Antiquity: 'The Fall of Man'. Oil on canvas painting by Cornelis van Haarlem (1562 - 11 November 1638), 1592. According to the Book of Genesis, God created the universe in seven days. On the sixth day, he created ˉAdamˇ, the Hebrew word for ˉmanˇ, and placed him in Paradise - the Garden of Eden. From one of Adamˇs ribs, God then created a mate for him: Eve, meaning ˉMother of Lifeˇ. Adam and Eve were permitted to eat all the fruit in the garden except that from the ˉTree of Knowledgeˇ. However, the devil, disguised as a serpent, persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, an apple.