In the Bible, the forbidden fruit is the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. According to the narrative, as a result of eating this fruit, Adam and Eve lost their innocence, began to know good from evil, and were exiled from the garden where they were forced to adopt agriculture for a living.
Popularly, the fruit has been identified as an apple (perhaps as a Latin pun of 'malus' sounding like 'evil' and 'apple'), although the Bible does not identify the fruit as an apple. Judaism teaches that the fruit may have been either grape, fig, or wheat.
The term forbidden fruit also refers generally to anything that is tempting but potentially dangerous or harmful, particularly relating to sexuality or recreational drug use.
See also
Last updated: 10-12-2005 19:48:34
