PE

Genesis: Jewish vs. Christian Interpretations of Creation and the Fall

Genesis 3: Divine Punishments and Their Etiologies

The Serpent's Punishment

  • Verse: Genesis 3:14: "Then the Lord God said to the serpent, 'Because you did this, more cursed you shall be than all the cattle and all the wild beasts. On your belly shall you crawl and dust shall you eat all the days of your life.'"
  • Etiology: This passage serves as an etiology (story of origin) explaining why snakes slither on their bellies and why they eat dust. It implies that the serpent originally had legs, which were then taken away as punishment for its role in enticing Eve.
  • Symbolism: The serpent gets what it wants – to be close to humans (who are dust), by forever slithering in the dust.
  • Enmity with Humanity: God declares, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they shall strike at your head, and you shall strike at their heel."
    • Jewish Reading: Interpreted as a statement about the natural hatred and conflict between humans and snakes. Humans will try to crush a snake's head (to kill it), while snakes will strike at a human's heel (the lowest part, most accessible). This is an etiology for why snakes slither and why humans dislike them.
    • Christian Reading: This is a crucial passage known as the Protoevangelium (first Gospel). The serpent is identified as Satan (based on Revelation 12:9). The "offspring of the woman" refers to Jesus, born of a woman without a human father. Jesus (the offspring) will crush the head of Satan, symbolizing divine intervention to defeat evil and atone for sin.

The Woman's Punishment

  • Verse: Genesis 3:16: "To the woman he said, 'I will make no severe your pains in childbearing; in pain you shall bear children, yet your urge shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.'"
  • Etiology: Explains why childbirth is so painful for women, suggesting it's a consequence of Eve's sin, differentiating it from the birthing experience of animals.
  • Desire and Subordination: Women are given a strong urge for their husbands, but husbands will rule over them. This is interpreted in two ways:
    • Descriptive: The intense desire for a husband gives him some power or influence over the woman.
    • Hierarchical: This introduces a hierarchy where women are subordinate to men, standing in contrast to the potential equality suggested in Genesis 2.

The Man's Punishment (and the Earth's Curse)

  • Verse: Genesis 3:17-19: "Cursed be the ground because of you; by toil, you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you, but your food will be the grasses of the field. By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat, until you return to the ground. For from it you were taken, for dust you are, to dust you will return."
  • Etiology: Explains the presence of weeds, the difficulty of agriculture, and human mortality. The world itself will struggle against humans, making life and sustenance arduous.
  • Human Mortality: "To dust you will return" indicates that humans will eventually die, fulfilling God's warning, "in the day that you eat of that tree, you will surely die."

God's Kindness and the End of the Story (Jewish Reading Perspective)

  • Unmerited Kindness: The Jewish ethical tradition highlights God's unmerited kindness even after sin. The Torah begins and ends with acts of kindness (God clothing the naked, God burying Moses).
  • Clothing: God provides animal skins as more durable clothing, replacing the inadequate fig leaves, demonstrating a thoughtful provision.
  • Expulsion from Eden: Humans are sent out of the Garden to prevent them from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever in a state of pain, toil, and sin. This expulsion is considered an act of kindness, saving humanity from eternal suffering under the new conditions.
  • Immortality Lost, Sexuality Gained: Humans lost the possibility of immortality (by being barred from the Tree of Life), but gained an awareness of their sexuality, leading to procreation and the continuation of humanity, even with the pain of childbirth.
  • Death: "You will surely die" refers to eventual physical death, not immediate cessation of life.

Jewish Interpretation of Sin, Free Will, and Restoration

Free Will and the Nature of Sin

  • Human Free Will: God gave humans a genuine choice to obey. The ability to make real choices and to choose between good and evil is central to human nature.
  • Sin as an Action: Sin is understood as an action, a choice made by a human being. It does not permanently permeate a person's being, turning them into an inherently sinful state. A person sins, they are not necessarily a sinner by nature.
  • Yetzer HaTov and Yetzer HaRa: Humans possess both a "good inclination" (Yetzer HaTov) and an "evil inclination" (Yetzer HaRa). The goal is to lean towards the good, but even the evil inclination (e.g., lust) can be channeled for good (e.g., procreation within marriage).

Remedy for Sin

  • Repentance (Teshuvah): The primary remedy for sin is repentance, including acknowledging wrongdoing, seeking forgiveness from those harmed, and asking for God's forgiveness.
  • Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World): If human sin broke the world (e.g., ground is cursed), then humans can also work to repair and improve the world.
  • Studying Torah: The rabbis interpret the Tree of Life as wisdom. Proverbs 3:18 states, "She is a tree of life to those who grasp her." Wisdom is equated with the Torah given by God. Therefore, studying Torah leads to a life of wisdom and connection with God, effectively offering a path to "life" (spiritual well-being) outside the garden.

Genesis 3 New Theological Insights (Jewish Reading)

  • God as Judge: Beyond being a benevolent creator, God acts as a judge, holding humans accountable for their choices and disobedience.
  • Abuse of Freedom: Humans, though unique creatures with free will, can abuse that freedom, leading to disobedience.
  • Consequences: Disobedience brings punishments and a broken relationship with the world (e.g., cursed ground). Man controls his wife (naming her Eve).
  • Kindness and Possibility of Life: Despite sin, God shows mercy, allowing life to continue and offering the path to "life" through wisdom/Torah study.

Christian Interpretation: The Fall of Humanity

The Catastrophic Nature of Sin

  • The Fall: For Christians, Genesis 3 represents "The Fall of Humanity," a catastrophic event that significantly changed human nature and cannot be undone by human effort.
  • The Serpent as Satan: Christian interpretation identifies the serpent in Genesis 3 as Satan, the embodiment of pure evil, based on Revelation 12:9. This transforms the temptation into a cosmic struggle against a malevolent being, not just an animal.

The Nature of Death

  • Spiritual Death: When God states, "in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die," Christians interpret this as an immediate spiritual death – a separation from God. This is distinct from physical death, which occurs later.
  • Physical Death: Physical death (return to dust) is also a consequence of the Fall, but the immediate separation from God is considered the primary, more profound consequence.

Original Sin and Its Implications

  • Original Sin: A key Christian doctrine (though not universally held by all denominations) is that Adam and Eve's first sin (original sin) infected all their descendants. Humans are born with a sinful nature; they are "sinners by nature."
  • Inability to Not Sin: Due to original sin, humans have free will to choose which sins to commit, but they cannot choose not to sin (without divine intervention). Sin is inevitable for humanity.
  • Broken Image of God: The image of God in humans is considered broken or shattered by sin, not merely diminished. Humans cannot repair this image on their own.

Divine Intervention and Salvation

  • Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15): The promise, "They shall strike at your head, and you shall strike at their heel," is interpreted as a prophecy of Jesus (the "offspring of the woman") crushing Satan's head. This signifies that only divine intervention can solve the problem of original sin and restore humanity.
  • God Becoming Human: Christian theology asserts that God himself must take on human form (Jesus Christ) to undo the curse, defeat Satan, and restore the broken image of God in humanity, as humans are fundamentally imperfect and cannot fix themselves.

Genesis 2: Creation of Humanity (Jewish and Christian Readings)

Similarities and Tendencies

  • Story Agreement: Both Jewish and Christian traditions generally agree on the narrative of human creation in Genesis 2 (man created first, then woman from his side).
  • Equality vs. Subordination:
    • Jewish Tendency: May emphasize the main point as the institution of marriage ("a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh"), suggesting partnership and equality.
    • Christian Tendency (Historically): May use the story (woman created after man, and from man) to justify the subordination of women to men. However, it's important to note that many Christian interpreters also emphasize marriage as the main point and uphold equality.

Genesis 1: Creation of the World (Jewish and Christian Readings)

The Sabbath

  • Jewish Reading: The seventh day of creation, God's rest, establishes the Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday, a day of rest commanded in the Torah.
  • Christian Reading:
    • Sunday Worship: Christians generally worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, commemorating Jesus' resurrection.
    • Day of Rest: Despite worshiping on Sunday, many Christians still believe in observing a "day of rest" on Sunday, conceptually linking it to the Sabbath Commandment (one of the Ten Commandments).
    • Seventh-day Adventists: A denomination that strictly observes the original Sabbath (Saturday) as the day of worship and rest.

"Let Us Make Humans in Our Image"

  • Verse: Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness…'". The use of the plural "us" and "our" is interpreted differently:
    • Scholarly Interpretations:
      • Royal Plural (Plural of Majesty): God speaks in a royal "we."
      • Remnant of Polytheism: A lingering trace from older polytheistic contexts.
    • Jewish Interpretation: God is addressing a "divine council," specifically angels. God informs the angels of his intent but creates humans solely by himself. Angels initially express doubt about creating humans.
    • Christian Interpretation: This is a clear reference to the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) conversing and working together in creation. It signifies the internal communal nature of the Godhead.

The Image of God

  • Original Creation: Humans are created in the image of God.
  • Jewish Reading: Humans retain the image of God, despite sin. It's an inherent quality of humanity.
  • Christian Reading: The image of God in humans has been broken or shattered by sin (the Fall). It cannot be restored by human effort alone. This necessitates divine intervention – specifically, God (Jesus) taking on human form to restore humanity to God's original image and likeness.