Genesis 2 - Garden

| Index

Eden Project

Science can only ascertain what is,
but not what should be,
and outside of its domain value
judgements of all kinds remain necessary.
Albert Einstein

[Discuss: The epigraph.]

Introduction

Our understanding of the evolution of the Earth helps to explain an interesting detail in the narrative:

[6] and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground. (Genesis 2:6 YLT)

[Analysis: Genesis 2:6 YLT.]

The Text

The text can be sliced and diced into several sections.

Continuation of Chapter 1

1 The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2 On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done. (Genesis 2:1-3 (Tanakh))

Background

4 Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made earth and heaven—5 when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, 6 but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth—7 the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:4-7 (Tanakh))

Adam transferred to Eden

8 The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed. 9 And from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.
10 A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. ( 12 The gold of that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli.) 13 The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (Genesis 2:8-14 (Tanakh))

Adam tasked with care of Eden

15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; 17 but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.”
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him.” 19 And the LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; (Genesis 2:15-20a (Tanakh))

Creation of Eve

but for Adam no fitting helper was found. 21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. 22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called Woman,
For from man was she taken.” (Genesis 2:20b-23 (Tanakh))

Marriage defined

24 Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.25 The two of them were naked, the man and
1 his wife, yet they felt no shame." (Genesis 2:24 - 3:1a (Tanakh))

Genetic Mutation and Evolution

The Context

The Lord God sets the scene for the Garden of Eden:

1 The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2 On the seventh day God finished the work that He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that He had done. 4 Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made earth and heaven—5 when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, 6 but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth—7 the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:1-7 (Tanakh))

The text informs us of the Lord's creation of the universe and our own Earth. 'Man', in the context of verse 7, can only be a reference to the forerunners of mankind; they were the common ancestral pool from which Adam and Eve were taken and placed in the Garden Annex, where they were created in God's likeness.

[Essay: Word-plays as a means of obfuscating Scripture.]

Word-play

Of particular interest is the narrative's word-play on the word 'man', which is translated in many different ways:

However, the narrative suggests an extra meaning to the denotation of 'man':

22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called Woman,
For from man was she taken.” (Genesis 2:22-23 (Tanakh))

If we take 'man' to mean those beings living outside the Garden Annex, and who resembled God in appearance^†, then the Scriptural narrative starts to make complete sense. With both Adam and Eve taken from the common ancestral pool, there are neither evolutionary nor genetic anomalies.

[^† What today we would choose to call the 'common ancestral pool' - a term which would have been meaningless to Adam and Eve.]

This is in agreement with the overview of creation:

7 the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 (Tanakh))

Political correctness will conceal that word-play and will introduce error.

[Analysis: The impact of political correctness on the truth of Scripture.]

Widespread ignorance has undoubtedly led to mistranslation and confusion which, in turn, has led to ridicule of the Bible. So much so that the Bible must be replaced by Scriptures rewritten by professionals trained in the Covenant. Jesus - Great High Priest in the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek - poured oil of vitriol on the teachers of His day; and here He defines the required standard for teachers:

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 "Have you understood all this?"
They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven^† is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old^‡." (Matthew 13:44-52 NRSV)

[^‡ 'Old treasures' maps to the Mosaic Contract as it was understood by Moses together with all amendments up until the birth of Jesus. 'New treasures' maps to the [new and radical] Messianic Amendments brought by Jesus' life and sacrifice. The Mosaic Contract is not a static entity; it is dynamic, and subject to amendment. The Lord did not annul the Mosaic Contract - He updated it!]

^† Training (Mat. 13:52):

Henceforth, only those who have been trained in the Messianically amended Covenant^‡ are permitted to hold office within the Church. Certainly, if David's fallen Tent is to be rebuilt, then there is an urgent need to cashier the existing shepherds and translators with extreme prejudice, and to replace them with professionals trained in the Messianically amended Covenant.

^‡ Messianic Covenant == Mosaic Contract + updates until Bethlehem + Messianic Amendments

Creation of mankind

And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth." (Genesis 1:26 (Tanakh))

First, by means of evolution, God creates mortal beings in His image in a common ancestral pool outside the Garden Annex to the Heavenly Realm.

Second, God takes Adam and Eve from the common ancestral pool, places them in the Garden Annex, and creates them in His likeness:

And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth." (Genesis 1:27-28 (Tanakh))

Then, having made Adam and Eve in His likeness, God calls them 'man[kind]':

This is the record of Adam's line.--When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; 2 male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man.-- (Genesis 5:1-2 (Tanakh))

The denotation of Man[kind] is the fundamental unit of society, namely 'HusbandWife'.

In God's Image...

When the LORD God made earth and heaven--5 when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, 6 but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the earth--7 the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:4b-7 (Tanakh))

Evolution is undoubtedly to be inferred from this passage, for man could not have become a living being in the absence of food and rain (v. 5)! Time must necessarily have passed between the starting point - the dust of the Earth - and man's appearance on Earth as a living being. An understanding of evolution helps to make sense of the narrative.

When Adam was taken from the common ancestral pool, he already resembled God appearance-wise. This can be inferred from Gen. 2:15, where we read:

The LORD God took the man [from outside the Garden Annex] and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. (Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh))

Since male and female are complementary in the Animal Kingdom^†, resemblance to God appearance-wise applied to both the male and female precursors of what would become 'mankind'.

[^† 8 Of the clean animals, of the animals that are not clean, of the birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, 9 two of each, male and female, came to Noah into the ark, as God had commanded Noah. (Genesis 7:8-9 (Tanakh))]

In God's likeness...

The Lord God runs His intention by His Son:

And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth." (Genesis 1:26 (Tanakh))

So, God created Adam and Eve in His image, and then brought them into the Garden Annex. It was here that He created mankind in His likeness:

God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth." (Genesis 1:28 (Tanakh))

But notice the change in context on entering the Garden! Adam and Eve were placed in an environment which was an annex to the Heavenly Realm. Here, grew the Tree of Life; and in its grounds dwelt the Lord. Being created in God's likeness, Adam and Eve were now subject to the Lord's House Rules, of which they knew nothing, where one wrong move would condemn them to banishment from His presence (i.e., spiritual death). How could Adam and Eve avoid falling into sin and error?

The Eden Covenant was designed to guide the individual. If obeyed to the letter, then it would preserve the individual's life and keep them from falling into sin and error.

Because the Eden-Contract was simple compared to the Mosaic Contract, it didn’t take the Lord God long to bring them up to speed. They reached the Age of Discretion very quickly, whereupon they committed to obedience to God's demands.

Human evolution - in the absence of God - reduces mankind to the level of animals, without any kind of morality save that imposed by the strongest. It is the Lord God's face-to-face dialogue with Adam and Eve in the Garden and the commission He gives them which raises mankind above this level. After blessing them, the Lord God tells them that they are to 'fill the earth and master it'; He then goes on to grant them dominion over the whole of the animal kingdom (Gen. 1:28 T). This honour carries with it great responsibility, for the Lord God places the care of His world into their hands. What is more, their law is no longer that of the jungle, with power residing with the strongest individual or faction; instead they are given a morality centred on obedience to the Lord God (later summarized by Jesus: Mat. 22: 36-40).

The Lord God intended the Garden of Eden to become a base of operations for Adam and Eve, together with their descendants. When the Lord God said, 'fill the Earth,'' He meant the whole of the Globe, not just the Garden. The Lord God had set the Garden up as a base from which they could have sallied forth into the outside world.

Some translations use 'subdue' whilst others use 'master' when referring to the Earth. The Lord God wanted them to subdue the Earth, meaning bring the land under cultivation. And in mastering the Earth, they were to gain control over it through the acquisition of knowledge - science, if you like. Their mastery of the Earth would have helped them manage it correctly.

The Lord God's intention was to extend the Garden of Eden outwards ... eventually turning the whole world into a paradise. In the same way that the Lord God was excited to see what Adam would make of the animals He'd created (Genesis 2:19-20a (Tanakh)), He was even more interested in seeing just how mankind, with the autonomy given them, would turn the whole of the Earth into a paradise.

The Tree of Knowledge, not being seed bearing, would undoubtedly have died off in the fullness of time. The demise of the Tree of Knowledge would not have ended the danger to mankind!

As the garden extended outward and the population grew, it would have been possible to plant and grow the seeds of the Tree of Life, continuing to make it available to all on a global scale. Developments in technology and science would have helped raise paradise to something even more exotic!

God's blessing and commission confer on Adam and Eve a likeness to God which is missing from all the other animals which God created. Nevertheless, the Lord God may still give an animal a Spiritual Dimension, whether for good or evil - though, by default, the status is null (i.e., unspecified).

A question of sexuality

The Lord Jesus was begotten of the Lord God in the Heavenly Realm before ever the Lord God thought to make mankind in His likeness.

Since there isn't a 'Mrs God', the Lord God would have had to use an alternative method of reproduction. Today, we know that reproduction can take many forms, sexual and asexual. The cloning of Dolly the sheep, offers excellent insight into how this may have taken place in the Heavenly Realm.^†

[^† Cloning is not to be confused with virgin birth.]

Roslin Institute - Dolly.

However, cloning, or other asexual process, would not be available as a method of reproduction in mankind.

Adam, on his own in the Garden Annex, although similar to God, was not a true likeness of Himself since Adam was unable to reproduce. The same could be said for Eve, as she busied herself making ends meet in the common ancestral pool outside the Garden.

But when the Lord brought Eve into the Garden and declared Adam and Eve to be the single entity 'HusbandWife' at the same time referring to HusbandWife as 'Mankind', then HusbandWife became a true likeness to the Lord, needing only their commission, education up to the Age of Discretion, and signature to the Eden Covenant. Mankind's likeness to God was now complete!

The garden in Eden

8 The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed. 9 And from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad. (Genesis 2:8-9 (Tanakh))

The significance of the Tree of Life is found in the Book of Revelation:

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; (Revelation 22:1-3 NRSV)

So, the presence of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden confirms that Eden is an annex to the Heavenly Realm.

The significance of the Tree of Life in the Garden doesn't end there, for the Book of Ezekiel speaks of trees growing on the banks of a river:

1 He led me back to the entrance of the Temple, and I found that water was issuing from below the platform of the Temple—eastward, since the Temple faced east—but the water was running out at the south of the altar, under the south wall of the Temple. 2 Then he led me out by way of the northern gate and led me around to the outside of the outer gate that faces in the direction of the east; and I found that water was gushing from under the south wall. 3 As the man went on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water; the water was ankle deep. 4 Then he measured off another thousand and led me across the water; the water was knee deep. He measured off a further thousand and led me across the water; the water was up to the waist. 5 When he measured yet another thousand, it was a stream I could not cross; for the water had swollen into a stream that could not be crossed except by swimming. 6 “Do you see, O mortal?" he said to me; and he led me back to the bank of the stream.
7 As I came back, I saw trees in great profusion on both banks of the stream. 8 “This water," he told me, “runs out to the eastern region, and flows into the Arabah; and when it comes into the sea, into the sea of foul waters, the water will become wholesome. 9 Every living creature that swarms will be able to live wherever this stream goes; the fish will be very abundant once these waters have reached there. It will be wholesome, and everything will live wherever this stream goes. 10 Fishermen shall stand beside it all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it shall be a place for drying nets; and the fish will be of various kinds and most plentiful, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes shall not become wholesome; they will serve to supply salt. 12 All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail; they will yield new fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the Temple. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” (Ezekiel 47:1-12 (Tanakh))

This passage from Ezekiel speaks, at the Spiritual Level, to us today about what will come to pass when priests in the Order of Melchizedek appear and David's fallen Tent is rebuilt.

[Analysis: Ezekiel 47:1-12 (Tanakh)]

Because the Garden has been annexed to the Heavenly Realm, all the rules and regulations which apply in the Heavenly Realm also apply here in the Garden. The Tree of Knowledge, since it was unable to reproduce, would have eventually died off.

Removal of the Tree of Knowledge would have provided only a short-term solution, since life in God's presence is fraught with danger - hence the need for obedience to the Primary Contract.

Location of Garden?

A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. (12 The gold of that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli.) 13 The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that winds through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (Genesis 2:10-14 (Tanakh))

Where was the Garden of Eden? Despite much speculation, no one knows! The narrative doesn't give a lot of help; and natural features can and do change dramatically across the millennia. The search for the location takes on the aspect of the proverbial hunt for the needle in the haystack. The narrative would suggest a location somewhere in the vicinity of the Tigris-Euphrates river system. However, care is required for there could have been considerable changes in the landscape over time.

My thoughts about the topography of the garden are based on the security issues following the expulsion of Adam and Eve. After their expulsion, security would have been of paramount importance for as long as the Tree of Life remained in existence. Remember that a guard detail, armed to the teeth, was placed across the exposed eastern entrance to the garden:

He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24 (Tanakh))

There was, then, but a single entrance to the Garden. So the Lord God must have had absolute confidence in the security of the remainder of the perimeter - a perimeter extending a considerable distance, for this was no small spinney. I doubt whether the garden were walled, as this would not offer adequate security. It would have been relatively easy to build a ramp with whatever materials were to hand - something well within the capabilities of the ancestral stock from which Adam and Eve were taken. And, after the fall, Adam would have tried hard to return there - hence the heavily armed guard.

On the thisfabtrek web site I happened to notice a picture of the Euphrates which had a sheer cliff on one side:

Fig.2: Euphrates Valley.
(Attribution, non-commercial: https://www.thisfabtrek.com/journey/asia/syria/20091117-deir-az-zor/syria-euphrates-valley-4.jpg)

If the Garden had a single entrance on the Eastern side, and were enclosed by a natural barrier - sheer cliffs, which would have proved un-climbable in those times - then the security of the site could be ensured. The Lord had to clothe Adam and Eve Himself, because they couldn't. So the likelihood of their scaling cliffs on the scale shown in Fig-2, was 'remote' to say the least.

A river running directly into and through the Garden would undoubtedly compromise security. Security could be breached by swimming or by floating down while holding onto a log.

The single point of entry to the Garden suggests that the river ran past the entrance, but at the same time providing an offshoot to supply the Garden with water.

Were this the case, then an irrigation system would have been vital, especially as the garden started to mature, and water consumption rose. The emphasis on cultivation would suggest that a location making use of an irrigation system would have been preferable to a location on a flood plain. Historically, irrigation has played an important part in the life of the region.

So what became of the garden?

After Adam and Eve had been expelled from the garden, it was left unattended. Remember that 'the LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it' (Gen. 2:15 T). So, without this regular upkeep, it is reasonable to expect the garden to return to its original state.

Wikipedia gives the Tigris-Euphrates river-system climate as 'subtropical, hot and arid'. Down through the ages, irrigation has been of the greatest importance in that region. Today, water rights are still a hot topic of contention.

The initial demand for water may have been on the low side. Gen. 2:8-9 T suggests that God planted the garden, and then brought Adam into it soon after, before the trees had grown to maturity. Adam would have been well placed to extend any existing water supply by setting up irrigation channels as the garden developed and matured, and as the demand for water increased.

Because the Tree of Knowledge wasn't seed bearing, it was unable to reproduce, and so would have died off eventually.

In Scripture, the Tree of Life is generally associated with water; any disruption to the water supply would therefore have killed it off. Irrigation channels, then as now, require regular maintenance to keep them in proper working order; without regular maintenance, these channels would have become overgrown and also blocked with leaves, dead branches, and earth where banks had collapsed. Another possibility is that the course of the river changed over time, so that the Garden was denied water completely. Alternatively, the river could have dried up altogether, leaving just the Euphrates and Tigris that exist today.

The Tree of Life was seed-bearing and thus able to reproduce and re-seed itself. Had the tree fruited already, or had it not yet matured? I suspect the latter, simply because the Serpent would have used it to seal the fate of Adam and Eve once they'd eaten of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.

The choice of a hot, arid region for the garden would have been a security measure, a fail-safe if sin were to enter the world. Because of the climate, the survival of the Tree of Life could be controlled through the water supply - something not easily accomplished in a region with a high annual rainfall!

With the disappearance of the Tree of Life, there would then be no further need of the services of the cherubim, with the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the entrance (Gen. 3:24 T), thus allowing them to be relieved of duty.

Eventually, the garden would have returned to the wild and been indistinguishable from the surrounding countryside.

[Disclaimer: this is personal speculation! However, in my defence, it would be satisfying if research could lead to evidence which would actually support the narrative.]

Adam's incompleteness

18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him.” 19 And the LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but for Adam no fitting helper was found. (Genesis 2:18-20 (Tanakh))

These feelings of loneliness and emptiness had once haunted the Lord's own thoughts (cf, Home alone), so it was easy to pick up on Adam's feeling of emptiness.

Was Adam remembering how life had been before entering Eden? Had there been some female he'd found particularly attractive and whose company he missed?

As Adam perhaps hankered after past memories, the Lord God wondered if any of these past memories would really satisfy and complete Adam. So the Lord puts Adam to the question.

The Lord doesn't vocalise the question. Instead, He parades His creation, the Animal Kingdom, before Adam. The Lord uses cutting-edge psychology to discover Adam's true feelings and choices!

The text perhaps suggests that it was the Lord's decision as to the unsuitability of the candidates. However, I think that the lack of precision in Scripture was designed to force the reader to make such an assumption (see: Decoupling tech).

The force of the narrative suggests that although the Lord knew the outcome of His unvoiced question, He wanted to get at the truth of Adam's feelings - for His own sake, but more especially for Adam's sake. It was important that Adam cut through any self-deception, and get to the truth of his feelings and his situation.

Survival in the Garden Annex

The terms:

Adam and Eve's acceptance of and commitment to the terms is not stated explicitly. It is nevertheless implied and just as legally binding (Martin and Turner).

Creation of Eve

Adam names the animals and implements a simple classification system:

19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. (Genesis 2:19-20 (ESV))

Naming of animals: each species is a complementary pair comprising a male and a female (cf. entry into Noah's ark (Genesis 6:20 (Tanakh)). Adam, from his life outside the Annex, would have recognised and understood this.

The progenitors of mankind evolved on Earth outside the Garden of Eden ... until there was a common ancestral pool comprising male and female beings who resembled God in appearance. Adam would have been aware of this, even as he was aware that he'd been taken from that common ancestral pool to be placed in the Garden.

The narrative continues:

21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. 22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:21-22 (Tanakh))

The inductive allegory would have made sense back in the mists of time. Today, however, the poetic inductive-allegory can be seen for what it is.

Did the Lord God really carry out major surgery without an anaesthetic while Adam was asleep? And did Adam awaken without any feelings of discomfort? Those who have had major surgery know, first-hand, how uncomfortable and debilitating it is! Did the Lord God then - with true Harry Potter flair - wave his magic wand and create Eve?!

And why would the Lord God go to such lengths when He could simply, as He'd done with Adam, bring a female from the common ancestral pool into the Garden whilst Adam was asleep?

Having been brought into the Garden from the outside, Adam was well aware of the females living outside the Garden.

I suspect that many - like myself - have endured the derision of A-Level biology classes in regard to the Biblical account of the creation of Eve. The theory of evolution has made the narrative look like bad fiction!

21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. 22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called Woman,
For from man was she taken.”
24 Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh. (Genesis 2:21-24 (Tanakh))

So it is important to look beyond the appearance. What is the real point the Lord God is making with this account of the creation of Eve? Perhaps the clue lies with the deductive conclusion (Gen.2:24 T) drawn by the Lord?

If the Lord God is drawing an inductive conclusion, then the absence of a modal qualifier is an error. But we know that the Lord God always speaks the truth (Prime Axioms): in which case, the Lord is necessarily speaking deductively. Hmmm ... what is going on here?! Has the Lord broken His laws concerning logic?! Or is there more going on than meets the eye?

It is important to remember the importance of the setting, which is the Annex to the Heavenly Realm. The context maps the narrative to His intentions at the Spiritual Level in the Heavenly Realm!

What are those intentions?! What might have influenced God's choice of words?

The Lord God intentionally makes use of inductive allegory in order to allow all civilisations to understand His message without, in any way, being misled or lied to. The Lord allows people to make assumptions as to His meaning, refining their inductive conclusions as more information becomes available.

Scripture reveals that Father and Son often deliberately obfuscate their message in order to hide the truth from those who have rejected them:

3 Further, speak in an allegory to the rebellious breed and say to them: Thus said the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 24:2-3 (Tanakh))

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 O mortal, propound a riddle and relate an allegory to the House of Israel. (Ezekiel 17:1-2 (Tanakh))

10 Then the disciples came and asked him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.'” (Matthew 13:10-13 NRSV)

There is no reason to suppose that the story of creation will be any different to the rest of Scripture in this respect.

The Lord God doesn't deliberately set out to mislead people; neither does He lie. So how can He explain the creation of Eve without misleading anyone? Furthermore, He needs to apply obfuscation to a varying degree: He must treat emerging civilisations gently; whereas those advanced civilisations, in the arrogance of their knowledge, might warrant more severe handling.

Perhaps the main problem He is up against is the wide variation in the audience. He must address civilisations of all levels of knowledge, from the primitive to the very advanced. But the Lord God also knows that science will eventually take off. How can He speak to all these people equally. He must avoid confusing those with limited knowledge; yet at the same time He must avoid talking down to those with a better grasp of science and technology. He must avoid obfuscating His message to the point where it is totally opaque to the emerging civilisations; on the other hand, He must obfuscate His message to advanced civilisations to an extent that will expose their arrogant blindness.

It is important to remember that when the Lord God speaks, He is often speaking simultaneously at two different levels, the Spiritual Level and the Physical Level.

The Lord's words at the Spiritual Level may be abstract. In other words, He states His intentions, but not how those intentions are to be instantiated (ie, carried out).

The need for poetic license has aready been mentioned in 'Literary Constraints'. But where does poetic license end and misrepresentation begin? This is a grey area at best!

God's use of inductive allegory in connection with the creation of Eve will allow Him to speak clearly to emerging civilisations, for they will take His words at face value. And the use of allegory will hide the truth from those advanced civilisations unable to see beyond the page to the underlying truth which exists at the Spiritual Level.

We may smile at the imagery that is used. Yet it does emphasize and confirm that Adam and Eve have the same genotype. And it does stress the fact that Adam is male and Eve is female - a genetic difference we now know to be linked to the X and Y chromosomes. Yet we must be aware of the danger of that condescending smile! Our condescension may well blind us to the Lord's care and precision, even when speaking to those with limited knowledge and understanding.

And so He provides an entry-level explanation which will eventually be extended by the process of induction as civilisation progresses. Early civilisations can understand the simple narrative; while those more advanced will see the development taking place in the genetic evolution of a common ancestral stock from which Adam and Eve were taken and brought into the Garden Annex. There is a very real sense in which the DNA of Adam and Eve was contained in the DNA of their ancestors in the common ancestral pool from which they were taken - notice the placement of mankind in the scientific classification of the Animal Kingdom.

Perhaps the biggest surprise - and the hardest to explain - is the deductive conclusion about the unity of marriage which God draws from the account of Eve's creation, and which Jesus restores following the abolition of the divorce concession. The evidence is set down in the creation of Eve:

21 So the LORD God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot.
22 And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said, "This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called Woman, for from man was she taken." (Genesis 2:21-23 (Tanakh))

The allegory contained in Genesis 2:21-23 T contains the definition of marriage - God's intention. Adam and Eve, though appearing to be two separate people, are in fact one person at both the Physical and Spiritual Levels. Call that person 'AdamEve'. However, after the fall, they are no longer united as per the definition.

The text confirms that marriage takes place between a man (male) and a woman (female). Male and female are a complementary pair.

There is unity and equality between husband and wife. The Lord doesn't grant the husband authority over the wife.

"And he [Adam] shall rule over you" (Gen. 3:16 T) does not grant Adam authority to rule over Eve. The Lord is simply warning Eve as to what her life will be like in the future - a state of affairs borne out by the subsequent enslavement of women.

[Assignment: Discuss the situation where either the X or the Y chromosomes are damaged.]

After the fall and outside Eden, the denotation of the term 'marriage' applies to all who have gone through some sort of wedding ceremony.

But while the allegory confirms that Adam and Eve are, in fact, AdamEve, how does the Lord then map that unity to a marriage ceremony conducted after the fall? Adam and Eve didn't go through a marriage ceremony; whereas those marrying after the fall would have had a ceremony of sorts.

Quite simply, God's definition of marriage was incorporated into Post-Eden Covenant Law, with compliance required at the Physical Level. See Jesus' words for confirmation:

[4] "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' [5] and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? [6] So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6 NIV)

Marriage was and is intended to be more than a lifetime spent together! For, in the context of the Garden Annex with its access to the Tree of Life, the unity of marriage is intended to endure throughout Eternity.

Despite the fall, this remains God's intention for marriage. For the unity He requires in this life is intended to continue into the next. He doesn't want to split in the hereafter what He has joined together in this life! Indeed, he goes so far as to forbid the sundering of what He has joined together in this life:

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6 NIV)

[Dissertation: The levels of specialisation and complexity within members of the Animal Kingdom.]

Implications

Since mankind fall into a different category to animals in the Spiritual Classification of the Animal Kingdom, any coupling with animals is forbidden.

Since marriage is to take place between a man and a woman, same-sex coupling is necessarily forbidden.

In defining what is, God defines what is not.

It is here, in the Garden Annex, that God shows that it is the marriage of a man and a woman which is the foundation for society. And it is the family - mother, father, and children - which is the basic unit of society.

Confirmation is later found in the Mosaic Contract:

You shall observe My laws. You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind... (Leviticus 19:19 (Tanakh))

Do not have carnal relations with any beast and defile yourself thereby; and let no woman lend herself to a beast to mate with it; it is perversion. (Leviticus 18:23 (Tanakh))

If a man has carnal relations with a beast, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the beast. 16 If a woman approaches any beast to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall be put to death--their bloodguilt is upon them. (Leviticus 20:15-16 (Tanakh))

Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence. (Leviticus 18:22 (Tanakh))

If a man lies with a male as one lies with a woman, the two of them have done an abhorrent thing; they shall be put to death--their bloodguilt is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13 (Tanakh))

[With David's Tent lying in ruins, and the Jerusalem Temple also, the Covenant is no longer enforceable at the Physical Level. So, although the death penalty can no longer be enforced at the Physical Level, the Lord will ruthlessly enforce it at the Spiritual Level, despite His portrayal by many as a Father-Christmas figure pandering to the desires and wishes and blindness of the many.]

Bearing in mind that the Spiritual Imperatives must be spelled out, and bearing in mind the variation in audience which must be addressed, how else might the Lord God have got His message across? One might say that He delegates some explanations on the Physical Plane to the scientist/specialist!

God's explanation was succinct, inspired, and elegant. And His use of allegory and induction was an extremely clever and astute move on His part. He provides an explanation which even the earliest civilisations can relate to and understand; and His explanation meshes with the emerging knowledge and understanding of evolution and genetics. The narrative minimises obfuscation for early civilisations, while at the same time maximising obfuscation as knowledge and science and arrogance advance.

Marriage

4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6 NIV)

And so to the narrative:

And the LORD God fashioned the rib that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This one at last
Is bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called Woman,
For from man was she taken.”
Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they
become one flesh. (Genesis 2:22-24 T)

The Lord could have portrayed Eve as a woman He took from the common ancestral pool created in His image. But how would He then have explained the marriage contract to the dawn of civilisation?

Therefore, knowing that science would eventually show how He'd created mankind in His image and likeness, He makes use of an allegory to explain marriage to the most primitive civilisations. And He does this in the full knowledge that the scientist will recognise the allegory for what it is, the underlying science, and His underlying intentions!

The change in state from 'engaged' to 'married':

Fig.4: Engaged couple.

Fig.5: Married couple.

The missing documentation

Although they were in God's image, Adam and Eve entered the Garden Annex as animals. Then, upon dwelling in God's presence, they were hit by the Lord's House Rules, starting with:

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; 17 but as for the tree of knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die." (Genesis 2:15-17 (Tanakh))

As has been mentioned elsewhere (New Arrivals) the only fair way to ensure mankind's safety in His presence, was through a contract. A contract ensured that all parties were informed of its benefits and commitments and penalties. Everything was laid out, in advance, in the form of an offer, so that a person could decide for themself if it was something which would meet their needs and which they wished to commit to. There would be no coercion since everyone would be given a free choice. As for those who saw no need of God's offer, the Most High generously offered them alternative accommodation which would be more to their liking.

Since the Lord God is a party to a contract, one must first accept, if not believe, in His existence if one is to enter into a contract with Him.

Such a belief may initially be extremely fragile, perhaps bordering on an assumption one is prepared to go along with and explore. But, as the relationship with the Lord develops, belief will become stronger. Initially, one meets with the Lord through education ... but eventually, that education must lead to a personal face-to-face meeting and discussion^‡ with Him. Education alone can only take a person so far; but it is the personal contact with the Lord which will offer specific guidance and direction; and it is obedience to the Lord and His Covenant which will lead to the eventual production of fruit.

^‡ 'Discussion' is the preferred term.

Those who do not have that face-to-face encounter with the Lord, those who do not discuss matters with the Lord, will indeed bear fruit - but that fruit will be of the Tree of Knowledge. Jesus explains:

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day [the Day of Judgement], 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)

“I never knew you!” Jesus' words confirm that these people, despite all their faith, all their claims, all their efforts, had neither met Him, nor discussed matters with Him, nor obeyed Him. Finally, notice the curt dismissal ... Jesus can't get rid of them fast enough!

A contract-based life

Like Adam^‡, they [Ephraim and Judah] have broken the covenant---they were unfaithful to me there. (Hosea 6:7 NIV)

[^‡ Here, again, we find the word for 'man' being translated in different ways and putting a different slant on the text - but check out the different translations for yourself.]

Hosea 6:7 NIV indirectly informs us that Adam and Eve had entered into a contract with God - not that Adam and Eve would have understood the meaning of the word.

However, the account of creation contains no formal record of any such contract! In order to investigate, it will first be necessary to understand the components of a contract. Only then can we examine the evidence contained in Scripture: finding evidence of contractual instantiation will, in turn, map to God's intentions at the Spiritual Level, for we know that the Lord speaks at the Physical Level and - always - at the Spiritual Level.

[Essay: The structure and components of a contract.]

The contract between God and mankind in the Garden Annex is the Eden Covenant, which comprises the Prime Axioms and the Primary Contract. Expressed in its simplest form, the Primary Contract requires total dependence on God and complete obedience to the guidance He is required to give under its terms. Obedience to the Primary Contract will ensure that one is able to avoid falling into sin, and to dwell safely in the presence of the Lord God.

[Essay: The preventative function of the Primary Contract.]

As for the acknowledgement of total dependance on God, realisation comes with meeting God face to face. Adam and Eve didn't just meet God in person; they spent considerable time in His company. To actually stand in front of the Lord God is to understand who is in front of you, His authority, might, and power.

The Scriptures do not contain a record of Adam and Eve's signature to the Primary Contract.

Those who - in this life - have actually stood in front of the Lord God will know His power and might and their own vulnerability. The lessons of the Prime Axioms will be forever burned into their minds.

Standing in front of the Lord, one receives a stark reminder of what Adam and Eve experienced when confronted by the Lord God in the Garden of Eden. It is an experience which the text does not convey. Perhaps it can only be fully understood by those who have experienced it. But it is an experience which gives enormous depth to one's understanding of the Garden of Eden. It is an experience which reveals their unstated commitment to and dependence on God. To stand before the Most High God is to understand the unrecorded acceptance and spiritual signature of Adam and Eve to the Prime Axioms and the Primary Contract ... to the Eden-Covenant. To stand before the Lord God and not be destroyed is to know the fear which coursed through Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve probably didn't realise that they were parties to a contract. How could they, when such knowledge was unknown to them at that time?

As required by the terms and conditions of the Primary Contract, the Lord God warns Adam and Eve of the danger posed by the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve's commitment to obedience is apparent in Eve's admission of forgetfulness:

And Jehovah God saith to the woman, 'What is this thou hast done?' and the woman saith, 'The serpent hath caused me to forget -- and I do eat.' (Genesis 3:13 YLT)

However, the Tree of Knowledge was but one pitfall in mankind's path. Many others would have followed in rapid succession had the fall not occurred! As for the situation today, not only do pitfalls come thick and fast, but they surround us with every intention of consuming us...

Science is born

And the LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name.
20 And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but for Adam no fitting helper was found. (Genesis 2:19-20 (Tanakh))

The Lord God brought all the animals to Adam to see what he'd call them. Here are the beginnings of science, of zoology: classification of the animal kingdom commences with the naming of all the animals together with the emergence of some elementary groupings (eg. cattle, birds). Classification facilitates discussion, comparison, and investigation. One can imagine Adam's amazement and wonder at seeing such an incredible parade of animals. And one can imagine God's pleasure as this sense of wonder lights the flame of Adam's thirst for knowledge: for He knows that the more Adam understands, the better he will manage His estate and the rest of creation.

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. (Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh))

It is here in the Garden of Eden that the seed of agricultural science is sown. Over the years, the basic training given by the Lord God will grow and blossom into the state of the art recorded in Isaiah:

Give diligent ear to my words, attend carefully to what I say.
24 Does he who plows to sow plow all the time, breaking up and furrowing his land?
25 When he has smoothed its surface, does he not rather broadcast black cumin and scatter cumin, or set wheat in a row, barley in a strip, and emmer in a patch?
26 For He teaches him the right manner, his God instructs him.
27 So, too, black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, nor is the wheel of a threshing sledge rolled over cumin; but black cumin is beaten out with a stick and cumin with a rod.
28 It is cereal that is crushed. For even if he threshes it thoroughly, and the wheel of his sledge and his horses overwhelm it, He does not crush it.
29 That, too, is ordered by the LORD of Hosts; His counsel is unfathomable, His wisdom marvelous. (Isaiah 28:23-29 T)

Instructed (v. 26) and ordered by the Lord (v. 29), agricultural science emerges as a discipline under the control and direction of the Most High.

The Life Style

Work

The Garden of Eden, like all gardens, cannot be left unattended; it requires regular work and maintenance. And so the Lord God placed Adam in the garden and told him to look after it:

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. (Genesis 2:15 (Tanakh))

Adam, following his change in lifestyle from omnivore hunter-gatherer to vegan gardener, would have needed some basic instruction as to what was required of him: I think we may safely infer that basic instruction from what is recorded in Isaiah:

Give diligent ear to my words, attend carefully to what I say.
24 Does he who plows to sow plow all the time, breaking up and furrowing his land?
25 When he has smoothed its surface, does he not rather broadcast black cumin and scatter cumin, or set wheat in a row, barley in a strip, and emmer in a patch?
26 For He teaches him the right manner, his God instructs him.
27 So, too, black cumin is not threshed with a threshing board, nor is the wheel of a threshing sledge rolled over cumin; but black cumin is beaten out with a stick and cumin with a rod.
28 It is cereal that is crushed. For even if he threshes it thoroughly, and the wheel of his sledge and his horses overwhelm it, He does not crush it.
29 That, too, is ordered by the LORD of Hosts; His counsel is unfathomable, His wisdom marvelous (Isaiah 28:23-29 T)

Autonomy

The narrative confirms that the Lord God had granted Adam and Eve the autonomy to carry out God's work without His direct supervision, That autonomy could only have taken place within the framework of a Covenant [contract] (in this case the 'Eden Covenant'), and within the boundaries imposed by their restricted degree of likeness to God.

Guidance

[^‡ Note the play on the word 'die' at the Physical Level but also at the Spiritual Level.]

The Lord God blesses Adam and Eve. And He then goes on to inform them - jointly - that they are to master the earth, and to rule the whole of the animal kingdom:

God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth." (Genesis 1:28 (Tanakh))

It is important to remember that Adam and Eve have direct access to the Lord God. They can meet with Him, not only to pass the time of day, but also to ask Him questions or to enlist His help and guidance; and, of course, they can call upon the Lord God in an emergency or crisis.

Marriage

Eden Covenant

The Eden Covenant is derived from subsequent Scriptural texts.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life, carrying edible fruit, was therefore seed bearing:

God said, "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food." (Genesis 1:29 (Tanakh))

This, of course, implies an ability to reproduce and re-seed itself. Since there was but a single Tree of Life in the Garden, it was necessarily monoecious.

To eat of the Tree of Life would bring immortality:

And the LORD God said, "Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad, what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!" 23 So the LORD God banished him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he was taken. 24 He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:22-24 (Tanakh))

In His letter to the church in Ephesus, Jesus says:

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Rev. 2:7 NIV).

Further reference to the Tree of Life is to be found in Revelation 22:1-2:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2 NIV)

Here we discover a Tree of Life standing on either side of the river in the great street of the city. This is in full accord with the original Tree of Life's ability to reproduce and to re-seed itself, and with its Spiritual Imperative of 'Life'.

There is another fascinating reference that is to be found in Eze. 47:1-12 T in connection with the rebuilding of David's fallen Tent:

He led me back to the entrance of the Temple, and I found that water was issuing from below the platform of the Temple--eastward, since the Temple faced east--but the water was running out at thesouth of the altar, under the south wall of the Temple. 2 Then he led me out by way of the northern gate and led me around to the outside of the outer gate that faces in the direction of the east; and I found that water was gushing from under the south wall. 3 As the man went on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water; the water was ankle deep. 4 Then he measured off another thousand and led me across the water; the water was knee deep. He measured off a further thousand and led me across the water; the water was up to the waist. 5 When he measured yet another thousand, it was a stream I could not cross; for the water had swollen into a stream that could not be crossed except by swimming. 6 "Do you see, O mortal?" he said to me; and he led me back to the bank of the stream.
7 As I came back, I saw trees in great profusion on both banks of the stream. 8 "This water," he told me, "runs out to the eastern region, and flows into the Arabah; and when it comes into the sea, intothe sea of foul waters, the water will become wholesome. 9 Every living creature that swarms will be able to live wherever this stream goes; the fish will be very abundant once these waters have reached there. It will be wholesome, and everything will live wherever this stream goes. 10 Fishermen shall stand beside it all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it shall be a place for drying nets; and the fish will be of various kinds and most plentiful, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes shall not become wholesome; they will serve to supply salt. 12 All kinds of trees for food will grow up on both banks of the stream. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail; they will yield new fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the Temple. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezekiel 47:1-12 (Tanakh))

Although not called the tree of life as such, these trees have much the same properties, features, and functions as those trees to be found on either side of the river in the great street of the New Jerusalem mentioned above. It is highly significant that these trees, like those in the Great City, are in close proximity to streams of water.

The meaning is clear! The reference is to the rebuilding of David's fallen Tent; and the life-giving trees are Priests in the Order of Melchizedek, members of the Olive/Cypress and Olive/Myrtle trees which stand on either side of the Temple of God (See The Lampstands).

The authority of the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek may be found here:

1 The angel who talked with me came back and woke me as a man is wakened from sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?" And I answered, “I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl above it. The lamps on it are seven in number, and thelamps above it have seven pipes; 3 and by it are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and one on its left.” 4 I, in turn, asked the angel who talked with me, “What do those things mean, my lord?" 5 “Do you not know what those things mean?" asked the angel who talked with me; and I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he explained to me as follows:
“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit—said the LORD of Hosts. 7 Whoever you are, O great mountain in the path of Zerubbabel, turn into level ground! For he shall produce that excellent stone; it shall be greeted with shouts of 'Beautiful! Beautiful!'"
8 And the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “Zerubbabel's hands have founded this House and Zerubbabel's hands shall complete it. Then you shall know that it was the LORD of Hosts who sent me to you. 10 Does anyone scorn a day of small beginnings? When they see the stone of distinction in the hand of Zerubbabel, they shall rejoice.
“Those seven are the eyes of the LORD, ranging over the whole earth.”
11 “And what," I asked him, “are those two olive trees, one on the right and one on the left of the lampstand?" 12 And I further asked him, “What are the two tops of the olive trees that feed their gold through those two golden tubes?" 13 He asked me, “Don't you know what they are?" And I replied, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he explained, “They are the two anointed dignitaries who attend the Lord of all the earth~^‡~.” (Zechariah 4 (Tanakh))

[^‡ See: Revelation, chapter 11.]

And the function of the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek is to be found here:

8 For My plans are not your plans,
Nor are My ways your ways
—declares the LORD.
9 But as the heavens are high above the earth,
So are My ways high above your ways
And My plans above your plans.
10 For as the rain or snow drops from heaven
And returns not there,
But soaks the earth
And makes it bring forth vegetation,
Yielding seed for sowing and bread for eating,
11 So is the word that issues from My mouth:
It does not come back to Me unfulfilled,
But performs what I purpose,
Achieves what I sent it to do.
12 Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure.
Before you, mount and hill shall shout aloud,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the brier, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the LORD,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish. (Isaiah 55:8-13 (Tanakh))

1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, "Come and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.
3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing sackcloth."
4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; anyone who wants to harm them must be killed in this manner. 6 They have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days members of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb; 10 and the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to the inhabitants of the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and those who saw them were terrified. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here!" And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them. (Revelation 11:1-12 NRSV)

[Dissertation: The authority and function of the Priesthood in the Order of Melchizedek.]

Tree of Knowledge

The Tree of Knowledge has attained a level of notoriety over the years, and has been associated with different fruits - of which, perhaps the 'apple' is the current favourite!. But is the identitification of the species of fruit important? Is the search for a particular species of fruit a sign, as opposed to a symptom, of blindness at the Spiritual Level?

[Essay: The species of the Tree of Knowledge and an understanding of its supposedly intrinsic evil dimension are necessary requirements which must be specified by those who deny evolution.]

It is important to understand the reality of the Tree of Knowledge and its fruit:

God said, "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food." (Genesis 1:29 (Tanakh))

In this context, 'give' has the force of 'allocate'. The implication being that, although God allocated every seed-bearing plant to mankind for food, He necessarily excluded any trees which were seedless. In defining what is, God defines what is not!

Since the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was forbidden, its fruit was - like some varieties of fruit we see in the shops today - seedless (see: Stenospermocarpy (incompletely developed seeds: eg, varieties of grape), and Parthenocarpy (the development of fruit without fertilization. The fruit produced is seedless: eg, banana, pineapple)).

How could Adam and Eve be expected to know which trees bore seedless fruit, either from stenospermocarpy or parthenocarpy, unless those trees were named by the Lord God.

Those who deny evolution are left pursuing a vain search for a particular species of fruit and the reasons for its intrinsic evil. Moreover, they are indirectly accusing God of planting evil within the Garden Annex in order to entrap mankind.

Such an approach is entirely negative and doomed to failure, since the Lord God had no hidden agenda; the Lord had no wish to entrap Adam and Eve: quite the opposite for, as He looked at the evolving Garden, He saw the danger posed by the Tree of Knowledge, and simply warned Adam and Eve of the hidden danger, as required by His commitment to the Primary Contract. There is a considerable difference between warning mankind of danger, and entrapping mankind with evil. Notice how the Lord God taunts the Adversary (Job, chapters 1-2), but takes extreme care to avoid inflicting evil on Job.

[Analysis: Why does the Lord God taunt the Adversary (Job, chapters 1-2)?]

Certainly, absence of the Tree of Knowledge would not have resulted in a perfect world, for other dangers would have come along. Had mankind eaten of the Tree of Life, then any wrongdoing would inevitably lead to Death, with no hope of forgiveness. Eating of the Tree of Life would have brought about immortality and, like the fallen angels, life without hope of redemption:

22 And the LORD God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and bad, what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!" (Genesis 3:22 (Tanakh))

Acceptance of evolution leads to a simple and straightforward explanation of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. This approach is entirely positive, for it emphasises how - within the framework of the Primary Contract - the Lord God deals with the approach of danger. For it shows the Lord God fulfilling His obligations under the Primary Contract to warn Adam and Eve of the danger they are in, and to guide them away from even touching the Tree of Knowledge:

1 ... Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?" 2 The woman replied to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden. 3 It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said: 'You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.'" (Genesis 3:1b-3 (Tanakh))

The immediate result would be confidence in the Lord God!

The Tree of Knowledge, being seedless, was unable to reproduce. Eventually, after a period of time, it would have died off.

Evolution depends on mutation, with conditions determining which new species survive and which don't - the 'survival of the fittest'.

The Tree of Knowledge was almost certainly the product of a genetic anomaly. Mutation had produced a tree which was unable to reproduce. It was a tree which - despite the formation of fruit - was destined to die and to become extinct. It was a tree whose fruit carried the illusion of life. Or as Jack Higgins might have put it in one of his novels, it was a dead tree fruiting. Or to put it more obliquely: not carrying any seed, it carried the seed of death.

This should come as no surprise, for one sees a similar thing today in grapes. Seedless grapes originated as a mutation, perhaps in Afghanistan, several thousand years ago. Being seedless, they are unable to reproduce; they cannot be grown other than artificially from buds, canes, or cuttings.

It has to be remembered that the Garden of Eden was an annex to the Heavenly Realm. The aim was for perfection at the Physical and Spiritual Levels. However, that perfection was marred by the appearance of the Tree of Knowledge and the Serpent.

The Scriptures have much to teach us about food. At the purely physical level it is necessary for health and to sustain life. Bread reminds us of Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary (Lu. 22: 19 NIV). We read that God's words are food for [spiritual] life (Jn. 4: 34 NIV; Jn. 6: 68 KJV). And Jesus describes Himself as the bread of life (Jn. 6: 25-59) - talking at the Spiritual Level (Jn.6: 63 NIV).

It is this spiritual dimension to food that perhaps offers a clue as to why this fruit was banned. For, unlike the fruit of the seed-bearing trees, this fruit was associated - not with life, and its continuation - but with death and extinction. Such connotations on the Spiritual Plane would have been sufficient for God to forbid the eating of its fruit. For to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was [on the Spiritual Level] to partake of Death, to identify with Death, to be deceived by an illusion. This is in stark contrast with the Tree of Life: for to be permitted to partake of the Tree of Life was to partake, not just of life, but life eternal in the company of Father, Son, and Spirit in paradise.

Society

Even in those early days of civilization it is still possible to see the Lord God's intention for society. His plan was for a whole society centred on Himself: a people dedicated to Him alone, with an infrastructure subordinate to His Authority and Leadership. When the Lord God said, 'Be fertile and increase, fill the Earth and master it' (Gen. 1:28 T), He would have had this sort of framework in the back of his mind.

The Lord God envisaged the unity of the whole of society.

Following the fall, the Lord God sought to establish a comparable unity through the Mosaic Contract.

Among Jesus' last words is a prayer for unity. Not for the sham which exists today in churches of whatever sect, but a desire for complete unity across the true Church (John 17:23):

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth... 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:17,19-23 NIV)

But Jesus' desire has been thwarted by different groups of people, each promoting their own agenda. Division - not the Most High - reigns!

[Analysis: Society in the New Jerusalem will be an echo of God's intentions for the Garden Annex.]

Eden Covenant

See: Eden Covenant.

Version: 19-Jan-2024