‘The First Book of Adam and Eve’ is part of a book entitled 'The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan'; a sixth-century work. The original language was Ge'ez, which is an ancient South Semitic language. It is a Christian extracanonical work; a piece of apocryphal literature that tells of the life of Adam and Eve after they were expelled from Eden, and sent to live in the Cave of Treasures. It then follows their time up until the point that Cain kills his brother Abel. In between, it has the story of Adam and Eve's temptations, their trials, their visions of Satan, and the birth of their children. Considered to be pseudepigraphic by some, it carries significant meaning and insight into events of that time. It's simply an account handed down by word of mouth, from generation to generation, linking the time the first human life was created to the time it was finally written down. Parts of this version are found in the Jewish Talmud, and the Islamic Koran, showing what a vital role it played in the original literature of human wisdom.
RUTHERFORD H. PLATT is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and also is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York (CUNY) He holds a B.A. in political science from Yale and both a J.D. (law) and Ph.D. (geography) from the University of Chicago. He specializes in public policy concerning urban land and water resources.