its a nice story to read, I did this about 20 years + ago. i believe there is truth in it but to what extent? it is where discernment is needed and that Comes from the Holy Spirit, if you read it you will see for yourself . but I will provide a few passages here below:@2Christ
I'm reading other books at the moment and have requested Paradise Lost, as that is about Eve (and Adam) but I would be interested if you could share some bits of what you read of this book.
Or since it's in the public domain, maybe a passage. Did it help you understand Eve better? I guess its kind of filling in the gaps of what we do know about her from the Bible. I imagine being the 'mother of all living' having birthed plenty of children she would have been a legendary figure/matriarch to everyone in the earliest days.
Chapter V - Eve makes a noble and emotional intercession, taking theblame on herself.
1 Then Adam and Eve entered the cave, and stood praying, in their owntongue, unknown to us, but which they knew well.
2 And as they prayed, Adam raised his eyes and saw the rock and theroof of the cave that covered him overhead. This prevented him fromseeing either heaven or God's creatures. So he cried and beat hischest hard, until he dropped, and was as dead.
3 And Eve sat crying; for she believed he was dead.
4 Then she got up, spread her hands toward God, appealing to Him formercy and pity, and said, "O God, forgive me my sin, the sin which Icommitted, and don't remember it against me.
5 For I alone caused Your servant to fall from the garden into thiscondemned land; from light into this darkness; and from the house ofjoy into this prison.
6 O God, look at this Your servant fallen in this manner, and bring himback to life, that he may cry and repent of his transgression which hecommitted through me.
7 Don't take away his soul right now; but let him live that he maystand after the measure of his repentance, and do Your will, as beforehis death.
8 But if You do not bring him back to life, then, O God, take away myown soul, that I be like him, and leave me not in this dungeon, one andalone; for I could not stand alone in this world, but with him only.
9 For You, O God, caused him to fall asleep, and took a bone from hisside, and restored the flesh in the place of it, by Your divine power.
10 And You took me, the bone, and make me a woman, bright like him,with heart, reason, and speech; and in flesh, like to his own; and Youmade me after the likeness of his looks, by Your mercy and power.
11 O Lord, I and he are one, and You, O God, are our Creator, You areHe who made us both in one day.
12 Therefore, O God, give him life, that he may be with me in thisstrange land, while we live in it on account of our transgression.
13 But if You will not give him life, then take me, even me, like him;that we both may die the same day."
14 And Eve cried bitterly, and fell on our father Adam; from her greatsorrow.
Chapter VI - God's reprimand to Adam and Eve in which he points out howand why they sinned.
1 But God looked at them; for they had killed themselves through greatgrief.
2 But He decided to raise them and comfort them.
3 He, therefore, sent His Word to them; that they should stand and beraised immediately.
4 And the Lord said to Adam and Eve, "You transgressed of your own freewill, until you came out of the garden in which I had placed you.
5 Of your own free will have you transgressed through your desire fordivinity, greatness, and an exalted state, such as I have; so that Ideprived you of the bright nature in which you then were, and I madeyou come out of the garden to this land, rough and full of trouble.
6 If only you had not transgressed My commandment and had kept My law,and had not eaten of the fruit of the tree which I told you not to comenear! And there were fruit trees in the garden better than that one.
7 But the wicked Satan did not keep his faith and had no good intenttowards Me, that although I had created him, he considered Me to beuseless, and sought the Godhead for himself; for this I hurled him downfrom heaven so that he could not remain in his first estate—it was hewho made the tree appear pleasant in your eyes, until you ate of it, bybelieving his words.
8 Thus have you transgressed My commandment, and therefore I havebrought on you all these sorrows.
9 For I am God the Creator, who, when I created My creatures, did notintend to destroy them. But after they had sorely roused My anger, Ipunished them with grievous plagues, until they repent.
10 But, if on the contrary, they still continue hardened in theirtransgression, they shall be under a curse forever."
Chapter XIII - The fall of Adam. Why night and day were created.
1 Then when God, who is merciful and full of pity, heard Adam's voice, He said to him:—
2 "O Adam, so long as the good angel was obedient to Me, a bright light rested on him and on his hosts.
3 But when he transgressed My commandment, I deprived him of that bright nature, and he became dark.
4 And when he was in the heavens, in the realms of light, he knew nothing of darkness.
5 But he transgressed, and I made him fall from the heaven onto the earth; and it was this darkness that came over him.
6 And on you, O Adam, while in My garden and obedient to Me, did that bright light rest also.
7 But when I heard of your transgression, I deprived you of that bright light. Yet, of My mercy, I did not turn you into darkness, but I made you your body of flesh, over which I spread this skin, in order that it may bear cold and heat.
8 If I had let My wrath fall heavily on you, I should have destroyed you; and had I turned you into darkness, it would have been as if I had killed you.
9 But in My mercy, I have made you as you are; when you transgressed My commandment, O Adam, I drove you from the garden, and made you come forth into this land; and commanded you to live in this cave; and darkness covered you, as it did over him who transgressed My commandment.
10 Thus, O Adam, has this night deceived you. It is not to last forever; but is only of twelve hours; when it is over, daylight will return.
11 Sigh not, therefore, neither be moved; and say not in your heart that this darkness is long and drags on wearily; and say not in your heart that I plague you with it.
12 Strengthen your heart, and be not afraid. This darkness is not a punishment. But, O Adam, I have made the day, and have placed the sun in it to give light; in order that you and your children should do your work.
13 For I knew you would sin and transgress, and come out into this land. Yet I wouldn't force you, nor be heard over you, nor shut up; nor doom you through your fall; nor through your coming out from light into darkness; nor yet through your coming from the garden into this land.
14 For I made you of the light; and I willed to bring out children of light from you and like to you.
15 But you did not keep My commandment one day; until I had finished the creation and blessed everything in it.
16 Then, concerning the tree, I commanded you not to eat of it. Yet I knew that Satan, who deceived himself, would also deceive you.
17 So I made known to you by means of the tree, not to come near him. And I told you not to eat of the fruit thereof, nor to taste of it, nor yet to sit under it, nor to yield to it.
18 Had I not been and spoken to you, O Adam, concerning the tree, and had I left you without a commandment, and you had sinned—it would have been an offence on My part, for not having given you any order; you would turn around and blame Me for it.
19 But I commanded you, and warned you, and you fell. So that My creatures cannot blame Me; but the blame rests on them alone.
20 And, O Adam, I have made the day so that you and your descendants can work and toil in it. And I have made the night for them to rest in it from their work; and for the beasts of the field to go forth by night and look for their food.
21 But little of darkness now remains, O Adam, and daylight will soon appear."
Chapter XIV - The earliest prophesy of the coming of Christ.
1 Then Adam said to God: "O Lord, take You my soul, and let me not see this gloom any more; or remove me to some place where there is no darkness."
2 But God the Lord said to Adam, "Indeed I say to you, this darkness will pass from you, every day I have determined for you, until the fulfillment of My covenant; when I will save you and bring you back again into the garden, into the house of light you long for, in which there is no darkness*. I will bring you to it—in the kingdom of heaven."
3 Again said God to Adam, "All this misery that you have been made to take on yourself because of your transgression, will not free you from the hand of Satan, and will not save you.
4 But I will. When I shall come down from heaven, and shall become flesh of your descendants, and take on Myself the infirmity from which you suffer, then the darkness that covered you in this cave shall cover Me in the grave, when I am in the flesh of your descendants.
5 And I, who am without years, shall be subject to the reckoning of years, of times, of months, and of days, and I shall be reckoned as one of the sons of men, in order to save you."
6 And God ceased to commune with Adam.