A Thank You to the Professor

One thing that I have noticed throughout this semester is that this class has related to many of my other courses I am taking this year. In my human sexuality class, as I am studying for my final, there is a whole section about Augustine, his views on the sinfulness of sexual desire, and his views based on Adam and Eve. In fact, in my text, it says that the story of Adam and Eve has contributed to many negative views on sex. And as we stated in class, Augustine interpreted the covering of genitals (and how sex was generally practiced privately) as a sign that sex was sinful in general, since it was driven by passion, rather than by will. I just thought it was very interesting and I thought you would find it satisfying to know how important your course really is.
Another thing that striked me, and most likely why I absolutely had to email you, is that in my Genetics class, our professor was talking about the scientific basis of a common ancestor (and actually used the term Adam and Eve to describe them!) What we were learning was that a Y-chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA can be used to trace common ancestors. It has been used over time to confirm or deny ancestry of modern people who claim to be related to famous figures (one of the examples used in class was Thomas Jefferson). Anyways, it was found that humans have a common ancestor from around 100,000 years ago, and what makes this unique is that it is much later than most other species common ancestors. The common ancestor of a chimp, I believe, was about 3 million years ago. Furthermore, they used their genetic screening to determine the origin of this common ancestor, and it resided in northeastern Africa (around the Nile River). Our professor also pointed out that there is evid
ence showing that an event recently after the origin of man almost caused man to become extinct. He did not mention the Ice Age, but rather a flood (Noah's Ark) or volcano. I thought this was absolutely incredible and I thought you would like to know about. And maybe, if you already haven't done so, you could further research this and use it for one of your books!
Also, I decided to look at Michelangelo's depiction of Gen 2-3, many different images.
When I saw the depiction of Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden, I noticed that the snake was anthropological, half man, half serpent. This, of course, comes from the notion that the serpent was Satan. Also, I noticed that Adam and Eve before the fall were much more beautiful, and after the fall, they are depicted much darker, Eve has a more deformed face, and they seem to be in great pain. This obviously manifested the punishments. The human-serpent is also seen giving Eve the fruit, which shows Michelangelo's own interpretation of Genesis. Michelangelo also depicted Genesis 1 on the cieling of the Sistine chapel, not just Genesis 2-3. In his creation of Adam, the much more famous piece, Adam is seen almost completely created, right before God touches him. This, of course, is somewhat of a depiction of Genesis 2, in which God infuses Adam with the breath of life. But here, rather, Michelangelo interpreted this breath of life as a spark of life, in which God makes Adam alive
by his touch. Also, the many angels around him represent the multiplicity of beings we discussed in class. Each angel has a different facial expression, which of course comes from the Vita, in which some angels support the creation of Adam, while others don't. In his depiction of the creation of Eve, I noticed that Eve was created from Adam's rib, while he is asleep on a dead tree, that has been cut in half. Here, unlike the creation of Adam, God is seen much older and wiser. Also, as a Catholic, I cannot help but look at this depiction of Adam as a comparison to Christ. The tree is like a cross, and Adam almost looks dead upon it. I believe this depiction attempted to connect Adam with Jesus, much like Augustine and many of those after him. This, of course, manifests the common belief that Jesus was what made the Genesis story go "full circle," in which Jesus was the second Adam, and the last.

A Final Note

This course has taught me many different concepts relating to both the Garden of Eden story, and beyond. It has taught me the importance of original texts, and the significant impact of interpretations of the two creation stories presented in Genesis 1-3. It has had significant impacts in world of religion, particular in Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions. The story itself not only depicted the creation of the earth and mankind, but also the etiologies of multifarious traditions that are significant in today's society. The two stories also provide a basic infrastructure for various theories, such as feminist and anti-feminist view points, abolitionist and white supremacy views, gay marriage advocates and opponents, etc. Many significant moments in history trace their conflicts back to this ancient story, such as the Civil War (in which slavery was a major issue), the medieval and colonial Witchcraft trials, and many others. Furthermore, one of the greatest works of fiction, Paradise Lost, provides much of its basic story line to the book of Genesis.

One of the key points emphasized in this course was the importance of the original text, proper translation, and proper interpretation of the text. Many times, authors of the articles and essays read traced many of their beliefs back to the Genesis stories, but incorrectly quoted the actual text. Of course, this leads to misinterpretation of the text. Rather than reading interpretations of texts, one must initially read the actual text of Genesis, and form their own basic interpretations. Others can distort the text to favor their argument, or simply misinterpret what the original author intended to say. Another key aspect learned in this class was the concept of close reading. The Genesis text was not originally written down, but rather was written down after centuries went by. The Genesis story was originally spread by word of mouth. Thus, the text should be read with an open mind, rather than take completely literally. Furthermore, proper translation of the earlier texts is another significant concept to grasp before interpreting the book of Genesis. Since Hebrew has no vowels and is rather difficult to translate, one must recognize the various possibilities of what the actual text, without translation, means. For instance, the use of the term Adam could mean a single male individual or could represent all of mankind, male and female, since the original Hebrew word can be used in both cases.

Another significant part of this course was learning how various traditions were not originally stated in the Genesis text. For instance, documents such as the Vita, Paradise Lost, Jewish midrash, and New Testament readings have provided a basic infrastructure for various beliefs. Biblical figures in Christian tradition did not originate in the Genesis text, but rather from later interpretations by Jewish and Christian scholars. The Christian concept of Lucifer/Satan came from both the Vita and more popularized by Paradise Lost, but no indication of the snake actually representing the devil was present in the Genesis text. Thus, this course effectively emphasized the notion that many traditions do not arise from reading of an earlier text, but rather from other individual interpretations of the text, or interpretations of interpretations, and so on. It is important to read original texts yourself and forming individual opinions, rather than hearing another's opinion.

Another key concept of the Genesis story and this course is the historical development and viewpoints of human sexuality. The Genesis 2-3 story has been suggested to be an etiology not only for marriage, but for sexual attraction. Because of this, many scholars, such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, have condemned various sexual acts and promoted a more celibate lifestyle, in which one focus' on God. Many have viewed that the Genesis story is a clear indication that sex should only be for procreation, and that sex purely for sexual pleasure is wrong and sinful. However, over time, especially in more contemporary writings, the Genesis story has been used as a basis to promote a life of sex for procreation, and suggested that single men (even if in the clergy) were inferior to those men who had a women. This of course originated from Genesis, but opposed the views of Augustine and other earlier scholars. Thus, the Genesis story has much room for interpretation, and has been a basis for the arguments and theories based on human sexuality. It has also been had a significant impact on the lives of women. Anti-feminists used the story as a means of proving the inferiority of women, while feminists use the story as a means of promoting equality of the sexes. The Genesis story leaves plenty of room for interpretation, which makes it even more interesting!

On a final note, it is important to realize that the Genesis story, especially with the advent and evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution, is merely a story, passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, written down years after it was originally told. It was an ancient attempt to explain various etiologies and traditions relating to human nature. Rather than literally interpreting the creation of the world form these texts, readers are encourage to interpret the text as a means of seeing how this ancient culture saw the distinction between humans and the rest of nature. Though the Genesis story has a basic, prominent place in many different religions and cultures, modern technology and science have provided humans with more possible and theoretically more likely ways in which mankind came into being. As such, it is important to not take the story literally, but to interpret the story as a piece of history, and elucidates the origins of multifarious aspects and beliefs ingrained in cultures around the world.