Essay by Robert D. Haak, Former Professor of Religion, Associate Dean and Director, Center for Community Engagement

This lithograph produced by Marc Chagall is one of a series titled Drawings for the Bible, published in 1960 by Verve. Fifty signed copies of this piece were produced in addition to 6,500 unsigned copies. The importance of biblical themes for Chagall is evident in this lithograph series and from another also illustrating the Bible that was published in 1956. He often used themes associated with the Bible in his work in other media, including tapestry, mosaics, sculpture, oils and stained glass. Not without controversy, the theme of crucifixion was central in a number of his works. "Since my earliest childhood I have been captivated by the Bible. It has always seemed to me the greatest source of poetry of all time. Ever since then I have sought its reflection in life and art. The Bible is like an echo of nature, and this is the secret I have tried to convey" (Baal-Teshuva 222-223).

The depiction of Adam and Eve and the Forbidden Fruit illustrates this echo of nature—and of the biblical story. Unlike many readers who wish to interpret the stories of Adam and Eve as literal historical events, Chagall captures the "echo" of the story in this illustration. The intensity of the event is heightened by the bold colors typical of Chagall's work. The commonly expected motifs of the serpent and the apple (Is there really a mention of an apple in a close reading of the biblical texts?) are juxtaposed with other elements that are enigmatic—another characteristic of Chagall's style. In Chagall's story, while Eve has the central role, Adam, holding the fruit in his hand, looks out at the viewer (with a slight smile on his face?). This Adam and Eve are the stuff of dream and imagination. The world they inhabit lives in the depths of all who tell this story as their story of "origins." This story of origins, especially as the account of the loss of innocence and the wellhead of pride and disobedience of humankind, has become a central story in Western culture. The tension between this darker part of the story (told in Genesis 2-3) and the judgment by God that he "saw all that he made, and look!-it was exceedingly good" (Genesis 1:31) has informed much of the struggle in defining humanity down into the modern and post-modern period.