Who tempted the woman? Variations of the Edenic episode in Jewish Apocalyptic literature

Abstract

The Jewish Apocalyptic tradition shows various conceptions about the origin of evil, which are developed throughout the history of this school of thought. In the third century a. C., the Book of the Watchers states that the descending of a rebellious group of angels to the earth seeking beautiful women is the direct cause of the origin of evil. Contrary to this myth, the tradition of Adam and Eve emerges as the main alternative. The eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge by the first couple explains the hard life of humans and their mortality. Nevertheless, around the first century A. D., this last tradition is developed in such a way that the serpent of the garden is linked to a satanic figure in some of the texts. This is the case of the references to the Edenic episode in the Book of Parables, 2 Enoch, the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch, the Apocalypse of Abraham, and the Greek and Latin versions of Life of Adam and Eve. Even if not all of them detail the description of the superhuman power hidden in the shape of the serpent, both 2 Enoch and the Latin version of Life of Adam and Eve refer to its initial state as one of the angels of the celestial court. An interpretation that influences the New Testament as well. The Watchers and Satan are all considered as heavenly beings that encourage humankind to superior learning and whose acts lead to the introduction and spread of evil in the world. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to analyse these late Apocalyptic references to the story of Adam and Eve in comparison to the myth of the Watchers in order to show the possible syncretism amongst these traditions.