Eve

This article is about the biblical figure. For other uses, see Eve (disambiguation). For further information, see Adam and Eve.
"Hawwa" redirects here. For other uses, see Hawwa (disambiguation).
Eve
Eve (1889) by Pantaleon Szyndler
SpouseAdam
ChildrenCain (son)
Abel (son)
Seth (son)
Eve
The Matriarch
BornGarden of Eden
Venerated in
Feast24 December

Eve[a] is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story[1] of the Abrahamic religions, she was the first woman to be created by God. Eve is known also as Adam's wife.

According to the second chapter of Genesis, Eve was created by God (Yahweh) by taking her from the rib[2] of Adam, to be Adam's companion. Adam is charged with guarding and keeping the garden before her creation; she is not present when God commands Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit – although it is clear that she was aware of the command.[3] She decides to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after she hears the serpent's argument that it would not kill her but bring her benefits. She shares the fruit with Adam, and before they could eat of the tree of life, they are expelled from the Garden of Eden, with Eve herself suffering imprecations, with her being subjected to additional agony during childbirth, as well as her subjecting to her husband Adam. Christian churches differ on how they view both Adam and Eve's disobedience to God (often called the fall of man), and to the consequences that those actions had on the rest of humanity. Christian and Jewish teachings sometimes hold Adam (the first man) and Eve to a different level of responsibility for the "fall."

The Catholic Church by ancient tradition recognizes Eve as a saint, alongside Adam, and the traditional liturgical feast of Saints Adam and Eve has been celebrated on 24 December[4][5] since the Middle Ages in many European nations, including Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Scandinavian nations.


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  1. ^ Womack 2005, p. 81, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and therefore typically have multiple versions."
  2. ^ Genesis 2:21
  3. ^ Holy Bible (NIV): Genesis 3:2–3. Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  4. ^ "Saints Adam, Eve, and the Christmas Tree". Archived from the original on 2021-06-29. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  5. ^ "Saint Adam and Saint Eve (First Age of the world)". 24 December 2000. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.