In Genesis Rabbath 8.10, the rabbi suggested that, when the angels mistook Adam for God when he was created, that God decided to make him more mortal. This was why God took from Adam's rib to make Eve. The rabbi referred to the point in Genesis 2 when God, "caused sleep to fall upon him [Adam]." The only time this happened was when God created woman from Adam's rib. Thus, the rabbi was attempting to answer the question why God decided to create woman from Adam's rib, rather than form him from dust of the soil like Adam.
However, in the Vita Adae et Evae, "Life of Adam and Eve," multifarious innovations were established, attempting to explain mysteries that existed in the original Genesis text. The first innovation dealt with the motif of the snake. In Genesis, it was unknown why the snake decided to speak to Eve, and eventually caused her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The Devil explained to Adam that all his "enmity, jealousy, and resentment is towards you, since on account of you I was expelled and alienated from my glory, which I had in heaven in the midst of the angels. On account of you I was cast out upon the earth." (Life of Adam and Eve 12.1) The Devil went further to explain how this happened. When Adam was initially created, the angels mistook him for god since he was in such likeness of God. When Michael (an archangel) commanded all the other angels to worship Adam, the Devil refused to do so. He did not believe he had to worship something that was created after him, and believed that Adam deserved to worship him. Michael, of course, replied by saying, "Worship the image of God. If you do not worship, the Lord God will grow angry with you." (Life of Adam and Eve (Latin Version):15.2) The Devil responded by saying, "If he grows angry with me, I will place my seat above the stars of heaven and I will be like the Most High." (Life of Adam and Eve (Latin Version): 15.3) Because of this, God forced Satan to leave the heavens and be restricted to Earth. Thus, the Devil decided to get revenge for Adam, for he believed Adam was the cause of his loss of glory.
What was interesting about the Life of Adam and Eve and Genesis Rabbath 8.10 was that they both explained God's reaction to those who attempted to be equal or better than God. Adam was so convincingly godlike that even the angels decided to worship him. God responded to this by making Adam less complete and forming woman from his rib. Thus, all men would have an incomplete soul. Also, Satan, once an angel, defied God and spoke of how he believed he could be greater than God. God responded by banishing him. So, in a sense, the Devil was wrong in trying to get revenge from Adam, because he was the single cause of his banishment from Heaven. God banished Satan for claiming he was better than God, not because he refused to worship Adam. In fact, it seemed as if Satan knew that Adam was not one to be worshipped. If he had not let his jealousy and enmity overcome him, he would still be in heaven. He was jealous seeing the angels worshipping a lesser being, and thus, he was caused his own demise.
Another innovation described in the Vita dealt with the snake. The Genesis story did not specifically say that the snake was the Devil. The Vita elucidated that the snake was convinced by the Devil to speak with Eve, and when the snake agreed to do so, the Devil possessed the snake and spoke to Eve through the snake. (Life of Adam and Eve (Armenian version): 17.2b) The next mystery that the author of the Vita attempted to solve was the reason why Eve decided to risk her life by eating the fruit and fed Adam the fruit afterwards. She said to the snake, "The tree is good and it looks pleasing to me, but I cannot go and take of the fruit: I am afraid. Come here! If you are afraid, bring me of the fruit and I will eat, so that I may know whether your words are true or not." (Life of Adam and Eve (Armenian version): 18.6) Thus, Eve wanted to eat from the Tree, but decided that, instead of risking her life, she would see if the snake was lying or not. But the snake only agreed to do so if and only if Eve swore to the snake "that you (Eve) will give him (Adam) to eat, and will not decieve your husband Adam." Thus, the reason Eve had to feed Adam the fruit was because she swore to the snake that she would if the snake proved he was not lying. Thus, the Vita further established the notion that not only was the snake not lying, but Eve did not really risk her life by eating the fruit. She saw that the snake was telling the truth, ate the fruit, and gave Adam the fruit because she swore to do so. Therefore, the Vita answer the many questions posed by the Genesis story.
Very good.
ReplyDeleteA few comments:
On Gen Rab 8:10
"This was why God took from Adam's rib to make Eve"
The midrash doesn't refer to the real reason why He put Adam to sleep; rather they replaced that with God's intention to show the angels that Adam wasn't divine. It freely distorts the biblical text in order to make the point that, as glorious as Adam was, he didn't merit the angels' worship, because he was mortal (sleep simulating death).
On the Vita (Latin version):
You say the angels "mistook" Adam for a god. In fact it was at God's command that they were to worship him (the opposite of Gen Rab 8:10, although both are based on the idea of the greatness of humans, as the 'image of God').
You make a very interesting point about Satan's expulsion, although you seem to go back and forth on precisely why. Was it his jealousy, the disobedience or the attempt to overreach his status in heaven.
Your last paragraph doesn't deal with the Vita but rather with the Armenian version of the Life of Adam and Eve. The two have very significant differences. Not only doesn't the "Genesis story say that the snake was the Devil" it doesn't even imply it. There there's only a snake, period. As far as the truthfulness of the snake, in this version it/the Devil actually puts effects into the fruit, a new etiology or at least an expansion of it to include all the human sins, replacing the "knowledge of good and evil" that was already there in Gen 2.