Michael Legaspi’s account “The First Knowers” emphasizes knowledge because the temptation to know good and evil is why Adam and Eve ate the apple from the tree of knowledge. He has interesting points by asserting that by God assigning Adam responsibility of the Garden and of naming all the creatures, that Adam, by having command, also was knowledgeable before eating the apple. Legaspi analyzes knowledge as it pertains to the creation story. He believes that the knowledge that comes from eating an apple from this tree to be “the capacity to make independent judgements concerning human welfare.” In Genesis, it must be eating as they are surrounded by the temptation by looking at the tree daily. Touching and looking at an object can be an accidental act, but the act of consuming a fruit is something one must do voluntarily. Eve fell into temptation by eating the apple, and gave some to Adam as well. They ate the apple, knowing the consequences that God had warned them about.
Legaspi also suggests that the knowledge will do as the Serpent says to Eve by making her “will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In a way, this does make them more god-like by opening their eyes and understanding what God sees. However, even more so it does not elevate them to a god status. After they eat the apple, Adam and Eve are filled with shame and fear, as well as being banished from the place they call home. By eating the apple, they no longer are immortal, but are sentenced to death at a later time. By banishing them from the Garden, God is showing them mercy. Although He said that if they eat the apple from the tree of knowledge, they “will certainly die,” he postpones this death and allows them to leave the Garden. He even shows them mercy by making clothes to protect them from the elements and to let them leave with dignity.
Emma Danes's Theology Blog 