How do we know that the fruit that Adam and Eve ate was an apple?

Question

I have been reading the bible as part of a uni module and the KJV doesn't meantion the fruit in the tree of life being an apple, but it does say it is "good for food."

So how do people, or you know its an apple?

Answer 1

hiow do we know there was a garden of eden

Answer 2

The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was not an apple. At a guess, I suppose someone wanted to put the fruit in a painting and made it look like an apple.

Answer 3

You are right it is impossible to say what kind of fruit the tree of the knowledge of good and bad was.
Genesis 2 v9 we read about all the trees for food and THE TREE OF LIFE and also THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND BAD.
genesis 2 v 17 . ' must not eat from eat from it'
notice in genesis 3 v 3 . Eve tells the serpent 'you must not eat from it , no , YOU MUST NOT TOUCH IT' so Adam had got her well told to leave it alone.
verse 6 of genesis 3 we read that after Eve had been lied to she began to desire the fruit. She began to desire to eat tthe fruit, contrary to what Adam had told her.
It does not matter what kind of fruit it actually was. That tree was for the obedience of mankind to be demonstrated. The tree of life would have kept the human family living forever. see Genesis 2 v 9 and genesis 3 v 22.
As humans do we not have a tendency to desire what we cannot have ?

Answer 4

The oldest and most reliable source is the Torah. It refers to the fruit of the tree........ There is no mention of apples.

The apple is a later addition that crept in somewhere. I don't think anybody is certain when or how though.

Answer 5

You dont. But the bible probably wasnt written in English, either, so go figure. Its probably just been given the form of an apple to make it easier for those who read it to understand and believe. There probably were plants/trees that exsisted then that dont now, so it could have been anything.

Answer 6

The Bible doesn't say anything about an apple. The most irresistible fruit to me would be a mango.

Answer 7

We don't. Art has used the apple or the fig as the most common representation of the forbidden fruit.
The story itself is a symbolic story that deals with obedience/disobedience, pride, will, and trust - or lack thereof.

Answer 8

I think that idea actually started around Renaissance times. IIRC, it's generally believed among Jews to have been a fig. Checking now.

...Hm, apparently the apple was a Latin pun. Coulda been a fig, wheat, a grape...don't ask, in Gan Eden, EVERYTHING grows on trees. :P
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_the_Knowledge_of_Good_and_Evil#Fruit_of_the_tree

Answer 9

We do not know that it is an apple.

In Latin, the words for "apple" and for "evil" are similar ("malum" - apple, "malus" - evil).

It may just be a mistake in translation.

In Latin, « pomum » is a generic word for any fruit. (but is the origin for apple French "pomme").

Answer 10

We don't know what it was, I guess the apple thing was just easier to grasp and became symbolic.

Answer 11

Actually, people believe it was a certain psychedelic plant who's effects are likened to 'magic mushrooms' or peyoti. Natures most interesting gifts, indeed.