Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is the paradise described in the holy books of Abrahamic religions, especially the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. The specific chapters are: Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.
Etymology
The name Eden derives from the Akkadian edinnu, from a Sumerian word edin meaning "plain" or "steppe," closely related to an Aramaic root word meaning "fruitful, well-watered." Another interpretation associates the name with a Hebrew word for "pleasure," thus the Vulgate reads paradisum voluptatis in Genesis 2:8, and the Douay–Rheims Bible, following, has the wording "And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure."
Core narrative
The second part of the Genesis creation narrative, Genesis 2:4–3:24, opens with YHWH-Elohim (translated here "the LORD God") creating the first man (Adam), whom he placed in a garden that he planted "eastward in Eden."
The man was free to eat from any tree in the garden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was taboo. Last of all, God made a woman (Eve) from a rib of the man to be a companion for the man. In Genesis 3, the man and the woman were seduced by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit, and they were expelled from the garden to prevent them from eating of the Tree of Life, and thus living forever. Cherubim were placed east of the garden, "and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way of the Tree of Life."
Location
The location of Eden is described as the source of four tributaries. Various suggestions have been made for its location: at the head of the Persian Gulf, in southern Mesopotamia, in Armenia, or even locations entirely outside the Middle East. Others theorize that Eden was the entire Fertile Crescent or a region of "considerable size" in Mesopotamia, where its native inhabitants still exist in cities such as Telassar.
Genesis 2:10–14 lists four rivers in association with the garden of Eden:
- Pishon
- Gihon
- Hiddekel (the Tigris)
- Phirat (the Euphrates).
It also refers to the land of Cush—translated/interpreted as Ethiopia, but thought by some to equate to Cossaea, a Greek name for the land of the Kassites. These lands lie north of Elam, immediately to the east of ancient Babylon, which, unlike Ethiopia, does lie within the region being described. In Antiquities of the Jews, the first-century Jewish historian Josephus identifies the Pishon as what "the Greeks called Ganges" and the Geon (Gehon) as the Nile.
Speculated locations
Suggestions for the location of Eden include:
- the head of the Persian Gulf
- in southern Mesopotamia where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the sea
- in the Armenian Highlands or Armenian National Plateau
- a mountain sanctuary in the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges
Fringe ideas of locations include:
- Jackson County, Missouri (Mormonism)
- Bedford, England (Panacea Society)
- Bristol, Florida (Elvy E. Callaway)
- Jerusalem
- Xinjiang, China (Tse Tsan-tai)
Non-Hebrew origins of the story
Like the Genesis flood narrative, the Genesis creation narrative and the account of the Tower of Babel, the story of Eden echoes the Mesopotamian myth of a king, as a primordial man, who is placed in a divine garden to guard the tree of life.
A number of parallel concepts to the biblical Garden of Eden exist in various other religions and mythologies. Dilmun in the Sumerian story of Enki and Ninhursag is a paradise of the immortals, where sickness and death were unknown.
Canaanite clay tablet from the 13th century BC (Ugaritic texts) talk about a creator deity El, who lived in a vineyard or garden together with his wife Asherah on Mount Ararat. Another god, Horon, tries to depose El and when thrown down from the mountain, he transforms the Tree of Life from the garden into a Tree of Death. Horon also spreads around a poisonous fog, Adam is sent from the mountain to restore life on earth, Horon takes the shape of a large serpent and bites him, which leads to Adam and his wife losing their immortality.
Depictions in art and literature
One of oldest depictions of Garden of Eden is made in Byzantine style in Ravenna, while the city was still under Byzantine control. Michelangelo depicted a scene at the Garden of Eden on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Dutch-Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch painted multiple triptychs depicting a version of the Garden of Eden. The most famous of these is The Garden of Earthly Delights which depicts God as Jesus Christ standing with Adam and Even surrounded by animals and other strange creatures. Another triptych depicts the serpent tempting Even with fruit from the forbidden tree. Both of these images were incorporated in the Hieronymus Bosch Tarot deck by Travis McHenry in 2020.
Literature
For many medieval writers, the image of the Garden of Eden also creates a location for human love and sexuality, often associated with the classic and medieval trope of the locus amoenus.
In the Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri places the Garden at the top of Mt. Purgatory. Dante, the pilgrim, emerges into the Garden of Eden in Canto 28 of Purgatorio. Here he is told that God gave the Garden of Eden to man "in earnest, or as a pledge of eternal life," but man was only able to dwell there for a short time because he soon fell from grace. In the poem, the Garden of Eden is both human and divine: while it is located on earth at the top of Mt. Purgatory, it also serves as the gateway to the heavens.
Much of Milton's Paradise Lost occurs in the Garden of Eden.
The first act of Arthur Miller's 1972 play Creation of the World and Other Business is set in the Garden of Eden.
Occult views
The Garden of Eden is held in special regard by some occultists, especially those who utilize the Kabbalah in their workings. The important Kabbalistic book, Sefer HaRazim, was believed to have been transmitted by Archangel Raziel to Adam after he was evicted from Eden. Beforehand, they spoke regularly and were close friends.
According to the Zohar, the demon Lilith was Adam's first wife, but he abandoned her after she refused to obey him. In this narrative, she becomes the consort of the angel (or fallen angel) Samael.
When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, Archangel Gabriel appeared to comfort them.
The "flaming cherubim" guarding the Garden of Eden is believed to be a reference to Archangel Uriel. Depending on the artist, either Uriel or Archangel Michael was responsible for throwing Adam and Eve out of Eden.