Haagsma 1
Taylor Haagsma
Professor Verbruggen
Core 150
2 February 2017
Book Review John H. Walton, the author of The Lost World of Adam and Eve, is the professor of the Old Testament at Wheaton College. He was a professor at Moody Bible Institute for twenty years prior to working at Wheaton College. He loves his job and is very passionate about interacting with students for the purpose of training them for ministry, something he often does during his spare time. He loves to be challenged by the material he sets before his students and enjoys taking it home to his family, where they use it to learn and grow in the Lord together. John Walton has a PhD in Hebrew and Cognitive Studies from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, along
…show more content…
I agree with much of the content in this book, however a few questionable points were made. In Proposition 5, the confusing dialogue could make one believe that God’s “very good” is the equivalent of “good enough.” I believe that when God said his creation was very good, he meant it to the fullest. In Proposition 8, the author argues that God forming Adam from dust and Eve from Adam’s rib was not literal. Walton argues that God forming Eve from Adam’s rib is a depiction of man and wife becoming one flesh. Although this could be a true depiction, I believe that it was also literal. In proposition 10, whether or not Jesus is an archetype is left lingering. I do not think that this is even a question because Jesus is a perfect man and should not be associated with an archetype. Lastly, in Proposition 15, Walton says that mankind brought disorder instead of order to a world that had no order. I have always believed that the world was perfect before Adam and Eve brought disorder to it. This is a minor, but interesting difference to ponder. This was a very enjoyable read. I enjoyed it so much because it challenged me and forced me to think more deeply than I typically do. I recommend The Lost World of Adam and Eve to anyone who is up for the
MacArthur, John. The Battle for the Beginning: The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Did The Green Knight poem make allusions to Biblical tales? . Allusions is a vague description of a person, place or thing without being too specific. Allegory is a hidden meaning within a story that one has to discover on his or her own. Green Knight makes allusions towards the bibical tales of The Garden of Eden. The allegoring retelling of The Garden of Eden is apparent in the Green Knight in one big way, temptaion. The symbolic references from both stories are similiar in many aspects.
New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. Web. 3 Mar 2011. Accessed 22 April 2014.
From an early stage Edwards was influenced by his family tremendously. “As the only boy, he was the center of attention. From early years his parents groomed him for college and the ministry, and his older sisters often oversaw his lessons. Throughout his life Jonathan especially admired female piety, which he first saw in his mother and sisters” . His father was very strict and had only the highest expectations for his son. He taught young Edwards how to read and write Latin and Greek, languages that were necessary to enter college. “Jonathan was born a student, and his remarkable aptitudes must have gratified his father” .
Steinbeck uses the biblical story of Cain and Abel in East of Eden to show us that we do not have set fate. Steinbeck uses the Hebrew word “timshel”, which means “thou mayest”, to suggest that man has the ability to choose good or evil. “Timshel” affects the characters in East of Eden such as Cal and Aron and their choice of overcoming good or evil. Steinbeck sees this novel as his most important work, and he uses it as a way to state his personal ideas concerning mankind:“The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.”(Steinbeck,132). Steinbeck shows God has given humans free will and their ability to choose good or evil, if they so decide. He portrays the “C” characters to be connected to Cain, such as Charles and Cal and the “A” characters to be connected to Abel, such as Aron and Adam.
Throughout history, it is clear that men are usually seen to be advantaged by the logic of domination while females tend to be disadvantaged. Whether it be in the workplace, household, or even the bible men have always been inferior to women. Through history, cultural norms and stereotypes gender roles were created and have been present throughout society. Although it is believed that males are more advantaged than females the texts Eve and Adam: Genesis 2-3 Reread by Phyllis Trible and The Creation and Fall of Man and Woman explain how men and woman are in fact equal and maybe even disadvantaged by these cultural arrangements. Therefore, throughout history it is clear that gender discourses would allow one to believe that men are advantaged
Author Jonathan Swift states, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others”. Known as the greatest painter of his time, Masaccio, the brilliant artist, produces artwork with purity and language. Through Masaccio’s detailed artwork, The Expulsion of Eden, constructs a painting bursting with emotion that touches the viewer. The story of Adam and Eve depicts two people of opposite gender, and their journey through discovering the root of guilt, and the consequences of knowledge. After Eve (and eventually Adam) eats the attractive forbidden fruit from the tree of life - being tempted by the serpent, Adam and Eve are forever punished from the Garden of Eden, liberating both from innocence. Due to Masaccio's genius paintwork, he portrays the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden with precise detail and emotion that matches and, in some parts, enhances the actual Biblical story.
BibleGateway.com -. Web. The Web. The Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
After reading Milton’s Lost Paradise and The Book of Genesis, I noticed some similarities and many differences. Although many of the characters names and personalities were similar, the viewpoints in which these stories were written differed. For example, In Milton’s lost paradise the reader is able to actually see what the characters are thinking and their reasons for doing things, whereas in The Book of Genesis the characters actions are unpredictable. Another difference I noticed was in the Bible the source of sin begins straight from the birth of Eve and the reasons for the creation of man and woman. While in Milton’s Lost Paradise the author starts from the establishment of Satan “Who first seduc'd them to that foul revolt? Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd , The Mother of Mankind, what time his Pride Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his Host Of Rebel Angels” (33-38). The author is referencing the source of sin to Satan, “Milton accepts, and insists on the challenge that the fall must be made believable—and acceptable—by a dramatic representation addressed to the human reasoning” (Bowers 264-273). These two stories illustrate humanity and God’s formation of earth but in contrastive ways.
In our present era, there is no doubt that the evolution of women's rights has come a long way. It is in the Western Culture that these values for which women have fought for generations, are in conflict with Genesis 1-3. The events that occur in this "creation story" are crucial in that it begins when God creates man in his own likeness and man is given domination over all living things. The significance is the prominence given to men; God is male and his most important creation is male. The biblical account underlines the supremacy of man while making it clear that women play an inferior role. Furthermore, the biblical account also describes how woman are disobedient and yield to temptation, the result of which is the expulsion of both Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. In the poem "How Cruel is the Story of Eve", Stevie Smith's castigation towards the biblical story of Eve demonstrates how women have been victims of despair and suffering since the beginning of time. She holds it responsible for cruelty towards women in history, she implies that the values derived from the story of Eve were forced upon women without choice, and finally, she challenges the authenticity of the religious tale on a whole. Without a doubt, women have fallen victim to an untrue, religious tale from the beginning of time, and the poem is an outcry representing the suffering of women throughout history.
Gandhi once said, “I have also seen children successfully surmounting the effects of an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent attribute of the soul”.
All in all the actions of Eve were neither good nor evil, but instead necessary. Through her actions she brought to light the evils of the world, and as a result man is able to appreciate that which is good. Moreover one cannot blame Eve for what she did because although as we have seen God did instill upon mankind free will, he used his threats as a means of manipulating this gift. Although there were many trees in the Garden of Eden, having the tree of knowledge of good and evil forbidden created mystery for Eve, and therefore drew her to it over the tree of life. And once both Adam and Eve choose with their own free will to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil immortality is no longer an option. Now that man is knowledgeable enough to appreciate immortality, God removes it as an choice. In a way this story shows us the flaws of both man and God. Man in that he is tempted by that which is forbidden and does not always respect the orders of those in a position of authority; And God is shown to be somewhat devious and perhaps even malicious at times.
The NIV Study Bible. Barker, Kenneth: General Editor. Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1995
“Dream not of other worlds,” the angel Raphael warns Adam in Miltons’s Paradise Lost (VIII.175). Eve, however, dreams of another world in which she will gain knowledge and power, a wish that is superficially fulfilled when she succumbs to Satan’s temptation and eats from the Tree of Knowledge. Awakening in the Garden of Eden as though from a dream, Eve searches for her identity and her place in Paradise. Satan provides Eve with a chance to gain knowledge and to become god-like. As Eve is not an equal companion for Adam, she seeks independence from her husband. Shifting her loyalty away from God and Adam and towards Satan and the Tree of Knowledge, Eve strives to find her identity in the Garden of Eden, gain knowledge and godliness, and obtain independence from her unequal partnership with Adam.