In which an alternative view is offered regarding the exit of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the action of women and the relationship of men and women are explored and the story of Cain and Abel is reinterpreted in light of the actions taken during the Garden of Eden Story.

In order to fully appreciate this discussion, it is recommended that the posts comprising the series “In God’s Image” and “Imagination and the Mind of Man” be read before reading the posts in this series.

Another Interpretation of the Garden of Eden Story

Review of the previous post.

The previous post, post number 15 of 19, discussed the interaction between imagination and other human skills.

Preview of this post.

This post, post number 16 of 19, discusses the role of women in the Garden of Eden story.

1. Women

Yet a further thought engendered by the Garden of Eden Story is it shows how God views women. In the Garden of Eden Story, the woman has the central role and is the force that moves the story along. She is the one who is engaged by the serpent and is the one who signals the readiness of humans to leave the protection of the Garden. Adam merely follows her lead. It is woman who is central to this story.

By having Adam first consult with Eve regarding the initial eating of the fruit and then having Adam accompany Eve out of the Garden, the story demonstrates that Adam and Eve had consulted with each other and had agreed upon a course of action. There is reason to believe that this consultation and co-operation was what God wanted for humans and there is every reason to believe that this consultation and co-operation continued throughout the Bible. By viewing the action of leaving the Garden as a jointly-agreed upon act, the role of women in the Bible is changed from one of an obedient seedbed to a partner in the relationship. As will be clearly shown in many of the posts in this collection, a view which has men and women talking to each other and consulting with each other and listening to each other changes many of the stories and the way we understand them, as well as the way we understand the actors in the stories. The story of the Garden of Eden is the first in a long line of Bible stories in which men and women consulted with each other and then acted according to an agreed-upon plan.

The Garden of Eden Story thus changes the views held by those at the time that women were less than men and were there only to bear children and keep the homes.

With specific regard to Eve, attention is directed to the series “Eve” in the category “Women.” In that series, it is speculated that Eve was totally free of blame in this episode and she has been unfairly villainized throughout history. Eve was not even created when God gave Adam the basic prohibition against eating the forbidden fruit. Thus, any instructions she received were second hand at best from Adam. This raises several questions. How well did Adam understand the instructions? How well did Adam convey the instructions? How well did Eve understand the instructions? This leaves out the extremely important point of why would these proto-humans even believe that this entity that called Himself God was actually “God” and why should they follow His orders? They had no basis for this, it was not until Abraham that this God actually revealed Himself. Certainly, it seems that the punishment (if it was punishment) did not fit the transgression any more than banishment would fit the transgression of a pet jumping onto the furniture.

Preview of the next post.

The next post, post number 17 of 19, speculates why God did not interrogate Adam and Eve. Garden of Eden story.