“There is no other sphere of human culture which is excluded from sympathetic academic consideration on its own terms on the grounds that such a study endangers science, reason, logic, and the whole heritage of the Enlightenment” (p.133). (p.36) Robert Bellah (1970b), [well known sociologist]
The empirical and logical rationality that now only discovers and ascertains facts but that defines knowledge as knowledge of fact is not hospitable to the authority of either sanctity or value. Ultimate sacred postulates are no longer even counted as knowledge but are mere beliefs, if not superstitions. Values are defined by preference and as such become no more than matters of taste or of the arithmetic of economizing. ……………It is rationality that has no room for the insights of art, religion, fantasy, or dream. The evaluative capabilities of such a dispassionate but impoverished reason are limited, to say the least, and hardly trustworthy. Rappaport p. 130 Ecology, Meaning, & Religion
Preamble the Connection between meaning and spirituality
There is a synthesis-consensus among Victor Frankl, Carl Jung and William James - that as William James pointed out in his classic The Varieties of Religious Experience that spiritual experiences create a sense of reality - though Ingela Visuri observed in her article, Sensory supernatural experiences in autism. (Religion, Brain & Behavior, 10(2): 151-165. Visuri, I. (2019).) that adjustments and adaptations were often "gradual." Dr. Paul Wong elaborates on Viktor Frankl's views regarding the nature and characteristics of spiritual or noetic (from nous) processes in the mind: "The noetic (spiritual, specifically human) dimension contains such qualities as our will to meaning [Frankl's central concept of the human being's primary drive] our goal orientation, ideas and ideals, creativity, imagination, faith, love that goes beyond the physical, a conscience beyond the superego, self-transcendence, commitments, responsibility, a sense of humor, and the freedom of choice making. The human dimension is the medicine chest of the logotherapist. Patients are made aware that they have these rich resources of health within." (Fabry 1994 pp.18-19) (The Human Quest for Meaning: edited by P. Wong p.156)
I have encountered a number of spiritual people who have spiritual or spiritual-psychic experiences and there seem to be a couple of nearly universal characteristics. The first is that nearly all agree that spirituality is a very significant motivation and the second is that nearly all agree that their experiences helped them makes sense of the world - just as William James pointed out over 100 years ago. In light of that - and considering that Christ's teaching about the Holy Spirit emphasized the "spirit of truth", "spirt is truth" (John 5:6" as well as understanding God in terms of "spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24) - then viewing myths and narratives as vehicles for making sense oft he world and conveying meaning would appear to have merit.
Mythology and Mode of thought
Perspective
In a very poetic and metaphoric way, Wolfgang Pauli observed that “It is only a narrow passage of truth (no matter whether scientific or other truth) that passes between the Scylla of a blue fog of mysticism and the Charybdis of a sterile rationalism. This will always be full of pitfalls and one can fall down on both sides.” Perhaps because Bohr realized that the reality that he now faced as an intelligent human being was simply beyond rational explanation brought Neil Bohr to understand the necessity and truth of spiritual-mystic world-views. Neil Bohr observed that “religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality." Neil Bohr's observation remarkably mirrors Carl Jung's insight from long ago: "The mind is neither the world in itself nor does it reproduce its accurate image. The fact that we have an image of the world does not mean that there is only an image and no world." (Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 520-523)
In The Journey from Prehistoric Cave Paintings to Quantum Entanglement
The Human Species Appears to Have Come Full Circle in Human Comprehension
From a certain perspective, human history and human consciousness appears, now, to have come full circle, in a sense, and returned to the original place of consciousness' origins - in Chaos and Mystery. That is, the quantum physicists are now confronted by a physical reality that is beyond rational analysis, logic, and comprehension. As Bohr concludes from the Quantum Revolution that now "Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real!" - that, in truth and reality, Reality is not Real!" And, so Quantum physics has made Goethe's observation that "Few people have the imagination for reality!" a prophecy made both true and real! So, now, once again, we must embrace reality as a mystery of mystical wonder and metaphorical Truth completely outside conventional logical analysis and rational reality! So, now the [acausal] reality must be understood in "images, parables, and paradoxes!" and grasped by metaphor and mysticism - exactly like our prehistoric ancestors.
As Roy Rappaport, the anthropologist, observes: When we “consider not only simple meaning but meaningfulness, we become concerned not only with rationally drawn distinctions, but with emotionally charged values as well.” (Ecology p. 127) Following Rappaport’s argument to the conclusion then, the “emotional” meaning of will must be brought into play to truly understand the concept of “will.” In fact, Roy Rappaport divides meaning into ‘lower order meaning’ and ‘higher order meaning.’ Much of day-to-day living is grounded in natural observations and physical characteristics. Those are the lower order meanings. “Higher order meanings… the meanings of metaphor, symbol, and value, are not grounded directly in observations of nature and are thus relatively free from constraints to conform to it.” (p. 84 Ecology) Rappaport is not the only scientist to make the distinction between meanings connected with physical reality and meanings of a higher order of complexity. Roy Baumeister, a prominent social psychologist, makes a distinction between meanings derived from the physical environment and other meanings, as well.
The Garden of Eden Myth: Narrative, Truth, and Gospel
When humans discovered fire millions of years ago and created campfires, the campfire would have served as a focal point for tribal gatherings. The members of the tribal group gathered around the campfire which would have led to talking between members and sharing stories. I’m sure that eventually this led to imaginative narratives of a mythical nature. I’m sure the impulse to tell stories was prevalent among those people. Studies by psychologists have shown that children as young as three start telling narratives. Narratives are an everyday process, because, if you think about it, you are creating a story during the day since as we do and say things, we weave a story in our heads – a story of where one goes, what one does, who one sees, why things happen and so forth. William James referred to this as a stream of consciousness.
As Dan McAdams points out, “stories meet a basic human need for belongingness…They transport us to another social world…Moreover when we share stories of personal experiences here on earth, without the vampires and the wizards, those stories bind us to the human collectives wherein our social action and our motivated projects find their daily meaning. Stories may be the perfect binding mechanism for the cognitively gifted, eusocuial species we find ourselves to be, teaching us how to be human as they affirm our membership within human groups.” (p. 268 to 269) The salient issue is that these narratives and stories “bind” people together and through the stories or myths people share a common experience – and in the case of myths, a common shared history and heritage. Baumeister highlights that some kind of “sharedness” is a prerequisite for the very existence at all of society.
Myths
Every religion, to my knowledge, has its own peculiar myths, and myths, which are stories and narratives are a time-tested vehicle for conveying ideas and information. As William James observes, “The truth is that in the metaphysical and religious sphere, articulate reasons are cogent for us only when our inarticulate feelings of reality have already been impressed in favor of the same conclusion…..The unreasoned and immediate assurance is the deep thing in us, the reasoned argument is but a surface exhibition. Instinct leads, intelligence does but follow.” (p. 48 varieties) The important idea James is presenting is that it seems, especially in religious beliefs where people are grappling with complex and intricate symbolism and inter-working meanings that people seem to rely at times on “inarticulate feelings of reality.”
The prominent neuroscientist, Damasio, suggests that people have a nonconscious sense of being. Perhaps the ancient myths address themselves to this nonconscious sense of being, which may well be located in a region of the brain not easily accessible to verbal processes. Baumeister in his book about meaning notes that most people are reticent to talk about ‘the meaning of life.’ Also, some philosophers argue that metaphors are a separate function in the human mind, and the anthropologist Rappaport argues that metaphors are a “higher” order of reasoning and understanding. Heschel refers to a “deeper knowledge” and observes that “what is we cannot say.” Heschel states about the ineffable aspect of consciousness which is beyond conscious expression: “Essential to human thought is not only the technique of symbolization but also the awareness of the ineffable. In every mind there is an enormous store of not-knowing, of being puzzled, of wonder of radical amazement.” (Quest p.139)
The notable scholar of religion, Karen Armstrong, observes that “a good myth will tell us something valuable about the human predicament. Myths, generally speaking, are allegorical stories that are offered as genuine reflections, in some sense, of reality and the world.” In the form of a story it would seem possible that myths, being in the form of a narrative that conveys some subtle meanings through its plot and story line, would have the potential for communicating some of the “inarticulate feelings of reality.” William James in his iconic work, The Varieties of Religious Experiences, observed that spiritual and religious experiences appear to generate a “sense of reality.” By inference, it would seem likely that, perhaps in a smaller way, besides generating “sharedness” among group members, myths would also create a sense of reality.
The Garden of Eden narrative in Genesis and the Golden Age story of the Greek poet Hesiod are perhaps the two best-known accounts of a primordial paradise. But the idea of an original, perfect society—one of peace and plenty, devoid of disease or death, and in which humanity communed freely with their God or gods—is found in many forms around the globe. For all their variations in form and focus, these traditions relate remarkably similar circumstances.
Compare the Biblical account given in Genesis 2:8-10, 16, 17 with the version penned by Hesiod (fl. 8th century B.C.):
At first the immortals who dwell on Olympus created a golden race of mortal men. That was when Kronos was king of the sky, and they lived like gods, carefree in their hearts, shielded from pain and misery. Helpless old age did not exist, and with limbs of unsagging vigor they enjoyed the delights of feasts, out of evil's reach. A sleeplike death subdued them, and every good thing was theirs; the barley-giving earth asked for no toil to bring forth a rich and plentiful harvest. They knew no constraint and lived in peace and abundance as lords of their lands, rich in flocks and dear to the blessed sods (lines 110-121).1
Just as in Hesiod’s Garden of Eden, Adam did not have to "toil" in order to eat (Genesis 3:17). Foodstuffs seemingly grew of their own accord. Adam and Eve were apparently meant to be immortal; the first mortals of Greek Mythology did not grow old, though they did eventually die. And, as the Lord God could be found "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8), the "golden" men lived in close proximity to the Olympian gods. Furthermore, in a striking parallel with the Biblical story in which the first woman is held responsible for the Fall of mankind (Genesis 3:10), a curious Pandora "with her hands removed the great lid of the jar and scattered its contents, bringing grief and cares to men" (lines 95, 96), hence putting an end to the Golden Age.
The Hebrew and Greek accounts are not alone in the literature of the ancient Near East. Mesopotamian civilization and culture are considered to have begun at Sumer, and the Sumerians had a paradise myth, composed in the 3rd or 2nd millennium B.C. The Sumerian-Mesopotamian Garden of Eden consists has unmistakable parallels with the Biblical account. Likewise, in ancient Egypt, the theme of an original paradise was pervasive. "There was plenty of food in the bellies of the people; there was no sin on the earth; the crocodile did not seize prey, the serpent did not bite in the age of the primeval gods"— a time when men and gods lived together and man was immortal.
This idea was not limited to the Near East. It is found in the earliest traditions of the Far East as well. In China, the great Taoist teacher, Kwang-tze (fl. 4th century B.C.), told of an ancient age when birds and beasts multiplied to flocks and herds; the grass and trees grew luxuriant and long. In this condition the birds and beasts might be led about without feeling the constraint; the nest of the magpie might be climbed to, and peered into. Yes, in the age of perfect virtue, men lived in common with birds and beasts, and were on terms of equality with all creatures, as forming one family.... Equally without knowledge, they did not leave (the path of) their natural virtue; equally free from desires, they were in a state of pure simplicity. In that state. . the nature of the people was what it ought to be.4
The "luxuriant" growth of plants is once again noted, and the willing submission of animals to humans is reminiscent of the "dominion" Adam was given over the animals. Kwang-tze further explained that it was the excessive "practice of ceremonies" by "sagely men" which caused people "to be separated from one another." In other words, worship and sacrifice were not necessary in the "age of perfect virtue," for man was already at one with the Tao (the Way) and with his earthly fellow creatures. As in the Garden of Eden, it was an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that destroyed the tranquillity—"Great indeed is the disorder produced in the world by the love of knowledge" (Writings, p.289). And in at least one Chinese source it was a "woman, by an ambitious desire of knowledge," that brought "misery" upon the human race.5
Meanwhile, in the jungles of ancient Mesoamerica, a similar account was preserved:
And in this way they (the Creators and Makers) were filled with joy, because they had found a beautiful land, full of pleasures.... There were foods of every kind.... They (the first four men) were endowed with intelligence.. they succeeded in knowing all that there is in the world. When they looked, instantly they saw all around them, and they contemplated in turn the arch of heaven and the round face of the earth (Part 3, pp. 166-168).7
This paradise, like the others, was filled with good things to eat. But the predicament in which the gods found themselves—that the "created" possessed knowledge and vision equaling that of the "creators"—was not to be tolerated for long. Holding council, they resolved to remove these powers from the realm of mankind (p.169). This divine dilemma is almost identical to the one described in Genesis 3:22. Later the first Quiché women were formed while the men slept (p.170).
These accounts of a primordial paradise are but a representative sampling of those which survive. It can be demonstrated that the same story is an integral part of tribal traditions in places as diverse as Africa, Iceland, India, the Americas, and Australia.8
In our comparisons of the above accounts, many conditions were found to be common to most or all of them. Food was always abundant and animals had no fear of man. And man had no fear of God or gods, for he lived not only with Him or them, but he lived as one himself, tasting of neither infirmity nor death. But in every case this blissful state came to an abrupt end, usually through human action.
Thus the primordial paradise, like the creation of the universe and mankind, was a singular event in prehistory, and, as such, cannot be verified by science. This is not to imply that a judicious application of the scientific method of inquiry is of no value here.
Historian of religion, Mircea Eliade, has supposed that the tradition of a primordial paradise reflects a "nostalgia" for a mythical time when heaven and earth were either closer together or actually connected, facilitating direct communication between the gods and man. He observes that the shamans of Asia regularly engage in rituals devised to restore this "paradisial life." In ancient Egypt, this sharp separation between divinity and humanity was considered "an irrevocable event." The early Chinese expressed considerable regret that they "had no way by which they might bring back their original condition." And in South America, several Indian tribes still lament that they "no longer know the route to this `Happy Place.'"
In conclusion, if the idea of a primordial paradise originated in the imagination of one individual or nation, one would simply not expect to find it so firmly implanted in the minds and hearts of peoples everywhere. After all, it is not only widely known, but widely believed, and there is a difference. This tradition has not been transmitted as an interesting tale told by an exotic traveler; it has been preserved, without exception, as the record of an actual historical time and place. The primordial paradise is more memory than myth.
The
Garden of Eden Myth
The Garden of Eden Myth in Genesis of the Bible is perhaps the quintessential and prototypal illustration of a myth. The core of the myth is the act of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Even a precursory analysis of that myth would reveal the allegorical and symbolical act as the act of a “meaning seeking animal.” Further, the myth and narrative convey the understanding that the knowledge of good and evil invokes an evidently painful self-awareness that invokes strong feelings of shame and guilt. After all, Adam and Eve did cover their genitals with fig leaves. It is noteworthy that self-awareness is highlighted in the myth because very few animal species appear to have any self-awareness since few can recognize themselves in mirrors (i.e. chimpanzees, elephants). It’s as if the author wanted to highlight the characteristics that distinguish a human being from animals. Every scientist will tell you that the human brain and the human mind – as in knowledge - are the most distinctive characteristics of the human being.
An interesting twist in the narrative is that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge and thus knew good from bad, but in Hebrew the word “knowledge” had some distinct connotations of an intimate and a personal connection. In looking through the Old Testament it is clear that “righteousness” was integral to the word “knowledge” perhaps because knowledge (and truth) opposed directly lies and lying. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for knowledge is translated in the dialogue between Abraham and God in one instance as “covenant” rather than knowledge. Of course our understanding of “knowledge” today is very connected with philosophy and science. Eternal scientific or philosophical truths as well as “facts” seem to be the general understanding of “knowledge today. - which is completely different from how the ancient Jews understood knowledge. Blaise Pascal a mathematician, physicist, writer and theologian observed, “Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.” I always had some problems grasping that statement but it seems oddly appropriate in this context.
So, the Garden of Eden Myth, as a narrative, conveys the idea of the human being as a “meaning seeking animal” (eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge) in whom self-awareness (shame and guilt) happens due to knowledge gained of wrong or right and good and evil. The fig leaves covering their genitals, of course, highlights the issue of sexuality in human beings, and sex is, for better or worse, a powerful force in human nature.
The Garden of Eden Myth, besides putting perspective on human consciousness and being, also explains suffering. God, of course, once He finds out Adam and Eve has eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge renders a judgment: In Genesis 17, God, speaking to Adam, says because thou “hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'” So, the Garden of Eden Myth explains suffering, and in the story man cannot blame anyone but himself.
God then banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and places two Cherubim to guard the Garden of Eden. Genesis 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.” The philosopher, Stephen Burr, argues that the banishment from the Garden of Eden is a mythic source for the existent worldly existential exile of human beings. However, in the myth the knowledge of good and evil is the force that causes a self-awareness resulting in shame and guilt.
Meaning and Myth
Karen Armstrong observes, “Like art, religion is an attempt to construct meaning in the face of the relentless pain and injustice of life. As meaning seeking creatures, men and women fall very easily into despair. They have created religions and works of art to help them find value in their lives, despite all the dispiriting evidence to the contrary.” (Case p.8) It is interesting that Karen Armstrong makes the connection between pain and suffering and meaning. Several psychologists note that pain and suffering frequently invoke meaning seeking processes in the mind – which would seem natural since the brain asks of itself, “Why is this (pain) happening?”
In any case, I would argue not only do contemporary scientists and thinkers like Clifford Geertz, Roy Baumeister, Viktor Frankl, Paul Wong, Abraham Heschel, and Karen Armstrong, recognize the importance and significance of “meaning” in the lives of human beings but ancient peoples realized it as well. In summary, the Garden of Eden Myth portrays the human being as a “meaning seeking animal” with the important characteristics of self-awareness with guilt and shame as well as sexuality, which needless to say, is an important factor in human nature. Every scientist will tell you that the human brain is the most significant characteristic of the human being that differentiates the human being from the animal – so highlight “knowledge” in the Garden of Eden Myth would be highly appropriate.
Myths, of course, predate the written scriptures – possibly by thousands of years if not tens of thousands of years. Some anthropologists believe the Australian “Dreamtime” myth dates back tens of thousands of years. So, considering this myth probably dates back perhaps thousands of years and originated in a ‘primitive’ tribe of people, one must concede that all in all these primitives really didn’t do half-bad. One might even suggest that it took two thousand years for civilization to catch up to that primitive tribe. From the dawn of civilization, then, it would seem “meaning” has been a powerful intellectual and spiritual force in human beings and humanity.
REFERENCES
1. Hesiod: Theosony, Works and Days, Shield. Translated by AN. Athanassakis (1983).
2. A.B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (1969). Translated by S.N. Kramer.
3. L. Kakosy, "Ideas About the Fallen State of the World in Egyptian Religion...," Acts Orientalia (1964) p. 206.
4. The Sacred books of China, Part I - Translated hy James Legge (1891).
5. T.W. Doane, Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions (1948), p.14.
6. L. Spence, The Myths of Mexico and Peru (1925), pp.208,209.
7. Popoi Vuh - Translated by Adrian Recinos (1950).
8. J. Ries, "The Fall," The Encyclopedia of Religion (1987), pp.256-258.
9. F.R. Tennant, The Sources of the Doctrines of the Fall and Original Sin (1968), p.22.
10. M. Eliade, "The Yearning for Paradise in Primitive Tradition," Daedalus (1959), p. 256.
Cite this article: Alene D. Oestreicher MLA. 1989. Worldwide Traditions of Primordial Paradise. Acts & Facts. 18 (6).