This account emphasizes knowledge because it is the desire for knowledge that motivates Adam and Eve and ultimately results in their punishment. Legaspi points out that this knowledge is not a “divine omniscience,” but rather a knowledge that gives someone the “capacity to make independent judgments concerning human welfare.” In other words, by eating the fruit Adam and Eve were given the ability to judge, the ability to assign these labels to different things/actions. Legaspi describes knowing good and evil as the ability “to pronounce on the propriety and ultimate value of things,” which only God should be able to do. So, the tree of knowledge does not give a person a god-like knowledge, but rather the capability to make judgements, making them “like God’ in a sense. The fact that they ate the fruit (as opposed to touching it) is also significant, as explained by Legaspi. Both accounts show the act of eating as an exchange between God and humans: God gives the gift of food and humans receive it by eating it. In this particular account, however, the exchange is framed as a “prohibition,” which further emphasizes humans’ dependence on and obedience to God. 

It’s also worth noting that the central object of the story is a tree. In literature, trees are often used to symbolize life and wisdom. The two trees present in this account (the tree of life and the tree of knowledge) do just that. It’s also important to note that since Adam and Eve violated the tree, these ideas are used against them. The two no longer enjoy everlasting life but rather are sentenced to a life that will inevitably end, and they receive knowledge but not necessarily wisdom. 

The failure of Adam and Eve in this account is an act of disobedience, but it can also be described as a failure to accept what they’d been given. God gave them everything they could’ve needed with just one condition. But, as human nature would have it, the effects of desire and curiosity kicked in, making them want something beyond what they had: knowledge. This action makes Adam and Eve more god-like in the sense that they now have the ability to make judgements about good and bad. However, it makes them so much more human because it shows their imperfections and results in them living mortal lives that will end. God’s punishment (banishing them) is merciful because he could’ve done way worse. He allowed them to still live out their lives while still paying for their disobedience.

While it’s not a scientific account of the Earth’s beginnings, the creation described in the beginning of Genesis provides a sort of mythical explanation for the creation of the Earth, establishing the Earth and its contents as divine creations and emphasizing the care with which they were created. In this section, God is creating every aspect of the natural world: day and night, land and sea, creatures, humans, etc. The idea that God Himself created all of these things means that they are his direct creations, giving them a certain air of purpose and a divine connection. The repetition of the phrase “And God saw that this was good,” shows the care that was put into this creation. The passage shows that God spent time on each creation until he was satisfied, again emphasizing the importance of each creation. 

This account of God’s creation of humans establishes our importance as well, and it shows our relationship to the Earth and its contents. By saying that God gave humans dominion over His own creations, this section suggests that we as humans were given divine permission to control these things and that this is our natural place in the order of the world. This section also says that God made us in His image, emphasizing our purpose, importance, and divine connection.

The seventh day is described as a day of rest, establishing it as a holy day. If God Himself took this day to rest, then we, as his creations, should too. It is also the last day of the creation, a day for God to observe and admire his work. This translates to us, as we take a day of the week (either Saturday or Sunday) to completely honor and appreciate his work and his blessings. The idea of “rest” implies that this day should be taken to do nothing but this.

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.