"There is a forgotten teaching of the early Jews and Christians that the dominion that God gave to Adam in Eden over his other creatures was nothing less than the holy priesthood, the power to act in God’s stead. In making his covenant with Abraham, God is represented as saying to him, 'When God created Adam, he blessed him, and man lived in this blessing, until the generation of the Flood came and destroyed that blessing. When Noah came forth from the ark God saw that the world was bereft of any blessing and blessed them anew through Noah. This blessing continued until Abraham came and increased it still more.' To Adam he said, 'From now on it is all given over into your hand, and they [the creatures] will fear you as they fear me.' Accordingly, Adam enjoys God’s authority only insofar as he exercises it as God himself would, with perfect love and understanding."