Smiddy said-
Adam and Eve,being ignorant and innocent having a short life on earth, then being tempted and tricked by an angel who obviously has more experience, are subjected to a more severe punishment than the perpretrator of this crime, that affects the future of mankind.....Do you think this is just?
(sarcasm lock on)
Sure, it seems perfectly reasonable to let the superior being who challenged God's authority to remain free on bail for the past 6,000 yrs so he can be allowed to perpetuate his crimes while on bail, since after all, Satan DID raise the question as to whether he was a better ruler of the Universe than God, since apparently no other being had EVER thought of the issue before. Supposedly this period is also the trial, during which everyone can see just who the better ruler of the Universe is (although God always intervenes on the trial, and tampers with the jury by relying on extortion, etc).
(sarcasm lock off)
Xian theology is absurdly silly logic, and that's what results when Judaism was syncretised with Zoroasterian beliefs: Xianity.
As Designs said, the beliefs in Judaism as they existed before the insertion of Persian influences during the post-exilic period (circa 500 BCE) didn't view Satan as a prototypical archenemy of Jehovah, but rather, Satan was as a member of Team Jehovah, as a member of the Divine Counsil: you can see it most clearly in the story of Job, where Satan was seen as the agent who roamed the Earth long AFTER Adam and Eve had sinned, where Satan was appointed by God to test humans. Only later did Satan become God's chief enemy, the head of the opposition team.
That later interpretation required the re-interpretation of Adam and Eve's serpent as Satan, when Jews had never read the account as the serpent as symbolizing Satan; they interpreted the story about a disruption of the 'pecking order' instituted by God, with God>man>woman>animal>plants. The serpent was a clever animal who tipped the apple cart over, by coercing the women (who coerced the man) to disobey God. The serpent was punished, and that's where it ended, since it explained why death occurred, how snakes lost their legs, etc.
Xians later inserted the interpretation of Satan = serpent to support their desired reading of Genesis 3 which was more consistent with the Divine Authority issue (which is found in intertestamental literature, written between the OT and NT writings).
Adam
