|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
From the Sunday book revieuws: "Forget the apple; Eve ,as the American journalist Dan Koeppel explains in his book Banana, The Fate of the Fruit that changed the World, was most probably seduced by the banana. According to Koeppels British collegue Peter Chapman, who wrote a book about the United Fruit Company - the firm that made the banana great - it wasn't a fig leaf Adam and Eve covered there shame with, but the leaf of a banana tree. Even Linnaeus, apples don't thrive in the Middle East, place the banana tree in the garden of Eden instead of the apple tree.Seems more logic. The fig leaf comes from a translation error; in Hebrew bananas are called ' figs of Eve'. (?) Compare the the deep forked fig leaf to the mini skirt seized banana leaf and what could be the most probable?" Two writers wrote a book about the influence of the banana culture on the the course of world history: http://www.bananabook.org/ http://www.amazon.com/Bananas-United-Fruit-Company-Shaped/dp/1841958816 ( the linker refuses to work so I leave the http's like this) What I would like to know, Is the story of the mistranslation true or untrue?.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Dunno about the leaf, but the notion that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was an apple is relatively recent. I believe that pomegranate was an early candidate. I'm researching the fig leaf thing. Be back later.
Oh, and in a related story, I prefer "fruit flies like an apple" to "fruit flies like a banana." It better matches the "time flies like an arrow" part of the pair.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
Candidates for the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (עץ הדעת טוב ורע `ets ha-da`ath tubh wara`) have been many, e.g., the fig, the pomegranate, grapes (by themselves or made into wine).
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067 |
The text doesn't say what kind of tree it was because that wasn't the point of the story. It had "knowlege of good and evil" fruit on it.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
So never mind the type of fruit.
But this:
Quote from the revieuw:
"The fig leaf comes from a translation error; in Hebrew bananas are called ' figs of Eve'. " I would like to know if that is based on any serious fact.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
in English, the review. so why the extraneous vowel? (you're not a clandestine Brit, are you? ; )
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
(you're not an exuberant nitpicker, are you? ; )
I think it came out as blend of revue and review and some many mistakes I make over and over again.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
in English, the review. so why the extraneous vowel? (you're not a clandestine Brit, are you? ; ) Looks pretty Dutch to me.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 876 |
I don't know Hebrew, but the part about it having "more logic" is a misapplication of logic. We're talking about the Garden of Eden, not the earth as we know it now. Supposedly every kind of animal and plant thrived there, so it makes no sense to talk about apples not thriving in the middle east.
The bit about leaf size is also irrelevant. As the Pook says, it's not the point of the story. Besides, there were many, many plants available, and it is not stated, or implied, that the leaves they used to cover their nakedness were from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, anyway, because it doesn't matter. :0)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Still and all, it's interesting that we Western Culture types have come to refer to it as an apple. Or a napple, if you will.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,423
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
1,136
guests, and
3
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
