Redemption for the Serpent: The Reception History of Serpent Material from the Physiologus in the Greek, Latin, and Syriac Traditions

Abstract The Physiologus is a patristic text containing allegorical interpretations of animals. This article examines the Greek, Latin, and Syriac reception history of the serpent material from the Physiologus and concludes that while Greek and Latin authors repeated serpent material from the Physiologus, John the Solitary and Isaac of Nineveh, in the Syriac tradition, furthered the allegorical sense of this text by adding an ascetical layer of interpretation. In particular, they both use the serpent material from the Physiologus to explain the transformation from the outer man to the inner man. Two additional conclusions are offered. First, this article shows that the Physiologus became a standard resource for a “redeem the snake” tradition that emerged sometime in the fourth and fifth centuries due to a renewed interest in classical zoology and due to an increase in biblical commentary on Matt 10:16, where Jesus encourages his followers to be as wise as serpents. Second, this article shows that some of the serpent analogies from the Physiologus circulated independently from the rest in a no-longer-extant form of the Physiologus or else as part of a separate work, possibly another natural history compendium. This conclusion has repercussions for dating the Physiologus.