Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources — John Shaqi
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends
Adam soon felt exhaustion, heat, fear and pain;—afflictions he had not
known in Eden. As the shadows of night fell, an intense horror
overwhelmed the guilty pair; they trembled in every limb and cried to
God. The Almighty, in compassion, consoled them by announcing to them
that day would return after twelve hours of night. They were relieved by
this promise, and they spent the first night in prayer.
But Satan, who never lost sight of them, fearing lest their prayers
should wholly appease the divine justice, assembled his host of evil
angels, surrounded himself with a brilliant light, and stood at the
entrance of the cave where the banished ones prayed. He hoped that Adam
would mistake him for God, and prostrate himself before him.
But Adam said to Eve: “Observe this great light and this multitude of
spirits. If it were God who sent them, they would enter and tell us
their message.” Adam did not know then that Satan cannot approach those
who pray. Then Adam addressed himself to God and said, “O my God! is
there another God but Thou, who can create angels and send them to us?
Lord, deign to instruct us!”
Then a heavenly angel entered the cavern and said, “Adam, fear not those
whom you see; it is Satan and his host. He sought to seduce you again to
your fall.”
Having thus spoken, the angel fell upon Satan and tore from off him his
disguise, and exposed him in his hideous nakedness to Adam and Eve. And
to console them for this trial, God sent Adam gold rings, incense and
myrrh, and said to him, “Preserve these things, and they will give you
at night light and fragrance; and when I shall come down on earth to
save you, clothed in human flesh, kings shall bring me these three
tokens.”
It is because of this present that the cavern into which Adam and Eve
retreated has been called the Treasure-cave.
Adam and Eve, greatly cheered, blessed the Lord, and thanked Him for His
goodness, and resolved to continue their repentance.
A short time after they committed a fault. Satan presented himself to
them under the form of an angel of light, and announced that he was
commissioned by the Most High to lead them to the brink of the River of
the Water of Life, into which they were to plunge and wash away their
sin.
They believed, and followed him by a strange road, and he led them to
the edge of a precipice, down which he endeavoured to fling them; for,
he thought, were he to destroy the man and the woman, he would be
supreme in the world God had made. But the Almighty rescued Adam and
Eve, and drave Satan from them.
To punish themselves for their involuntary fault, Adam and Eve
separated, so as not to see one another, and resolved to spend forty
days up to their necks in the sea.
Before parting, Adam said to his wife, “Remain in the water here, and do
not quit it till I return, and spend your time in praying the Lord to
pardon us.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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