Once the biblical text became fixed, however, the wide latitude given to interpretation compensated. In the early stages of textual development, before the text becomes canonized and ossified, changes in beliefs changed the texts. So where do the apple, the devil, and original sin come from, if they are not in the biblical text? A very long history of interpretation. For the author, evil arose from human imperfection, corruption, and moral bankruptcy (as, for example, in Gen 6:5-7, 11-13). In the biblical author’s world – and that of his (or her) audience for many centuries afterwards – there were no apples, no devil, and no original sin. Over the years it took on a life of its own the original author of this text could not possibly have imagined what would become of it. The tale of Adam, Eve, and the serpent may be a good story to tell your children it explains why snakes don’t have legs, why people wear clothes, why women are to be subordinate to men and have pain in childbirth, and why men have to work hard to bring food out of the earth. Thus, the biblical Eden story story may well have been a purposeful inversion of beliefs in a mother goddess, giver of life and wisdom, in the service of a growing monotheistic impulse toward a male God who creates alone. In the ancient Near East, mother goddesses – some with names linguistically related to “Eve” –were often associated positively with a tree of life, and with serpents as immortal symbols of the earth’s fertility and bounty. At her instigation, and with the guidance of a serpent, the humans trade a life of ignorance (and potentially immortality) as God’s gardeners, for a taste of divine knowledge. She is the protagonist who moves the story – and the subsequent history of humanity – forward. This is a story about a woman disobeying her creator for the purpose of gaining wisdom. Instead, this story is a myth about a man created to tend the garden of a divine being, a woman created to be the man’s companion, and a talking snake who tempts the woman to eat fruit from a magical Tree of Knowledge, declared off-limits by the Being who created it all. The concept of the devil isn’t invented until the first century BCE, 500-700 years after this story was most likely written, and “original sin” is an idea first put forward by Bishop Irenaeus of Gaul in the 2nd century CE. Except… there’s no Satan in this story, apples didn’t grow in the ancient Near East (figs and pomegranates are much more likely candidates for forbidden fruit than apples), and the word “sin” doesn’t occur in the Hebrew Bible until chapter four. When I ask them about this story on the first day of class, my students tell me that it’s the tale of the first man and first woman and original sin Satan tempts them, they eat the apple, and they get kicked out of paradise. Following Adam and Eve through history demonstrates the enduring power of myth, its firm place in human consciousness and community, and its dual function as both social glue and social mirror. As cultures making use of a given myth change, the accompanying myths sometimes change, but often do not-“only” their interpretation changes. Referring to a literary work as “myth” is a way of highlighting how its elements reflect cultural truths. Myth, as many anthropologists have noted, is a vital tool for understanding a culture’s ideals, values, customs, beliefs, concerns, and fears. But literary critics don’t define the genre of “myths” as untruths. Can Myths be Debunked?Īll over the internet, various websites attack “common myths and misconceptions” about everything from the idea that humans have only five senses to the fatality of consuming poinsettia leaves, to debunking the “myth” that marijuana use is detrimental to one’s health. Such timeless relevance of an ancient tale is the primary function of a good myth. Through it all, Adam, Eve, and serpent are used to convey messages about sex, gender, and the origins of evil. New versions of Eden also appear in counter-cultural movements, as Aryan Nations groups retell the myth to justify their own political and social agendas. Feminists wishing to redeem the biblical text for women today re-read and even re-write Eve’s story. Politicians and social activists rally around and against slogans like “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Conservatives invoke readings of Eden in support of a “family values” agenda. Allusions to Adam and Eve appear in the opening sequence of television shows, in perfume ads, pop songs, and in computer company logos.
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