Where is the Garden of Eden? NT Wright on Genesis, editing & authority

Ask NT Wright Anything

Premier Unbelievable

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, History

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Where is the Garden of Eden? What did Paul mean by our “earthly tent”? And does Genesis contain later edits, and if so, does that undermine Scripture?In this episode of Ask NT Wright Anything, Tom Wright and Mike Bird tackle three of the most frequently misunderstood biblical questions.Tom explains why Paul’s language in 2 Corinthians 5 isn’t Platonic escapism but robust resurrection hope; why the “tent” points both to the tabernacle and to our mortal bodies; and how the early Christians understood “what is kept in heaven” as something destined ultimately for earth.Next, they turn to the location of Eden, and Tom challenges the assumption that Genesis 2 must read like Google Maps. They explore how ancient narrative works, what editing does (and does not) mean for inspiration, and why Genesis 1–2 gives us two complementary windows into creation, not a modern-style chronology.If you’ve ever wondered whether Genesis has contradictions, whether Paul believed in an intermediate state, or whether Scripture’s “oddities” weaken its authority, this episode will steady the ground beneath your feet, and deepen your appreciation for the beauty, richness, and layered texture of the biblical story.Support us: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/geolink/donateGot a question for Tom? Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠askntwright.com⁠⁠⁠Start going deeper in the Bible with a free trial at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠logos.com/NT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠👉 Refer a friend to become a subscriber like you - they can get 10% off by clicking here (Embed URL: https://askntwright.supportingcast.fm?sc_promo=ASK10) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to another episode of Ask in T. Write Anything, the program where we try to answer your questions about Jesus, the Bible and the Life of Faith.
0:14.8	I'm Mike Bird from Ridley College, joined by Tom Wright from Whitcliffe Hall in Oxford.
0:20.2	Do you have a favorite part of Advent, Tom?
0:22.6	Well, I love Advent Sunday. Every time my birthday falls on a Sunday, it's Advent Sunday,
0:30.0	which has always been nice and so it's got that in my mind. Some of the hymns that we sing,
0:36.1	certainly in my tradition, O'Cum, Ocum, Emanuel, etc., some of them aremns that we sing certainly in my tradition, O come O'Cum Emmanuel, etc.
0:38.9	Some of them are rooted very deeply in scriptures,
0:42.7	in the Old Testament, in Israel's scriptures,
0:44.9	and they're bringing forward that narrative
0:47.5	and trying to see the coming of Jesus in the light of that.
0:51.0	Of course, Advent is also confusing
0:53.8	because it combines the first light of that. Of course, Advent is also confusing because it combines the first
0:57.6	coming of Jesus. So we sing about or hear about the Annunciation to Mary and the birth of John
1:02.9	the Baptist and so on. So we've got Jesus being born and starting his ministry. But then
1:08.9	the season of Advent is where the church year
1:11.9	loops back on itself because it's also about the second coming. I suspect that many Christians
1:17.3	have never kind of unpacked that in their minds and they cheerfully sing hymns at the same service
1:22.4	about on Jordan's Bank the Baptist's cry announces that the Lord is nigh and lo he comes
1:27.1	with clouds descending. And so how does John the Baptist's cry announces that the Lord is nigh, and lo he comes with clouds descending.
1:29.2	And so how does John the Baptist fit with the second coming? And I worry that people just follow
1:34.8	those traditions without thinking how it all fits together. But it does fit together if you've got
1:39.2	that full narrative. So anyway, I could talk a lot about that, but that's not our primary
	...

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