Mar 5 – 1 Lent
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
In the Garden
The First Sin and Its Punishment

Background: Genesis is held by Jew and Christian alike as a book that was dictated by God to Moses; although there is little information in the Hebrew Bible to support this claim. Genesis is a rich book unique in its combination of authors, editors, and theologies. While this text provides the basis for Creation it is not a classical scientific or historical text – adding a depth of details about the divine-human relationship.

Theme: This passage completes the “second Creation story” and describes the “original sin” committed by Adam and Eve in the garden leading to their expulsion from Eden. This passage is a complex interaction between humanity, God, and other sacred or non-human beings. Later, this passage will be used to illuminate the doctrine of “Original Sin.”

Questions to Ponder:
* Please read Genesis 2:4b-3:7 paying attention to the relationships between the principle characters.
* Please describe the relationships between Adam and Eve, humans and the divine, and the relationship with human self-centeredness.
* Of the proposed “4 sources” of the Torah (J, P, D, E) which one is supposedly presenting this passage, especially the portion of chapter 2?
* The term “serpent” comes from the same primitive root as the Hebrew words for ‘enchanter, hiss, whisper (a magic spell), divine enchanter, copper, and brass.” How might one of those translations be better for conveying the story than the word serpent? Why might the story be ambiguous or at least filled with a euphemism?
* Who tells more of the truth about what happens to Adam and Eve in the Garden, God or the serpent? Why do you choose the one you choose?
* One could argue that Adam and Eve do NOT die when they eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. How might God be telling the truth – that they die by eating the fruit?
* How do you think Eve knows the command from God? Does it make any difference that God gives the command to Adam before Eve is created? Why or why not?
* Why do you think Eve did not quote God correctly? Do you think it is wrong for Eve to embellish the commandment from God? Why or why not?
* What appears to be the premise the writer is reinforcing with this passage?
* What did it mean in the time of Adam and Eve for them to “have their eyes open to the knowledge of good and evil?”
* Why might that knowledge lead to expulsion from the Garden?
* What is the significance of knowing good and evil in our day and age?
* How might the knowledge of good and evil be something that makes us die? Or does the knowledge of good an evil make us die?