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.