pFant "bore, Tsegel^/, anil Tstjric/*, 



spirit of prophecy cried : " Behold ! the Lord predi(fts the virtues 

 of the Sacred Cross." The Jews thereupon attacked the woman, 

 and having stoned her, they plunged the sacred wood of the Temple 

 into the piscina prohatica, of which the water acquired from that 

 moment healing qualities, and which was afterwards called the Pool 

 of Bethesda, In the hope of profaning it the Jews afterwards em- 

 ployed the sacred wood in the construction of the bridge of Siloam, 

 over which everybody unheedingly passed, excepting only the 

 Queen of Sheba, who, prostrating herself, paid homage to it and 

 prophetically cried that of this wood would one day be made the 

 Cross of the Redeemer, 



Thus, although Adam by eating the fruit of the Tree of Know- 

 ledge, came to know that which was evil, and could no longer be per- 

 mitted to partake of the fruit or essence of the Tree of Life, yet, 

 from its seeds, placed in his mouth after death, sprang the tree 

 which produced the Cross of Christ, by means of which he and his 

 race could attain to eternal life. 



According to Prof. Mussafia,* an authority quoted by De 

 Gubernatis, the origin of this legend of Seth's visit to Paradise is 

 to be found in the apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus, where it is 

 stated that the Angel Michael refused to give the oil of mercy to 

 Seth, and told him that Christ would one day visit the earth to 

 anoint all believers, and to conduct Adam to the Tree of Mercy. 

 Some of the legends collected by the Professor are very curious. 



An Austrian legend records that the Angel Michael gave to 

 Eve and her son Seth a spray with three leaves, plucked from the 

 Tree of Knowledge, with directions to plant it on the grave of 

 Adam. The spray took root and became a tree, which Solomon 

 placed as an ornament in the Temple of Jerusalem, and which was 

 cast into the piscina probatica, where it lay until the day of Christ's 

 condemnation, when it was taken out and fashioned into the Cross 

 on which He suffered. 



A German legend narrates that Eve went with Seth to 

 Paradise, where she encountered the serpent ; but the Angel 

 Michael gave her a branch of Olive, which, planted over the grave 

 of Adam, grew rapidly. After the death of Eve, Seth returned to 

 Paradise, and there met the Angel, who had in his hands a branch 

 to which was suspended the half of the Apple which had been 

 bitten by his mother Eve. The Angel gave this to Seth, at the 

 same time recommending him to take as great care of it as of 

 the Olive planted on Adam's grave, because these two trees would 

 one day become the means of the redemption of mankind. Seth 

 scrupulously watched over the precious branch, and at the hour 

 of his death bequeathed it to the best of men. Thus it came into 

 the hands of Noah, who took it into the Ark with him. After the 

 Deluge, Noah sent forth the dove as a messenger, and it brought 



* Treatise on the Legend of the Sacred Wood. Vienna, 1870. 



