First Book of Adam and Eve
Chapters 1-4
I - The crystal
sea, God commands Adam, expelled from Eden, to live in the Cave of Treasures.
On the
third day, God planted the garden in the east of the earth, on the border of the
world eastward, beyond which, towards the sun-rising, one finds nothing but
water, that encompasses the whole world, and reaches to the borders of heaven.
And to the north of the garden there is a sea of water, clear and pure to the
taste, unlike anything else; so that, through the clearness thereof, one may
look into the depths of the earth. And when a man washes himself in it,
he becomes clean of the cleanness thereof, and white of its whiteness --
even if he were dark. And God created that sea of his own good pleasure,
for He knew what would come of the man He would make; so that after he had left
the garden, on account of his transgression, men should be born in the earth.
Among them are righteous ones who will die, whose souls God would raise at the
last day; when all of them will return to their flesh, bathe in the water of
that sea, and repent of their sins. But when God made Adam go out of the garden,
He did not place him on the border of it northward. This was so that he and Eve
would not be able to go near to the sea of water where they could wash
themselves in it, be cleansed from their sins, erase the transgression they had
committed, and be no longer reminded of it in the thought of their punishment.
As to the southern side of the garden, God did not want Adam to live there
either; because, when the wind blew from the north, it would bring him, on that
southern side, the delicious smell of the trees of the garden. Wherefore God did
not put Adam there. This was so that he would not be able to smell the sweet
smell of those trees, forget his transgression, and find consolation for what he
had done by taking delight in the smell of the trees and yet not be cleansed
from his transgression. Again, also, because God is merciful and of great pity,
and governs all things in a way that He alone knows. He made our father
Adam live in the western border of the garden, because on that side the earth is
very broad. And God commanded him to live there in a cave in a rock
(inside a Planet;
inside the Earth)
-- the Cave of Treasures below the garden.
Chapter II - Adam and Eve faint when they leave the Garden. God sends His Word to encourage them.
But when our father Adam, and Eve, went out of the garden (Center of the Milky Way), they walked the ground on their feet, not knowing they were walking. And when they came to the opening of the gate of the garden, and saw the broad earth (World; Universe) spread before them, covered with stones large and small (Planets), and with sand (distant stars, planets, moons and degree), they feared and trembled, and fell on their faces, from the fear that came over them; and they were as dead. Because -- whereas until this time they had been in the garden land, beautifully planted with all manner of trees -- they now saw themselves, in a strange land, which they knew not, and had never seen. And because, when they were in the garden they were filled with the grace of a bright nature, and they had not hearts turned toward earthly things. Therefore God had pity on them; and when He saw them fallen before the gate of the garden, He sent His Word to our father, Adam and Eve, and raised them from their fallen state.
Chapter III - Concerning
the promise of the great five and a half days.
God said to Adam, "I have ordained on this earth days and years, and you
and your descendants shall live and walk in them, until the days and years are
fulfilled; when I shall send the Word that created you, and against which you
have transgressed, the Word that made you come out of the garden, and that
raised you when you were fallen. Yes, the Word that will again save you when the
five and a half
days
are fulfilled." But when Adam heard these words from God, and of the great five
and a half days, he did not understand the meaning of them. For Adam was
thinking there would be only five and a half days for him until the end of the
world. And Adam cried, and prayed to God to explain it to him. Then God in his
mercy for Adam who was made after His own image and likeness, explained to him,
that these were
5,000 and 500 years;
and how
One
would then come and save him and his descendants. But before that, God had made
this covenant with our father, Adam, in the same terms, before he came out of
the garden, when he was by the tree where Eve took of the fruit and gave it to
him to eat. Because, when our father Adam came out of the garden, he passed by
that tree, and saw how God had changed the appearance of it into another form,
and how it shriveled. And as Adam went to it he feared, trembled and fell down;
but God in His mercy lifted him up, and then made this covenant with him. And
again, when Adam was by the gate of the garden, and saw the
cherub with a sword of
flashing fire in
his hand, and the cherub grew angry and frowned at him, both Adam and Eve became
afraid of him, and thought he meant to put them to death. So they fell on their
faces, trembled with fear. But he had pity on them, and showed them mercy; and
turning from them went up to heaven, and prayed to the Lord, and said; --
"Lord, You sent me to watch at the gate of the garden, with a sword of fire.
But when Your servants, Adam and Eve, saw me, they fell on their faces, and were
as dead. O my Lord, what shall we do to Your servants?" Then God had pity on
them, and showed them mercy, and sent His Angel to keep the garden. And the Word
of the Lord came to Adam and Eve, and raised them up. And the Lord said to Adam,
"I told you that
at the end of the five and a half days, I will send my Word and save you.
Strengthen your heart, therefore, and stay in the Cave of Treasures, of which I
have before spoken to you." And when Adam heard this Word from God, he was
comforted with that which God had told him. For He had told him how He would
save him.
Chapter IV - Adam mourns
over the changed conditions. Adam and Eve enter the Cave of Treasures.
But Adam and Eve cried for having come out of the garden, their first Home. And
indeed, when Adam looked at
his flesh, that was
altered, he cried
bitterly, he and Eve, over what they had done. And they walked and went gently
down into the Cave of Treasures. And as they came to it, Adam cried over himself
and said to Eve, "Look at this cave that is to be our prison in this world, and
a place of punishment! What is it compared with the garden? What is its
narrowness compared with the space of the other? What is this rock, by the side
of those groves? What is the gloom of this cavern, compared with the light of
the garden? What is this overhanging ledge of rock to shelter us, compared with
the mercy of the Lord that overshadowed us? What is the soil of this cave
compared with the garden land? This earth, strewed with stones; and that,
planted with delicious fruit trees?" And Adam said to Eve, "Look at your eyes,
and at mine, which before beheld angels praising in heaven; and they too,
without ceasing. But
now we do not see as we
did; our eyes have become of flesh; they cannot see like they used to see
before." Adam said
again to Eve, "What
is our body today, compared to what it was in former days,
when we lived in the garden?" After this, Adam did not want to enter the cave,
under the overhanging rock; nor would he ever want to enter it. But he bowed to
God's orders; and said to himself, "Unless I enter the cave, I shall again be a
transgressor."