Genesis 3 Analysis

I. This week’s analysis will focus on the Genesis 3:1-24 reading from the Bible, because I found this primary source and the encounter described in Genesis 3 to be fascinating as a result of the midrash that can be deduced from the experience. Primary sources are incredibly essential to the essence of a religion because they are and have been worshipped and held in high regard for centuries upon centuries; thus, to understand and interpret primary sources, as in this case, brings the reader a step closer to understanding fundamental beliefs that are at the heart of Christian theology, such as the concept of original sin and the belief that as humans, we carry the sins of Adam and Eve within us.

II. In this particular excerpt from Genesis,

Eve finds herself tempted by the Snake, “the most clever of all the animals that Lord God had made”. Prior to this, she and Adam had lived in harmonious and simple existences side by side in the garden God had created. The Snake attempts to tempt her to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree in the garden, and Eve responds by stating: “God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die’”. To this, the Snake says that if she were to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, nothing harmful would happen to her and instead, she would become more like God himself by becoming more learned and understanding the concepts of good and evil. The thought of this pleased Eve, so she tasted the fruit and shared it with Adam. The aftermath of their actions unraveled when God confronted them after they had hid from him because they were naked and thus, embarrassed. They had not understood this concept before, so it became apparent that they had eaten the forbidden fruit and defied God’s wishes. As a result, God cursed the Snake with the inability to walk, the woman with the pain of childbearing, and the man with exhausting labor for the rest of his days. He then forced Adam and Eve to leave the beautiful Garden of Eden, placing “cherub angels and a sword of fire at the entrance to the garden to protect it”.
III. This reading was so fundamental to my understanding of Christian theology because the story of Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden is a story nearly all know, but it is a story that has been passed down from generation to generation, often with no real roots in the primary source, and so to really comprehend the significance of it, I chose to analyze the original story and contemplate midrash that could arise as a result. I believe that people should not make conclusions based on word of mouth and should instead turn to the source that has sustained and inspired faith for centuries. Being able to read the story verbatim, then make any personal observations I felt strongly about without any other individual’s bias that could have been passed to me if someone else had told me the story and then analyzed it, was a fulfilling feeling.
IV.

The story was described in a manner that was easy to understand, which I assume to be the goal when a religious group wants to encourage the spread of their religion and make it accessible to all those who could potentially follow it. Some questions that came to mind while reading this portion of Genesis 3 were the following: Why is the Snake the most clever of all God’s creatures and what makes him this way? Was this intentional? What was in it for the Snake to tempt Eve and have her, along with Adam, banished from the garden? (There was no potential gain for him, as far as I could distinguish.) Why is it that God did not want Adam and Eve to be wise? Wouldn’t he want to create intelligent human beings that had the capacity to distinguish between good and bad? And finally, why did God curse and banish Adam and Eve from the garden when it is emphasized multiple times throughout the Bible that God is a benevolent being with good and loving intentions? The answers to these questions, although some are unattainable, would benefit the understanding of the reader, and in my instance, allow me to connect more with the text if I understood the intentions of the characters. Ultimately, as with all midrash inquiries, you are unable to ever come across a definitive answer, and thus must place your trust in God that he did and still does the correct thing in complicated situations such as this

one.
V.

In conclusion, reading and interpreting primary sources opens doors to interpretation and deeper understand that every individual interested in religion or theology ought to take upon themselves to do so to deepen an unbiased personal comprehension. Instead of listening to an individual’s understanding of a particular story or scene from a sacred text, it is important to study it yourself first and then converse with others regarding it, so that your initial impression is not a biased one and that multiple perspectives can be heard, not formed by one sole perspective. Ultimately, I believe that to engage in a primary source’s text, such as the Hebrew Bible, Christian Bible, or the Quran is to promote a connection with the text that is deeper and more intimate and intellectual than one that can be found in a church or religious study group, where perspectives and beliefs can be shaped and molded. Churches and study groups are extremely beneficial in the religious realm, but nothing can surpass one’s own personal

understanding.