New Testament

In the new testament we see certain interpretations of Genesis 2 capitalized on while others are left behind. In the first short passages it is solidified that our knowledge of nudity and the consequences of us eating the forbidden fruit are sinful. To palliate the effects of clothing ourselves, there is a massive shift towards "cloth[ing] yourselves with Christ" (E&A 117). This is repeated in the next passage with "clothe yourselves with the new self" (E&A 117) and later with "women should dress themselves modestly and decently" (E&A 119). It seems as though the new testament attempts to replace the negative connotation of sin with a positive clothing in Christ. Either way, it solidifies that our action of attaining godly knowledge was sinful and should try to be replaced with a more richeous action of clothing in Christ.

The next point of interpretation that the new testament deals with is the order of human creation, and its implications. What a coincidence that the male authors of this text happen to pick genesis 2 to base their entire theory of inferiority off of when genesis 1 is right beside it. Nevertheless, this order of woman being created after man is repeated numerous times in these short assigned texts, and is always followed by a statement of inferiority. The order of creation is harnessed to explain male supremacy more so than Eve's responsibility for tempting Adam into eating the forbidden fruit. This suggests that women's inferiority was ordained by god, instated from the beginning, not due to the course of human actions. Female inferiority is strengthened by this interpretation.

Also, somehow in the mess of interpretation, God's original intention of being fruitful and multiplying has become lost. "the body is meant not for fornication but for the lord, and the lord for the body" (Cor 6:13b). In our discussion we deduced that human bodies were made for two reasons, to work the land, and bear children. For whatever reason this connection with the land and sex is lost, and the body becomes not one's own, but part of god. The strength of the phrase "in his image" is greatly increased and a sense of non-ownership is felt about the body. Even gender is stripped away as "there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (E&A 117).