Herein we begin considering “Serpent” and “Dragon” within the context of Satan in text generally termed the Apocrypha, Deutero Canonical, Pseudepigrapha, Gnostic Texts, etc. (see my article on the Apocrypha here). The fuller complete result consists of quotations of those sections within the text that refer to Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, Devil, Satan, demons, serpent and dragon. The point is not to elucidate these references but to provide relevant partial quotations and citations.
The quotations within section pertain to references to serpent and dragons when the term is applied to evil entities and not merely to reptiles. For example, Bel and the Dragon obviously contains references to a dragon but it is a reptile.
See my section on Angels in general and in apocryphal texts here. See my section on Cherubim and Seraphim in general and in apocryphal texts here.
Serpent & Dragon in Testament of Job, Lives of the Prophets aka Deaths of the Prophets, Bartholomew’s Book of the Resurrection of Christ, Gospel of Phillip and Gospel of Bartholomew aka Questions of Bartholomew.
Testament of Job – 1st century BC to 1st century AD
10:16-17 The doorkeepers of the place of darkness shall give him their glory and beauty as share; His Kingdom hath vanished, his throne hath moldered, and the honor of his stature is in (Sheol) Hades. For he has loved the beauty of the serpent and the scales (skins) of’ the dracon his gall and his venom belongs to the Northern One (Zphuni = Adder).
Lives of the Prophets aka Deaths of the Prophets – 1st century AD
Habakkuk section 12-14 Then, he said, the veil of the inner sanctuary will be torn to pieces, and the capitals of the two pillars will be taken away, and no one will know where they are; but they will be carried away by Angels into the wilderness where in the beginning the Tabernacle of Witness was pitched. By them in the end the presence of the Lord will be made known, for they will give light to those who are pursued by the Serpent in darkness as at the beginning.
Bartholomew’s Book Of The Resurrection of Christ
Death came into Amente (the underworld), asking who the new arrival was, for he detected a disturbance. He came to the tomb of Jesus with his six sons in the form of serpents.
Gospel of Phillip – 3rd century
If he was not created, but begotten, you would find that his seed was noble. But now he was created and he begot. What nobility is this? First, adultery came into being, afterward murder. And he was begotten in adultery, for he was the child of the Serpent.
Gospel of Bartholomew aka Questions of Bartholomew
IV:46 Bartholomew saith: Be still (be muzzled) thou dragon of the pit. 47 And Beliar said: Many things will I tell thee of the Angels. They that run together throughout the heavenly places and the Earthly are these: Mermeoth, Onomatath, Douth, Melioth, Charouth, Graphathas, Oethra, Nephonos, Chalkatoura. With them do fly (are administered?) the things that are in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth.
In the next segment, we will consider Epistle of Ignatius to the Philippians, Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, Epistle of Barnabas, Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour and Book of John the EvAngelist aka Interrogatio Iohannis.
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