A genealogical tree of Adam and Eve’s descendants, to the deluge Gen. IV.V.

Title

A genealogical tree of Adam and Eve’s descendants, to the deluge Gen. IV.V.

Description

The illustration shows the family tree of descendants from Adam and Eve to the deluge.

ca. 1740

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

According to the biblical account in Genesis (chapters 2 to 5), Adam and Eve were the first human couple and thus the progenitors of all human beings. According to this, God formed Adam from earth and breathed into him the breath of life. Subsequently, Adam gave names to the animals, but found no partner counterpart. Thereupon God let Adam fall into a deep sleep, took from him a rib and created from this his counterpart Eve. While in the narration up to this point always of "the man" (Adam) one speaks, Adam recognizes now in the meeting with the new being itself as man and opposite him Eve as woman. Adam is also mentioned in the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam. The biblical account of creation says: "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; and he created them male and female." Adam and Eve first live in the Garden of Eden. There Eve is persuaded by the serpent to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, despite God's prohibition. The turning away from God's commandments expressed in eating the forbidden fruit is considered disobedience to God in both the Jewish and Christian religions. Christianity speaks of the fall of man. As a result of the rebellion, the Bible describes Adam and Eve realizing their nakedness, whereupon they make themselves an apron of fig leaves. God confronts them, whereupon Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent. Both are expelled from the Garden of Eden, but God makes them fur clothing as protection. Eve must henceforth bear children in pain, and Adam is given the hard and laborious task of farming. The classical words : "For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return" express, according to the Christian interpretation, that death has now entered the world, since men have remained mortal. In the biblical narrative, after the expulsion from Paradise, Adam begets Cain, Abel and Set with Eve.