The Good and Evil Serpent

January 11, 2010
Despite its imposing size and the reputation of its author as a formidable scholar (Charlesworth is a professor of New Testament language and literature at Princeton Theological Seminary and author of more than 60 books), this book is a surprisingly readable treatment of all things snake in religious iconography and literature of the ancient Near East. Beginning with the question: why would Jesus be equated to a serpent in the New Testament gospel of John when serpents get such a bad rap (isn’t the Eden snake a symbol of Satan, after all?), Charlesworth goes on to show, in great and well-documented detail, how much more nuanced serpent imagery was in the ancient Near East and in the Bible itself. This includes an excellent treatment of popular assumptions about that Eden snake and the problems with such assumptions. When Charlesworth returns at the book’s end to his initial question, readers can appreciate how powerfully positive the ostensibly puzzling gospel image is. The book could have been better edited to remove some repetition, and it occasionally assumes specialized knowledge, but Charlesworth offers a fascinating treatment overall.

Starred review from February 1, 2010
This magnificent study on serpent symbology through the world of pagan, Jewish, and Christian writings represents a six-year labor of love by the eminent biblical scholar Charlesworth (New Testament language & literature, Princeton Theological Seminary). Motivated by a passage from John 3 where Jesus is likened to the raised brass serpent of Numbers 21, Charlesworth embarks on elucidating and critiquing that scholarship that views the biblical serpent as always and everywhere satanic. Snakes are clearly ambiguous symbols, indicating death as well as life, restoration as well as mystery. In fact, Charlesworth finds positive serpent imagery of power, kingship, and divinity as well as health and rejuvenation in the pre-Christian era. Jewish literature finds common cause between the serpent and wisdom, leading Charlesworth to posit the same for John 3. Christianity eventually relegated snakes to the realm of evil and the demonic as it exerted its religious hegemony over pagan religions in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. VERDICT Exposing the rich complexity of historic, symbolic, and religious meanings associated with serpents, this fascinating and comprehensive study is highly recommended.Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

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