Clarphimous
2005-07-28, 00:49
This is the first draft. I have more information to add in, but I'm tired of thinking right now. So I'll copy and paste the text here and let you guys look at what I have so far. If I make additions, they will be in bold. Omissions will be in {italics within braces}
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The Creation of Mankind
Genesis 2:5 - 2:25
This section of Genesis is much older than the creation tale in Genesis chapter one. It is considered to be part of the J document, written by the Yahwist writer(s). It contains hints of Sumerian/Babylonian themes.
Overview:
The creation of mankind story is mostly independent from the creation of the world story. God first creates man (or mankind) and puts him in the garden of Eden. God then gives the man a warning: he can eat the fruit from any tree of the garden EXCEPT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he eats from it, he will die, or so God says.
Seeing that the man is a lonely fellow, God tries to create a companion for him. First he creates animals, and finding that they just don't do the trick, he puts the man to sleep and creates woman from the man's rib. The man and woman are happy in the garden, and it's like a paradise.
Mankind is created:
It begins with an arid climate without vegetation, in some undefined location. God takes a clump of dust and forms a man from it. He then breathes into the man, giving him life. Breath was thought to be intimately linked to the spirit, as it is a trait that separates the living from the dead.
The phrase in Hebrew for "man" in this part of the story is <i>ha adam</i>. It literally means mankind, although the text treats it as a person. The actual word in Hebrew for a human male is <i>ish</i>. Later in Genesis 3:27 the article <i>ha</i> is removed from the phrase, and Adam becomes a proper name for the man described.
What this all means is that the man represents mankind in the creation story.
The garden:
Having created a man, God then plants a garden in a land called Eden. He then puts the man in the garden to let him work on the garden, much like someone might put ants in an ant farm to observe them work.
The garden is lush and beautiful, a real paradise. In it are two special trees: the tree of life, which grants immorality to those who eat from it; and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which takes the innocence of those who eat from it (hereafter I will shorten it to the "tree of knowledge"). A river flowing from Eden waters the garden.
Eden:
Genesis 2:10-14 describes that upon exiting the garden, the river splits into four different rivers. These are called the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris (Hebrew -- <i>Hiddekel</i> ), and the Euphrates. In his guide to the Bible, Isaac Asimov explains that the Yahwist author used these rivers to identify the location of Eden. The Tigris and Euphrates are two well-known rivers in Mesopotamia, but the locations of the other two are uncertain today, and may not even exist anymore. Asimov suggests that Eden, and therefore the garden, was located in Sumeria. Sumeria is at the end of Mesopotamia near the tip of the Persian Gulf, in modern southeast Iraq.
God's commandment:
Having placed his creation in the garden, God gives the man instructions on what he can and cannot eat. He may eat from any tree of the garden, including the tree of life, but not from the tree of knowledge. God warns the man that if he does happen to eat from the tree of knowledge that he will die on that very day.
The man's companion:
God doesn't think the man should be all alone, so he decides to create a companion for him. First God creates the animals, which he then brings to the man to name. Alas, no partner is found for the man.
And so God decides to become the first surgeon. He first puts the man to sleep (anesthetics). He then removes a bone from the man's side, which is often described as a rib. After closing the man's side back together, God takes the bone and creates a woman from it. When the man wakes, he is very pleased with the woman. He names her woman (Hebrew -- <i>ishshah</i> ), saying that she was taken from man (Hebrew -- <i>Ish</i> ).
The author then explains that this is why a man leaves his father to marry and become "one flesh" with a woman. This verse has been used many times to support anti-homosexual and anti-polygamy stances. However, I believe it probably is refering to the act of copulation, and not some ideal of marriage. After all, even though homosexuality is called an "abomination," polygamy was never something viewed as immoral in the history of the Old Testament.
The condition of mankind:
This section of the Bible concludes by describing the man and his wife as completely nude, and not being ashamed. They are in a state of innocence, free from the worries of sin. But all it takes is a bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and all the worries of reality come crashing in.
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The Creation of Mankind
Genesis 2:5 - 2:25
This section of Genesis is much older than the creation tale in Genesis chapter one. It is considered to be part of the J document, written by the Yahwist writer(s). It contains hints of Sumerian/Babylonian themes.
Overview:
The creation of mankind story is mostly independent from the creation of the world story. God first creates man (or mankind) and puts him in the garden of Eden. God then gives the man a warning: he can eat the fruit from any tree of the garden EXCEPT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he eats from it, he will die, or so God says.
Seeing that the man is a lonely fellow, God tries to create a companion for him. First he creates animals, and finding that they just don't do the trick, he puts the man to sleep and creates woman from the man's rib. The man and woman are happy in the garden, and it's like a paradise.
Mankind is created:
It begins with an arid climate without vegetation, in some undefined location. God takes a clump of dust and forms a man from it. He then breathes into the man, giving him life. Breath was thought to be intimately linked to the spirit, as it is a trait that separates the living from the dead.
The phrase in Hebrew for "man" in this part of the story is <i>ha adam</i>. It literally means mankind, although the text treats it as a person. The actual word in Hebrew for a human male is <i>ish</i>. Later in Genesis 3:27 the article <i>ha</i> is removed from the phrase, and Adam becomes a proper name for the man described.
What this all means is that the man represents mankind in the creation story.
The garden:
Having created a man, God then plants a garden in a land called Eden. He then puts the man in the garden to let him work on the garden, much like someone might put ants in an ant farm to observe them work.
The garden is lush and beautiful, a real paradise. In it are two special trees: the tree of life, which grants immorality to those who eat from it; and the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which takes the innocence of those who eat from it (hereafter I will shorten it to the "tree of knowledge"). A river flowing from Eden waters the garden.
Eden:
Genesis 2:10-14 describes that upon exiting the garden, the river splits into four different rivers. These are called the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris (Hebrew -- <i>Hiddekel</i> ), and the Euphrates. In his guide to the Bible, Isaac Asimov explains that the Yahwist author used these rivers to identify the location of Eden. The Tigris and Euphrates are two well-known rivers in Mesopotamia, but the locations of the other two are uncertain today, and may not even exist anymore. Asimov suggests that Eden, and therefore the garden, was located in Sumeria. Sumeria is at the end of Mesopotamia near the tip of the Persian Gulf, in modern southeast Iraq.
God's commandment:
Having placed his creation in the garden, God gives the man instructions on what he can and cannot eat. He may eat from any tree of the garden, including the tree of life, but not from the tree of knowledge. God warns the man that if he does happen to eat from the tree of knowledge that he will die on that very day.
The man's companion:
God doesn't think the man should be all alone, so he decides to create a companion for him. First God creates the animals, which he then brings to the man to name. Alas, no partner is found for the man.
And so God decides to become the first surgeon. He first puts the man to sleep (anesthetics). He then removes a bone from the man's side, which is often described as a rib. After closing the man's side back together, God takes the bone and creates a woman from it. When the man wakes, he is very pleased with the woman. He names her woman (Hebrew -- <i>ishshah</i> ), saying that she was taken from man (Hebrew -- <i>Ish</i> ).
The author then explains that this is why a man leaves his father to marry and become "one flesh" with a woman. This verse has been used many times to support anti-homosexual and anti-polygamy stances. However, I believe it probably is refering to the act of copulation, and not some ideal of marriage. After all, even though homosexuality is called an "abomination," polygamy was never something viewed as immoral in the history of the Old Testament.
The condition of mankind:
This section of the Bible concludes by describing the man and his wife as completely nude, and not being ashamed. They are in a state of innocence, free from the worries of sin. But all it takes is a bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and all the worries of reality come crashing in.