Eve's Story

I cannot separate my feelings for women's rights with that of my faith.  To do so would require me to throw away everything I have ever believed.  I do not and cannot believe, like some, that any view of God means the oppression of women.  Instead of arguing a secular point of view in this issue, I have decided to do a study of the Christian faith and the role of women in society and in eternity.  Unfortunately, many people do not agree with this stance, but I will not attempt to argue or defend what I believe wholeheartedly to be the Truth.  Simply put, I come to this discussion with a Christian worldview.  I am not associated with any particular sect or denomination of Christianity (in fact, my church is nondenominational), and all my evidence comes straight from the Word.  However, I am human, so I encourage anyone who reads this to look up anything and everything I say.

In the beginning, God made man.  That much is very, utterly simple.  Jokingly, I'm sure some would argue that life was better for Adam without Eve.  And yet, God determined that it wasn't good for this man to be alone (Gen. 2:18).  So, the book of Genesis tells us, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took part of his side to form his helper (Gen. 2:21-22).  Interestingly enough, the word helper is used.  The NET Bible, an online Bible that has been annotated by biblical professionals, tells us that the word used in the Hebrew text did not have the same connotations as the word “helper” is in English.  In fact, the Hebrew word is more of “indispensable companion” (NETBible.org).  This does not convey any of the subordination or oppression that many believe to be inherent in the foundations of the Christian faith.

It isn’t known how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, but the account of the fall of man is well documented.  God had told the man, in the very beginning that although he may eat from any tree in the Garden, the tree in the middle was forbidden (Gen.2: 16).  Eve was addressed by the “crafty” serpent, who tempted her with the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Interestingly, as well as a side note, the serpent never blatantly lied to Eve.  Eve didn’t die- right at that point.  From one perspective, all the serpent did was open the door to doubt, which flooded into Eve’s mind.  Now, before Eve is condemned as the sole perpetrator, the text does say that she gave the fruit to her husband, “who was with her” (Gen. 3:6).  Eve, however wrong, however weak, was not the only one.  The Scripture leaves no doubt that Adam, the man was with her, and it does not give the slightest implication that he was tricked into sinning.  The age-old argument that Eve was the only instrument in our fall is, in fact, wrong.

Following the first sin, the first evil, God cursed not only man and woman, but also the entire earth (Gen. 3:16-19).  But it is Eve’s curse that sets up the entirety of woman’s struggle.  God tells her that in addition to increased childbearing pains, she will desire to control her husband, but that he will dominate her (Gen 3:16).  In some texts, only the word desire is used, but because, again, the connotations of the word in English and Hebrew are different, theological scholars believe that control is meant rather than romantic desire, which doesn’t actually fit with the tone and purpose of the curse.  In this curse, God does not sanction struggle as holy or right.  Instead, he merely states that it will be, much as the curse of the ground will be.  In His intended creation, this conflict would not be present, but because of sin, the two sexes will continually be at odds over domination.

Eve’s story does not have the purpose of showing the sanctioned subordination of women.  In fact, her story is what makes this fight completely real.  Many feminists believe that women are, in fact, superior to men.  Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa wrote a book entitled The Superior Excellence of Women over Men.  This is not true.  No sex was meant to be superior to the other, and it is saddening that some believe the opposite to be true.  God did not whisper in Adam’s ear when Eve was made, “I still like you best though”.  Eve sets the stage for the fight that has lasted for all of human existence.