Seduced, expelled, discredited, and yet the source of all life: here is the story of a woman whose decision changed everything, absolutely everything for everyone.
I was created in God’s image. At least half of me was. For we were created together, as man and woman, and thus in the image of God. This is stated twice in the account of creation.
I was the woman. I was formed from the man’s rib, supposedly the first human being ever. This is what the other account says. The man was even sent into a deep sleep so that the rib could be taken.
I was the second. That is what some myths believe. The first is said to have been Lilith. Some say there was a fight and she ran away. Others say she was rebellious and became a demon. Such rumours exist only because some people cannot understand that there are two accounts that tell the story of the creation of human beings.
I was seduced. An animal approached me: a serpent. He wanted me to go to a particular tree in our garden and eat its fruit. That was strictly forbidden. But what he told me was so tempting: I would not die. And I would be like God, knowing good and evil. I no longer just wanted to look at the fruit. So I bit into it.
I was expelled. Tasting the fruit was a bad idea. My husband ate some too, and we felt very strange. We were filled with shame. God knew what we had done. There was a rift between us. We had to leave our home. And we would never be able to go back there. The entrance was guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
From then on, my husband had to work hard in the fields. And I could only have children with painful labour.
My reputation is tarnished. Supposedly created only second and deceived by the serpent, I did not have a good reputation. I was said to be subordinate to my husband and more susceptible to sin than he was. I was cast as the original sinner, an erotic temptress, the gateway through which evil entered the world. This reputation was then projected onto all women.
I was the helper. Adam was very lonely. God created many animals and let my husband name them. But for Adam no comparable helper was found. That is why I was placed at his side, as a “helper comparable to him”. Some have made me his subordinate assistant. But help here simply means “God’s saving intervention”.
I am life. For I was not only the mother of my three sons Cain, Abel, and Seth, but I became “the mother of all living”. Because my name means “life”.
My name is ḥawwāh. Later they called me Eve.
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