The Garden of Eden Story as Etiology

Tuesday, September 9   The Garden of Eden story as etiology

Creation stories are tales of origin, explaining how our world came to be. 

Reread Genesis 2-3 (any translation). As you read, list (with biblical verse citations) all the aspects of our world that the author of the story chose to explain.

     Ponder whether the story explains why we die. We will have a classroom debate on whether the human beings created in the Garden of Eden were originally mortal or immortal. Every student will tackle both sides, using every detail in the story to argue each side of the issue.

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Origins

The author chose to explain more than just the origin of our physical world in Gen 2-3. There are as many, if not more, descriptions of the origins of human behaviour.

In Gen 2:3, God blessed the seventh day because he rested. Although it does not become a commandment until later, this is where the concept of resting on the Sabbath originated.

In Gen 2:5, the author says that no plants or herbs had “yet sprung”, acknowledging that plants and herbs now cover the fields of the earth. Also, the author says that man was not yet made to till the ground; part of the reason man was made was to till the ground. Obviously people still till the land to farm. (As a side note: if we are being literal, about 15 years ago zero-till became a common practice, so not many people actually till anymore.)

Gen 2:9, the author describes the trees as pleasant to sight. Not only, does that show a physical aspect of our world (trees), it also explains why many people enjoy nature, God made the trees beautiful.

There are many things that (most) humans find valuable – such as gold and incense – and the author notes that in Gen 2:10-12. When discussing the rivers, which in and of themselves are an important physical part of our world, the author chose to include that the rivers flow through and around gold and bdellium, two natural resources that people treasure; people invest in gold.

Ironically, one of the things the author did not include was trees without fruit. In Gen 2:16 God says man may eat of every fruit from the trees (but later says that the fruit of knowledge cannot be eaten), implying that all trees have fruit. However, this is not a significant oversight.

Another detail that was not included in Gen 2-3 is sea creatures. Gen 2:19 says that God formed beasts of the field and birds of the air but does not mention animals of the sea. Although Gen 1 does discuss creating sea creatures.

All of the animals were named by man in Gen 2:20. Being able to specify animals by name is something we still value today.

In Gen 2:24, God dictates what man should do when he gets married; which is the origins in many cultures, where it is important for married couples to move away from their parents. Although, to be fair, in some cultures it is expected that your parents live with you until they die.

Gen 2:25 says that the man and his wife were naked and not ashamed; after they eat the forbidden fruit, they do become ashamed. Again, this is the beginning of another human behaviour. In many cultures, different levels of nudity are acceptable – children often run around naked, women are topless, etc. In other cultures, people are ashamed of their bodies and wear a lot of clothing.

Perhaps Genesis is the origins of a common saying. The serpent is described in Gen 3:1 as the most subtle creature God created. To this day, people say that someone is ‘as slippery as a snake’, in other words, that person is sneaky and has bad intentions.

In Gen 3:5 the author talks about the ability to know of good and evil. Each society has concepts of good and evil, the knowledge that resulted from eating the fruit could be considered the origins of what is considered good and what is considered evil.

I said earlier that the author implied that all trees had fruit because man could eat from them, but Genesis 3:6 suggests otherwise. Eve saw that the forbidden tree was good to eat, so perhaps the author subtly suggests that not all trees had fruit.

Another physical aspect of our world that the author chose to mention are fig leaves. When Adam and Eve learned they were naked, they covered themselves with fig leaves in Gen 3:7.

An interesting specification is made by the author in Gen 3:14. God considers cattle different from wild animals. Subtly, in the world’s origins, cattle were prized, not animals to be feared. Even today, cattle have more value to the common man than a wild animal.

Part of God’s curse to the serpent in Gen 3:14, is that he will have to slither in the dust, which, with a few exceptions, they still do. Continuing in Gen 3:15, the curse is the origin of the antagonistic relationship between man and snake.

In Gen 3:16, the author includes that childbirth will be difficult for women and that husbands will rule over their wives. I’m told that, even today, without painkillers, childbirth can be very difficult. Many cultures still consider men to be of higher standing than women – a concept that clearly originates in this curse.

Gen 3:17 shows that man will have to work hard to survive – man must work in toil for food.

The author chose to include the physical origins of thorns and thistles in Gen 3:18, which were also part of God’s curse on man. Also, the author again says that men will have to eat food grown from the ground. Obviously, what is grown in the ground is humans’ main food source.

In Gen 3:19, the author mentioned that men will sweat from their brows.

Finally, in Gen 3:21, the author shows the origin of clothing (apart from fig leaves). God created garments of skins and clothed Adam and Eve.

Mortality vs. Immortality

Almost everything in the Bible can be interpreted in many different ways and the issue of mortality is no different. Verses that support the concept that man was originally immortal also support the idea that man was created as a mortal.

Gen 2:7 says that God “breathed into [man’s] nostrils the breath of life”. One can argue that there is no such thing as life without death; therefore man was originally intended to be mortal. However, the other argument can be made using Revelation 1:8 says “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Since God is “immortal” (for lack of a better word), His “breath of life” is forever.

An argument that supports the idea that man was intended to be immortal is from Gen 2:17. God warns Adam “for in the day that you eat of it you shall die”. This implies that man was not originally going to die.

Another verse that can support both sides of the argument is Gen 2:24. When man marries he must leave his father and his mother. Obviously to have parents and be old enough to marry, man must grow. One can argue if a person ages, inevitability they will become too old and they will die; therefore man is mortal. However, if one believes man was immortal argue that ageing does not necessarily mean that a person must die.

Part of God’s curse on Eve in Gen 3:16 is that He will “multiply your pain in childbearing”. The same arguments used for Gen 2:24 apply here as well. Does ageing lead to death?

In Gen 3:19, God curses Adam saying that “and to dust you shall return”. This can be used to suggest was originally immortal; it would not be a curse if Adam was always going to die and become dust once more. However, it can also be argued that man was already going to die and returning to dust is just adding insult to injury, instead of a clean body after death, the body becomes dirty.

In Gen 3:22 God decides that now man has is like God, man must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. One argument is that if man was immortal he would not have to take the fruit to live forever, therefore man was originally mortal. However, the other argument is that they were different fruits; man was originally immortal but lost and could eat the fruit of life, lost that privilege after eating the fruit of knowledge, but eating from the tree of life would make man immortal again.