ABSTRACT
From Genesis 2.4-4.4 derives the Christian theology of original sin and redemption, figured in six images: a man and woman, a serpent and lamb, and symbolic trees and water. God sets Adam, the first human being, in a perfect garden in the land of Eden, watered by four rivers sustaining the plants, including the Tree of Eternal Life. Eve, created from Adam’s rib as his mate, is tempted by the serpent. After the couple eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they lose paradise and must endure toil and death in the world, though God still cares for the righteous, such as Abel, who sacrifices his sheep devoutly.
