What is the myth of Pandora’s Box?

Response

In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth. The god Zeus gave her a box and instructed her not to open it. (In the original Greek version, the object was a jar, but due to a mistranslation by Erasmus, it became known as a “box” and that name stuck.) Inside the box were all the troubles of the world, including death. When Pandora opened it, the troubles escaped and plagued the world. Zeus had given her the box with the hope that she would open it, thus releasing trouble into the world. This was his way of bringing trouble upon the world since Prometheus had given fire to mankind.

The tale of Pandora’s Box aims to elucidate the existence of trouble in the world. It shares some similarities with the story in Genesis 3, where God explains how sin and death entered the world.

Both stories involve a similar prohibition. In both instances, the forbidden act is seemingly innocuous—opening a box and eating fruit. Additionally, a woman plays a pivotal role in both narratives—Pandora opened the box, and Eve ate the fruit before offering it to Adam, who also partook. Ultimately, in both stories, the woman’s actions result in all the evil and suffering in the world. From Pandora’s Box came death, and from the disobedience in the Garden came death and various forms of suffering (Genesis 3:16-19).

Nevertheless, there are distinctions between Pandora’s Box and the Genesis account of the fall. In Genesis 3, Eve is not solely accountable. While she appears to initiate the problem, her husband shares equal responsibility. Subsequently, in later Scriptures, he is primarily held responsible as the head of the family and the human race «Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned» (Romans 5:12).

In all men, for all have sinned: », (Romans 5:12). In the tale of Pandora’s Box, Pandora’s moral responsibility is not emphasized—her action was more physical—she simply released the terrors from the box by opening it. In Genesis, the moral aspect is highlighted, and the afflictions of the curse are God’s just response to sin.

Perhaps most significantly, the nature of the deity involved differs. In Genesis, we encounter an all-powerful Creator who addresses sin but also offers forgiveness and deliverance «and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. », (Genesis 3:15). In the Pandora’s Box story, Zeus is a limited and somewhat petty god who entrusts Pandora with the box to attempt to deceive people on earth. The God of the Bible does not desire people to sin; the primary god of the Greeks was setting a snare for humanity. It is uncertain if the ancient Greeks regarded the Pandora’s Box tale as literal history, but the Genesis narrative is presented as factual history throughout the remainder of Scripture.

It is not unusual for many cultures worldwide to possess stories that bear some resemblance to various biblical narratives concerning creation or the flood. If the Genesis account reflects literal history (as it is consistently treated throughout Scripture), then we would anticipate it to give rise to various parallel stories as people dispersed and migrated to different parts of the world (see Genesis 11:1-11). While many cultures have altered or distorted the truth about historical events, a core of truth endures in their legends. Presently, Christian missionaries can frequently draw on similarities in the folk tales of the cultures they

are striving to deliver the truth to people, which is discovered in Scripture.