Possible locations of the Garden of Eden

[I’m not Stu]

It was where the Tigris and Euphrates intersected with the Pishon and Gihon. What are the Pishon and Gihon known as now? Do the Pishon and Gihon still exist today? It's not known where these were, but are there any theories of location?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

There are plenty of theories.  The one I find most plausible is given here: http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2000/PSCF3-00Hill.html  It works with almost any view of the historicity of the Bible except for Young Earth Creationism, which pretty much requires that Noah's Flood have wrought so many changes that Eden was obliterated.  Since there are plenty of other reasons to ignore the YEC hypothesis, that incompatibility with YEC doesn't bother me in the least.

[I’m not Stu]

There are plenty of theories.  The one I find most plausible is given here: http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2000/PSCF3-00Hill.html  It works with almost any view of the historicity of the Bible except for Young Earth Creationism, which pretty much requires that Noah's Flood have wrought so many changes that Eden was obliterated.  Since there are plenty of other reasons to ignore the YEC hypothesis, that incompatibility with YEC doesn't bother me in the least.

This looks like the Garden of Eden was on the coast of the Persian Gulf. This indicates the Pishon is the Wadi al Batin and the Gihon is the Karun. Some also believe the Gihon to be the Karkheh instead. What other theories exist?

[Zioneer]

Jackson County, Missouri.

...What? I'm a Mormon, after all.

[RI]

There are plenty of theories.  The one I find most plausible is given here: http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2000/PSCF3-00Hill.html  It works with almost any view of the historicity of the Bible except for Young Earth Creationism, which pretty much requires that Noah's Flood have wrought so many changes that Eden was obliterated.  Since there are plenty of other reasons to ignore the YEC hypothesis, that incompatibility with YEC doesn't bother me in the least.

This looks like the Garden of Eden was on the coast of the Persian Gulf. This indicates the Pishon is the Wadi al Batin and the Gihon is the Karun. Some also believe the Gihon to be the Karkheh instead. What other theories exist?

I've always been partial to the Tabriz theory, but the one presented above makes a lot of sense as well.

Jackson County, Missouri.

...What? I'm a Mormon, after all.

Having been to Jackson County, MO, it's much closer to Hell than the Garden.

[Greatest I am]

It was where the Tigris and Euphrates intersected with the Pishon and Gihon. What are the Pishon and Gihon known as now? Do the Pishon and Gihon still exist today? It's not known where these were, but are there any theories of location?

I did a bit of research on Eden when looking at the Gnostic Christian religion and ended sidetracked by Eden. I landed on Dilmun as the likely location.

Dilmun  Chrestian
http://biblehub.com/greek/5543.htm
http://faithlenders.weebly.com/uploads/5/5/3/7/5537776/why_christ_and_not_messiah.pdf
http://www.aramcoworld.com/issue/197001/looking.for.dilmun.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilmun
http://www.crystalinks.com/dilmun.html
http://www.geocities.ws/garyweb65/eden1.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1192
http://www.dalamatiacity.com/babel/index.html
http://www.dalamatiacity.com/dilmun/index.html
http://mailstar.net/adam-and-eve.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius_on_Christians
http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/christian.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adapa#As_Oannes
http://www.britannica.com/biography/Berosus
http://www.mountainman.com.au/essenes/article_074.htm

This aside, my favorite biblical history scholar thinks that the Jewish Eden was in Israel as most large religious and political buildings had what is commonly called gardens of delight.

Apparently the Gihon goes through Israel.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kwlx6

Regards
DL

[Blue3]

It wasn't a real physical place.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It wasn't a real physical place.

Even if you believe it to be myth, that doesn't mean it wasn't based on a real location.

[Greatest I am]

It wasn't a real physical place.

Certainly not as depicted, but the myth was based on a real place as most myths are.

As I indicated above, most temples and royal abodes had gardens of delight.

Regards
DL

[RINO Tom]

It wasn't a real physical place.

I'm a pretty damn liberal Christian when it comes to interpreting scripture, but it is perfectly reasonable to assume it was based on a real place.  I didn't click on True Federalist's link because I'm at work, but there have been satellite images of where those rivers would actually meet, and though it is currently underwater there are clear signs on the ocean floor that there were river beds there.  The Garden of Eden, IMO, is currently underwater and hasn't been above water for thousands of years.

[°Leprechaun]

It wasn't a real physical place.

Even if you believe it to be myth, that doesn't mean it wasn't based on a real location.

Although it's possible that it wasn't based on a real physical location, but a mental state of utopia, which can exist in one's mind. "heaven" "nirvana" or in star trek "the link" (DS9) or "the nexus" (st:"generations" 1994)

[°Leprechaun]

If it was based on a real location, it would be somewhere in the area of west Asia, Iraq, Israel etc. Knowing the precise location doesn't seem that important even if it really existed, since the important thing is the state of mind which it represents.

Swedenborg, for example, called it a representative for the Most Ancient Church which was a unified religion that everyone belonged to and which was similar to the state that Adam and Eve were in. They also represented this religion and were not actual people, accoring to him.
This idea may exist in other religions, as well, I'm not sure. (I was raised in this religion, aka "the New Church", "the New Christian Church" or "the True Christian religion")

[Santander]

Versailles, KY

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Jackson County, MO, if you're a Mormon.

If you're any rational scholar, then probably somewhere in present-day Iraq or Turkey.

[RFayette]

Palo Alto, CA

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Palo Alto, CA

Present conditions excepted, Palo Alto is hardly a well-watered paradise, even by the standards of desert nomads.

[Cokeland Chastain]

On the Persian Gulf. It explicitly mentions the Tigris and Euphrates.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

There are plenty of theories.  The one I find most plausible is given here: http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/2000/PSCF3-00Hill.html  It works with almost any view of the historicity of the Bible except for Young Earth Creationism, which pretty much requires that Noah's Flood have wrought so many changes that Eden was obliterated.  Since there are plenty of other reasons to ignore the YEC hypothesis, that incompatibility with YEC doesn't bother me in the least.

The identification of the rivers presented there is pretty convincing.  The map shown in that article showing the "former extent of the Persian Gulf" would work against the idea that all four rivers met at the same location, but it works a lot better with this more accurate map showing areas that are low lying enough that they may have been underwater during this period:
http://people.rses.anu.edu.au/lambeck_k/pdf/171.pdf
Or if one is willing to believe that the story has roots that go back a few thousand years before 4000 bc, then the shoreline would have been further south and the Garden could have been under the present day Gulf.