Universal Creation: All Humanity at Once
Without the Garden "fall" myth, Genesis 1 shines: YHWH creates humankind (adam, earth-folk) in His image on day 6—one unified event, no special "Jew" line, no curse kickstarting sin.
Why It Fits Better:
- Gen 1:27: "Male and female created He them"—global humanity, no Eden split.
- No "original sin" curse—murder from Cain (Gen 4), but YHWH forgives direct (Gen 9:6 law to all).
- YHWH's name in non-Hebrew: "Yhwh" from Arabic "love" (Midian roots), Shasu "yhw" (Egypt 1400 BCE).
Garden Myth Parallels: Borrowed from Ancient Scrolls
Eden ain't original—YHWH scribes in Babylon (~6th BCE) remixed Sumerian/Egyptian/Ugaritic tales for "why suffering?" No Paleo-Hebrew Eden etch; it's exile fanfic.
Key Parallels Table
| Eden Element | Ancient Parallel (Source) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Paradise Garden | Dilmun myth (Sumer ~2000 BCE) |
Lush deathless god-home, sweet waters; Enki creates man, eats forbidden plant. |
| Tree/Fruit | Gilgamesh Epic (Mesopotamia ~2100 BCE) |
Serpent steals youth plant; temptation brings knowledge/mortality. |
| Serpent Tempter | Adapa Myth (Babylon ~1400 BCE) |
Tricked god loses eternal life via "knowledge" slip; serpent guardian. |
| Eve from Rib | Enki & Ninhursag (Sumer ~2000 BCE) |
Woman from god's rib after forbidden eat; gender from essence. |
| Expulsion | Isle of Flames (Egypt ~2400 BCE) |
Guarded paradise lost to hubris; exile from divine realm. |
Exile remix: Hebrew scribes swapped poly-gods for YHWH, but core "fall" trope same—church amps to sin curse for blood fix.
YHWH Names Worldwide: Proof of One Creation
Ditch Garden curse—YHWH's one-shot humanity (Gen 1:27) explains His name echoing in tongues: Shasu "yhw" (Egypt 1400 BCE), Arabic "love/passion" root (Midian), Aramaic Papyrus Amherst 63 invocations, theophoric Yeho/Yah in non-Hebrew names.
Global Echoes:
- Egypt (1400 BCE): Soleb Temple "Shasu of yhw"—nomad YHWH worship pre-Moses.
- Midian/Arabic: YHWH from "love/desire" (hawaya root)—southern storm god, pre-Hebrew.
- Aramaic (Egypt ~400 BCE): Papyrus Amherst 63—YHWH hymns in Jewish diaspora.
- Theophoric: Yeho/Yah in names across Canaan/Edom—universal pre-Jew.
No Eden in Paleo-Hebrew: Myth's Late Arrival
Paleo-Hebrew scraps (~10th–6th BCE: Gezer Calendar, Qeiyafa ostracon) silent on Eden—no garden, serpent, fall etch. Story's exile import (~6th BCE), absent from early script.
No Paleo-Hebrew Eden—universal creation stands clean.