Apple vs fig

gelli_baranda · Post by **gelli_baranda** » 04 Jul 2020, 05:42

This is the first time I questioned whether it was really an apple. Thanks for raising! It was a very good observation.

drwcroaker · Post by **drwcroaker** » 04 Jul 2020, 14:32

I don't think it was an apple or a fig, but something completely unique to the Garden of Eden. Growing up, I always pictured the fruit being an apple. I wish I could remember the first time this was said to me or if it was a painting showing Adam and Eve holding apples.

Y0landa · Post by **Y0landa** » 05 Jul 2020, 12:39

As I understand it, medieval artists used apples in their paintings to represent the "forbidden fruit" when depicting the story of Adam and Eve because in Latin, the word "malum" means both "apple" and "evil". The only difference is the pronunciation of the word, the short "a" sound versus the long "a". So, who knows? Maybe, it was neither apple nor fig, maybe it was an orange.

Munachimso_Nwaogazie · Post by **Munachimso_Nwaogazie** » 05 Jul 2020, 15:21

Fig doesn't cut it for me. It is only an apple that can fit into the description of fruit as stated in the Bible.

Catie139 · Post by **Catie139** » 05 Jul 2020, 19:04

I have often wondered where the theory of the apple came from in the first place. If they ate from an apple tree, why did Adam and Eve then sew fig leaves together to cover themselves (c.f. Genesis 3:7)? If they had eaten from an apple tree, perhaps apple leaves would have been more easily accessible. Or is it that after eating they looked around to see what leaves would have been the largest? And has anybody else ever wondered what they used to "sew" the leaves together?

Tochukwu Godson · Post by **Tochukwu Godson** » 06 Jul 2020, 12:33

Your question is fundamental, anyway. The truth is: we cannot infer that it was a fig or an apple because it was never mentioned in the Bible. The Bible only said 'fruit'. It could be any fruit.

angieray1 · Post by **angieray1** » 06 Jul 2020, 13:26

The Bible doesn't say which fruit it was. In children's adaptions and such it's usually portrayed as an apple for simplicity.

Imperio · Post by **Imperio** » 07 Jul 2020, 13:25

I'm not entirely sure. But I was always told it was an apple. This line of questioning makes you think about other rhetoric about the Bible that is colloquially known but false. For example, everyone knows, "money is the root of all evil" and "God will not give you more than you can handle," but not everyone knows that these sayings were never mentioned in the Bible.

Ben97 · Post by **Ben97** » 08 Jul 2020, 03:47

That's an intriguing and interesting question. I think the author decided to give a name to the fruit for the purpose of writing this book. However, from the Bible it is not named which type of fruit it was.

Henrytbab · Post by **Henrytbab** » 08 Jul 2020, 06:12

The kind of fruit wasn't mentioned. So there's no way to know that.

morijin · Post by **morijin** » 08 Jul 2020, 08:07

I’ve never thought about this but it actually makes sense now. The particular fruit was not mentioned and honestly it doesn’t really matter to me. The apple is the generally accepted fruit and its something everyone accepts without questioning.

rwalkup · Post by **rwalkup** » 09 Jul 2020, 00:00

I personally believe that the original forbidden fruit no longer exists in our world today, except perhaps in the barred Garden of Eden. It wouldn't really make sense to me for God to keep it around.