Jan 16 Daily Question

The account emphasizes knowledge because it is a trait that gives humans an understanding of the world as an ordered reality and gives humans a large amount of responsibility. In the beginning of this account, there is a prohibition of knowledge which is very surprising because I would think humans need knowledge to have dominion over the earth. But it is the type of knowledge communicated by Legaspi that makes this more understandable. He speaks of the knowledge of being in the context of responsibility and as a way to evaluate experience and make subjective judgements. This allows humans to be like God by being able to “pronounce on the propriety and ultimate value of things.” The account uses the word “eating” because it reminds us that man is a dependent creature who gets his nourishment from the earth. Eating is also framed as a relationship with a “giver, a gift, and a recipient,” and it cannot be just touching or looking at an object because that does not give humans nourishment. It is a tree they eat from because it is a part of creation that humans are told to eat from, and to Eve it is an “object that presents itself in stages and in changing aspects” which she finds attractive. The failure of Adam and Eve can also be described as an act of betrayal because Adam and Eve fail the test that is put in front of them and betray the one rule God gave them. The act makes them more god-like because they are granted knowledge that is similar to that of a god, but it also makes them less god-like because they perform an extreme act of disobedience and damages their relationship with God. Although they are still made in His image and likeness, humans are now stained with original sin that makes us less god-like, despite our knowledge. It is merciful that God banishes them from the garden because He can ensure they stay away from the tree of life and damage them even further.