2. Moreover, Moses, after the seventh day was over1 begins to talk
philosophically; and concerning the formation of man, says thus: That
God took dust from the ground, and formed man, and inserted in him a
spirit and a soul.2 This man was called Adam, which in the Hebrew tongue
signifies one that is red, because he was formed out of red earth,
compounded together; for of that kind is virgin and true earth. God also
presented the living creatures, when he had made them, according to
their kinds, both male and female, to Adam, who gave them those names by
which they are still called. But when he saw that Adam had no female
companion, no society, for there was no such created, and that he
wondered at the other animals which were male and female, he laid him
asleep, and took away one of his ribs, and out of it formed the woman;
whereupon Adam knew her when she was brought to him, and acknowledged
that she was made out of himself. Now a woman is called in the Hebrew
tongue Issa; but the name of this woman was Eve, which signifies the
mother of all living.
3. Moses says further, that God planted a paradise in the east,
flourishing with all sorts of trees; and that among them was the tree of
life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good
and evil; and that when he brought Adam and his wife into this garden,
he commanded them to take care of the plants. Now the garden was watered
by one river,3 which ran round about the whole earth, and was parted
into four parts. And Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into
India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges.
Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea.4 Now the
name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion, or a flower: by
Tiris, or Diglath, is signified what is swift, with narrowness; and Geon
runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the east, which the
Greeks call Nile.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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