. . . Ezek 28:12-17, a text which
alludes, by way of analogy and metaphor, to an Adam peculiarly portrayed along
glorious lines. . . . Most likely, the text represents one of the most ancient
sources—if not the most ancient one—for the tradition which exalts the
prelapsarian Adam. In spite of the fact that the account starts with a
description of the king of Tyre, the narrative structure changes to a
context—namely, Paradise—in which it is almost impossible to place this royal
character. Hence, it would be more logical here to associate the Garden of Eden
with Adam. The result would be the first text portraying Adam as a highly
exalted figure which God places on his holy mountain and arrays with beauty,
splendor, and precious stones. (Dragoş Andrei Giulea, Pre-Nicene
Christology in Paschal Contexts: The Case of the Divine Noetic Anthropos [Supplements
to Vigiliae Christianae Texts and Studies of Early Christian Life and Language
123; Leiden: Brill, 2014], 51)
