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Meredith Sprunger's Synopsis of The Urantia Book
Synopsis of Paper 73
THE GARDEN OF EDEN

1.  There came a time in the planetary history, almost forty thousand years ago, when the Life Carriers on duty took note that, from a purely biologic standpoint, the developmental progress of the Urantia races was nearing its apex ...Tabamantia,.. after his survey of racial progress, duly recommended that Urantia be granted Material Sons.

2.  For almost one hundred years prior to Tabamantia's inspection, Van and his associates… had been preaching the advent of a promised Son of God, a racial uplifter, a teacher of truth, and the worthy successor of the traitorous Caligastia...Van and Amadon recruited a corps of over three thousand willing and enthusiastic workers who, in solemn assembly, dedicated themselves to this mission of preparing for the promised—at least expected—Son.

3.  A long narrow peninsula—almost an island—projecting westward from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea... was chosen, and two years were occupied in trans­ferring the world's cultural headquarters, including the tree of life, to this Mediterranean peninsula.

4.  The coast line of this land mass was considerably elevated, and the neck connecting with the mainland was only twenty‑seven miles wide at the narrowest point... The site chosen for the Garden was probably the most beautiful spot of its kind in all the world, and the climate was then ideal.

5. When Material Sons, the biologic uplifters, begin their sojourn on an evolutionary world, their place of abode is often called the Garden of Eden because it is character­ized by the floral beauty and the botanic grandeur of Edentia, the constellation capital.

6,  The first task was the building of the brick wall across the neck of the peninsula. This once completed, the real work of landscape beautification and home building could proceed unhindered. A zoological garden was created by building a smaller wall just outside the main wall.

7.At the center of the Edenic peninsula was the exquisite stone temple of the Universal Father, the sacred shrine of the garden... The architectural plans for Eden provided homes and abundant land for one million human beings. At the time of Adam's  arrival, though the Garden was only one‑fourth finished, it had thousands of miles of irrigation ditches and more than twelve thousand miles of paved paths and roads. There were a trifle over five thousand brick buildings in the various sectors.

8.  The sanitary arrangements of the Garden were far in advance of anything that had been attempted theretofore on Urantia...Before the disruption of the Adamic regime a covered brick‑conduit disposal system had been constructed which ran beneath the walls and emptied into the river of Eden almost a mile beyond the outer or lesser wall of the Garden.

9.  About five per cent of the Garden was under high artificial cultivation, fifteen per cent partially cultivated, the remainder being left in a more or less natural state pending the arrival of Adam, it being thought best to finish the park in accordance with his ideas... Never before this time nor after has Urantia harbored such a beautiful and replete exhibition of horticulture and agriculture.

10. In the center of the Garden temple Van planted the long‑guarded tree of life, whose leaves were for the "healing of the nations," and whose fruit had so long sustained him on earth. Van well knew that Adam and Eve would also be dependent on this gift of Edentia for their life maintenance after they once appeared on Urantia in material form.

11. This superplant stored up certain space‑energies which were antidotal to the age-­producing elements of animal existence. The fruit of the tree of life was like a superchemical storage battery, mysteriously releasing the life‑extension force of the universe when eaten.

12. When the Nodites invaded Eden, they were told that they would become, as "gods if they partook of the fruit of the tree."...They ate freely of the fruit for years, but it did nothing for them... they lacked that endowment which acted as a complement to the fruit of the tree... in connection with one of their internal wars, the temple and the tree were both destroyed by fire...This was the second temple of the Father to perish.

13. After the first garden was vacated by Adam, it was occupied variously by the Nodites, Cutites, and the Suntites... almost four thousand years after Adam left the Garden when, in connection with the violent activity of the surrounding volcanoes. ..the eastern floor of the Mediterranean Sea sank, carrying down beneath the waters the whole of the Edenic peninsula.

14. We cannot regard this disappearance of the Garden as being in any way a result of the miscarriage of the divine plans or as a result of the mistakes of Adam and Eve. We do not regard the submergence of Eden as anything but a natural occurrence...It was never intended that the Garden should be the permanent home of the Adamites.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think there will someday be another Garden of Eden?

2.In what section of the world might such a garden be located?

3. Do you think we will ever find the original garden?

4. When do you think the children of Adam and Eve might be brought back to our world?

5. If Machiventa Melchizeded returns as vicegerant Planetary Prince, where might the new world headquarters be located?

6. What is the value of this knowledge of the Garden of Eden?

7. What do you think will be the next supermortal mission to our world?


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