Kevin Giles's Analysis

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Some scholars interpret the story of Adam and Eve completely opposite. Kevin Giles says in Genesis Chapter 3 “we discover that in the Garden is a force opposed to God, yet created by God, and that sin and punishment are possibilities” (Giles, 2014, p.5). Giles interprets this story through the eyes of responsibility. He believes that Adam and Eve are equal and each are held responsible for their disobedience to God. Giles’ disagrees with the scholars that say the woman is subordinate to the man. He explains this in a series of examples. One example he uses is how God spoke to Adam first after the fall. Giles’ argues that there are many times where individuals are addressed in different orders and therefore that doesn’t mean that anyone is superior to the other …show more content…

He says that there are many instances where the second thing created by God was in fact superior to the first, such as “man is created after the earth yet rules over it” (Giles, 2014, p.6). He believes that order is not an indicator of power. In Genesis 3:20, Adam names his wife. While some interpret this as Adam having dominance over the woman, Giles does not. Giles doesn’t interpret any sense of power in the naming of the woman. He also believes that Eve was made for the benefit of her man but only because “he was ‘helpless,’ inadequate on his own” (Giles, 2014, p.6). He doesn’t believe that the woman was solely just made for the man, but also that Adam was made for the benefit of Eve as well. He interprets Adam and Eve’s relationship as one that was always equal. He believes that even though Eve is viewed as Adam’s helper, “a helper can be a superior, an equal or a subordinate” (Giles, 2014, p.6). The most interesting interpretation by Giles is the role of the serpent in the Garden. He interprets the serpent as an indicator for the equality of the man and the woman. In order for the woman to be tempted by eating from the tree of knowledge, a “superhuman” creature had to

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