The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-25
LEGENDS ABOUT ADAM
STORIES OF THE FIRST MAN GATH
Erred FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.
Jews, Christians, Mohammednns and
Others Have Their own Tradi-
demonstrations Lore.

III tueH CdTeeFSs IL - DuI natural tnaJ
legend has dealt more generously with
Adam, the reputed father OF the whole hui
man race. than with any other character of
the Old Testament. Adamic legends have
been woven. not alone by Jews, Christians
and Mohammedans. but by the votaries of
many other religions, the very names Of
which are scarcely preserved. The Manich.
aeans. Mandaeans, Gnostics, Ebionites and
even the mystics and alchemists of the
middle ages have added plenr1fu1ly to this
store. There Is scarcely a verse in the
opening chapters of Genesis that has not
been used as a peg upon which 70 hang
some conjecture which in time became a
legend and was by many accepted as the
truth
Thus the fall OF the angels themselves
has been attributed to a circumstance con-
nected with the creation of man. The Lord
had just formed man from the earth, taxi
ing little clay from each OF the four quar-
tiers Of the world. north, south, east and
west Then He required the angelic hosts
TO come and bow down before the man
whom He had created in His own image
All obeyed, save the the proud spirit Iblis,
or Satan. and his followers. They declared
that since they had been first created, and
from the purer element Of fire, it was not
fitting that they should do homage to the
man made later from the dust OF the earth.
Their refusal was followed by the war in
heaven and their expulsion.
Much the same idea underlies the we'll
known legend Of how Adam had a first
wife, called Lilith, created at the same
time with him, and of a more ethereal sub
stance than the earth She. with similar
pride, refused to be subject TO Adam, (the
first advocate Of woman's rights, and was,
by the Lord, expelled from Paradise on
account OF her disobedience Afterwards
she was espoused by demon and from
this pair the genii are descended.
A JEWISH NOTION.
\ very old Jewish opinion, however,
maintains that Adam was, in the begin
ming created androgynous, that is, the
Lord formed body which consisted of a
complete man and a complete woman
joined together back to back. Thus the
taking OF the rib from Adams side really
consisted in making the separation be-
tween these two parts of the original crea-
ton. There is In existence a psalm which
purports to have been uttered by the first
man when Eve was created
A curious idea about Adams origin is
that held by the Mandaeans. an ancient
sect OF whom small fragment exists in
the East 10 this day. They call him i'm their
theology. ''the apostle Of the moon" and
teach that he was, by the Lord. brought
from that satellite to the earth. This leg
end might be pointed to by the advocates
OF certain scientific theories, as a mystical
anticipation OF modern opinions. Life GER
tainiy nourished on the moon at an earlier
date than on the earth, and the origin of
All terrestrial life from germs carried
hither from other bodies in the solar svs-
TEN, is a theory widely held.
Nearly all ancient writer's concur in the
opinion that Adams body was Infinitely
more beautiful and glorious than that of
any OF his descendants. They describe IT
as being lucid like that Of Moses when he
descended from the divine presence on Mt
sinai An extract from one of the old
Ialmudical writer's expresses this view
very quantity. Speaking OF Sarah. Abra-
MANS wife, he says: "All women IN com
parison with Sarah. were like monkeys in
comparison with men. But Sarah was No
more TO be compared with Eve than
monkey with man. Likewise IL Won com
pared Eve with Adam it would be like COM
pairing a monkey with a man. (Alas for
gallantryD But If you compared Adam with
Co., again 1t would be the COMPARISON of
a monkey with a man"
THE FIRST AND BIGGEST.
belief In the great stature of Adam
was generally held. The Rabbins saw that
MS head reached TO heaven itself. and his
body from one end Of the earth n tbe
other But when he sinned God laid HE
hand upon him and reduced him m En-
present stature OF the race. Other writer's
however teach that this great stature of
mankind was gradually reduced during the
antediluvian age
Adams name has been a favorite SUBJ
tect for mystical writer's. It's four letters
stand N Greek. for instance, for the names
or the four seasons; they are also the
initials OF four principal stars that are sun
posed to be connected with him. They are
symbols Of the four evangelists and MANY
other tetrads. The three letters which form
the word Adam in Hebrew stand for
dust" blood" and rebel" They like
wise stand for Adam. David and Messiah
and from this circumstance the idea was
derived that the soul of the first was again
incarnate in King David. and would at last
be so in the Messiah.
The Jews generally agreed in attributing
all knowledge and invention to Adam. He
took the place Of Prometheus, Cadmus and
the other demigods and heroes OF the cIas-
steal religions. as being the universal bene-
factor OF mankind The number of books
attributed to him is almost endless. I shall
have space to look at bar few of these
ideas.
To begin with, the Jews thought that
God. taught Adam all knowledge by the
agency Of the angels. The Cabbalists name
Raziel as his preceptor. Just as they assign
other angels as the teachers of all the re-
naming prophets. Not only did the old
Jewish writers consider Adam TO be a
prophet. but many Of the fathers of the
Christian church have spoken OF him as
such The Mohammedans who assert that
there have been altogether $4,000 prophets.
place Adam amongst the six greatest of
these. the other five being Noah. Abraham.
Moses. Jesus and Mohammed.
MAN OF PARTS.
As consequence OF this divine wis