For what were Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise?

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is one of two specific trees in the story of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2–3, along with the tree of life. Alternatively, some scholars have argued that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is just another name for the tree of life.

In Christian tradition, consuming the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the sin committed by Adam and Eve that led to the fall of man in Genesis 3.

In Catholicism, Augustine of Hippo taught that the "tree" should be understood both symbolically and as a real tree – similarly to Jerusalem being both a real city and a figure of Heavenly Jerusalem. Augustine underlined that the fruits of that tree were not evil by themselves, because everything that God created "was good" (Genesis 1:12). It was disobedience of Adam and Eve, who had been told by God not to eat of the tree (Genesis 2:17), that caused disorder in the creation, thus humanity inherited sin and guilt from Adam and Eve's sin.

In Western Christian art, the fruit of the tree is commonly depicted as the apple, which originated in central Asia. This depiction may have originated as a Latin pun: by eating the mālum (apple), Eve contracted malum (evil).

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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53 Comments

deborahpmercer

I did once see a cartoon that tickled my fancy with the two of them leaving Eden and an irate Adam muttering to Eve, "You and your vitamin C!"

Leapy Lee

I'm not a fan of religious trivia

Jacqueline Tattam

The question is missing the vital preface “According to the bible..”

illonabird

Trinette Sue Thrap Bell, I await with bated breath.

Johnny Rock

The Devil is a good liar, he is the deceiver, a thief, and all evil, and in him is no good at all.

David Coe

Even this atheist knew that one!

bina sarmah

Irene Townsend, Budha and Mohamed were real human being, of course they are dead. Cow , money , rats all are real. Everything is sacred, which contribute to human life. Adam and EVe not so much.

Pat Wells

Historical mythology. Where is Eden? Where are Adam and Eve buried? Who are the decedents?

David Colloby

Do people still really believe this fairy story?

David Coe

Trinette Sue Thrap Bell, Relax, ma'am. There is no God and no Devil. They were just scary stories told to simple folk in the old days.

Kittypal1

Jarvis, "Omniscience" is all knowing of past and future. "Omnipotence" is all powerful, limitless authority. 🙃

Peter Marchese

Pat Wells, I am one of them

Sheldon Burnston

Jarvis, according to Judaism, God created Humankind with free will. He had already created the angels, who were made to be obedient to God's will (and Satan was cast out of Heaven for rebelling against God), but He wanted people with whom He could discuss things freely. Remember that Abraham argued with God about the destruction of Sodom, and Moses hesitated about going back to Egypt to free His people. So Eve and Adam listened to the urge towards good in their nature and the urge towards evil, and chose the latter.

Susan Lake-Harris

Peter Abrams, interesting points you make here. Jewish scholars will often say that the holy books (for Christians, the Old Testament), are predominantly metaphorical - to help people learn lessons and develop understanding of human nature. The free will aspect is interesting, and as a concept, has been around for a long time. Of all people who've tried to explain it well for young people to understand, I like the approach taken by Laura Ingalls Wilder's father, Charles Ingalls. He explained to Laura when she was young that God gave mankind had free will, which made people different to animals. As an example, he said beavers could only make one kind of home, and it worked well for them, but beavers couldn't imagine making different kinds of homes - they could only make lodges. People, he told her, because they have free will, can build any kind of home they can imagine. He finished with the thought, so if it doesn't keep the rain out or it falls over, "that's his lookout." (Or words close to that - I'm quoting from memory and it's been a loooong time since I read the books...) Such a simple lesson, but it also brings in the concept of thinking through an idea before implementation; thinking about possible consequences of actions...

Susan Lake-Harris

Jacqueline Tattam, unfortunately, adding that preface doesn't stop the unnecessary comments... but I completely agree with you; it should be there.

Peter Abrams

Jarvis, I remember asking a very similar question in a course on John Milton's "Paradise Lost" many years ago. The quick and dirty answer without getting into the nitty gritty details is, man was given 'free will'. What Adam and Eve did was not necessarily foreordained. There was always the possibility that Adam would NOT disobey. As for the omniscient (all-knowing by the way-not omnipotent- all powerful) God knowing the outcome beforehand...presumably both outcomes were equally possible...but as I said, I won't get into the 'nitty-gritty'. I really wish people would treat the Biblical story more as mythology as Joseph Campbell treats mythology. It's a story. It's a human creation. We all create myths which follow patterns that have always been followed. They do reveal deeper truths about ourselves and our place in the universe and society. They are not simply 'fairy tales'. LIsten to Joseph Campbell discuss i ideas about mythology. Or read his writing, which is fairly lucid stuff. Myths are NOT lies, or fairy tales-they are fictional stories with truths within them. Not the truth of science but of psychology. Jung also shows how myth works in out lives every day.

Jarvis

Never quite understood this. If God is omnipotent, then surely he knew all along that Adam would eat the fruit from the tree. To be omnipotent is to know the future also. Either God knows the future or not. If God knows, then there was no 'test'. God always knew the outcome, from the moment before Adam's creation. To not know, is to not be omnipotent. Why would God use his magnificent brain to spend his days watching a little man wander around a garden anyway, eating and presumably defecating in Eden? Seems a little boring. He knew Adam would fail. It was the plan to cast us out. Of course, if he does know the future then he already knows the future of us all, those who will & will not make it into some kind of heaven. Assuming there is one...

Wilma Tomlinson Mcphail

I was happy to see the large percentage that answered correctly.

Brent Chambers

Actually, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

Jacqueline Tattam

Robin Heckler, making a simple comment isn’t making anything ‘a big deal’. People are invited to “express their thoughts on the subject” and that’s exactly what Leapy Lee did!