ABSTRACT
So opens one of humanity’s oldest archetypal stories. Set in an idyllic and lush garden that teemed with life, it begins with humanity’s parents living a life of matchless harmony surrounded by abundant food and perfect beauty. In a phrase, they lived in paradise-a place of order. Yet, the purpose of this ancient text was not to revel in the perfect social harmony that was, but no doubt to account for the disorder and death that ancient readers no doubt saw about them, for the narrative ends with the Lord casting Adam and Eve out of the garden. The rest of the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Bible, then, serve as an attempt to restore social order through the offering of a perfect victim (Burke, 1984).
