Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!princeton!njin!paul.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: sobarr@ucsd.edu (Carlos Saul Menem) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Adam and Eve have become as Gods? Message-ID: Date: 8 Apr 91 02:59:45 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, San Diego Lines: 43 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Just a little question. On the TV today, and in several books, and in several discussions with several different religious groups, I here that Satans big lie to Eve was that "in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil"(Gen 3:5) But I find that in verse 22 it says, "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us (gods) to know good and evil..." Is it true that some religions teach that that was one of Satans lies told to Adam and Eve, or am I hard of hearing? Has anyone else heard, read or taught this, and if so why? en cristo un pecador steve flaco@ucsd.edu [My view of the situation is that the serpent told a half-truth. God originally said then if they eat the fruit, they will be doomed to die. There are two basic problems that have been brought up in previous discussions. One is that God said "in the day that you eat of it you shall die", and of course that didn't happen. Speiser's commentary on Gen. (Anchor Bible) says it should be translated "you will be doomed to death". The construct is an "infinitive absolute", which he says can take on a variety of shadings. It's typically translated "you will surely die," but Speiser says "you will be doomed to death" is another possible meaning. Since they didn't actually die, and the author of Gen. certainly didn't consider God to be a liar, he probably meant something like "doomed to death". The second problem is the one you mention, namely that they do in fact learn something, as the serpent promised. My view of this is that the serpent was telling a half-truth. He promised not only that they would learn something, but that the consequences God threatened would not happen, and by implication I think that no harm would come to them. First, the consequences did happen -- they died. And second, the knowledge they gained didn't help them. It caused innocent sexual relations to turn into shameful ones. --clh]