The Book of Genesis derived from a well-organized, civilized society. The Priestly editor composed the first five books in the Bible. The second account of Creation originated in the ancient oral culture. The Yahwist editor wrote the Creation story. Genesis, the book of beginnings, tells the origins of the Jewish race and culture. It traces the ancestors of the people of Israel from the beginning of the world. The Bible has one overall theme creation, fall, and redemption (Ralph, "And God Said What?" 19-23). This passage reflects the creation of all, the fall of man and the redemption by God. .
A myth, an imaginative story, uses symbols to explore reality beyond a person's comprehension. The Fall of Man explains why humans suffer. Societies adopted myths that functioned in a spiritual and moral world. These myths were based on the needs and experiences of the audience. People talk about the events in which God reveals himself. Parts of the oral tradition are gradually written down. Throughout history, people collect and edit oral and written traditions. Some stories were revised to accommodate generations (Ralph, 35).
God formed "Adam", a human being and "Eve", related to the word life, which were the first ecologists. God gave them responsibilities. Adam and Eve cared for the earth and guided its proper use. Adam and Eve were to replenish and multiply the Earth. They were the first to form a relationship with God. Adam and Eve were made in God's image. They were the first married couple and the first parents. They were the first to sin against God and face the consequences (Von Rad, "Genesis" 86,87). Adam's consequences were "through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground" (Yancey, "The Student Bible" 28). Eve's consequences for her actions by God: "increase your pains in childbearing, your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" (Yancey, 28).
