Samhain

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to put this, but here is probably just as good as anywhere else.

While discussing Frost's poem Wild Grapes in my English course, we launched a discussion regarding Adam & Eve. While my professor also holds that the book is mere fiction, she also believes that the story of Adam & Eve was one of the greatest love stories ever written. She believes this because of the choice that Adam made while eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Basically she states that a knowing Adam chose his woman over his god. I disagree.

When one reviews a work of literature, one must understand that an author would not add anything which was not meant to be in the text, and, on the same token, would not leave anything out of that text unless the author felt it necessary to leave it open for interpretation or sheer ambiguity. I stated my opinion from a critical perspective. My view holds one thing overall: Adam did not "love" Eve over God.

The Bible mentions nothing of "love" between Adam and Eve, and further, I hold that it does not even imply any type of love between them at this point. God's intentions seemed more to create a "suitable helper" rather than a companion.

Throughout the whole incident in the garden, only Eve and the serpent seemed to be present at the time. There is no previous indications that would lead one to believe that Adam was in their presence at the time of the conversation until Adam ate of the fruit as well. From what I can deduce, it seems that Adam is intentionally left out of the situation, and it is not to be thought that he is present at the time of the conversation.

Now, as we see, Adam seems to be with her, but he is not included in the narrative until this point. One of my questions is this: From what we can read within the narrative, is it not entirely possible, and perhaps more likely that Adam was not with Eve at the time of the deception, but rather, that Eve gave the apple to Adam and he knew not of what he was eating at the time?

Further...

As we can see from Adam's statement, the tone suggests that he was in some way decieved by Eve, as he seems to be placing blame upon Eve. Does Adam's accusation show "love" in any form? Also, Eve does not deny these accusations, but in turn points the blame onto the serpent.

Now, I doubt I would be posting this if I had not been completely shot-down by my professor and other students taking the course immediately after stating my disagreement with her assumptions. My view holds that Adam did not necessarily know what the fruit was when he ate it, but that Adam ate the fruit and was genuinely surprised when he realized what the fruit was. I believe this view makes more sense considering the blatant anti-woman view throughout the whole book, generally regarding women as deceptive beings. I believe that the text was left ambiguous for that purpose, and that, the text, being ambiguous, can be rationally interpreted this way. I also, above all, hold that the account of the fall of Adam and Eve was hardly a love story, considering Adam's later remarks. My professor holds that the text is not ambiguous but that it clearly points to the idea that Adam ate the fruit knowingly, and thus, betrayed his god for his love for Eve.

Am I at least partially correct in assuming that the text was left ambiguous and thus, is open for personal interpretation? I do very much believe that my view seems the more rational one, with all things considered regarding the text immediately following and also regarding the rest of the Bible. Your thoughts/comments are appreciated, as always.

[ April 21, 2002: Message edited by: Samhain ]</p>

Jayhawker Soule

And then there's <a href="http://www.gnosis.org/genesis.html" target="_blank">Option #3</a>:
[ April 21, 2002: Message edited by: ReasonableDoubt ]</p>

Amos

No love story at all Samheim but Gen.3 is the third story of creation where "like god" was created to become our ego identity.

Notice that in Gen.1 God created the essence of existence when God spoke ("God said" is always the preamble of Gen.1). In Gen.2 "Lord God formed" all what God created in Gen.1 (Lord God is the son or second cause of creation). Notice here that Man was created as male and female in the image of God to make Man androgyne but with the potential to become either male or female. Notice also that "woman" was not created in Gen.1 to leave Man as androgyne and without a suitable partner for procreation -- or woman would not have been needed nor wanted. To make procreation possible Lord God just "took and formed" woman from man to become "flesh of flesh and bone of bones" after the image of Man and thus woman was the blueprint for the image of Man. Woman was the "womb of man" wherein the idea of God was to be conceived for the purpose of procreation. Gen. 1 and 2 clearly outline that "essense precedes existence."

In Gen.3 we have "man and woman" as equal identities within one mind that were naked to wit and therefore felt no shame (Gen.2:25). This means that there was no ego consciousness as of yet which is the only awarenes wherein we can be ashamed (hypnotism bypasses ego awareness). To gain beauty, wisdom and food in the future a conscious mind was needed and the idea of "like god" (smal g, big ego) would be the tool needed for woman to modify the bleuprint of Man and so make adaptation possible for Man to cope and survive in a compettitive world.

Woman was the Tree of Life (subconscious mind of Man) and the Tree of Knowledge was, and still is, needed to maintain Man in the image of God and in this way keep Man abreast of current affairs (supply lumin to the soul or TOK) so that Man in the image of God can radiate with wisdom and illumiation from omniscience.

So in Gen.3 the conscious mind wherein we try to be "like god" was addresses and Adam was created to rule with authority over this identity and the serpent became his wife (sic), because she was the most cunning of all and would surely be able to lead him where she wanted hime to go. The reason why Eve is the most cunning is because she is in contact with the woman of the TOL who communicates to Eve the needs of Man (still in the image of God): "she[woman] will strike at your head and you [Eve] will stike at his [Adam's] heel" to get food, power and wealth." These are the lesser gods needed for survival.

Adam was not created until Gen.3 and is the first time that the word Adam should appear in the bible. Adam was never formed the have a corporeal body and was only needed to become co-creator with God for the purpose of adaptation during the involutionay period of life (pre-menopauze or jin). To accomplish this Adam and Eve were banned from Eden (the TOL) so they would become independant and responsible to take care of Man in the image of God (the corporeal body of God). Since Adam was left to take charge of this body he became co-creator with Man who himself was (and still is) also in direct communion with woman of the TOL.

The shame and figleave parable indicate that an ego consciousness was created and the "no-shame" of Gen.2 juxtaposed with the "shame" metaphor of Gen.3 make it obvious that this ego consciousness is the only reason why paradise was lost. To regain paradise on earth the reverse must take place wherein the ego identity is placed subservient to the God identity of Man (evolutionare yang period, or heaven on earth).