{"id":841,"date":"2011-07-17T16:56:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-17T20:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/exploringourmatrix\/?p=832"},"modified":"2011-07-17T16:56:34","modified_gmt":"2011-07-17T20:56:34","slug":"trees-for-the-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2011\/07\/trees-for-the-gods.html","title":{"rendered":"Trees for the Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

What do you think of this interpretation?<\/p>\n

In the Garden of Eden story\u2026Yahweh places the two trees in the garden for the benefit of the elohim<\/em>. I infer this because Yahweh did not allow the humans to eat from them, and the trees impart qualities by which the gods are identified. Apparently the elohim<\/em> regularly consume the fruit provided by the two trees. Yahweh intended neither for the humans. The tree of life imparted to the elohim<\/em> eternal life or immortality. The other tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Imparted divine insight and gave the elohim<\/em> their unique knowledge. When humans eat the fruit from the tree, Yahweh addresses his council with the problem: \u201cSee, the man has become like one of us<\/em>, knowing good and evil\u201d (Gen. 3:22).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 David Penchansky, Twilight of the Gods: Polytheism in the Hebrew Bible<\/a>\"\"<\/em> (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005) pp.29-30.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do you think of this interpretation? In the Garden of Eden story\u2026Yahweh places the two trees in the garden for the benefit of the elohim. I infer this because Yahweh did not allow the humans to eat from them, and the trees impart qualities by which the gods are identified. Apparently the elohim regularly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,28,60,80,101],"tags":[1140,2745,3022,3840,4005,4029,7651,9317,12865,12867,13950],"class_list":["post-841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-genesis-bible","category-monotheism","category-religion","category-theology","tag-bible","tag-divine-council","tag-elohim","tag-genesis-bible","tag-god","tag-gods","tag-monotheism","tag-polytheism","tag-tree-of-knowledge","tag-tree-of-life","tag-yahweh"],"yoast_head":"\nTrees for the Gods<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What do you think of this interpretation? In the Garden of Eden story...Yahweh places the two trees in the garden for the benefit of the elohim. 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