THE BOOKS OF ADAM AND EVE

"And I, Eve, cried with a loud voice: Pity me, O Lord, my creator! For my sake Adam suffereth thus.'"

THE BOOK OF EVE.

"And Michael himself worshiped first; then he called me [the devil] and said: Worship the image of God the Lord.' And I answered, 'I have no need to worship Adam."

THE BOOKS OF ADAM AND EVE

(INTRODUCTION)

HE books of Adam and Eve belong to the third class

That is, they must originally have been Jewish works, and were told probably with no intention to deceive. Jewish legends about Adam were numerous and very old, and the Jewish literary custom was well established of writing ethical works in the form of a survey of history which was presented as the prophecy of some early patriarch. Then during the Christian ages these old legends and prophecies of Adam were gathered into one book, a Latin "Lives of Adam and Eve." During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries this was translated into almost every European tongue, and was immensely popular. The Jewish originals of this work are no longer known, but the date of their composition must have been somewhere during the very earliest Christian centuries, for the tone of the "Lives" echoes the Jewish religious views of that date, with occasional Christian additions.

Our second book, the Apocalypse of Moses, is a similar medieval work, which in many places parallels the "Lives "" so closely, that both must have a common source. The name is, however, a medieval blunder. An apocalypse of Moses would mean Moses's vision of the future of the world, whereas the vision here is only of the past and of the glory of God, and is in no way definitely connected with Moses. These two books, then, are really the final depository of all the oldest legends of Adam and Eve, combined with the visions. of some religious enthusiast who rises to a true poetic rapture in his thoughts of God.

It is to be noticed that the Apocalypse of Moses consists

largely of Eve's own narrative of what she had seen and done. This is still further expanded in our third brief book, which is really but a fragment drawn from a Slavonic version of the story. This Slavonic tale touches chiefly on the human and tragic side of the events and brings us keenly into touch with the sorrow of earth's first "mother thoughts" for the protection of men.

OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA

THE LIVES OF ADAM AND EVE 1

CHAPTER I

When they were driven out from paradise, they made themselves a booth, and spent seven days mourning and lamenting in great grief.

CHAPTER II

But after seven days, they began to be hungry and started to look for victual to eat, and they found it not. Then Eve said to Adam: "My lord, I am hungry. Go, look for something for us to eat. Perchance the Lord God will look back and pity us and recall us to the place in which we were before."

CHAPTER III

And Adam arose and walked seven days over all that land, and found no victual such as they used to have in paradise. And Eve said to Adam: "Wilt thou slay me? that I may die, and perchance God the Lord will bring thee into paradise, for on my account hast thou been driven thence." Adam answered: "Forbear, Eve, from such words, that peradventure God bring not some other curse upon us. How is it possible that I should stretch forth my hand against my own flesh Nay, let us arise and look for something for us to live on, that we fail not."

CHAPTER IV

And they walked about and searched for nine days, and they found none such as they were used to have in paradise,

1 The best and most recent translations of most of the Old Testament apocrypha are those in the great scholarly work of Rev. R. H. Charles, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament," published in England by Oxford University. The translations of Old Testament apocrypha in the present volume are largely from the work of Dr. Charles and his fellow laborers, simplified for public use.