Adam and Eve

The Creation of Man

Adam

In the beginning, the Devil tried his hand at creation. He shaped a man out of clay and spoke to him, but the figure remained silent, lifeless. As the Devil puzzled over his work, God passed by and asked,

"What are you doing?"

"I'm making a man, " the Devil said. "But he won’t speak!"

"Give him to me," said God.

"Take him," the Devil replied.

So God breathed the Holy Spirit into the clay, and the man came to life—he spoke. Out of spite, the Devil spat—"Ptoo!"—and blew at the man. But God gathered the man again, turning what was inside out and what was outside in. That is why, to this day, man is not pure on the inside. That is why we curse—because the Devil cursed us first. And each time we speak cruelty or mockery, we echo his spite back to him.

Eve

It was the Devil who first molded Adam from clay. But it was God who blessed the figure and gave him breath. Adam came to life, his body covered with hair.

Then God saw that Adam should not be alone. So from Adam’s rib, He fashioned a woman—Eve. When the Devil saw her, he ran to God and asked,

"What is this new creature?"

"This," God said, "is woman—man’s companion and wife."

The Fall from Heaven

Adam and Eve lived in the highest realm—the Ninth Heaven—a paradise of unimaginable beauty. In that celestial garden grew a tree with a single apple, which God had forbidden them to eat.

But inside the apple coiled a serpent, sly and whispering. It tempted Eve, and she took a bite. She passed the fruit to Adam, who remembered God’s warning. He hesitated—and as he swallowed, a piece lodged in his throat. That’s why men bear the lump in their throats. But Eve, who swallowed without fear, did not.

Before their fall, they wore only leaves, unashamed. But the moment they sinned, their eyes opened. They saw their nakedness and felt shame. An angel called out to them, and they hid.

In paradise, Adam and Eve lived in peace. But the Devil came to them once more.

"Why do you sit so still?" he whispered. "Touch each other. Play. Discover."

And with that, he led them again into sin.

So God, in sorrow, drove them out—for paradise and innocence could no longer hold themGod banished them from heaven, casting them down to Earth. From then on, they were to live by labor—working the soil with forks and shovels to earn their bread.