The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-02-23
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 Fruit

Fruit" or Apple" instead of "Fruc-
tum," Meaning Simply Fruit"
A correspondent asks how the apple
came to be named as the fruit of the
temptation in the garden of Eden
when the original Hebrew text and all
of the translations speak only of the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of
good and 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 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 Yulgate uses
the word "fructum" for fruit, and this
could not in any way be mistaken for
the specific fruit apple 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-
tcal country, where no apples could
possibly grow. so that the fruit of this
tree could not have been an apple.
In a 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, for 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 viii answer it, for none
could mention a fruit unknown to
the Babylonians. not growing in their
country.
We have to 80 far adeld to ascertain
the origin of the error, for the use of
the word apple is al 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 filed with Latin words wrote
'pomum' instead Of "fructum" in
translating this passage. and it was
interpreted as specific namely, apple
instead Of general-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 a tree laden with
apples from which Eve has just picked
one and is handing it to Adam.
The apple plays q 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 ap-
Pile with critical turns in the affairs of
men and suggested MT 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
But there is another fruit tree men
toned, and this is the fig tree for IN
Genesis iii. I, 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 BibIica
text.
The fig tree plays very importan
part In the myths of many ancient ma
tions. In legend the holy family rest
ed under a ig tree on their journey
to Egypt. The fruitless fig tree o.
| Jesus is one of the important element:
In that parable.
The Ficus religiosa, or religious f2
tree of India, is sacred, and none Is al
| lowed to fell it. 1t is consulted as an
| oracle, and 1t Is believed that whel
Brahma assumed human form a bios
som OF the fig tree was dropped from
heaven to tempt him
The idea of the tree of the knowledg
of good and evil, or wisdom tree, a
1t has been called, has been termed 1
moon myth by some scholars Accord
ing to the Scandinavian mythology tn,
great ash tree Ygdrasil runs down t
| the well of wisdom and knowledge. Or
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 wa
the shelter of Buddha for twenty -eigh
days the length Of the lunar month
until he received his Illumination o
wisdom.
1t is therefore plain that the tree o
knowledge Of good and evil has man.
parallels In the faiths of all ancien
nations and that it was an error eve
to think that 1t could have been an al
pie tree or that the fruit of the tempta
tion was an apple New York Sun.