Authors: Arthur and Elena George

My own path into the depth of Religion, specifically Mysticism, came when I opened a Bible and noticed something peculiar about the very first chapter in Genesis.

God creates the world in seven days.

As a kid, I had a lot of trouble with that narrative and the explanations for it were weak. However, what I noticed is that God creates light on the first day, but the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day. The byproduct is created before the source?

That’s when I knew it was a bad idea to take anything in the Bible literally. There was something else the writers were getting at and some deeper truths to expound upon.

Then, of course, directly after the creation story is another account of creation that contradicts the first one. This is the story culturally referenced, questioned and misunderstood. It’s the Garden of Eden and to even peel the surface of the symbolism of this story is to dive into really murky waters.

As a student of Theology, with a Masters in Religion, I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it (from a literature/cultural perspective).

This ambitious book right here does a spectacular job of explaining everything.

The Mythology of Eden is written in a straightforward, easy to understand style, but is an in-depth scholarly work on the Eden story. Every single detail is explained and nothing is left to pure speculation from the authors as evidenced by the hundreds of footnotes for each chapter.

Each motif and symbol is given its proper explanation, looking at every single possible influence, latest finds in archeology and historical evidence. As someone who has been studying this for years, I was blown away with how much I learned and the depth of knowledge that was imparted.

You will learn a lot and it can seem heavy at times, but it all leads to the final few chapters about where to go from here. After all, you are given a comprehensive view that shatters every preconception you might’ve had, so why bother looking at this story in the first place?

What does it still have to teach us?

I’m thankful the authors took on this ambitious project because it’s finally helped fill a gap that’s been with me for decades.