The Story of Creation

In reading the differences between the two stories of the “J” story which focuses on the creation of Adam and Eve, and the “P” story which focuses on the creation of the actual world and seems to place the creation of humans as a side note, I prefer the “J” story. I think that I lean toward this story because it deals mainly with humans and the decisions that they were faced with in the Garden of Eden. Even as it starts it interestingly enough shows a more humanistic God than in the “P” story. With the visualization of God forming the clay into man, and then giving him life through passing his own breath through man’s nostrils, then in creating a suitable partner for man I feel shows that he cared for and wanted to ensure his happiness. 

The story then unfolds and represents curiosity and a “villain” per say to give justification to tempt Eve to allow her to do what she really wants to do. This way she can pass blame onto the serpent, in an attempt to get out of any wrongdoing. She then presents the fruit to her husband so that they are now both at fault for eating from the forbidden tree.

             I think that this story has many lessons to teach if the reader is not taking the wording of the story so literally. There are times in which it is better to follow the rules and instructions you are given, even if you truly do not know the true reason, or essentially agree with the reason. There is a great deal of representation in the “J” story more so than in the “P” story. Once Adam and Eve had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and bad, they were given something that they were not ready to handle. Essentially a cold splash of reality, they had thought they were ready to handle what was forbidden to them, but they had realized that they had been mistaken.