The metaphorical interpretation of the Adam and eve story is a post hoc rationalisation of things we now know to be false.

The story of Adam and eve is written to be interpreted as literal people.and here is why.

1. The author goes out of his way to create a family tree that links him to other people who Christian s would argue as literal such as Moses and his descendants upto jesus. The links of this genealogy with people Christians consider real shows that the author intended for the story to be literal. The author in linking Adam to the lineage of people who Christian consider to have existed, is relating that Adam was a real person and the narrative assigned to him are true and historical.

2. Paul recognises Adam as a real person who existed and pprtays him as the man through who sin entered the earth.

‭Romans 5:12-21 KJV‬ [12] Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: [13] (for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. [15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. [16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. [17] For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. [19] For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. [20] Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: [21] that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul draws a picture of how original sin came into the world and how death has reigned from Adam to moses and onwards continuing to say that jesus is the man who by him through righteousness grace and eternal life is brought.

The story is meant to be taken literally by the authors of the bible who all recognised it as such. The metaphorical reading is a post hoc rationalisation to protect it from scientific discoveries that are now known as common fact.

Aside from the argument, if you read the story as metaphorical, what is it metaphorical for?