Contrary to popular opinion, the story of Adam and Eve is not confined to the book of Genesis. It has roots in prebiblical myth and continued to evolve long after the Bible was completed. Bernard F. Batto traces the development of the Adam and Eve story from its origins in Mesopotamian myth to its reformulation in Genesis and beyond—including its expansion in Jewish epigraphs such as 1 Enoch and the Life of Adam and Eve, and its place in Christian innovations such as the apostle Paul’s thesis that Christ is a second Adam, and in the thinking of church fathers such as Irenaeus, who held that Christ recapitulates all humankind in himself, and Augustine, whose doctrine of original sin interprets the Adam and Eve story. Batto also examines gnostic teachings about a heavenly Adam and an earthly Adam, and surveys rabbinical attempts from the Talmudic period to find hidden meanings in the Genesis story. Islam’s emphasis on Satan’s role in seducing Adam and Eve is also discussed, and the book concludes with Milton’s unforgettable retelling of the Adam and Eve story in Paradise Lost . Batto’s goal is not only to reveal the many faces given Adam and Eve throughout history, but also to understand the divergent cultural and theological factors powering this long, evolving tradition. "Batto offers a luscious, patient, thick read of the Adam and Eve story. . . . This is an ambitious read, every bit a match for the Bible's most iconic narrative. Tracing the story as it travels through time . . . furnishes Batto with a kaleidoscope of angles from which to appreciate afresh aspects of the old, primordial story. . . . Batto's finest accomplishment is the ever-richer reading of the original Genesis story that emerges in the process." --F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Princeton Theological Seminary "Mesmerizing! With lucid, entertaining prose, Batto navigates three millennia of sources to delineate the shifting contours of interpretation of the two most influential biblical characters in Western history. Clearly, he demonstrates, we never cease to recreate Adam and Eve in our own image. This is an erudite and exhilarating read, engaging to scholars and general readers alike." --Valarie H. Ziegler, coauthor of Eve and Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender Bernard F. Batto is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at DePauw University. Previous publications include Slaying the Dragon (1992) and In the Beginning (2013).