In Eden, the middle voice was the only form of communication. Adam and Eve were participants in God’s action: naming the animals, harvesting the garden, generously ruling and reigning over every other species. None of what they were entrusted to steward began with them. Everything that is exists because God spoke the first word. But neither does God ask Adam and Eve to sit back and watch him rule. He invites their participation, even designing creation in such a way that it demands participation.
