I want to take a minute here to draw a parallel between the narrative of the
fall of man and another fable with a similar message. If we look to Greek
mythology, we find a tale of a Titan named Prometheus, who not only makes
mankind from clay, but also defies the gods and Zeus himself, by giving
mankind the gift of fire. If we closely examine this story, we can see almost
an identical tale of a tragic protagonist (in the form of Prometheus), who
gives mankind knowledge (in the form of fire), and thus causes mankind to
understand they can become greater than they are, but also brings great
suffering to mankind, because that knowledge is supposedly meant only for
the gods -- for man to have such knowledge is an affront to the gods. In
order for the gods to mete out their “justice” against mankind, Prometheus’
daughter, Pandora, is tricked by the gods into opening a box that releases
great suffering on the world; as a result, Prometheus himself is punished by
having an eagle eat his liver daily which then grows back and is repeatedly
eaten for all eternity.
If we dive deeper, we can see yet another parallel that begs our attention in
the characters of Prometheus and the serpent. You see, in much of Christian
theology, it is believed the serpent is either Satan, or one of Satan’s
minions. Satan, for those unfamiliar with the character, is the fallen angel
known originally as Lucifer, who was cast out of heaven for his pride,
believing he could be greater than God. The word Lucifer is from the Latin
Vulgate, it means "the morning star", and, when used as an adjective, it
means "light-bringing". If we instead look to the Hebrew Septuagint, and its
translation into Greek, we get the name Heōsphoros, rather than Lucifer--a
name meaning "bringer of dawn". So, we have Prometheus, who brings light
in the form of fire, which in this narrative is meant to represent knowledge,
to mankind, and Lucifer, who is the “bringer of light” and knowledge to
mankind.
Connecting the Dots
Consequently, when we see the parallels, and are able to understand the
allegorical nature of the narrative, we can see a worthwhile lesson of a
warning to be cautious of our quest for knowledge, and the application of it.
Most of us would agree this is a warning worthy of heed. The same
knowledge that brought us nuclear power plants also brought the atomic
bomb, the cold war, and the constant threat of an extinction-level event
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