January 16th

The account emphasizes knowledge because with the knowledge that they have, humans have responsibilities as God’s delegates on Earth.  It gives boundaries on what humans are tasked to do and the knowledge they do and do not have. At the end of Genesis 3, Adam and Eve now know the difference between good and evil.  However, since they are only delegates for God in His creation, they have more responsibilities than privileges with the knowledge they have. This account builds off the fact that humans were created in God’s image and that we are responsible for caring for the Earth.  This responsibility is derived from knowing what is good and bad, which started in this creation account.  

The type of knowledge communicated through the eating is from the “context of responsibility” (Legaspi 6).  The verb “eating” is used because it is the most direct form of human nourishment. Eating from the tree of knowledge is symbolic of nourishing themselves with knowledge.  Touching and looking at an object would not provide such power. As for why eating from a tree in particular, Legaspi notes that it is related to knowledge of sexual experience (8).  When Adam and Eve cover themselves, they do it with fig leaves.  

We can describe the failure of Adam and Eve as a challenge for the rest of humanity to encounter:  how to obtain this knowledge in other ways. The tree of life is still present at the end of Genesis, but how people access this knowledge will be through wisdom.  This makes people learn through trial and error, ultimately obtaining that knowledge of good and bad. In my opinion, it does make Adam and Eve more god-like because God said that they are more like Him, no matter what punishment He gives them.  They were one step closer to being on his level per say. It’s meriful that he bans them from the garden because at first, He told them if they ate from that tree, they would certainly die. But they did not. Sparing their lives was an obvious act of mercy and would set the precedent for the rest of humanity.