The Historical Adam: A Review of Current Discussion | Ken Keathley | PhD

Ken Keathley, Director of the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Seminary, speaks at the 2016 Ph.D. Colloquium.
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[@merleharris7485]

Scripture is the best interpreter of scripture I heard a long time ago. Hasn't changed.

[@FrankGrauJr]

Rather than adjusting one’s theology to fit claims by geneticists, why not conduct a rational analysis of the claims by geneticists to see if their conclusions are warranted? For example, how do geneticists calibrate (1) for the accuracy of their method for measuring genetic relations and (2) for boundary conditions beyond which their measuring method no longer functions reliably? Are they assuming uniformitarianism as an operating presupposition, and if so, why accept claims which rely on an uncalibrated measuring method? Also, are their conclusions reached deductively, inductively, etc., and are their operating premises true, indubitable, and without dispute? The point is, there seems to be a credulous acceptance by many of academic claims without bothering to ask if those claims are justified.

[@Scruffers2011]

Adam was Israel. The creation account in Genesis is a recapitulation (retelling) of ancient Israel’s history of decline, beginning with their entry and subsequent expulsion from the “promised land” and ending with them in Babylonian captivity, where Genesis was penned. The author(s) of the creation narrative borrowed concepts from creation myths that predated Genesis, and terms from other Old Testament texts penned hundreds of years earlier that pertained to Israel. For example, the oldest occurrence of the term “heaven and earth” is found in Isaiah, which was penned a couple hundred years before Genesis. There and in many other places, the term “heaven and earth” referred to the old covenant religious system and temple community. The creation of “heaven and earth” (Gen 1:1) was the creation of a primitive covenant community. The garden was another way of describing the “promised land”. The land God prepared in Gen 1:2-2:4 was the same land that was prepared in Gen 2:5-14, land that was promised to Abraham’s descendants. Genesis 1:1-2:4 serve as the introduction to the rest of the Genesis narrative involving covenant people, not all humanity. For example, we see in Genesis 2:4 that the heavens and earth had generations. Gen 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. The Hebrew word for generations is תּוֹלְדָה and means physical descent, familial generations. Does the earth and sky have physical descendants? Of course not. The heavens and earth in Genesis can only be referring to people. When the Genesis creation account informs us that the earth was without form and void (Gen 1:2), we can look elsewhere to discover exactly what earth it’s talking about. Jer 4:23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. Jeremiah 4:23 is part of a description of Judah’s desolation. Also... Jer 4:27 For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. The “earth” and “heavens” was a people group, not the dirt we stand on. Jeremiah was penned before Genesis, which proves that terms like “heaven and earth” and “earth” were used to describe the old covenant religious system and temple community. We also see amazing parallels in the scriptures that show Adam and the fall narrative is actually describing Israel. These parallels are too many and too exact to be mere coincidences. Israeli Prof. Tvi Erlich, in his “The Story Of The Garden Of Eden in Comparison to the Position of Mt Sinai and The Tabernacle”, makes the following astute observations that... Adam was placed in a location once desolate, dark and chaotic but later, to a lush garden. Israel was moved from a desolate desert to the promised land. (Gen 2:15, Deut 3:20, 30:3-4, Josh 1:13,15, Jer 27:11; Ezek 36:34, 37:14,21; Isaiah 14:1) Adam commits spiritual adultery by departing from Yahweh’s commandment and believing Eve. Israel commits spiritual adultery with pagan nations, foreign gods, and animals. Adam’s sin involved a relationship with a woman. Israel’s sins often involved relationships with seductive women (Solomon’s wives- Kings 11:4-13, Jezebel -16:31---33, Delilah- Judges 16:4-14, the whore of Babylon- Rev 17:1-18). God commanded Adam to conquer / subdue the land (Gen 1:28) God commanded Israel to conquer / subdue the land of Canaan (Num 32:22, 29, Josh 18:1).* Adam is banished from the land and his relationship with Yahweh suffers. Israel returns to the land and her relationship is restored with Yahweh through Christ. Adam had a covenant relationship with God (Gen 2-3) Israel had a covenant relationship with God (Exod 19-34) Similarities between Adam and Israel at Mt Sinai Adam marries Eve, a marriage covenant. Israel makes a marriage covenant at Mt Sinai. Adam - God gives commands directly to Adam, who in turn communicates those instructions to his wife. Israel - God gives direct instructions to Moses at Mt Sinai and he communicates those instructions to Israel (who was also the bride). Adam - Commandments of do and do not do are transgressed (Gen 2:16-17). Israel- Commandments of do and do-not-do are transgressed (Exod 20:3). Adam - Adam was unable to hear God’s voice after sinning, was distanced from God and he decided to hide (Gen 3:8, 10). Israel - Israel was unable to hear God’s voice, was distanced from the Shekinah and requested a mediator (Moses) to hear on their behalf. (Exod 20:14-15, Deut 5:19-20). Adam - Adam lost connection with God after a woman led him to sin (Gen 3:17,23) Israel - When Israelites wanted to draw near to God, they had to separate themselves from women first. (Exod 19:15). Adam - Adam aspired to reach an imaginary good, but when he transgressed the commandment, God guarded the way of life (Gen 3:24). Israel - Keeping the commandments led Israelites on the way to true life (Deut 20:14-15). Adam - Adam goes away from the shekinah and the garden is guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword (Gen 3:24). Israel - Israelites are able to draw near to the shekinah and the glory of God dwells on Mt Sinai in view of Israel (Exod 24:16-17). Adam - Adam returned to the dust of the ground (Gen 3:17) which constituted part of his atonement for sin. Israel - The ground from which Adam was fashioned atones for Israel’s sins (Exod 20:24). Adam - Adam was given the command to subdue and manage the land (Gen 1:26,28) Israel - Israel was given the command to subdue and manage the land of Canaan (Ex 23) Source: Israeli Prof. Tvi Erlich, The Story Of The Garden Of Eden in Comparison to the Position of Mt Sinai and The Tabernacle, Alon Shuvat for Graduates of the Har Eztion Yeshiva 11 (1988) pgg 20-34 There are also parallels between Adam’s sin and the incident with the golden calf. Adam - Adam’s transgression of the do-not-do commandment was done by eating. Israel - Transgression of the first do-not-do commandment involves eating (Exod 32:6) Adam - God inquired about Adam’s sin (Gen 3:13) Israel - Moses inquired about Israel’s sin (Exod 32:21). Adam - Adam is condemned to death for his sin and a sword guards the tree of life from a sinful man (Gen 3:24). Israel - The Israelites rectify their sin by putting sinners to death with a sword (Exod 32:27). Source: Israeli Prof. Tvi Erlich, The Story Of The Garden Of Eden in Comparison to the Position of Mt Sinai and The Tabernacle, Alon Shuvat for Graduates of the Har Eztion Yeshiva 11 (1988) pgg 20-34 Additionally, in the beginning of Israel’s story, the way of life is guarded by a flaming sword. At the end of the story, Christ is pictured returning in flaming fire (2 Thess 1:8) with a sword in his mouth (Rev 2:16, 19:15) in judgement on the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30). Literally from start to finish, the bible is about Israel. The implications should be evident. Adam wasn’t a real person created from dirt in a garden. Eve was not a real first woman created from one of Adam’s ribs. There was no literal talking snake. Nobody today is guilty of any sin of Adam. The creation was not the universe and planet but of a covenant community of Israelites.

[@michellejohnsen912]

Just because there can be perceived parallels in the Bible, doesn't mean the Genesis story, or anything else in the Bible is all of a sudden not literal. You need the Holy Spirit to understand truth. Otherwise you spread falsehood. Jesus is salvation and the Bible is God's word. Trustworthy from beginning to end.

[@Scruffers2011]

@@michellejohnsen912 Nobody today has the Holy Spirit. According to the story, the Holy Spirit was promised to first century Israelites through Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2). You weren’t included in that prophecy. In reality, there never was a Holy Spirit. It was just a plot device in a story filled with fairytales..

[@michellejohnsen912]

@@Scruffers2011 you are mistaken. The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If you don't believe the Bible is God's word, and is "fairy-tales", then why do you waste your time speaking against it? Seems that you are a puppet of Satan. It's the only explanation for someone to spend the kind of time that you are on hating a "fairy-tale ". Do you do the same for Santa Claus? It's something obvious to me and most other people. No one spends time on something unless it has sigfigance. I pray you will see the truth while the time of grace is still here. God bless you 🕊

[@Scruffers2011]

@@michellejohnsen912 When you say “God”, do you mean the bible’s god Yahweh, which was just one of many ancient near eastern tribal deities believed on by primitive and superstitious people in the mid to late Bronze Age? Or are you referring to El, which came out of the Canaanite pantheon? Or are you referring to some other deity? And when you say “Satan”, are you referring to the imaginary “fallen angel” boogeyman of religious tradition who allegedly roams around trying to influence Christians to listen to rock music, fornicate (both fun!) and use translations other than the KJV? Or do you mean within the context of the ancient near east, the personification of anyone or anything that was opposed to Israel’s god? Remember, Lucifer was a man in Isaiah 14:12-16. Satan was Peter in Matt 16:23. He was Rome in Rev 2:10. He was Judaism in 1 Thess 2:16,18. Satan was also sin itself in Luke 10:18 among others.

[@michellejohnsen912]

@@Scruffers2011 God our creator and the creator of everything that exists. The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Jesus of Nazareth is the messiah. Are you going to admit He is real? You know that it's true. I'm sure you know about all of the prophecy in the Bible as well. Satan is real and has limited power. That's why people worship him. It seems you know how this all ends, so once again I will implore you to stop pretending and make a decision for God. God loves you more than anyone else. He knows every hair on your head.

[@AmyB1961]

Did Jesus sin? If not, there is no "original sin."