipped 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 shamefacedness, 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 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

CHAPTER LYII.

Seventh apparition of Satan to Adam and Eve.

But when Adam came out and saw his hideous figure, lie
was afraid of him, and said unto him, " Who art thou 1'*

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, " Thinkest thou, that when I
have spoken to one about anything, I shall ever bring it to
him or fulfil my word? Not so. For I myself have never
even thought of obtaining what I asked.

*' Therefore did I fall, and did 1 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.



I.] 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, O 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 comest
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 fulfil
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 dayt 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 com-
mitted ; 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, f There is confusion of numbers in the text. J Or, trials.

5



6G THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

They abode thus praying in the cave j 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 listest."

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, O my God,
that they should smite me with such blows, and that this
suffering should come upon us j 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.



I.] EIGHTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 67

divinity. Where is his love for thee ? And where is the g^ft
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, " O 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,*° and girt about with a bright girdle.

0*



68 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 favourable 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 : —

" Adam, rise ye, stand up, thou and Eve, and come along
with me, to a good land ; and 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 command-
ment.

" 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

* Lit. of the north; t.«., the northern paradise or garden.



I.] 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 fchem to their former state of
grace, and leave them not in misery, for they came from thee.
But grieve not over them, nor repentf 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, O Adam, when I heard the name of Satan, I was
afraid, and I said within myself,J 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 findest 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. f Or, regret, grieve over.

X I-'it. ray thoughts, or mind.



70 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

" 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 say est/

" 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 towai'ds
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.



I.] GOB 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 breakf 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.J

" But I in mercy and with the favour 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 worshipped 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. t ^^^- alter.

% i.e., to show yoa tokens that appeared true.
§ The fnlfilinent of the fortieth day.



72 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

Then Adam and Eve stood up [and] witli great zeal,* prayed
to God, to be brought out of their wantf 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.*^

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 consola-
tion God had given them. J

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

• Lit. labour, fervonr, or toil. t I^ck, or poverty.

X Or, because God had comforted them.



I.] 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. [book

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 Lis 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 marvellous 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, '' O 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 knowest 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 marvellous works, God, that they are
great, and that by Thy power Thou canst bring one thing out

* In the garden.



1.] 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 savoury 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

♦ Lit. my will, or wibh.



76 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 defiled 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. Thinkest
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 oflf;
and that they could not enter it.



I.] 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 G*"^'^



78 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 hang
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] .



CHA.PTBR LXVII.

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.



I.] GOD GIVES TEEM 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 corn], 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."t

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, " 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

* Lit. dry. t ^it. have rest from them.



80 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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."



I.] 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
ofiering,f 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
innocencej went up to the like incense. But now, God,
accept this offering from us, and tarn us not back, reft§ of Thy
mercy. ||

Then God said to Adam and Eve, " 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



* Lit. place,
f 'O (Ttroc a Kai b oIvoq rwv ay'iutv fivarripiwv aiviyfiara. S. Athan., QucBSt.
Ixvii, vol. ii, p. 414.

X Or, purity. § Or, bare.

II The Arabic adds : And God wondered at Adam's wisdom, and Adam's deed
pleased bim.

% Or, body. ** Used at the Eucharist in the East.

6



82 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 favour 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 worshipped 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 fiesh; for
they are th« 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



I.] 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 fii'tieth, 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, ivhile Adam
was praying over the offering upon the altar ; when Sa,tan smote
him.

Then Satan, the hater of all good, envious of Adam and of
his offering through which he found favour 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, '* Fulfil 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 t»

* Also : lack, or imperfection, defect, or deficiency.

*



84 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 worshipped 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 com 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 maJee
war against him, through his marriage with Eve.

After this Satan, the hater of all good, took the form of an
angel, and with 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]



1.] 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 some-
thing."

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 hearest not, we will return
to God, and tell Him that thou wouldest not receive His word."

And Satan said again to Adam, " Fear not, neither let a
trembling come upon thee ; dost not thou know us V

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. [book

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 camest out of the garden, and thou knowest 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 adulteiy with my [flesh and my] bones, and shall I
sin against myself, for God to destroy me, and to blot me out
from ofl" 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 !"

* Lit. as indeed. •f Lit. foul.



I.] ADAM'S 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 unto God, beseeching
and entreating Hitn with tears, to forgive him what he had
done. And Adatn 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 LXXII.

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. [book

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, O 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 A dam 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."



I.] 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
knowest 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 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 deJBle 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 them-
selves to us." Here Adam ended his prayer.



CHAPTER LXXni.

Tlien 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 camest
out of the garden into this land V

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 infer oi 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



I.] BIRTH OF OAIN 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-thi*ee 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, "ITiis 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 God ; 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 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

fulfilled : " In suffering slialt thou bear a child, and in sorrow
shalt 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 Grod looked at His maid-servant Eve, and delivered her,
and she brought forth her first-bom 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.f*^

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
ofiering and offer it up in behalf of the children."

And Eve said, " We will make one offering for the first-bom
son ; and afterwards we shall make one for the daughter."



CHAPTER LXXV.

Then Adam prepared an ofiering, 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.

* Eth. Cail. f " Lulawa " is the Arabic for " a pearl."



I.] ADAM'S OFFERINa 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 piers 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 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 child-
bearing.



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 con-
cerning them, and said unto them, " How did you come by
these V

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



I.] SATAN APPEARS TO CAIN. 95

it was day, an angel of God appeared uuto him, wlio said to
him, " Shorten neither fasting, prayer, nor offering up 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-hearted 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-favoured

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 LXXVII.

But when Adam saw that the elder brother hated the
younger, he endeavoured -to soften their hearts, and said unto
Cain, " Take, 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. [book

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,*^ 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.f



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 ?"

* Lit. destraction.

t MicLr. Tankhuma (fol. 5), however, says that Cain and Abel were then about
forty years old.



I.] 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 j 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 J 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.

f Lit. assist or help.

X Or, beguiled.

7



98 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

Then wlien 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,*' 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
humour 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 savour 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 savour 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.



I.] CAIN'S AND ABEUS OFFERINGS. 99

Then he opened his mouth and blasphemed God, because He
had not accepted his offering.

But God said unto Cain, " Wherefore is thy countenance
sad ?** 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 him. And Adam grieved much
because God had not accepted Cain's offering.

But Abel came down rejoicing, and with a gladsome heart,
and tcld 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 hitn : — *

" O 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.

* Lit. field.

7*



100 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

" To-day, O, my brother, I very much wish thou wouldest
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, O, 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
fro ward, 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 Justy whom his brother, Gain the Injidel,

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



1.] 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, " O, 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,^ 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 ;*^ 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.^ 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 concerninof his brother.



102 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 God 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, O God ? am I my brother's keeper V*

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, " O 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, "1 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 aud 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 "*^ 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."

* Lit. fighed over, was grieved.



1.] CURSE AND PUNISHMENT OF CAIN. 103

Then Cain trembled and became terrified ; and througb this
sign did God make him an example*^" 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 bom with
him. But when she saw him, she was affrighted, and said
unto him, " 0, my brother, wherefore art thou come thus
trembling V And he said to her, " I have killed my brother
Abel in a certain place."

• Or, notorioos.



104 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book



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 dusfc 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 Tres^sures,
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.^

As for Cain, when the mourning for his brother was ended,
he took his isister 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.



II.] BIRTH OF SETE. 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 AbeFs 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 worshipped, 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.^

Then Eve was comforted when she saw him, and remained



106 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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,* that
/neans, " 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
Cav-e 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 hia
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. J

But 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.

t This does not agree with other accounts. See Fabric. Cod. Apoe. Y. T., vol. i.

X i.e., without a twin sister. § Lit. with hard labour.



II.] FIFTEENTH APPARITION OF SATAN. 107

when lie saw him thus separated from her ; and strove to make
him live with her again. ^

Then Adam arose andwent np 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. [book

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 fulfil 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 favourably 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, 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.



11.] SATAN TEMPTS ADAM. 109

But when Adam saw him, he 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, O 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 command-
ment of God. But God did not the like to any one of Adam's
seed ; but only to Adam and Eve.

Then Adam worshipped 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,

* Lit. Diabolos.



110 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 isf 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 may est 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. t ^^^- conditions are.



II.] 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 V

And Satan said, " Yes j behold thou hast heard me ; but I
will yet praise them and their ways, in thy hearing."

But Seth said to him, " Thy speech has amazed me ; and
thy beautiful description [of it all}.

" Yet I cannot go with thee to-day ; not until I have goue
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 com-
mandment 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 shalb 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. [book

more. Then I shall bring thee back to this place to-morrow ;
but if thou wouldest 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

* Lit. of their sin.



II.] SETH'S MARRIAGE. 113

him^ to whatever place he might go, whether for his ofEering
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,t 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.

t * Called 'Qpaia by the Sethians. S. Epiph. Hceres. xxxix, c. 5. Adam gave
to Seth, Owain, Abel's sister, in marriage. Eutych. Nazam al-jaw., p. 18, see note
p. 106.

t A hundred and five years old, Eutych. Kaaam al-jaw., p. 18.

J Tt}v ISiav aSt\(p>)v'A(TaovafiKaXovfiii'Tiv ytjfias, iyivv/jai tuv'Evoic. Cedren.
i, Hist. Comp., p. 17.

§ i.e., coutinually and earnestly.

8



114 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book



CHAPTER VIII.

When our father Adam saw that his end was near,' 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's
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,
our father ? And how shall the earth receive thee and hide
thee from our eyes V Thus did they lament much, and in
like words. t

Then our father Adam blessed them all, and said to Seth,
after he had blessed them : —

" Seth, my son, thou knowest this world — that it is full of
sorrow, and of weariness ; and thou knowest all that has come
upon us, from our trials in it. I therefore now command thee
in these words : to keep innocency, 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 com-
mandment abide firm among all your children.^

" 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

* Lit. down his cheeki. f Or, straiuB.



II.] ADAM'S COUNSEL TO SETS. 115

in this Cave of Treasures in whicli are all these tokens which
God gave us from the garden.

*' my son, hereafter shall a flood come^ and overwhelm all
creatures, 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 out
of 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 J 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-

8 *



116 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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.^

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,^° 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

* i.e., the gold, the incense, and the myrrh.



II.] THE DEATH OF ADAM. 117

Mountain ; and he 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, " O
Seth, Seth, Seth, three times. As I was with thy father, so
also shall I be with thee, until the fulfilment 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.

Bat Adam was the first whose soul died in the land of



118 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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,^' Seth severed his
children, and his children's children, from Cain's children.
Cain and his seed went down and dwelt westward, below the
place where he had killed his brother Abel.^*

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 j
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 ;^* for they had no other
thought than praises, doxologies, and psalms unto God. There-
fore did they at all times hear the voices of angels, praising
and 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). Eafale, p. 19.



n.] TEE CHILDREN OF SETS. 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 foul
words 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.f

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 Bnos, and Cainan, son of
Enos, and Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, and said unto them :—

" As ray end is near, I wish to build a roof over the altar on
which gifts are offered.'*

* Lit. of the arm.

t They dwelt on Mount Hermon leading a life of purity, and abstaining from
marriage; wherefore were they called Watchers and Sons of Ood. Bar. Ilebr. Pyn.,
p. 4.



120 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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,^^ 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, my children, that we flee from him.



II.] LAMEGH TEE 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- bom 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.^^

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,t who tended them ; and who, when coming
* In Arabic, it means hot, hard, hasty. t Lamech 's grandson.



122 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 ofi", 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, " O my lord, is that a wild beast
or 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.^''



II.] LIFE AND DEATH OF EN08. 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, O
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 and
eighty-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 XV.

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. [book

commatided him; he also continued to minister before the
body of Adam, inside the Cave of Treasures.^'

Then when he had hved 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^^ 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
oflferings 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 childreji 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, f to

♦ See also Entych. Naaam 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.



II.] 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, O my son, hereafter there shall come a great destruc-
tion 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
intercourse with the children of Cain, and that they shall
perish with them.

'* O 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 fulfil 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 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

Wherefore did he give them orders repeatedly ; and con-
tinued 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.



II.] 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 command-
ment is to be handed from one to another, unto the end of the
generations to come.

" But, O 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, O 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, O 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 to
them, 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 moment
he found not one of his children.



128 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

Then he 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 my
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 oflP, 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 bums inside it, above the bodies that are therein.
Then come back to us, quick."



II.] JARED AMONG THE SONS OF GAIN. 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 himselff from them, and

* Lit. said in their thoughts.

t Or, his soul wrenched itself from them.



130 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

said to him, " Be not sad ; I am the great elder, as thou shalt
see 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, " O 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 XYHI.

The children of Jared were in the habit of visiting him hour
after hour, to receive his blessing and to ask his advice for

* Lit. thought.



II.] JARED RETURNS TO TEE 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,
" 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 J 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, " O 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." ^

9*



132 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 bringest those offerings, so be it, that thou offerest
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] j 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



II.] THE STORY OF OENUN. 133

receivest [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,t there was one of them, whose
name was Genun,^^ 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 instru-

♦ Lit. black mud.

f Kaiv — x^^A'^^oc wv — wKii Si rfiv y^v, ^rif iarl rpifiovtra [nod] •xQaiiaX'fiv
ovaav — he iuhabited a land that is trembling, being low. Cedren., Uist. Covip.,
p. 15.



134 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

mentSj cymbals and psalteries, and lyres and harps, and flutes ;
and he played on them at all times and at every hour.*"

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. f

Then he gathered companies upon companies to play on
them ; and when they played, it pleased well the children of
Cain,J 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 Grenun to bring strong drink out of com ;§
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 also
acted 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 j 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 con-
federates.

Then sin increased among them greatly ; until a man married
his own sister, or daughter, or mother, and others ; or the
daughter of his father's sister, so that there was no more



* Eutych., Nazam alj., p. 20. f iJit- hearts,

X Lit. it seemed well in the eyes ol § Arab. " that is now called beer."



in.] 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. Entych., Nazam alrj., p. 26.



136 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

the children of Seth, standing in troops on the top of the
mountain ; and they called to them to come down to them.

But 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 Pais counsel] .

After this a hundred men of the children of Seth gathered
together,'^^ 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 fervour, 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, " O my good and innocent and holy children.



II.] 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/ "f

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.''^*

• 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 lamp. Cod. Nasar, ii, 148.

f S. Ephrem, Serm. 1, on Par., vol. iii, p. 664.

X 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 dc rfiv wpaioTijra twv Ovyarepuv tuv dv6pu)Triitv, rJTOi tvv Kd'iv
avToi'i irpuxTiv. Cedren., Hijst. Comp., p. 17.

II Eutycbus tells the same in words that had better remain in the original.



138 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE, [book

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.^^

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^
into the defilement of sin.^^

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 XXI.

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.

* Nvv li iv xpovotc rov 'IdpiS Kai iirsKtiva ^apfiaKiia cat /itayiia, iaiXyita^
/iotxtia Kai aSiKia. S. Epiph., Ilwres., Lib. I, i, 5.



II.] JAREB'S LA8T 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 trans-
gression of God's commandment.

" But I know, through the power of God, that He will not
leave you on this holy mountain,^^ 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,^^ and when he goes out of this land
he shall take with him the body of our father Adam, and shalj
lay it in the middle of the earth, the place in which salvation
shall be wrought.''t

Then Noah said unto him, " Who is he of us that shall be
left ?"

And Jared answered, " Thou art he that shall be left.'° 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.

t See Ps. Ixxiv. 12, and S. Athan. Qucest. ad A., Vol. II, p. 393.



140 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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;J'^ 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.

f That is — the Ethiopic December ; whereas the Arabic original has Tishrin
(October), the month in which he was born and also died.
J Lit. by whom also there is a celebrated book.



11.] 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.^^

" 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."^^

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.

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, Methu-
selah, 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 Beroion on Enoch.



142 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book



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.^

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 wilfully 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.

* Lit. father.



III.] 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. Sham, Ham, and Japhet.



CHAPTER II.

After these things, God spake unto Noah about the Flood j
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.^

" 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. [book

cubits, the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof
thirty cubits.^

" And when thou hast made and finished it, let there be in it
ons door above, and three compartments ;* and every compart-
ment 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* of ebony wood,
three cubits long, one and a half cubit wide, with a mouth-
piece 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 labour.'*

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.



III.] DEATH OF LAMEGH. 145

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,
O 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, my son, thou diest

10



146 TEE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 j 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.^

When the children of Seth went down from the Holy Moun-
tain, 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.^

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 Ai-abic term.



III.] 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.'^

And if such a thing were of the nature of angels, or Satans,
that fell, they would not leave one woman on earth, undefiled.
For Satans 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.f Bat 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 inno-
cence 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."

t See S. Matt, xxii, 30, and the same in S. Mark and in S. Luke. See also
note .5 from the Coran. Sur. vi, xxxvii, and liii, etc.

10*



148 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 neigh-
bourhood 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.



III.] 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 j^ 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 ;^ for that Melchizedec is priest of the Most High
God ;^'^ 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,t 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 fulfils before God."

After this Methuselah commanded Noah [saying], "Mind,
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,
j- i.e., single.



150 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

ing ; 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] ; bat
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 Methu-
selah 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, worshipped 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 J 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 worshipped 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 *^^

'*' Lit. and would (or wished) not that one should help him.



III.] ADAM'S BODY TAKEN TO THE AUK. 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 t"

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 Saviour 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 com-
manded 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
streuffthened.



152 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 !^^ 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 of
creation ; 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 theg 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 trans-
gression 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, O 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 !

" O Seth, great master, among the fathers, we greet thee



III.] NOAH LEAVES THE MOUNTAIN. 153

with peace ! O 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 j 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.'^

" 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. [book

But Noah said, " Shall the sound of the trump reach unto
the ends of the earth to gather together the boasts 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.



III.] 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 j 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.^* 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

* Lit. locks.



156 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

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 ;^^ 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,^^ 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 fortht 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 foi*ty nights.

* Lit rendered by. f Or, spread.



III.] 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,^^

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 olive-
leaf.*

The meaning of the dove is, that she is taken as a figure of
the old and of the new [covenants] .^^ 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 resting-
place.

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. Targ. Jonath., in Gen. viii.



158 THE BOOK OF ADAM AND EVE. [book

the earth.^^ 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 aod 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.^

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 oflFered
nacrifices. Targ. Jon