Proof of the Garden of Eden

 

Eden is described in Genesis 2:10–14:

‘A river watering the garden flowed from Eden;
from there it was separated into four headwaters.
The name of the first is the Pishon;
it winds through the entire land of Havilah,
where there is gold.
The gold of that land is good;
aromatic resin and onyx are also there.
The name of the second river is the Gihon;
it winds through the entire land of Cush.
The name of the third river is the Tigris;
it runs along the east side of Asshur.
And the fourth river is the Euphrates.’

“The Garden of Eden has been dismissed by Bible critics
as imaginary or allegorical. However, Gen. 2:8-13
indicates that Eden had a specific geographic location,
especially since two of its rivers, the Euphrates and
the Hiddekel (Tigris) are two of the best-known rivers
in the ancient world. Eden did indeed have an actual
location, and science is just beginning to unravel its
mystery. ”
–The Bible Encounters Modern Science
by Stephen Caesar;  Harvard University
Masters Degree in Anthropology and Archaeology

“The search began in the 1980’s, when Juris Zarins,
a professor from Southwest Missouri State University,
discovered that the northern tip of the Persian Gulf
(where the Tigris and Euphrates end) had once been a
lush, fertile region. ”
–The Bible Encounters Modern Science
by Stephen Caesar;  Harvard University
Masters Degree in Anthropology and Archaeology

“The area he investigated was located at the junction of
four rivers: the Tigris (Hiddekel); the Euphrates; the
Karun River in southwestern Iran, which Dr. Zarins postulates
is the Biblical Gihon; and the now-dry riverbed Rimah-Batin,
which Zarins believes is the Pison.
Zarins’ hypothesis was prompted by advances in satellite
technology, ”
–The Bible Encounters Modern Science
by Stephen Caesar;  Harvard University
Masters Degree in Anthropology and Archaeology

“Lost Rivers Of Eden
discovered By Satellite”

“Scrutinizing satellite images of the Middle East,
he spotted a “fossil river” that seems to be the lost
Pison river.  Therefore Eden, Zarins concludes, lies
under the mouth of the present Persian Gulf between
Iraq and Iran.”
-“The Hunt for a Lost Holy Past,”
Newsweek, 22 June 1987, pg. 56

First appeared in Smithsonian Magazine,
Volume 18. No. 2, May 1987.

“Satellite photos show two fossil river beds,
one across N. Saudi Arabia and one across
S. Persia (Iran) which join the Tigris-Euphrates.
This reconfirms, with new photos, the feasibility of
the existence of a river named Pison or Gihon
(as recorded in the Bible).”
–Smithsonian May 1987 pp 127-135.
“Has the Garden of Eden been located at last?”

“He detected a fossil river running diagonally through
Arabia that ended in Kuwait, at the northern tip of the
Persian Gulf — exactly where Zarins had located the
Garden of Eden.”
-“How to Find a River — No Divining Rod Needed,”
Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August (1996): 55.
“In support of locating the Garden of Eden in the
present day Iran/Iraq area – “Thousands of animal
remains found in the Persian Gulf (Iran/Iraq) area
suggest that game was abundant. Furthermore, the
presence of stone tools provides evidence of early
human habitation.”
-Reader’s Digest
Mysteries of the Bible
(Pleasantville (NY)/Montreal:
The Reader’s Digest Association, 1988), 24-25.
It is interesting to note that the Biblical Archaeology
Review, a magazine which, despite its name, does NOT
support a literal belief in the Bible,  Yet despite
this fact, this magazine has printed scientific proof
to support the exact location of the Biblical, Garden
of Eden.  The Magazine writes :
“Dr. Zarins is no longer alone in his discovery.”

“Boston University geologist Farouk El-Baz emulated
Prof. Zarins by closely examining satellite photographs
of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf area.”

“He detected a fossil river running diagonally through
Arabia that ended in Kuwait, at the northern tip of the
Persian Gulf — exactly where Zarins had located the
Garden of Eden.”
-“How to Find a River — No Divining Rod Needed,”
Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August (1996): 55.
This magazine goes on to say :

“The Kuwait River [the Batin] also has a probable
Biblical connection. It may well be the Pishon River,
one of the four rivers, according to the Bible,
associated with Eden.”
-Biblical Archaeology Review
Creation Story Preserves Historical Memory
July/August 1996 issue
“The name of the first is Pishon;
it is the one that flows around
the whole land of Havilah,
where there is gold;
and the gold of that land is good;
bdellium and onyx stone are there.”
(Genesis 2:11-12)
“This passage describe a river flowing into the head
of the Persian Gulf from the low mountains of western
Arabia, the path followed by the recently discovered
Kuwait River. An important key is the Biblical phrase
“the gold of that land is good.” Only one place in
Arabia has such a deposit — the famous site of
Mahd edh-Dhahab, the “Cradle of Gold.”
This ancient and modern gold mining site is located
about 125 miles south of Medina, near the headwaters
of the Kuwait River.”
-Biblical Archaeology Review
Creation Story Preserves Historical Memory
July/August 1996 issue
“In any event, no other river would seem to fit the
Biblical description. I am therefore inclined to think
that the Kuwait River could well be the Pishon of the
Bible. If so, it implies extraordinary memory on the
part of the Biblical authors, since the river dried up
sometime between about 3500 and 2000 B.C.
I speak as a former skeptic….Now I am recanting.”
-James Sauer; Harvard Archaeologist
“The River Runs Dry: Creation Story
Preserves Historical Memory,” pgs. 52,64

“Satellite photos show two fossil river beds,
one across N. Saudi Arabia and one across
S. Persia (Iran) which join the Tigris-Euphrates.
This reconfirms, with new photos, the feasibility of
the existence of a river named Pison or Gihon
(as recorded in the Bible).”
–Smithsonian May 1987 pp 127-135.
“Has the Garden of Eden been located at last?”