The Mystery of Eve and Adam: A Prophetic Critique of the Monarchy

Synopsis: What if the story of Eve and Adam was not meant to be a story about creation and the origin of life? What if Eve and Adam were not personifications of all women and men? What if the curse on the woman had nothing to do with the physical pain of giving birth? What if working by the sweat of the brow was a description of the slavery that existed under the monarchy? What if being cast out of the garden of Eden was a metaphor for the deportation of people from Judah to Babylon? The author of this book takes readers on a journey of inquiry leading to the conclusion that the story of Eve and Adam was authored by the theological school of Jeremiah in order to dissuade the Judean people never to reinstate the monarchy after their return from Babylon--a monarchy that previously was responsible for so much infant mortality subjugation of women and enslavement of its own people. At the heart of this journey is the discovery that Eve and Adam actually are metaphors for Israel and Judah--two nations that chose to have a king like other nations and suffered the consequences. Endorsement: Moe-Lobeda has taken sharp notice of the diverse genres of literary expression in the Old Testament; he has matched that with a diversity of historical circumstances reflected in the text. The outcome is a kaleidoscopic survey of the many lenses of the Bible a range that gives readers much freedom and that refuses every absolutism about the text. The result is that readers must allow great room for each other. --Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary Author Biography: Ron Moe-Lobeda is the pastor of University Lutheran Church in Seattle Washington. He and the members of this congregation are founders of Elizabeth Gregory Home which provides a day center and transitional housing for homeless women.