The Discovery of Genesis (54 page)

Recall once again that the character for
Garden
shows
two people
, (
and
) in an
enclosure
. After being expelled from the Garden, Adam and Eve must have gone some distance, for the character depicting
distant
reveals not only the loss of the Garden enclosure
, but also shows them
walking
.

Furthermore,
may mean
to alienate or deviate.
Certainly the willful disobedience with the resultant expulsion from their Garden home caused a feeling of alienation from the Creator. This had already been demonstrated by their attempt to hide. A familiar saying of Confucius still expresses the fear of close communion with God, for this philosopher advised, “Respect God, but keep your distance.”

The word
robe
⁴
also contains the same cluster of radicals as seen in
garden
and
distant
and is reminiscent of Adam and Eve’s receiving their garments from God at the time of their banishment from the Garden of Eden.

So that the exiled pair could not return to the Garden, “at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim, and
a flaming sword
which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). The character in Chinese for a
double-edged sword is
. Analysis of this proves to be a fascinating study. In this a
knife
(also
) is seen. The complete figure
indicates
all, the whole.
Looking at it closely, it is formed of three elements:
, and
, the latter two picturing
two persons
; it could represent Adam and Eve, who at this time comprised
all, or the whole
of mankind. The older calligraphy inscribes this figure in two significant ways:
and
. In the first, the attachment of
mouth
to a
person
would seem to indicate
two persons having two mouths.
In the second figure the symbols for
persons
. have been replaced by the alternate radical for
fire
.