Is the Book of Adam and Eve in the Bible?
No. It is not in the King James Version or in any Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox canon. It is an ancient extra-biblical narrative that expands on Genesis 3–5.
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The Book of Adam and Eve — Free PDF Study Guide
A clear introduction to the Book of Adam and Eve — the family of ancient texts that continue the story of Genesis 3 after the gate of Eden closes. They tell of the first couple's penance in the Jordan, Satan's second attempt to deceive Eve, the Cave of Treasures where Adam and Eve lived, Cain's murder of Abel, and Adam's death with the promise of mercy after 'five and a half days.'
An original Bible Sundays study companion. 'The Book of Adam and Eve' names several related works — the Greek Apocalypse of Moses, the Latin Vita Adae et Evae, and the Ethiopic Conflict of Adam and Eve translated by S.C. Malan (1882). Scripture quoted from the King James Version.
What you get
How the Latin, Greek, and Ethiopic versions differ
The penance in the Jordan and Satan's second deception
The Cave of Treasures and life outside Eden
Cain and Abel retold, and the line of Seth
The death of Adam and the promise of mercy
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What is the Book of Adam and Eve?
There is no single Book of Adam and Eve. The name covers a cluster of related ancient works: the Greek Apocalypse of Moses, the Latin Vita Adae et Evae (Life of Adam and Eve), and the longer Ethiopic Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, often printed in English as the First and Second Books of Adam and Eve. All of them begin where Genesis 3 ends and try to answer the question Scripture leaves unanswered: what happened to the first couple after they were driven out?
The story they tell
Hungry and grieving, Adam and Eve seek food and find none like Eden's. They undertake a penance standing in the Jordan and the Tigris, and Satan — appearing as an angel of light — deceives Eve a second time. They take shelter in the Cave of Treasures below Eden, where God gives them gold, frankincense, and myrrh as tokens of comfort. The narrative follows the birth of Cain and Abel, the murder, the sorrow of the parents, the birth of Seth, and finally Adam's death, when Seth is told that the Word of God will come and redeem his father's body after 'five and a half days' — read by Christian copyists as five and a half thousand years until Christ.
Is it true, and should Christians read it?
It is not Scripture, and it makes no claim on a Christian's belief. The Ethiopic form in particular is heavily Christianised and centuries later than Genesis. Read as ancient devotional storytelling it is illuminating: it shows how deeply Jewish and Christian readers felt the loss of Eden, how early the hope of a coming Redeemer was read back into Adam's own lifetime, and how the frankincense and myrrh of the Cave of Treasures came to be linked with the gifts of the Magi. Weigh every detail against Genesis in the King James Bible, which alone is the inspired account.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Book of Adam and Eve?
The authors are unknown. The Greek and Latin forms are Jewish works from roughly the first century AD; the longer Ethiopic Conflict of Adam and Eve is a later Christian composition, probably from the fifth or sixth century.
What is the Cave of Treasures?
In the Ethiopic account it is the cave below Eden where Adam and Eve lived after the expulsion, and where God gave them gold, frankincense, and myrrh. A separate Syriac work of the same name tells a similar story.
Does the Book of Adam and Eve contradict Genesis?
It adds a great deal that Genesis does not contain — dialogue, penance, repeated temptations, prophecy of Christ — but it does not deny the Genesis account. Treat it as story and commentary, never as a source of doctrine.
What are the First and Second Books of Adam and Eve?
They are the two parts of the Ethiopic Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, as translated into English by S.C. Malan in 1882. Book One covers Adam's lifetime; Book Two follows the line of Seth down to Noah.
What is the Apocalypse of Moses?
It is the Greek version of the Life of Adam and Eve, so named in the manuscripts even though Moses does not appear in it. It contains Eve's own retelling of the fall and the account of Adam's death and burial.
Why was it not included in the Bible?
It was never regarded as inspired by Jewish or Christian authorities and dates long after Genesis. Its value is historical and devotional, not canonical.
Can I share this study guide?
Yes. This Bible Sundays study guide is free to share for any personal, ministry, or educational purpose.
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Biblical names and their meanings
Every name below appears in the King James Bible. Each page gives the meaning, the verse it appears in, and who carried it in Scripture.
- ShilohTranquil or peaceful
- ShilohPeace; Tranquility; He whose it is
- SilasWood; Forest; Third
- SilasMan of the forest; Asked for
- SilasMan of the forest; Asked of God
- SimonHe has heard
- SolomonPeaceful
- SolomonPeace; Peaceful
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