Title: Fulfillment of the Serpent’s Prediction and Genesis 2-3 as Wisdom-Narrative
Abstract: The dialogue between the serpent and Eve recorded in Genesis 3:1-5 plays a crucial role in altering the narrative flow recorded in Genesis 2-3. The harmony of creation and Eden had been broken from the moment of the appearance of the serpent, and Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden because of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after hearing the serpent’s words. Therefore, the readers are likely to perceive the serpent as the negative figure because it not only destroyed the harmonious life in the Garden of Eden, but also caused tragedy in the life of Adam and Eve, who were created in the image of God. However, it should be noted that all the serpent’s declarations that Adam and Eve would not die from consuming the fruit, and their eyes would be opened, and they would be like God knowing good and evil, were fulfilled. Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God had warned them that they would certainly die when they eat from it. Hence, when it was revealed that they did not die, and the serpent’s words were true, it is a shocking fact to the readers, and it is enough to raise doubts about whose words are true. The author of Genesis 2-3 deals with wisdom through the composition of the serpent’s declarations and fulfillment. The author indicates that although the serpent’s words had been fulfilled and proven to be true, the results it brought were miserable, because eventually, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden and they lost the reason of their existence for they previously had moved to the Garden of Eden to cultivate Eden. Genesis 2-3 deals with wisdom, but it shows the readers through the serpent that wisdom that is irrelevant to God will eventually cause catastrophe.
Publication Year: 2020
Publication Date: 2020-06-30
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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