Question: Which Bible character was created when God pinched off a piece of clay?
Answer: Elihu (Job's friend)
‘Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.’
Job 33 v 6
So, the second way of looking at Adam and Eve from an evolutionary perspective is much less straightforward but it still maintains that they were two real individuals.
As we have seen, in the Bible Adam is not the only one to have been made from the dust. Abraham admits as much:
‘Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.’
Genesis 18 v 27
In fact we are all in the same position. When we die ‘the dust returns to the earth as it was.’ Ecc 12 v 7.
Now Abraham, Elihu and all the rest of us all began our lives as a single cell in our mother’s womb that multiplied and multiplied until our birth… then kept on multiplying! That process is what Elihu is referring to as being ‘pinched off from a piece of clay’. So the idea of Elihu being taken from the clay is a metaphor for the scientific explanation - not an alternative theory.
So it could be that when Genesis 2 describes Adam as being‘formed the man of dust from the ground’ it is a metaphor for natural methods. Our bodies are physically part of the rest of the animal world as Ecclesiastes reinforces:
‘I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.’
Ecclesiastes 3 v 18 – 20
If we go down this symbolic route then it seems likely that Eve’s formation from Adam’s rib is also symbolic and represents the birth of Christ’s bride from his wounds on the cross.
So in this scenario Adam and Eve had a long ancestry behind them but were separated off from the rest of humanity into the isolation of Eden’s paradise. There they were the first to know God, the first to walk with him, and the first to leave him.
Completely agree on origin of Adam and Eve's bodies by natural means - the other big question is the creation of human consciousness and language and abstract thought - was this an evolutionary developement or a sudden massive step-change? Do you think this is what is intended by the metaphor of God breathing into Adam?
ReplyDelete...also, has it ever occurred to anyone that the creation of man in Gen 1 may be the creation (evolution) of general humanoid-types - very ancient and over a large timespan, and Gen 2 gives us the specific creation of the first two (named) modern sentient humans, which poses little difficulty from an anthropological perspective - the biblical timescale of about 10,000 year ago puts us neatly in tune with the first neolithic settlements, language, writing, agriculture, etc. All incedentally coming from about the right place - Ur in Mesopotamia!
ReplyDeleteIt is well established now that modern humans were contemporary with Neanderthals, isn't it?
Still, it makes for a certain tension with Genesis 1:26
ReplyDelete"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness'."
Unless the word for 'make' is the same as 'develop' or 'evolve'.
I think that there is a certain beauty in the concept of us being created 'image-bearers' of the creator God!
A fascinating exploration.
Hi Vaughan
ReplyDeleteThere are ideas about language evolution but the idea of the 'mind' certainaly defies explanation at the moment. We know that it is bound by our physical brains but the 'mind' is non-material and seems to be greater than the sum of its parts
C
Re. Gen 1 v Gen 2 I think I agree. There's a book that was written in the 80s by Ron Storer that looks at this. I'll try and post a summary later this week. I can't remember whether it addresses Alex's point or not.
ReplyDeleteAlso, yes modern humans were certainaly contemporary with Neanderthals.
C
I know it's been nearly a year, but I'd love to get this going again...
ReplyDeleteDid anyone get to listen to "Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons?" - a talk given by J. Bilello? last weekend? I would love to hear your thoughts.
I'll post again when I've got hold of a recording, and maybe post a link?
Hi Vaughan
ReplyDeleteI didn't see it, where was it?
A link would be fab
C