Adam, where art thou? The Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man

Was there an Adam and Eve?  Was there a garden of Eden with two trees, Satan, and Cherubim?  Was there a fall?  How does this relate to you and me?  This article will explore these important concepts of Adam and Eve and the “fall of man”.

The Science

Our scientific knowledge of the history of man comes mainly from archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, and genetics.  There is no scientific evidence of the existence of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and the account given in Genesis 3 (LDS, Moses 4 and Abraham 5).  There are widely held written and oral traditions of our first parents, their pre-earthly dwelling place, and their passage to this mortal condition.  In fact, the story of Adam and Eve is not unique to the Bible.  It appears in other Abrahamic scriptures and shares significant parallels with much older Mesopotamian and Near Eastern mythologies.  While the specific names "Adam" and "Eve" are primarily Abrahamic, the archetypes of a first couple, a sacred garden, and a forbidden choice appear in records that predate the Bible by centuries.  These parallels suggest that the Genesis account was part of a broader regional tradition of oral and written Adamic tradition.

Epic of Gilgamesh ~2100–1200 BC (Sumerian poems ~2100 BC; Standard Babylonian version ~1200 BC)  A serpent steals the plant of immortality; wild man (Enkidu) is "civilized" by a woman (Shamhat), and gives the transition from paradise to toil.1

Myth of Adapa ~1800–1400 BC (Akkadian tablets from Amarna ~1400 BC; tradition older)  The "First man", Adapa, was tricked into refusing food of eternal life by god Ea thereby losing immortality for humanity.  This mirrors the forbidden fruit and expulsion biblical details.2

Ugaritic Tablets ~1400–1200 BC (Ras Shamra excavations; texts like "Birth of the Gracious Gods")  A proto-Adam figure, "Adamu", or divine gardener loses immortality in serpent struggle; potential Canaanite precursor to Genesis.3

Hebrew Bible (Genesis) for context Oral traditions ~1000 BC?; Written compilation ~600–400 BC  The names "Adam" and "Eve" first appear in Genesis 2-5, a couple more times in the Old Testament, and 7 times in the New Testament.

Quran (Islam) ~610–632 AD (oral revelations to Muhammad); Written compilation ~632–650 AD Adam (Ādam) and Hawwa (Eve) in paradise, eat forbidden fruit, repent and are forgiven.  The account is close to Genesis but with theological differences.  According to the Qurʼān, both Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in a heavenly Eden. As a result, they were both sent down to Earth as God's representatives.  Adam wept for 40 days until he repented, after which God forgave him.  The concept of "original sin" does not exist in Islam because, according to Islam, Adam and Eve were forgiven by God.4

Gnostic Texts ~100–400 AD (Nag Hammadi library, e.g., Apocryphon of John ~2nd century AD)  The serpent is a knowledge-bringer; Eve is an enlightened figure; Demiurge is a flawed creator.  In some ways it reverses biblical roles.5

The Religion

Most Christian, Jewish, and Islamic people accept Adam and Eve as our first parents as a matter of faith and tenant of their religion.  They accept that Adam and Eve (though variations of names) literally lived and that we share their DNA.  However, beliefs in the garden of Eden, the serpent, two trees (tree of knowledge of good and evil and tree of life), partaking of forbidden fruit, expulsion from the garden to mortality, and cherubim with flaming swords range from “it absolutely happened this way” to “this is poetic symbology painting theological principles”.  Let’s establish the existence of Adam and Eve (albeit with faith) then deal with the garden story.  First a foundational scripture and then testimonies of those who have seen our first parents.  

(1 Ne 5:11)  “And he [Lehi] beheld that they [plates of Laban] did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;”

Others have seen Adam and Eve in vision:

(Zebedee Coltrin, Remarks, Salt Lake City School of Prophets, 11 October 1883, Writings of Early Latter-day Saints, p.66)  “…I noticed that Joseph seemed to have a far off look in his eyes, or was looking at a distance.  Presently he stepped between Brother Cowdery and me [Zebedee Coltrin], and taking us by the arm said, ‘Let's take a walk.’  We went to a place where there was some beautiful grass, and grapevines and swamp birch interlaced. President Joseph Smith then said, ‘Let us pray.’   We all three prayed in turn-Joseph, Oliver and me. Brother Joseph then said, ‘Now brethren, we will see some visions.’  Joseph lay down on the ground on his back and stretched out his arms, and we laid on them.  The heavens gradually opened, and we saw a golden throne, on a circular foundation, and on the throne sat a man and a woman, having white hair and clothed in white garments.  Their heads were white as snow, and their faces shone with immortal youth.  They were the two most beautiful and perfect specimens of mankind I ever saw. Joseph said, ‘They are our first parents, Adam and Eve.’  Adam was a large broad shouldered man, and Eve, as a woman, was as large in proportion.  

(A vision given to Joseph Smith in the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, January 21, 1836, D&C 137:5)  “I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;”

(A vision given to President Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 3, 1918, D&C 138:38-39)  “Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled in this vast congregation of the righteous were Father Adam, the Ancient of Days and father of all, And our glorious Mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters who had lived through the ages and worshiped the true and living God.”

Religious people sit on both sides of the fence as to the literality of the garden story.  Some general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints impress the reality of the account and point to the scriptures as their source.  Others embrace the reality of Adam and Eve, but claim that the garden story and the scriptural accounts are symbolic and metaphorical.  Here are quotes on both sides of the argument:  

(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., 1:, p.31)  “The great honor to come here and be the first parents of all men was given to Adam and Eve. They were placed by the Father in the Garden of Eden where there was no death. Adam and Eve in the condition in which they were when placed in the Garden of Eden could have lived there forever if they had not broken a law, but they would have lived alone and would have had no children.(2 Nephi 2:22-25; Moses 5:11.) The Lord told them they could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the fruit of the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil,’ and if they did eat this fruit they would surely die. Satan tempted them and they ate this fruit and broke this commandment. By doing this a change came over their bodies and they became subject to death, as the Lord has said, and they were driven out of the garden. After they were driven out children were born to them and they have spread over all the earth.”

(Brigham Young, JD 7:285-286)  “Here let me state to all philosophers of every class upon the earth, when you tell me that Father Adam was made as we make adobes from the earth, you tell me what I deem an idle tale. When you tell me that the beasts of the field were produced in that manner, you are speaking idle words devoid of meaning. There is no such thing in all the eternities where the Gods dwell. Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them to propagate their species, and they were commanded to multiply and replenish the earth.”

(Mormon Doctrine, "Fall of Adam", p. 268, 1966 second edition)  "We do not know how the fall was accomplished any more than we know how the Lord caused the earth to come into being and to spin through the heavens in its paradisiacal state. The account is speaking figuratively. What is meant by partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that our first parents complied with whatever laws were involved so that their bodies would change from their state of paradisiacal immortality to a state of natural mortality."

Conclusion

Instead of inciting an argument about how much of the garden story is real, perhaps I can jump over the issue by relating it to you and me.  Each of us can place ourselves in the role of Adam and Eve.  In doing so we can better determine how symbolic the fall of Adam and the garden of Eden story is by applying it to us.  Below is a table that applies the elements of the fall to you.

When presented in this fashion, the symbolism becomes beautiful, poetic, and powerful.  It places you center stage in making a choice, having a desire to experience all that this earth life has to offer, and accepting God’s plan by covenant to obtain eternal life with Him.  In all reality each one of us “fell” when we decided to exercise our agency and come to this telestial world to experience the good and bad.  Each symbolically partook of the fruit, left the garden, and became naked before God.  He gave us a coat of skin to cover our nakedness and to remind us of Jesus Christ and the covenants that we make with Him.  All heaven will assure that we are treated justly in our journey to gain Eternal life through covenants with God.

---

1. Posted December 11, 2016 by G.S. Griffin under Religion,  https://gsgriffin.com/2016/12/11/yes-old-testament-tales-were-stolen-from-other-cultures/

2. Dave Roos "The Story of Adam and Eve Is Not Unique to the Bible" 11 January 2021.  HowStuffWorks.com. <https://people.howstuffworks.com/adam-and-eve.htm> 9 January 2026

3. Marjo C.A. Korpel Johannes C. de Moor Protestant Theological University, Amsterdam / Groningen, 2014, https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/sites/bibleinterp.arizona.edu/files/docs/Paper_Korpel_De_Moor_0.pdf

4. Wheeler, Brannon (July 2006). Mecca and Eden: Ritual, Relics, and Territory in Islam – Brannon M. Wheeler – Google Books. University of Chicago Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780226888040. Retrieved 17 February 2014.

5. Hoeller, Stephan A. “Gnosticism: new light on the ancient tradition of inner knowing”, 2002, ISBN 978-0-8356-0816-9, https://gnosis.study/library/%D0%93%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%81/%D0%98%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F/ENG/Hoeller%20S.A.%20-%20Gnosticism.%20New%20Light%20on%20the%20Ancient%20Tradition%20of%20Inner%20Knowing.pdf