Geary: "Were Adam and Eve created with language intact? Presumably they were. How else the acquisition? So they must have been talking God's own language. Why then make Adam name everything? Surely God knew what he had made." Well, according to the Bible, God's main concern was that Adam had not "an help meet" -- and 'meat' he'll soon get in the form of "Woman". What is curious is one would expect that after that realisation on the part of God, he would go and create Woman for Adam. "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord formed EVERY BEAST of the field. But for Adam there was [still] not found an help meet for him." This is strictly ambiguous. If one follows the narrative, we see God's concern about Adam needing some kind of 'help'. God possibly thought that by forming every beast of the field, "Adam would find an help meet" -- I am reminded of the Parrot of Robinson Crusoe or the Bitch that J. R. Ackerley loved so much (filmed with Gary Oldman). Indeed, some beasts can provide very good 'mates', even 'help mates', like horses, cows, and sheep. Argentines for example are famously said to be keen on 'llamas' as 'help meet': "An Argentine gaucho called Bruno" ... goes the limerick. So, no animal (other than Woman) proved to be a Help-Meet that Adam as 'looking'. It's curious how he IMMEDIATELY realized that Woman WILL be his Help-Meet (or Meat), having yet the Woman NOT done anything special. And wait when Adam loses Paradise for her. Cheers, JL ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com