medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Christopher,
Carolyn already referred you to the passage in Dante's Paradiso 26,
according to which Adam remained in Paradise from the "first hour" to the
hour following the sixth (i.e. noon): "Nel monte che si leva piu/ da l'onda
/ fu' io, con vita pura e disonesta, / da la prim'ora a quella che seconda,
/ come 'l sol muta quadra, l'ora sesta." As regards the daytime of the
ejection, this is, of course, in accordance with Gn 3,8 (cum audissent
vocem Domini Dei deambulantis in paradiso ad auram post meridiem). Dante's
reference to the course of the sun might suggest a possible influence of
moralizing explanations of "post meridiem" as, for instance, in
Pseudo-Beda, De libro psalmorum, In Ps. XXIX, PL 93,627: "Quasi enim
meridies fuit, dum fervor observantiae praeceptorum Dei in Adam perstitit;
post meridiem vero sol inclinatur ad occasum: sic quque in Adam quasi sol
ad occasum declinavit, cum post transgressionem praecepti cognitio et lux
veritatis in mente ejus defecit, et nox ignorantiae subintravit." While
this latter passage may be rather a metaphorical than -- as in Dante -- a
historical statement about the exact duration of Adam's stay in Paradise,
Dante's commentators use to refer to Peter Comestor's Historia scholastica,
where (cap. 24, PL 198,1075D) one of the 'additiones' states briefly:
"Quidam tradunt eos fuisse in paradiso septem horas". An even shorter
duration (three hours) is given in Christian of Stablo (Christianus
Druthmarus), Expositio in Matthaeum, PL 106,1492A: "Ea hora Dominus
pependit in cruce qua Adam peccavit in paradiso. Nam scriptum est quod
audierit Adam vocem Dei ambulantis in paradiso post meridiem. Eadem hora
qua Adam mortem induxit, eadem hora secundus et verus Adam mortem vicit. Et
sicut Dominus tribus horis pependit in cruce, sic Adam tribus horis fuit in
paradiso."
In Pseudo-Beda, Commentarii in Pentateuchum (9th cent.?), PL 91,210A, you
find: "Adam quipe in sexta feria formatus est, in quo peccavit, et mortuus
est, traditur" -- yet this might as well be referring to different "sixth
days" of the week and not or not necessarily to one and the same day.
Similarly, in Cyrill of Alexandria, Fragmentum epistolae ad S. Leonem, PL
54,605s., in the context of a discussion of the Nicean date of Easter, it
is said that "in sexta feria mortuus est Adam in anima pro peccato in
paradiso, et in eodem obiit in corpore". Same text in Cummianus Hibernus,
De controversia paschali, PL 87,975.
As an article on Dante's "ora sesta" you might consult:
HILL Thomas D.
Adam's Noon: 'Paradiso' XXVI, 139-142. In: Dante Studies 100 (1982),
p.93-97
Best regards,
Otfried
At 20:56 28.11.2001, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>I have encountered, in a secondary source, an unattributed reference to a
>tradition, apparently ubiquitous in the Middle Ages, that Adam's fall
>(whether this encompasses his original sin, his expulsion from Paradise, or
>both is unclear) occurred on the day of his creation.
>
>The context, for what it's worth, concerns the date of the Crucifixion --
>specifically, the following argument for 15 Nisan as the date of the
>Crucifixion: the moon was created full, on the 15th lune, since everything
>was perfect at Creation, thus making the 17th lune both the day on which
>Adam fell and Christ rose. Because the Genesis account has Adam created
>two days after the moon, the foregoing sequence assumes that Adam's fall
>took place on the day of his creation.
>
>Can anyone refer me to a source shedding light on this tradition?
>
>--Christopher
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