Ask any Christian what the Garden of Eden is, and you will get a definite answer: It’s the place where Adam and Eve fell from God’s grace. But how did they fall, and why, and what happened to the Garden of Eden when all was said and done?
After God created Adam and Eve, he sent them to live in the Garden of Eden. He tells them to take care of the garden and help it grow, but he charges them not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is the only thing forbidden to them in the garden.
The serpent lives in the tree, and one day asks Eve why she does not eat of the fruit. Eve explains the commandment, explaining that even touching the fruit could kill her. The serpent convinces her that this is not true, and that the opposite would happen – that she and Adam would be like gods, with knowledge of everything.
Eve eats of the apple, and Adam does the same. They are then suddenly aware that they are naked, and try to cover themselves. The sudden presence of shame and uncertainty is the result of eating of the fruit of the tree. God finds the two of them in the garden, chastises them for what they have done, and sends them away from the garden before they can eat from the Tree of Life.
The story of Adam and Eve has long been a basis of the Christian belief of how mankind came to be, and how man lost the close connection with God that he had in the very beginning…but what about the Garden of Eden? Some believe the garden was not real, and is only part of a parable meant to teach. Others, however, believe the Garden of Eden was real, especially since the Biblical account of it seems to point to geographical markers that indicate the location.
The geography revealed in the story of the Garden of Eden seems to indicate that the place was located in the Persian Gulf, or perhaps in the present-day country of Iran. Others claim it wasn’t in the Middle East at all. Regardless of the location of the Garden of Eden, those who have studied it agree it was a “paradise” of ample food and water, a place where man and beast could survive for centuries and not have to look elsewhere for sustenance.
What do you think? Is the Garden of Eden real? Where was it located? Will we ever know for sure?