Serpent seed, dual seed or two-seedline is a controversial doctrine according to which the serpent in the Garden of Eden mated with Eve, and the offspring of their union was Cain. This belief is still held by some adherents of Christian Identity, who claim that the Jews, as descendants of Cain, are also descended from the serpent. The idea has also existed in several other non-racial contexts, and major proponents include Daniel Parker (1781–1844), William M. Branham (1909–1965) and Arnold Murray (1929- ). However, Murray teaches that the Kenites (and not the Jews) were the offspring of Cain. Murray teaches that the Jews descended from Adam through Seth and so on.
The doctrine that Eve mated with the serpent, or with Satan, to produce Cain also appears in early Gnostic writings such as the Gospel of Philip (c. 350); however, this teaching was explicitly rejected as heresy by Irenaeus (c. 180) and later mainstream Christian theologians. A similar doctrine appeared in Jewish midrashic texts in the 9th century and in the Kabalah. It is considered a false doctrine by mainstream Protestant denominations. Catholic theologians point to the fact that the Bible states that the original sin is that of Adam and Eve eating a forbidden fruit.
Read more about Serpent Seed: History, The Doctrine, Christian Identity Movement, William Branham's Teachings
Famous quotes containing the words serpent and/or seed:
“There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: the way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”
—Bible: Hebrew Proverbs, 30:18-19.
From the oracle of Agur, son of Jakeh.
“He who eats the fruit should at least plant the seed; ay, if possible, a better seed than that whose fruit he has enjoyed.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)