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.

Serpent and dragon symbolism is ubiquitous in the art and mythology of premodern cultures around the world. Over the centuries, conflicting hypotheses have been proposed to interpret this symbolism which, while illuminating, have proved insufficient to the task of revealing a singular meaning for the vast majority of examples. In The Serpent Symbol in Tradition, Dr. Dailey argues that, in what the symbolist Rene Guenon and the historian of religions Mircea Eliade have called 'traditional' or 'archaic' societies, the serpent/dragon transculturally symbolizes matter, a state of being that is constituted by the perception of the physical world as chaotic in comparison to what traditional peoples believed to be the 'higher' meta-physical source of the physical world or 'nature.' In the course of Dr. Dailey's investigations into the meaning of traditional serpent/dragon symbolism, the following contributions have proved invaluable: 1) Guénon's interpretation of the language of traditional symbolism and the metaphysics that underlies it, as well as his interpretation of the terminology of the 'Hindu Doctrines,' 2) Eliade's interpretation of traditional/archaic societies by means of his concepts of chaos, creation, Axis Mundi (World Axis), and 'Sacred and Profane,' and 3) the insights of various other researchers of serpent/dragon symbolism. Beyond purporting to resolve some of the mystery of the ancient and varied symbolism of the serpent/dragon, The Serpent Symbol in Tradition strives to serve the related functions of interpreting the symbolic meanings of a wide variety of premodern artifacts and narratives as well as providing a study of the origination, and ancient human awareness, of the mentioned state of matter.

It was the atheist, Jean Paul Sartre, who once said that, "Hell is other people." Rowland Stenrud's Yeshua, the Crucified Serpent is about how mankind's savior, Jesus of Nazareth, has saved men and women from this hell by making it possible, and indeed inevitable, for human beings to love one another and their Creator-Father, Yahweh God. This book is about the concept and practice of human and divine love. The words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, the Bible as a whole, and the reader's life experience will help in defining this. The author reviews what he knows about the concept and its related precepts and brings them to bear in this book. God himself is love, which should tell us how mysterious a thing love is. To acquire this ability to love, one must suffer in union with the suffering Christ. Salvation, pure and simple, is God delivering each one from the inability to love other human beings and the Creator Himself. The obstacle to this perfect love is the serpent of human wisdom and pride that existed even in Jesus. In his loving obedience to the Father, Jesus nailed this serpent to the cross. Yeshua, the Crucified Serpent attempts to show that the question of evil and suffering in the world is answered by Yahweh's eventual success in saving all of mankind. The majority of Christians believe in a number of key doctrines that the biblical authors do not unequivocally teach. A few verses may support these unbiblical doctrines but a greater number of verses, whose meaning is clearer, contradict the standard interpretation of these few verses. Other doctrines that Christians mistakenly believe in find support in this or that section of the Bible but are denied by the general thrust of the Bible as a whole. These unbiblical doctrines followed by the correct biblical teaching are: 1. Sometime in the distant past a large number of God's angels rebelled against Him becoming what are called devils or demons whose leader is known as Satan or Lucifer. The Bible teaches that the only agent of evil in the universe is man's heart. 2. Adam and Eve possessed the perfection of Jesus Christ before they sinned. If they had not sinned they would not have needed to be healed of any weakness. The Bible teaches that Adam and Eve could not have had eternal life even before they sinned without the work of Jesus of Nazareth. 3. Faith is an act of the free will of man. The Bible teaches that faith does involve man putting his trust in God's promises and revelation, but it is primarily a power given to man by God in order to enable him to see spiritual truth the natural man cannot see. Without this gift of the Holy Spirit, no human being can know God and be saved. 4. Ultimately speaking, we are saved by our faith. On the contrary, it is through Jesus's faith in and love for the Father that is the instrument of our salvation. 5. Jesus saved us by paying the penalty due our sins and therefore saving us from the just wrath of God. This is false. No one had to pay any penalty for God to forgive the sins of the human race. God relates to sinners on the basis of mercy and mercy is not mercy if the penalty for sin is paid. By going to the cross, Jesus healed our brokenness which forgiveness alone could not accomplish. 6. Satan and the sins of men are ultimately responsible for human suffering. False. God is ultimately responsible for human suffering as it is a necessary part of God's work of saving human beings. God Himself shares in all of our suffering: physical, emotional and spiritual even though He does not have a body or nervous system. 7. Salvation is about our eternal destiny. This is not correct. Salvation is about being saved from the idolatries, addictions, corruption, hatreds, evil deeds that afflict the unsav

"Rabbi Eichhorn has gathered and collected Jewish legend and lore surrounding the story of Cain and Abel, stringing it together like the pearls in an ornate and beautiful necklace. The result is an opportunity to hear the authentic voice of the ancient rabbis, free of the interpretations later imposed on the story. This book will astonish readers with its insights, move them to emotional heights and depths, and leave them awed by the wisdom and talent of the sages. Rabbi Eichhorn, is the author of seven noteworthy books, including Jewish Intermarriages Fact and Fiction, Musings of the Old Professor, and Joys of Jewish Folklore.

In this book we are dealing essentially with the presence of the serpent in the Garden of Eden which God made on the earth and placed the newly created Adam and Eve with two strange trees with just one command to the new born babes not to eat from one of these trees. For some strange reason the serpent who was one of the residents got involved and starts of the process of the freedom of choice for the kids in their process of individuation and finding themselves. The children of God grew up under discipline to become part of God in all His creative activities.

Representing a careful contextual study of the writings of the influential Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia (1240 – c. 1291), this book demonstrates that an inner dynamic of attraction and revulsion toward Christianity shaped Abulafia’s mystical hermeneutic and meditative practice.

Several pre-biblical protagonists appearing in Mesopotamian myths are identified as being fused together and recast as the Garden of Eden's serpent.

Nathaniel Berman’s Divine and Demonic in the Poetic Mythology of the Zohar: The “Other Side” of Kabbalah offers a new approach to the central work of Jewish mysticism, the Sefer Ha-Zohar (“Book of Radiance”). Berman explicates the literary techniques through which the Zohar constructs a mythology of intricately related divine and demonic personae. Drawing on classical and modern rhetorical paradigms, as well as psychoanalytical theories of the formation of subjectivity, Berman reinterprets the meaning of the Zohar’s divine and demonic personae, exploring their shared origins and their ongoing antagonisms and intimacies. Finally, he shows how the Zoharic portrayal of the demonic, the “Other Side,” contributes to reflecting on alterity of all kinds.

In the previous book, The Celtic Serpent, after a diagnosis of cancer and the death of her grandmother, Angi Talismann found herself on an incredible journey. Shackled to an unstable piece of ancient technology in the form of a medallion, she and her colleagues were forced to locate lost medallion gemstones which had been scattered to different countries in the seventeenth century. Close on their heels was a resolute killer bent on acquiring the medallion. Tracking down the descendants of old Irish and Scottish families assigned to protect this ancient treasure proved a daunting task. Eventually, locating the gemstones, the initial stage of their venture ended with twelve individuals stepping through a golden, serpent gate on the Hill of Tara in Ireland propelling them into another world. While stating they would return in three months, its assurance was uncertain. The journey continues in this book. Angi and her companions quickly adapt to their new environment on Tir na nOg, the land of the Tuatha de Danann, deemed to be the ancient gods of the Irish. Here they learn that their escort, Sirona, is a distinguished member of the kingdom and her ancestor, Myttrwn, is a gifted scientist and magician, supposedly centuries old in Earth terms. Under Myttrwn’s guidance the twelve discover a different perspective of the universe, learn the healing and destructive powers of light and sound, and gain some insight into their future role while Angi takes her first steps in mastering the complexities of her medallion. Yet, with all the goodwill, a powerful individual, Zolar, is displeased with their presence in Tir na nOg and Angi’s possession of such advanced technology. He sets out to rectify this matter in his own treacherous way. The journey to Tir na nOg for the twelve travellers would create an indelible imprint on their lives.