The Forgotten Books of Eden
Various ancient authors; edited by Rutherford H. Platt, 1926
A one-volume gathering of books outside the biblical canon: the Conflict of Adam and Eve, 2 Enoch, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Odes of Solomon, and more.
- Composed
- Texts from the 2nd century BCE to the early centuries CE
- Original language
- Greek, Hebrew, and other ancient languages
- In the SOL library
- 443 searchable passages
- Rights
- Public domain
What this text is
The Forgotten Books of Eden is a 1926 anthology that put the era’s scholarly translations of extra-canonical scripture into general readers’ hands: the Conflict of Adam and Eve after the expulsion from the garden, the Secrets of Enoch (2 Enoch) with its ascent through ten heavens, the deathbed Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the earliest Christian hymnbook in the Odes of Solomon, and the ancient wisdom tale of Ahikar.
The collection’s value is breadth: in one volume, a reader can survey the literature that circulated beside the canon, and see how much narrative, angelology, and devotional writing the standard Bible leaves out.
Why researchers read it
SOL’s investigation into whether the excluded books carried distinct teachings needs the excluded books themselves. This anthology gathers a working set of them in translation, making it a practical entry point before a reader descends into the critical editions.
CHAP. LXVI. Adam does his first day's work. WHEN it was morning, the day after they had eaten food, Adam and Eve prayed in the cave, and Adam said unto Eve, "Lo, we asked for food of God, and He gave it. But now let us also ask Him to give us a drink of water." 2 Then they arose, and went to the bank of the stream of water, that was on the south border of the garden, in which they had before thrown themselves. And they stood on the bank, and prayed to God that He would command them to drink of the water. 3 Then the Word of God came to Adam, and said unto him, "O Adam, thy body is become brutish, and requires water to drink. Take ye, and drink, thou and Eve; give thanks and praise." 4 Adam and Eve then drew near, and drank of it, until their bodies felt refreshed. After having drunk, they praised God, and then returned to their cave, after their former custom.
The Forgotten Books of Eden, Various ancient authors; edited by Rutherford H. Platt, 1926 · Public domain
Research that draws on this text
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