Ronke, answers to your questions would depend on whether the story of Adam and Eve is taken literally or as a metaphor. Let us explore the story as a metaphor.
In the book of Genesis Chapter 2:17, God said to Adam, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” We know that Adam and Eve ate from the tree and did not die. Adam in fact lived up to 900 years.
We also read in the story that Cain left his parents after killing his brother Abel
to the Land of Nods (the land of Nods must have been populated by other humans). In the land of the Nods he slept with his wife who gave birth to a son (who was Cain’s wife? possibly from the land of Nods).
The bible (Genesis 4:17-24) says, Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch (“then building a city”, for whom? He couldn’t have built the city for himself, his wife and Enoch his son).
Furthermore, to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
One day Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (who was this man killed by Lamech and unknown to his family? was he from another tribe?)
It would be interesting to know where Lamech’s wives and other wives mentioned in this bible chapter came from (possibly from the land of Nods or elsewhere on earth). It is very unlikely that all the above women (wives) were daughters of Adam and Eve because we know from the bible account that they did not have any other child before and between Cain and Abel.
The bible tells us that Adam had Seth, the third son when he was 100 years old. “Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him (Genesis 4:25).” After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4).
Further evidence from the bible to substantiate the view that Adam and Eve were not the first humans on earth includes: “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:27-28). The same bible tells us that Adam (male) was created first and was lonesome in the Garden of Eden. God later created Eve as a companion; after everything else was created.
It is plausible to argue that there were men and women who lived on earth other than the Garden of Eden. Cain himself knew of existence of other humans when he said to God, “Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me” (Genesis 14:14). In response, God said, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. (Genesis 14:15).
Finally, if Adam was not the first human on earth, then the story is a metaphor. In that case, the forbidden fruit and God’s curse on Adam and Eve will be considered metaphors which must not be taken literally. You may recall that God said that if they eat the forbidden fruit they must die. They ate the fruit and did not die. It is not surprising why many advance spiritualists put forward the view that the fruit represents a change in human mind culminating in development of the knowledge of “good and evil” and choices man had to make between them.
References:
New International Version of the Bible: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:21&version=NIV
The Mystic Christ by Ethan Walker (2003), Devi Press, P. O. Box 5081, Norman, OK 73070
vicheku 