Genesis 3 and the Use of Snakes as Literary Devices in the Ancient Near East
Genesis 3 and the story of the fall of Adam and Eve presents a character na very familiar sa atin when we read the Old Testament. In the chapter, we see a serpent, na described as “very cunning” among all other creations, na nag-tempt kay Eve to partake of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Now, we and other Judeo-Christian groups identify ang “serpent” as Satan, and karamihan ng portrayals ng story na ito in art depicts ang isang ahas na nagsasalita habang nakapulupot sa isang puno.
We Latter-day Saints don’t read it as a “talking snake,” but rather metaphorical ng isang totoong being na outside sa ginawa ng Diyos sa book of Genesis. Since ang Old Testament ay situated sa languages, culture and literature ng ancient Near East, we can shed better light kung bakit ang “serpent” sa story na ito ay isang literary device at hindi isang “talking snake” as most groups interpret. Snakes have a dual meaning sa Near Eastern cultures. It can either symbolize life or evil, depending on the context, and this is true with the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Jesus uses snakes bilang isang metaphor sa masamang gawain ng religious leaders at the time (see. Matthew 12:34), and in other places sa Scriptures, it can also symbolize sin and corruption. (see. Romans 3:13; James 3:8; 1 Nephi 14:24-29; 2 Nephi 2:17-18; Mosiah 16:3) Yet in one place, Jesus also uses ang cunning nature ng snakes to symbolize wisdom na kailangang taglayin ng mga apostles. (see. Matthew 10:16) The Book of Mormon elaborates sa events sa Old Testament when the Lord commanded Moses to build a serpent out of brass to heal disobedient Israelites. Gaya ng New Testament, it ultimately points to the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see. 2 Nephi 2:20; Helaman 8:13-15; cf. John 3:14-17).
In relevant Egyptian literature, ang snake ay ginagamit bilang isang symbol of life and rebirth, possibly because of its “shedding of skin,” revealing a renewed body. In the same way sa Mesopotamian literature, it is associated with fertility and healing. These cultures would then influence others gaya sa mga Greeks at ang “rod of Asclepius” (featuring two snakes) na we can see in medical institutions today. The Bible and the Book of Mormon understands these symbols in the same way of finding life and healing ultimately through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Though seen as a symbol of life and healing, it is also understood as a symbol for treachery and evil. Egyptians associate the serpent to evil figures gaya ni Apophis at sa mga adversaries na one must overcome in the afterlife. This is also true sa Mesopotamian literature, gaya ng Epic of Gilgamesh, where a snke prevents Gilgamesh from attaining perpetual youth. This is also reflective sa Genesis 3, where “serpent” (Hebrew: נחש, nāḥāš) is seen by biblical scholars as a disguise for a being na “…hostile to God, … an enemy of man,” or “an adversary” na we understand to be Satan. (see. Job 1:6)
For more sa significance ng serpent imagery sa Book of Mormon, see this article by Dr. Andrew Skinner ng Brigham Young University: Andrew C. Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10.2 (2001): 42-55, 70-71 (https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1288&context=jbms)
We Latter-day Saints don’t read it as a “talking snake,” but rather metaphorical ng isang totoong being na outside sa ginawa ng Diyos sa book of Genesis. Since ang Old Testament ay situated sa languages, culture and literature ng ancient Near East, we can shed better light kung bakit ang “serpent” sa story na ito ay isang literary device at hindi isang “talking snake” as most groups interpret. Snakes have a dual meaning sa Near Eastern cultures. It can either symbolize life or evil, depending on the context, and this is true with the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Jesus uses snakes bilang isang metaphor sa masamang gawain ng religious leaders at the time (see. Matthew 12:34), and in other places sa Scriptures, it can also symbolize sin and corruption. (see. Romans 3:13; James 3:8; 1 Nephi 14:24-29; 2 Nephi 2:17-18; Mosiah 16:3) Yet in one place, Jesus also uses ang cunning nature ng snakes to symbolize wisdom na kailangang taglayin ng mga apostles. (see. Matthew 10:16) The Book of Mormon elaborates sa events sa Old Testament when the Lord commanded Moses to build a serpent out of brass to heal disobedient Israelites. Gaya ng New Testament, it ultimately points to the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see. 2 Nephi 2:20; Helaman 8:13-15; cf. John 3:14-17).
In relevant Egyptian literature, ang snake ay ginagamit bilang isang symbol of life and rebirth, possibly because of its “shedding of skin,” revealing a renewed body. In the same way sa Mesopotamian literature, it is associated with fertility and healing. These cultures would then influence others gaya sa mga Greeks at ang “rod of Asclepius” (featuring two snakes) na we can see in medical institutions today. The Bible and the Book of Mormon understands these symbols in the same way of finding life and healing ultimately through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Though seen as a symbol of life and healing, it is also understood as a symbol for treachery and evil. Egyptians associate the serpent to evil figures gaya ni Apophis at sa mga adversaries na one must overcome in the afterlife. This is also true sa Mesopotamian literature, gaya ng Epic of Gilgamesh, where a snke prevents Gilgamesh from attaining perpetual youth. This is also reflective sa Genesis 3, where “serpent” (Hebrew: נחש, nāḥāš) is seen by biblical scholars as a disguise for a being na “…hostile to God, … an enemy of man,” or “an adversary” na we understand to be Satan. (see. Job 1:6)
For more sa significance ng serpent imagery sa Book of Mormon, see this article by Dr. Andrew Skinner ng Brigham Young University: Andrew C. Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10.2 (2001): 42-55, 70-71 (https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1288&context=jbms)
References:
•Andrew C. Skinner, “Serpent Symbols and Salvation in the Ancient Near East and the Book of Mormon,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10.2 (2001): 42-55, 70-71.
•The Jerusalem Bible (New York: Doubleday, 1966): Gn. 3, n. A.
•Henri Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1962): 378 n. 12.
•John A. Wilson, “All Men Created Equal” and Egyptian Historical Tales, “A Campaign of Seti I in Northern Palestine,” translated from “The Stella of the Year 400,” in Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, third edition, ed. James B. Pritchard (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1969): 7-8, 253.
•Manfred Lurker, The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1980): 373.
