The garden of Eden's serpent appears only in Genesis 3 of the Hebrew Bible but its identity, role, or symbolism, have since been a matter of debate. Literal, allegorical, and mythical interpretations are evident in Jewish sources from the Bible until the end of the thirteenth century, but are not uniformly represented. Literal interpretations---those that rely on an actual serpent capable of communicating with Eve---account for the majority of Jewish interpretations, often to the complete exclusion of other possibilities. Allegorical and mythical interpretations of the serpent are found in the works of Philo and the Pseudepigrapha, disappear in the classical rabbinic texts, but then reappear in Pirqe de Rabbi Eliezer and medieval Jewish philosophical and mystical sources. The patterns of literal and non-literal interpretation may be connected with the history of the concept of the devil within Judaism and with changing attitudes toward esoteric interpretations and midrash.

No description available.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Grace Theological Seminary, 1986. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-76).

In Num. 21: 4-9, after complaining against God, the Israelites were punished with a plague of venomous serpents. Following their apology, God commanded Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and mount it on a standard; the bitten were to look at it to recover. The use of the serpent form is striking, as it seems to boldly negate the fundamental Torah law, which prohibits the use of any images or statues. To gain better insight into the narrative, the first section of this work explores a possible context for it, based on archaeological findings. The second section focuses on the two prominent Egyptian elements contained in the narrative, the serpent and the standard, whose local symbolism is evaluated. The third section explores whether there are ancient Near Eastern parallels for the healing serpent. The narrative, in the fourth section, is examined according to its inner-Biblical interpretation. As the episode is the last of the ten wilderness complaint sequences, each is analyzed for a comprehensive understanding of Num. 21: 4-9; what elements, if any, are unique to it, and might have contributed the narrative's use of this peculiar remedy?

No description available.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Religion, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [113]-130).