PREFACE v
I.
THE FALL OF THE ANGELS 15
II.
ADAM 21 1. The Creation of Man 21 2. The Pre-Adamites 27
III.
EVE 29
IV.
THE FALL OF MAN 36
V.
ADAM AND EVE AFTER THE FALL 48
VI.
CAIN AND ABEL 69
VII.
THE DEATH OF ADAM 77
VIII.
SETH 81
IX.
CAINAN SON OF ENOS 84
X.
ENOCH 85 1. The Translation of Enoch 85 2. The Book of Enoch 87
XI.
THE GIANTS 91
XII.
LAMECH 96
XIII.
METHUSELAH 98
XIV.
NOAH 99
XV.
HEATHEN LEGENDS OF THE DELUGE 106
XVI.
THE PLANTING OF THE VINE 121
XVII.
THE SONS OF NOAH 124
XVIII.
RELICS OF THE ARK 126
XIX.
CERTAIN DESCENDANTS OF HAM 127
XX.
SERUG 130
XXI.
THE PROPHET EBER 131
XXII.
THE PROPHET SALEH 136
XXIII.
THE TOWER OF BABEL 144
XXIV.
ABRAHAM 149 1. His Youth and early Struggles 149 2. The Call of Abraham, and the Visit to Egypt 162 3. The War with the Kings 166 4. The Birth of Ishmael 171 5. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah 172 6. The Birth of Isaac 177 7. The Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael 181 8. The Strife between the Shepherds 185 9. The Grove in Beer-sheba 186 10. The Offering of Isaac 187 11. The Death of Sarah 197 12. The Marriage of Isaac 201 13. The Death of Abraham 203
XXV.
MELCHIZEDEK 205
XXVI.
OF ISHMAEL AND THE WELL ZEMZEM 210
XXVII.
ESAU AND JACOB 215
XXVIII.
JOSEPH 227
XXIX.
THE TESTAMENTS OF THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS 243
XXX.
JOB 245
XXXI.
JETHRO 251
XXXII.
MOSES 252 1. Israel in Egypt 252 2. The Birth and Childhood of Moses 259 3. The Youth and Marriage of Moses 266 4. Moses before Pharaoh 275 5. The Passage of the Red Sea 283 6. The giving of the Law 288 7. The Manna 292 8. The Smitten Rock 294 9. Moses visits El Khoudr 295 10. The Mission of the Spies 298 11. Of Korah and his Company 301 12. The Wars of the Israelites 304 13. The Death of Aaron 307 14. The Death of Moses 310
XXXIII.
JOSHUA 315
XXXIV.
THE JUDGES 319
XXXV.
SAMUEL 319
XXXVI.
SAUL 325 1. War with the Philistines.--Goliath slain 325 2. Saul’s Jealousy of David 329 3. The Death of Saul 331
XXXVII.
DAVID 323
XXXVIII.
SOLOMON 347 1. How Solomon obtained Power 347 2. How Solomon feasted all Flesh 349 3. The Building of the Temple 351 4. The Travels of Solomon 353 5. The History of the Queen of Sheba 358 6. Solomon’s Adventure with the Apes 364 7. Solomon marries the Daughter of Pharaoh 365 8. How Solomon lost and recovered his Ring 366 9. The Death of Solomon 369
XXXIX.
ELIJAH 371
XL.
ISAIAH 373
XLI.
JEREMIAH 376
XLII.
EZEKIEL 377
XLIII.
EZRA 377
XLIV.
ZACHARIAH 380
LEGENDS OF THE PATRIARCHS AND PROPHETS.
I.
THE FALL OF THE ANGELS.
In the beginning, before the creation of heaven and earth, God made the angels; free intelligences and free wills; out of His love He made them, that they might be eternally happy. And that their happiness might be complete, He gave them the perfection of a created nature; that is, He gave them freedom.
But happiness is only attained by the free will agreeing in its freedom to accord with the will of God. Some of the angels by an act of free will obeyed the will of God, and in such obedience found perfect happiness; other angels by an act of free will rebelled against the will of God, and in such disobedience found misery.
Such is the catholic theory of the fall of the angels.
Historically, it is represented as a war in heaven. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”[1] The reason of the revolt was that Satan desired to be as great as God. “Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”[2]
The war ended in the fall of Satan and those whom he had led into apostasy; and to this fall are referred the words of Christ, “I saw Satan like lightning fall from heaven.”[3]
Fabricius, in his collections of the apocryphal writings of the Old Testament, has preserved the song of triumph which the Archangel Michael sang on obtaining the victory. This is a portion of it:--
“Glory to our God! Praise to His holy Name! He is our God; glory be to Him! He is our Lord! His be the triumph! He has stretched forth His right hand; He has manifested His power, He has cast down our adversaries. They are mad who resist Him; they are accursed who depart from His commandments! He knoweth all things, and cannot err. His will is sovereignly just, and all that He wills is good, all that He advises is holy. Supreme Intelligence cannot be deceived; Perfect Being cannot will what is evil. Nothing is above that which is supreme, nothing is better than that which is perfect. None is worthy beside Him but him whom He has made worthy. He must be loved above all things and adored as the eternal King. You have abandoned your God, you have revolted against Him, you have desired to be gods; you have fallen from your high estates, you have gone down like a fallen stone. Acknowledge that God is great, that His works are perfect, and that His judgments are just. Glory be to God through ages of ages, praises of joy for all His works!” This song of the Archangel is said to have been revealed to S. Amadeus.[4]
According to the Talmudists, Satan, whose proper name is Sammael, was one of the Seraphim, with six wings.[5] He was not driven out of heaven till after he had led Adam and Eve into sin; then Sammael and his host were precipitated out of the place of bliss, with God’s curse to weigh them down. In the struggle between Michael and Sammael, the falling Seraph caught the wings of Michael and tried to drag him down with him, but God saved him, whence Michael derives his name (the Rescued). This is what the Rabbi Bechai says in his commentary on the Five Books of Moses.[6]
According to a Talmudic authority, the apostate angels having fallen in a heap, God laid his little finger on them and consumed them.[7]