Freethought & Rationalism Archive

INRI · 08-25-2005, 12:25 AM

My gf and I were talking about the garden of eden, and the apple came up... This got me thinking and I did some looking into it. There is no refrence to an apple tree in the bible. Bu typing into google apple bible gave me a link to anwsering genesis.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/crea...0/i1/apple.asp

It says that the latin word for apple and evil is the same and it is malum. So I began to dig a tad more... in conclusion, after many mistakes, as it's 1.30 am, my brain kept reading malum as malus and malus as malum all over the place, I have found:

Malus = Apple
Malum = Evil

So, did I make a mistake in my reaserch, or is answering genesis on crack?

Toto · 08-25-2005, 12:47 AM

In Latin, the ending of an adjective will change with its gender and its part of speech; malum is neuter, malus masculine, mala feminine. The root of both evil and apple is mal*

There is an online grammar lesson that explains everything: here:

Quote:

Whereas malus, -a, -um, with a short a, means "bad", malum, -i, with a long a and neuter, is "apple". . . . . An adjective can be used as a noun, and here the neuter malum, -i means evil itself. Evils, of course, are mala. Incidentally, trees, such as fagus, -i (beech), malus, -i (apple), pirus, -i (pear), pinus, -i (pine), though second declension and ending in -us, are all feminine, while their fruits, ending in -um, are all neuter. Neuter, neutra, neutrum simply means "neither" (masculine nor feminine, that is).

Wikipedia seems to agree with AiG - Apple

Quote:

Although the "forbidden fruit" in the book of Genesis is not identified, popular European Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve incited Adam to share with her. This tradition was probably solidified by artistic renderings of the fall from Eden featuring an apple as the most readily available fruit to artists. The influence of the antiquity was still strong, and the pagan symbology was absorbed into the new religion. The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit sticking in the throat of Adam.

. . .

Another reason for the adoption of the apple as Christian symbol is that in Latin, the words for "apple" and for "evil" are identical (malum). It is often used to symbolize the fall into sin, or sin itself. When Christ is portrayed holding an apple, he represents the Second Adam who brings life. When held in Adam's hand, the apple symbolizes sin. This also reflects the evolution of the symbol in religion. In the Old Testament the apple was significant of the fall of man; in the New Testament it is an emblem of the redemption from that fall, and as such is also represented in pictures of the Madonna and Infant Jesus.

Thomas II · 08-25-2005, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toto

In Latin, the ending of an adjective will change with its gender and its part of speech; malum is neuter, malus masculine, mala feminine. The root of both evil and apple is mal*

There is an online grammar lesson that explains everything: here:

Wikipedia seems to agree with AiG - Apple

If we cut an apple in half top to bottom it looks like female genitalia...
I'm just saying...Maybe there is symbolism there...

08-25-2005, 12:25 AM	#1
INRI Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 27	The Apple... My gf and I were talking about the garden of eden, and the apple came up... This got me thinking and I did some looking into it. There is no refrence to an apple tree in the bible. Bu typing into google apple bible gave me a link to anwsering genesis. http://www.answersingenesis.org/crea...0/i1/apple.asp It says that the latin word for apple and evil is the same and it is malum. So I began to dig a tad more... in conclusion, after many mistakes, as it's 1.30 am, my brain kept reading malum as malus and malus as malum all over the place, I have found: Malus = Apple Malum = Evil So, did I make a mistake in my reaserch, or is answering genesis on crack?

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