The Book of Genesis presents two distinct accounts of the creation of the world and humankind. The first narrative (Gen. 1:26–29) describes how, over the course of five days, God created day and night, land and sea, vegetation, celestial bodies, aquatic creatures, and animals. On the sixth day, God created humans (Gen. 1:26): “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Humans, created in God’s image, were commanded to be fruitful, multiply, and exercise dominion over all living creatures. God also provided them with seed-bearing plants and fruit-bearing trees for sustenance. On the seventh day, He rested from His work.

The second account, more detailed (Gen. 2:4–25), begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth, where no plants yet existed due to the absence of rain and a human to cultivate the land. A mist rose from the earth, watering it. Then, God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being. God caused trees with edible fruits to grow, including the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. A river flowed out of Eden and divided into four branches. God placed man in the Garden of Eden, instructing him to tend it and forbidding him to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Seeing that it was not good for man to be alone, God first created animals and birds, but none proved a suitable companion. God then caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, took one of his ribs, and fashioned it into a woman. Adam called her “bone of my bones” and “woman,” as she was taken from man. The two were naked and unashamed.

However, the serpent, the craftiest of creatures, deceived the woman, convincing her that eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge would not lead to death but would make them like gods, knowing good and evil. Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam. Upon eating, they realized their nakedness, made coverings of fig leaves, and hid from God when they heard Him walking in the garden. God called out to Adam, who admitted his fear due to his nakedness. When questioned, Adam blamed the woman, and she blamed the serpent. As a result, God cursed the serpent, establishing enmity between it and the woman’s offspring. He punished the woman with pain in childbirth and subjection to her husband, and Adam with toil and labor to cultivate the earth. God made garments of skins for them and banished them from Eden, stationing a cherub with a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life.

Some scholars suggest that the second account predates the first, while the first may have been composed during the Babylonian Exile. The two accounts exhibit notable differences: in the first, animals are created before humans, whereas in the second, Adam is created before the animals and Eve. In the first, humanity is tasked with dominion over all living things, while in the second, Adam is created to tend the garden.

Iconography

Depictions of Adam and Eve in Ukrainian iconography most frequently appear in hagiographic icons of Archangel Michael, specifically in the scene The Expulsion from Paradise, where Michael drives Adam and Eve from the gates of Eden with a flaming sword. Occasionally, scenes of the exiles learning crafts are portrayed. In icons of The Harrowing of Hades, Adam and Eve are prominently featured as Christ, the new Adam, extends His hand to the old Adam. As the ancestors of all humankind, they are also depicted before the Prepared Throne in The Last Judgment, with Adam portrayed as an elder. Scenes related to the creation of the first humans and the expulsion from Eden sometimes appear in the additional rows of iconostases, wall paintings, and illuminated manuscripts. The skull of Adam is an attribute of Crucifixion icons, as tradition holds that his burial place was on Mount Golgotha.

Mykhailo Skop

Icons of The Harrowing of Hades