he writer of Genesis, the Cherub of Assyria, the Cherub of Babylon, the
Cherub of the entire Orient, at the time the Eden story was written, was
not at all an Angel, but an animal, and a mythological one at that. The
Cherub had, in some cases, the body of a lion, with the head of an other
animal, or a man, and the wings of a bird. In Ezekiel they have the body
of a man, whose head, besides a human countenance, has also that of a
_Lion_, an _Ox_ and an _Eagle_. They are provided with four wings, and
the whole body is spangled with innumerable eyes. In Assyria and Babylon
they appear as winged bulls with human faces, and are placed at the
gateways of palaces and temples as guardian genii who watch over the
dwelling, as the Cherubim in Genesis watch the "Tree of Life."

Most Jewish writers and Christian Fathers conceived the Cherubim as
Angels. Most theologians also considered them as Angels, until Michaelis
showed them to be a mythological animal, a poetical creation.[13:4]

We see then, that our _Cherub_ is simply a _Dragon_.

To continue our inquiry regarding the prevalence of the Eden-myth among
nations of antiquity.

The _Chinese_ have their Age of Virtue, when nature furnished abundant
food, and man lived peacefully, surrounded by all the beasts. In their
sacred books there is a story concerning a mysterious _garden_, where
grew a _tree_ bearing "apples of immortality," guarded by a winged
serpent, called a Dragon. They describe a primitive age of the world,
when the earth yielded abundance of delicious fruits without
cultivation, and the seasons were untroubled by wind and storms. There
was no calamity, sickness, or death. Men were then good without effort;
for the human heart was in harmony with the peacefulness and beauty of
nature.

The "Golden Age" of the past is much dwelt upon by their ancient
commentators. One of them says:

"All places were then equally the native county of every man.
Flocks wandered in the fields without any guide; birds filled
the air with their melodious voices; and the fruits grew of
their own accord. Men lived pleasantly with the animals, and
all creatures were members of the same family. Ignorant of
evil, man lived in simplicity and perfect innocence."

Another commentator says:

"In the first age of perfect purity, all was in harmony, and
the passions did not occasion the slightest murmur. Man,
united to sovereign reason within, co