(3:9, 11) and the rest of Scripture lay the blame equally if not more so on Adam (cf. Rom 5:12ff.; 1 Tim 2:14).67 As to the nature of this first human sin, a number of modern writers seem intent on defending or minimizing the human action. Gunkel describes the action as “harmless and childish desire.”68 Susan Niditch argues for a feminist reading of the narrative: “Together with the snake, [Eve] is a bringer of culture.”69 Francis Watson encourages the reader to view “the Serpent as the liberator,