Ghosts of the Shephelah, Book 5: Eve

By James K. Stewart

Join Eve as she recalls waking on that first morning in the garden of Eden; working hand-in-hand with Adam discovering and naming much of God's creation. Experience the joy of living in paradise before their fateful encounter with Serpent. Learn the hard lesson of free will and why it led to their eviction.

Experience the horror of needless death as jealousy claims the life of Abel. Travel with Eve as she reunites with Cain in a new land. Feel the joy of a grandparent as she tells of Enoch and his skill as a builder. Understand God's sorrow in calling Noah to build an ark, that the earth might be washed clean of rampant immorality and why the sons of Noah were sent to the nations. Identify with her pride as Ham sets out to bring the flood story to Egypt but rescues an Oromo princess and helps her escape to Ethiopia. Sadly, Eve's ghost watches Nimrod murder his brother and flee to Mesopotamia, to the land where Cain had murdered Abel. Learn how Nimrod built a small army, became king in Ur of the Chaldees through cold-blooded murder, and then challenged the gods.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: May 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666798678

James K. Stewart

James K. Stewart is a retired Presbyterian minister who has always believed that the Old Testament has helped him to understand the vital necessity of Christ Jesus. His many life experiences of construction worker; scuba instructor; screenplay writer and writer/director of many theatrical productions; and, in his retirement, golfer, have given him an in-depth appreciation that people--all people, regardless of race, creed, or color--suffer and enjoy the same human experiences.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Eden

Green, is what we eventually called that excellent color. Green was the color I first saw when I opened my eyes. The grass I laid upon, the leaves rustling in the air, green, all a rich lush green. Not too far from me, in the fetal position, a form, somewhat like that of my own, only different. We rose together, each curious as to the other’s form. Alike in almost every respect, this form had similar human features. Mine, however, was softer and more elegant than the other solid and flat-chested creature. I had what is known as breasts, perfectly shaped; my counterpart, none. I was sleek and built for speed. He was not as streamlined as I. We had a basic amount of knowledge as we were able to speak and name things. Strangely enough, I was an ish shaw, and that odd creature beside me was an ish. Later we became known as woman and man.

Viewing our surroundings from atop an escarpment, we beheld a gently flowing stream filling large pools bursting with all manner of fish. In the morning light, a silvery mist, shimmering in the sunlight, covered these pools. Water from the pools flowed over rocks, splashing into pools below and then to pools below them. We had been born on the grass with all manner of nut-bearing trees near pools of crystal-clear water. Along the stream stood groves of olive trees, ready to harvest. Overlooking a distant plain, we watched a gentle stream flow from our paradise and disappear over the horizon. On the terrace below, fruit-bearing trees laden with every variety imaginable. There were cherries, oranges, plums, peaches, as well as sumptuous grape vines. On the terrace below that, wheat, golden stalks of wheat.

The land, Chaviylah, was like an island paradise circled by a golden sea of sand. From the headwaters, three rivers flowed in and around our paradise. The Giychown burst forth toward the great sea. The Piyshown increased its flow dramatically as it roared its way south, and the Chiddehkel flowed rapidly to the east. Flowing gently over our plateau was the fruitful Euphrates River. Much later in time, others settled around our peaceful paradise, baked clay bricks in kilns, and began to erect buildings and walls. This excessive building shrank the Chaviylah so that it disappeared from human sight and, eventually, perception. At its human apex, the Assyrian king Sennacherib had built one of the most magnificent human structures ever achieved by human engineering. It was a walled city of one-hundred and eighty meters by one-hundred and ninety meters. This testament to human ingenuity housed the most significant library known to humanity. Sadly, the most incredible collection of human achievements were destroyed by despotism and ignorance. The magnificence of human creation lost forever in the fires of war. Please forgive my sadness, as I am forbidden to recount all human achievements. I may only disclose what I am allowed by Elohiym.

In the beginning, it was bara Elohiym (creator God), aided by the feminine attribute of Chokmah (wisdom), who created Adam (humankind). In Elohiym’s image, we were created zakar (male) and neqebah (female), which I soon learned was because we had different body parts. I, of course, neqebah, was the most beautiful. Woefully, I eventually realized that beauty can be the source of vanity. As I was saying, we awakened in paradise. This zakar, this Adam, stood speechless, so I introduced myself. I am Chawal, the mother of all life, but you may call me Eve. A moment later, this zakar replied, You may call me Adam. Looking around, Adam asked, Where are we?"

Adam was as confused as I. Actually, he was a lot more confused. Still, I did answer, It appears as if we are on an island paradise surrounded by all this dry reddish earth. You need to understand that I was also looking for answers. Still, it appeared that I was to be the inquisitive one. Adam, completely satisfied, responded, Okay . . . I’m hungry. My answer did not reflect the word I really wanted to say as I’d only just met this Adam and did not want to come across as too authoritative. I said simply, Look on the terrace below, there are plenty of fruit trees, and hey, you may even prefer the nuts.

Adam was tall and handsome, with thick black hair and broad shoulders. I thought, Great, Adam can do all the heavy lifting. After all, I am too diminutive and beautiful. Still confused, my inner being felt as though I was in a surreal dream. Our lush surroundings amid a barren landscape made us feel like we were the only two humans in this place. This feeling turned out to be correct; we were. The green under our feet was called grass. Soothing to our feet, it made it a pleasure to walk the green trail to the terrace below. Then, something mysterious happened; Adam took my hand to help steady me. I can’t explain the tingling I felt from my head to my toes, but I liked it. I felt as if I were safe and secure, although I did not know what it meant to feel safe at the time. All I knew was, I liked the feeling.

While we satisfied our hunger, Adam’s hunger mainly, we tasted many sweet delights. Trees, laden with every imaginable fruit swayed in the wind as if to say, Try me, try me. That is precisely what we did. Cherries were the pits, but so delicious. Peaches were a little fuzzy, but so, so, juicy. Pears were good but not as good as peaches. For some strange reason, I took a liking to bananas. Adam didn’t like the taste of an orange, but after I peeled it for him, dah, he loved the fresh tangy flavor. Sitting at the edge of the stream, our feet dangling in the flowing water, we heard voices approaching from behind.

Instantly, I recognized the voice of Chokmah as she spoke, "We did well, look at the perfect form of neqebah, does this ish shaw not enhance the beauty of your green creation. In an instant, the creator Elohiym replied, "Ah yes, but my zakar, is he not handsome and statuesque. Adam will make an excellent gardener." Much to my surprise, Chokmah responded with my exact thoughts, "Yes, and my neqebah will enjoy organizing his work for the day." When we turned, we beheld two indescribable forms floating around us, examining our bodies in every detail. I