Adam
| Adam | |
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 Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam, a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Adam is the figure on the left, and God the figure on the right. |
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| Born | 3760 BC (Hebrew calendar) 4004 BC (Ussher chronology) Garden of Eden |
| Died | 2830 BC (Hebrew calendar) [aged 930] 3074 BC (Ussher chronology) Unknown |
| Spouse | Lilith Eve |
| Children | Cain Abel Seth more sons and daughters |
Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם, Arabic: آدم) is a prominent figure in Abrahamic religions. He is the first man created by God in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He appears originally in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of Genesis. His wife was Eve according to the Bible,[1] but in Jewish folklore his first wife was Lilith.
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Individual/humanity and etymology
Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם, Arabic: آدم) in Biblical (as well as modern) Hebrew is sometimes used as the personal name of an individual and at other times in a generic sense meaning "mankind", in the same way as the earlier Canaanite 'adam.[2][3] According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, its use in Genesis 1 is wholly generic.[2] In Genesis 2 and 3 the writer weaves together the generic and the personal senses of the word.[2] In all that pertains to the first man as the passive subject of creative and providential action the reference is exclusively generic.[2] It may also be observed that the writer in Genesis 2-3 always says "the man" instead of "Adam", even when the personal reference is intended, except after a preposition.[2]
The usage of the word as personal pre-dates the generic usage. Its root is not the standard Semitic root for "man" which is instead '-(n)-sh but is attested as a personal name in the Assyrian King List in the form Adamu showing that it was a genuine name from the early history of the Near East.[4] The generic usage in Genesis meaning "mankind" reflects the view that Adam was the ancestor of all men. Etymologically it is the masculine form of the word adamah meaning ground or earth and related to the words adom (red), admoni (ruddy) and dam (blood)[5][6][7][8] Gen. ii. 7 explains that the man was called Adam because he was formed from the ground (adamah).[2] Compare Gen. iii. 19.[2]
Hebrew Bible
The story is told in the book of Genesis, contained in the Torah and Bible. These texts have a central role in both Judaism and Christianity. Adam is discussed in Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, with some additional elements in chapters 4 and 5. These might present two accounts of the creation story.[1] Several apocryphal books, such as the Book of Jubilees, Life of Adam and Eve and Book of Enoch also contain details of Adam's life.
William Blake.
Creation
According to Genesis 1, God (Elohim) created human beings. "Male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam..." (Genesis 5:2). "Adam" is a general term, like "Man" and could refer to the whole of humankind. God blessed them to be "fruitful and multiply" and ordained that they should have "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Genesis 1.26-27).[1]
The account in Genesis 2 records that God first formed Adam out of "the dust of the ground" and then "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life", causing him to "become a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). God then placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, giving him the commandment that "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).
God then noted that "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). He then brought every "beast of the field and every fowl of the air" (Genesis 2:19) before Adam and had Adam name all the animals. However, among all the animals, there was not found "a helper suitable for" Adam (Genesis 2:20), so God caused "a deep sleep to fall upon Adam" and took one of his ribs, and from that rib, formed a woman (Genesis 2:21-22), subsequently named Eve.[1]
Lilith
In Jewish folklore, Lilith is the name of Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam. She left Adam after she refused to become subservient to Adam and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.[9] Her story was greatly developed, during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar and Jewish mysticism.[10] The resulting Lilith legend is still commonly used as source material in modern culture, literature, occultism, fantasy and horror.
Expulsion
Adam and Eve were subsequently expelled from the Garden of Eden, were ceremonially separated from God, and lost their immortality after they broke God's law about not eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This occurred after the serpent (understood to be Satan in many Christian traditions) told Eve that eating of the tree would result not in death, but in Adam and Eve's eyes being opened, resulting in their being "as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3.4-5). Convinced by the serpent's argument, Eve eats of the tree and has Adam do likewise (Gen. 3.6).
As a result, both immediately become aware of the fact that they are naked, and thus cover themselves with garments made of fig leaves (Gen. 3.7). Then, finding God walking in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hide themselves from God's presence (Gen. 3.8). God calls to Adam "Where art thou?" (Gen. 3.9, KJV) and Adam responds "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Gen. 3.10, KJV). When God then asks Adam if he had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam responds that his wife had told him to (Gen. 3.11-12). Herein is the second sin that Adam committed, the first being that he ate from the forbidden tree.
As a result of their breaking God's law, the couple is removed from the garden (Gen. 3.23) (the Fall of Man according to Christian doctrine) and both receive a curse. Adam's curse is contained in Gen. 3.17-19: "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (KJV).
Post expulsion
After they were removed from the garden, Adam was forced to work hard for his food for the first time. He and Eve had three children named in the Book of Genesis; Cain, Abel, and Seth. The Book of Jubilees, a second century BC text which is not considered canon by most Abrahamic faiths, gives Adam two named daughters: Azura, who marries Seth, and Awan, who marries Cain.
According to the Genealogies of Genesis, Adam died at the age of 930. With such numbers, calculations such as those of Archbishop Ussher would suggest that Adam would have died only about 127 years before the birth of Noah, nine generations after Adam. In other words, Adam's lifespan would have overlapped Lamech (the father of Noah) at least fifty years. Ussher and a group of theologians and scholars in 1630 performed calculations and created a study that reported the creation of Adam on October 23, 4004 BC at 9:00 am and lived to 3074 BC. There was controversy over the fact that Ussher believed the whole creation process occurred on that day.
According to the Book of Joshua, the City of Adam was still a recognizable place at the time that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on entering Canaan.
He appears to an extent in both Eastern and Western Christian liturgies.[11]
According to traditional Jewish belief, Adam is buried in the Cave of Machpelah, in Hebron.
The New Testament
The relevance of Adam is not solely with the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the first Adam is compared with the second Adam. The first Adam brought about the Fall of Man, which cursed man with the knowledge of sin. Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and out of God's presence. The second Adam (Jesus) came to the world to save mankind from Adam's original sin that everyone inherits. With the first Adam there is death, but with the second Adam there is life.
Theological significance of Adam
The theological significance of Adam is great in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, there is more than just the straightforward fall of man that meets the eye. The fall of man is just one pertinent aspect of the Adam. There is, however, a dichotomy when talking about Adam—the Adam of old and the Adam of new. The original Adam sinned and man fell from God bringing all of Adam’s descendants along with him. The fall of man tarnished God’s image in man, beginning with Adam and Eve as well as their descendants. The image of God is still present in mankind, but the spiritual resemblance to the Creator has receded into the backdrop. In for example Catholicism, man is by birth a slave to sin. In order to regain this likeness of God, man must have help—man must have salvation.[12]
The origin of sin is the fall of Adam, the first man. In order to be redeemed, it took a sacrifice that was beyond anything man could do, or ever possibly do. The redemption of mankind had to come from God; only God had the power to save us. Samuel J. Mikolaski states:
- In Romans 5:12-21 Paul refers to a condition and power of sin in human life that is other than actual sin. This is not an anachronistic idea peculiar to Romans 5, but comprises the backdrop of other [New Testament] teaching on the human condition, grace, and redemption. Nowhere does the [New Testament] assume or say that humanity is born into Adam’s pre-fall state. Rather, fallen man has no capacity for the kingdom without rebirth (John 3:1-21); he is natural, not spiritual (1 Cor. 2:14); his carnal mind is at enmity with God and cannot be subject to God (Rom. 8:7, 8, 11); he is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1, 5; 4:17-20). The [New Testament] model is supernatural renewal of fallen human nature, rebirth by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.[13]
Romans 5:12-21
The only way man can regain the likeness of God is through justification. In Rom. 5:12-21, Paul gives excellent theological insight into the two Adam’s. The first Adam brought sin into the world. "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" (Rom. 5:12). On the other hand, the last Adam, Christ, brought us out of the world. "For if by one man’s offense 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" (Rom. 5:17).
Adam was the first man and appointed the head of humanity; however, his sin caused all of humanity to forfeit righteousness. Christ, the last Adam, was sent into the world by God, who made Him the divine head of man. Of course, Christ was not merely made the head of man, but of a new mankind—the saved. Speaking in soteriological matters, man’s fallen nature needed someone to help bring him out of his ignominious state, because man cannot reach God’s presence without God sending His only begotten as a propitiatory sacrifice. When man becomes justified, reconciliation takes place. Reconciliation is not one way, man is not reconciled to God, but rather man and God are reconciled with each other.[14] It is the believer’s relationship to Christ that undoes the effects of Adam’s original sin.[15] If the effects of Adam’s original sin are not undone before a person dies or before judgement day, then they are doomed.
Islamic view
In Islam, Adam (آدم) is considered the first Prophet of God and the husband of Eve (Arabic: Hawwa' حواء) who was also created by the will of God. Satan(The Devil) had lured Adam and Eve into disobeying God by tasting from the forbidden tree (although no reference is necessary as to what he may have tasted). This was the first act of revenge from Satan for being banished from heaven due to mankind. An important point to note here is that the Qur'an states or implies that it was not Eve who tempted Adam to disobey God. They were both tempted by Satan and therefore equally guilty:
"Then began Satan to whisper suggestions to them, bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them (before): he said: 'Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest ye should become angels or such beings as live for ever.' And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?" [Qur'an 7:20]
The Qur'an also mentions that Adam was misled by deception and was in fact pardoned by God after much repentance.
"Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful." [Qur'an 2:37]
Seventh-day Adventist view
Seventh-day Adventists acknowledge that most evolutionary scientists believe the earth is about 4.5 billion years old, based on radiometric dating. Seventh-day Adventists are creationists, and therefore believe Earth is approximately 6,000 years old based on chronologies in the Bible, beginning with Genesis. Seventh-day Adventists believe that God, through the triune entity of Jesus,[16] created the planet Earth or Terra in stages (world of land covered by water) at an undisclosed time in history and the present Earth (land, water, vegetation and creatures) at creation nearly 6,000 years ago.[17] Seventh-day Adventists believe in a literal 6-day creation week, with the seventh-day Sabbath rest. Seventh-day Adventist affirm the Biblical account of creation: Day 1 (Sunday) light; Day 2 (Monday) the firmament or atmosphere; Day 3 (Tuesday) separation of the earth (land) and seas; Day 4 (Wednesday) Sun and Moon; Day 5 (Thursday) fish and birds; Day 6 (Friday) the land animals and finally the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, from whom all living on Earth today are descended. Day 7 (Saturday or Sabbath) God rested from His work, finding all creation very good, and blessing the Sabbath day and making it holy, setting this day aside as a remembrance of His creative handiwork, He as creator, and giving man a day of rest from all his own labors. Seventh-day Adventist believe that the importance of the literal creation time-line is pivotal to the story of humanity, their relationship to God, and the plan of salvation and atonement for Adam and Eve’s transgression (fall), by which all their descendants are under subjugation. The Bible states, “Since by man (Adam) came death, by man (Jesus the Christ) came also the resurrection... (I Cor. 15:21).” To disavow a literal creation and our first parents (Adam and Eve) nearly 6,000 years ago negates a fundamental, orthodox doctrine and the supremacy of the Holy Bible that the sovereign, triune God --“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth,” (Genesis 1:26 NASB)—according to His own purpose and counsel and for His own glory, created humanity in the Biblical/Torah account.[18]
Bahá'í view
In the Bahá'í view, Adam was the first Manifestation of God in recorded history.[19] He is believed by Bahá'ís to have started the Adamic cycle 6000 years ago, which has culminated with Bahá'u'lláh.[20][21] The Biblical story of Adam and Eve, according to Bahá'í belief, is allegorical and is explained by `Abdu'l-Bahá in Some Answered Questions;[21] in the Bahá'í view, in the biblical story Eve represents Adam's soul and the serpent represents attachment to the material world, and that ever since his fall, the human race has been conscious of good and evil.[22]
Latter Day Saint (LDS) view
The Latter Day Saint movement holds that Adam and Michael the archangel are the same individual.[23] Michael the archangel fought against and cast out Lucifer (who became Satan), "that old serpent", at the conclusion of the war in heaven during pre-mortal existence (see Book of Revelation 12:7-9). "Michael" was born into this mortal existence as the man "Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days" (see Doctrine and Covenants 27:11 and 107:54). Mormons also consider Adam to be the first among all the prophets on earth.
The Latter Day Saints hold the belief that the "Fall" was not a tragedy, but a necessary part of God's plan. They believe that Adam and Eve had to partake of the forbidden fruit in order to fulfill God's will, and that it is good that they did so.[24]
LDS Splinter Groups view
Some LDS splinter groups {{citation needed|reason=what groups? Are they large enough to be relevent?} believe in the Adam-God-Theory (which has been denounced by leaders of the LDS church and is considered false doctrine by them)[25]. The theory stems from statements by Brigham Young, the 2nd prophet and president of the LDS church. On April 9, 1852, Brigham Young was quoted as saying: "Adam was Michael the Archangel, and that he was also the Ancient of Days." Young went on to conclude that Adam was, in fact, "our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." In this message, Mormonism's second president explained that Eve was only one of Adam's wives and that Jesus Christ "was not begotten by the Holy Ghost". Instead, Young said, He "was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven."
Young continued... "How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which is revealed to them, and which God revealed to me -- namely that Adam is our father and God...Our Father Adam is the man who stands at the gate and holds the keys of everlasting life and salvation to all his children who have or ever will come upon the earth" (Sermon delivered on June 8, 1873. Printed in the Deseret Weekly News, June 18, 1873.)
Many in the LDS Community believe Young was misquoted or misunderstood. In January 9, 1897, President Joseph F. Smith said "With reference to Prest. B. Youngs remarks, in a discourse delivered in 1852. with reference to 'Adam being the only God with whom we have to do' &c. I will say:---Prest. Young no doubt expressed his personal opinion or views upon the subject. What he said was not given as a revelation or commandment from the Lord. The Doctrine was never submitted to the Councils of the Priesthood not to the Church for approval or ratification and was never formally or otherwise accepted by the Church. It is therefore in no sense binding upon the Church nor upon the consciences of any of the members thereof...." [26]
Jehovah's Witnesses
In the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, Adam and Eve were the ones who brought sin, and thus death, into the world, by committing the original sin. That sin was not sexual relations, of which Jehovah had already commanded that they have, but disobeying Jehovah's clear command not to eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil.
Eve's sin is counted as deliberate disobedience, as she did know that Jehovah had commanded them not to eat, but she is held to have been deceived by the Serpent, thus making all women unfit for leadership positions in the Theocratic Organization. Adam is thought to have doubly sinned, as he was not deceived. Rather, when confronted with his sin, he attempted to blame both his wife Eve, and Jehovah himself. Genesis 3:12 NWT - "The woman who you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree and so I ate."[27]
Druze religion
In the Druze religion, Adam and Eve are seen as dualistic cosmic forces and are complementary to one another. Adam represents the universal mind and Eve, the universal soul.[28]
See also
- Y-chromosomal Adam
- Banu (Arabic)
- Adam Kadmon
- Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Adam and Eve." Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Adam article in the Jewish Encyclopedia
- ↑ Barker, Kenneth (Editor); John H. Stek, Mark L. Strauss, & Ronald F. Youngblood (2008). The NIV Study Bible. Genesus: Zondervan Publishing House. pp. 7. ISBN 978-0310938965.
- ↑ The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17, Victor P. Hamilton, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1990
- ↑ Gesenius[1]
- ↑ Brown Driver Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon, ISBN 1-56563-206-0, p. 9.
- ↑ Ibid. 1. a man 2. man, mankind.
- ↑ Ibid. From same root adm (אדם), adamah — ground or land.
- ↑ Samael & Lilith
- ↑ Tree of souls: the mythology of Judaism, By Howard Schwartz, page 218
- ↑ Adam in Early Christian Liturgy and Literature - Catholic Encyclopedia article
- ↑ A. J. M. Wedderburn, The Reasons for Romans (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004), 119-133.
- ↑ Samuel J. Mikolaski, "The Theology of the New Testament," in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), 470-471.
- ↑ George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 492-494.
- ↑ D. A. Carson, and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 392.
- ↑ White, E.G. (1890). Patriarchs and Prophets Napa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association. Retrieved June 27, 2009, from http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp.asp
- ↑ http://www.dbts.edu/journals/2000/McCabe.pdf
- ↑ "Adventist Church Official Web Site". Adventist.org. http://www.adventist.org. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
- ↑ Taherzadeh, Adib (1992). The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. p. 32. ISBN 0-85398-344-5.
- ↑ Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 13, 1986. Published in Effendi, Shoghi; The Universal House of Justice (1983). Hornby, Helen (Ed.). ed. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, New Delhi, India. p. 500. ISBN 81-85091-46-3. http://bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidance.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Taherzadeh, Adib (1977). The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 2: Adrianople 1863-68. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. p. 352. ISBN 0-85398-071-3. http://www.peyman.info/cl/Baha%27i/Others/ROB/V2/p337-369Ch16.html#p351.
- ↑ Smith, Peter (2000). "Adam". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 23. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
- ↑ Millet, Robert L.. "The Man Adam". Lds.org. http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=52ad425e0848b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
- ↑ LDS Church (1997). “Chapter 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve,” Gospel Principles (Salt Lake City, Utah: LDS Church).
- ↑ Spencer W. Kimball, “Our Own Liahona,” Ensign, Nov 1976, 77
- ↑ Letter to the Honorable A. Saxey, Provo, Utah; CHO/d1325/Bk4/fd1.
- ↑ "What was the Original Sin?". watchtower.org. http://http://www.watchtower.org/e/200606b/article_01.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
- ↑ "The Night of Departure from Eternity". Gnosis of the Book of Life. Druzenet. 2005. http://www.druzenet.org/dnent31.html. Retrieved 2007-11-22. "According to the Ancient Gnostic Wisdom, Adam and Eve stand for The Wholly Mind and The Wholly Soul – the spiritual parents from where Adamic souls derive their identities."
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