Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the concept of original sin and its influence in Christian Europe. Genesis tells the Bible’s story of creation, but it also carries within it a tale of the ‘fall of mankind’. After their primal transgression, Adam and Eve are banished from Eden and cursed by God:“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”What effect has this passage had on western culture, and how did the concept of an ‘original sin’ influence gender and morality in Christian Europe?With Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture; Griselda Pollock, Professor of Art History at the University of Leeds; John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for downloading the Inartime podcast. For more details about Inartime and for our terms of use |
| 0:05.4 | Please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for. I hope you enjoy the program |
| 0:11.6 | Hello, Genesis tells the Bible's story of creation |
| 0:14.6 | But it also carries within it the story of the fall of mankind after their primal transgression |
| 0:19.9 | Adam and Eve have banished from Eden and cursed by God |
| 0:23.4 | Under the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow |
| 0:29.0 | Shall thou bring forth children and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee and unto Adam |
| 0:35.0 | He said because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which I commanded these saying |
| 0:40.5 | Thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow |
| 0:44.6 | Shall to thou eat of it all the days of thy life |
| 0:47.7 | What effect has this passage had on Western thought and culture and how has the concept of |
| 0:53.0 | Original sin influenced gender and morality in Christian Europe over the last two millennia with me to discuss the fall |
| 0:59.6 | Our John Carey, emeritus professor of English literature at Oxford University |
| 1:04.1 | Griselda Pollock professor of art history at the University of Leeds and Martin Palmer theologian and director of the |
| 1:10.6 | International consultancy on religion |
| 1:12.8 | Education and culture Martin Palmer can we start with that story in Genesis? |
| 1:17.4 | I think the significance of the stories where it comes from the first three chapters |
| 1:22.8 | of Genesis can be found in much earlier literature |
| 1:25.2 | This was probably written down about 500 BC, but it draws on much, much older stories going back probably another |
| 1:31.2 | 2,000 years the significance of the story as told in the Bible is that whereas in the earlier stories humanity is |
| 1:39.0 | Simply puppets we are just |
| 1:41.8 | Performing for the gods who determine what's going to happen the great revolutionary |
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