(March 8, 2014 at 7:26 am)Miss Meng Wrote:(March 8, 2014 at 2:54 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: In Genesis chapter 3 the talking serpent appears. Who did the serpent represent? Who did Adam represent?
Adam represents the first form of man. The serpent represents evil, deception, lies and trickery.
~ Miss M
I think you blew your leg off of that one.
The serpent represented the Egyptian Pharaoh, who wore a headdress with a Uraeus rising serpent (cobra, asp) that symbolized the Pharaoh's absolute power and authority. http://www.landofpyramids.org/uraeus.htm
Egypt was at war with Assyria and Babylonia and various times fell under their control. Most people regard serpents as sneaky and treacherous so it was a clever way to take a dig at the Egyptian ruler for lying by calling him a serpent (which was on his headdress).
The Babylonian Empire was known as the “Garden of Eden” and the Egyptians were a disruptive force. Adam was a metaphor for the king of Tyre, who got kicked out by the Emperor. The tree of knowledge of good and evil might symbolize the adoption of foreign culture and religious practices.
Believe it or not, all of that is in the Bible.
