Part A.
The Creation (Genesis)
This has actually been taken from the Biblical book of Genesis. It picks up on the 6th day of Creation as God is creating Man. It takes us through the creation of Adam, the first man, the creation of the Garden of Eden, with its Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as well as the creation of Adam's wife, Eve - the first woman. It is strange reading from the book of Genesis in not so much of a biblical context in which I am hoping to glean knowledge and life application from its text, but rather reading it as a story.
The Fall (Genesis)
Also taken from the book of Genesis, this chapter follows the Fall of Man caused by Eve's disobedience to God. In this chapter, we gain an etiology of why women suffer great pain during childbirth and also why the snake slithers on its belly rather than walking on four legs like most other beasts of the land. It is interesting how etiologies exist in all type of "mythological" creation stories. This is the only one I know of that explains women's pain at childbirth.
The Ideal Man
This story goes into more detail about Adam himself in the creation of the earth. It explains that Adam was not only the first man, but got a glimpse of the history of Mankind, illuminating the lives of some of his descendants. He was originally created to be a perfect being - a prophet with an untstained soul. I found interesting how this version of creation gives more explanation of units of time, determining that one of the Lord's days is equal to 1000 years. Time is one of the aspects of the book of Genesis that is not made quite clear in my opinion so it was unusual, yet helpful, to see that addressed.
The Fall of Satan
I have heard the story of the Fall of Lucifer but this is a little different. In this version, Satan is jealous of Adam because God ordains that the angels of heaven (of which Satan is one) show reverence to Man, and Satan believes that the roles should be reversed. God entertains Satan's jealousy of Adam and allows Satan to enter into a contest of wits with the mortal in which if Satan is bested, he must agree to show reverence for Adam. Satan is indeed bested but he is unsatisfied and begins to boast that he is like God and should not be made to bow before any mortal. God immediately casts him from heaven to earth. This story provides an etiology of Satan's desire to destroy God's most precious creation - Man.
Lilith
We are told in this chapter of Adam's first wife Lilith - with him only a short time before the creation of Eve. I have heard of Lilith in the context of the deity to which Wiccan practices are centered, but I had never heard her origin. Lilith was created from the same dust from which Adam was created and demanded equality of position with her husband since they came from identical origins. When refused, she left Adam but was captured by angels who demanded that she return to her husband or be punished by losing her children. She accepts the punishment but exacts her revenge by injuring newborn children. This gives some insight as to why Eve was created from Adam's rib - so that Man would be the dominant figure, and history has proven that this still reigns true.
Eve
This is probably my favorite of the readings so far. We are not only told of the creation of the first woman, but her creation, and the details of her creation, are used to explain the inherent differences between men and women. For example: women are not easily placated as men are because they were created from flesh and bone and bone must sit in water for days to be softened unlike clay - by which Man was created - can be softened by only a few drops of water. It also explains why men seem not to notice girls with whom they have been friends since childhood and these girls remain in the "friendzone." Adam's first wife was created in front of his eyes, so the details of her creation were known to him and repulsed him and in the same way, knowing the details of a woman's childhood acts as a repulsive force toward men. There are many other examples of explanation of the nature of women in comparison with that of men in this story, but these were some of my favorites.
Paradise
Once again, this is a more detailed description of something described in the book of Genesis: the Garden of Eden. In this version of Eden, however, it could almost be compared to the underworld known in Greco-Roman mythology. However, like the biblical account of Eden, it outlines how life was meant to be lived - how God intended for us to not have to work for our food and live in paradise with Him forever - before this ideal was poisoned by Man's disobedience.
The Fall of Man
The account of the Fall of Man in Genesis tells us that the Serpent was cursed to slither on its belly after bringing forth sin into the world, but it does not tell us what the serpent was like before its fall from grace. Here we are given an account of the magnitude of the Serpent's curse as well as the magnitude of Eve's disobedience. She not only ate of the forbidden fruit and gave it to her husband, but she also gave it to all living things on earth so that they may reap the same punishment as she. It is at this point that she and her husband realize that they are naked and Adam seeks to sew leaves together to make coverings for themselves but only the fig tree - which provided the forbidden fruit (this - the species of the forbidden fruit - is left to speculation in the bible) - is willing to provide leaves for covering.
The Punishment
The punishment for disobedience to God is actually split into two parts. Here we find the initial punishment of Adam who must give up his supernatural size and will now die eventually. He is also made to fear the voice of God. The Serpent is now to be hunted and killed by Man, must painfully shed its skin, and is no longer to be called ruler of the beasts of earth.
The Punishment (Cont..)
The punishment of Adam, Eve, The Serpent, and also the Earth is continued (the Earth had, too, disobeyed God with the way it bore its fruit). The earth was made dependent on rainfall to produce its crop and Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. It is revealed that, had they been repentant, God would have allowed them to remain in the garden, but they were unrepentant and had to leave the garden. It is also said that if they remained in the garden, their new god-like understanding would have led them to take fruit from the tree of life and live forever.
Part B.
Leaving the Garden
This is the first story in the unit that I have found to be a real departure from the traditional telling of Adam and Eve in the fact that this portion of the legend is not found in the bible. In this chapter, God debates the different areas in which He should place Adam and Eve after their fall. If placed in the wrong spot, Adam would, for one reason or another, forget his transgressions therefore not be cleansed of them. Eventually, God decides to situate Adam and Eve near a cave in which they were to live (and would eventually come to be known as the Cave of Treasures) but they are so afraid and distraught at finding themselves in a foreign land after knowing the beauty of Eden that fall, trembling, and must be brought back up by the merciful spirit of God Himself.
Entering the Cave of Treasures
It is at this point that we really begin to see Adam and Eve lament the loss of their position. This chapter also (if I understood correctly) foretells the coming of Christ that will save Adam and his seed.
They Die a First Time
This is simply more of Adam and Eve's sorrow at being cast out of Eden: Adam becomes so sick with grief that he falls into a death-like state and Eve prays that God either awaken Adam or allow her to join him in (what she supposes to be) death. God reminds them, gently, that their fate was brought upon them through their own transgressions and that He never intended this fate for any of His creations but they angered Him and must now pay the price.
The Beasts of the Creation
We observe further example of God's mercy and pity for humankind when he sends the animals He created to Adam to re-familiarize themselves with him rather than devouring Adam as he fear. I should note that the biblical story of Adam and Eve does not really emphasize the sorrow Adam and Eve must have felt after being cast from the Garden. It focuses mainly on the consequences of their sin on a large scale - the entrance of sin and death into the world - rather than on the immediate consequences Adam and Eve faced, that is, being torn from the life to which they had become accustomed. When they lived in the Garden, they wanted for nothing and had the ability to see angels and other things of Heaven, but when they were cast out of Eden, they, too, lost those luxuries.
Want of Water and Light
At this point, you could say that Adam and Eve are throwing themselves a pity party. They have discovered that now, outside the Garden, they require water, which they had never paid attention to before, as well as light, which they used to provide on their own. We are being shown all of the things that were taken for granted and were forsaken when Adam and Eve sinned. This is something we can all relate to, not knowing just how good we have it, and in our desire to gain more, we lose what good we have.
The Darkness
God explains to Adam why he and his wife had to be punished. He also explains that darkness is not quite the punishment Adam takes it to be - darkness does not last forever, and it is intended for Man to rest from his toiling during the dark. Finally, He reminds them that they will be able to reenter the Garden after the 5 and a half days (5500 years). I wonder if it is supposed to be taken literally that Adam and Eve will literally eventually reenter the Garden, or if God is referring to the coming of Christ, or if He is just referring to the death of Adam and Eve at which point they will enter Heaven which symbolizes the paradise that the two lost to sin.
The Sunrise and the Serpent
Adam and Eve continue to be faced with things they had taken for granted in the Garden. The sun rises and Adam feels its burn and he fears that the sun is God. Also, Adam and Eve come face to face with the Serpent that tricked them, though it is clear the Serpent blames the pair for his cursed fate. We are told that the Serpent used to be the most beautiful, envied, animal of the land, but now has been cursed to be ugly and all the other animals flee from it. The Serpent tries to attack Eve but God sends it away and further curses it by taking away its speech.
Suicide and Salvation
This is more of the same lamentation of Adam with explanation and encouragement from God. In this chapter, God must encourage Adam an Eve not to take their own lives as they seem wont to do out of misery and repentance.
Worship and Blessing
Adam and Eve attempt to get back into God's good graces (they seem to not be aware of His pity toward them and or of His love) by offering Him sacrifices. It's here, finally, that Adam and Eve seem to be coming to terms with their new position and therefore begin to praise and worship God, who in turn, blesses them.
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