Historical Background
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/0/8/39085261/7293313_orig.gif)
The Hebrew bible is the first recordings according to the Israelis who trace themselves back to Abraham. Through these stories in the Hebrew bible, it has influenced the western culture on laws, art, literature and the way of living.
God wanted to create order, so he separated light from darkness and land from water. He did so within six days; he then saw the results from his labor and was satisfied. Then according to the Bible, He rested on the seventh day.
God created the Garden of Eden, which was used for his days of rest. It is filled with fruit, trees, birds, exotic animals, a central fountain and streams of cool air. God created Adam to live in the garden to be its caretaker. The dust of the earth and the breathing life into Adam was from Gods own breath. It is said that Adam in a copy of God himself (Gen. 1:27). God felt Adam to be lonely and created Eve. She is created from a rib of Adam. God allows Adam and Eve to eat from almost all the trees, but he forbids them to eat the fruit from one specific tree that nourished insight. Eve was first to eat from the tree and then followed Adam, God is disappointed for their disobedient act and they are exiled from God’s garden. Now they must live outside the garden, work and suffer for the rest of their amazingly long lives.
Adam and Eve have children named Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-16). They had a sibling rivalry that ended in Cain’s murder of Abel. This lead to the great flood, due to the rapidly growing population of immoral human population, God sends the flood to clean humanity. Everyone is wiped out except Noah and his family. Noah was warned to build a wooden boat filled with pairs of animals. At the end of the flood, God makes a pack with Noah to never again destroy the earth by water. As a sign of agreement God placed his “bow” into the sky. A rainbow is a reminder of this compromise.
Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel and Noah are seen as historical figures. But now some scholars view them as symbolic figures due to the events that have followed their stories. There are many none historical indications for symbolic purpose. For example Adam is to have lived to be 930 yrs old (Gen. 5:5) and he is meant to symbolize human kind and Eve is meant to symbolize life. The Israelis took these stories and made them history.
God wanted to create order, so he separated light from darkness and land from water. He did so within six days; he then saw the results from his labor and was satisfied. Then according to the Bible, He rested on the seventh day.
God created the Garden of Eden, which was used for his days of rest. It is filled with fruit, trees, birds, exotic animals, a central fountain and streams of cool air. God created Adam to live in the garden to be its caretaker. The dust of the earth and the breathing life into Adam was from Gods own breath. It is said that Adam in a copy of God himself (Gen. 1:27). God felt Adam to be lonely and created Eve. She is created from a rib of Adam. God allows Adam and Eve to eat from almost all the trees, but he forbids them to eat the fruit from one specific tree that nourished insight. Eve was first to eat from the tree and then followed Adam, God is disappointed for their disobedient act and they are exiled from God’s garden. Now they must live outside the garden, work and suffer for the rest of their amazingly long lives.
Adam and Eve have children named Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-16). They had a sibling rivalry that ended in Cain’s murder of Abel. This lead to the great flood, due to the rapidly growing population of immoral human population, God sends the flood to clean humanity. Everyone is wiped out except Noah and his family. Noah was warned to build a wooden boat filled with pairs of animals. At the end of the flood, God makes a pack with Noah to never again destroy the earth by water. As a sign of agreement God placed his “bow” into the sky. A rainbow is a reminder of this compromise.
Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel and Noah are seen as historical figures. But now some scholars view them as symbolic figures due to the events that have followed their stories. There are many none historical indications for symbolic purpose. For example Adam is to have lived to be 930 yrs old (Gen. 5:5) and he is meant to symbolize human kind and Eve is meant to symbolize life. The Israelis took these stories and made them history.