Page 295: Eve [spoiler]

Those who have not read Old Blood and wish to be surprised by the ending should not read this post.

In the course of my research, I was amazed at how much non-Biblical ("non-canonical") material there is concerning the basic stories of Genesis. Creation myths abound in many cultures, of course, but there is a lot more detail available regarding stories in the Judeo-Christian tradition than I would have believed.

And, believe it or not, I'm not making any of the following up.

The non-canonical sources include the Book of Enoch, which has come down to us through Greek and Roman fragments and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Jubilees, and the Book of Jasher. They all predate the Bible and concern the basic story of the angels, the war in heaven, the fall, and the origins of good and evil. There is a good, if difficult to read, little book that summarizes these texts called Fallen Angels, the Watchers, and the Origins of Evil by Joseph B. Lumpkin.

In summary, the story of the "fall" is more complicated than is portrayed in our Bible stories. Before writing Old Blood, the story I knew was that the very first person, Adam, was wandering around the Garden of Eden until God made him Eve out of a rib. Then they wandered together until Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve (nice going, Eve) were then cast out of the Garden of Eden and modern history began. Pretty simple.

The non-canonical sources muddy things up considerably.

For instance, they clearly indicate that a culture of angels was in existence before Adam was created. Nowhere in Genesis does God create the angels before he got around to man -- the canon wiped out that detail.

The non-canonical works also say that God created man and woman together (which would make sense) and that his first woman was named Lilith. Adam and Lilith reportedly had a lot of babies. Despite the babies, Lilith was unhappy in their relationship. She insisted on holding herself equal to Adam -- and Adam didn't like it. So frustrated was Lilith with Adam that "she flew into the air, changing form, and disappeared, soaring out of sight." It sounds like Lilith had angelic powers (see the "Queen of the Night"), much as the ancient sculptors indicated. Anyway, some angels tried to make her behave and return to Adam, but she refused. She was banished and became the first of the "evil" spirits. Her story sheds light on the "Queen of the Night" relief: "Confined to the night, she was destined to roam the earth, seeking newborn babies, stealing their lives, and strangling them in their sleep."

According to non-canonical sources, God created Eve from Adam's rib as a replacement for Lilith. That's a new wrinkle to the story, or, should I say, an ancient wrinkle that was ironed out by the editors of the Bible.

But wait, there's more! Look what is hidden inside that sentence. Lilith went out looking for babies to kill. That means that Adam and Lilith weren't alone! There were other people and babies. So, a careful reading of the ancient, non-canonical texts would suggest that Adam wasn't the first person, but rather was God's special project sequestered in the Garden of Eden. In that light, the fossil record and the mythical record can come much closer to coexisting. Adam wasn't alone, he was just special. Perhaps, dare I say, a mutant, "fixed up" by God.

So, now knowing that angels and people existed pre-Adam, we turn to Eve. Eve was actually held away from Adam, outside the Garden for a Biblical week, which is likely not a week as we know it today and might have been hundreds of years. So, Eve had a life outside the Garden before an angel brought her in. Interesting.

From there the story is familiar. Satan tempts Eve, she eats the forbidden fruit and gets Adam to try it, too. But even this simple part of the story is more complicated than it seems. "Satan" is not a name, but rather a title. "The Satan" just happens to be the leader of the evil spirits. At this point in history, the title appears to have passed between several angels. The angel Gadriel was, at the time of Adam and Eve, "the Satan" and is therefore seen as the likely "seducer of Eve". However, Azazel (also known as Azza) manifested a serpent and was known as the "seducer of mankind". His similarity to the serpent in the Garden is suspicious. Also, the original, Semitic stories about Azazel show him to be a most powerful and ancient demon. The oldest stories have him as a goat-demon running around with, drumroll please, Lilith.

So, at the time of Eve's seduction, who was the Satan? Old Blood splits the difference and portrays Gadriel as Eve's platonic friend and Azazel (Azza) the serpent as her fiery lover. This makes sense to me because Azza was the one who eventually refused to "bow down" to Adam, which he might not want to do if he had feelings for Eve.

Why do I assert that they were lovers? Several ancient sources suggest that Cain was the son of a demon, presumably the serpent seducer. Plus, come on, forbidden fruit. That was no little red apple. Finally, Azza's punishment when he is cast from heaven is to hang forever, suspended between heaven and earth. An apt metaphor, I think, for an angel in love with a human he cannot have.

There's more to the story, but I'll save it for later...