Eden​—Was It Mankind’s Original Home?

IMAGINE yourself in a garden. There are no distractions, no sounds of chaotic city life drifting in over some nearby wall. This garden is vast, and nothing intrudes on its peace. Better yet, your mind is clear of worries, your body untroubled by any trace of illness, allergies, or pain. Your senses are free to take in your surroundings.

You feast your eyes first on the vivid hues of the blossoms, then on the sparkle of a stream, then on the myriad greens of foliage and grass in sun and shadow. You feel the mild breeze on your skin and smell the sweet fragrances it carries. You hear the rustling of leaves, the splash of water tumbling over rocks, the calls and songs of birds, the hum of insects at work. As you picture the scene, do you not long to be in such a place?

People around the world believe that mankind had its start in a place like that. For centuries, members of Judaism, Christendom, and Islam have been taught about the garden of Eden, where God put Adam and Eve to live. According to the Bible, they had a peaceful, happy existence. They were at peace with each other, with the animals, and with God, who kindly gave them the hope of living forever in that lovely environment.​—Genesis 2:15-24.

Hindus too have their distinctive concepts about a paradise in ancient times. Buddhists believe that great spiritual leaders, or Buddhas, arise in such golden ages when the world is like a paradise. And numerous religions of Africa teach stories that bear a remarkable resemblance to that of Adam and Eve.

In fact, the idea of an early paradise has been pervasive in mankind’s religions and traditions. One author noted: “Many civilizations believed in a primordial paradise that was characterized by perfection, freedom, peace, happiness, abundance, and the absence of duress, tensions, and conflicts. . . . This belief gave rise in the collective consciousness to a profound nostalgia for the lost but not forgotten paradise and to a strong desire to recover it.”

Might all those stories and traditions stem from a common root? Is it possible that mankind’s “collective consciousness” is imprinted with the memory of something real? Was there actually a garden of Eden in the distant past and a real Adam and Eve?

Skeptics scoff at the idea. In this scientific age, many assume that such accounts are mere legends and myths. Surprisingly, not all the skeptics are secular. Many religious leaders promote disbelief in the garden of Eden. They say that there never was any such place. They say that the account is merely a metaphor, a myth, a fable, a parable.

Of course, the Bible does contain parables. Jesus himself uttered the most famous of them. However, the Bible presents the account about Eden, not as a parable, but as history, pure and simple. Yet, if the events described never occurred, then how can the rest of the Bible be trusted? Let us examine why some are skeptical about the garden of Eden and see whether their reasons are sound. Then we will consider why the account should matter to each one of us.

Was There Really a Garden of Eden?

DO YOU know the story of Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden? It is familiar to people around the world. Why not read it for yourself? You will find it at Genesis 1:26–3:24. Here is the gist of the story:

Jehovah Goda forms a man from the dust, names him Adam, and settles him in a garden in a region called Eden. God himself planted this garden. It is well-watered and abundant with beautiful fruit-bearing trees. At its center is “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” God forbids humans to eat from this tree, stating that disobedience will result in death. In time, Jehovah makes a companion for Adam​—the woman Eve—​forming her from one of Adam’s ribs. God gives them the job of caring for the garden and tells them to multiply and fill the earth.

When Eve is alone, a serpent speaks to her, tempting her to eat the forbidden fruit by claiming that God has lied to her and is withholding something good, something that will make her godlike. She gives in and eats the forbidden fruit. Later, Adam joins her in disobeying God. Jehovah responds by pronouncing sentence on Adam, Eve, and the serpent. After the humans are expelled from the paradisaic garden, the angels block the entrance.

Among scholars, intellectuals, and historians, it was once popular to attest that the events recorded in the Bible book of Genesis were true and historical. These days, skepticism about all such matters is more in fashion. But what is the basis for the doubts about the Genesis account of Adam, Eve, and the garden of Eden? Let us examine four common objections.

1. Was the garden of Eden a real place?

Why is there doubt on this score? Philosophy may have played a role. For centuries, theologians speculated that God’s garden was still in existence somewhere. However, the church was influenced by such Greek philosophers as Plato and Aristotle, who held that nothing on the earth could be perfect. Only heaven could contain perfection. Therefore, theologians reasoned, the original Paradise had to be closer to heaven.b Some said that the garden sat atop an extremely high mountain that reached just above the confines of this degraded planet; others, that it was at the North Pole or the South Pole; still others, that it was on or near the moon. Not surprisingly, the whole concept of Eden took on an aura of fantasy. Some modern-day scholars dismiss the geography of Eden as nonsense, asserting that no such place ever existed.

However, the Bible does not portray the garden that way. At Genesis 2:8-14, we learn a number of specifics about that place. It was located in the eastern part of the region called Eden. It was watered by a river that became the source for four rivers. Each of the four is named, and a brief description about its course provided. These details have long tantalized scholars, many of whom have scoured this Bible passage for clues to the present-day location of this ancient site. However, they have come up with innumerable contradictory opinions. Does this mean that the physical description of Eden, its garden, and its rivers is false or mythical?

Consider: The events in the garden of Eden account unfolded some 6,000 years ago. They were put into writing, evidently by Moses, who may have made use of oral accounts or perhaps even preexisting documents. Still, Moses was writing about 2,500 years after the events described. Eden was already ancient history. Now, is it possible for such landmarks as rivers to change over the course of dozens of centuries? The earth’s crust is dynamic, ever in motion. The region that likely included Eden is an earthquake belt​—one that now accounts for about 17 percent of the world’s largest quakes. In such areas, change is the rule rather than the exception. What is more, the Flood of Noah’s day may have altered the topography in ways that we simply cannot know today.c

Here, though, are a few facts that we do know: The Genesis account speaks of the garden as a real place. Two of the four rivers mentioned in the account​—the Euphrates and the Tigris, or Hiddekel—​flow today, and some of their source waters are very close together. The account even names the lands through which those rivers flowed and specifies the natural resources well-known in the area. To the people of ancient Israel, the original audience who read this record, these details were informative.

Do myths and fairy tales work that way? Or do they tend to omit specifics that could readily be verified or denied? “Once upon a time in a faraway land” is a way to begin a fairy tale. History, though, tends to include relevant details, as the Eden account does.

2. Is it really believable that God formed Adam from dust and Eve from one of Adam’s ribs?

Modern science has confirmed that the human body is composed of various elements​—such as hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon—​all of which are found in the earth’s crust. But how were those elements assembled into a living creature?

Many scientists theorize that life arose on its own, starting with very simple forms that gradually, over millions of years, became more and more complex. However, the term “simple” can be misleading, for all living things​—even microscopic single-celled organisms—​are incredibly complex. There is no proof that any kind of life has ever arisen by chance or ever could. Rather, all living things bear unmistakable evidence of design by an intelligence far greater than our own.d​—Romans 1:20.

Can you imagine listening to a great symphony or admiring a brilliant painting or marveling at an achievement of technology and then insisting that these works had no maker? Of course not! But such masterpieces do not even begin to approach the complexity, beauty, or ingenuity of the design of the human body. How could we imagine that it had no Creator? Furthermore, the Genesis account explains that of all life on earth, only humans were made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26) Fittingly, only humans on earth are capable of reflecting God’s creative drive, at times producing impressive works of music, art, and technology. Should it surprise us that God is far better at creating than we are?

As to creating the woman by using a rib from the man, where is the difficulty in that?e God could have used other means, but his manner of making the woman had beautiful significance. He wanted the man and the woman to marry and to form a close bond, as if they were “one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) Is not the way man and woman can complement each other, forming a stable and mutually nourishing bond, powerful evidence of a wise and loving Creator?

Furthermore, modern geneticists have acknowledged that all humans likely descended from only one male and one female. Really, then, is the Genesis account far-fetched?

3. The tree of knowledge and the tree of life seem mythical.

Actually, the Genesis account does not teach that these trees had any peculiar or supernatural powers of their own. Rather, they were actual trees that Jehovah invested with symbolic meaning.

Do not humans do something similar at times? For instance, a judge may warn against the crime of acting in contempt of court. It is not the furniture, fixtures, and walls of the courtroom itself that the judge wants to protect from disrespect but the system of justice that the court represents. Various monarchs too have used the scepter and the crown as symbols of their sovereign authority.

What, then, did the two trees symbolize? Many complex theories have been put forward. The genuine answer, while simple, is quite profound. The tree of the knowledge of good and bad represented a privilege that is God’s province alone​—the right to determine what is good and what is bad. (Jeremiah 10:23) No wonder it was a crime to steal from that tree! The tree of life, on the other hand, represented a gift that only God can bestow​—everlasting life.​—Romans 6:23.

4. A serpent that talks seems to belong to fairy-tale lore.

Granted, this aspect of the Genesis narrative can be puzzling, especially if we do not take the rest of the Bible into account. However, the Scriptures gradually clear up this intriguing mystery.

Who or what made that serpent appear to talk? The people of ancient Israel knew of other factors that shed much light on the role of that snake. For example, they knew that although animals do not talk, a spirit person can make an animal appear to speak. Moses also wrote the account about Balaam; God sent an angel to make Balaam’s donkey talk like a man.​—Numbers 22:26-31; 2 Peter 2:15, 16.

Can other spirits, including those who are God’s enemies, perform miracles? Moses had seen the magic-practicing priests of Egypt duplicate some of God’s miracles, such as making a staff appear to turn into a snake. The power to perform feats like that could come only from God’s enemies in the spirit realm.​—Exodus 7:8-12.

Evidently Moses was also the inspired writer of the book of Job. That book taught much about God’s chief enemy, Satan, who lyingly challenged the integrity of all of Jehovah’s servants. (Job 1:6-11; 2:4, 5) Did the Israelites of old thus reason that Satan had manipulated the serpent in Eden, making it appear to talk and deceive Eve into breaking her integrity to God? It seems likely.

Was Satan the force behind the serpent? Jesus later referred to Satan as “a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) “The father of the lie” would be the author of the first lie ever told, would he not? The first lie is found in the serpent’s words to Eve. Contradicting God’s warning that eating the forbidden fruit would end in death, the serpent said: “You positively will not die.” (Genesis 3:4) Clearly, Jesus knew that Satan had manipulated the serpent. The Revelation that Jesus gave to the apostle John settles the matter, calling Satan “the original serpent.”​—Revelation 1:1; 12:9.

Is it really far-fetched to believe that a powerful spirit person could manipulate a serpent, making it appear to talk? Even humans, though far less powerful than spirits, can perform baffling tricks of ventriloquism and create convincing special effects.

The Most Compelling Evidence

Would you not agree that the skepticism about the Genesis account has little real basis? On the other hand, there is powerful evidence that the account is true history.

For example, Jesus Christ is called “the faithful and true witness.” (Revelation 3:14) Being a perfect man, he never lied, never misrepresented the truth in any way. What is more, he taught that he had existed long before his life as a man on earth​—in fact, he had lived alongside his Father, Jehovah, “before the world was.” (John 17:5) So he was alive when life on earth began. What is the testimony of this most reliable of all witnesses?

Jesus spoke of Adam and Eve as real people. He referred to their marriage when explaining Jehovah’s standard of monogamy. (Matthew 19:3-6) If they never existed and the garden in which they lived was a mere myth, then either Jesus was deceived or he was a liar. Neither conclusion is feasible! Jesus had been in heaven, watching as the tragedy unfolded in the garden. What evidence could be more convincing than that?

In reality, disbelief in the Genesis account undermines faith in Jesus. Such disbelief also makes it impossible to understand some of the Bible’s greatest themes and most reassuring promises. Let us see how that is so.

[Footnotes]

Why Eden Matters to You

ONE of the most surprising objections that some scholars raise to the account about Eden is that it is not supported by the rest of the Bible. For example, Professor of Religious Studies Paul Morris writes: “There are no later direct biblical references to the Eden story.” His assessment may win nods of agreement from various “experts,” but it runs directly counter to the facts.

The Bible actually makes numerous references to the garden of Eden, Adam, Eve, and the serpent.a But the error of a few scholars pales in comparison to a much larger, more pervasive one. By discrediting the Genesis record of the garden of Eden, religious leaders and Bible critics are actually launching an all-out assault on the Bible. How so?

Understanding what happened in Eden is essential to understanding the rest of the Bible. For example, God’s Word is designed to help us find answers to the most profound and far-reaching questions that humans face. Again and again, the Bible’s answers to those questions relate to events that took place in the garden of Eden. Consider some examples.

● Why do we grow old and die? Adam and Eve were to live forever if they remained subject to Jehovah. Only if they rebelled would they die. In the day that they rebelled, they began to die. (Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:19) They lost perfection and could pass on only sin and imperfection to their offspring. The Bible thus explains: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”​—Romans 5:12.

● Why does God allow wickedness? In the garden of Eden, Satan called God a liar who withholds good from his creatures. (Genesis 3:3-5) He thus called into question the rightfulness of Jehovah’s way of ruling. Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan; so they likewise rejected Jehovah’s sovereignty and, in effect, asserted that man can decide for himself what is good and what is bad. In his perfect justice and wisdom, Jehovah knew that there was only one way to answer the challenge properly​—allow time to pass, giving humans the opportunity to rule themselves as they choose. The resulting wickedness is due, in part, to Satan’s continued influence and has gradually revealed a great truth: Man is incapable of governing himself without God.​—Jeremiah 10:23.

● What is God’s purpose for the earth? In the garden of Eden, Jehovah set a standard of beauty for the earth. He commissioned Adam and Eve to fill the earth with their offspring and “subdue it,” in order to bring the same measure of beauty and harmony to the whole planet. (Genesis 1:28) So God’s purpose for the earth is that it be a paradise inhabited by a perfect, united family of the offspring of Adam and Eve. Much of the Bible is about God’s means of fulfilling that original purpose.

● Why did Jesus Christ come to the earth? The rebellion in the garden of Eden brought a death sentence upon Adam and Eve and all their offspring, but God lovingly supplied hope. He sent his Son to the earth to provide what the Bible calls a ransom. (Matthew 20:28) What does that mean? Well, Jesus was “the last Adam”; he succeeded where Adam had failed. Jesus maintained his perfect human life by remaining obedient to Jehovah. Then he freely gave his life as a sacrifice, or ransom, providing the means for all faithful humans to receive forgiveness for their sins and eventually attain the kind of life that Adam and Eve enjoyed in Eden before they sinned. (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; John 3:16) Thus Jesus guaranteed that Jehovah’s purpose to turn this earth into an Edenlike paradise will come true.b

God’s purpose is not vague, nor is it some abstract theological concept. It is real. Just as the garden of Eden was a real place on this earth with real animals and real people, so God’s promise for the future is a certainty, a reality soon to come. Will it be your future, your reality? Much of that is up to you. God wants that future for as many people as possible, even for those whose lives have gone wrong.​—1 Timothy 2:3, 4.

As Jesus was dying, he spoke to a man whose life had taken a terrible turn. The man was a criminal; he knew that he deserved to be executed. But he turned to Jesus for comfort, for hope. Jesus’ response? “You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) If Jesus wants to see that former criminal there​—resurrected and blessed with an opportunity to live forever in an Edenlike paradise—​does he not want the same blessing for you? He does! His Father does! If you want that future for yourself, do all that you can to learn about the God who made the garden of Eden.

[Footnotes]

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A PROPHECY THAT TIES THE BIBLE TOGETHER

“I shall put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.”​—Genesis 3:15.

That is the Bible’s first prophecy, uttered by God in Eden. Who are the four characters: the woman, her offspring, the serpent, and its offspring? How does the foretold “enmity” play out?

THE SERPENT

Satan the Devil.​—Revelation 12:9.

THE WOMAN

Jehovah’s organization of heavenly creatures. (Galatians 4:26, 27) Isaiah spoke of “the woman,” foretelling that she would give birth to a future spiritual nation.​—Isaiah 54:1; 66:8.

THE SEED OF THE SERPENT

Those who choose to do the will of Satan.​—John 8:44.

THE SEED OF THE WOMAN

Primarily Jesus Christ, who came out of the heavenly part of Jehovah’s organization. Also included in the “seed” are Christ’s spiritual brothers, who rule in heaven with him. Those anointed Christians make up a spiritual nation, “the Israel of God.”​—Galatians 3:16, 29; 6:16; Genesis 22:18.

THE HEEL WOUND

A painful blow to the Messiah but not permanent in its effects. Satan succeeded in having Jesus put to death on earth. Jesus was resurrected.

THE HEAD WOUND

A deadly blow to Satan. Jesus will put Satan out of existence forever. Even before that, Jesus will undo the evil Satan began in Eden.​—1 John 3:8; Revelation 20:10.

For a concise overview of the Bible’s central theme, see the brochure The Bible​—What Is Its Message? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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Adam and Eve suffered the disastrous results of sin