ADAM

When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, they were as

helpless as little children. They knew nothing of day or night, heat

or cold; they could not kindle a fire to warm themselves, nor till the

ground to grow food. They had as yet no clothes to wear and no shelter

against rain or sun. As long as they were in the garden, it was always

light and warm, and their bodies were so fashioned that they had no

need of food or sleep or of protection against the burning of the sun;

but since they had eaten of the Tree of Knowledge, they had become like

us. Moreover, all the beasts and birds were friendly with them; but

now they knew that it was not so, and that they had no defence if any

fierce animal chose to attack them; and, more than all, they knew that

they had a cruel enemy lying in wait for them outside the garden, even

Satan, who had hated them from the first, and had brought about their

fall by means of the serpent. And so it was that when they came out of

the gate of the garden and saw the earth stretched out before them,

covered with rocks and sand, and found themselves in a strange land

where there was no one to guide them, they fell down on their faces,

and became as dead, because of the misery and sorrow which they felt.

But God looked upon them and sent His Word to raise them up and comfort

them; and showed them a place not very far from the garden where there

was a cave; and told them that they were to live there. Now this was

the cave which was afterwards called the Cave of Treasures.

When first they entered into the cave, they did nothing but weep and

lament: not only because they had lost the garden, but also because

for the first time the sky was hidden from them by the roof of the

cave; for as yet they had never been in any place where they could

not see it. But when the sun set and there was darkness outside the

cave as well as inside, they were frightened beyond measure; for they

said, "It is because of what we have done: the light is gone out of

the heavens, and will come back no more." Then the Word of God spake

to them and said, "Be comforted; it is only so for a few hours, and

the light will return to you." And they remained praying and weeping

in the cave until the darkness began to grow less. After that the sun

rose, and Adam went to the mouth of the cave, and it shone full upon

him, and he felt the burning heat of it on his body for the first

time, and thought that it was God who had come to afflict and punish

him; and he beat upon his breast and prayed for mercy. But God said,

"This sun is not God; it is created to give light to the world, and

every day it will rise in like manner, and travel over the heavens

and set, as you have seen it. _I_ am God, who comforted you in the

night."

Then Adam and Eve took courage, and came out of the cave, and thought

they would go towards the garden; and when they came near to the gate

by which they had been driven out of it, they met the serpent. Now

before it tempted Eve and became accursed, the serpent had been the

most beautiful of all the creatures. Its head was of all the colours

of the most beautiful jewels; it had eyes like emeralds, and a

melodious voice; it had slender and graceful legs, and it fed on

perfumed flowers and delicious fruits. Now it was loathsome to look

upon; it wriggled on its belly in the dust, and all creatures spurned

and hated it. And when it saw Eve it was enraged to think of the

curse that had come upon it through her, and it raised itself up and

darted at her, and its eyes became blood-red with anger. Then Adam,

who had nothing in his hand wherewith to defend Eve, ran and caught

it by the tail, but it turned upon him and coiled about him and Eve

with its body and began to crush them; and it said, "It is because of

you that I am compelled to trail in the dust and have lost my

beauty." And they cried out for fear. But God sent an angel who

caught hold of the serpent and loosed them, and smote the serpent

with dumbness, so that thereafter it could only hiss. And a great

wind came and took it up, and cast it away upon the seashore of

India.

And when Adam and Eve had a little recovered themselves from their

fear, they went on towards the garden; but at the gate of it there

stood a great cherub holding a sword of fire; and when they were able

to look upon his face, they saw that he was angry and that he frowned

upon them, and raised his sword as if he would smite them with it;

but he said nothing. So they were in great fear, and turned from him

and went back in great sorrow of heart, wandering they knew not

whither, until they found themselves standing on the top of a rock,

and before their feet was a precipice. And Adam was so miserable that

he desired to live no longer; and he cast himself down from the top

of the rock, and lay on the ground below without moving; and Eve

thought that he was dead, and said, "I will not live after him; it is

through my fault that all these evils have come upon him." And she

also threw herself down from the top of the rock; but though both of

them were torn and bruised, they were not wounded to death. And after

a long time they came to themselves.

Then they bethought them that they had done wrong in trying to put an

end to their own lives before it pleased God to set them free from

this world. Therefore Adam took stones and piled them up in the shape

of an altar, and then they gathered leaves from the trees and wiped

off the blood that had been spilt upon the face of the rock, and

gathered up the dust that was mingled with their blood and laid it

upon the altar, and prayed to God to forgive their trespass. And this

was the first offering that they made to God. And God looked upon

them with pity and forgave them, and said, "As you have shed your

blood, so after five thousand and five hundred years have passed will

I take your flesh upon Me and shed My blood for you and for your

children; and it shall have power to quench the flame of the sword

which is in the hand of the angel, and you shall enter again into the

garden, and dwell there until the time when I shall make a new heaven

and a new earth."

But when Satan saw that God had pity upon Adam and Eve and accepted

their humble offering--for he was all this time keeping watch to see

what would become of them--he was filled with dismay and hate, and

began to contrive means by which he might lead them astray and put an

end to them; for he thought, "If these creatures were destroyed,

the earth would remain to me and to my hosts, and I should reign over

it alone." He called therefore for some of his host, and made them

appear like angels of light. And when they were all disguised in this

fashion, they rose into the air and flew towards the cave, from which

Adam and Eve were just coming out, meaning to go once again towards

the garden. When they caught sight of these bright ones in the air,

they stopped and raised their hands towards them, thinking that they

were angels coming to them with a message. Satan called to Adam,

"Adam, we are angels come from God; He has sent us to bring you to

the lake of pure water that is on the north side of Eden, that you

may wash yourselves in it and be cleansed from your sin, and return

once more to the garden. Come therefore and follow us." And they

turned and began flying towards the north; but Adam and Eve were glad

beyond measure, and followed the troop of angels as quickly as they

could, till they came to the mountain on the north side of Eden which

overhung the lake. Then Satan lighted on the ground, and guided them

to the top of the mountain, which was very steep. And when they were

at the summit, they stood for a while and looked down upon the waters

of the lake; and while they were doing so, Satan vanished away

silently, and all his host with him; so that when Adam and Eve looked

round, they found themselves left alone and in great peril. And they

saw that they had been brought into this danger by Satan, and that he

had deceived them once again. And they cried aloud for help.

Then God had pity on them, and commanded the angels Sariel and

Salathiel to bear them in their arms and carry them back to their

cave. And when they were come there, Adam prayed to God that, if they

might not be permitted to go into the garden any more, He would at

least give them something for a remembrance of it to comfort them. So

God commanded the archangel Michael to go as far as the Sea of India,

and fetch thence some gold, and dip it in the water that flows from

under the Tree of Life, and give it to Adam. Likewise He commanded

Gabriel to speak to the cherub that kept the gate of the garden, and

go in and fetch some frankincense; and Raphael to bring myrrh also

from the garden. And they did so. And Michael brought seventy rods of

gold, and Gabriel twelve pounds weight of frankincense, and Raphael

three pounds of myrrh; and these were all laid up in the cave where

Adam and Eve lived: wherefore it was called the Cave of Treasures.

And when the appointed time was fulfilled, and the Word took upon Him

the flesh of the sons of Adam, three kings came from the East to do

Him honour, and offered to Him that same gold and frankincense and

myrrh, which had come down to them through many generations.

After some days, Adam and Eve made a vow that they would go, one of

them to the river Tigris and the other to the river Euphrates, and

would wade into the water up to the neck, and stand there for forty

whole days and nights, praying earnestly that they might be forgiven;

for even yet they went on hoping that, if they accomplished some

great act of repentance, they might be permitted to return into Eden.

They separated, therefore, and stood in the water of the river,

fasting and praying. But Satan suspected that they had made such a

vow, and it frightened him, for he did not feel sure that God would

not change His purpose and forgive them; and he said to himself, "I

will take care that they shall not keep their vow." Accordingly, on

the thirty-fifth day, as Eve stood praying in the water, she heard a

voice as of an angel praising God, and she looked and saw one in

bright raiment coming to her, and he called to her and said, "God has

forgiven Adam! All is well. I have just now brought the good tidings

to Adam, and he bade me come and tell you; and lest you should doubt

of the truth, he said, 'Remind her of the sign which was given to us

in the cave: how the angels brought the gold and laid it on the

south side, and the incense on the east, and the myrrh on the west.'"

Then Eve was sure that the messenger spoke true, and she rejoiced

greatly, and came, as well as she could, out of the water, and

followed him. But when they came in sight of the river Euphrates, she

saw Adam still standing in the water praying, and she knew that she

had been deceived; and at that moment Satan vanished away, and Eve

fell upon the ground, for she was stiff with the cold, and weak with

fasting. As for Adam, when he saw her, he cried out and smote upon

his breast, and sank down into the water, and would have perished but

that God sent His angel and drew him up out of the water. And he

showed Adam that he could not by these means gain admittance to the

garden before the time appointed was fulfilled.

After these things God showed Adam and Eve the things that were

necessary for their life. For as yet they had eaten nothing since

they came out of the garden; because the food which they had when

they were there was heavenly food, and it sustained them through all

these many days. Neither had they any clothes. Therefore God told

them to go to the seashore, and there they should find the skins of

some sheep whose flesh had been devoured by lions, and these skins

they should take and make them into raiment. But Satan heard the

words of God, and immediately went to the place where the skins were,

with intent to throw them into the sea, or burn them with fire; only,

just as he was about to seize them, God spake a word, and Satan was

bound there immovable, in his own hideous form. And when Adam and Eve

came to the place, they saw him crouching beside the skins; and they

were afraid at the horrible look of him. Then the Word came to them,

saying, "This is he who promised to make you as gods. What have you

gained, think you, by hearkening to his words?" And Satan was

cowed, and fled away in shame.

Adam and Eve therefore took the sheep-skins, and there came an angel

who showed them how to sew them together with palm-thorns and sinews,

and they made them into raiment.

Again, God showed them a land where corn was growing, and told them

how they might use it for bread; for it was ripe, and they gathered

the ears and made an offering of the first ears. And Satan came and

burnt part of the corn; but the angels drove him away.

Many other times also did Satan try to destroy Adam and Eve, coming

to them disguised as an angel and enticing them into the wilderness;

and again, when they were sleeping on the side of a mountain outside

their cave, he loosened a great rock above them that it might fall

and crush them; but the angels of God caught it and fixed it like a

roof over the heads of Adam and Eve, and when they awoke they were

astonished. And once he fell upon Adam and smote him in the side with

a sharp stone so that he almost slew him. Nevertheless, in all these

perils Adam and Eve put their trust in God, and He protected them and

healed them. And after a time Satan perceived that he would not be

able to destroy them by injuring their bodies, and that they would

not listen to him when he tempted them to disobey God. So Satan's war

against Adam was defeated.

This is the first part of the story of Adam, as it is told in an old

book called The Conflict of Adam and Eve. It is only part of the

story; I have left out a great deal. The second part of the story is

taken from a Greek book called The Revelation of Moses, and a Latin

one called The Life of Adam and Eve. It tells how Adam died and was

buried.