Author : Keith Sharp
QUESTION: Was there such a place as Eden, and where was it? Science figures life started in Egypt area or North East Africa so would Eden be there? Do you believe the Garden of Eden was an actual place or a story to relate a message to the Jewish people?
ANSWER: Thanks for this excellent question.
Genesis 2:8 states, “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” From this verse we learn that to Moses, the author of Genesis, who was probably in the Desert of Sinai when he wrote Genesis, Eden was “eastward.” In verse 10 we read, “Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.” These rivers are identified as the Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates (verses 11-14). The only one of these rivers that still bears the same name is the Euphrates, which is in modern Iraq. However, one of these rivers, the Gihon, is said to encircle “Cush,” which was south of Egypt.
History is the written record of the past. If Genesis is history, the events recorded therein actually happened as they are written.
Epic poetry, on the other hand, is “a long narrative poem recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero.” (Webster’s dictionary). Poetry abounds in figures of speech and appeals to imagination and emotion by the use of various literary devices.
Those who contend that Genesis is epic poetry do so to throw doubt on its historical accuracy. They think the book is a collection of Hebrew legends about the distant past. If the book of Genesis is such a work, it is simply the product of the Hebrew people, not inspired of God, and has no higher claim for acceptance as truth than myths of other ancient peoples.
There are several reasons to reject the position that Genesis is myth and to accept the fact it is sober history. The book is not written in the style of Hebrew poetry but of history. Moses introduces each new section with the phrase, “This is the history” (or “genealogy”) (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10,27; 25:12,19; 36:1; 37:2). So far as archaeology has been able to check the Genesis record, it has proven accurate. The author displays amazing historical objectivity, a quality unknown to other ancient records. He records the drunkenness of Noah, the lies of Abraham, and the adultery of Judah; at the same time he tells the noble qualities of Pharaoh and Abimelech. Since Jesus accepted the Genesis record as literal history (Matthew 19:3-6; 24:37-39), all who claim to be Christians must accept that Genesis is history. Furthermore, the apostles add their testimony to the fact Genesis is literal history (1 Timothy 2:13-14; 1 Peter 3:18-21; 2 Peter 2:5-8). To claim the Genesis record is mythological is to reject the testimony of the Son of God and of His apostles.
Science is knowledge gained by observation and experimentation. To be a subject of science, a process must be something that can be observed, measured, and repeated. Genesis is not intended to be a science book, but neither are its statements which touch on science inaccurate. It is true that human assumptions about Genesis often contradict science. For example, Catholic theologians of the Middle Ages asserted that Genesis teaches that the earth is the center of the universe. In reality, the book teaches no such thing. At the same time, human assumptions about science may contradict Genesis. Thus, the false philosophy of general evolution does indeed contradict the Genesis account of creation. But the facts of natural science do not uphold general evolution. However, there is no conflict between the actual Genesis record and the facts of science.
A little thought will lead one to recognize that the location of the Garden of Eden cannot be definitely identified. With the current geography of the earth, it would be physically impossible for the Euphrates River and a river flowing south of Egypt to have a common source. Furthermore, nowhere in the world today do four great rivers start from a single source. Obviously the geography and geology of the earth were different immediately after creation than now. The great flood of Noah’s day (Genesis chapters 7-8), lasted over a year, covered all the great mountains on earth, and involved the breaking up of the fountains of the deep (underground sources of water) as well as continual rainfall for 40 days over the whole earth (something now physically impossible). This implies that the geology and atmosphere of the ancient earth were different than now. Furthermore, this great flood so altered the physical geography and geology of the earth as to make it impossible to definitely state what the surface of the earth was like before the flood. This also means that geological digs involving the origin of man by nature yield skewed results.
Further, conclusions of anthropologists (those who study human evolution) are based as much on philosophy as on scientific evidence. The same set of facts taken from an archaeological dig can be variously interpreted, depending on the philosophy (and desire for fame or need for publishable, sensational claims) of the anthropologist.
Unbelieving scientists reject the creation account, including the garden of Eden, not because the evidence disproves the Genesis record, but because they reject the reality of miracles. If one believes in God, who is all powerful (Genesis 17:1; 18:14; Hebrews 12:25-26; Revelation 19:6), miracles pose no problem. If one believes the Bible is the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), the reality of miracles is a fact. If one rejects the story of the garden of Eden, there is no logical reason to accept any other biblical miracle, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In that case, we have no hope for our own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-20). What a pitiable position!
Genesis chapters one through three are crucial to our faith. They tell us our origin and nature. If Genesis is correct, God created mankind in His own image, and we are moral creatures with the purpose of believing, fearing, obeying, and glorifying God. If evolutionists are correct, we evolved as higher apes and have no purpose or duty whatever.
Do not abandon faith in the creation account. Here unbelief begins; here faith comes to rest.
