Scholarly proposals are presented for the pre-biblical origin in Mesopotamian myths of the Garden of Eden story. Some Liberal PhD scholars (1854-2010) embracing an Anthropological viewpoint have proposed that the Hebrews have recast earlier motifs appearing in Mesopotamian myths. Eden's garden is understood to be a recast of the gods' city-gardens in the Sumerian Edin, the floodplain of Lower Mesopotamia. It is understood that the Hebrews in the book of Genesis are refuting the Mesopotamian account of why Man was created and his relationship with his Creators (the gods and goddesses). They deny that Man is a sinner and rebel because he was made in the image of gods and goddesses who were themselves sinners and rebels, who made man to be their agricultural slave to grow and harvest their food and feed it to them in temple sacrifices thereby ending the need of the gods to toil for their food in the city-gardens of Edin in ancient Sumer.

Explores the conviction that paradise existed in a precise although unreachable earthly location. Delving into the writings of dozens of medieval and Renaissance thinkers, from Augustine to Dante, this title presents a study of the meaning of Original Sin and the human yearning for paradise.

The biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is a cornerstone of Western civilization, yet there are still many mysteries concerning its origins and meaning. In The Mythology of Eden, Arthur and Elena George utilize new historical and archaeological discoveries to reveal how the story’s author uses veiled symbolism and mythological storytelling to convey his message about the most profound questions of human existence regarding the divine, life, death, and immortality. This innovative book offers an interdisciplinary interpretation of the Eden story that delves into incorrect assumptions and brings to light details that have previously gone unnoticed. The Mythology of Eden provides a new understanding of the story of Adam and Eve and illuminates the story’s role and meaning in our modern world.

Hailed as "the most radical repackaging of the Bible since Gutenberg", these Pocket Canons give an up-close look at each book of the Bible.

Why was the birth of a poor carpenter " in the first century AD attended by the Magi: the Persian king-makers? Why was Jesus later known as the King of the Jews "?Using many strands of contemporary evidence, Ralph Ellis has pieced together a historical jigsaw puzzle demonstrating that the biblical Jesus was directly descended from Cleopatra VII, the most famous queen of Egypt.But this is not all, for in piecing this story together it would seem that Jesus also had an aristocratic Roman and royal Persian ancestry too; and it is the latter bloodline element that explains the appearance of Persian Magi at his birth.

A “certainly weird . . . strangely wonderful . . . [and] often irresistible” search to find the real Garden of Eden (The New York Times Book Review). Where, precisely, was God’s Paradise? St. Augustine had a theory. So did medieval monks, John Calvin and Christopher Columbus. But when Darwin’s theory of evolution changed our understanding of human origins, shouldn’t the desire to put a literal Eden on the map have faded away? Not so fast. This “gloriously researched, pluckily written historical and anecdotal assay of humankind’s age-old quixotic quest for the exact location of the Biblical garden” (Elle) explores an obsession that has consumed scientists and theologians alike for centuries. To this day, the search continues, taken up by amateur explorers, clergymen, scholars, engineers and educators—romantic seekers all who started with the same simple-sounding Bible verses, only to end up at a different spot on the globe: Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, the North Pole, Mesopotamia, China, Iraq—and Ohio. Inspired by an Eden seeker in her own family, “Wilensky-Lanford approaches her subjects with respect, enthusiasm and conscientious research” (San Francisco Chronicle) as she traverses a century-spanning history provoking surprising insights into where we came from, what we did wrong, and where we go from here. And it all makes for “a lively journey” (Kirkus Reviews).

Humankind. At the same time, it's best friend and its worst enemy. We're capable of the Declaration of Human Rights and Genocide, sending a man to the moon and polluting our oceans. Why are we inhabited by such extreme objectives? What is the origin of such a paradoxical humankind? Humans can be angels, Mother Teresa, Schindler, and Dr. Jekyll. The Bible calls this righteousness. Humans can be demons, Saddam Hussein, Stalin, and Mr. Hyde. The Bible calls this sin. We want humans to be loving, kind, peaceful, and happy. But… Are we human angels or human demons? We need to figure out what makes humans tick. Are we subject to our consciousness and mind pulsations? Do we have any choice in the matter? The clock is ticking. When it stops, will it be heaven or hell? "I commend anyone who takes measures to look beyond the surface meaning of scriptures since there's so much hidden in Biblical text. People who take it at surface value often miss precious gems of wisdom." D. Robinson. This commentary on Genesis 2 is an eye-opening solution to the human paradox. Learn the origin of consciousness and the mind. Join all the dots as we delve into the Biblical Hebrew, the original language of the Bible. Read the clear answers to these pressing questions in Origin of Humankind, available now.