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Is Adam a Sinner or Savior?
Here is a compilation of scriptures taken
from the Bible, Apocrypha, Quran and the Baha’i Faith in an attempt to deal
with the enigma of Adam & Eve.
A Look At Biblical and Quranic Creation
Stories:
Let’s
begin this contemplation of the past with quotes from various scriptures
concerning the creation of Man. This will help us grapple with the mystery of
both Adam and the creation of man. (At times, due to limitations of length in a
work of this nature, some scripture will be paraphrased. The reader can access
original contents from their respective sources.)
Beginning
with Genesis 1:1-8,NIV
”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the
earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said,” Let there be
light,” and there was light. Then God saw the light was good, and he separated
the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he
called “night”. And there was evening and there was morning- the first day. And
God said,” Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from
water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from
the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was
evening, and there was morning- the second day.”
Genesis goes on describing the remaining “five days” of a “seven day”
creation story. Day “three” God creates land and seas along with all forms of
vegetation in the plant kingdom.
The fourth day: Genesis 1:14-19:NIV “And God said,”
Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the
night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let
them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it
was so. God made two great lights- the greater light to govern the day and the
lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the
expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and night, and
to separate
light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and
there was morning- the fourth day.”
The
fourth day is of special interest. It may give us a glimpse at what ancient
astrology was all about- not originally worshipping stars and constellations
but rather, simply using their positions in the sky as a celestial calendar to
chart the seasons (Gen 1:14). Also, the “stars” (Gen 1: 17-18) could also be a
metaphor for messengers of God or holy people.
It makes no sense for the stars to be created
after the earth or its plant life. It also makes little sense to “set stars in
the sky to give light to the earth, to govern the day and night.” If “light and
dark” are seen as “good and evil” and “stars” are seen as God’s messengers
giving light to the world then Genesis makes perfect sense and even can agree
with modern science. (Jesus said he came to bring light to the world.)
The
fifth day God creates aquatic animal life and birds. He bids them to be
fruitful and multiply. (Notice birds were created before the larger beasts.)
These God created on the sixth day at which time God made wild animals and
livestock.
It
is at this point God creates Man.
Genesis 1:26-27:NIV “Then God said,”
let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish
of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in
his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them.”
There appears to be a second creation story
in the bible.
Genesis 2:4-7: describes the creation of Adam specifically
while
Genesis 1:26-27: (above) talks of man as a species being
created as the final product in a long line of evolutionary creation (generally
from the simplest to the more complex).
Genesis 2:4-7: NIV
“This is the account of the heavens and of the earth when they
were created. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens- and no shrub of
the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet
sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man
to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole
surface of the ground- the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living
being.”
(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 2 - The Cow) may be a lesson of the allegorical
meanings behind the creation stories in Genesis.
164 “Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that
which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky,
thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts
therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between
heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have
sense.”
Note:
In the above Sura: “heavens and earth” may mean the spiritual and material
realms. “Night and day” could refer to darkness of sin and the light of the
Word of God. “The ships, which run upon the sea” Likely refers to the ark or
ships of God’s Covenant. (See Noah’s Ark and Baha’u’llah’s Tablet of the Holy
Mariner.) God is the captain of the ship. The people who are within the ship
are sheltered by the Covenant from the storms and trials of life.
The Hidden Words #3: Baha’u’llah: gives a different perspective on creation: “Veiled in My immemorial being and in the ancient eternity
of My essence, I knew My love for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved
on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.”
Now let’s turn to Adam,
Who to many represents the first creation of Man.
1. NAME & DATE:
Unknown: Possibly 5500 BCE (before Christ).
Book 1 Chap XXI of the
Apocrypha mentions
8 But the merciful God, who looks upon His
creatures, looked upon Adam and Eve as they lay dead, and He sent His Word unto
them, and raised them.
9 And said to Adam, "O Adam, all this misery which thou hast
wrought upon thyself, will not avail against My rule, neither will it alter the
covenant of the 5500 years."
2. FAMILY NAME OF
PROPHET:
Unknown
Although
there is no knowledge of a specific family name the following makes it clear he
was the true forefather even of Abraham. This is a special lineage of prophets
of God and in no way suggests he was the first physical man.
Quran Surah 3
33: Lo! Allah preferred
Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all
His) creatures.
34: They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer,
Knower.
3. HOLY NAME:
God
seems to always address Adam as “Adam”.
4. NAME FOR GOD:
5. REVEALED BOOK:
Stories and allegorical texts in the
Bible- Genesis, Apocrypha-
Books 1 & 2 and the Quran- Suras 2,3, 5, 7, 17, 19, 20 etc.
6. BASIC TEACHINGS:
The difference between good and evil.
Obedience to God.
The concepts of marriage and adultery
(Apocrypha- see below) and the
custom of worship (Apocrypha
Ch. LXXI- see below).
12: Then God said to Adam and Eve, "Since ye have made this
oblation and have offered it to Me, I shall make it My flesh, when I come down
upon earth to save you; and I shall cause it to be offered continually upon an
altar, for forgiveness and for mercy, unto those who partake of it duly."
13: And God sent a bright fire upon the offering of Adam and Eve, and filled it
with brightness, grace, and light; and the Holy Ghost came down upon that
oblation.
14: Then God commanded an
angel to take fire-tongs, like a spoon, and with it to take an offering and
bring it to Adam and Eve. And the angel did so, as God had commanded him, and
offered it to them. 15: And the souls of Adam and Eve were brightened, and
their hearts were filled with joy and gladness and with the praises of God.
16: And God said to Adam, "This shall be unto you a custom, to
do so, when affliction and sorrow come upon you. But your deliverance and your
entrance into the garden, shall not be until the days are fulfilled, as agreed
between you and Me; were it not so, I would, of My mercy and pity for you,
bring you back to My garden and to My favour for the sake of the offering you
have just made to My name."
17: Adam rejoiced at these words which he heard from God; and he and Eve worshipped before the altar, to which they bowed, and then went back to the Cave of Treasures. 18: And this took place at the end of the twelfth day after the eightieth day, from the time Adam and Eve came out of the garden.”
7. Name for the Promised One:
Although
no specific “name” seems
evident, the following
passage does promise a time easily interpreted as a time when people shall eat
and live forever.
In
other words, people will eat of the “bread of life” or knowledge of the Word of
God and “live forever”- being made alive in the Spirit.
Apocrypha Book 1 Chap.
XXXVIII. "When 5500 years are fulfilled”.
“AFTER these things
the Word of God came to Adam, and said unto him,” 2: O Adam, as to the fruit of
the Tree of Life, for which thou askest, I will not give it thee now, but when
the 5500 years are fulfilled. Then will I give thee of the fruit of the Tree of
Life, and thou shalt eat, and live for ever, thou, and Eve, and thy righteous
seed.”
Baha’i
scripture refers to an “Adamic cycle” which began with the prophet Adam and
ended with the proclamation of the Bab. This would be the age old cycle, whose
beginning is lost in the mists of time, where God is being a “Father” to an
immature mankind. God patiently guides the “child” from infancy through
adolescence while at the same time promising a great future in store for all at
the “time of the end” (change), or when man grows to maturity and becomes a
servant of God.
As
Scriptures from the Bible, Apocrypha, Quran and Baha’i texts are studied the
fundamental nature of Adam’s true status becomes one of primary concern- is he
a “sinner” or “savior”? The main body of this overview will focus on this
issue.
8. BIRTH LEGENDS &
LIFE:
Our story of Adam’s life begins with
Genesis 2:15-24:
“ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to
work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man,” You are free
to eat of any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
18: The Lord God said,” It is not good for the man to be alone. I
will make a helper suitable for him.” 19: Now the Lord God had formed out of
the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought
them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called
each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the
livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam
no suitable helper was found. 21: So
the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was
sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22:
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he
brought her to the man.
23: The man said,” This
is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’, for
she was taken out of man. 24: For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
they will become one flesh.
Genesis 3:1-7: Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat from
the tree of knowledge.
4:” You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.” Eve succumbs to temptation and upon eating
the fruit finds it desirable for gaining wisdom. She then gives some to her
husband. “7:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized they were
naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”
Genesis 3:8-24: To paraphrase: God sees what they have
done. He condemns them and drives them out of Eden. After this the narrative
shifts to Cain and Abel.
There
is apparently no mention of Adam receiving a specific revelation from God as is
taught in the Apocrypha, Quran, or Baha’i Writings (see below).
Genesis does
say in Chapter 5:1-2:”When God created man, he made him in the
likeness of God; He created them male and female and blessed them. And when
they were created, he called them “man”.
Question.
-- What is the truth of the story of Adam, and His eating of the fruit of the
tree? Abdu’l-Baha answers:
“In the Bible it is written that God put Adam in the garden of
Eden, to cultivate and take care of it, and said to Him: "Eat of every
tree of the garden except the tree of good and evil, for if You eat of that,
You will die."[1] Then it is said that God caused Adam to sleep, and He
took one of His ribs and created woman in order that she might be His
companion. After that it is said the serpent induced the woman to eat of the tree,
saying: "God has forbidden you to eat of the tree in order that your eyes
may not be opened, and that you may not know good from evil."[2] Then Eve
ate from the tree and gave unto Adam, Who also ate; their eyes were opened,
they found themselves naked, and they hid their bodies with leaves. In
consequence of this act they received the reproaches of God. God said to Adam:
"Hast Thou eaten of the forbidden tree?" Adam answered: "Eve
tempted me, and I did eat." God then reproved Eve; Eve said: "The
serpent tempted me, and I did eat." For this the serpent was cursed, and
enmity was put between the serpent and Eve, and between their descendants. And
God said: "The man is become like unto Us, knowing good and evil, and
perhaps He will eat of the tree of life and live forever. So God guarded the
tree of life.”[3]
[1 Cf. Gen. 2:16-17.]
[2 Cf. Gen. 3:5.]
[3 Cf. Gen. 3:11-15,22.]
“If we take this story in its
apparent meaning, according to the interpretation of the masses, it is indeed
extraordinary. The intelligence cannot accept it, affirm it, or imagine it; for
such arrangements, such details, such speeches and reproaches are far from
being those of an intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity -- that
Divinity Who has organized this infinite universe in the most perfect form, and
its innumerable inhabitants with absolute system, strength and perfection.
We must reflect a little: if
the literal meaning of this story were attributed to a wise man, certainly all
would logically deny that this arrangement, this invention, could have emanated
from an intelligent being. Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate from
the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of simply as a
symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable
of marvelous explanations. Only those who are initiated into mysteries, and
those who are near the Court of the All-Powerful, are aware of these secrets.
Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings.
We will explain one of them,
and we will say: Adam signifies the heavenly spirit of Adam, and Eve His human
soul. For in some passages in the Holy Books where women are mentioned, they
represent the soul of man. The tree of good and evil signifies the human world;
for the spiritual and divine world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but
in the human world light and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite
conditions.
The meaning of the serpent is
attachment to the human world. This attachment of the spirit to the human world
led the soul and spirit of Adam from the world of freedom to the world of
bondage and caused Him to turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world.
When the soul and spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the
paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of
purity and absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil.
The tree of life is the highest
degree of the world of existence: the position of the Word of God, and the
supreme Manifestation. Therefore, that position has been preserved; and, at the
appearance of the most noble supreme Manifestation, it became apparent and
clear. For the position of Adam, with regard to the appearance and
manifestation of the divine perfections, was in the embryonic condition; the
position of Christ was the condition of maturity and the age of reason; and the
rising of the Greatest Luminary [1] was the condition of the perfection of the
essence and of the qualities. This is why in the supreme Paradise the tree of
life is the expression for the center of absolutely pure sanctity -- that is to
say, of the divine supreme Manifestation. From the days of Adam until the days
of Christ, They spoke little of eternal life and the heavenly universal
perfections. This tree of life was the position of the Reality of Christ;
through His manifestation it was planted and adorned with everlasting fruits.”
(Abdu'l-Baha,
Some Answered Questions, p. 122-123)
19: And (unto man): O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the
Garden and eat from whence ye will, but come not nigh this tree lest ye become
wrongdoers.
20:
Then Satan whispered to them that he might manifest unto them that which was
hidden from them of their shame, and he said: Your Lord forbade you from this
tree only lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals. 21: And he
swore unto them (saying): Lo! I am a sincere adviser unto you. 22: Thus did he
lead them on with guile. And when they tasted of the tree their shame was
manifest to them and they began to hide (by heaping) on themselves some of the
leaves of the Garden.
And
their Lord called them, (saying): Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell
you: Lo! Satan is an open enemy to you? 23: They said: Our Lord! We have
wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we
are of the lost! 24: He said: Go down (from hence), one of you a foe unto the
other. There will be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a while.
25: He said: There shall ye live, and there shall ye die, and thence shall ye
be brought forth.
26: O Children of Adam! We have revealed unto you raiment to
conceal your shame, and splendid vesture, but the raiment of restraint from
evil, that is best. This is of the revelations of Allah, that they may
remember.
Abdu’l-Baha
adds this:
“Remember how Adam and the
others once dwelt together in Eden. No sooner, however, did a quarrel break out
between Adam and Satan than they were, one and all, banished from the Garden,
and this was meant as a warning to the human race, a means of telling humankind
that dissension -- even with the Devil -- is the way to bitter loss. This is
why, in our illumined age, God teacheth that conflicts and disputes are not
allowable, not even with Satan himself. “
(Abdu'l-Baha,
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 275)
Here
is a different interpretation of meanings, places and stories revolving around
the Adam mystic; including the Genesis Creation story, Tree of Knowledge,
Garden of Eden and others.
58: These are they unto whom Allah showed favour from among the
prophets, of the seed of Adam and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with
Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and from among those whom We
guided and chose. When the revelations of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down,
adoring and weeping.
59:
Now there hath succeeded them a later generation whom have ruined worship and
have followed lusts. But they will meet deception. 60: Save him who shall
repent and believe and do right. Such will enter the Garden, and they will not
be wronged in aught - 61: Gardens of Eden, which the Beneficent hath promised
to His slaves in the unseen. Lo! His promise is ever sure of fulfillment – 62: They hear therein no idle
talk, but only Peace; and therein they have food for morn and evening.63: Such
is the Garden, which We cause the devout among Our bondmen to inherit.
64: We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord.
Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that
is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful - 65: Lord of the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them! Therefore, worship thou Him
and be thou steadfast in His service. Knowest thou one that can be named along
with Him?
66: And man saith: When I am dead, shall I forsooth be brought
forth alive?
(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr)
Next Abdu'l-Baha addresses another popular
Bible question about Adam:
Question. -- In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1
Corinthians it is written: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive." What is the meaning of these words?
Answer. – “Know that there
are two natures in man: the physical nature and the spiritual nature. The
physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited
from the Reality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The
physical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born from the
bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all imperfection; the
second is the source of all perfection.
The Christ sacrificed Himself
so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature and
might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual
nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is
the union of all perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit.
It is the divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation,
high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, and the
essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.
The Christ is the central point
of the Holy Spirit: He is born of the Holy Spirit; He is raised up by the Holy
Spirit; He is the descendant of the Holy Spirit -- that is to say, that the
Reality of Christ does not descend from Adam; no, it is born of the Holy
Spirit. Therefore, this verse in Corinthians, "As in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive," means, according to this terminology,
that Adam is the father of man -- that is to say, He is the cause of the
physical life of mankind; His was the physical fatherhood. He is a living soul,
but He is not the giver of spiritual life, whereas Christ is the cause of the
spiritual life of man, and with regard to the spirit, His was the spiritual
fatherhood. Adam is a living soul; Christ is a quickening spirit. (Abdu'l-Baha,
Some Answered Questions, p. 118)
A
focus on the “Garden of Eden”.
If we read Genesis it clearly states,” Gen. 2:8 “now
the Lord God had planted a Garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the
man he had formed.” Gen2: 15, “The
Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take
care of it.” Note: Adam was to work the garden and take care of
it aiding the fruits to grow.
This is part of the enigma of Adam. God does
not seem to unconditionally condemn him, for he is clothed as befits his new
knowledge, yet, God sends him back from where he had previously been before God
placed him in the Garden of Eden. Gen.3:
23,” So the
Lord God banished him from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he
had been taken.” Thus Genesis makes it clear God put Adam in the
Garden of Eden but did not create him there and, as a result of his
disobedience, God sent Adam back to the original place, or, perhaps, state of
being?
Might the “Garden of Eden” be a metaphor for
paradise, heaven, or the condition of being near to God?
In the
Quran Sura 19:59-63 says,” ( this bears repeating)
59: Now there hath succeeded
them a later generation whom have ruined worship and have followed lusts. But
they will meet deception.
60: Save him who shall repent
and believe and do right. Such will enter the Garden, and they will not be
wronged in aught -
61: Gardens of Eden, which the
Beneficent hath promised to His slaves in the unseen. Lo! His promise is ever
sure of fulfillment -
62: They hear therein no idle
talk, but only Peace; and therein they have food for morn and evening.
63: Such is the Garden, which
We cause the devout among Our bondmen to inherit.
(The
Qur'an (Pickthall tr)
If indeed the Garden of Eden is a term for
paradise it seems God did punish Adam by removing him back by placing him in a
location more remote from the nearness of God. Yet the Quran adds (see below)
that after being banished from the Garden Adam receives Revelation from a
merciful relenting God.
9. MANNER OF REVELATION:
Sura
2:35-37
,” 35 And We said: O Adam!
Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and eat ye freely (of the fruits)
thereof where ye will; but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrongdoers.
36 But Satan caused them to
deflect there from and expelled them from the (happy) state in which they were;
and We said: Fall down, one of you a foe unto the other! There shall be for you
on earth a habitation and provision for a time.
37 Then Adam received from
his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo! He is the
relenting, the Merciful.”
(The
Qur'an (Pickthall tr)
Apocrypha
Adam & Eve Book 1 chap 2: 1-5 and Chap 3: 1-2 Adam
and Eve faint upon leaving
the Garden. God sends His word to encourage them. “BUT when our father Adam, and Eve, went out of the garden, they
trod the ground on their feet, not knowing where they were treading.
2 And when they came to the opening of the gate of the garden, and
saw the broad earth spread before them, covered with stones large and small,
and with sand, they feared and trembled, and fell on their faces, from the fear
that came upon them; and they were as dead. 3Because--whereas they had hitherto
been in the garden-land, beautifully planted with all manner of trees--they now
saw themselves, in a strange land, which they knew not, and had never seen.
4 And because at that time they
were filled with the grace of a bright nature, and they had not hearts turned
towards earthly things. 5 Therefore had God pity on them; and when He saw them
fallen before the gate of the garden, He sent His Word unto father Adam and
Eve, and raised them from their fallen state.”
Chapter 3
Concerning the promise of the great five days and a half: “GOD said to Adam,
"I have ordained on this earth days and years, and thou and thy seed shall
dwell and walk in it, until the days and years are fulfilled; when I shall send
the Word that created thee, and against which thou hast transgressed, the
Word that made thee come out of the garden and that raised thee when thou wast
fallen. 2 Yea, the Word that will again save thee when the five days
and a half are fulfilled." (This is explained to be 5500
years and possibly refers to Christ.)
Note the
above phrases: “ He sent his Word unto father Adam and Eve and raised them from
their fallen state…The Word…that raised thee when thou hast fallen… that will again
save thee,”
Also in the Apocrypha: Chapter 4 Adam sees the Devil in his true colors.
“THEN God ordered Satan to show himself to
Adam in plainly, in his own hideous form. 2 But when Adam saw him, he feared,
and trembled at the sight of him. 3 And
God said to Adam, "Look at this devil, and at his hideous look, and know
that he it is who made thee fall from brightness into darkness, from peace and
rest to toil and misery. 4 And look, O Adam, at him, who said of himself that
he is God! Can God be black? Would God take the form of a woman? Is there any
one stronger than God? And can He be overpowered?
5 "See, then, O Adam, and behold him bound in thy presence, in the
air, unable to flee away! Therefore, I say unto thee, be not afraid of him;
henceforth take care, and beware of him, in whatever he may do to thee."
6 Then God drove Satan
away from before Adam, whom He strengthened, and whose heart He comforted,
saying to him, "Go down to the Cave of Treasures, and separate not thyself
from Eve; I will quell in you all animal lust." 7 From that hour it
left Adam and Eve, and they enjoyed rest by the commandment of God. But
God did not the like to any one of Adam's seed; but only to Adam and Eve.
8 Then Adam worshipped
before the Lord, for having delivered him, and for having layed his passions.
And he came down from above the cave, and dwelt with Eve as aforetime. 9 This
ended the forty days of his separation from Eve. (Note: the
number “forty”. This is a common number in Holy Scripture. It signifies “trial”
in some form.)
In the underlined above it is evident Adam
and Eve had a special relationship with God.There are many unmistakable
additional references in the Quran and Baha’i texts that Adam was a holy man
from God. (Sura 2:30-31) Not only was he acceptable but he received direct
revelation from God as well. (Sura 2:32) thus Adam’s true station is not one
for being the “first sinner” but rather, of being the first revealer of God’s
will for the people.
Abdu'l-Baha
confirms: “It is said in the Old Testament, "And the Lord
God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul."[1] Observe that it is said
that Adam came into existence from the Spirit of life. Moreover, the expression
which John uses in regard to the disciples proves that they also are from the
Heavenly Father. Hence it is evident that the holy reality, meaning the real
existence of every great man, comes from God and owes its being to the breath
of the Holy Spirit.” [1
Gen. 2:7.]
(Abdu'l-Baha,
Some Answered Questions, p. 89)
Why then is the Biblical Adam seen as the
primal sinner who brings sin upon the shoulders of all people?
It must be remembered that these accounts,
these oral traditions, were finally written down hundreds, if not thousands of
years after their time. If indeed, in the ancient past, Adam was a prophet of
God and spoke the Word of God; the same Word spoken by later prophets such as
Abraham, Moses and Jesus; history teaches us that: Even though the original
founders of great Faiths unite their disciples in the light of their teachings
and often are seen as a positive influence on civilizing morals, arts, sciences
and the like; over time decay, doctrine and the dimming of the divine light
sets in. Followers of Adam would certainly have lost the true meanings as
extolled by Adam and be counted among those who were lost. They would indeed be
“sinning” in Adam for by rigidly adhering to age old memorized rituals they
would be “separating” themselves from God’s continuing Will and Purpose. It is
evident that by the time these traditions were recorded the Faith of Adam would
have been seen only as a decadent shell of what it had been. Those who believed
in Abraham- just as those of Abraham did not recognize Moses would have seen
Adamic followers only as unbelievers; those who believed in Moses failed to
recognize Jesus, etc.
A
Baha’i viewpoint on the subject:
“From the days of Adam until
today, the religions of God have been made manifest, one following the other,
and each one of them fulfilled its due function, revived mankind, and provided
education and enlightenment. They freed the people from the darkness of the
world of nature and ushered them into the brightness of the Kingdom. As each
succeeding Faith and Law became revealed it remained for some centuries a
richly fruitful tree and to it was committed the happiness of humankind.
However, as the centuries rolled by, it aged, it flourished no more and put
forth no fruit, wherefore was it then made young again.
(Abdu'l-Baha,
Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 51)
Sura 2:37-42 addresses
the people of Israel to remember the Covenant of God, to be accepting of
Revelations (plural) and not confuse truth with falsehood. (Verse 37 is
repeated for context.)
37 Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and
He relented toward him. Lo! He is the relenting, the Merciful.
38 We said: Go down, all of you, from hence; but verily there
cometh unto you from Me a guidance; and whoso followeth My guidance, there
shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve. 39 But they who
disbelieve, and deny Our revelations, such are rightful Peoples of the Fire.
They will abide therein.
40 O Children of Israel! Remember My favour wherewith I favoured
you, and fulfill your (part of the) covenant; I shall fulfill My (part of the)
covenant, and fear Me.
41 And believe in that
which I reveal, confirming that which ye possess already (of the Scripture),
and be not first to disbelieve therein, and part not with My revelations for a
trifling price, and keep your duty unto Me. 42 Confound not truth with
falsehood, nor knowingly conceal the truth.”
(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr),
Hence
it is evident from several Christian, Moslem and Baha’i scriptures that the
spirit of man is created in the image of God. But Adam sinned by disobeying
God. Yet, in doing so he realized knowledge only Man possesses; good and evil,
right from wrong, morality etc.
The
story of Adam encapsulates the primal duality of the nature of Man. Man is
created in the image of God. God is Spirit; therefore, Man’s true nature is
spirit. But man’s lower nature is imperfect and becomes a veil between himself
and God.
God
gave man free will. It is woven into the animal fabric of man’s existence that
he will not understand and be led away from the Light of God. Yet, we were
created to know and to worship God, thus we need to strive to attain the
unattainable.
Scriptures
of many world faiths make clear the importance of letting go of habit and
tradition. We must be ever open and receptive to God’s Word.
Below are words of wisdom concerning the
nature and stature of Adam and the nature and status of Mankind as found in the
Baha’i Writings.
“From the time of the creation of Adam to this day there have
been two pathways in the world of humanity; one the natural or materialistic,
the other the religious or spiritual. The pathway of nature is the pathway of
the animal realm. The animal acts in accordance with the requirements of
nature, follows its own instincts and desires. Whatever its impulses and
proclivities may be it has the liberty to gratify them; yet it is a captive of
nature. It cannot deviate in the least degree from the road nature has
established. It is utterly minus spiritual susceptibilities, ignorant of divine
religion and without knowledge of the kingdom of God.”
6” As for Cain, when the mourning for his brother was ended, he
took his sister Luluwa and married her, without leave from his father and
mother; for they could not keep him from her, by reason of their heavy heart. 7
He then went down to the bottom of the mountain, away from the garden, near to
the place where he had killed his brother. 8 And in that place were many fruit
trees and forest trees. His sister bare him children, who in their turn
began to multiply by degrees until they filled that place.”
Abdu'l-Baha makes a
controversial point clear:
“During the time of the Abrahamic
prophethood it was considered allowable because of a certain exigency that a
man should marry his aunt, even as Sarah was the sister of Abraham's mother.
During the cycle of Adam it was lawful and expedient for a man to marry his own
sister, even as Abel, Cain and Seth the sons of Adam married their sisters. But
in the law of the Pentateuch revealed by Moses these marriages were forbidden
and their custom and sanction abrogated. Other laws formerly valid were
annulled during the time of Moses.
For
example, it was lawful in Abraham's cycle to eat the flesh of the camel, but
during the time of Jacob this was prohibited. Such changes and transformations
in the teaching of religion are applicable to the ordinary conditions of life
but they are not important…
Time changes conditions, and laws change to suit conditions.
We must remember that
these changing laws are not the essentials; they are the accidentals of
religion. The essential ordinances established by a Manifestation of God are
spiritual; they concern moralities, the ethical development of man and faith in
God. They are ideal and necessarily permanent expressions of the one foundation
and not amenable to change or transformation. Therefore the fundamental basis
of the revealed religion of God is immutable, unchanging throughout the
centuries, not subject to the varying conditions of the human world.”
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World
Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 274)
“In these days there must needs be a mighty power of accord
instilled into the nations. The principles of the oneness of the world of
humanity must be proclaimed, understood and put into practice, so that all the
nations and religions may again remember the long-forgotten fact - that they
are all the progeny of primordial humanity, Adam, and the denizens of one land.
Are they not breathing one air? Is not the same sun shining upon all? Are
they not the sheep of one flock? Is not God the universal shepherd? Is he not
kind unto all?”
(Abdu'l-Baha, Divine
Philosophy, p. 177)
Many
“primitive” tribes to this day prefer to identify themselves by their own traditional
names. North American ‘Innuit’ and ‘Anishinabe’ are two examples of names for
native peoples ancestrally thought to be the only “true people”. Keith Parker
in his book ”Seven Cherokee Myths” states,” The Cherokee call themselves the Ani’Yun’wiya’, or Principal People, or
Real People. Parker states,” Many tribes use some form of “Principal” or “The”
to refer to themselves in their own language,” This then may reference
perceptions from the distant past when people were few in number and contact, along
with knowledge of other clans and tribes, was limited. Strangers from other
tribes were commonly seen as “from a different world” or were oftentimes feared
as “demons” or “devil-spirits” from a different realm as perhaps, when
strangers emerged from caves or came from behind a knoll or seen emerging from
a lake.
Verse
9 about the “strangers being a satanic illusion” is not literally true. Adam
simply perceived it this way.
In
Book 1 Chap LXXI: 13-14 & Chap.
LXXII: 1-9 of Adam and Eve in the Apocrypha we find these illuminating
passages:
13 Then Adam and Eve went to the river of water, and sat on the
bank, as people do when they enjoy themselves.
14 But Satan was
jealous of them; and would destroy them.
At
this point we have come “full circle”. Genesis
1:1-31 through Genesis 2:1-3 seem to be a separate creation story from what
begins in Gen 2:4. In Gen1: 26’ it says,”Let us make
Man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them [plural] rule”….
The
remainder of Genesis 2 is more
concerned with the specific creation of Adam. However, verse 4 still begins
with,” This is the account of the heavens and the earth when
they were created.” This sure sounds like another beginning of a
separate account to me.
10. ROLE AS CIVILIZING
AGENT:
Possibly lived in lower
Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf. NIV
Bible Study notes. Scriptures suggest he may have helped develop language (Gen 2:19-20), a star based calendar (Gen 1:14), the making of clothing and the development
of agriculture. Gen 1:25 differentiates between
wild animals and livestock. The Apocrypha
1:LXVIII
speaks of corn).
Here is an account where
an angel of God teaches Adam
how to make clothing from skins.
This
search for material related to Adam & Eve has reinforced an ever-increasing
awareness of the need to look at, compare and piece together writings found in
different Scriptures and authoritative writings.
Genesis
mentions little of the multiple accounts of Satan’s many devious attempts to
lure Adam and his sons away from the Will of God. Nor does the Bible even
mention Eve’s anguish and her offer to sacrifice her life to atone for luring
Adam to eat of the apple. (All of this is found in detail in the Apocrypha.)
In
addition, ample evidence of Adam being something more than a “primal sinner” is
only found in the Apocrypha, which the early church decreed should not be a
part of the Bible, along with Quranic and Baha’i elucidations on the matter.
When all these writings are compared there seems to be strong evidence Adam,
indeed, was nothing less than a Messenger of God for his people.
Chapter
3:59 in The Holy Quran sums it up
nicely, saying,” Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is
as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and
he is.
(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr),
Sura 3 - The Family Of Imran)
Home Site: http://onenessbecomesus.com
Reference links: : http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/fbe/index.htm#section_000
http://www.religioustolerance.org http://www.bahai-education.org/ocean/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page