The Genesis Plague (2010)

that 7,000 monks once lived on this mountain?’
    ‘I did not,’ Hazo admitted. With the monk hunched over the book, Hazo now realized just how stooped the man’s shoulders were; partly from age, Hazo was sure, but partly from the decades-long repetition of this very act.
    ‘Yes, it is true. Seven thousand monks. And many of those men dedicated their lives to the task of preserving our history. Without them …’ He shook his head gravely while keeping his eyes buried in the pages. ‘Though some criticize the accuracy of transcriptions through the ages, there come times when source material - the very origin of a story - is discovered, and it vindicates the written legacy. What you found in that cave is a fantastic example. Ah, yes. See here,’ he said, stopping on a page and tapping the lollipop tip of the stylus on its central drawing. He straightened and took a step to the side. ‘Look familiar?’
    Hazo stepped closer and leaned in to examine the drawing, which replicated images in his photos. ‘Oh my,’ he said. The detail was incredibly accurate. So accurate that he could only believe that the artist must have seen the cave itself. ‘It is the same.’
    ‘A perfect match, I would say.’
    ‘And the words?’ Judging by the characters that matched the inscriptions he’d seen in the church, they appeared to be Aramaic. ‘What do they say?’
    Strangely, the monk didn’t need to read the text to answer Hazo.
    ‘The words speak of the beginning of recorded history. A time when God cleansed the earth with water to begin anew. When the first woman created by God had returned to paradise to seek retribution.’
    ‘This has to do with Eve?’ Hazo said, now completely perplexed.
    The old man shook his head and smiled knowingly. ‘This is the mistake you made earlier. Not Eve .’ He whispered conspiratorially: ‘Lilith.’

23
    ‘Lilith?’ Hazo scrutinized the ancient drawing. ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘Eve was not the first woman created by God,’ the monsignor explained. ‘The Bible is full of contradictions. And the scriptures’ opening pages are no exception.’
    From a nearby bookshelf, he retrieved a bible; opened the front cover and turned to the first page.
    ‘If one carefully reads Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, one will discover two separate accounts of God’s creation of humans. In Genesis 1, man and woman are created simultaneously. Listen.’ He traced the lines of the Bible with the stylus then read, ”’So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”’ His eyes shifted up from the page. ‘Just like He created every living creature in duality to facilitate procreation, you see.’
    ‘Simultaneously,’ Hazo said in a low voice. How could it be? he thought.
    ‘That is right. Yet it is the second account told in Genesis 2 that most remember. When a lonely Adam wanders the garden paradise, and God, in afterthought, decides that man needs a spiritual companion.’
    ‘When God takes Adam’s rib to make Eve.’
    The old man smiled. ‘Not literally a rib. A better translation would refer to “his side”,’ he corrected, before continuing: ‘Eve was Adam’s second partner, his consummated wife, who the Bible tells us was destined by God to be dominated by her husband. Lilith, the first woman created by God, was much the opposite. She had a voracious sexual appetite, always demanding to be, how shall we say … on top of Adam. She was anything but subservient.’
    ‘But it doesn’t say those things in the Bible, does it?’
    The monk smiled. ‘That, too, is true. Any references to Lilith’s name were long ago removed from Genesis by the patriarchal Catholic Church, which didn’t like the idea of such a dominant female figure. However, if you wait here a moment, I can show you another picture that will help you understand this. You are like me, a visual learner, am I right?’
    Hazo smiled. ‘I suppose I am.’
    ‘This is good, because pictures hold many truths, many secrets. I’ll just be a moment.’
    The monk disappeared behind the stacks, and in under a minute he returned with a modern coffee table book titled Masterpieces of the Vatican Museums . He opened it and laid it flat on the table.
    ‘In 1509, Michelangelo painted Lilith’s picture on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - the fresco called The Temptation of Adam and Eve .’
    In the index, he found the correct page and flipped to it. Then he