Adam (Hebrew, adam = Man) is a key figure In the Bible’s Old Testament book of Genesis, Adam is said to be the first human being, fashioned from earthly clay and brought to life with the living breath of God.
According to Genesis his female counterpart, Eve, was created from his rib. It is noteworthy, says St. Thomas Aquinas, that Eve was not created from Adam’s head or from some other body part, such as his foot.
Being created from his rib signifies a woman’s traditional role, so Aquinas says, of fulfilling her role in marriage and offering humble service to her husband. In Genesis 1:27, however, we find another version of the creation story in which God creates male and female in his image. No mention is given of Adam’s rib in this verse.
With Eve, Adam is said to represent the ‘first age’ of mankind, this being The Fall and Sin because the original sin of Eve (and shortly after, Adam’s sin) brings evil to the world. Now Adam and all subsequent generations must work hard to survive.
Joachim of Fiore says this introduction of evil necessitated the rule of “the Law”—that is, the Ten Commandments given to Moses.
In Christian theology Jesus Christ, the ‘second Adam,’ is portrayed as God’s perfect redeeming solution to the evil disobedience of Adam. And the Virgin Mary is often regarded as the ‘second Eve,’ the perfect counterpart to Eve’s original sin.
Some branches of Jewish mysticism believe that we can return to the “Original Adam” (the perfect man before the Fall) by contemplating God. But for Christians, the perfect, sinless man (Jesus) can only be imperfectly imitated by his followers and never equaled.
¹ Seth is also the name of an alleged disembodied spirit that the channeler Jane Roberts wrote about. We find with many channelers that the names of these unseen beings are often derived from the annals of mythology and religion.
- Covered by a Sacrifice (wherelivingbegins.wordpress.com)
- Where Was Adam with Eve When She was Deceived by the Serpent? (peterdavid28.wordpress.com)
- ‘The Evolution of Adam’ by Peter Enns: Mini Book Review (christianityandvirtue.wordpress.com)
- Adam and Eve (Like a Virgin) (jaguarpf.wordpress.com)
- Just call me “helper.” (lorischulz.wordpress.com)
- Our Parents: Adam & Eve (ourfathershavetoldus.wordpress.com)
- Genesis 1-11 (ashleyharroldblog.wordpress.com)
- The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (therookietheologian.wordpress.com)
- Genesis 3 (whymyfamilywilldisownme.wordpress.com)
- In Adam All Die (ourfathershavetoldus.wordpress.com)