Lionel Refson
Member
It is The Bible and what follows on
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I Know what the Fruit of Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Really Is AT LAST!!t
- Thread starter Lionel Refson
- Start date
We can start by pointing out what it is not and how its symbolism contrasts against whatever similar symbols other cultures have.
Well what the tree is in Eden, is its not the tree in this image. You can see a similarity of some of the objects. The names of the 'Ascended ones' are not written on its leaves. Its fruit is specifically not the sacred heart of Horus. The serpent is not Apophis (god of the underworld in Egyptology). Names which in Egyptian religion hold magical powers are merely the names given by Adam to the animals. There is no Bast, no wise cat goddess protecting the undead from Apophis, but instead a Woman who is deceived. None of the Egyptian symbolism matches any of the Hebrew symbolism except in ways that turn Egyptian symbolism upon its head.
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
What caused you to think so?
The Reverend Bob
Fart Machine and Beastmaster
When concept of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was created by the Ancient Canaanites , the Book of Genesis wasn't even canon and there was no Bible in existence
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
Im curious, as would this not suggest we are cursed if we read the Bible and we shoukd avoid it as was instructed?
The forbidden fruit Adam & Eve ate of is knowledge.
Genesis 3:22
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
It is the knowledge of how to create life (sexual reproduction and also tools/weaponry etc) and to destroy (by being able to die/kill/consume resources to create the objects of life, tools/weaponry) ourselves without needing God to do these things for us.
This includes sex, survival skills, science, etc. All the things Adam & Eve didn't need because Eden provided everything. This is also why Adam & Eve who walked naked around each other before, suddenly felt guilty and ashamed to look upon each others naked bodies after they had ate the fruit.
74x12
Well-Known Member
Well in symbolism you're basically correct because the Law (written in the scripture) tells us what is good and evil. But it is not the Law itself which is evil. It is the practice of doing what is evil even though we know it is evil. So as Paul said in Romans 7:9 the knowledge of evil is what awakened sin in mankind and caused death. Without the Law we did not know sin. Which is why God told them not to eat of it. However, the tempter convinced Eve that knowledge alone is the ultimate obtainment and so they disobeyed God.
So what happens next? The Word of God became as a flaming sword guarding the way to eternal life(the tree of life) so that they could not partake of Life anymore due to their knowledge of the evil within themselves. But, there came from God a restorative Word which is the Word made flesh. He is the resurrection. That is rising from the dead to live forever. So to get to the tree of Life you must get past the flaming sword and so you must die. But if you can live again after you died then you will partake of the tree of life and live forever. So Jesus is the resurrection and the way to get to the tree of Life and so live forever. And all this is symbolic of what Jesus really does.
Hopefully you can follow that, but it's a good picture of how Jesus Christ is able to give life according to scriptural teaching.
Spirit of Light
Be who ever you want
I might be wrong but I actually think the human brain is the tree of knowledge.
Seen from the side in an MRI scan it looks a lot like a tree. where the spine is the trunk and the brain is the leaf area of a tree. but of course, the tree of knowledge is where we store our knowledge, the brain.
Seen from the side in an MRI scan it looks a lot like a tree. where the spine is the trunk and the brain is the leaf area of a tree. but of course, the tree of knowledge is where we store our knowledge, the brain.
If you are looking for knowledge of good and evil, you first have to let evil in so you can know it for what it is. So how did it start?
Adam blamed Eve, and god for bringing the woman to him.
Eve in turn blamed the serpent.
Now you've got a perpetual shell game. At least there's an ending to the shell game through death.
It might have been easier to just offer a red pill and a blue pill.
Adam blamed Eve, and god for bringing the woman to him.
Eve in turn blamed the serpent.
Now you've got a perpetual shell game. At least there's an ending to the shell game through death.
It might have been easier to just offer a red pill and a blue pill.
Shadow Link
Active Member
Tumah
Veteran Member
The thing is - and I think this is important to note - it's not actually called the 'Tree of Knowledge', but the 'Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil'. None of the things you've included in your list could objectively be described as good or evil - nor are any of them labeled as such by the Tanach.
It is a mythical tale. The author of Genesis was probably trying to make sense of why human nature is so complex.
Lionel Refson
Member
Because it is the Bible, certainly everything after Gen 9:19 that has caused the duality that represents humanity. It has split us asunder and caused bloodshed on a scale far in excess of anything else IMO It is this book that has planted the seed of judgement in all of us that read it ie This is good, that is evil and so on. Only by stepping away from this duality can we return to simplicity. You may be able to and so might I but the world cannot. If we discard this fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, once and for all then who knows.
The deeper you get into The Bible and the Koran, the more you get lost . The enlightened person rejects this duality and becomes as Adam or Eve, back in the garden.
Bob, we all know that these are myths and legends and yet all myths and legends contain in their root truth
IMO genesis was faithfully written by hebrew scribes whose descendants had their roots in Sumer
In essence yes, especially everything after Gen 9:19.
It is the knowledge of good and evil
God told them not to eat of it, but God sent the serpent, to offer them a choice ie obedience or freewill and self-awareness. God knew what we would choose, but God gave us the choice anyway. We chose it even though we knew we were disobeying God and God knew we would disobey even on pain of death, because God knows all things.That is my take on it at any rate and if you think about it it was the only way God could have given us freewill. He did punish us, but not with the original threat and showed us mercy by clothing us. We were barred from continuing to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life, because as God implied "We would become as God The knowledge of good and evil plus immortality would have meant that over thousands of years we would have worked out that any duality, anything that splits, divides or can be split, divided etc is to rejected and we all would be as God. Luckily for us, we have an easier path. When we die and return to God , all duality ends.
lol!
Well first of all I was just speaking in general, I thought that was clear. The list I provided isn't meant to be seen as a literal word for word translation.
I'm trying to convey the idea that the fruit that Adam & Eve ate of contained all the knowledge people would need to create and destroy life. This is the good and evil in the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil".
Tumah
Veteran Member
If it could be broken down to that, wouldn't it have more properly been called "Tree of Knowledge of Creation and Destruction".
Also, I think before the Tree got into the picture, Adam was already commanded to procreate and to work and guard the garden (presumably with some sort of tools?).
Because it goes beyond just creation and destruction as I said in the first post.
Nope, you are thinking of:
Genesis 1 26-28
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
This is on the 6th day.
God didn't create Adam and Eve until after the 7th day of rest.
Genesis 1: 31 the end of Genesis 1
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Here in Genesis 2 the 7th day starts.
Genesis 2 1-2
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Here Adam is created in Genesis 2
Genesis 2:7
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Here Eve is created Genesis 2:21-25
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
This is the end of Genesis 2.
Genesis 3 opens up with the serpent speaking to Eve.
Genesis 3: 1-2
3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
At no point have Adam and Eve needed for anything that God has not provided within Eden. Only 1 catch. Don't eat of the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil".
Tumah
Veteran Member
I thought you were giving examples of creative/destructive acts and tools there.
I see the confusion. The word "adam" means "man". It's the same word being used in 1:27 and 2:7. So the description of the creation of Adam is chapter 2, is an expansion of the process that took place in chapter 1.
You don't see the confusion. You are making the confusion.
The events in Genesis 2 happens 2 days after what happens in Genesis 1.
If what you think is true then explain why Genesis 1:27 He created man and woman.
Then in Genesis 2 He created Adam, then created Eve from Adam.
Your revisiting theory doesn't hold water.
Tumah
Veteran Member
That's what 1:27 says:
And G-d created the man in His image. In the image of G-d He created him, male and female He created them.
First He created a particular man and by the end of the creation He had created a male and a female.
Ok then.
Answer this.
Where did Cains wife come from then?
She is not a child of Adam and Eve. She is not listed in the genealogy.