Plato's Playground
A note about Adam's name: it's a word play. The Hebrew word for man ('adham) and ground ('adhamah) introduces the motif of man's relation to the ground from which he was formed.
Yes, the NIV parenthetically has "(or, The Man)" after his name.
1. "for dust you are and to dust you will return"
--I might infer from this that it's only because of this decision that Adam becomes mortal, i.e. fated to die and return to the dust whence he came. Is this an appropriate reading? If this had not happened, would Adam have lived on in the Garden and never died?
No, definitely not. Remember that there is also a "Tree of Life" in the garden, which they are forbidden to eat from because if they do, they will live forever.
So they were always fated to die.
My version merely says that there's a tree a life. The tree from which it is forbidden to eat is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."
I can't see that it says they shouldn't eat from the tree of life, nor can I see where it says that the tree of life is something to do with living forever. Maybe there are differences between the versions of the Bible that make this clearer - ?
No, Iain's right. They are only forbidden from eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Which means as long as they are obedient they can live forever.
It is only after they are cast out of the garden that they are unable to eat of the tree of life.
Here's what has always puzzled me about verse 22: "the man has become like one of us," as if God were speaking to other gods. I've not read any good explanation of this, although it points up the idea that maybe these ancients were not quite monotheists yet. But I'm getting ahead.
And, oh yeah, Jesus being the bread of life ties in with that tree in the garden.
Although I don't know if the New Testament idea of everlasting life is any sort of equivalent for the Old Testament idea.
Missy, I don't follow the connection that you made there. How does Jesus as bread of life connect to the tree? Bread of life tree of life, is that it?
I presume that any such connection (between Christ and the text of the Old Testament) can be explained in terms of the New Testament writers framing Jesus in light of existing scriptural phraseology and expectations, to add weight to their belief in, and presentation of, him as as the Son of God.
Well yes, Iain, often straining mightily to make it fit.
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