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Interpreting Interpreter: Serpentine Seraphs

This post is a summary of the article “‘Upon Thy Belly Shalt Thou Go’: The Garden of Eden Serpent Symbology Based on the Concept of Seraphim” by Noel Hudson in Volume 63 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. All of the Interpreting Interpreter articles may be seen at https://interpreterfoundation.org/category/summaries/. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter series is available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought/.

A video introduction to this Interpreter article is now available on all of our social media channels, including on YouTube at https://youtube.com/shorts/Qw21qqtJo1E.

 

The Takeaway

Hudson works to unify the potentially conflicting religious symbolism of the serpent, which has been applied to both Lucifer and Christ. He proposes that the symbol, used in biblical contexts to describe angels, identifies them both as seraphic members of the divine council, with Lucifer as a fallen seraph and Christ as their divine head.

 

The Summary

In this article, Noel Hudson examines serpent-related symbology as used in the Bible and other Ancient Near East cultures. He notes the struggle implied in the use of an apparently pagan symbol to represent Christ (i.e., Moses’ serpent of brass) as well as Satan in the garden. Hudson works to resolve this conflict through a unified view of serpent symbology, with fiery flying serpents as the symbol of the angelic seraphim, of which both Satan and Christ can be considered members.

The underlying Hebrew for “fiery serpent” (śrp, anglicized as seraph) directly supports this idea, and Isaiah and the Book of Mormon’s reference “fiery flying serpents” further leans on angelic symbolism, with both the serpents and the seraphim represented as having wings and are shown acting as messengers and as guards of the heavenly throne. These seraphim were part of the divine council, a body which likely includes a number of mortal prophets and apostles. Associations between the seraphim and the Atonement (with a seraph purging sin from Isaiah lips with a hot coal) helps solidify Christ as a member of the seraphim—a raised, purifying figure who we can look to for healing and salvation. In spite of the questionable nature of some past associations, Hudson also sees hints of this seraphic link in the symbology of the ancient Mesoamerican serpent god, Quetzalcoatl.

Satan, on the other hand, is framed as a serpent as well a fallen angel, whose former glory made him a “son of the morning”. Pseudepigraphal works go further in describing the Satan of Eden as having hands, feet, ears and wings, more angelic than snake-like. He would lose these appendages in a symbolic stripping of his power and authority—wallowing in Sheol as a snake wallows in the dust. But he may continue to accept the serpent symbology as a way of counterfeiting and usurping the seraphic role, with he and his servants lying in wait to ensnare and entrap us. Hudson notes that God also appears to set similar snares, applying poetic justice to the wicked who become caught in their own nets.

Hudson suggests that this symbolism continues to be useful to us today, concluding that:

“Like Eve, the possibility exists that when we least expect it, our normal daily routine may be disrupted by the sudden appearance of a beguiling serpent pursuing a course of action that, if left unchecked, could lead to death, curses, or exile… No matter how distant the symbolism of serpents and seraphim in ancient Hebrew literature may seem from everyday life, there are subtle serpents slithering among us even now, and their actions may directly impact our lives in ways we might not anticipate and for which we may not be fully prepared.”

 

The Reflection

I’ve been impressed by the depth and breadth of the symbolic connections between Christ and the brass serpent since Rappleye’s notable article a few years ago, and Hudson adds a great deal of useful depth to the Satanic end of that symbolic association. Christianity seems to take issue with the idea that Satan and Christ could be spiritual brothers, but the Bible appears to do a great deal to connect them via this shared symbology. The ancients would had to have a healthy fear and respect for the danger presented by venomous serpents, and it makes sense to me that they would have leveraged that respect in their worship, whether when inspiring awe or inspiring derision and caution.

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