Nakedness and the Clothing of Adam and Eve

I finally did it.
I ordered a copy of Jeffrey M. Bradshaw’s book, In God’s Image and Likeness.




I have been contemplating this addition to my library for some time, but the following snippet from the book made it a sure sale!


The Nakedness and the Clothing of Adam and Eve

Moses’ account depicts Adam and Eve as naked and without shame in the Garden,”’ and clothed by God in coats of skin only later, after the Fall.”` However, many of the earliest artistic depictions of the story show a surprising reversal of the situation, portraying Adam and Eve clothed in regal glory within Eden, and naked after their expulsion. How can this be?

Recalling the parallels between the Garden of Eden and Israelite Houses of God, Anderson points out that “the vestments of the priest matched exactly those particular areas of the Temple to which he had access… Each time the high priest moved from one gradient of holiness to another, he had to remove one set of clothes and put on another to mark the change”:

(a) Outside the Tabernacle priests wear ordinary clothes. (b) When on duty in the Tabernacle, they wear four pieces of clothing whose material and quality of workmanship match that of the fabrics found on the outer walls of the courtyard. (c) The High Priest wears those four pieces plus four additional ones-these added garments match the fabric of the Holy Chamber where he must go daily to tend the incense altar.

In Eden a similar set of vestments is found, again each set suited to its particular space. (a) Adam and Eve were, at creation, vested like priests and granted access to most of Eden. (b) Had they been found worthy, an even more glorious set of garments would have been theirs (and according to St. Ephrem, they would have entered even holier ground). (c) But having [transgressed], they were stripped of their angelic garments and put on mortal flesh. Thus, when their feet met ordinary earth-the realm of the animals-their constitution had become “fleshly;’ or mortal.

Consistent with this schema, each stage in the sequence of changes in Adam and Eve’s status in the book of Moses is marked by a change in their appearance. The imagery of clothing is “a means of linking together in a dynamic fashion the whole of salvation history; it is a means of indicating the interrelatedness between every stage in this continuing working out of divine Providence;” including “the place of each individual Christian‘s ordinances within the divine economy as a whole.” Note the chiastic structure of the sequence, which begins and ends in glory:

1. From glory to nakedness. Though “naked” because their knowledge of their premortal state had been taken away by a veil of forgetfulness, Adam and Eve had come to Eden nonetheless “trailing clouds of glory.”‘” While the couple, as yet, were free from transgression, they could stand “naked” in God‘s presence without shame, being “clothed with purity’ in what early commentators called “garments of light“ or “garments of contentment.“ In one source, Eve describes her appearance by saying: “I was decked out like a bride, And I reclined in a wedding-chamber of light”

In the context of rituals and ordinances based on the experiences of Adam and Eve, Nibley explained: “The garment [of light] represents the preexistent glory of the candidate… When he leaves on his earthly mission, it is laid up for him in heaven to await his return. It thus serves as security and lends urgency and weight to the need for following righteous ways on earth. For if one fails here, one loses not only one‘s glorious future in the eternities to come, but also the whole accumulation of past deeds and accomplishments in the long ages of preexistence.’

1. From innocence to transgression.’”‘ Rabbinical tradition taught that, following his transgression, “Adam… lost his heavenly clothing-God stripped it off him.. “ and similarly that Eve “was stripped of the righteousness in which [she] had been clothed..” Likewise, the Discourse on Abbaton records that both Adam and Eve “became naked” upon eating the forbidden fruit. According to the Life of Adam and Eve, God then “sent seventy plagues upon us, to our eyes, and to our ears and as far as our feet, plagues and portents laid up in his treasuries.“ Anderson takes this to mean that “Adam has exchanged an angelic constitution for a mortal one,” in other words that he has been “clothed with flesh” Shamed by their loss of glory, Adam and Eve covered their earthly bodies with fig leaf aprons.

Rabbinical writings describe how, in likeness of Adam and Eve, each soul descending to earth “divests itself of its heavenly garment, and is clothed in a garment of flesh and blood; the prior glory being, as it were, “veiled… in flesh” The various “afflictions” of mortality initially given to Adam and now bestowed upon “all… generations” frequently number seven rather than the seventy mentioned above: “They are against the ‘seven natures: the flesh for hearing, the eyes for seeing, the breath to smell, the veins to touch, the blood for taste, and bones for endurance, and the intelligence for joy’; or against life, sight, hearing, smell, speech, taste, procreation”‘” Though Adam and Eve were protected from fatal harm at the time of extremity, ancient texts recount that Satan had been allowed to hurt them, and the “wounds;” foreshadowing the later wounds received by Christ at His crucifixion, “remained on their bodies”” Nibley sees the wounds of nature and of Satan to various parts_ of the body as figuratively corresponding to the “blows of death” taught by Satan to Cain.’” He describes their enactment in Jewish ritual as follows: “The wages of sin is death, and the dead body is chided at an old-fashioned Jewish funeral because its members no longer function, and each one is struck an impatient and accusing blow. This is the chibut ha-keber. `On the third day the departed is treated with increased rigor. Blows are struck on his eyes because he would not see, on his ears because he would not hear, on his lips because they uttered profanities, on his tongue because it bore false testimony against his neighbor, on his feet because they ran toward evil doing”‘

Thank you David J. Larsen, from Heavenly Ascents for sharing these great insights.

The Fall, Fig Leaves, Fake Coverings....

Our life on this earth is a constant reminder of the Fall.

This Telestial world, full of “thorns and thistles”, is simply the “fake covering”, or apron of fig leaves, that covers the earth waiting to whither away with the heat of the Son. It is important that we focus on the Fall, and understand the doctrine of it, so we don’t forget the need for the “coats of skin”, or sacrifice of the lamb that provided them. The Temple garment worn by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that constant reminder given to us of the need we have to be covered by the Atonement.

In the Book of Moses, Chapter four it explains the symbolism of the “fig leaf” apron which was used as an attempt to “hide nakedness”:

Moses 4:12 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.

13 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves aprons.

14 And they heard the voice of the Lord God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

This self made “covering” was an attempt to cover their own sins or nakedness. Notice it was only useful “in the cool of the day”. In the Temple Endowment, the “fig leaf” apron is always worn as a reminder of the Fall and how ineffectual it would be to try and cover our sins by ourselves. It helps us remember the need we have of our Savior.

Contrasting the self made apron, the "gift" given to our first parents in the Garden of Eden pointed directly to the need of a better covering to make it through “ the heat of the day.”

In the Old Testament in the Book of Genesis it is recorded:

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 ¶ And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Notice the additional clarity given by adding the account in The Book of Moses:

Moses 4: 27 Unto Adam, and also unto his wife, did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins, and clothed them.

28 And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten: Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and partake also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever,

29 Therefore I, the Lord God, will send him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken;

30 For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled.

31 So I drove out the man, and I placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.

It is so beautifully recorded in The Book of Moses that the Father himself gave them the skins to cover their nakedness. This record shows two distinct persons, the Father and the Son, and points directly to the sacrifice made by both; the Father who offered up His Son, and the Son who was the offering made to provide the skins themselves. We are taught that the Atonement is infinite and eternal, and was effectual even before the “last and great” sacrifice was made.

In the Second Book of Nephi of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob explains how the Atonement ransoms man from the fall and uses the imagery of clothing to show how it covers us.

2 Nephi 9:14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

Although the “robes of righteousness” are placed on only after we have been covered by the “coats of skin”, they are also used to show our dependence on the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is interesting to me that the “fig leaves” are always there to remind us too.

The Fruit of Secular Humanism

On February 17, 1981 Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a BYU devotional address called, The Three Pillars of Eternity. In it he expounds upon the doctrine of the three pillars, the creation, the fall and the atonement. He also beautifully connects three persons who are involved in all aspects of the three as Elohim, Michael, and Jehovah. These three are interconnected in a way that will ultimately “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Leaving one part of the equation, or one of the three participants out, would thwart the plan of the Father. There is an additional one, we are taught of, who eternally will oppose the plan, although he has become an active participant through his opposition of it, for “he knows not the mind of God.”

According to the LDS Bible dictionary this slanderer, demon, adversary, and spoiler is the “enemy of righteousness and of those who seek to do the will of God.” “Latter-day revelation confirms the biblical teaching that the devil is a reality and that he does strive to lead men and women from the work of God. One of the major techniques of the devil is to cause human beings to think they are following God’s ways, when in reality they are deceived by the devil to follow other paths.”

I believe that one on the other paths that has been introduced to the world is that of Secular Humanism. Secular Humanism is a philosophy of man defined as “a way of thinking and living that aims to bring out the best in people so that all people can have the best in life. Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.”

Upon the surface the “fruit” of Secular Humanism looks, “good for food” and “becomes pleasant to the eyes” and comes from a “tree to be desired to make one wise” so that it might be easy enough to swallow, but the satisfaction given from partaking can only be temporal. This fruit has part of the ingredients for lasting sustenance missing and one will soon hunger again. The surface philosophies of tolerance, good will, and building a better world for our selves and our children are exactly what any “faithful” LDS member should desire. These are the truths that are mixed in with the errors, making the appearance desirable. But if we bite a little deeper we see the following teachings come to view about Secular Humanists:

They hold a world view which centers upon human concerns.

Secular humanists are generally nontheists.

They feel that many religious believers will no doubt share with us a belief in many secular humanist and democratic values, and we welcome their joining with us in the defense of these ideals.

Human beings are responsible for their own destinies.

They hold a conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.

They advocate a commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith.

They have a primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.

Secular humanists reject supernatural and authoritarian beliefs. They affirm that we must take responsibility for our own lives and the communities and world in which we live. Secular humanism emphasizes reason and scientific inquiry, individual freedom and responsibility, human values and compassion, and the need for tolerance and cooperation.

I believe that there is a vital ingredient missing in all these “visually appealing” ideals, and that is the presence of the Father. This way of thinking has also sought to usurp the place of the Son, requiring the honor for any achievement to be given solely to mankind. The story is the same and may sound familiar.

Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

Again, the Father is left out of the equation, the desire for the elevated spot removes the Son from His place in the equation, and the “I” or “Me” mentality ascribes to the glory.

In the Garden Lucifer used “deductive reasoning” on Eve, suggesting for her to leave Father out of the whole decision regarding the partaking of the fruit. Eve then being taught the art of “deductive reasoning” from Lucifer used it on Adam. Adam acting on his own, in disobedience to the commands of the Father then partook of the fruit which facilitated the Fall.

The Atonement was the plan that the Father had in place “if they yielded to temptation” and the Son sustained that plan. The process of the Atonement has saved us from both spiritual deaths and physical death, placing us back in the Garden where we belong. We individually are now being offered the fruit. Will we partake?

Doctrine and Covenants 29:40 Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation.

41 Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed.

42 But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.

43 And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;

I am thankful for our great leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who encourage us to remember the three pillars of eternity, and the three main players. All of the elements must be present to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” If we choose to leave out any part of these three then we are simply choosing to oppose the plan the Father has for us and our eternal happiness. It is a scary thought to ponder that by opposing the plan we fall in to a crowd of individuals who made that same mistake before, and we know their fate.

“The Devil is miserable in his situation, and “stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness” (2 Ne. 9: 9). He tries to imitate the work of God by transforming himself nigh unto an angel of light (2 Cor. 11: 12-15; 2 Ne. 9: 9; D&C 128: 20). He is also a worker of miracles, by which he deceives many upon the earth (Rev. 13: 1-15). In fact, the scripture says he deceives the whole world (Rev. 12: 9). He can cite scripture to make his point seem plausible (Matt. 4: 1-11). All of this is his scheme to make man miserable like himself. Protection against the influence of the devil is found by obedience to the commandments and laws of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of all the prophets and apostles is that truth, righteousness, and peace shall in the end prevail over error, sin, and war; the faithful shall triumph over all their afflictions and enemies, and shall triumph over the devil. There shall be a complete and lasting victory of righteousness over wickedness on this earth, which will be done by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.” LDS Bible Dictionary

For myself, I am waiting for Father to give me further instructions.

Elder Bednar and the Four Phases of Creation

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch a CES Fireside featuring David A. Bednar as the main speaker. The discourse he gave was titled, “Things as They Really Are.” As always I believe that Elder Bednar beautifully used the proper teaching techniques to instruct us on so many levels that night. The transcripts for his talk are available at this link. Please make sure you read and study this master sermon and be taught by the spirit the fine points of doctrine that Elder Bednar shared with us.

Most would probably proclaim that Elder Bednar’s talk was about becoming too involved in a virtual world through the Internet and video games. At one level that is exactly what he was speaking about. I would like to discuss another level that I perceived by hearing his teachings.

I believe that Elder Bednar used this forum to teach us the different phases of the Creation in a way that I have never seen before.

The doctrine of The Creation is truly an important one to study. We have been given four different accounts of the Creation, three in the scriptures themselves and one in the Temple ceremony. This repetition of teaching makes me feel that it is a doctrine that is a priority to understand. Many different scholars have also taught on the phases of creation and how each of the versions that we have been given seem to overlap somewhat when they are explained in the different mediums.

I believe that the four phases of creation are as follows:

1)Spiritual Creation

2)Spiritual/Physical Creation

3) Physical Creation

4)Immortal Creation

As Elder Bednar used the images, or renderings, of the temple rooms to show us “real” versus virtual, he also beautifully illustrated the different steps of the creation process. Things are spiritually created first by our mind and will, they then are made into a “blueprint” or rendering. This rendering is a physical creation of a spiritual idea. It takes effort and work, but it is still an image of what is actually going to be created. There is a physical amount of effort involved to produce a physical image of what will ultimately be a physical creation itself. This “rendering” is the step of creation that is normally hard to visualize and is often skipped in the process of explaining the Creation. Elder Bednar used these “renditions” to show us the difference of creations that are spiritual/physical and those that have substance or are “real” or physical.

The spiritual/physical creation of Adam and Eve provided them with bodies that were tangible, but immortal or non-corruptible. The Fall brought about the physical creation that was needed to make the spiritual/physical creation a reality. It provided Adam and Eve with the bodies that were necessary to live in the “real” world and have “real” experiences, ultimately resulting in the process of growth and death. It was a necessary step to progression. It is the reason that Satan seeks to take away the experiences we are having in reality and replace them with a virtual world, one that would provide a counterfeit immortality and thwart the plan of the Father.

There is only one way for us to receive that immortal physical body in the way the Father ordered and that is through the power of the Atonement. It is through death and resurrection that we are created for the last time, an Immortal creation where “all things become new.”

By tampering with our reality, Satan is still attempting to make us wish for a world where physical experience is not needed. That has always been his opposing view from the beginning.

See if you can visualize the different phases of The Creation as explained by Elder Bednar in his talk. What do you think? Are you glad you kept your first estate? Isn’t it worth it to be the “actual” thing?