The Two Trees
From Reconciling understandings of Scripture and Science
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See also:
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
For discussion of the meaning of "good and evil" see Good and Evil.
Four interesting literary aspects of the narrative in Genesis, with respect to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, are:
- it is only called the "Tree of knowledge of good and evil" in chapter 2, in two verses: Genesis 2:9,17
- in Genesis 3:2-7, 11-12, 22-23 the tree is described in various ways, but never named
- the language of Genesis 3:22 echoes the Epic of Gilgamesh, when Enkidu becomes "like a god"
- eating from the tree is associated with sexual awakening by the references to nakedness and by the double entendre on knowing when "Adam knew his wife" (Genesis 4:1)
The Tree of Life
See discussion at How should we understand Eden?
