A History of the Mythology of the Serpent, A Universal Myth: The Golden Era, the Lost Paradise, first 2 people, Adam and Eve, and their incestuous (and murderous) family, Genesis 3 continues the story of Adam and Eve. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. : 2. Unto the woman He said, `Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband `is' thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.'. Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott (1829-1913). After they ate the fruit, the earth became cursed. There are philosophical difficulties with Genesis 3:7. 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And sometimes, those stories catch on and are told by others. Inherited Sin: No Justice, No Free Will, Genesis 3:14-15 appears on Christian Mythology: Adam and Eve, and the Serpent, in the Garden of Eden: 2.6. The logic of the story is faulty. 1. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Its not clear where the serpent comes from, why it talks, or what its intentions are. Next, one returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf. The spiritual offspring of the Serpent and the Spiritual offspring of the Seed of the Woman. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. She correctly concludes that the twins have eaten cookies. Eve, his wife, was deceived by the serpent: she took the fruit from that tree and share with Adam. In other words, Adam and Eve were not making a "moral decision" when they believed the snake, because they didn't have basic knowledge about the nature of the serpent, and couldn't understand the moral situation. If we use this story as an example for ethical thinking, we can conclude that we can kill or shorten the lives of those who do not do as we say! The Inhumane Effects of the Justifications of Evil, Genesis 3:14-19 appears on Is Free Will the Reason God Allows Evil and Suffering? The Problem of Evil: Why Would a Good God Create Suffering? In verse eight of Genesis Chapter three, God is said to be walking in the garden. They all end up, according to these stories, in Egypt, although historical evidence is clear that most Hebrews continued to live in their homeland. All good parents teach their children that that is not fair and unjust. The reason there is any death at all is because Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Once you know the history of these types of myths, the Adam and Eve story makes much more sense, but, hardly makes it a trustworthy chapter worthy of being placed within the holy text of Jews and Christians! 6, 7, 8. God appears to not know where Adam is in Genesis 3:8-9, and, to not know if they have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (3:11). Genesis 3:7 - Adam and Eve Realize that they are Naked, For more on Genesis 3:11 see Is Omniscience Possible? She knows the law pretty well, and quotes it more or less verbatim, but she does add that they're not allowed even to touch the tree (3:3). Before Augustine coined the phrase original sin it was known simply as ancestral sin. The Serpent couldn't have been Evil because God didn't throw it out of Paradise, which is a place with no sin (Revelations 2:7 says that the tree is in Paradise). Genesis 3:7 - Adam and Eve Realize that they are Naked, Genesis 3:10 commented on above: 3.0. These arguments are presented below, after the table showing the verses. The biblical narrative of Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 2:4-3:24) is one of the best-known passages in the Old Testament, perhaps even in the entire Bible. Mankind is not perfect. Misogyny in Genesis 3, Genesis 3:12: Christian Mythology: Adam and Eve, and the Serpent, in the Garden of Eden: 2.7. ( A) the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. Gods command was steadfast and so he expected Adam to abide by it. We know that God is Spirit (John 4:24). (20,21) Adam and Eve are driven out from paradise. This made much more sense in a belief system where a good and evil spirit were pretty much equally powerful, and neither were all-powerful nor all-knowing, so could both resort to tricks and disguises to fool the other. Conclusions on the morals of the Adam and Eve story:Punishing one person for the actions of another is immoral. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. Some Christians have argued this point, such as the Catholic Richard Carpenter4. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: And the woman saith unto the serpent, `Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. (1785) Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. 8th (Amazon Kindle digital edition) edition. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.More particularly, we have here, The innocent tempted, ver. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. 1 - 5. And (2) it cannot have been a "test" because God (being all-knowing) would have already known the result. Therefore the proceedings here do not seem to make much sense. Also it is an immoral story, for God punishes people who chose an action without knowing that such a choice was bad. of the tree of which I have commanded thee not to eat, hast thou eaten?'. "In the old legends", notes Historian William Draper, "the Evil Spirit was said to have sent a serpent to ruin the paradise which the Good Spirit had made. by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou `art', and unto dust thou turnest back. The Two Contradictory Genesis Creation Stories, Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.. They were innocent. 3. Chapter. Does God Know Everything? Armstrong, Karen(2005) A Short History of Myth: Volume 1-4. Multiple authors, a compendium of multiple previously published books. In Genesis 3:12 a cowardly Adam blames Eve for the whole thing: "The Woman's Bible" by Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1898)5 describes it thusly: Then the woman takes of the fruit; and all this time Adam standing beside her interposes no word of objection. Noah removed the covering of the ark and confirmed that the land was, indeed, dry (Genesis 8:14). Clothes and Male Oppression, : 2.8. A brother who was older, wiser and more mature than the twins asked whether their mother had forbidden them to eat anything in the house. God sent them out of the garden of Eden. The mother returns, not aware of the twin's disobedience. Unfortunately, it is also easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. What was the lie, the temptation, and the trickery of each? We are all born in a world of pain and death because someone-else committed a crime, which was nothing to do with our own free will to choose wrongly. Jewish TanakhTitle: BereishitSection: Torah, Protestant BiblesTitle: GenesisSection: Pentateuch, Catholic BibleTitle: GenesisSection: Pentateuch, Eastern Orthodox BiblesTitle: GenesisSection: Pentateuch, Chapters in Genesis:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Total verses: 1533, #bible #christianity #creationism #egypt #genesis. Published by Bantam Press, Transworld Publishers, Uxbridge Road, London, UK. Genesis 3:15 is known by the term Protevangelium, or first gospel a prophetic picture of the time when Satan would be defeated by the womans triumphant Seed. The text itself invites us to find an interpretation that goes beyond mere biology. (1) It is not right to punish descendants for the sins of their parents, (2) it is not right to punish those who transgress when they're too innocent and naive to know otherwise, and, (3) if you have the power to stop an action being taken that will cause severe side-effects, then, it is the right thing to do to step in and stop it. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? God, a spirit hovering over an empty, watery void, creates the world by speaking into the darkness and calling into being light, sky, land, vegetation, and living creatures over the course of six days. If in doubt about the true origins of the creation narrative, it seems that the Bible contains only a distorted copy of the original story. for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it -- your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.'. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. Genesis Chapter 2-3 Summary 868 Words | 4 Pages. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, `Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden? Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. The Fall of Creation: Genesis Chapter 3 1. Mistrust is only a thing that is learnt once evil and sin are experienced. Does God Know Everything? They did not know of deceit, anger, lust or evil. Is Omniscience Possible? This story demonstrates God's wrath and anger and shows us that God is not forgiving. 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty. Inherited Sin: No Justice, No Free Will, : 2.6. If Adam and Eve knew God, though, surely they would know that God is all-knowing. 2008 Kindle edition. She does all she can to make the lives of any future descendents of the twins miserable., By OCRT, "GENESIS 3: The fall/rise of humanity". Genesis tells us that Adam was the first human created on Earth, out of the dust. (1811-1882)(1881) History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science. Is it is really moral to punish someone for someone else's actions? In the story, both Adam and then God blame Eve for the turn of events (3:12-13). 3.0. A possible Christian defence, in order to try and keep God as the good guy, would be that God then rectified the situation by sending his son out to retrieve his children. Each day, he pauses to pronounce his works good (1:4). Christian Moral Theory and Morality in Action: Biblical Morals and Social Disaster, Christianity and Women: Biblical Misogyny and Male Dominance. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Chapter Overview: The general contents of this chapter we have Romans 5:12. She knows the law pretty well, and quotes it more or less verbatim, but she does add that they're not allowed even to touch the tree (3:3). Amazon Kindle digital edition produced by Carrie Lorenz and John B. Hare. : 3. When the awful time of reckoning comes, and the Jehovah God appears to demand why his command has been disobeyed, Adam endeavors to shield himself behind the gentle being he has declared to be so dear. -Graham S. Gods curses on the two humans further illustrate the breakdown in harmony among creationbetween the man and woman, between humans and nature, and between humans and God. Adam proved himself a worthless leader by not communicating this instruction to Eve. Is God Always Truthful in the Christian Bible? From the following verses from Genesis chapters 1 and 2 list the specific human traits attributed to God: Genesis Chapter One: Verse 3 - God said and he saith, `Thy sound I have heard in the garden, and I am afraid, for I am naked, and I hide myself.'. Chapter 1-5 From creation to the flood. Genesis chapter 30 summary started with the problems between Rachel and Leah. Hava (Eve, in Hebrew, means 'mother of the living') was already the name of a snake goddess amongst the Canaanites, before she was personified in the story of Adam and Eve as found in the Bible. Through the centuries, it has been a source of speculation about God, the world, and human beings. Immanuel Kant in 1785CE eloquently wrote that "Innocence is indeed a glorious thing; only, on the other hand, it is very sad that it cannot well maintain itself and is easily seduced"8. In this passage, for example, God doesnt appear as a booming voice or larger-than-life presencehes seen walking through the garden much like a human would. And the man calleth his wife's name Eve: for she hath been mother of all living. Soon afterwards, God created the Garden of Eden; in this garden, he placed a special tree, which Adam was forbidden to eat from. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, The story shifts abruptly from the introduction of the woman to the appearance of a talking serpent. But if nakedness was bad, then, why did God create them naked? Christian tradition always blamed the woman for being weaker, it seems the case that the opposite is true: God gave the commandment not to eat of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil to Adam alone, before Eve was created (Genesis 2:15-18). And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: And the serpent saith unto the woman, `Dying, ye do not die. Stanton, Elizabeth C.. (1815-1902)(1898) The Woman's Bible. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. 3. In short: It makes no logical sense to claim that the Adam and Eve story is a true explanation of morality, evil or mankind's imperfection. God, as all-knowing and all-powerful, knew the serpent was in the Garden of Eden, and allowed it to stay. and the woman saith, `The serpent hath caused me to forget -- and I do eat.'. 2. 'Her husband with her' are the words of v.6. And Jehovah God doth make to the man and to his wife coats of skin, and doth clothe them. When the man and the woman hide from God, it shows their newfound knowledge of good and evil: theyre aware that theyve done something wrong and wanted to avoid the consequences of it. See the section above on misogyny, Genesis 3:12-13 is referenced on Christian Mythology: Adam and Eve, and the Serpent, in the Garden of Eden: 2.7. Adam and Eve realize that they naked because they gained the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It describes a version of the ancient Flood story where God, or the Gods, flood the Earth or at least a large portion of it, drowning all living creatures including all animals, men, women, children, infants, but saving Noah and his immediate family. Chapter 3:1-4:7 The fall and its consequences (Romans 5:12) Chapter 3 Temptation, fall, judgment and grace [] He interposes no word of warning or remonstrance, but takes the fruit from the hand of his wife without a protest. And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. A hardback book. All because it was she who was convinced by the serpent to eat the fruit. Eating the fruit. (including. Then there was a catastrophe: the mountain collapsed, the tree was cut down, and it became more difficult to reach heaven. It is a story that was frequently told, with all kinds of variations and differences, and which has a long and varied history.12. InnocenceAdam and Eve did not know of good and evil. Misogyny in Genesis 3. However, they are driven from the garden in which they previously enjoyed a peaceful life of dependence upon God. Adam ate the fruit because Eve gave it to him, convinced therefore, by a mere human being. 2019 Vexen Crabtree all rights reserved.This site uses the HTF Disclaimer (as linked here), : 2.3. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God endowed him with the breath of life, and in this instance, he gave Adam a soul. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: And Jehovah God saith, `Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,' --, Adam and Eve did not know of good and evil, Adam and Eve were not making a "moral decision" when they believed the snake, because they didn't have basic knowledge about the nature of the serpent, To Act Morally or With Free Will, You First Need Knowledge, Adam and Eve story was a failed attempt by us to explain why we are not perfect, cannot have been a "test" because God (being all-knowing) would have already known the result, By stopping the serpent and stopping the fall of man, God would have prevented all suffering and death, Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, Multiple authors, a compendium of multiple previously published books, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals, Jealous Gods & Chosen People: The Mythology of the Middle East. She flies into a rage, beats them, and throws them out of the house to fend for themselves. 15th-18th Century: The Malleus Maleficarum, Witch Hunts and Anti-Midwifery, : 1. The genre of Genesis is a Narrative History, and Genealogies. Does God Know Everything? These legends became known to the Jews during their Babylonian captivity"11. Judging Adam and Eve even when they didn't know the difference between good and evil, when they didn't know it was wrong to disobey and couldn't understand that the serpent tricked them, is also immoral. Genesis 3:15 has been called the proto-evangelium, the first gospel. But such oddities are what make religious history interesting, even if they are troublesome for those who actually place spiritual value in the texts. The serpent deceives Eve. When God And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And Jehovah God saith unto the serpent, `Because thou hast done this, cursed `art' thou above all the cattle, and above every beast of the field: on thy belly dost thou go, and dust thou dost eat, all days of thy life; God is unjust or at least, not always just, and therefore is not perfectly benevolent, free will is not the cause of the suffering of mankind. Genesis 3:8-11 - Does God Know Everything? The NIV is the best translation for accuracy whilst maintaining readability. This motif seems to inform human mythology the world over, but, as adults we sometimes conceptualize these feelings in a story. Genesis 3:8-9 appears on Is Omniscience Possible? (6-8) God calls upon Adam and Eve to answer. This is a summary of the first chapter of Genesis, the most important verse, and what I think God is wanting us to do in response to it. Published by D. Appleston and Co, New York, USA. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.. Draper, John William. The serpent lied to them but they would not have known that the serpent's intents were not good. Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance article ", Expanded from existing text. Here I give it a try -- my summary of Genesis 3: "God gave Adam everything, but forbade him from eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the woman seeth that the tree `is' good for food, and that it `is' pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make `one' wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat; Christian tradition always blamed the woman for being weaker. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. It is not a story without precedent, of course. The Adam and Eve theodicy fails as an explanation for why we choose evil sometimes, original sin is not a valid explanation for why God created evil. Leeming, David(2004, Ed.) Key personalities include Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Joseph. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Oldridge, Darren(2000) The Devil in Early Modern England. A History of the Mythology of the Serpent, : 2.1. The Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance have noted that many features of the Adam and Eve story are mirrored in more ancient Hindu myths - down to some pretty specific details. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Amazon Kindle digital edition prepared by David J. Cole prepared by Matthew Stapleton. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The authors of Genesis seem have picked up part of their story from Hindu legends []. : 4.1. Why Was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden? Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. She ordered her handmaid, Bilhah, to marry and lay with Jacob for the sake of having children. It is an immoral story that we shouldn't suffer upon children until they are old enough to understand it as a religious myth. Is Free Will the Reason God Allows Evil and Suffering? Misogyny in Genesis 3, Genesis 3:12-13 commented on above: 3.0. Karen Armstrong iterates through some of the archetypes in these familiar myths: In every culture, we find the myth of a lost paradise, in which humans lived in close and daily contact with the divine. Also Adam and Eve's children must have slept with their own parents or siblings. Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken; So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 4:3 "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD." : 1. God in the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, however, goes in the opposite direction in all those three points. But Eve was beguiled by the formidable powers of Satan itself (Genesis 3:1-6), in the guise of a serpent. The Hebrew word for Eve is close to the word for living, hence the idea that shes the matriarch of all living people. I prefer to take quotes from the NIV but where I quote the Bible en masse I must quote from the KJV because it is not copyrighted, whilst the NIV is.