“The Fruit was Never an Apple”
Engraved by Czech painter and record-maker Max Svabinsky (1873-1962)
If this engraved work by Max Svabinsky gives an accurate depiction of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, every woman should ask herself a few of the following questions.
What implication does it have for western civilization and the western woman?
How do you, as a woman of any race, religion, culture, or ethnicity, interpret this story of the event in the Garden?
Do you consider Eve the original sinner, or was Eve unfairly made a scapegoat for the plights of the world, as is implied in the story and still considered to be true by many cultures, religions and societies?
Do you relate to the Biblical Eve as a current female portrait of yourself, your life and your personal expectations?
What impact would the story have on you if Eve was considered a Goddess, the holder of Universal Earthly Knowledge, which she shared with Adam because it was natural for her to do so?
What would your worldview be of the story if Eve WAS motivated by her biological instincts and not the issues about breaking God’s laws?
There are so many present-day examples of women who are still enduring the suffering presumably caused by the ‘sins’ of Eve in the original story. One, in particular, comes to my mind: women in the pre-industrial era were the healers of the sick (in reality, the first doctors, long before men could even think of engaging in that profession). As time went on, or became masculine-dominated, the female healers and doctors were accused of being witches and were burnt to death.
This story makes me wonder: Why are men so afraid of Eve? The Goddess.