Dave, a long-time reader, asked me a great series of hot-potato questions on CosmicFingerprints.com:
Q: Were there a historical first two humans (“Adam and Eve”) that gave us our entire species or were more contributors to our species? Does DNA show that there were other human species that existed and the one we have today is simply the simply didn’t die out?
A: So far as I know, genetics shows the human race came through a minimum population bottleneck of 5,000 to 10,000 people. A lot of people take this to mean Adam and Eve were simply mythical creatures, which creates more than a few theological problems.
However Richard J. Fischer in his book Historical Genesis from Adam to Abraham makes a strong case that: Adam wasn’t the first human. Adam was the first Semitic person.
The Genesis text gives clues that this is true. Cain kills Abel. He complains, “If anyone finds me they will kill me” and off he goes to build a city.
A city? For who?
And who is “anyone”? From the text it would appear there are only three people alive, Cain was the oldest, Abel was younger, and they had no other kids.
Sounds like other people are around.
Adam wasn’t the first man. He was the first prophet.
Q: Do humans have a unique dimension apart of from the animals (e.g. having supernatural spirit, not just a natural soul)
A: Yes. However I don’t have a way that I can plug a voltmeter into people and prove this. Anecdotal evidence is all around.
Q: Did the first human sin produce an event called “the Fall”?
A: Yes.
Q: Was the Fall an event or a process?
A: I think it’s both. I’m not sure I can elaborate much.
Q: Did the Fall produce a spiritual death or physical death, both, or neither?
A: Spiritual death. Not physical death. God told Eve “In the day you eat of the fruit you will surely die.” She didn’t die physically that day. And we also need to look carefully at Romans 5:
Which clarification of Romans 1 makes more sense – the first one or the second?
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and physical death through sin, and in this way physical death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, physical death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many physically died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, physical death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in physical life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and physical life for all people.
…..
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and spiritual death through sin, and in this way spiritual death came to all people, because all sinned—
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, spiritual death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many spiritually died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, spiritual death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in eternal life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and eternal life for all people.
I don’t think Romans 5 makes sense if death is “physical death.” Sin brought spiritual death.
Q: If the Fall produced either spiritual or physical death, did either of these occur before the Fall?
A: Physical death has been going on for billions of years.
Q: Did the Fall result in corruption that affected the rest of the cosmos?
A: I suspect so. I can’t say exactly how. I suspect man became more at war with nature than he was before.
Q: Is this the only universe?
A: I doubt it. People who know cosmology far better than I say we have good mathematical reasons to believe the ignition of our universe likely triggered others.
However I strongly object to people who invoke multiverses simply to avoid the incredibly pervasive evidence for fine-tuning in our universe.
Some people say there’s a trillion other universes with random characteristics and we live in “the lucky one.” There may be good reasons to believe in a multiverse, but that one’s lame.
I am a retired engineer, with a past career emphasis in analytical and product design. As a Christian, but also having a cautious skeptical scientific mind, I have wrestled, to this day, to make sense of the ‘apple’ and ‘tree of life’ that are implicated in the ‘original sin’.
I would appreciate some nice, deep reasoned, new take on the explanations on that subject.
My own life-time developed view is that there was a Falling of sorts (I see that most agree to this). So then the nature of the Fall matters, but most certainly has nothing to do with any of the classical interpretations of the biblical writings, which suffer greatly in credibility/logical reasoning. As an amateur astronomer and with my fascination with the likelihood (no, certainty) that there is highly advanced, sentient life in the universe, and of course, a Great supernatural Master Designer, it brings me back to those Nephilim, of the Bible. I read several of Z.Sitchin’s books but think he (respected… but) has missed a lot and is off the mark somewhat…(chemical propelled rockets?, in the historical past, commandeered by advanced, space traveling folks… highly improbable). The DNA connection seems to be there though, and that ‘tree of life’ really strongly suggests the DNA ‘tree’. My current thinking is that there were (and are still) indeed ‘angelic’ entities in the universe (ET’s, perhaps even supernatural), that they tampered with the DNA codes and violated some higher cardinal (no go there), CODE rule. The ‘apple’ and the ‘tree of life story’ seems to throw this notion ‘right in our face’ to seriously consider. DNA is without objection, a ‘tree of life’ and THE ‘tree of life’ as far as we see it in today’s science. The apple then symbolizes the ‘eating’ or ‘manipulating’ of that DNA structure. Violation of such a higher CODE, this makes amazing sense to me and must be connected to the truth. So then, all of this plays into the purpose of what we are to do here on earth, at all, and must connect to our capacity to out-think all other species on earth. The peculiar arrival of our ‘Consciousness’ seems to coincide uncannily with the time-frame of this biblical event in that ‘we were suddenly made aware that we were naked’= consciousness and self-awareness and curiosity.
And I believe that we have a Purpose to find our way back into conformance with the CODE. I believe that we HAD to have been made aware of/ given hints/ as to how to correct the major ‘taboo’ error. I cannot help but believe, after a lifetime of introspection, that we are still deeply plagued by that origin problem that led us to the Fall in the first place… Humans seem to be (nearly) the only extremely selfish species on this earth. Hence, all the encouraging messages of the bible… old and new covenants, that guide us back, by giving us the means to correct our mistake(s), make amazing sense. Unfortunately, I am quite skeptical that we will solve this self aggrandizement problem anytime soon. The need for the mindless perpetuation of an always ‘self first’ attitude to achieve higher and higher limitless wealth and power, makes no rational sense and is literally ‘insane’… further proof that ‘we have purpose’ here on earth.
I also was an engineer, but I was able to get a masters of divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an on-line doctorate in theology. Also I was privileged to take Greek discourse analyse from Wycliffe Bible Translators. I put this background together to find an answer to human origins that makes sense. I found that the descendants of Adam and Eve married into an existing human race. I prove this mathematically in my book New Evidence for Two Human Origin: Discoveries That Reconcile the Bible and Science. Adam and Eve were real people, which God created out of the ground just as the Bible says. God put them in a garden along with certain animals which he created also out of the ground. One of these was an especially designed snake that, out of jealously, deceived Eve. Their sin resulted in both spiritual and physical death. God proved from Adam’s intentional sin against God’s command not to eat of a certain tree that Man is rebellious by nature. Man’s sin comes from his fleshly composition as Genesis 6:3 indicates. God’s answer to the sin problem is for the blood of Christ to bring forgiveness to the believer (1 Pet. 1:19) and for the presence of the Holy Spirit who gives life to the the believer (Rom. 8). The Holy Spirit helps a serious believer to overcome evil as he attends a good church, reads his Bible with understanding, and prays to God through the name of Jesus Christ. My blog is http://www.garytmayer.blogspot.com.