The Adam and Eve Hypothesis
The story of Adam and Eve is one of the most enjoyable in the Bible. It is colourful and captures the imagination. It also addresses numerous classical literary themes. But, it also contains some humorous errors. Let’s begin with a quick review of the story.
Genesis chapter one commences the story, but chapter two begins by retelling the creation story. But, this time, it’s different. The order of creation is changed and God appears to be more human-like. In the first
chapter, God is basically a magician – waving his wand, and poof! Things come into existence. In the second chapter, he is more of a handiman. He plants a garden, enjoys walking in it, assembles a human out of spare parts and converses with his creatures. He is also a little bit of a stinker. In addition to planting a garden, he also plants a trap. Clearly, this chapter was written by a different person from a different time period.
The action begins with the creation of Adam. God assigns him the task of naming the animals. Then he realises that he has made an oversight. He has created males and females of all of the animals, but he has forgotten to make a female human.
Now, up to this point, God has miraculously willed the universe into existance. Yet, when it comes to creating one more thing, a female human, he finds it necessary to look for parts. Fortunately, he placed a superfluous rib in Adam. So, he anesthetises the man, removes the spare rib, and builds himself a chick – Eve.
Adam and Eve have a good time, frolicking naked in the garden (innocently, of course). They have no concept of right or wrong. They do not realise they are naked. Apparently, they don’t have sex until much later.
Everything is going just fine, until God sets a trap. God gives them every tree of the garden for food. But, he forbids them to eat the fruit of one of the trees. He says that "in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (Genesis 2:17) Remember these words.
Now, you have to wonder about the mentality of a being that would do something like this. Adam and Eve are young and innocent. God then entices them with a succulent tree that promises to give them knowledge. He forbids them from eating it, under penalty of death. Why would anyone create beautiful and perfect humans only to plant a trap for the purpose of punishing and killing them? This is like placing a bear trap in a playground, and covering it with toys. Anyway, Adam and Eve are so innocent that they don’t even bother with the tree.
What do you make of the story up to this point? If your answer is that it's completely wacky, you wouldn't be far off the mark. You see, I'm having trouble believing this as it is. So, what does the author now do? That’s right, bring on the talking snake. But not just any snake. Not a smart ass snake, for comic relief, or even a straightman snake to be a sounding board for Adam’s philosophy. The Bible says, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, `You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?" –Genesis 3:1.
Not only is this snake "subtle", but apparently, it can talk and even walk, as we shall see later.
Is it my imagination, or is the word "subtle" a rather unusual choice for describing a snake? I didn't grow up on a farm, but I would be hard pressed to characterise any animals as subtle. It’s just not a word that you use for animals. It’s like referring to a cow as "buffoonish".
Notice that the snake tells the truth ("your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil"), whereas God lies ("in the day that you eat of it you shall die.").
So, Eve figures, "What the heck?" and eats the fruit. Surprisingly, the fact that she has just conversed with a snake does not cause her to pause. She focuses on what the snake has said.
I find this a little odd. If I came home from work, and my dog said, "Hey, how’s it going?", I would be far more interested in his speaking ability than his message. Anyway, back to the story.
After eating the fruit, Eve gives some to Adam, and he eats it, too. Then God catches them. He asks Adam if he has eaten the fruit. Adam’s first reaction is normal. He blames his wife. That doesn’t go over well, so then he blames the snake.
What does our grand creator do next? He curses the humans. He tells them that they will die in that very day. True to form, Adam dies 930 years later of natural causes. I think God’s magic wand needs a tune up. As I mentioned earlier, the Bible is understood to be speaking literally, unless it says something stupid, at which point it becomes figurative. The 930 years was one big-ass figurative day; kind of like the creative days. God specifically curses Eve to pain in childbirth, then throws them out of the garden. He then blocks the way with a flaming sword, which wouldn't be invented for centuries. Looks as though God invented the sword; the first weapon. Kind of ironic, don't you think?
As regards the sword, God puts it there for one reason, to protect another sacred tree, the Tree of Life. I've written an article on the implications of the Tree of Life and you read all about it here. I will, at a later date, come back to the point of the Tree of Life and write another article on it, as its involvement with the Christian faith is fundamentally important and should not be overlooked.
God is really in a cursing mood. He even curses the snake: "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life" – Genesis 3:14
This strikes me as a rather unusual curse. First of all, the snake has been cursed above the cattle, you know – the buffoonish ones. Why are cattle cursed? I can picture one of them looking up, mouth full of straw and asking, "Hey, what did we do?" If snakes can talk, why can’t cows? Secondly, if the snake is now cursed to go on his belly, just precisely how did snakes "go" prior to the curse? They don’t have legs. Finally, does
God actually think that snakes "eat dust"?
To me, God’s reaction seems a little over the top. Eating some fruit that is off limits is about on par with a parking ticket. Yet, God sentences Adam and Eve and every human who has ever lived, to the death penalty. God should get a little perspective.
If this story is considered to be a fable, it can be very instructive. There are some interesting correlations in this story. First of all, knowledge is linked to pain and death. This is significant on so many levels. Some persons, like Galileo, have suffered for revealing the truth. It is a testament to the human spirit that people will be willing to suffer and die for knowledge.
Also, this chapter contains the implication that freedom is more valuable than life. Life without freedom is not worth living.
Thirdly, from an evolutionary perspective, knowledge is indeed linked with pain in childbirth. Newborn humans have an exceptionally large head for their body size. It is our mental capacity (knowledge) that sets us apart from the animals and makes human childbirth painful. The Bible writer unwittingly made a link that is very profound.
Finally, the two parallel accounts of creation can give us insight in the intellectual development of early civilisation.
Unfortunately, these observations are lost on those who literally believe the words of the Bible.
