The geography of Eden

[DISRAELI]

I probably can't adequately express how much I appreciate his thread.

The Eden account relayed in the Bible has always interested me.  I am no biblical scholar, and I lack the classic, focused experience regarding all the pertinent knowledge surrounding the topic.  But I felt the intent of the accounts had a function, namely to give rise to the understanding that we, as humans, have had, and lost access to something... in this case a circumstance.  Of course, it's all open to shift in retelling, yielding to the vagaries of distant memory.

Meaning no negative criticism, I wished that you might have included some maps and or graphics to further demonstrate the relationships between locations and names.  But the telling was crafted well, and I really wanted to thank you for giving us the opportunity to discuss it.

I know there are reasons to dismiss this out of hand, and I know that the thirst of faith can have an impact on the posture of the tale.  This might engender acceptance or rejection, but either way, I think this subject has merit.

I found myself hoping to hear some account of the 'protections' and 'proscriptions' of the 'still-extant' Eden... but I understand your focus on the consideration of it's physical presence. 

The fixation on genealogy asserts itself on nearly all biblical accounts, and is one of the less appealing elements of the retelling to me.  I, personally, have nearly always rejected the idea that 'truth' is delineated by bloodline.  I consider it an affectation of intent, embedded within the telling.  But it still has meaning... if only to reassert that their is always some form of 'us' and 'them' and the idea that 'hierarchy' is important.

How much is history, what part may be metaphor? It is so far removed from today that the matter appears 'open' to interpretation... and most all interpretation is influenced by the subjective.

Thanks.

Sorry, adding maps comes up against my technical skills, and perhaps I was taking my own geographical awareness for granted.