Adamic Tradition in Slavonic Manuscripts (Vita Adae et Evae and Apocryphal Cycle about the Holy Tree)

Abstract

This chapter observes some points in the textological tradition of the apocryphal series about the Holy Tree attributed to St. Gregory the Theologian and the Slavonic version of the Vita Adae et Evae . The two works are frequently part of South Slavic manuscripts of an identical type in which there is a peculiar consistency: In some cases they are featured separately and independently of one another, while in others they constitute a stable entity, complimenting each other. The legend of the Holy Tree is connected with the myth about the universal tree. In Genesis, there is only one tree around which the stories revolve: the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It is also called the tree of life. In the Slavonic Vita Adae et Evae , three trees are mentioned: a cedar, a pine, and a cypress which have been combined with the sacred tree. Keywords:adamic tradition; apocryphal; Genesis; holy tree; slavonic manuscripts; St. Gregory; textological tradition; tree of life; Vita Adae et Evae