The Good and Evil Serpent (140 page)

An alabaster bowl, dating from the beginnings of Christianity, depicts a very large serpent in the center. This artwork illustrates the universal god: “[The one] moving the whole cosmos in harmonious circles.”
⁷³
Invocations are found frequently in many genres; they shape apocalypses and appear on papyri. Perhaps one of the most important invocations for our present study is found on the Paris magic papyrus, which salutes and invokes the great serpent:

Hail, beginning and end of immutable nature! Hail,
rotation
of the elements full of untiring service! Hail,
labor
of the sunbeams,
light
of the world! Hail glittering nocturnal
sphere
of the changing moon! … O great,
spherical
, unfathomable edifice of the world! … I praise thee God of gods … great art thou, lord, God, ruler of the universe.
⁷⁴

Words linked with our research on the serpent are in italics that I have added to this quotation.

All of the imagery of the cryptograph fits neatly within the mythology of the serpent in the first century
CE
. The serpent is depicted with his tail in his mouth, forming a complete circle (the Ouroboros). This pictorial image symbolizes the oneness of the universe. In Orphic etymology, we find these words: “Herakles” (Hercules) denotes the coiling, or encircling, serpent.
⁷⁵

In summation, in light of the perceptions obtained by studying serpent symbolism in antiquity, I offer for reflection the following suggestion.

The Rotas-Sator Square appears throughout the Roman Empire in this form:

The cryptogram seems to be an invocation to Asclepius, the serpent god (and conceivably thence to all gods considered to be symbolized as a serpent). It may mean: “O Creator, O Creator: You who cause [all] to rotate, with effort I crawl toward [you].” Then a mantra may appear, as words are repeated around the square: “Maintain [the rotations from the north, the east, the south, and the west].”

Glossary

This glossary focuses on terms for snake or serpent and related symbolism.

Agathadaimon
a good god, spirit, or genius (
Figs. 36
, 92).

Anat (or Anath)
a fierce warrior goddess, worshipped by the Amorites long before the Hebrews entered the “Land.”

anguine
the Latin loanword means “serpent-like.”

anguine Christology
reflections on Jesus Christ as a serpent.

anguipede
serpent-footed; a figure with serpent legs or feet. The Giants and Sirenes often appear with anguipedes.

apotheosis
the elevation or exaltation of a person to the status of a god.

apotropaism
an object that averts evil (from Greek
apotropaion)
, often by being the antidote for it; used in magic and ritual.

Asclepius, Asclepios (Greek), Aesculapias (Latin)
Greek god of healing.

Asklepieion
the name of a shrine to Asclepius.

basilisk
a mythical serpent-like creature, often gallinaceous (
Fig. 7
).

Bes
Egyptian god; a dwarf who symbolized music and dance.

bibil jars
ceramic jars that tilt when placed on a table, perhaps named after the sound when a liquid pours from them (bibil).

bifid tongue
the split tongue of a snake.

caduceus
staff with two serpents facing each other; associated with Hermes (Mercury) (
Fig. 5
).

chryselephantine
an object made of ivory and gold.

Coffin Texts
inscriptions from the First Intermediate period of Egypt (7th through most of the 11th Dynasties: ca. 2150–2055
BCE)
. These spells and incantations were derived from the earlier Pyramid Texts but are now found in the tombs of those other than the pharaohs, for whom the Pyramid Texts were apparently reserved. Though often found on coffins, these inscriptions appear on tomb walls and objects associated with the burial. These texts, like the Pyramid Texts, were to aid the dead in their journey into the afterlife.

cyathus
an elegant ladle for serving wine (often mixed with water).

cysta mystica
a box or chest in which secret documents were deposited; in some, serpents were hidden, as shown on coin.

Eherne Schlange
German for “upraised serpent;” that is, a serpent on a cross. Sometimes the figure is iconographically a T-shaped cross. Usually the artist is influenced by Numbers 21 and John 3.

faience
a ceramic substance that looks like glass, but is glazed; faience was usually chosen to make small objects.

fibula
the clasp that held a garment (the toga) together.

gallinaceous
resembling a fowl.

gastrostege scales
serpentine-like markings on the belly of figures.

hemipenes
the two phalli of a serpent; neither is for urination.

Hygieia
daughter of Asclepius, goddess of good health; often shown with a serpent (see
Fig. 60
).

incubation
act of sleeping by a devotee, often in a temple, to obtain healing, usually through dreams, especially in the Asclepian cult.

Johannine community
the community whose traditions and sources gave rise to the Gospel of John and perhaps the Johannine letters.

kerygmata
related to the term “kerygma,” the preaching of the Christian gospel message; kerygmata describes either the various communications of the gospel or the specific contents of the preaching itself.

leontocephaline
lion-headed figure, often in the cult of Mithra, frequently with serpent-entwined human figures.

mikva
Jewish bath for ritual purification.

ophidian
the Greek loanword denotes something having the features of a snake or serpent.

ophidian Christology
reflections on Jesus Christ as a serpent.

ophiolatry
the worship of snakes.

ophiology
the branch of zoology that studies snakes.

ophiophilism
a love of snakes.

Ouroboros
a figure of a serpent in a circle, swallowing its own tail. It can signify time being complete or repetitious and the male (tail) and female (mouth). It is important in Greek iconography and symbolism and in China (esp. the Yangshao culture of 4500
BCE)
.

Pharaonic snake-game
a pre-dynastic (4000–3200
BCE)
game that uses a board that is circular with a serpent encircled within it.

Pyramid Texts
inscriptions from Old Kingdom Egypt found in the pyramids of Saqqarah on the sarcophagi of the pharaohs of the 5th and 6th Dynasties (c. 2498–2183
BCE)
. These texts, which are largely spells and incantations, were to aid the pharaoh in the afterlife, reanimating his body and helping him in his ascent into the heavens. They were also to help protect his remains from corruption or disturbance.

simpulum
an elegant ladle for serving wine (often mixed with water).

uraeus
the raised cobra on the headdresses of pharaohs (
Figs. 24
,
25
).

Notes

1. Introduction

1
. The only noteworthy variant in these two verses is the different order of words at the end of verse 14. See the convenient layout of the important manuscript witnesses to these two verses by R. J. Swanson,
New Testament Manuscripts: Variant Readings Arranged in Horizontal Lines Against Codex Vaticanus; John
(Pasadena, Calif., 1995) pp. 29–30.

2
. The Greek verb is
. I decided to remove almost all the Greek and Hebrew scripts as well as other exotic scripts so that the discussion will be attractive to a large audience.

3
. Epiphanius referred to “their kind of stupidity” in his
Panarion
, Section III, 37: “they are called Ophites because of the serpent which they magnify.” See F. Williams, trans.,
The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis
, 2 vols. (Leiden, 1987–1994) vol. 1, p. 241.

4
. C. G. Jung, “Approaching the Unconscious,” in
Man and His Symbols
, ed. C. G. Jung et al. (New York, 1968) pp. 1–94; the quotation is on p. 59.

5
. J. Sandys-Wunsch and L. Eldredge, “J. P. Gabler and the Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology: Translation, Commentary, and Discussion of His Originality,”
SJT
33 (1980) 138–39.

6
. My colleagues here at Princeton Theological Seminary who are focusing their work on Systematic or Dogmatic Theology would wish to add, I am convinced, that their own disciplines must also be freed from the control of any dogmatic system or ecclesiastical sanction. They do not need to receive the approval of a biblical scholar before they complete and publish their own research.

7
. W. Wrede, “The Task and Methods of ‘New Testament Theology,’ “ in
The Nature of New Testament Theology
, ed. and trans. R. Morgan (London, 1973) p. 71.

8
. A. Schlatter, “The Theology of the New Testament and Dogmatics,” pp. 117–166 in
The Nature of New Testament Theology
, p. 118.

9
. By anguine Christology I mean a Christology that in some ways portrays Jesus as a serpent or as having the powers culturally associated with a serpent at the time of the Fourth Evangelist and in his milieu. Those who do not read this book carefully and only wish to caricature and criticize it will err in assuming that I am thinking of Jesus as a snake. Obviously, I am not exploring this issue for those who are not willing to be challenged or venture out into uncharted waters.

10
. See the reflections by E. Panofsky on the motif of Hercules as an image of Christ in
Studies in Iconology
(Oxford, 1939; Boulder, Colo., 1972) pp. 19–20.

11
. See the color photograph in F. Mancinelli,
Catacombs and Basilicas: The Early Christians in Rome
(Florence, 1981) p. 37 (no. 72).

12
. See Charlesworth,
The Beloved Disciple: Whose Witness Validates the Gospel of John?
(Valley Forge, Pa., 1995).

13
. Charlesworth,
The New Discoveries in St. Catherine’s Monastery: A Preliminary Report on the Manuscripts
(Winona Lake, Ind., 1981); see Plate 3. The copy of Mark is from the sixth century; over forty additional leaves have been recovered (it seems).

14
. J. Ashton,
Understanding the Fourth Gospel
(Oxford, 1993) p. 365.

15
. F. L. Godet,
Commentary on John’s Gospel
(Grand Rapids, 1978 [1886]) pp. 391–92.

16
. Translation mine. M.-J. Lagrange,
Evangile selon Saint Jean
(Paris, 1925 [2nd ed.]) p. 81.

17
. C. H. Dodd,
The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel
(Cambridge, 1960) p. 353.