1. Why were Adam and Eve next to the forbidden tree in the first place? The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was right next to the tree of life in the middle of the garden. So, when teachers say things like, "of all the places Adam and Eve could be in the garden, they had to be right next to the forbidden tree!" As if to say that they were already naughty by being near it... Well, they might have been eating some fruit from the tree of life! They were most likely innocent of having sinful curiosity.
2. Who is more guilty, Adam or Eve?
People have said things like, "it's Eve's fault for giving Adam the fruit." Or that she is the evil one because she convinced Adam to do it. So Eve is at fault? Or people will favor Adam, saying "it's Adam's fault for not stopping Eve." Or, "Adam loved Eve so much that he joined her in her sin so that he could be with her." Or, "Eve was the decieved one, but Adam was not decieved and ate knowingly." So Eve is still lesser than Adam in this portrayal because Adam was strong and couldn't be convinced, unlike Eve, who was weaker in her resolve, thus Adam was motivated by love... As if to say that Eve is just stupid and Adam knew better, so he was more at fault in a somehow nobler way.
One should note that when the serpent is addressing Eve, the Hebrew pronoun is plural. This means he was talking to both Adam and Eve. So, Adam wasn't some innocent bystander, nor was he out of the conversation. He was there, and the Serpent was directing his statements to both. Eve handing the apple to Adam could very well have been only because she was closer to the tree. This changes the way we look at the story, and makes it easier to see that both were equally at fault (and avoid female-degradation, as is often the case).
That's all for now!
