What is the basis for translating the serpent in Gen. 3 as a being of light?

I've read two books that mentioned that the serpent in Genesis 3:1 which tempted Eve could have been rendered as a "shining one" or being of light rather than a serpent. Is there really a basis for this alternate view, or is it questionable scholarship? 1. The Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible has a note on this in the margin for Ezekiel 28:13-15, saying that the serpent signifies "a shining one." 2. The Companion Bible has a 2-page appendix devoted to the serpent of Genesis 3. Seems to imlpy that it was not a literal serpent that spoke, but the character of the one who spoke and of whom Eve respected.