full image - Repost: Why is the story of Adam and Eve so similar to the myth of Epimetheus and Prometheus? (from Reddit.com, Why is the story of Adam and Eve so similar to the myth of Epimetheus and Prometheus?)
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One thing I have long found interesting is the similarity between the story of Adam and Eve and the ancient Greek myth involving the Titan brothers Epimetheus and Prometheus. If you are unfamiliar with the myth, I have included a version of it below (taken from the website classicalwisdom.com):The story goes that during the creation of the universe, the earth formed out of chaos. The air collected and became transparent while the land and seas became solidified and structured. As the earth became suitable for life, the gods decided that it would be wise to bestow upon the planet creatures of life that might thrive and live through the graces of the gods.The task of creating man and beasts was awarded to the titan brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, whom had not been imprisoned with the other titans by Zeus. Prometheus was said to be wise and possessed the gift of foresight and often considered what would be needed several years in the future. Epimetheus was said to be rash and impulsive, unable to plan for the future and instead only cared for what had happened in the past.The brothers set about creating life upon the earth. Epimetheus swiftly created several creatures that would live in the forests, swim in the seas and rivers, and fly through the air with the gift of flight. Epimetheus was so impulsive that he bestowed upon these creatures several gifts. Swiftness for some beasts, flight for others and the gift of strength and frightening claws for the most terrifying of creatures.While his brother foolishly crafted creatures with little thought, Prometheus toiled diligently over the creation of man from a lump of clay. Prometheus shaped man after the image of the gods and allowed him to walk upright so that he might look towards the heavens. In some versions it is said that Epimetheus created man and Prometheus merely provided guidance. Regardless of whom the architect was, man was designed to be nobler than any other beast and was constructed so as to resemble the gods.However upon completion of man, Prometheus discovered that his rash brother had bestowed all the gifts from the gods upon animals and had left none for humans. While the beasts possessed strength, swiftness, hardened shells and warm coats, man was left naked and weak with no means to live prosperously.Prometheus was overcome with sadness for his creations, whom were living painfully and harshly on earth. Prometheus devised a plan to bestow upon man a great gift that will make them formidable against the beasts of the earth.Prometheus defied the will of Zeus and traveled to Mount Olympus and stole fire from the gods, a gift that before was unknown to mankind. Some versions of the story describe how Prometheus was aided by the Goddess Hera. Other stories recall that Zeus stole fire from men and Prometheus took the fire back in defiance of Zeus.At any rate, fire was bestowed upon mankind by Prometheus and with it came the beginning of civilization. Prometheus taught man how to craft tools from iron ore. He showed them how to plant crops and live through agriculture. Man learnt to craft weapons to defend themselves from wild animals. With fire they learnt to survive cold winters and defy the seasons. With fire man began to thrive and became superior to the animals of the wild.Zeus was outraged by this transgression. He set in motion plans to punish Prometheus and mankind for their obstruction of the gods’ will. The punishment he devised was twofold.First, Zeus commanded Hephaestus, the blacksmith for the God’s, to craft a creature so beautiful that it would plague the hearts of men. From a lump of clay, Hephaestus created the form of a woman. This woman was bestowed with gifts like a pleasing voice and unmatched beauty by the gods. They named her Pandora and she was commanded to marry Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus.Epimetheus married Pandora despite Prometheus’ warnings to be wary of accepting gifts from Zeus. The warning was well placed. Before Pandora departed Olympus she was given a box or, in some versions of a story, a jar. She was warned by the gods to never open the box under any circumstances.At first Pandora abided by this rule, however her curiosity was soon overwhelmed. She opened the box out of blind curiosity, so that she might see what it held.Immediately, innumerable evil creatures flew out of the box and began to disperse themselves across the earth. Creatures like disease, famine and plague sprang from the box and began to wander the earth and haunt mankind. Pandora, in her fear, quickly shut the box. She closed the vessel on one last creature before it could escape, Hope.As a result, it is said that while evil haunts this world, mankind will still have hope.Prometheus was punished as well. He was sentenced by Zeus to spend eternity chained to a mountain where each day an eagle will devour his liver from his body. Prometheus was an immortal, so each night his liver regrew and his wound healed, only so that it may be ripped from his body the next day.I find a number of different striking similarities between this Greek myth and the Hebrew story of Adam and Eve. Epimetheus appears to be analogous to Adam, and Pandora seems analogous to Eve. Just as Epimetheus is tasked with giving attributes to all the animals, Adam is tasked with giving all the animals their names. Epimetheus and Pandora are described as lacking wisdom, just as Adam and Eve are implied to have been relatively unintelligent before they ate of the tree of knowledge. In both stories, man was disadvantaged by an oversight: in the Greek story, all helpful attributes had been exhausted upon the animals so that none were left for man; while in the Hebrew story, no suitable partner was found among the animals for the man. In both stories, the man was created from clay, and in both stories the woman was created after the man and for the purpose of being his gift or partner. The gods put before Pandora an object that she is forbidden from investigating (i.e. the box), while God puts before Adam and Eve an object they are forbidden from investigating (i.e. the fruit of knowledge). Pandora's curiosity leads her to open the forbidden box, just as Eve's curiosity leads her to eat of the forbidden fruit -- in both cases, the woman is the culprit. In both stories, mankind is inflicted with a curse as a result of their pursuit of knowledge and civilization. In both cases, the gods actively oppose mankind's pursuit of knowledge and civilization.Furthermore, it is my belief that the Hebrew analog to Prometheus is the serpent. Contrary to the traditional interpretation of the serpent as a villain, I understand the serpent in the Hebrew story to actually be the hero, much like Prometheus, as he is the character who is described as being wise himself and so also wishes mankind to be bestowed with wisdom as well. And much like Prometheus is eternally punished by the gods for his heroic advocacy of mankind, the serpent is also permanently punished by God for leading Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of knowledge (i.e. to forever crawl upon his belly, to eat of the dust, and to be in enmity with mankind).What is the historical reason for these similarities? What is the cause of such strikingly similar themes in the stories of two very different civilizations?
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