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OnTHESIXTHDAYOFCREATIONSaysGENESISGodcreateshumankindintheimageofGodmaleandfemale"(Genesis1:27)ThesefirsthumansarecalledAdamandEve.AndthentheLordplantsagardeninEdenwitheverytreethatispleasantforthesightandgoodforfood,"andthisgarden"heputthemanwhomhehadformed."(Genesis2:8-9).ThisgardenevocativeofthelushgrovesofSumeriswateredbyariversplitintofourbranches:theTigrisEuphratesPishonandGihon(Genesis2:10-4).TheEuphratesandtheTigrisarewellknownbutthecoursesofthePishonandtheGihonareuncertain.

UsingsatellitephotographysomescholarsclaimtohavedetectedtracesofthePishonintheancientdryriverbedoftheWadiBatin-aclaimsupportedbyacuneiformtabletfromtheBabylonianpalaceofNippurthatreferstoEdenastheSumerianwordforuncultivatedplain."OtherssuggestthatEdenmaybelinkedtotheSumerianlegendofautopianlandcalledDilmunwhichissometimesidentifiedwiththeregionofpresent-dayBahrain.RegardlessoflocationthebiblicaldescriptionofEdenleaveslittledoubtaboutthesitessignificance:ItwaseverythingthattheharshSyrianDesertwasnot.

Manssojourninthisidyllicgardenisshort.AserpentpersuadesAdamandEvetoeatfromtheforbiddentreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil,"afterwhichtheyareevictedandforcedtosustainthemselvesbytillingtheground"(Genesis3:23)-abiblicalreferencetothemomentwhenagriculturebecamethemainstayofhumanexistence.ThetreeasasymboloflifefiguredprominentlyinMesopotamianmythologywhiletheroleoftheserpentisreminiscentoftheMesopotamianEpicofGilgameshinwhichaserpentstealsaplantthatconfersimmortality.FortheBiblehowevertheEdenstoryunderscoreshowhumanexistenceismerelyan"exile"fromaprimordialstateofdivineperfection.

ThesescenesofAdamandEveinParadiseasenvisionedbyLucasCranachtheElder

(1472-1553)werepaintedaround1530.

<thebiblicalworldanillustratedatlas에서>

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