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By a special effect of His goodness the Lord God created expressly for man a garden of pleasure, called Paradise[1].
There were in it all sorts of beautiful trees, covered with delicious fruit; and in the middle of the garden stood the Tree of Life[2], and the Tree of Knowledge[3] of good and evil. A river, divided into four branches, watered the whole garden. It was in this garden of delights that God placed man, that he might cultivate it for his own pleasure and occupation[4]. God then commanded[5] man,
- ↑ Paradise . This Paradise was on earth (in Asia), for which reason it is called the earthly paradise. Heaven, the place of eternal happiness, is also called paradise, but it is the supernatural and heavenly paradise.
- ↑ Tree of Life (Fig. i). The tree was thus named, because its fruit had life-giving power, preserving the body of man in health and vigour.
- ↑ Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. So called from the fact that God had forbidden man to eat of this tree, and that, if he transgressed the commandment, he would learn by a sad and terrible experience the difference between good and evil.
- ↑ Occupation. In Paradise man worked for his own pleasure, and devoted his strength to the care of the beautiful garden of delights.
- ↑ Commanded. Almighty God imposed a command on man, in order to prove whether he were thankful and obedient. This command was very easy to obey, because there was an abundance of every kind of fruit in the garden.
