Early Christian Beliefs About the Tree of Knowledge and the Fall

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

The tree of knowledge itself was good, and its fruit was good. For it was not the tree, as some think, but disobedience, that had death in it. For there was nothing in the fruit except knowledge, and knowledge is good when a person uses it wisely. But Adam, since he was still like an infant in age, was not yet able to receive knowledge in a proper way. Even now, when a child is born, he is not able to eat bread at once. He is first fed with milk, and then, as he grows older, he moves on to solid food. It would have been the same with Adam. God did not command him not to eat from the tree of knowledge because He was unwilling to let him have it, as some suppose. Rather, He also wanted to test him, to see whether he would submit to His commandment. At the same time, He wanted man, since he was still like an infant, to remain simple and sincere for a while longer. For this is holy, not only with God but also among men: that children should obey their parents with simplicity and without deceit. But if it is right for children to be subject to their parents, how much more should they be subject to the God and Father of all things? Besides, it is not fitting for children in infancy to be

Mathetes, Epistle to Diognetus Direct teaching

...hose who rightly love Him. You are made to be a paradise of delight, presenting within yourselves a tree bearing all kinds of produce and flourishing well, adorned with various fruits. For in this place, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life have been planted; but it is not the tree of knowledge that destroys—it is disobedience that is destructive. Furthermore, the words written about how God from the beginning planted the tree of life in the midst of paradise are not without significance, revealing through knowledge the way to life. When those who were first formed did not use this knowledge properly, they were stripped naked through the fraud of the Serpent. For neither can life exist without knowledge, nor is knowledge secure without life. Therefore, both were planted close together. The Apostle, understanding the significance of this connection and criticizing that knowledge which, without true doctrine, is allowed to influence life, declares, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” For anyone who thinks they know anything without true knowledge, and such knowledge that is supported by life, knows nothing but is deceived by the Serpent, as they do not love life. But w

Mathetes, Epistle to Diognetus Supporting witness

but it is not the tree of knowledge that destroys— it is disobedience that proves destructive.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness

The tree of knowledge itself was good, and its fruit was good.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness

but only of the tree of knowledge He commanded him not to taste.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

Knowledge, then, never becomes ignorance nor does good change into evil.

Genesis 2:9 Background

And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:17 Direct teaching

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 3:6 Direct teaching

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:1 Direct teaching

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:3 Supporting witness

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Genesis 2:16 Supporting witness

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Direct teaching

...whom they also claim to be angels. Their mother (Sophia) cleverly devised a plan to deceive Eve and Adam, through the serpent, to break Ialdabaoth's command. Eve listened to this as if it came from a son of God, and believed it easily. She also persuaded Adam to eat from the tree about which God had said they should not eat. They then claim that by eating, they gained the knowledge of the power above all and left those who created them. When Prunicus saw that the powers were thwarted by their own creation, she rejoiced greatly and exclaimed again that since the father was incorruptible, he (Ialdabaoth), who previously called himself the father, was a liar; and that, while Anthropos and the first woman (the Spirit) existed before, this one (Eve) sinned by committing adultery.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching

...the beginning, when God had given man many things to eat but commanded him not to eat from just one tree, as Scripture tells us that God said to Adam: “You may eat from every tree in the garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat: for on the day you eat from it, you will surely die.” The serpent, lying against the Lord, tempted man, saying to the woman: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” And when she exposed the lie and clearly stated the command as God had said, “We may eat from the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You must not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die,’” the serpent, having learned from the woman the command of God, used his cunning and ultimately deceived her with a lie, saying, “You will not surely die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” In the first place, then, in the garden of God, he argued about God as if God were not present, because he was ignorant of God's greatness. Then, after learning from the woman that God had said they would die if they ate from t

Peter of Alexandria, The Genuine Acts of Peter Direct teaching

...w had said, You shall not covet," Romans 7:7. For when our first parents heard, "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die," Genesis 2:17, then they conceived lust and took it in. Therefore it was said, "I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet." Nor would they have desired to eat, unless it had been said, "You shall not eat of it." For it was from there that sin took an occasion to deceive me. For when the law was given, the devil had power to work lust in me; for "without the law, sin was dead," Romans 7:8, which means that when the law had not been given, sin could not be committed. But "I was alive and blameless before the law," having no commandment by which it was necessary to live. But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be to death," Romans 7:9-10. For after God had given the law, and had commanded me what I ought to do and what I ought not to do, the devil worked lust in me. For the promise of God given to me was for life and incorruption, so that by obeying it I might have ever-flourishing

Irenaeus, Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenæus Supporting witness

... resisted the serpent for a time and ate from the tree only after being cunningly deceived; whereas Adam, without any resistance, ate the fruit given by the woman, showing extreme weakness and lack of resolve. The woman, having been defeated by a demon, is deserving of pardon; but Adam deserves none, for he was overcome by a woman—the same man who had directly received God's command. The woman, having heard the command from Adam, ignored it, either because she thought it unworthy of God or had doubts, perhaps even thinking the command came from Adam himself. The serpent found her working alone and was thus able to converse with her. Seeing her either eating or not eating from the trees, he offered her the fruit of the forbidden tree. If he saw her eating, it shows that she had a mortal, corruptible body, for “everything going in at the mouth is cast out.” If corruptible, she was mortal, so there was no curse, nor was there condemnation when God told the man, “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return,” which has always been the natural order. If the serpent saw her not eating, how did he persuade her to eat who had never eaten? Who informed this cursed, man-deceiving serpen

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

...ld, you die like men, and fall like one of the princes,’ to show the disobedience of people—meaning Adam and Eve—and the fall of one of the princes, i.e., the one called the serpent, who fell greatly because he deceived Eve. However, my point here is not to focus on this aspect, but to prove to you that the Holy Spirit reproaches people because they were made like God, free from suffering and death, as long as they followed His commandments, and were considered worthy of being called His sons, but they, like Adam and Eve, bring death upon themselves; you may interpret the Psalm as you prefer, yet it demonstrates that all people are considered worthy of becoming “gods,” and having the power to become sons of the Highest; and will each be judged and condemned like Adam and Eve. Now I have shown extensively that Christ is called God.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

...he Lord God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Why has God said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat from every tree of the garden, but about the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’” And the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for making one wise. So she took its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and they ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said to Him, “I heard Your voice in the ga

Tertullian, De Anima (On the Soul) Supporting witness

For as Adam and Eve felt that they must cover their nakedness after their knowledge of good and evil so we profess to have the same discernment of good and evil from the time that we experience the same sensation of shame.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness

After Adam was driven out of Paradise, while he was in that condition, he knew Eve his wife. God had formed her for him as a wife out of his rib. God did this, not because He was unable to make his wife separately, but because God knew beforehand that man would call on many gods. Since He knew this in advance, and knew that through the serpent error would bring in many gods that did not exist—for there is only one God, and even then error was trying to spread the idea of many gods, saying, "You shall be as gods"—therefore, so that it would not be thought that one God made the man and another made the woman, He made them both. And God made the woman together with the man, not only to show the mystery of God's sole rule, but also so that their love for each other might be greater. Therefore Adam said to Eve, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." Besides this, he also prophesied when he said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh." This also is fulfilled in us. For who is there that marries lawfully and does not set aside mother and father, and his whole family connection, and all his

Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness

...eived by the devil's lies and craftiness, and after the devil had also entered into the body of the serpent, which was the most sagacious of all the beasts, then from that time the devil was called a liar together with his father. Then also the curse came to rest not only on himself, but also on his father. "Accordingly, when the serpent received him, and indeed admitted him completely into its own being, it was, as it were, made pregnant, for it carried the burden of the devil's vast wickedness. It was like one with child, and under the strain of labor, as it tried to cast out the agitations of his malignant suggestions. For the serpent, grudging the glory of the first man, made its way into paradise. And carrying these pains of labor within itself, it began to produce lying speeches, and to bring forth death for the men who had been formed by God and had received the gift of life. "The devil, however, was not able to show himself fully through the serpent. But he kept his perfection for a time, so that he might show it through Cain, by whom he was fully brought forth. And so through the serpent, on the one hand, he showed his hypocrisies and deceits to Eve; while through Cain,

Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas Supporting witness

For since transgression was committed by Eve through means of the serpent, [the Lord] brought it to pass that every [kind of] serpents bit them, and they died, that He might convince them, that on account of their transgression they were given over to the straits of death.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

Then the serpent, who was one of the servants of God, envying man because he was made immortal, enticed him by stratagem to transgress the command and law of God.

Genesis 3:22 Direct teaching

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Background

And who is found so ignorant as to suppose that God, as if He had been a husbandman, planted trees in paradise, in Eden towards the east, and a tree of life in it, i.e., a visible and palpable tree of wood, so that anyone eating of it with bodily teeth should obtain life, and, eating again of another tree, should come to the knowledge of good and evil?

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

...virtue. These are ready to be opened to him who follows after virtuous pursuits. The subject of the tree of life will be explained more appropriately when we interpret the statements in the book of Genesis regarding the paradise planted by God. Celsus, moreover, has often mocked at the subject of a resurrection, a doctrine which he did not understand. On the present occasion, not satisfied with what he formerly said, he adds, "And there is said to be a resurrection of the flesh by means of the tree;" not understanding, I think, the symbolic expression that through the tree came death, and through the tree comes life, because death was in Adam, and life in Christ. Next he scoffs at the tree, attacking it on two grounds and saying, "For this reason is the tree introduced, either because our teacher was nailed to a cross, or because he was a carpenter by trade;" not observing that the tree of life is mentioned in the Mosaic writings, and being blind also to this, that in none of the Gospels current in the Churches is Jesus Himself ever described as being a carpenter.

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

...not be separated from each other unless the body and soul themselves are separated. In the end, the knowledge of good and evil was given at the same time to the first man. And when he understood this, he was immediately driven out of the holy place where there is no evil. For when he was occupied only with what was good, he did not know that this very thing was good. But after he had received the knowledge of good and evil, it was no longer lawful for him to remain in that place of happiness. So he was banished to this common world, so that he might experience both things at once, since he had come to know the nature of both at once. It is clear, therefore, that wisdom has been given to man so that he may distinguish good from evil, so that he may tell the difference between what is beneficial and what is harmful, between what is useful and what is useless, so that he may have judgment and careful thought about what he should guard against, what he should desire, what he should avoid, and what he should follow. Therefore, wisdom cannot exist without evil. And the first father of the human race, as long as he was occupied only with good, lived like an infant, not knowing good and

Lactantius, On the Anger of God Background

...for man. For if only good things are placed in view, what need is there for thought, understanding, knowledge, or reason? Since whatever he reaches out his hand to will be fitting and suited to nature. So if someone were to place a most excellent dinner before infants who do not yet have taste, it is clear that each one would want whatever impulse, hunger, or even accident draws him to. And whatever they take would be useful and healthy for them. What harm, then, would it be for them always to remain as they are, always infants and unfamiliar with life? But if you add a mixture of bitter things, or useless things, or even poisonous things, they are clearly deceived through their ignorance of good and evil, unless wisdom is added to them, so that they may reject evil things and choose good things.

Lactantius, The Epitome of the Divine Institutes Supporting witness

And in this manner he did indeed receive the knowledge of good and evil, but he lost the life which God had given him to be forever.

1 Enoch 32:3 Background

I and from afar off trees more numerous than I these trees and great-two trees there, very great, beautiful, and glorious, and magnificent, and the tree of knowledge, whose holy fruit they eat and know great wisdom.

Wisdom of Sirach 17:7 Background

Withal he filled them with the knowledge of understanding, And showed them good and evil.

4 Maccabees 1:16 Background

And wisdom is a knowledge of divine and human things, and of their causes.

Wisdom of Solomon 3:15 Background

For glorious is the fruit of good labors: And the root of wisdom shall never fall away.