Anna, regarding Adam's possible role as prophet, how do you interpret Genesis 2:15-17 when God gives Adam the instruction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Specifically, how does the woman come to learn this prohibition? I can think of only three possibilities. 1) God instructs Adam before He builds the woman from him and so she receives the information while she is yet part of Adam. 2) Adam instructs the woman after she is built, thus performing a prophet's job. 3) God instructs the woman sometime after she is taken from Adam.
I lean towards your (3). God is in dialogue with them both in Genesis 3. Adam does not mediate God's voice to Eve there, so it makes me think that she hears the prohibition directly from God himself as she lives by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. I see no difference between Adam and Eve's personal relationship with God in the garden. It seems to me that his voice is something they were both in the habit of hearing (3:8). Adam is addressed by God first not because Eve is not in the habit of hearing God's voice, but because he was the representative head of Eve and the earth, and as such, his obedience was determinative for all.
"However, if we are set on finding unequal representation, a case could be made from the word “helper,” ezer, that Eve represents the Creator over and against Adam the creature. God says, “I will make an ezer,” a word most often indicating divine help for the defenseless or dependent. Sixteen out of the 21 times that ezer is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, it refers to God as helper and ally of his people, and it always refers to strength over and against weakness. But I suggest we should not go there."
I disagree with this. God deliberately used the word ezer to describe the woman and Himself to establish a connection that is often over looked or downgraded to make the woman some kind of slave, servant, or assistant of man. This word was used to establish that the woman is the Imago Dei just as much as the man in her representation. While Kenegdo can be said to establish that the woman is on par with the man in a way neither the Lord, who is above, or the animals, who are below him, is, Ezer is meant to show that the woman represents God to the man so he recognizes she is a fellow Imago Dei something totally ignored by complementarianism. The man is alone and fellowship with the woman moves human progress forward in a way that represents the trinity relationship with each other. Alone Adam stagnates and goes nowhere.
Thanks, Shoshana. I really appreciate this feedback. I see exactly what you are saying. I do think that the word ezer means that she is the corresponding ally, most especially as we anticipate Satan's appearance in Genesis 3. And yes, both Adam and Eve represent God, and both Adam and Eve represent different aspects of God's relationship with mankind, and yes, Adam and Eve are in relationship with one another as image-bearing man and woman who told to rule and subdue, be fruitful and multiply. What I was trying to communicate is that we should not come to the word "ezer" and exalt woman over man, making her representation of God in relation to mankind the only representation. In other words, we should hold ezer together with Adam's corresponding representation of sonship. The answer to the pervasive authoritarian patriarchal structures which demote and silence women based on poor preconceived notions of the woman read into Gen. 2, is to see what God is telling us about himself in the text. There we find corresponding, egalitarian representation right before us. The roots of our representation are wrapped around the very triune nature of God, persons who are same in substance, equal in rank, power, glory, and majesty, as well as the revelation of himself in the highest heavens as he moves to form and fill the earth culminating in man and woman bearing his image and likeness.
Your Substack is the only one I jump to read anymore. This is such a superb series and we are blessed to be able to glean from your studies. I don’t want these posts to end!
Anna, regarding Adam's possible role as prophet, how do you interpret Genesis 2:15-17 when God gives Adam the instruction not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Specifically, how does the woman come to learn this prohibition? I can think of only three possibilities. 1) God instructs Adam before He builds the woman from him and so she receives the information while she is yet part of Adam. 2) Adam instructs the woman after she is built, thus performing a prophet's job. 3) God instructs the woman sometime after she is taken from Adam.
I lean towards your (3). God is in dialogue with them both in Genesis 3. Adam does not mediate God's voice to Eve there, so it makes me think that she hears the prohibition directly from God himself as she lives by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. I see no difference between Adam and Eve's personal relationship with God in the garden. It seems to me that his voice is something they were both in the habit of hearing (3:8). Adam is addressed by God first not because Eve is not in the habit of hearing God's voice, but because he was the representative head of Eve and the earth, and as such, his obedience was determinative for all.
"However, if we are set on finding unequal representation, a case could be made from the word “helper,” ezer, that Eve represents the Creator over and against Adam the creature. God says, “I will make an ezer,” a word most often indicating divine help for the defenseless or dependent. Sixteen out of the 21 times that ezer is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, it refers to God as helper and ally of his people, and it always refers to strength over and against weakness. But I suggest we should not go there."
I disagree with this. God deliberately used the word ezer to describe the woman and Himself to establish a connection that is often over looked or downgraded to make the woman some kind of slave, servant, or assistant of man. This word was used to establish that the woman is the Imago Dei just as much as the man in her representation. While Kenegdo can be said to establish that the woman is on par with the man in a way neither the Lord, who is above, or the animals, who are below him, is, Ezer is meant to show that the woman represents God to the man so he recognizes she is a fellow Imago Dei something totally ignored by complementarianism. The man is alone and fellowship with the woman moves human progress forward in a way that represents the trinity relationship with each other. Alone Adam stagnates and goes nowhere.
Thanks, Shoshana. I really appreciate this feedback. I see exactly what you are saying. I do think that the word ezer means that she is the corresponding ally, most especially as we anticipate Satan's appearance in Genesis 3. And yes, both Adam and Eve represent God, and both Adam and Eve represent different aspects of God's relationship with mankind, and yes, Adam and Eve are in relationship with one another as image-bearing man and woman who told to rule and subdue, be fruitful and multiply. What I was trying to communicate is that we should not come to the word "ezer" and exalt woman over man, making her representation of God in relation to mankind the only representation. In other words, we should hold ezer together with Adam's corresponding representation of sonship. The answer to the pervasive authoritarian patriarchal structures which demote and silence women based on poor preconceived notions of the woman read into Gen. 2, is to see what God is telling us about himself in the text. There we find corresponding, egalitarian representation right before us. The roots of our representation are wrapped around the very triune nature of God, persons who are same in substance, equal in rank, power, glory, and majesty, as well as the revelation of himself in the highest heavens as he moves to form and fill the earth culminating in man and woman bearing his image and likeness.
Excellent as always; thanks for the hard work!
Your Substack is the only one I jump to read anymore. This is such a superb series and we are blessed to be able to glean from your studies. I don’t want these posts to end!