Adam, Eve, & Me Completely Missing The Point

[LambLedBySyn]

Okay, so I know this may be redundant or something like all things that shouldn't be taken seriously when it concerns the Bible and such but, it has always made me wonder as to just why god created Eve from the rib of Adam instead of simply making her the same way he made him. Now I have been told and read that the reason behind this was so that Adam could see that Eve was to be his companion/helper and not his servant but I don't understand how creating her from his rib goes about that. I've also read that woman was created from man's rib so that she could walk “beside him” or “be equal” to him but couldn't that have just been better done if god had simply created Eve the same why he did Adam? He's god right, he could have made Eve from dust and made Adam think her his equal and boom, we would both actually be equal. To me, it was all in place to really enforce that to the writer(s) of Genesis, women were not as important than men. I mean look at all the things that come up later explicitly stating that. But anyway, I would like to know your thoughts on the subject.

 

Also, do not even get me started about the so called “lost” scriptures explaining Lilith. From that along with the fact that god is god and can do anything he so well pleases, he CAN and DID make woman the way he did Adam.

[Orbit]

The rib story was borrowed from the Sumerians or similar.

"There is a Sumerian creation myth dating to roughly to the 18th century B.C. in which the main mother-goddess (Ninhursag) installs her lover (Enki) in an earthly paradise that has a lush garden feauring eight special plants. Enki gets curious about the plants in the garden, and has his assistant fetch them for him to sample. Ninhursag gets wind of this, becomes enraged, and causes Enki to fall ill in eight ways. Then the other gods persuade Ninhursag to save Enki, and she creates eight goddesses to heal the eight afflictions. The one she creates to help with his rib is called Ninti."

[mymistake]

If I had to make a wild guess I think the men who created that myth were jealous.  Women create children.  In primitive culture it is almost a super power.  It seems to me that some men didn't want women elevated in society so they made up this story about how the original woman was taken and formed from from a man's rib.

[Guest]

The rib story was borrowed from the Sumerians or similar.

"There is a Sumerian creation myth dating to roughly to the 18th century B.C. in which the main mother-goddess (Ninhursag) installs her lover (Enki) in an earthly paradise that has a lush garden feauring eight special plants. Enki gets curious about the plants in the garden, and has his assistant fetch them for him to sample. Ninhursag gets wind of this, becomes enraged, and causes Enki to fall ill in eight ways. Then the other gods persuade Ninhursag to save Enki, and she creates eight goddesses to heal the eight afflictions. The one she creates to help with his rib is called Ninti."

 

That's fascinating!  I had never heard that story before...

[Overcame Faith]

You probably know this, but I will mention as a preface to what I say. There are two separate creation stories in Genesis, and they are both quite different.

 

In the first version of the creation story (Genesis 1:1 - 2:2), there is no differentiation between the creation of men and women. Rather, God simply created mankind in his image and male and female.

 

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

 

Genesis 1:26-27

Note that according to this version of the story, being created in God's image had nothing to do with gender. Rather, it had to do with being human. In fact, it is arguable that it was both the male and female together that constituted being created in God's image which may suggest that the original creators of this story which was eventually put to writing saw God with both male and female traits.

 

It is the second creation story that you write about and which adds the dimension missing in the first creation story that a male was the first human being created. Being the first, of course gives him priority and creating the woman from him confirms that priority.

 

So, choose the creation story you like the best.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

I can tell you for a fact that Adam was not a Southerner; we'd never give our ribs up for anybody, especially if we've spent all afternoon smoking them.

[Thackerie]

My question is even more elementary: Why did God need to create Adam from dirt and Eve from Adam's rib when he didn't need any source material in order to create the entire universe and every other living thing that he had merely spoken into existence?

[Orbit]

You probably know this, but I will mention as a preface to what I say. There are two separate creation stories in Genesis, and they are both quite different.

 

In the first version of the creation story (Genesis 1:1 - 2:2), there is no differentiation between the creation of men and women. Rather, God simply created mankind in his image and male and female.

 

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

 

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

 

Genesis 1:26-27

Note that according to this version of the story, being created in God's image had nothing to do with gender. Rather, it had to do with being human. In fact, it is arguable that it was both the male and female together that constituted being created in God's image which may suggest that the original creators of this story which was eventually put to writing saw God with both male and female traits.

 

It is the second creation story that you write about and which adds the dimension missing in the first creation story that a male was the first human being created. Being the first, of course gives him priority and creating the woman from him confirms that priority.

 

So, choose the creation story you like the best.

 

To build on this idea, the original Hebrew here for "God" is "Elohim", which is a masculine singular root with a feminine plural suffix, suggesting indeed both male and female in a multiple being--or even a pantheon.

[Orbit]

Orbit, in post # 10:

 

"To build on this idea, the original Hebrew here for "God" is "Elohim", which is a masculine singular root with a feminine plural suffix, suggesting indeed both male and female in a multiple being--or even a pantheon."

 

I found it fascinating when I first learned this some years back. If not a pantheon, what do you think the plurality suggests? And what happened to the female aspect?

 

+ Human

Archaeologists have established that the Canaanite god El had a wife, Asherah (who is vilified in the OT). Maybe the Elohim refers to El and Asherah.

[Orbit]

Orbit, thanks for replying (in post # 12). You wrote:

 

"Archaeologists have established that the Canaanite god El had a wife, Asherah (who is vilified in the OT). Maybe the Elohim refers to El and Asherah."

 

The Hebrews were polytheistic, as we know. Abraham came from a polytheistic community in Ur. During which time period, and due to which major catalysts, do you see Abraham and his close descendants becoming monotheistic? What motivating factors were there? Tribal homogeneity and ethnic survival? Does Yahweh of the Elohim emerge as a projection of Hebrew ethnic and cultural distinctiveness in the midst of other peoples, cultures, and religions? Was patriarchy and male domination a primary motivation, or more of an incidental result?

 

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Human, on 17 Jul 2014 - 03:44 AM, said:

 

Orbit, in post # 10:

 

"To build on this idea, the original Hebrew here for "God" is "Elohim", which is a masculine singular root with a feminine plural suffix, suggesting indeed both male and female in a multiple being--or even a pantheon."

 

I found it fascinating when I first learned this some years back. If not a pantheon, what do you think the plurality suggests? And what happened to the female aspect?

 

+ Human

 

Archaeologists have established that the Canaanite god El had a wife, Asherah (who is vilified in the OT). Maybe the Elohim refers to El and Asherah.

I don't have references for you, but here are the ideas that I have run across on this. One is that the Hebrews were polytheistic, but pledged themselves to the war god Yahweh during their wanderings in the desert, in an effort to have help conquering the promised land. Also, the change from Abram to Abraham was a post-facto explanation of cultural/linguistic changes that accompanied the adoption of Canaanite culture. I do think that the language changes and adoption of Yahweh are a byproduct of the confederation of the 12 tribes, united by a single god for a military purpose.