Dr. Dylan Johnson

So again, this is always the challenge with creation stories.

It's a lot of ideas, a lot of themes.

There's not one common motif.

But I think it's fairly clear to me the way that it's described is this is some kind of subterranean landscape.

Yeah, water probably connected to the underworld in certain respects, which again, we connected to judgment in certain respects, because we know that judgment occurs in the underworld too.

Yeah, well, I mean, it's possible.

I know much less about the Egyptian creation stories than about the Mesopotamian and biblical ones.

And there, they do have distinctive traditions that look dissimilar.

The symbol, the Uri symbol that adorns the Egyptian crown of pharaohs since time immemorial, very distant history, definitely could conjure up some kind of connection because we have so many royal connections already in the narrative.

But remember, we also have this idea of the snake as this very strange and unique creature.

I think most importantly, because it does shed its skin, it rejuvenates itself.

And then those connections to life and rejuvenation, I mean, the possibilities are plenty.

Yeah, I mean, I think there's plenty of theories.

The best ones are based on what kind of trees grow in this part of the world.

And we have date palms.

Just think the Fertile Crescent, yeah.

Apple trees tend to be more conducive to cooler climates and more rain-fed climates as well.

So if we look at the arboreal repertoire of the Southern Levant, I think we find olive trees, date trees, fig trees is a good option, I think.

But again... The forbidden fig.

The forbidden fig, exactly.