The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 138

text, wl1kh "opens "·hero the gods Rl"C enrs- waters of the rinr, but who himself w11s ing tl10 dragon nnd the Adnm or man for ultimately destroyed by Krishun trampling his trnnsgrcssion." ... "The dragon, wl1ich, on his head, bcnrs a striking analogy to the in the Chnl,fonn ncronnt, leads mnn to sin, Mosaic story (Kitto's ' Daily Dible Illustrn• is the rrcnturc of Tinmat, the lfring prin- tions '). riple of the see. nnd of clinos, 11nd he is an II. OCCIDENTAL. l. The story of Pan• embodiment of the spirit of chaos or disorder doi·a. According to Hcsiod the first men which was 01,posed to tl,e deities 11t the lived wifeless and ignorant, but innocent nlHl r1-ention of the world." The dmg-on is in- happy. Prometheus ("Forethought") having dncled in the curse for the fnll; 11nd the gods stolen fire from heaven, taught its• use to inrnkc on the human race all the evils which mankind. To punish the aspiring mortals, afflict humanity-family quarrels, tymnny, Zeus sent among them Paadora, e. beautiful the anger of the gods, disappointment, woman, whom he had instructed Hephrestus famine, useless prayers, trouble of mind and to make, and Aphrodite, Athena, 11nd Hermes hocly. a tendency to sin(' Chaldean Genesis,' had endowed with all seductivo chnrms. pp. Si-91). 2. Persi,an,. For a time the Epimetheus ("Afterthought"), the brother first pnir, I.Ieschia and Meschinne, were holy of Prometheus, to whom she was presented, nnd happy, pnrc in word nnd deed, dwelling accepted her, and made her his wife. Brought in a garclcn wherein was a tree whose fruit into his house, curiosity prevailed on her to ronferred life nnd immortality; but even- lift the lid of a closed jar in which the elder tually Ahriman deceived them, e.nd drew brother had with prudent foresight shut up them awRy from Ormnzd. Emboldened by all kinds of ills ancl diseases. Forthwith !,is success, the enemy again appeared, and tlrny escaped to torment man.kind, which ga'l'e them n fruit, of which they ate, mth they have done ever since (Seemann's the result that, of the lrnndred blessings 'Mythology,' p. 163). 2. The apples of the which they enjoyed, all disappeared save one. Hesperides. These golden apples, which Falling benea.th the power of the evil one, were under the guardianship of the nymphs they practised the mechanical arts, and sub- of the West, were closely watched by e. ter• sequently bnilt themselves houses and clothed riblc dragon named Ladon, on account of an themselves with skins. .Another form of the ancient oracle that a son of the deity woulcl legend represents Ahriman as a serpent. So at a certain time arrive, open II way of access close is the resemblance of this legend to the thither, and cany them olf. Hercules, Scriptural. account, that Rawlinson regards having inquired his way to the garden in it not as a primitive tradition, but rather ns which they grew, destroyed the monster and "nn infiltration into the Persian system of fulfilled the oracle (ibid., p. 204). 3. Apollo religious icleas belonging properly to the and the Python. "This Python, ancient Hebrews" (' Hist. Illus. of the Old Testa- legends affirm, was a serpent bred out of the ment,' p. 13). 3. Indian. Iu the Hindoo slime that remained after Deuce.lion's deluge, mythology the king of the evil demons, "the and was worshipped as a gocl at Delplii. king of the serpents," is named Naga, the Eminent authoiities derive the name of the prince of the N agis or N acigs, "in which monster from a Hebrew root signifyiug to Sanscr:it appellation we plainly trace the deceive." .A.s the blight god of heaven, to Hebrew Nnchash." Jn the Vishnu Purana whom everything impure and uuholy is the first beings created by Brama are repre- hateful, Apollo, four days after his birth, sented ns endowed with righteousness and slew this monster with his a1Tows. perfect faith, as free from guilt and filled "What shall we say then to these things I with perfect wisdom, wherewith they con- This-that the nations embodied in these 1•·mplated the glory of Vishnu, till after a traditions their remembrances of paradise, of time they are seduced. In the legends of the fall, and of the promised salvation ' Judia the triumph of Krishna over the great (Kitto, 'Daily Bible nJ.ustrations ' p. (!7), &er pent Kali Naga, who had poisoned the on. m. 1-7.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 61