"Take the snake, the fruit-tree and the woman from the tableau, and we
have no fall, no frowning Judge, no Inferno, no everlasting punishment --
hence no need of a Savior. Thus the bottom falls out of the whole Christian
theology." Elizabeth Cady Stanton. 1
"Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned!" Paul (Romans 5:12;
Christian Scriptures).
"The whole justification of Jesus' life and death is predicated on the
existence of Adam and the forbidden fruit he and Eve ate. Without the original
sin, who needs to be redeemed? Without Adam's fall into a life of constant sin
terminated by death, what purpose is there to Christianity? None....Without
Adam, without the original sin, Jesus Christ is reduced to a man with a
mission on a wrong planet!" Richard Bozarth 2
Overview:
When the topic of sin is brought up, the first thought that often comes to
mind, at least for the typical North American, has something to do with
sexual behavior. The second guess,
at least among many Christians, would
probably be related to the "fall" of humanity as described in Genesis
3.
This particular chapter has had a profound effect upon Christianity. In the
early years of the Christian movement, there were three distinct belief systems,
each with its own interpretation of Genesis 3:
The Jewish Christians, centered in Jerusalem, were the first
Christian group, founded by the followers of Jesus. They considered Paul
to be a heretic. Little is known about their specific beliefs. However,
they probably followed the Jewish tradition which did not place a great
deal of emphasis on Genesis 3. The Jewish Christians were killed,
scattered, and exiled by the Roman Army during two uprisings in the first
and second centuries CE.
Some Gnostic sects honored the snake
of Genesis 3. They did not view the snake
as a seducer who led the first couple into sinful behavior. Rather, they saw him/it as a
liberator who brought knowledge to Adam and Eve by convincing them to eat of the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and thus to become fully human. The
Gnostics were essentially wiped out by the mainline Christian church.
The Pauline Christians derived most of their theological
beliefs from the Pauline Epistles and the Gospel of John. To them, Genesis
3 was of paramount importance. They saw in the passage the reasons for "humanity's corrupt nature and
desperate existential situation." 3 Paul used the
chapter to derive his concept of sin. Later, Augustine used it to develop his
idea of original sin -- the belief
that all of the generations of humanity (including ourselves) have inherited the sinful behavior of
Adam and Eve. Original sin leads naturally to the belief that a
gulf exists between humanity and God, and that the natural destination after
death for all of humanity is to be eternally tortured in Hell without any hope
of mercy or cessation of the pain. The Pauline Christians survived to evolve
into modern Christianity. The thousands of Christian denominations and
sects now hold various beliefs about how believers can obtain salvation
and
escape Hell.
The first three chapters of Genesis arguably make the most important single section of the Bible.
They lay the foundation for many historical theological beliefs of Christianity:
Modern day conservative Christians interpret Genesis 3 as describing
the fall of humanity, and consider it to be among the most important
passages in the Bible.
Many very liberal Christians interpret Genesis 3 as the Gnostic did
and do; the passage is seen as describing the rise of humanity from a
proto-human to a fully human state.
Assumptions:
Theologians bring certain fundamental assumptions with them when they study a
passage from the Bible. The following table is a somewhat simplified attempt to
show the preconceptions that many very conservative and some very liberal theologians
bring to the first three chapters of Genesis:
Moses was inspired directly by God, thus ensuring that
Genesis is all true.
Authors inspired only by a desire to create a mythical
history of origins.
Nature of writing:
Accurate history, biology & science. It is free of
error when literally interpreted.
Religious myth -- a spiritually important story of an
event that never happened.
Consistency:
The Bible is supremely consistent, teaching the same
messages from cover to cover.
The Bible was written over a long period of time and
demonstrates a major evolution of religious thought.
Accuracy:
Inerrant (without error) when it was in its original
written form.
None. The creation stories, Garden of Eden, etc. never
actually happened.
Nature of God:
God is a spirit; any reference to God's hands, legs,
voice, are symbolic in nature.
The author "J" viewed God in anthropomorphic terms: as
a special large and powerful person.
God's personality:
God is loving, caring, and just.
The author "J" viewed God as fickle, jealous,
deceptive, vengeful and unfair.
God's attributes:
God is omniscient and omnipotent.
"J" viewed God as limited in knowledge and abilities.
He cannot predict Adam and Eve's behavior in advance.
Among the above beliefs, the authorship of the first three chapters of Genesis
is probably the most important. Most of the rest follows naturally, once it is
determined who wrote the text. Very conservative Christians generally believe that
Moses wrote all of the Pentateuch (the first five book of the Hebrew
Scriptures), including Genesis. The text of the Pentateuch certainly states that
he was the author. Most liberal
Christians believe in the Documentary
Hypothesis: that the Pentateuch were written by four anonymous authors,
generally referred to as J,E, P and
D.
"P" wrote Genesis 1:1 to 2:3. He was a
priest who viewed God as a distant, transcendent deity, sometimes harsh
and critical. The words "mercy,"
"grace" and "repentance" are totally
absent from his writing,
although they are used often by "J." He lived before the
destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE -- long after
"J."
"R' wrote the first half of Genesis 2:4. He was a redactor who
assembled the writings of J,E,P, & D into the present text.
"J" authored Genesis 2:4b to 4:26, including all of
Chapter 3 which is analyzed below. He probably wrote sometime
between the middle of the 9th century BCE and the late 8th century BCE.
He referred to God as "JHWH", and viewed him in anthropomorphic terms: God formed Adam from clay; he walked and talked
with Adam and Eve in the garden; he spoke to Moses, etc.
Conclusions:
Belief
Many very conservative Christians
Some very liberal Christians
Who/what was the serpent?
Satan in the guise of a snake. He deceives Eve.
A very intelligent snake with the power to speak. Adam
& Eve's friend.
Satan's role:
The main character; the deceiver of Adam and Eve.
None; Satan does not appear anywhere in Genesis or
anywhere in
the rest of the Pentateuch.
The deceptive player:
Satan in the form of a serpent, seducing Eve into
eating the fruit.
God, deceiving Adam and Eve about the results of
eating the fruit.
The fruit:
Often believed to be an apple.
Not identified.
The consequence of their sin:
"A righteous God meting out justice" as
befitting the crime. 4
A harsh, unfair and "jealous God, harshly punishing the naïve
couple -- and everything else." 4
Were Adam and Eve responsible for their sin?
Yes. God told them to not eat the fruit. They were fully responsible for disobeying
God.
No. At the time that they ate the fruit, they had no
moral sense and didn't know good from evil.
Initial situation, Genesis 3:1:
Adam and Eve were in a state of purity and innocence.
Adam and Eve were proto-human -- animal like --
without a moral sense. They had no knowledge of good and evil.
Final situation, Genesis 3:24:
Adam and Eve had disobeyed God. They and their
descendents were punished for their sin.
Adam and Eve achieved a moral sense, previously
possessed only by the Gods.
Basic message
Adam and Eve's sin, the fall of humanity, and the
introduction of sin into the world for the first time.
The development of a moral sense, and the
consequent rise of humanity from proto-human to fully human.
Genesis, verses 3:1 to 3:24 are analyzed below, showing the differences between
very conservative and very liberal interpretations of the text. The King James
version of the Bible is used here, because of copyright problems with more
recent translations. A few archaic spellings are updated to the 21st
century.
Analysis of Genesis 3:
Verse 1: "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
Conservative
Liberal
Satan has taken the form of a snake. The snake's ability to
talk is a miracle. He is described as subtle or cunning or crafty; i.e.
sneaky and devious. Satan misstates Gods instruction in order to create
animosity in Eve towards God
Satan does not appear in Genesis or in the rest of the
Pentateuch. Talking snakes and other animals are often found in ancient
religious myths of the Middle East, where they represent real animals. The Hebrew word translated here as "subtle"
actually means "mentally acute."
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
Conservative
Liberal
God was accurate and truthful when he said that Adam or Eve
would die if they ate the apple. However, it must be interpreted
symbolically as a spiritual death, not a physical death.
The author "J" portrays God as having been deceptive. He implied that
the fruit was so poisonous that they would die quickly if they ate the
fruit, or even touched it. He also implies that God is not omniscient -- not
even of high intelligence -- because he did not realize that without a moral
sense, Eve and Adam would probably eat the fruit sooner or later.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely
die:
5 For God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Conservative
Liberal
Satan appeals to Eve's desire for control and her lust for power over her
life. He says that God has lied. The snake offers her great power; she would
become like a God, if she eats the apple.
At this time in the story, Eve and Adam were proto-humans.
They were similar in one important sense to animals: they lacked a
moral sense. The snake was being accurate and helpful here. He implies that
the fruit is not poisonous. He said that if she ate the fruit she would
instantly develop a moral sense; for the first time, she would be able to
distinguish good from evil; right from wrong. For the first time, she would share this
attribute with the Gods. Of course, people do not acquire a new talent by
eating fruit; we are dealing with a myth here.
6 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.
Conservative
Liberal
Eve ate the apple and gave an apple to Adam. Evil entered the
world for the first time. 4 The world is changed forever. Successive
generations down to the present time suffer from original sin derived from
Adam and Eve's sinful disobedience, some six millennia ago. This transferal
of sin from the first couple to us is called "imputation."
Eve and Adam eat the fruit.
This was not a sinful act on their part anymore than if a lion or a infant
human ate the
fruit. Neither humans at this point, or animals had any knowledge of good
and evil. This act marks a major symbolic step
forward for humanity: they seek to improve themselves by acquiring additional knowledge; they desired to be
wise.
Evil in various forms: anger, viciousness, assault, death, etc had
always been present in the world. However, for the first time, Adam and Eve
become aware of it.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that
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they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves
aprons.
Conservative
Liberal
As a result of eating the forbidden fruit, they became aware of
their nakedness. They made clothes for themselves.
The snake's words were shown to be reliable and true. God is shown to be
a deceiver. Adam and eve did not die; rather, they benefited from eating the
fruit: they obtained a moral sense.
They had not previously been shy of their nakedness, because they were only
partly human. (A animals are not embarrassed to be naked or to engage in sexual
activity.) Now, because of their knowledge of good and evil, they became
humans and felt shy. They covered up their genitals. Both continued to
go
topless.
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him,
Where are you?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I
was naked; and I hid myself.
Conservative
Liberal
Adam and Eve hid from God because they had sinned.
"J" views God as resembling a large, powerful human. He has
legs because he is walking in the garden. He has speech because Adam and Eve
hear him. Adam and Eve hide from God because, for the first time ever, they have
a moral sense and thus realize that they have sinned by disobeying God's
instructions. "J's" God is not omniscient. He does not know where Adam
is.
11 And he said, Who told thee that you were naked? Have you eaten of the
tree, whereof I commanded thee that you should not
eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me
of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that
you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Conservative
Liberal
God accuses them of eating from the forbidden tree. Adam
tries to weasel out of personal responsibility, implying that he only ate
what Eve gave him. Eve tries to weasel out of personal responsibility,
blaming it on the seducing powers of the snake.
In the view of the author "J", God, lacks omniscience. However,
he was eventually able to deduce from the available evidence that Adam and Eve
probably ate of the fruit
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because you have
done this, you are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the
field; upon your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of
thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and you shall bruise his heel.
Conservative
Liberal
God curses Satan for his involvement in the Eve and
Adam's sin. In verse 15, "her seed" refers to Jesus. "According
to the Christian perspective, this verse is required in order to understand
the concept that the impact of Adam’s and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden
would be undone by a Messiah, who is this singular seed of a woman, and who
will bring salvation to both Jews and Gentiles." 5
This is often called the "Protoevangelium" or "First message."
God, expressing ungodly anger, takes revenge on the snake.
This passage is a good indication that the snake is a serpent and not Satan
in disguise. Otherwise it would make no sense for God to have punished all
later generations of snakes. After all, we don't "punish all soldiers
because a robber disguised himself as one for a bank-heist." 6
If this curse was performed by a human, it might be regarded as an act of
sorcery.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy
sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and
thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Conservative
Liberal
Eve is to suffer consequences for her sin: the pain of
childbirth, and -- ironically -- lust for her husband which will bring on
more pregnancies and births. This verse mentions God's intent for married
couples: the man is to rule and the woman is to be submissive.
God also curses Eve. There is an interesting symbolic meaning to the curse of
pain during childbirth. Birth for animals generally are not exceedingly
painful as they are for women. It is only after humanity developed a larger
brain that childbirth became so painful. This may be another reference to
humanity's rise.
The reference to husband ruling wives is one good indication that "J" is
probably male.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because you have hearkened unto
the voice of thy wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded
thee, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in
sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and you shall eat
the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the
ground; for out of it wast you taken: for dust you art, and unto dust shall
you return.
Conservative
Liberal
Adam is to suffer consequences for his sin. The ground is
cursed. Adam will have to struggle to exist. God promises that humans
henceforth are moral and will die, only to return to dust. This is the
longest curse in history, having lasted over 6,000 years to date.
God has clearly lost control, by cursing Adam, Eve, and even
the earth itself. In other times and places, such curses would also be considered
sorcery.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the
mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and
clothed them.
Conservative
Liberal
Here we have God killing animals in order to harvest leather
so that Adam and Eve might be clothed. This is the first instance of death
in history. Death is one of the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin.
Since God had cursed the ground, in addition to Adam and
Eve, then the first couple needed protection from wild animals, inclement
weather, thorns, etc. "J" has God generously making clothes for them,
presumably with his hands.
22 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:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 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.
Conservative
Liberal
"Us" does not refer to multiple Gods as in
polytheism. Rather, it refers to the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
God is concerned that Adam and Eve might eat of the tree of life and achieve
immortality, in spite of God's curse in Verse 19 that made humans mortal. So
he expels them from the Garden of Eden and places a guard so that they
cannot return.
"Us" refers to multiple Gods. The passage was copied
from a Pagan Middle Eastern source whose religions were polytheistic.
The serpent was accurate and truthful throughout this chapter. God's words are essentially identical
to the serpent's prediction in Verse 5. Adam and Eve had developed a moral sense,
previously possessed only by the Gods.
God is jealous of his immortality and does not want to share it with humans.
Not having the foresight to realize what would happen, God finally takes the
precaution of putting a
barrier between the Tree of Life, and Adam and Eve.
