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
The first pair brought up their grandsons and great grandsons, to the
number of 40,000 according to some, and 70,000 according to others, and
taught them all that they had learned of the angel.
After the death of Abel, and after Cain had been slain by the avenging
angel, Eve bore a third son, named Seth, who became the father of the
race of the prophets.
Finally, when Adam had reached his nine hundred and thirtieth year, the
Angel of Death appeared under the form of a goat, and ran between his
legs.
Adam recoiled with horror, and exclaimed, “God has given me one thousand
years; wherefore comest thou now?”
“What!” exclaimed the Angel of Death, “hast thou not given seventy years
of thy life to the prophet David?”
Adam stoutly denied that he had done so. Then the Angel of Death drew
the document of transfer from out of his beard, and presented it to
Adam, who could no longer refuse to go.
His son Seth washed and buried him, after that the angel Gabriel, or,
according to some accounts, Allah himself, had blessed him: Eve died a
year later.
Learned men are not agreed as to the place of their burial; some
traditions name India, others the Mount Kubeis, and others again,
Jerusalem—God alone knows![135]
Tabari says that Adam made Seth his testamentary executor.
“When Adam was dead, Gabriel instructed Seth how to bury him, and
brought him the winding sheet out of heaven. And Gabriel said to Seth,
‘Thou art sole executor of thy father, therefore it is thy office to
perform the religious functions.’ Then Seth recited over Adam thirty
_Tebîrs_. Four of these _Tebîrs_ were the legal prayers, the others were
supererogatory, and were designed to exalt the virtues of Adam. Some say
that Adam was buried near Mecca on Mount Abui-Kubais.”[136]
According to the apocryphal “Life of Adam and Eve,” Adam before his
death called to his bedside all his sons and daughters, and they
numbered fifteen thousand males, and females unnumbered. Adam is said to
have been the author of several psalms; amongst others, Psalm civ.,
_Benedic anima mea_, and Psalm cxxxix., _Domine probasti_; as may be
gathered from the 14th, 15th, and 16th verses: “_My bones are not hid
from thee: though I was made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the
earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in Thy
book were all my members written; which day by day were fashioned, when
as yet there was none of them._”
The Arabs say that when Adam dictated his last will and testament, the
angel Gabriel descended from heaven to receive it, accompanied by
sixty-two millions of angels, each provided with clean white sheets of
parchment and pens, and that the will was sealed by Gabriel.[137]
Tradition is not agreed as to the place of Adam’s burial. Khaithemah
says that Adam was buried near Mecca on Mount Abu-Kubais. But the
ancient Persians assert that he was buried in Ceylon, where his
sepulchre was guarded by lions at the time of the war of the
giants.[138]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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