Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Would You Adam and Eve it? [1]

O.K. Eden might be real; but no-one was there to check on Adam and Eve!
Quite right; but no-one was there to see the creation; but the Bible seems pretty close. But does it really matter? The Important thing is what the story actually means. It explains how things started going wrong; not perfect for ever.

And did they have apples, then?

The Bible doesn't say it's an apple; never has done. It says "fruit".

Whoops, wrong yet again!

Over the years, lots of people have tried to illustrate the story of "The Fall", as it is called.

Look at that weird picture!

"The Garden of Eden" - painted by Lucas Cranach; born 1472, died 1553.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (Lucas Cranach der Ältere, 4 October 1472 – 16 October 1553), was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm, becoming a close friend of Martin Luther. He also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art.

He didn't paint the numbers in circles; that's to help people understand!

This fine old gent tried to imagine the story of Adam and Eve. He painted a sort of medieval cartoon strip; with bits of the story scattered around. We can match the numbers with main events of the story.

EPISODE 1 : God makes a man.

EPISODE 2 : God makes a woman "out of man" to be his partner.
EPISODE 3 : God tells them not to eat from the tree that brings knowledge of good and evil
EPISODE 4 : The woman is tempted, eats and gives some to the man.

EPISODE 5 : They are ashamed and hide from God.
EPISODE 6 : God punishes them and sends them out of the garden.
The picture seems crazy to you and me; see God as the wise old man again. But it was Mr Cranach's best attempt to explain the story in one hit.

So now for the sermon, I suppose. What does it all mean?

We will understand that by thinking about the actual words in the Bible story. And be ready to think again.
You keep making this really hard work.

 Next Bible Blog : Thursday 1st November 

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