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NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Bible Question:
My mother-in-law (Roman Catholic) believes that in the story of the fall, the forbidden fruit represents intercourse between Adam and Eve. She says that original sin and the fall of man wouldn't have occurred just by "eating some fruit". I told her man's fall occurred because they disobeyed God, by eating the fruit. I couldn't convince her, I told her that there was nothing in the text that would indicate that the fruit represented anything other than the fruit. She apparently learned this in Catholic grade school 50 years ago. Does anyone else hold to this view? Am I right to read this story literally? Emmaus - I tried to check the Catechism, but couldn't find anything in there (but I'm not that good at finding my way through that beast), do you know if this is Catholic doctrine? Thanks, reilly |
Bible Answer: Interpreting Nudity. Hi Reilly and Emmaus. I've been thinking about this from another angle. I agree with everything that has been said -- but I was left wondering "where did this sex idea come from?" There is the fact that God clothed Adam and Eve only after the fall. This could suggest, to some, that their naked innocence was sexually ignorant. In our sexualized culture, we cannot seem to interpret nudity as anything other than erotic -- and thus the clothing seems a critique of their nudity (sexuality of the fall.) Of course nudity has other symbolic meanings. To be naked -- husband, wife, with God -- is a sign of trust, honesty, complete sharing. With sin, we need to protect ourselves, set up limits --- clothe ourselves. The clothing is about barriers between Adam and Eve, and between them and God. The sexuality bit is also played up in paintings of the theme. Sometimes you have nudity as beautiful intimacy --- but other times the sexuality is played up in the temptation scene. Medieval paintings of "Death and the Maiden" -- with both sex (Eve) and Death (the snakelike tempter) -- certainly pack a punch. Thus the person that buys the painting gets to a) feel holy for having such a venerable Bible scene to admonish them; while b) enjoying the voluptuous curves of Eve on their wall. Don't get me wrong --- I think nudity can play a very positive roll in art --- and many of the Adam and Eve paintings are fabulous. But artworks show an INTERPRETATION of the Bible, and we need to return to the source. Sometimes looking at artwork reveals truths in the scriptures that we, or even our whole era, are blind to. Thanks be to God. Yours, JRM |