Charlesworth, James H,

The good and evil serpent : how a universal symbol became Christianized / [print] Good & evil serpent James H. Charlesworth. - New Haven [Connecticut] : Yale University Press, (c)2010. - xix, 719 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm. - The Anchor Yale Bible reference library . - Anchor Yale Bible reference library. .



Introduction Physiology undergirds symbology : thirty-two virtually unique characteristics of a snake Realia and iconography : the symbolism of the serpent in the ancient Near East (and the religion of Israel) The perception that the serpent is a positive symbol in Greek and Roman literature The full spectrum of the meaning of serpent symbolism in the Fertile Crescent Serpent symbolism in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) The symbolism of the serpent in the Gospel of John.

The serpent of ancient times was more often associated with positive attributes like healing and eternal life than it was with negative meanings. This groundbreaking book explores in plentiful detail the symbol of the serpent from 40,000 BCE to the present, and from diverse regions in the world. In doing so it emphasizes the creativity of the biblical authors' use of symbols and argues that we must today reexamine our own archetypal conceptions with comparable creativity.--From publisher description.



9780300140828 0300140827

2008036207

GBA8B5097 bnb

014766399 Uk


Devil--Christianity.
Snakes--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Good and evil.
Good and evil--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Serpents--Symbolic aspects.
Serpents--Religious aspects--Christianity.
Serpents in the Bible.

BT982.G663 2010 BT982.C477.G663 2010