In my last post I mentioned Eve’s temptation by Satan and of Adam’s temptation by Eve in the Garden of Eden. So, I decided to have another read of this story to try and determine if it is based on fact. I thought it would be a simple exercise but the lack of detail regarding the history and substance of the story made it quite difficult to interpret.

I have been unable to discover where the story of Adam and Eve originated, but It is believed it was written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Some think the writer was Moses who was born in 1400 BC. If this is true, then the story of Adam and Eve may have been handed down orally over many generations prior to the development of written language and before Moses was born.

However, the first complete translation of the Bible into the English language by medieval scribes was not completed until the 14^th Century. This means that the English Bible version of the story of Adam and Eve may vary considerably to that of the original or, alternatively, may be a complete fabrication.

The first thing I did to try and understand this story, was imagine what the ‘mind set’ of the people who translated the story may have been.

As indicated above, the story of Adam and Eve was probably translated into the English language by medieval scribes. At the time they translated and recorded the story into English, I have to assume they believed the World was flat. I also have to assume they believed that the Sun rose at one end of the World in the morning, moved across the sky during daylight hours and set on the other end of the World in the evening.

It is also probable they believed God was in His Heaven above the World and Satan was in His Hell under the World.

I have read several versions of the story of Adam and Eve and what follows are my thoughts about this strange Bible story.

It is written that God created the World in six days. On the sixth day God also created the first man from the dust of the Earth and called him Adam. It is written that after God created Adam, He realized Adam would be lonely and in need of a helper and companion. So, God created Eve using one of Adam’s ribs and the dust of the Earth. It does not state if this was on the same day God created Adam.

I do not believe the creation of Eve was a result of a realization or an afterthought by God but part of His plan to populate the World. Indeed, it is written, God instructed Adam and Eve to ‘go forth, be fruitful and multiply.’ So, it is reasonable to state that Eve was created to bear Adam’s children.

But why did God use one of Adam’s ribs to create Eve? Why didn’t God create Eve as an independent being in the same way he created Adam? By using one of Adam’s ribs, Eve became part of Adam and would have exactly the same genetic makeup. This raises the possibility that Eve may have been Adam’s twin?

Could this then be the origin of ‘What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.’ But I am just speculating.   

After God rested, He gave Adam and Eve dominion over the garden of Eden and everything in it to enjoy for all time. This ‘Heaven on Earth’ God created must have been a wonderful place. Then God pointed out one small tree to Adam and Eve and commanded them not to eat the fruit of this tree.

What this indicates, is, when God created Adam and Eve, He gave them the power of speech and language so they could communicate with God and with each other?   

But why would God plant a tree in the garden if he did not want Adam and Eve to eat the fruit? According to the story, this tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil and if Adam and Eve ate the fruit, the knowledge gained would take away their innocence and naivety.

It appears God did not tell Adam and Eve this was why they were not allowed to eat the fruit of the tree but it is believed God planted it (if such a tree ever existed) to test Adam and Eve’s faith, trust and obedience to Him.

What this indicates, is, when God created Adam and Eve, He gave them the power of speech and language so they could communicate with God and with each other?   

But why would God plant a tree in the garden if he did not want Adam and Eve to eat the fruit? According to the story, this tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil and if Adam and Eve ate the fruit, the knowledge gained would take away their innocence and naivety.

It appears God did not tell Adam and Eve this was why they were not allowed to eat the fruit of the tree but it is believed God planted it (if such a tree ever existed) to test Adam and Eve’s faith, trust and obedience to Him.

What surprises me, is the lack of detail in the story in relation to the climate, plant and animal life and fresh water supply of the garden. The story mentions birds and fish generally but all other forms of life are simply referred to as ‘every living thing on the planet.’

Noting that Adam and Eve had no clothing or any implements or tools to change or modify their environment, such as make clothing or build a shelter, I have to assume the garden had a warm, year-round, sub-tropical climate. Therefore, the plant and animal life in the garden would have also been sub-tropical in nature. And, because Adam and Eve had no knowledge of fire, I also assume they lived on a diet of fruits and berries.

The problem with these assumptions is, religious paintings of Adam and Eve portray them as European. Perhaps this is because the artists and models were European? But it is reasonable to state that no one would have any knowledge what Adam and Eve would have actually looked like anyway, so why not portray them as European?

It is written that one day, when Eve was alone near this forbidden tree, along came Satan in the guise of a serpent. Satan spoke to Eve and tempted her to taste the fruit telling her, not only is the fruit delicious, but would also open her eyes to all the knowledge that God has kept secret from her and Adam.  

The reason why Eve was alone is not explained. Nor do we know how Satan, in the form of a great big snake with a forked tongue, was able to communicate with Eve. So, I have to assume Satan communicated with Eve telepathically.

Why did Satan target Eve not Adam? Noting that the story was written such a long time after the creation event, did the author think Eve (being a woman) would be more easily tempted by Satan than Adam? Or did Satan target Eve because he knew Adam would be unable to resist the temptation of Eve?

Whatever the reason, Eve succumbed to the temptation of Satan and became the first human being to sin against God. Eve also became the first woman to tempt a man into sin.

It is also written that once Eve, then Adam ate the fruit, they became aware of their nakedness and felt so ashamed they ‘sewed together some fig leaves to cover their nakedness.’ What this really means is they decided to cover their genitals.

Why, after being naked from the beginning, did they suddenly feel ashamed is not really explained. Nor is it explained how they managed to ‘sew’ or ‘weave’ the leaves together.  

So, what happened? Did the forbidden fruit trigger Adam and Eve’s sexual libidos? Did the fruit give them knowledge of sexual copulation? Did Adam and Eve copulate and feel embarrassed and ashamed afterwards? 

Here we need to remember that God did tell Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. To do this they had to copulate so, what was the problem, why the shame?

Was it the onset of their sexual maturity that made Adam and Eve realize the need for modesty and privacy between them? But, because it was common practice in many early primitive tribes for men and women to cover their genitals when they reached maturity, I don’t see any real significance in Adam and Eve doing the same.

It is written, when God saw Adam and Eve had covered their genitals and tried to hide from Him, He realized they had disobeyed His Command and ate the forbidden fruit. This made God so very angry He banished them from the garden of Eden and took away their eternal life so they would suffer, grow old and die.

I don’t think God would have just banished Adam and Eve from the garden but would have destroyed it as well. By doing this, Adam and Eve were left to fend for themselves and would not be able to sneak back into the garden for food. Perhaps this is the reason why, from that day forward Adam and his male descendants would, sweat and toil for bread. Eve did not get away unpunished either. Eve and all her female descendants were made to suffer the pains of childbirth forever.

I felt the message the story tries to convey is, because of the sins of Eve, all human beings who are born of a woman (is there any other way) are born into sin, have but a short time to live and will suffer until death.  

Harsh punishment indeed.

The punishments God inflicted upon Adam and Eve, would have given Satan the opportunity to completely corrupt them and when they died take their immortal souls into the Fires of Hell. But for some reason, Satan missed His chance to do this.

It is at this point I formed the opinion the story of Adam and Eve may be based on ‘folklore’ rather than fact. This means it is not possible to state the story is a complete work of fiction either.

I also realized the author of the story created a powerful invisible God who represented all things good. The story also created an invisible Satan who represented all things evil.

But the God created is a hard taskmaster. God expects his servants to be completely obedient to His will, be completely sinless and live a life of piety. If they do this, when they die, they will go to their reward of eternal life in Heaven.

But those who disobey God’s commands are severely punished and denied their eternal life in Heaven and sent to the fires of Hell for all eternity.

The story also created Satan with his tempting silver tongue who just wants people to enjoy all the pleasures that life has to offer including the pleasures of the flesh. Even the threat of eternal damnation in the fires of Hell has not prevented people from being tempted into sin by Satan. 

The outcome of this is a Heaven populated with God, Jesus, Angels, a handful of Saints and a few really pious souls. Whereas, Hell must be full to overflowing with people who enjoyed all the pleasures that life had to offer including the pleasures of the flesh. How pleased Satan must be.

Perhaps this is why God is sending Jesus back to Earth to have another try at saving us all from sin and making us all His obedient servants?

The question I ask is this: does the huge increase in UFO activities around the world have something to do with the second coming of Jesus?