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Adam, Eve and the Serpent

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 1,034 ratings · 42 reviews

Deepens and refreshes our view of early Christianity while casting a disturbing light on the evolution of the attitudes passed down to us.

Paperback, 224 pages

Published September 19th 1989 by Vintage (first published 1988)

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Jan 26, 2008 Howard rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is a truth, occasionally stated, and rarely followed, that before one adopts a faith, joins a religion, or becomes a member of an organized body of worshippers, one ought to understand, intimately, that faith and its implications. One ought also to learn and understand how the faith started and how it came to be as it is when one finds it. I encounter from time to time people, good souls usually, who try to convince me to be born again. Listening to their statements, which generally begin, "T...more It is a truth, occasionally stated, and rarely followed, that before one adopts a faith, joins a religion, or becomes a member of an organized body of worshippers, one ought to understand, intimately, that faith and its implications. One ought also to learn and understand how the faith started and how it came to be as it is when one finds it. I encounter from time to time people, good souls usually, who try to convince me to be born again. Listening to their statements, which generally begin, "The Bible says..." followed by something phrased as absolute and immutable truth, I get the impression that God is thought to have written the Bible and faxed it straight from His PC to His publisher. I am not a profound scholar in these matters, but I know enough to suspect that it may not have happened in quite that way.

This book looks at some of the ideas at the core of Christian belief and practice and helps to sort out for the reader how they came to be as they are stated today. Along the way, we learn some of the history of the early Christian church and how it changed. Initially, it was a small, esoteric sect, an outgrowth of the Jewish faith. It was wrapped up in beliefs about the immanent end of the world and a single all-powerful God. It opposed most of the customs and politics of the Roman world in which it found itself. As time went on, it attracted the notice of the authorities who frequently persecuted its members. There is a famous statement by Gibbon to the effect that all religions were viewed by the masses as equally valid, by the philosopher as equally false, and by the magistrate as equally useful. In the first couple of centuries A. D., this was almost true and represented a world where Christians did not fit in, indeed which they fiercely opposed.

As time went on, the membership of the Christian sect grew. Persecution was stepped up, but to little permanent effect. As the numbers grew, so did its influence. Eventually, Constantine "converted" and made Christianity the official religion of the Empire. (It is not clear that he, personally, believed, but he had considerable political and practical reasons and justifications for his policy.) The Church now found itself flooded with members whose theological motivations were slight. It was intimately bound up with a society and a government which it had previously viewed as corrupt and wicked. Bishops were now powerful people. It was also becoming clear that while the vision of Revelation might some day become real, it wasn't going to happen in the immediately foreseeable future.

The outlook of the organized church changed. It became increasingly concerned with structure, discipline, obedience, and corporate purity. As outsiders, believers could grasp and express free will by cheerful martyrdom and by leading personally pure lives. As part of the government, and the Patriarch of Constantinople was to be, in effect, the imperial minister of state for religion, believers were inevitably co-opted into and made part of the corruption they had always seen in the world around them. The outlook darkened and theology shifted. The concept of liberty and the idea of a good and virtuous government shifted. The Fall in Genesis 3 came to be perceived as dooming man to loss of free will. Man was sinful and could not, in any way avoid it, thanks to Adam. Virginity came to be emphasized, perhaps as a way to differentiate true believers from the sinful world. Death was no longer natural to man as an animal but was a punishment visited on man for his sin. Adam, had he not sinned, would have been immortal, pure, and (it was argued) a virgin. Since he did sin, his descendants were doomed in perpetuity to sin as well. It may be that Augustine and his supporters have a great deal to answer for.

Ms. Pagels has managed in the brief space of 150 or so pages to tell the tale with remarkable clarity and understanding. She does not give a complete history nor does she cover all the points of controversy between the developing Orthodox and the others increasingly thought of as heretics, Gnostics for example. She has written other books to cover other aspects of the early Christian world. This one, however, gives a coherent picture of what they will never teach in confirmation class but which nonetheless has formed and directed what is taught in confirmation class. The set of beliefs and understanding of man and the world (Weltanschaung is the wonderful German word for it) that largely informs the Christian church to this day was defined and crystallized in those first four or five centuries. This is a history one should understand before committing to the creed that derives from it.(less)

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May 13, 2007 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Well-educated people wanting to understand sex and sin

The Book of Genesis is only about four pages long but its interpretation has arguably had more impact on the character of Western views on sin and sex than any other document. Originally labeled heretical by the Pope, Augustine's reading of Genesis was later lobbied not only into acceptance but dominance that is so long-standing, so pervasive that we automatically take it for granted. It seems "natural" to Westerners to associate sex and sin; women and sinful temptation. Pagels unpeels this onio...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Lee Harmon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Augustine, arguably Christianity’s greatest teacher, often stressed the sinful nature of sexual desire. Adam’s sin corrupted the whole of nature itself, and infants are infected from the moment of conception with the disease of original sin. When did this idea come about that sex is inherently sinful? When did the fall become the Fall?

In Genesis 1, God gifted the power of earthly rule to Adam. Yet, in the late fourth and fifth centuries, this message began to change. Adam’s prideful desire for s...more

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Aug 04, 2008 dan added it

Recommended to dan by: heretics and believers

Shelves: 2008

This was my second favorite Pagels book, after The Gnostic Gospels. The book most contains quotes and analysis of early Christian (and some contemporary Jewish) thinkers from Jerome to Augustine and Julian of Eclanum. While nominally about sexual mores, the book thoroughly explores the idea of free will and Augustine's paradoxical idea of hereditary original sin. As with all books about early Christianity, I found myself in much closer agreement with the heretics.

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Jun 06, 2010 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating look at early Christianity and the nuanced ways that the story of the Fall has influenced theological debates for centuries and continues to influence much that we take for granted about underlying theological assumptions today.

I was especially impressed by Pagels' interrogation of Augustine -- she's clearly not a big fan -- and the time and care that she spent investigating his influence on Christian thought from then until now. I was surprised to learn how little free will Augus...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is basically a history of Christian thought/ opinion/ dogma about this story from Christ through Augustine (about 500 AD.) I find the seriousness which this obviously ludicrous myth is debated amazing, but completely astounding is that the interpretation Augustine came up with became the one the religion went with. Over the 500 years, almost every interpretation imaginable was offered by learned theologists, some of which were very reasonable. But it was Augustine who came up with the idea...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religious-studies, history-ancient

I picked this book up when I left my P. Heather book in Mansfield, OH. I love Elaine Pagels who combines excellent scholarship with the ability to write articulately and clearly for non-scholars without dumbing things down. This book is re-working of several scholarly articles that Pagels had written for the general audience. THe focus of the articles is how the interpretation of the first few chapters of Genesis (the two creation stories) evolved in early Christianity and how this interpretatio...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is really a book about how the concept of original sin evolved and became Catholic doctrine. Most of the time is spent discussing Augustine, his views, those who opposed him, and why his views eventually dominated. Some of the quotes are pretty amusing and bizarre--especially the one about Adam's sin being perpetuated via semen--LOL! But the implications of the debate (from 300-500 ad) are still with us today. I especially enjoyed a couple of pages in which Pagels discussed why people have...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars

A thought-provoking book, even though I don't agree with Pagels' vision of Augustine and original sin. I enjoyed her detailed description of the 1st century Roman world. It was fascinating to read about the hundreds of gods reverenced by pious Romans, and about the devotion to duty which inspired many of them, even the emperors.
Also Pagels did well in demonstrating the courage of the ealy Christian martyrs. The book helped me understand why Christians were originally called "atheists"--they ha...more A thought-provoking book, even though I don't agree with Pagels' vision of Augustine and original sin. I enjoyed her detailed description of the 1st century Roman world. It was fascinating to read about the hundreds of gods reverenced by pious Romans, and about the devotion to duty which inspired many of them, even the emperors.
Also Pagels did well in demonstrating the courage of the ealy Christian martyrs. The book helped me understand why Christians were originally called "atheists"--they had turned their backs on all the gods the Romans knew, and worshipped a being no one could see, a God without a temple, without a physical representation of him people could touch, without priests. Also, it helped me understand the deep cultural and politial ramifications of becoming a Christian; following the social and religious rules (including showing reverence for the Emperor) were a deep part of being Roman. Christians declared they had a new family, whose ties were even stronger than those of blood; and this was tested many times (e.g. Perpetua, who was disowned by her family for being a Christian).
About Augustine--Pagels goes into great detail about his life and beliefs. Growing up in a Reformed household, I have to say that this early Reformer was on a pedestal of righteousness. I never learned that Augustine considered sex to be a result of the Fall. Yikes! He had some very strange ideas. When it comes to sexuality, and supporting it as part of God's good creation, Augustine's adversaries (Like Pelagius and Julian) were much closer to the truth.
Nevertheless, I think he was right about the fact that personal and global suffering flows from our broken relationship with God. Pagels disagrees with Augustine because she seems to put too strong emphasis on Christian tradition. Just because someone breaks with tradition does not mean they are wrong. Far from it. Besides which, the author does not engage with the whole of Scripture, which clearly supports the doctrine of original sin.
She thinks the message of the early church was Freedom: Freedom to choose good or evil, the way God created us to be, the way we have always been. How can that be true? Just look at the world. I agree that the original Chistian message was Freedom, but Freedom in Christ; and in Christ we have a new nature that can fight against sin. Maybe Augustine was a little heavy and dark at times. We ARE free in Christ. But hey, it's true, we all still struggle.
I'm running out of steam here, but I've GOT to say I deeply disagree with Julian's (And Pagel's) view of human suffering. Death and pain are NOT natural. Try telling a rape victim that pain is natural and see how they react. The sin-origin of pain is confusing, especially tying it in with the testimony of science and the age of the universe; but suffering was NOT part of God's original plan. And I've thought a lot about pain, believe me.
Pagels has some interesting things to say about how humans prefer to be guilty rather than helpless. There is some truth in that, but I think most suffering people do not want guilt heaped on them, and Christians who deal with pain rightly do NOT attribute their pain to personal sin/guilt. Dealing with suffering correctly means to look pain in the eye and deal with it, instead of over-spiritualizing, moralizing, or whatever else. (less)

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Jun 26, 2011 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20-ce, us, christianity, religion, history, nonfiction

If you're new to Pagels I would suggest that you start not here but with The Gnostic Gospels. That is the foundation, it seems to me, on which all of her other works build. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent focuses on why early Christians came to believe sex was inherently sinful. An excellent question. It begins with more of the fascinating story of the Valentinian gnostics, who were so troublesome to the early church. Apparently, like earlier Talmudic scholars, the gnostics saw little usefulness in S...more If you're new to Pagels I would suggest that you start not here but with The Gnostic Gospels. That is the foundation, it seems to me, on which all of her other works build. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent focuses on why early Christians came to believe sex was inherently sinful. An excellent question. It begins with more of the fascinating story of the Valentinian gnostics, who were so troublesome to the early church. Apparently, like earlier Talmudic scholars, the gnostics saw little usefulness in Scriptural readings that were not fresh and innovative. (Karen Armstrong goes into this subject at length in her The Case for God.) Such a spur to inventiveness naturally gave rise to widely variant readings. This was at a time when early church fathers Irenaeus, Tertullian and others were trying to standardize Scriptural interpretation. The gnostics also believed that clerics were not needed for what was essentially an inward journey of spiritual discovery. Rituals such as baptism and the eucharist they viewed as preliminaries. The gnostics were thus considerably anti-establishment and as such they drove Irenaeus and his fellows a little crazy. So consumed was Irenaeus with the gnostics that he composed a multi-volume refutation of their divergent beliefs. Most useful to this reader was the story in the chapter "The Politics of Paradise" of how Augustine "transformed much of the teaching of the Christian faith" from one that emphasized "freedom of the will and humanity's original royal dignity" . . . "to one of enslavement to sin." Pagels explains how Augustine's own out of control sexually promiscuous youth made it all but impossible for him to understand then prevailing Christian concepts of free will. "Astonishingly," she says, "Augustine's radical views prevailed, eclipsing for future generations of western Christians the consensus of more than three centuries of Christian tradition." There is so much interesting content here. I've just touched on just a few spots. The book is a little denser in terms of its scholarship than other Pagels books. (I've read all but the first two.) I could not get straight through it in one go, but needed a fiction interlude before returning to finish. Nevertheless, highly recommended.(less)

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May 14, 2010 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-group

Finally finished this one for the book group. Basically it is a history of the development of Christian morality in the first four centuries of the Christian Church which is still being taught in many churches today. Apparently, we have Augustine to thank for many of the beliefs about sexuality and relationship that are alive and well in the twenty-first century--he's the one who came up with the concept of original sin.

The book has some problems in that the beginning is repetitive in a couple...more

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Nov 28, 2008 Larry rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all women

Recommended to Larry by: I read all her publications

Ms. Pagels scholarship in the area of early Christian writing is again impressive. In this work she reviews the Judeo-Christian creation myth and its permutations in gender relations. The story is worth the effort to read if only to give one a historical perspective on women's rights or lack thereof. Christianity has done little in the area of gender equality and, in fact, has been a barrier for women to overcome. Not at all dissimilar to the Bible's historical relationship to slavery.

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Aug 21, 2010 Amanda added it

Shelves: put-down

PIECE OF TRASH!!! Obvious and subtle manipulations of Holy Scripture. She quotes a verse and makes a point out of it that would be contradicted if she took the time to read a verse or two before or after. Has she read the Bible, or does she just get her quotes from an internet Bible search using a few key words? This book made me INCREDIBLY angry. I had to put it down, for I do not wish to expend mental energy by getting angry.

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Jan 28, 2012 Mariana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This amazing book shows that we are not inherently sinful. St. Augustine manipulated the Genesis 1-3 text to say that we are and the Catholic Church adopted his interpretation as a means of controlling people. Like sick people need to take their medicine (i.e. the sacraments of confession and communion) regularly. The protestant reformers, particularly John Calvin, continued and exacerbated Augustine's misinterpretation.

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Nov 13, 2011 Erik Graff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Christians

Recommended to Erik by: Elaine Pagels

Shelves: religion

Pagels was working on the material for this book when I took her course on Genesis at Union Theological Seminary in New York. My roommate and friend at the time was one of her students at Barnard College, so we got to know her and her husband personally, being invited to at least one party at their apartment.

As in her class, Pagels is clear and accessible to non-specialists. Like most of her books, except her doctoral dissertation, this one, while confined to the first centuries of the Church, d...more

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Mar 18, 2013 William Poe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christianity

Excellent book. Informative. I most enjoyed the discussion of Augustine and his invention of a hereditary "original sin" that somehow changed what is "natural." A good read for those interested in the the development of the Christian religion and the foundations of the medieval period.

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Jan 01, 2012 solitude rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not a big fan of E. Pagels so this is not a great work even if some of the ideas presented are interesting. Pagel's use of feminist theories in contemporary theology are not to be underesteemated although I lack continuated back up on giving sources to the reader.

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Apr 13, 2009 Lisa Watt rated it 4 of 5 stars

This woman is a Gnostic genius. If you have any religious training, and are ready to open your mind and consider another viewpoint, please allow Elaine Pagels to be your devil's advocate. I promise you she won't disappoint

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Jul 18, 2012 Sharon Holford rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have not finished this book. It is very well written and adds to my understanding of history and "Christianity". I am just not in the mood to finish it right now - may return to it in the future.

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Sep 10, 2010 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, must-buy

I really enjoy Pagels' work. She isn't writing from a Christian, this is right, point of view. She is writing from a historical/analytical point of view. I liked how she links religion and poltics and calls Jesus a political protestor--very interesting.

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Jan 13, 2010 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book reviews the many different ways early Christians interperted Genesis 1-3. Pagels discusses reasons why Chatholic Christianiy adopted Augustine's view of origial sin.

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Feb 11, 2013 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very interesting read on the origins of patriarchy, temptation, original sin and sex/women as evil in the Church and Christian culture.

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Apr 12, 2013 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pagels saves the best for last with her discussion of the Pelagian Controversy and Augustine vs. Julian of Eclanum. Very fascinating stuff.

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Jan 19, 2012 Loraine rated it 2 of 5 stars

date is approx., subject interesting but i cannot read this author. Too textbook for me. I've tried more than one of her books.

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Jul 02, 2012 Vera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

An interesting discussion of early Christianity, touching on some early heresies as well as mainstream philosophy.

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Feb 13, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: school

Had to read this one for a feminism class. Pagels talks about how the Adam, Eve, and Serpent myth has shaped religion. Pretty good read.

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Apr 21, 2013 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book and an interesting perspective on the Orthodox and Gnostic debate.

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Sep 14, 2009 Albie added it

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent (Vintage) by Elaine Pagels (1989)

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Dec 03, 2012 Sirpa Grierson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Excellent insights from a scholar on the formation of the early Christian church. Her thesis is that “certain ideas—in particular, ideas concerning sexuality, moral freedom, and human value—took their definitive form during the first four centuries as interpretations of the Genesis creation stories, and how they have continued to affect our culture and everyone in it, Christian or not, ever since.” Xxviii Excellent information on how the Nicean Creed came about and how many diverse voices of the...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Mry rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Elaine Pagels

Elaine Pagels is a preeminent figure in the theological community whose impressive scholarship has earned her international respect. The Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University, Pagels was awarded the Rockefeller, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships in three consecutive years.
As a young researcher at Barnard College, she changed forever the historical landscape of the...more

More about Elaine Pagels...

Books by Elaine Pagels

Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics

Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation

The Gnostic Paul: Gnostic Exegesis of the Pauline Letters

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