The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 3: The Beginning of Time • 109

“It’s not how I pictured the scene either,” agreed Father Greg, “but it makes sense, doesn’t it?” 42

Two Paradises and Two Falls After our discussion Mentor thanked the three Fathers and offered this summary of their insights as we listened. “Two paradises have been narrated for us: a heavenly paradise of pure light and an earthly paradise of life— the first paradise for angelic beings, the second for humankind. Satan was envious of the earthly couple’s favored status before God—their “election to Eden” as our brother Ambrose described. Then, as our Syrian brothers taught, Satan asked subtle questions of our mother, Eve, through the voice of the serpent. This is how he discovered that the Almighty had placed a veil over the most holy place of the Garden to prevent the man and woman from eating fruit from the tree of life. The Serpent, jealous as he was of Adam and Eve, infected our mother with the same envy that caused him to be expelled from heaven. Thus, the fallen angel convinced 42 Ephrem imagines the Garden of Eden very differently than today’s readers (those who bother to imagine the scene at all). Eden is not just a pretty park but truly is the garden of God where the man and woman commune with God as if in a sanctuary. Like the Tabernacle described in Exodus, as one moves from the outer court though a series of chambers into the most holy place—the Holy of Holies—one draws near to the very presence of God. Genesis 3:22 indicates that Adam and Eve had not eaten from the Tree of Life. And according to Ephrem’s hymn, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil prevented them from doing so—it served the same function as the veil of the Tabernacle later served, to prevent unauthorized entrance into the most holy place with the consequence of death. It makes sense, given this view of the garden, that the serpent was not present when Eve ate the forbidden fruit.