Dr. Dylan Johnson

We just have this plural.

But it's really interesting.

And that's the core Eden narrative I think most of your listeners would be familiar with.

Yeah, the snake is definitely not equated with Satan.

This entire religious tradition surrounding Satan, that comes much, much later in time than when this text is written.

Now, Satan does appear in the Hebrew Bible twice, and that's it.

So it's actually an extremely... And both in late texts, in Chronicles and in the Book of Job, which it's not the devil is kind of the best way.

Satan is...

Not a human being, not a god, somewhere in that messy middle.

Some kind of divine-like being, an angel maybe, but they also don't really think of angels like we think of them.

And really his name just means an accuser.

So he's kind of a lawyer, which of course the devil has.

Right.

So that's kind of his character, but it's not connected at all to this serpent, the snake, who really does seem to be a snake.

And again, part of the whole story is kind of explaining why are things the way they are?

Why are we intelligent but not immortal?

Why are we different from animals but not quite divine?

Why do we have to toil the ground?

Why does it hurt in childbirth?

And then, of course, why do snakes have no arms and legs?