III.
Time now went forth over the frame-work of the135
world: after this shining splendor, the Lord our Creator
fashioned the first evening, but on its track rushed a
thronging welter of darkness which the Lord himself
called by the name of "Night." Our Saviour sundered140
these two: ever since then they have ceaselessly wrought
and fulfilled the will of the Lord over the earth.
Then the second day advanced, light after darkness;
and the Ruler of Life straightway commanded a glad145
sky-substance to appear in the midst of the flood: our
Master parted the waves and wrought there the found-
ations of the firmament: this the Mighty One, omnipotent
King, reared aloft from the earth through his own word.150
The flood was divided under the high heavens by holy
power, the waters from the waters, and still they remain
so under the firmament which roofs all nations.
Then swiftly came advancing over the world the third155
great morn. Nor were the spreading lands and ways
yet deemed needful by our Lord, but the earth stood
girt fast by water. Through his word, the Ruler of
the angels bade the waters be gathered together, which
now hold their course beneath the skies in an appointed160
place. Then speedily the broad ocean stood all together
under heaven, as the Holy One commanded, for the
flood was sundered from the dry land. Thereupon
Life's Ruler looked upon the dry land, the Preserver of
mankind [found it] widely visible, and the King of165
Glory called it "Earth." He established a proper
channel for the waves, the broad flood, and fettered....
(Lacuna in MS.[5])
The Ruler of Heaven did not think it fitting that170
Adam, the keeper of Paradise and shepherd of the new
creation, should be alone any longer: so the supreme
King, Ruler Almighty, made a companion for him—
created Woman, and gave this helpmate to his cherished175
Man as the first and fruitful light of his life. He took his
material from Adam's body and skilfully removed a
rib from his side: the latter was deep in repose and
slumbered peacefully; he felt no pain, though a little180
uneasiness, nor did a drop of blood come from the wound,
but the Prince of the Angels took from his body a living
bone while the man was unwounded. From this God
fashioned a noble woman, and put into her the breath
of life and an immortal soul: these two were like the185
angels. Thus was Adam's bride[6] endowed with a
living spirit. They were both radiantly beautiful in their
youthfulness, in the world prepared by the might of
the Lord: they did not know how to undertake or190
work evil, but on the contrary there was in the breast
of each a burning love of God. Then the benign King,
Ruler of everyone born of the race of man, blessed these
first two creatures, father and mother, woman and
man. Thereafter he spoke these words:195
"Be fruitful now and increase; fill the verdant earth
with progeny, your race, both sons and daughters. Under
your sway shall be the salt water and all the created
world. Enjoy prosperous days, [ruling over] both200
the fishes of the deep and the fowls of the air. Into
your power are given the sacred herd and the wild beasts
and every living thing that walks the earth; all breath-
ing creatures, whatsoever the sea brings forth over the205
whale-paths, all things belong to you two."
Then our Maker beheld the beauty of his works and
the fullness of his abundance, his new creations. Pa-
radise stood, good and holy, filled with blessings, ever-210
lasting bounty. That kindly soil was beauteously
watered by the rushing seas and springing fountains;
for never yet had clouds dark with wind brought down
rains over the broad earth: but none the less the ground
stood crowned with its harvest. From this new Garden215
four noble river-streams have their outflow: these were
all partitioned out of one fair-shining water by the might
of the Lord, when he created the earth, and [were thus]220
sent out into the world. Men dwelling on the earth,
the peoples of the nations, call one of these Fison, which
broadly girdles with its bright streams a quarter of the
earth beyond Hebeleac[7]: in that ancestral soil the sons225
of men, nations near and far, find the best gold and
precious stones,[8] as the books tell us. Then the second
[river], whose name is Geon, girdles the land and govern-
ment of Ethiopia, an ample kingdom. The third is230
Tigris, a foaming stream which encircles the people of
Assyria. Such likewise is the fourth, which men among
many a nation now widely call Eufrates....[9]
(Genesis B intervenes here.)
Then the Almighty King, the great Lord, came forth
into the garden about mid-day, by his divine will; for855
our Saviour and merciful Father wished to find out
what his children were doing: he knew that they were
sinful to whom he had given perfection. Bereft of
their beatitude and stricken in spirit, they avoided his
presence by retreating among the shadows of the trees;860
they hid themselves in dark recesses, when they heard
the holy word of the Lord and feared him. Straight-
way the King of Heaven began to call for the keeper
of the [newly] created world; the mighty Lord bade
his son come to him forthwith. He answered him then,865
the wretched one himself, destitute of clothing, [and]
said:
"Lord of my life, I am hiding myself here because
unclothed; basely sinful, I am covering my shame with
leaves: my pain is cruel, most bitter in my heart. I dare870
not now go forth before thy presence: I am all naked!"
X.[10]
To him then God at once replied:
"Tell me this, my son: why do you seek the shadows,
in shame? You certainly received no disgrace at my875
hands, but on the contrary delight in all things! How
come you to know evil and hide shame and behold sor-
row and cover your body with leaves and, saddened and
crushed by the woes of life, say that you need clothing,
unless you have tasted of an apple from the tree which880
I forbade to you by express command?"
Adam then answered him again:
"The woman, my Lord, the fair woman gave into
my hand this fruit, which I accepted in sin against thee.885
Now I bear this manifest sign in myself: I know so much
the more of sorrow!"
Then Almighty God asked Eve about this:
"Why did you forfeit these plenteous delights, daughter,
the new creations of paradise, abundant blessings, when890
in your cupidity you seized on the trunk and took the
fruit from the branch of the tree and ate the accursed
thing in defiance of me, and gave of the apple to Adam,
when you both by my prohibition were so strictly for-895
bidden to do so?"
Then the fair maiden, the woman overcome by shame,
answered him:
"The serpent tempted me and urgently prompted me
to sin; through fair words the worm goaded me into
accursed frowardness, until I basely performed the900
deadly act, committed the crime, and robbed the tree in
the grove, as it was not lawful to do, and ate the fruit."
Then our Saviour, the Lord Almighty, ordained wide
wanderings for the serpent, the venomous worm, and905
spoke further in these words:
"To far distant times shalt thou, an outcast, crawl
over the broad earth on thy breast, thy belly; without
feet shalt thou move about, so long as life and breath
remain in thee. Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy910
life, since thou hast accomplished so evil a deed here.
Thee the woman shall war against, and hate thee
[worse than anything else] under heaven, and shall tread
upon thine accursed head with her feet; thou shalt lie
in wait at her heels, in ever-new conflict: for there
shall be war between thy offspring and her offspring915
always, as long as the earth exists under the cloudy
skies. Now dost thou understand and know, baleful
destroyer of mankind, how thou shalt live!"