Re: appendix

In a message dated 1/4/2005 4:19:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, "Charles Carrigan" <CCarriga@olivet.edu> writes:

>All,
>
>Over the last couple of days, I've seen several individuals post items that in my mind are variations on this:
>
>>>> RFaussette@aol.com> 1/4/2005 11:31:05 AM >>
>(as Adam is the only part of creation that's "broken").
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>For those that would agree with Rich's statement here, I'm curious as to how you interpret Gen. 3:14-19.  I'll let you all look up the entire passage on your own, but v. 17 is critical to the discussion here, which says "Cursed is the ground because of you" (God speaking to Adam).  God does not curse Adam per se, but rather curses the ground, causing Adam
difficulty in growing/harvesting food.  
 
Is the ground cursed, or not?  How is "cursed" different from "broken"?
 
Regards,
Charles

Charles,
Let me take a stab at your questions using the utilitarian perspective I have been trying and failing to convey.

The patriarchs were shepherds. That is a very specific occupation involving animal breeding. Today's orthodox Jews are still living a nomadic existence just like pastoral nomads. They remain segregated from other groups and live in a "host" nation. They do not participate in agriculture. When a king of England (Charles 12th cent?)gave them a choice of becoming farmers or leaving England they chose to leave England. Why the aversion to agriculture? In 17, you are getting a foreshadow of Cain's rejected gift of agricultural produce that soon follows. The underlying message is to become shepherds rather than farmers now that you are not being subsidized by God. Shepherds maintain the size of their families based on the resources of their flocks. Agriculturalists on the other hand, reproduce according to the carrying capacity of the land which is vastly increased by agriculture. Agricultural surpluses become common with much organized labor but when the surplus is lost, the indi!
genous agriculturalists starve and die or often lose their freedom and that is the message of the story of Joseph in Egypt. It is the story of the inherent weakness of landed civilizations. So, I would say that now that Adam is no longer behaving intuitively and subsisting on produce generously provided by God, he has a choice to become an agriculturalist or a shepherd. Genesis is pushing us toward shepherding rather than agriculture.

Neoteny is postulated for Gen. 16. Neoteny is obvious to people whose business it is to preside over births. It is easy to see the difference between the easy birth of animmals and the difficult birth of the human baby and the greater difficulty the human baby has to get thru the birth canal.

And it is Adam who is broken, not the ground, and that's according to Jewish mysticism.

rich
Received on Tue Jan 4 18:31:32 2005