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4 Gary A. Anderson
I say justly amous because the !"#$ itsel existed in six ersions-
Greek, Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Slaonic, and Coptic ,now
extant only in ragments,-yet the tradition that the !"#$ drew on is
present in numerous other documents rom Late Antiquity.
2
And
one should mention its surprising prominence in Islam-the story
was told and retold some seen times in the Koran and was
subsequently subject to urther elaboration among Muslim exegetes
and storytellers.
3
My purpose in this essay is to carry orward work
I hae already done on this text to the igures o St. Lphrem and
John Milton. \hy Milton Because the narratie problems aced in
a work like %&'&(")$ !+), are not so dissimilar rom those aced by
Lphrem in his own Christian poetry. Indeed, oer the course o my
own research, I only came to understand the way the tradition
unctioned in Lphrem once I had a grasp on how Milton used it.
As we shall see, though both writers hae ery dierent points o
origin, they both are heir to a common Christian tradition and their
deployment o this theme rom the !"#$-though dierent in their
own ways-share a single theological ision.
2
lor a reiew o the critical issues and literature dealing with this
complex document, see the recent work o M. Stone, A -"),+'. +# ,/$
!",$'&,0'$ +# 1(&2 &3( 45$ ,Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1992, and M. de Jonge
and J. 1romp, 6/$ !"#$ +# 1(&2 &3( 45$ &3( 7$8&,$( !",$'&,0'$ ,Sheield:
Sheield Academic Press, 199,. lor a synoptic edition o the work with
the ersions printed in parallel columns, see G. Anderson and M. Stone,
1 9.3+:)") +# ,/$ ;++<) +# 1(&2 &3( 45$= 9$>+3( 7$5")$( 4(","+3 ,Atlanta:
Scholars Press, 1999,.
3
1he story can be ound in the ollowing Surahs o the Koran: 2:31-9,
:11-8, 15:31-48, 1:61-5, 18:50, 20:116-20, 38:1-85. lor a reiew o
the issues in Islamic studies, see P. Awn, 9&,&3?) 6'&@$(. +# 7$($2:,"+3A BC8")
"3 90#" %).>/+8+@. ,Leiden: Brill, 1983,.
1he lall o Satan in the 1hought o St. Lphrem 5
!" $%&%'($ )%** +' &,- *+)- .) %/%0 %'/ -1-
|2| Let me begin with the text as we ind it in the !"#$ &# '()* )+( ,-$.
4
It occurs somewhat oddly in this story: Adam and Le hae been
searching or ood outside o Lden and ind the earth to be
completely lacking. All they can ind is the herbage resered or the
animals. Despairing oer their condition they resort to penitence
and prayer. 1hey hope to moe the Almighty to bring them back to
Lden or, ailing that, to ameliorate their present circumstances.
1hey embark on a orty-day rite o asting.
5
Just oer halway,
Satan appears beore Le in the orm o an angel and tempts her to
abort their penitential rite. le is successul this second time just as
he was the irst time.
|3| \hen Adam hears about this, he is outraged. le demands that
Satan account or his enmity. Satan answers that his wrath is due to
the honor bestowed upon Adam and Le at creation. \hen God
blew into you the breath o Lie,` he recounts, your countenance
and likeness were made in the image o God.`
6
Satan continues the
story by recounting how Michael came orward and presented
Adam to God, whereupon Adam did obeisance. Michael then
turned to the angels in attendance and said, \orship the image o
the Lord God just as the Lord God has commanded.` Satan ound
this demand an outrage. I do not hae it within me to worship
Adam,` he replied, I will not worship him who is lower and
posterior to me. I am prior to that creature. Beore he was made, I
had already been made. le ought to worship me.`
|4| 1he counterclaim o Satan is as true as it is remarkable. I birth
order has any claim to priilege, then how could Adam, as a latter-
4
Because o the history o this tale`s publication, citation o the
document has generally ollowed either the Latin or the Greek ersion. In
the case o the story o Satan`s all, the reerence is !"#$, 12-. 1he story
occurs in the Latin, Armenian, and Georgian ersions o the !"#$, the
Slaonic and the Greek omit it. J. Danilou in his book, ./$ '+0$12 )+(
3/$"4 5"22"&+ )66&4("+0 3& 3/$ 7)3/$42 &# 3/$ 8/946/ ,\estminster, MD: Christian
Classics, 1953,, is the only scholar I know o who relates this tradition in
the Lie to Patristic thought about the status o the human person oer
against the angels. lis brie discussion has signiicant oerlaps with mine.
5
On this part o the tale see G. Anderson, 1he Penitence Narratie
in the !"#$ &# '()* )+( ,-$,` :;8' 63 ,1992,: 1-38.
6
1he citation is rom !"#$, 13:2-14:3 and is taken rom the Latin
ersion. 1he Armenian and Georgian are almost exactly the same.
6 Gary A. Anderson
born, be worthy o such an honor At one leel, Satan`s
remonstration is quite understandable. Indeed his reaction to Adam
anticipates the behaior o other non-elect igures in the book o
Genesis. Like many o these persons, he is surprised and angered
by the mysterious electing hand o God. 1ime and again, God
aors the latter-born oer the irst-born. Lsau, though born beore
Jacob, is doomed to eternal seranthood: 1he older shall sere the
younger` ,Gen 25:23,. Joseph, the son o his ather`s old age,
becomes master oer his brothers in Lgypt as predicted in his
dream. Satan`s surprise can equally be our surprise-een the
atr p iarchs had diiculty grasping the ways o God with men.
|5| \et Satan`s reluctance to enerate has a darker side. lis words,
when compared to those o John the Baptist, can be read to reeal
a not-so-subtle blasphemy. \hen Jesus is presented to John the
Baptist, the writer o the Gospel o John records that the Baptist
was loath to exercise any authority oer him. 1hough John clearly
preceded Jesus in time ,Among you stands one whom you do not
know, the one who is coming ater me, I am not worthy to untie
the thong o his sandal.` John 1:26-,, John understands his honor
to ollow that o Christ: Ater me comes a man who ranks ahead
o me because he was beore me` ,1:30,. \hat the Baptist knows
ealed truth is an oo so well as re utter surprise and alseh d to Satan.
|6| 1he !"#$ &# '()* )+( ,-$ redeploys this literary .&/&0 later in the
tale when Satan approaches the snake and suggests that he assist in
the downall o the human couple. 1he conersation is worth citing
in ull.
\hen the deil came to your ather`s portion, the deil
summoned the serpent and told him, Arise and come
to me and I will teach you a useul word.` 1hen the
serpent came and the Deil told the serpent, I ,hear,
that you are wiser than all the animals and I hae come
to test your wisdom, or Adam gies ood to all the
animals, thus also to you. \hen then all the animals
came to bow down beore Adam rom day to day and