Eden: The Buried Treasure

by Eve Wood-Langford

Almost all the constituents of the beautiful Genesis creation story of Adam and Eve predate the written Old Testament by centuries. The story of the first man to enter the garden paradise had origin in Abraham's country of Mesopotamia as part of some of the world's oldest the epic poem of Gilgamesh.  This ancient work enshrines the creation of a naked man, fashioned - as was Adam - from damp clay.  This man lived naked with the animals - as did Adam - until his meeting with a naked woman who changed his life forever.  Here, too, is the the record of a serpent with a human head, known as Ningizzida, Lord of the tree of Life.

At their origins, however, these pre-biblical records had nothing to do with the concept of original sin.  On the contrary when seen in the light of their origins in Mesopotamian polytheism, they guard the inspirational record of a world-changing event in the human story that does not contradict Darwin's theory of evolution.  Moreover, the epic poem also other biblical parallels including the life of a strongman deliberately enticed by his mistress to weaken his great strength - as was Samson.  Here also is the record of a great flood sent by the gods and the building of a vessel to save the seed of all life. 

This Mesopotamian 'history' may well have been known to Abraham and his descendants, including Leah and Rachel, the mothers of the Israelites, whose father served 'other gods.'  When interpreted from the standpoing of the revolution of patriarchal monotheism, however, the story of the naked couple suffered an interpretative metamorphosis, changed again in Christian monotheism, and rejected as literal truth from the standpoint of science.  Fortunately, the garden still guards its ancient treasure, a priceless treasure of truth from the ancient world of value to us all.

296 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2009