THE BEGINNING

This new interpretation of the Junius Codex of the book of Genesis, in iambic pentameter, was composed by Jabez L. Van Cleef in 2024.

This poetry is richly infused with the atmosphere of conversion from pre-Christian to Christian beliefs. The primary difference between the indigenous Saxon religions and the Judeo-Christian sacred texts revolves around the concept of redemption. The population being “converted” believed that the life passage of each person was ruled by “fate” or “destiny,” and these forces guided the passage of the soul regardless of the choices made by the person. The Christian rulers believed that only faith in the divine word would bring the soul into a state of grace and eternal redemption from sin. The struggle between these opposing beliefs is interpolated at the introduction of the story by exploring the story of the fall of Satan.