Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-02-22
THE FRUIT EVE ATE.
Modern Research Seems to Place
1t as the Cassia.
HOW THE APPLE GOT BLAMED
Some Translator Used the Latin Word
"Pomum," Which Means Either
"Fruit" or Apple" Instead of "Fruc
tum," Meaning Simply "Frut.'


A correspondent asks how the apple
came to be named as the fruit OF the
temptation in the garden of Eden
when the or1gina. Hebrew text and all
Of the TRANSACTIONS speak only of the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of
good anG evil. 1t seemed that none of
the Biblical authorities had offered
any answer so far as he was able to
learn.
There is an answer, however, and
that a very simple one, which will
probably satisfy this inquirer and many
others who might ask the same ques-
| ton.
1t is true that in the Hebrew the
words are ''etz peri" the fruit of the
tree, and the Greek and Latin versions
| SO translate them. The Vulgate uses
the word ''fructum' for fruit, and this
could not in any way be mistaken for
the specific fruit apples 1t is further
admitted by scholars who hold that
the paradise Of the Bible, which is also
described upon clay tablets of Baby
lonian literature was located near the
Euphrates and the Tigris. or in trop-
lcal country. where no apples could
possibly grow, so that the fruit of this
| tree could not have been an apple.
In tablet lately translated, which
originated in Nippur and is now in the
museum of the University OF Pennsyl-
vania in Philadelphia. the fruit is de
scribed as the fruit Of the cassia plant.
according to DR.. Landon. This is pos
sible, Gor that plant is well known in
the region.
But the question of how the apple
came into the story is still unanswered.
and no tablet will answer it, for none
could mention a fruit unknown to
the Babylonians, not growing in their
country.
We have to go far afield to ascertain
the origin of the error, for the use of
the word apple is an error. 1t came
about from the confusion of two words
in the Latin. "Fructum" means fruit,
and SO does ''pOmum." But ''pOmum'
also means apple, and some ancient
scholar flied with Latin words wrote
''pomum" instead of "fructum" in
translating this passage, and it was
interpreted as specific namely, apple
instead Of generat--that is, fruit
There is, however, another reason
for this confusion, and the persistence
of the idea is shown in many of the
paintings by the old masters. who
sometimes depict tree laden with
apples from which Eve has Just picked
one and is handing it to Adam.
The apple pays great part in the
mythology Of the Greeks and Romans.
where we find the apples OF Hesperides
and the golden apple offered to the
most beautiful of the goddesses. which
started all that famous trouble for
Paris, ending in the siege and destruc-
ton of Troy.
The confusion of ideas probably
arose from the association of the APP
pie with critical turns in the affairs of
men and suggested at least the spe
cific Interpretation or translation of
''fructum" or "pomum' by apple"
The fact is that, so far as the Bible
itself goes, no specific fruit is men
toned, and it is spoken Of only as the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
toned, and this is the fig tree, for in
Genesis iii, Z, it is said, And they
sewed fig leaves together and made
themselves aprons" Possibly On this
account it is a Hebrew tradition that
Eve ate of the fig tree, but that has
never been introduced into Biblical
text.
The fig tree plays very important
part in the myths of many ancient ma
TONS In legend the holy family rest
ed under a fig tree on their journey
to Egypt The fruitless fig tree Of
Jesus is one of the important elements
in that parable.
The Ficus religiOsa, or religious fig
tree of India, is sacred. and none is al
lowed to fell it. 1t is consulted as an
oracle, and it is believed that when
Brahma assumed human form bios
som Of the fig tree was dropped from
heaven to tempt him.
IuG lUod OIL Tie Tree VI Tic KNOW lCu3t
Of good and evil, or wisdom tree, as
it has been called. has been termed
moon myth by some scholars. Accord
ing to the Scandinavian mythology, the
great ash tree Ygdrasil runs down to
the we'll of wisdom and knowledge. On
this wisdom tree, the pillar of the new
moon, old Odin, chief god of the Scan
dinavians. hung head downward to ex
tract the words of wisdom.
In India the DO tree of knowledge was
the shelter of Buddha for twenty-eight
days Nhe length of the lunar month";
until he received his illumination Of
wisdom.
1t is therefore plain that the tree of
knowledge Of good and evil has many
parallels in the faiths Of all ancient
nations and that it was an error ever
to think that it could have been an ap-
pie tree or that the fruit of the tempta-
ton was an apple.-New York Sun.