Given that the Genesis authors barely know of any place more than a a thousnad kms from Israel this very much limits the boundaries of their original intentions. Of course the simple reason is they took advantage of the fact people back then were very much ignorant of the world including all its mountains and rivers. This makes it very easy to make shite up which is what has happened here.
Impossibility for the Garden of Eden, the rivers do not match up.
by jam 26 Replies latest social current
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Satanus
For 4 rivers to originate from one place, it would HAVE to be on the top of a mountain. While i was a jw, i don't recall it ever being suggested that the garden of eden was on the top of a mountain. Seems that someone missed an easy hit. The idea of a sacred mountain of jehovah could have its root here. Moses goes up the same mountain to recieve the 10 commandments, daniels vision of a mountain where a stone is taken from to destroy the nations, jesus up on a mountain duking it out w satan.... I mean, this is fertile myth material.
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peacefulpete
The Jewish adaptation of the related Summerian and Babylonian myths that centered on the waters of life "at the meeting of streams" and sacred trees and plants, required a few awkward reinterpretations and combinations. The role of the woman (goddess) go from man's champion to tempter. The waters (waters of life, ie Revelation) that feature so prominantly in the eden myth have lost their symbolism altogether as it presently reads. The tree has assumed the role of both the source of divine knowledge and immortality. The male God threatens them to not eat with the lie that it will kill them. But they eat and they must be punished somehow so they are expelled from the garden but they have by then already discovered the knowledge of the gods. The winged bulls (Babylonian cherubs)that guard the entrance must prevent them from continuing to eat the tree and live forever. That makes the tree a bit awkward for those who see the eating for immortality a one time event forcing many to insert a second tree to become a tree of life that they have not yet eaten from. Likely the waters were the source of immortality in at least one source material the Priestly author used but perhaps the Gilgamesh story of a plant that gave immortality (but then was stolen by a serpant), was a favorite and so he chose to link immortality to the tree. Who knows? So much is suggestive but naturally we can never recreate the exact thought process of the author and later editors.
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perfect1
I would like to disagree about a previous point: Actually the course of rivers is remarkably stable.
Also, Islamic gardens are often divided in four- called quadrapartite gardens.
Notice the Four rivers.
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Satanus
Btw, peacefulpete, i haven't noticed any comments from you, recently. If you are just coming back, welcome back. And, thakyou for those comments. It's interesting how other philosophies were much more highly developed that what came to be jewish, the ot. Yet, those philosophies largely dissappeared, and the dumbed down jewish versions went on to practically fill the world.
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jam
Thanks to all you folks here. This site is probably one of the most
informative , knowledgeable facts about biblical history.
