Before eating the fruit, Adam and Eve were in a
state of innocence. They knew only good, as they lived in harmony with God and
creation. When they ate the fruit, their eyes were opened, and they realised
they are naked, and they hid because they were afraid and ashamed. Eating the
fruit gave them experiential knowledge of evil, which included shame, guilt,
and separation from God.
This is obviously a very deep story, that can be unpacked for days without reaching the bottom. You may wonder how the historical writer could have thought so deeply about the human condition, but that’s not quite the right question, because the story is more than just the work of a single writer (as all stories are, to some extent), it is a symbol of aggregated evolved wisdom passed on throughout the ages. That’s why I think it’s imprudent to try to impute a single meaning to the story, because it is profound enough to contain multi-layered meanings.
In part, it conveys the truth that, in eating from the tree, Adam and Eve sought to define good and evil on their own terms, rather than relying on God's definition. In part, it conveys the truth that irresponsible autonomy as an attempt to usurp God's authority leads to the disruption of the created order. In part, it conveys the wisdom that eating from the tree made them aware of another deep truth; that badness was not just to be found in the snake (in the evil ‘out there’) but deep in our own hearts (‘in there’). In part, it speaks profound wisdom about the consequences of disobedience to divine authority, the consequences of being able to resist temptation, and about the nature of free will and responsibility. And, lastly, it conveys the most powerful truth of all; that choosing self over God is the greatest act of folly an individual can commit, because if we are not on the right path with God, we are not ultimately on the right path in any area of our life.
This is deep storytelling, containing multi-layered levels of wisdom that speaks profound truths about every human that has ever lived – and that is no trivial thing.
