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Summary
- The Catholic and Orthodox catechisms and the Reformed Westminster Confession all teach that Adam and Eve were real people, the first parents of the human race.
- The Catholic Catechism says the account of the fall “uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event” (Catechism 390), so a real event can be told in figures.
- Luke traces Jesus’ family line back to Adam, and Paul sets “one man” Adam beside Christ in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15: “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
- Origen read some details of Genesis figuratively, while Augustine welcomed spiritual readings and still held to “the strict truth of the history.”
- Genetics shows humans emerged within a population of at least a few thousand, and the Society of Catholic Scientists asks whether God gave reason and freedom to many of them or “just one pair.”
- Other Christians answer it in other ways: a recent first pair (Answers in Genesis), an ancient pair (William Lane Craig), a genealogical pair (S. Joshua Swamidass), archetypes (John Walton) and a figurative reading (Peter Enns).
Bibliography (Click to show)
- The Holy Bible, King James Version: Genesis 5:5; Matthew 19:4–5; Luke 3:38; Acts 17:26; Romans 5:12, 19; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45; 1 Timothy 2:13–14; Jude 14. BibleGateway.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 375 and 390. vatican.va (375); vatican.va (390).
- Pius XII, Humani Generis (12 August 1950), paragraphs 36–37. vatican.va.
- Origen, On First Principles (De Principiis), book IV, chapter 1, section 16, tr. Frederick Crombie. New Advent.
- Augustine, The City of God, book XIII, chapter 21, tr. Marcus Dods. New Advent.
- Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow, The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church (1830; English translation by R. W. Blackmore, 1845), questions 113, 163 and 208. pravoslavieto.com.
- Orthodox Church in America, “Great and Holy Saturday” (the icon of the descent into Hades). oca.org.
- The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), chapters 4 and 6. Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
- Southern Baptist Convention, The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III, “Man”. bfm.sbc.net.
- Rachel M. Solomin, “Counting the Jewish Years”, My Jewish Learning. myjewishlearning.com; Hebcal date converter for 1 Tishrei 5787. hebcal.com.
- Moses Maimonides, The Guide for the Perplexed, part 2, chapter 30, tr. M. Friedländer. Sefaria.
- Society of Catholic Scientists, “Q6: How do ‘Adam and Eve’ fit in with evolution and the science of human origins?” catholicscientists.org.
- BioLogos, “Were Adam and Eve Historical Figures?” (updated 20 November 2023). biologos.org.
- Answers in Genesis, Statement of Faith. answersingenesis.org.
- William Lane Craig, In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration (Eerdmans, 2021), publisher’s description. eerdmans.com.
- S. Joshua Swamidass, The Genealogical Adam and Eve (InterVarsity Press, 2019): Washington University, The Source; Hans Madueme’s review, “Evolution and Historical Adam? A Provocative But Unconvincing Attempt”, The Gospel Coalition.
- Review of John H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve (IVP Academic, 2015), Denver Journal, June 2015. Denver Seminary.
- Review of Peter Enns, The Evolution of Adam (Brazos Press, 2012), Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies. jbtsonline.org.
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