Jan 16th

Genesis 2-3

The account emphasizes knowledge because this is what incentivizes Adam and Eve to ultimately stray from God’s commands. God is an all-knowing being, and the serpent tells Eve that eating from the tree will make them more God-like, and thus more knowledgeable. Some theories, according to Legaspi, argue that eating from the tree of good and evil caused a sexual awakening of Adam and Eve, and an awareness of the nakedness of their bodies. Another suggestion is that the eating of the tree gives Adam and Eve the knowledge of knowing right from wrong and the ability to make their own decisions. The fact that Adam and Eve are eating from the tree rather than touching the fruit implies that they are taking from God rather than God giving it to them. To eat is to take, essentially. Furthermore, eating implies that Adam and Eve are dependent on God and his creation for nourishment. The eating from the tree makes Adam and Eve more Godlike in a way, as they are exercising their own free will in choosing to disobey him. This is a display of their own power, which makes them similar to God as God is an all-powerful being. It might be merciful that God banishes them from the garden because it can be dangerous to have a God-like knowing of good and evil. By banishing them to mortal lives, they would not be subject to immortality from the Tree of Life whilst having to live in a world of evil for the rest of eternity,