English 220: Mythology: Genesis

In the 6th century B.C.E., the biblical priestly order in Babylonia wrote the creation story as a source of comfort for the homeless Israelites. Instead of a violent creation myth, they wrote of a god greater and more loving than Marduk, the Babylonian god.

Beginning in Mesopotamia, the cradle of Western civilization, this program follows author Bruce Feiler as he explores the landscape of the Old Testament and traces the emergence of the Jewish people in history. From the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, where the Bible’s storytellers set the Garden of Eden, Feiler proceeds to Mt. Ararat in search of Noah’s ark, travels to the town where some believe Abraham was born, and visits the ancient ruins of Harran, where the Bible says God told Abraham to “go forth” to the Promised Land. Following the path that Abraham may have taken, Feiler stops to examine salt formations associated with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah before venturing on to Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount, the spot at which the patriarch underwent his ultimate test of faith

How much do you really know about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden? This video looks at some common myths and variations in the well-known biblical story.

In the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, the devil chooses to trick Eve rather than Adam. "Eve was Satan's bait, poison to men's souls." Women, held in such low esteem, are considered property of the males of their families.