Adam and Eve
In most gnostic systems the eating of the fruit of knowledge wasn’t an act of corruption, but of spiritual evolution. According to them, the getting of wisdom by Adam and Eve raised our parents from a dumb animal state to a position of spiritual awareness. While this view may not be compatible with popular theology, it actually is a sensible interpretation of the story itself as told in Genesis.In the Genesis story the snake tells Eve that the fruit will not kill her, as she believed, but would open her eyes to make her wise as a god. Once she and Adam have both eaten the scripture itself says “and their eyes were opened.” God recognizes this, is angered, and recounts to them the hardships that must befall them as a result. Then He is made to admit to his angelic companions “the man has become as one of us, to know good from evil.” It would seem to me that the implication of the story is that, although it came with disadvantages, the eating of the fruit resulted in our godlike intelligence.
In my painting the fruit of wisdom of good and evil resembles eyes, symbols of awareness or perception. Eve, having eaten, is broad-eyed and aware. She feeds Adam who is, as of yet, unenlightened with eyes closed.