Creation Myth

The Bible's genealogical records combined with the (Genesis 1) accounts of the creation are used to estimate the age for humanity on Earth, of about 6000 BC, with a bit of uncertainty on the completeness of the records, allowing for a few thousand years.

According to the lengthier Yahwist (J) narrative of the 10th century BC (Genesis 2:5–7, 2:15–4:1, 4:25), God (Yahweh), created Adam at a time when the earth was still void, forming him from the Earth's dust and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life. God then gave Adam the primeval garden of Eden to tend.

The Christian Bible has two sections, the Old and the New Testament. Whereby, the Old is the original Hebrew Bible, sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, written at different times (c. 1200–165 BC), and the New Testament books written by Christians in the first century AD. Whereas, the Quran compilations began about (c. 610 AD).

Adam and Eve, according to the Abrahamic religions creation myth, were the first man and woman. Story has it that, the entry of Adam into the garden of Eden was only forty days after its creation (eighty for Eve). They are central to the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, and belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original progenitors.

The Adamic language, according to Jewish tradition (as recorded in the midrashim) and some Christians, was the language spoken. To this end:

The “apple”,  in Hebrew is "tapuach" portrayed by some as the forbidden fruit that represented knowledge in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

“Adam”, in Hebrew is "adamah" meant "earth" or "son of the red Earth" (Man).

"Eve", in Hebrew is "hawwah" meant "living one" or "source of life" (God formed as woman after his command was given).

The “forbidden fruit”, in Hebrew is "perî" meaning "fruit" that is growing on the tree of knowledge, in the Garden of Eden.

The “tree of knowledge”, in Hebrew is "haḥayyīm", in the biblical story, the tree of knowledge of “good and evil” (also referred to as “The Tree of Life”).

The “garden of Eden”, is in Hebrew is “Eḏen” meaning "place of pleasure and delight" (paradise).

The “serpent" (or snake), is in Hebrew “Naḥas”, representing the voice of temptation, also associated with divination (Noteworthy, for the original writer, the Yahwist (or J) source, the serpent was not equated with “Satan” the Devil).

Wherein, Adam symbolizes the "spirit of man" and Eve symbolizes "the woman's seed”; the tree of knowledge symbolizes "the material world"; the serpent symbolizes "attachment to the material world"; and the forbidden fruit (a metaphor) symbolizes “anything that is desired but not moral, legal or permissible to indulge in”.

The Bible and Old Testament (Genesis 2:17), narrate that God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, where, they could eat freely from all but one ‘the tree of knowledge’. They lived in total innocence until the serpent enticed them to eat the forbidden fruit. Essence has it that, the fall of Adam represents the way humanity became conscious of “good and evil”.

Consequently, as punishment for their disobedience, God banished them from Paradise, destroying the tree of knowledge, from which Adam carves a staff. Eve later gives birth to Cain and Abel, and Adam forbids them from going beyond the waterfall in hopes God will forgive them and bring all back to Eden.

In Western Christian art, the fruit of the tree is commonly depicted as “the apple”, which, seemingly originated in central Asia. This depiction may have originated as a Latin pun: by eating the ‘malum’ (apple), Eve contracted the wrong (evil).

The Quran (Surah Al-A'raf 7:27), unlike the biblical account, mentions only one tree in Eden. It never refers to the tree as the "tree of knowledge of good and evil" but rather typically refers to it as "the tree" or in the words of Iblis (Satan) as the "tree of immortality." Muslims believe that when Allah (God) created Adam and Eve, he told them that they could enjoy everything in the garden of Eden except this tree, and so Satan appeared to them, telling them the only reason God forbade them to eat from the tree was that they would become Angels and immortal.

When they ate from this tree, their nakedness appeared to them, and they began to sew together leaves from the garden for their covering. The Quran mentions the sin as being a 'slip'. Consequently, they repented to God and asked for his forgiveness, and were forgiven.

Both Jewish and Christian traditions, often identify the tree of knowledge as a ‘fig tree’. Heightening the irony later on when Adam and Eve attempt to cover themselves with its leaves. Although, it is clearly a deciduous tree, but no one can say for sure which species it once was, or how long it has been there.

The pseud-epigraphic Book of Enoch, describes the tree of knowledge: "It was like a species of the ‘Tamarind tree’, bearing fruit which resembled grapes extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance.”

Ancient Iranian Christianity, believe the fruit was actually the ‘pomegranate’ a plant indigenous from Iran to the Himalayas and cultivated since ancient times to be the real forbidden fruit rather than the ‘apple’.

The Talmud cites three opinions, Rabbi Meir says that the Tree of Knowledge was a ‘grapevine’; Rabbi Nehemiah maintains that it was a ‘fig tree’, while, Rabbi Judah says it was actually ‘wheat stalks’!

The Midrash quotes other opinions, that the fruit was an 'etrog' (yellow citron). Another opinion cited is that "God did not disclose the identity of the tree's specie, and He never will." This in order to protect the honor of a species that would otherwise be tarnished, through no fault of its own…

Food for thought!