The Original Sin

In Genesis, the creation of man is told in two stages. In Chapter I, verse 27, God creates man in His image, creating him male and female. The second version is found in Chapter II. It is worth noting first that from the very beginning, God conceives the human being as male and female simultaneously. Neither is pre-existent to the other; the image of God is male and female.

In a metaphorical reading of these passages and what follows, several interpretations of the elements are possible. In the first chapter, which relates the ordering of the world, we see that the human being finds his place from the start within a duality: he is male and female. The human being is dual, yet one. This may imply what Jung formulated as the anima and animus: each retains parts of the other within themselves. Man is a little woman, and woman is a little man.

For what follows, we must generally set aside the concept of material incarnation as male and female to focus on the human being in general, of whom man and woman would be archetypes, symbols.

Another reading is possible if we refer to Lilith, the legendary first wife of Adam. Indeed, for some exegetes, the two passages refer to the creation of two different women: Lilith and Eve. In this reading, the creation described in Chapter I is that of Adam and Lilith. They are created in the same manner and independently of one another. Then, according to the Golden Legend (a collection of stories outside the Bible), Lilith is cast out because she refuses to submit to Adam. She becomes the Queen of the Night. We can see here an illustration of the struggle between consciousness and unconsciousness, and of the repression process. The human being is fundamentally created as two, identically, yet who struggle and must coexist. We can imagine that Lilith, in this story, was not created from Adam's rib, but from clay like him. One would represent consciousness, the other the unconscious, the repressed, the seat of nightmares. This corresponds well with the legend of Lilith, said to be queen of the night and demons.

This story leaves us with a conscious human being. This human being lives in the Garden of Eden, alone amidst creation. We can interpret this passage as illustrating the human being unaware of himself. It is only with the awareness of oneself, one's emotions, one's needs — "the feminine part" within him — within this solitude, that a need for otherness is created. An otherness with the other, and a duality within oneself between reason and emotion. Both stem from the same mechanism: one cannot live without the other, yet wishing to exist alone.

During their time in the garden, Eve encounters the serpent. It is often used to symbolize vital energy, that which infiltrates every corner to make plants grow in improbable places. This energy, which always pushes us toward something greater, speaks to Eve. Yes, it is a feeling; it speaks to our feminine part. This emotion attempts to lead our judgment, our reason (Adam). In the symbol of original sin, it is not really about silencing Eve or making her disappear, but about finding the balance between emotion and reason.

And what is the apple that was eaten? The forbidden fruit, borne by a single tree in the entire garden. Whether it is an apple, a pomegranate, or a fig, the vehicle of this symbolic stage matters little. What counts is that it is not a parasitic element, like salt or sugar added to water. The episode of the forbidden fruit does not change the nature of man.

In the text, God gives Adam and Eve several obligations: to care for the animals, to name them, among others. There is only one prohibition, under threat of death: do not eat from the tree at the center of the garden. Following the serpent's invitation, Adam and Eve ate from it, yet they are still alive. Therefore, the divine threat was not to protect them. The fruit was not deadly. So what does this story tell us? Eating the fruit simply opened their eyes. It is an awakening; the act of breaking the rule that opens the eyes. The fruit itself is a common apple or something else. It merely materializes the divine prohibition. Humanity is not defiled by eating an impure element. He is punished for breaking the rule, for becoming aware of his omnipotence and freedom. It is a kind of adolescence crisis for humanity. The eyes that open and the awareness of nakedness stem from this. They find themselves face to face with themselves, becoming aware of themselves in the midst of the garden. The only thinking and free beings in creation. Being cast out of the garden afterward is merely the consequence of this awakening. It is not so much that they left the garden, but that having opened their eyes, they can no longer see the garden in the same way. They also become aware of their duties and responsibilities. Like Cassandra, able to foresee the future but condemned never to be believed, Adam and Eve continue to live in the Garden of Eden, in the memory they have of it, but unable to see it in the same way.

We can also imagine that God was conducting with Adam and Eve the marshmallow experiment. This social experiment tests a child's ability not to touch a marshmallow on the table, in exchange for the promise of receiving several later. It is an indicator of the child's ability to choose frustration in view of a greater result later. Perhaps God was only testing the will of Adam and Eve, and their obedience, in order to authorize them to eat from it later. Indeed, the rest of the passage tells us that God casts humans out of Eden because He does not want them to eat from the tree of life and become immortal.