We established that the Original Sin of Adam and Eve by taking what could only be given was not only an act of disobedience, but also an act in which they tried to elevate their own status up to that of God and in doing so distanced themselves from him even further. This marks the fall of humanity as we know it today. But, as Kass points out, their actions and punishment only mark the beginning of a decline that can be seen throughout Genesis 4-11.
It seems that man is now intent on taking upon himself such characteristics as only belong to God, such as immortality, in one form or another. When their mortality is finally revealed to them through Adam’s death, they seem to fight this inevitability relying on their own, as Kass puts it, mistaken “god-like self sufficiency.” They continue to take what can only be given. In this instance wives which God has decided should not join them in union, and judging these relationships as good for them just as Eve saw the apple as good for her — both being far from the truth. The people seek immortality through fame and glory and manly acts of heroic-ness and thus they further the decline of the human condition.
No wonder God considers just trying to start over. As a child, I could never understand why an all-loving God would want to eliminate all life on Earth. (Even the birds and the insects!) But as a more informed reader I can better understand that humanity was very close to be completely lost. But God didn’t follow through with this idea to wipe out life on Earth entirely because he found favor in Noah- in his simpleness and his piety.
Noah acts as the antithesis to the terrible traits that drive humanity’s downward spiral. He is pious, obedient, and doesn’t aspire to put himself in charge of God’s plan for saving him — he accepts his position as a builder of and a passenger and caretaker on the Ark. Just as God asked of the first humans to be a part of Creation and care for it but to not aspire to be like God, so Noah demonstrates that a human can choose to fulfill these commands.
But this does not save humanity entirely. We see with the tower of Babel that men are still prone to aspiring towards the lofty heights of God, so he confuses and scatters them. Humanity is not saved completely through Noah, the corrupted human condition is still present, but it maintains the hope of that Tree of Life in the Garden.
Introduction to Theology: Charlotte Spraul 
I like your comment on how mankind’s acts of violence and search for beauty is a consequence of a desire to still attain a god-like status. If this is true, then how does it come into play with the direct parallel of how their actions seem to actually push them further away from godhood?
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I think the issue comes in that every forcible step humanity tried to take towards becoming gods in their own right resulted in an even further separation from God himself. As God is the creator, the immortality that humanity sought is only available through him — as a gift that he can choose to bestow or take away. Therefore, as humans removed themselves further and further from relationship with God, they actually separated themselves from the only means by which to achieve their goal.
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I think you’re right about what Kass is saying, that Noah’s simple obedience and piety made him the only hope for humanity. My question now is how can we apply that to our daily lives? It’s easy in a story where God speaks to you directly and tells you exactly what to do, and the consequences (the Flood) are immediate and massive. Our daily life looks nothing like that. How can we act like Noah in 2020?
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I have often actually thought about this very question. Many times I have considered how much easier it would be to be pious if I had clear, direct signs from heaven telling me what to do. However, when I have gone down this path of reasoning I have eventually come to the idea that it wasn’t God who made the “first move.” God spoke clearly to Noah because he was already living a virtuous life, just as Mary appeared to St. Bernadette because she was already deeply pious and good. The Saints and figures of the Bible we admire today took the first steps. They chose to follow the path of piety and virtue and God’s messages came later. If we want a relationship with God, it is our responsibility to take those initial steps.
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Hello Charlotte! I really enjoyed reading your response, you have good points and good evidence, and made some really great connections that I hadn’t recognized, such as a parallel between both narratives in regards to man’s pursuit of self-glorification (heroism, “taking what can only be given,” and trying to reach “characteristics only belonging to God”). We also made a similar connection that Noah is unlike other people by way of his virtuous qualities and his acceptance in carrying out God’s commands. I was unable to touch on something you pointed out, which is the fact that Noah being the 1st man to follow from God’s great cleansing “does not save humanity entirely.” It does seem to be a human condition for eventual corruption, as in both lines of descendants (Adam’s and Noah’s) man eventually acts in his own self-glorification and displeases God. If Noah is unable to save humanity from this condition entirely, do you think this has any implications on whether something could save it, or if there is any fixing the human condition?
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