At 07:53 PM 3/12/00 -0500, Howard R. Meyer, Jr. wrote:
>Glenn: You write much on this, and your responses to Dick re imago dei
>make a great deal of
>sense. I too feel Gen 3 is a literal necessity. The question: If God
>created homonids
>--certainly no one else did-- which "Adam" (homonid) was guilty of the
>sin in Gen 3 or is
>this beyond the scope of knowing, either directly and/or in your
>construction?
Largely, this would be beyond our ability to discern at this point. I will
tell you my preference. STatistically, paleontologists say that a given
species arose on earth earlier than the first specimen we find in the
fossil record. They have a rule of thumb that a species arose on average
33% older than the earliest fossil example of that group. H. habilis (who
shows much evidence for having had the ability to speak) is found around
2.5 million years ago, just about the time of the appearance of the first
stone tools. However, applying the rule above, it would mean that we
should expect the very first habilis on earth to have been here around 3.3
myr ago. Remembering that this is an average, it might have been earlier
or it might have been later. One thing we know for sure is that habilis was
on earth 2.5 myr ago. From that we know he arose (or was created) earlier
than that.
I have in the past cited lots of cases of the time separation between the
first and second oldest fossils of various animals. A 3 myr gap is not
unusual. A 3myr gap in the case of habilis would place the first habilis
back when I place the flood--5.5 myr ago.
What I do know is that many things that are said to be a result of the Fall
can be found in hominids from 2.5 myr ago until the present. There is
evidence of clothing, speech, pain in childbirth, sweating etc. For us to
say that none of that evidence can be used to date Adam, is not very good
in my opinion. I would also refer anyone to my article, "Dating Adam" in
the Sept 1999 PSCF. It discusses this evidence.
>
>One final thought along these lines. God specifically called Abram out
>of Ur, making a
>covenant with Him. Could God have just as specifically--though not
>explicitly recorded for
>our edification--called one specific homonid (i.e. Paul's Adam in Rom
>5--above), and breathed
>within him the breath of life (a spiritual rebirth), and placed him and
>his mate, Eve (leaving
>her genesis aside for the present!), in the Garden--from which we have
>the Gen 3 account?
I don't see a lot of problems with that view. While I would add a few
details which might be a bit different from your view, it most certainly is
close to the mark.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution
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