And at last the Angel of Mankind came to her and said, "Rise up, Eve;
for Adam thy husband is departing out of this life, and is going to
meet Him that made him."
Eve therefore arose and looked up into the sky; and she saw a chariot
of light coming, drawn by four shining eagles, and angels on either
side escorting the chariot. And when it came above the place where
our father Adam lay, it stayed. And the angels came bearing censers,
and they stood about it and lighted their censers, and the smoke of
the incense rose up and hid the firmament; and the angels bowed and
worshipped, saying, "Holy One, have mercy, for he is Thine image and
the work of Thy hands."
Also Eve beheld two great and fearful ones standing in the heavens,
and she was afraid and called upon Seth, saying, "Rise up, O Seth,
and come to me, and behold that which no eye of man hath looked
upon." So he came to her, and she said, "Seest thou the seven heavens
open, and thy father Adam lying upon his face and the holy angels
interceding for him?" She said, moreover, "Who are the two dark ones
that stand praying for thy father?" And Seth answered, "They are the
Sun and the Moon, who are entreating the Most High for my father
Adam." And Eve said, "Where then is their light, and why is their
aspect black?" And he said, "They cannot shine in the presence of
the Light of all things: therefore is their light departed from
them."
Now as Seth was speaking to his mother, behold, the angels blew with
the trumpets, and fell on their faces, and cried with a loud voice,
"Blessed be the glory of the Lord over all His works; for He hath had
compassion upon Adam, the work of His hands." Then came one of the
Seraphim, having six wings, and caught up the soul of Adam and bare
it to the lake of pure water which is on the north side of Eden, and
washed it before the face of God. And the Most High commanded him to
deliver it unto Michael the archangel, that he should bear it into
Paradise until the day of the visitation of all things.
After that the holy archangel entreated the Most High concerning the
body of Adam. And God commanded all the angels to come before Him,
every one in his order; and they gathered themselves together,
bearing censers and trumpets and vials full of odours. And the Lord
of Hosts went up, and the great winds before Him, and the Cherubim
flying upon the winds, and the angels of heaven round about Him. And
they bore up the body of Adam and carried it into the garden. And all
the trees of the garden bowed and swayed and gave forth their odours.
And because of the greatness of that sight, and of the sweetness of
the odours of Paradise, all the sons of Adam, and all that were on
the earth, were cast into a deep sleep, saving Seth only.
Now as the body of Adam lay in Paradise, God said, "O Adam, why didst
thou transgress My commandment? For if thou hadst kept it, they that
persecute thee would not have rejoiced against thee. Nevertheless I
say unto thee, that hereafter I will turn their joy into sorrow, and
thy sorrow into joy."
Then the angels brought shrouds of silk and fine linen, and God
commanded Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael, and they wrapped up
the body of Adam therein, and anointed it with sweet odours. And the
Lord said, "Bring hither also the body of Abel." For since the day
when Cain slew him, the body of Abel had not been buried: because
Cain often sought to hide it, but the earth would not receive it,
until the dust that was first taken out of her and made into a body,
that is, the body of Adam, should be restored to her.
So the body of Abel was brought and wrapped in grave-clothes like
that of Adam; and they were both of them buried in the place from
which God took the dust when He formed Adam at the first, and the
angels dug the grave and covered it in.
And when this was done, God called to the body, saying, "Adam, Adam!"
And the body answered, "Here am I, Lord." And the Lord said, "I
said unto thee, 'Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.'
Behold now I promise thee that in the last days I will raise thee up
yet again out of the dust, even thee and all thy seed with thee." And
God sealed the tomb that no man should touch it until six days were
fulfilled, and the rib which was taken out of Adam should be given
back to him.
After these things Eve awoke out of her sleep, and was troubled
because she knew not what had become of the body of Adam; and she
prayed, saying, "Lord, as Thou didst make me out of the flesh of
Adam, and as I was with him in the garden, and after we were cast out
I was never parted from him, so now, I beseech thee, suffer me to be
buried with him, and let no man part us asunder." And on the seventh
day after the death of Adam, Eve was thus praying; and when she had
ended her prayer, she looked up into heaven and smote her breast and
said, "Lord God of all things, receive my spirit." And so she gave up
her soul to God.
And immediately the angels came and took her body, and buried it in
the place where the bodies of Adam and Abel were laid.