The Fruit of Deception: Untangling the Mystery of Adam's Choice in Genesis 3

Moses Adeleke Adeoye

Authors

Moses Adeleke Adeoye ECWA Theological Seminary Jos, Nigeria

Keywords:

Adam’s Choice, Genesis 3, Forbidden Fruit, Deception

Abstract

The story of Adam and Eve's meeting with the forbidden fruit inside the confines of the Garden of Eden has intrigued theologians and philosophers. The paper thoroughly observes the intricacies of Adam's preference in Genesis 3, losing illumination on the essence of deceit and its effects. By delving into the biblical narrative and scrutinising numerous interpretations, the paper has disclosed the unravelling of the enigma encircling the fruit of deception and its implications for mankind. Through an exhaustive evaluation of the textual content, this paper underscores the significance of Adam's desire and its sizable repercussions. By exploring the serpent's function as a foxy misleader and the susceptibility of human nature, we can gain an extra profound comprehension of Adam's choice's ethical and theological ramifications. Moreover, this scholarly article delves into the theological interpretations surrounding the essence of the fruit. Several teachers contend that the fruit possessed inherent efficiency while others highlight the importance of disobedience and the following estrangement from the divine. Through an exam of these several views, we aim to provide an entire comprehension of the fruit's functions inside the narrative. The descent of humankind and the creation of transgression into the sector are often attributed to Adam's defiance. The article scrutinises the ramifications of this deed, encompassing the forfeiture of purity, the strife inherent in human nature, and the want for salvation. By apprehending Adam's choice and its repercussions, we can grapple with the intricacies of human lifestyles and the ceaseless battle between righteousness and malevolence.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alter, R. (1996). Genesis: Translation and Commentary. WW Norton & Company.

Anderson, G. A. (2000). The Exaltation of Adam and the Fall of Satan. In Literature on Adam and Eve (pp. 83-110). Brill.

Anderson, G. A. (2002). The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination. Westminster John Knox Press.

Ansell, N. J. (2001). The Call of Wisdom/The Voice of the Serpent: A Canonical Approach to the Tree of Knowledge. Christian Scholars Review, 31(1), 31-58.

Armstrong, K. (1997). In The Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis. Ballantine Books.

Barnes, C. R. (2018). What Happened in the Garden: A Spatial Examination of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2-3. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Bellamy, L. (2019). The Language of Fruit: Literature and Horticulture in the Long Eighteenth Century. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Blackburne-Maze, P. (2003). Fruit: An Illustrated History. Firefly Books.

Bowers, F. (1969). Adam, Eve, and the Fall in Paradise Lost. PMLA, 84(2), 264-273.

Collins, J. J. (2004). Before the Fall: The Earliest Interpretations of Adam and Eve. In the Idea of Biblical Interpretation (pp. 293-308). Brill.

Cotter, D. W. (2003). Genesis. Liturgical Press.

Crowther, K. M. (2010). Adam and Eve in the Protestant Reformation. Cambridge University Press.

Curtis, C. (2018). Nabokov’s Satan: Defining and Implementing John Milton’s Arch Fiend as a Contemporary Character Trope (Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University).

Gilbert, P. (2020). God Never Meant for Us to Die: The Emergence of Evil in the Light of the Genesis Creation Account. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Greenblatt, S. (2017). The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve: The Story That Created Us. WW Norton & Company.

Harrison, R. P. (2008). Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition. University of Chicago Press.

Kainer, G. (2016). God's Solution to the Doubting Dilemma. Lulu.

Kellner, M. (2022). Must a Jew Believe Anything? Liverpool University Press.

Kidner, D. (2016). Genesis. InterVarsity Press.

Lapsley, J. E. (2005). Whispering the Word. Westminster John Knox Press.

Matskevich, K. (2019). Construction of Gender and Identity in Genesis. Construction of Gender and Identity in Genesis, 1-248.

Mayersohn, R. M. (2009). Are We Sinners? Christian and Jewish Beliefs on Sin and Evil. iUniverse.

McFarland, I. A. (2011). In Adam's Fall: A Meditation on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin (Vol. 29). John Wiley & Sons.

McKinlay, J. E. (1999). To Eat or Not to Eat: Where is Wisdom in this Choice? Semeia, (86), 73.

Miller, A. S. (2017). Fleeing the Garden: Reading Genesis 2-3.

Moubayed, A. M. (2023). The Charisma of Fruits: From Greek Mythology to Genesis. Religions, 14(5), 585.

Placher, W. C., & Nelson, D. R. (2013). A history of Christian Theology: An Introduction. Presbyterian Publishing Corp.

Reeves, M. R., & Madueme, H. (Eds.). (2014). Adam, the Fall, and Original Sin: Theological, Biblical, and Scientific Perspectives. Baker Academic.

Sandelands, L. E. (2017). Man and Nature in God. Routledge.

Staton, K., & Thompson, L. (2005). Angels. College Press.

Thistlethwaite, S. B. (2010). Adam, Eve, and the Garden. In Dreaming of Eden: American Religion and Politics in a Wired World (pp. 19-34). New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.

Tigner, A. L. (2010). Eating with Eve. Milton Quarterly, 44(4), 239-253.

Tipvarakankoon, W. (2013). The Theme of Deception in the Book of Revelation. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Urban, D. V. (2017). The Falls of Satan, Eve, and Adam in John Milton’s Paradise Lost: A Study in Insincerity. Christianity & Literature, 67(1), 89-112.

Waltke, B. K. (2016). Genesis: A Commentary. Zondervan Academic.

Walton, J. H. (2015). The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate. InterVarsity Press.

Wenham, G. (1990). Original Sin in Genesis 1-11. Genesis, 1, 11.

Wright, T. R. (2016). The Genesis of Fiction: Modern Novelists as Biblical Interpreters. Routledge.

Zevit, Z. (2013). What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden? Yale University Press.

Zimran, A. (2020). The Theological Value of Autonomy. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 18(3), 687-713.