Garden of Eden .. God's autocracy

"Expulsion from Paradise", marble bas-relief by Lorenzo Maitani on the Orvieto Cathedral, Italy

In the Garden of Eden story of the Biblical book of Genesis (Gen1:26) “And God said: Let us make Man in our image”. (Gen 1:028) “And God blessed them…” inferring that populations of men and women were now in abundance and living the good life. However, (Gen 2:005) “… there was not a man to till the ground” implying a lack of manual labour, thus: (Gen 2:4-3:26), God molds Adam from the dust of the Earth, then forms Eve from one of Adam's "ribs", and places them both in the garden, eastward in Eden. "Male and female he created them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, ... " (Genesis 5:2) It may be allegorical, in as much as "Adam" may be a general term, like "Man" and refers to the whole of humankind. However others argue that this is a reference to Lilith.

God charges Adam to tend the garden in which they live, and specifically commands Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve is quizzed by the serpent concerning why she avoids eating off this tree. In the dialogue between the two, Eve elaborates on the commandment not to eat of its fruit. She says that even if she touches the fruit she will die. The serpent responds that she will not die, rather she and her husband would "be as gods, knowing good and evil," and persuades Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then Adam eats from it too. It's at this point that the two become aware, "to know good and evil," evidenced by an awareness of their nakedness. God then finds them, confronts them, and judges them for disobeying.

It is at this point that 'God expels them from Eden', to keep Adam and Eve from also partaking of the Tree of Life. The story says that God placed cherubim with an omnidirectional "flaming sword" to guard against any future entrance into the garden.