1.6 The Original Sin

Perhaps the best clue as to the identity of the Serpent, and possibly also the interpretation of Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, is revealed by the unusual wording used by Josephus to describe the punishment of the serpent after he managed to seduce Eve [AA I.4 (50 )]:

"He also deprived the serpent of speech ... (and) inserted poison under his tongue, and made him an enemy to men; and suggested to them, that they should direct their strokes against his head, that being the place wherein lay his mischievous designs towards men..." 

So, it has been recognised since time immemorial that the brain is the centre or origin of the plans (thoughts) of man (in this case, the Serpent). What then, exactly, was this 'seduction' of Eve? What is meant by Eve 'desiring to be like (the) God(s)'?

It has already been shown that the majority of survivors from Seth's group were men, mostly soldiers. It would have required physical strength to survive first of all the elements, but secondly the hostile natives that they were likely to encounter on the foreign soil. Among this group there was therefore a 'shortage of women'. The Serpents, who were initially viewed as 'gods' by the natives, had to take wives from the native Arab population in that region. This practice probably continued for generations after the original survivors had set foot on native soil, as suggested by the Genesis 6:2, 'the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.'

Numerous other accounts exist of this very practice, e.g. according to Frank Joseph, refugees arriving from the cataclysm were depicted in local myth as fair-skinned, red-headed seafarers who took wives among the ancestors of the Indians [The Lost Civilization of Lemuria]. From some ancient texts we instance learn the following [The Wars of Gods and Men]:

"By the time of the seventh generation after Enosh, on the eve of the Deluge, the Earth and its inhabitants were gripped by a new Ice Age. The Mesopotamian texts detail the sufferings by mankind, the shortages of food, even cannibalism....The Sumerian texts relate that as mankind's hardships were increasing, Enki suggested, and Enlil vehemently opposed, the taking of measures to alleviate the suffering. What upset Enlil no end was the increasing sexual relationships between the young male Anunnaki and the Daughters of Man. ...  a young god named Martu, [who] complained that he, too, should be permitted to espouse a human wife. ...    

    In my city I have friends, they have taken wives.
    I have companions, they have taken wives.
    In my city, unlike my friends, I have not taken a wife;
    I have no wife, I have no children."

Another account reads [The Lost Book of Enki]:

"Now this is the account of how the Igigi the daughters of the Earthlings abducted,
And how afflictions followed and Ziusudra oddly was born.
In a great number did the Igigi from Lahmu to Earth come,
Only one third of them on Lahmu stayed, to Earth came two hundred.
To be with their leader Marduk, his wedding celebration to attend, was their explanation;
Unbeknownst to Enki and Enlil was their secret: To abduct and have conjugation was their plot.
Unbeknownst to the leaders on Earth, a multitude of the Igigi on Lahmu got together,
What to Marduk permitted is from us too should not be deprived! to each other they said.
Enough of suffering and loneliness, of not offspring ever having! was their slogan.
During their comings and goings between Lahmu and Earth,
The daughters of the Earthlings, the Adapite Females as them they called,
They saw and after them they lusted; and to each other the plotters said:
Come, let us choose wives from among the Adapite Females, and children beget!
…

Into a stronghold the place they made, to the leaders a challenge they issued:
Enough of deprivation and not having offspring! The Adapite daughters to marry we wish.

…

Enki and Ninmah their heads shook, with begrudging agreement they voiced.
Only Enlil was enraged without pacification:
One evil deed by another has been followed, fornication from Enki and Marduk the Igigi have adopted,
Our pride and sacred mission to the winds have been abandoned,
By our own hands this planet with Earthling multitudes shall be overrun!
With much disgust was Enlil speaking. Let the Igigi and their females from Earth depart!
On Lahmu conditions unbearable have become, surviving is not possible!
So did Marduk to Enlil and Enki say.
In the Edin they cannot remain! Enlil with anger shouted. With much disgust the gathering he left;
In his heart things against Marduk and his Earthlings was Enlil plotting."

In the Slavonic Book of Enoch, the archangel Bretil dictated the following to Enoch,

"Before these happenings Enoch was hidden and no man among the children of men knew where he was hidden, where he abode or what had become of him. Lo, then the watchers of the great holy one summoned me, Enoch, the scribe, and said unto me: 'Enoch, thou scribe of righteousness, go tell the watchers of heaven, who left the high heavens, the holy eternal abodes, corrupted themselves with women as the children of men do, took women unto themselves and rushed to great ruin on earth.'

These and all the others with them took wives unto themselves, each of them chose one and they began ... defile themselves with them . . . They became pregnant and bore giants 300 ells tall. They went to the daughters of men on earth, slept with them and defiled themselves with women ... But the women bore giants and thus the whole earth was full of blood and unrighteousness.
...
Come hither and harken unto my words. Go and speak to the watchers of the heavens, who sent thee, and ask them: 'You should intercede for men, not men for you. Why have you left high and holy heaven, slept with women, defiled yourselves with the daughters of men, taken wives unto yourselves and done as the children of earth and begot giants as sons? Although you were immortal, you have polluted yourselves with the blood of women, begotten children with the blood of the flesh, coveted the blood of men and produced flesh and blood as do they who are mortal and perishable."

The Fall of the Angels and their Demoralization of Mankind is described as follows by Enoch [Book of Enoch]:

"And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.'. And Semjâzâ, who was their leader, said unto them : 'I fear ye will not indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Sêmîazâz, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêêl, Kôkabîê1, Tâmîê1, Râmîê1, Dânê1, Êzêqêêl, Barâqîjâl, Asâêl, Armârôs, Batârêl, Anânêl, Zaqîê1,Samsâpêê1, Satarê1, Tûrê1, Jômjâê1, Sariêl.  These are their chiefs of tens.

And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells. Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.

And Azâzê1 taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them, the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Sêmjâzâ taught enchantments, and root-cuttings, Armârôs the resolving of enchantments, Barâqîjâl, (taught) astrology, Kôkabê1 the constellations, Êzêqêêl the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiêl the signs of the earth, Shamsiêl the signs of the sun, and, Sariêl the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven. ...

And then Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth.  And they said one to another: 'The earth, made without inhabitant, cries the voice of their crying up to the gates of heaven. And now to you, the holy ones of heaven, the souls of men make their suit, saying, 'Bring our cause before the Most High'. And they said to the Lord of the ages : 'Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings (and God of the ages), the throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all the generations of the ages, and Thy name holy and glorious and blessed unto all the ages! Thou hast made all things, and power over all things hast Thou : and all things are naked and open in Thy sight, and all things Thou seest, and nothing can hide itself from Thee. Thou seest what Azâzêl hath done, who hath taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn:  And Semjâzâ, to whom Thou hast given authority to bear rule over his associates. And they have gone to the daughters of men upon the earth, and have slept with the women, and have defiled themselves, and revealed to them all kinds of sins. And the women have borne giants, and the whole earth has thereby been filled with blood and unrighteousness.  And now, behold, the souls of those who have died are crying and making their suit to the gates of heaven, and their lamentations have ascended: and cannot cease because of the lawless deeds which are wrought on the earth.
...
Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Larnech, and said to him: 'Go to Noah and tell him in my name... that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world. And again the Lord said to Raphael : 'Bind Azâzê1 hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dûdâê1, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azâzê1: to him ascribe all sin. And to Gabriel said the Lord: 'Proceed against the bastards and the reprobates, and against the children of fornication: and destroy the children of fornication and the children of the Watchers from amongst men: and cause them to go forth: send them one against the other that they may destroy each other in battle: for length of days shall they not have."

and [The Book of Enoch ]:

"The name of the first Jeqôn : that is, the one who led astray [all] the sons of God, and brought them down to the earth, and led them astray through the daughters of men.  And the second was named Asbeêl: he imparted to the holy sons of God evil counsel, and led them astray so that they defiled their bodies with the daughters of men.  And the third was named Gâdreêl : he it is who showed the children of men all the blows of death, and he led astray Eve, and showed the weapons of death to the sons of men the shield and the coat of mail, and the sword for battle, and all the weapons of death to the children of men. And from his hand they have proceeded against those who dwell on the earth from that day and for evermore. And the fourth was named Pênêmûê: he taught the children of men the bitter and the sweet, and he taught them all the secrets of their wisdom. And he instructed mankind in writing with ink and paper, and thereby many sinned from eternity to eternity and until this day. For men were not created for such a purpose, to give confirmation to their good faith with pen and ink. For men were created exactly like the angels, to the intent that they should continue pure and righteous, and death, which destroys everything, could not have taken hold of them; but through this, their knowledge that they are perishing, and through this power it is consuming me. And the fifth was named Kâsdejâ: this is he who showed the children of men all the wicked smitings of spirits and demons, and the smitings of the embryo in the womb, that it may pass away [i.e. abortion], and [the smitings of the soul] the bites of the serpent, and the smitings which befall through the noontide heat, ..."

Digressing momentarily, this condemnation of the art of writing by the natives seems to have been widespread:

"There is a most telling passage in Plato's Phaedrus in which a 'King of Thebes' called Thamus expresses his deep concern to Hermes-Thoth. Thamus fears that by introducing 'writing', i.e. a means of recording things and events, men will no longer use their great and natural capacity of memory, and this will foster 'forgetfulness and sloth' and alienate men from the inner world which links them to God and to nature:

The story is that in the region of Naucratis in Egypt there dwelt one of the old sacred gods of the country, the god to whom the bird called Ibis is sacred, his own name being Thoth. He it was that invented number and calculation, geometry and astronomy, not to speak of draughts and dice, and above all writing. Now the king of the whole country at that time was Thamus, who dwelt in the Great City of Upper Egypt which the Greeks call the Egyptian Thebes, while Thamus they call Ammon. To him came Thoth, and revealed his arts, saying that they ought to be passed on to the Egyptians in general. Thamus asked what was the use of them all, and when Thoth explained, he condemned what he thought the bad points and praised what he thought the good. On each art, we are told, Thamus had plenty of views both for and against; but when it came to the writing Thoth said: 'Here, O King, is a branch of learning that will make the people of Egypt wiser and improve their memories; my discovery provides a recipe for memory and wisdom.' But the King answered and said: 'O man full of arts, to one it is given to create the thing of art, and to another to judge the measure of harm and of profit they have for those who shall employ them. And so it is to you, by reason of your tender regard for the writing that is your offspring, have declared the very opposite of its true effect. If men learn this, it will plant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is written, calling things to remembrance no longer from within themselves, but by means of external marks. What you have discovered is a recipe not for memory but for reminder. And it is no true wisdom you offer your disciples, but only its semblance, for by telling them many things without teaching them you will make them seem to know much, while the most part they know nothing, and as men filled not with wisdom, but with the conceit of wisdom, they will be a burden to their fellows..."

The curse of humanity through the misconduct of Eve is not unique to the Bible and can probably be traced to numerous myths, one for example being the myth of Pandora's Box [Brewer's Concise Dictionary of Phrase and Fable]:

"According to Hesiod, she was the first mortal female and was sent by Zeus as a gift to Epimetheus who married her, against the advice of his brother, Prometheus. She brought with her a large jar or vase (Pandora's box) which she opened and all the evils flew forth, and they have ever since continued to afflict the world. Hope alone remained in the box."

The first mortal woman was Eve, and the condemnation of the marriage echoes Enlil's disapproval of Enki's practice of taking wives from the natives. The serpent's taking of wives from the natives was widely known, as for instance recorded in the Persian Bundahism, which tells the story of a pure couple who were seduced by Angra Mainyu (called the daevas in another source), a two-legged serpent, and the couple ended up worshipping their seducer.  That the 'daughters of men' married 'serpents' and bore them children was known all over the ancient world, as attested to by Pyrenees and Indian reliefs depicting a woman giving birth to and even suckling a serpent (Figure 60).



Figure 60. Pyrenees relief of woman suckling a serpent (left) and Indian relief of woman giving birth to a serpent (right).

The Serpents who took wives from the natives did not do so by force, as suggested by the common theme that the Serpent 'seduced' Eve. Osiris, for example, was also known as the Lord of Rostau, an archaic name for the Giza necropolis [Fingerprints of the Gods]. The Hebrew word rô'sh (#7218) means head, chief or captain, and the word tâ'âh (#2937) means to wander, lead astray or seduce. Together the words would mean either Chief-of-the-wanderers (Osiris was king of the Noahs who were scattered from Atlantis), or Chief-of-the-seducers. Alternatively, the name could mean (Lord-of)-the-poison-that-makes-men-reel, from rôwsh (#7219) meaning poison or venom, and the word tâ'âh (#8582) meaning reel, or stagger. This may have been a type of gas like mustard gas or some other chemical weapon developed by the Serpents to repel their enemies.

From the previous texts a distinct picture begins to emerge. Eve represents the 'daughters of men', or in other words the native women whom the serpent 'gods' encountered when they landed on firm soil. They took wives form these native peoples, initially possibly by force, but as suggested by the Eve story, the women actually willingly presented themselves to the 'gods'. They must quickly have learnt that they could become like the 'gods' by marrying them, i.e. learning how to live like the 'gods'. It would have become an honour to be married to a 'god', rather than to one of the native men.  The latter naturally resented being looked down upon by women of their own, especially in favour of superior foreigners. The women were the first group of the natives to be 'converted' to the civilized ways of the gods, but with time a percentage of the native males were also drawn into the civilized world. These males were the biblical 'Adam', although the the name Adam also seems to refer to the 'gods' who were lonely and had no mates. The word 'âdâm (#120, 'human being, mankind, Adam') is closely related to the word 'âdam (#119, 'to show blood, flush or turn rosy'). The latter may in fact be the origin of the name of the first civilized human beings to appear on Earth, Adam. The people of northern Europe and Scandinavia are fair-skinned and their skins are very sensitive to exposure to the sun. During the Anglo-Boer war the English were nicknamed the Red-Necks, for obvious reasons. It is very likely that before the comet struck Earth, the Southern Continent had a climate similar to that of northern Europe, and all its inhabitants were fair-skinned. When they resettled in the Mediterranean, they would have been exposed to intense sunlight, almost all of them constantly brandishing a pink sunburn. They may then have been nicknamed 'the red ones'.

As expected, this practice of the 'serpents' was resented by the other nations or groups of 'gods' ('our pride and sacred mission to the winds have been abandoned, by our own hands this planet with Earthling multitudes shall be overrun!'), but passionately hated by those native men who were increasingly being despised and shunned by their own women.

This was the 'sin' committed by the native women, and in order to ensure that the sons of gods and in fact no other man would ever find their women desirable, the Arabs ordered their women to cover themselves completely. This practice persists to this day.

From a rib of Adam, God created Eve 

Along with the creation of the Creation and man (Adam), the story of the creation of Eve remains a mystery to all but the Creationists. According to Gen 2:20-22:

"And the man called names to all the cattle, and to the bird of the heavens … but no helper suited to him was found for a man. And Jehova God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath. And Jehova God formed the rib which he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man"

The original text reads [Green, The Interlinear Bible]:

"God (#430, YHWH) a deep (#8415, tehôwm, 'an abyss as a surging mass of water, the deep as the main sea, deep') sleep (#8142, shênâh, 'sleep') on the man (#120, 'âdâm, 'a human being, mankind, Adam') and he slept (#3462, yâshên, 'to be slack or languid, to sleep, die or grow old'). And he took (#3947, lâqach, to take, receive, take away, married') one (#259, 'echâd, 'one, first, another') from his ribs (#6763, tsêlâ', 'a rib, a side, a quarter, an arch, chamber') and closed up (#5462, sâgar, 'to shut up, surrender, deliver') the flesh (#1320, bâsâr, 'flesh, body') underneath (#8478, tachath, 'the bottom, depressed, instead, in the same place'). And formed (#1127 from #1121, ben, 'son, as builder of the family') Jehova God (#430) the rib (#6763) which (#834, 'ãsher, 'which, that, when, where') He had taken (#3947) from the man (#120) into a woman (#802, 'ishshâh, 'wife, woman') and brought her in (#935, bôw', 'bring, in, enter, go') the man (#120).

There appear to be some glaring problems with this translation:

• The word tehôwm (#8415) clearly refers to the ocean, 'the deep', and the 'surging mass of water' may in fact have been used to allude to the Flood.  The word tardêmâh (#8639, 'trance, deep sleep') should have been used instead. The entire context of the passage changes when 'deep sleep' is changed to 'the deep sea'.
• The word tsêlâ' (#6763) seems to relate to the side of a person or an object, and its interpretation as a 'rib' may in fact have originated only from the Genesis creation story. The word 'ãlah' (#5967) unambiguously means 'rib'.
• The use of ben (#1127) to denote 'formed' does not make sense and seems to be a forced interpretation. In Gen 2:7 'Jehova God formed the man out of dust', and the word 'form' is therefore used in the same context. The Hebrew word used here is however yâtsar (#3335, 'to mould into a form, to form, to fashion, to make). The 'Gods' did 'form' the natives they encountered by civilizing them. As such ben can only mean son or children, again changing the context of the passage.

Considering the orally transmitted and regularly rewritten origins of the Genesis story, it is possible that some of the words may over time have been replaced by phonetically or grammatically similar equivalents. These include

• shânâh (#8138, pronounced shaw-naw', meaning 'duplicate, doubled, repeateth') instead of shênâh (#8142, pronounced shay-naw', meaning 'sleep')
• bâsar (#1319, pronounced baw-sar', meaning 'to announce glad news, tidings) instead of bâsâr (#1320, pronounced baw-sawr', meaning 'flesh, body')
• âchad (#258, pronounced aw-khad', meaning 'to unify, collect') instead of 'echâd (#259, pronounced ekh-awd', meaning 'one, first')

These changes to the original text render an altogether different meaning:

"The Gods (#430, YHWH) {who came from} the watery abyss (#8415, tehôwm, 'an abyss as a surging mass of water, the deep as the main sea, deep') rebuilt (#8138, shânâh, 'duplicate') the civilization (#120, 'âdâm, 'mankind') {that had} grown old (#3462, yâshên, 'to be slack or languid, to sleep, die or grow old'). And they received (#3947, lâqach, to take, receive, take away, married') all together as one (#258, 'âchad, 'to unify, collect') {in the} quarters (#6763, tsêlâ', 'a rib, a side, a quarter, an arch, chamber') {where they had been} confined to (#5462, sâgar, 'to shut up, surrender, deliver') the joyful news (#1319, bâsar, 'announce glad news') {to those who were} depressed (#8478, tachath, 'the bottom, depressed, instead, in the same place'). {That} children (#1127 from #1121, ben, 'son, children') {of} the Gods (#430) {in} quarters (#6763) those (#834, 'ãsher, 'which, that, when, where')  {may be} taken (#3947) from the men (#120) and their new wives (#802, 'ishshâh, 'wife, woman') and brought into (#935, bôw', 'bring, in, enter, go') mankind {civilization} (#120)."

Genesis 2:22 should then rather be translated as

"The Gods who came from the watery abyss to rebuild their advanced civilization, but were confined to their quarters and were not allowed to take wives and have families, received as one the joyful announcement to those in a state of depression, that the children that would be raised in those very quarters, by those men and their new wives, could be brought into the world of civilization."

The mostly male people of Osiris must have realized that everything they had developed, their technology, their knowledge, their sciences, would be lost within one generation unless they would be allowed to take wives (from the local population) and have children. From the biblical account it seems that this decision was not taken light-heartedly ('Let us all swear an oath … to do this thing') and that the motivation was not simply the lust of the gods as the local people would have interpreted those events. They must have consulted with their northern neighbours, the Enlilites, who were vehemently opposed to the idea as it would allow their former enemy to regain and maintain its power over the world. They also may not have foreseen the reaction it would elicit from the native men, or more likely did not consider this to be a serious threat.

The men of Osiris welcomed this long-awaited stamp of approval with great joy, and no doubt so did the native women whom they had already begun employing as domestic servants and in other roles. Their joyous laughter however did not go unnoticed. It steadily began to wake the wolves amongst all of those who surrounded them.