Evolution of Adam

Peter Enns

Description

Can Christianity and evolution coexist? Traditional Christian teaching presents Jesus as reversing the effects of the fall of Adam. But an evolutionary view of human origins doesn't allow for a literal Adam, making evolution seemingly incompatible with what Genesis and the apostle Paul say about him. For Christians who both accept evolution and want to take the Bible seriously, this can present a faith-shaking tension.Popular Old Testament scholar Peter Enns offers a way forward by explaining how this tension is caused not by the discoveries of science but by false expectations about the biblical texts. In this 10th anniversary edition, Enns updates readers on developments in the historical Adam debate, helping them reconcile Genesis and Paul with current views on evolution and human origins. This edition includes an afterword that explains Enns's own theological evolution since the first edition released.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Evolution

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 19 octobre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493432707
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Endorsements
“ The Evolution of Adam provides a sure-footed and engaging look at what the Bible says—and does not say—about the first man. Enns, one of America’s most important Old Testament scholars, provides a masterful and accessible survey of the relevant biblical scholarship from the past couple centuries. Enns combines a deep appreciation of the Christian tradition with a courageous willingness to go where most evangelicals fear to tread. I highly recommend this book.”
— Karl Giberson , author of Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution
“Enns deals with one of the most challenging issues facing Christians today: the historicity of Adam. Was there really a man named Adam from whom all men and women descend? How are we to understand the story of Adam? More importantly, how are we to understand Paul’s theological use of Adam? Enns is well equipped to deal with these volatile issues, holding a PhD from Harvard University in Old Testament studies and having taught for thirty years at various evangelical seminaries and colleges. With grace and incisive scholarship he offers a provocative thesis that will certainly interest and challenge the church. From my perspective, Enns fulfills Jesus’s commandment that we love the Lord our God with all our mind (Matt. 22:37), and he does so fearlessly and faithfully.”
— Denis O. Lamoureux , St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta
“For too long evangelical Christians have dodged the implications of modern biology for our understanding of the Bible and theology. Foremost, we have failed to face the unassailable fact that death, rather than being the historical consequence of Adam’s sin, was a part of the natural cycle that created our forebears. What shall we do with Genesis and Paul in light of these facts? Enns blazes a trail that engaged Christians can follow.”
— Kenton L. Sparks , Eastern University
“If you’re not Christian, you might be surprised to learn that Christians fight a lot about the Bible’s debut character, Adam—or maybe not. Christians fight about a lot. If you are a Christian, you should buy Enns’s book. I bought it in graduate school and was unforgettably impacted by its rare combination of scholarship and soul. You will not find a more honest and empowering book on the origins of life than this one.”
— Jonathan Merritt , contributing writer for The Atlantic ; author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch
“Enns’s still-relevant The Evolution of Adam is thoughtful, accessible, and timely. Enns facilitates a conversation between traditional approaches to reading the Scriptures and scientific understandings of the world, the cosmos, and the human species. He does this by drawing attention to the contexts in which the Scriptures were produced and interpreted and by discussing how those contexts contribute to an understanding of Scripture that may be new to contemporary readers. His nine theses provide a concise, comprehensible approach to what can be a difficult conversation.”
— Wil Gafney , Brite Divinity School
“ The Evolution of Adam is geared to Christians who hold a high regard for Scripture while remaining cognizant of its incongruities with the natural sciences. Enns’s approach can lead Christians to a new synthesis that frames Genesis and Paul in new ways.”
— Miguel A. De La Torre , Iliff School of Theology
“The primordial story of Adam, in Enns’s hands, becomes a vantage point from which to explore the ancient world of the Jews and their neighbors, the relationship between science and Scripture, Paul as an interpreter, the development of the Hebrew Bible, the development of Christian thinking about the Hebrew Bible, and much more. It’s rare to find serious scholarship conveyed with such clarity and relevance. It’s a highly informative book that concludes with nine theologically significant theses.”
— Brian D. McLaren , author of Faith After Doubt
Half Title Page
List of Previous Books by Peter Enns
Poetry and Wisdom
Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament
Eyes to See, Ears to Hear: Essays in Memory of J. Alan Groves
Invitation to Genesis: A Short-Term Disciple Bible Study
Telling God’s Story: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching the Bible
The Bible and the Believer: Reading the Bible Critically and Religiously
Genesis for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Controversial, Misunderstood, and Abused Book of the Bible
Exodus (The NIV Application Commentary)
The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It
The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our “Correct” Beliefs
How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers—and Why That’s Great News
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2012, 2021 by Peter Enns
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.brazospress.com
Ebook edition created 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-3270-7
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
For my teachers who influenced me most
BKW, TLIII, RBD, RBG, JDL, and JLK
And to many others, for your encouragement
John 8:32
Contents
Cover
Endorsements i
Half Title Page iii
List of Previous Books by Peter Enns iv
Title Page v
Copyright Page vi
Dedication vii
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
Why This Book? • “Science and Faith” or “Evolution and Christianity”? • Overview
Part 1 Genesis: An Ancient Story of Israelite Self-Definition 17
1. Genesis and the Challenges of the Nineteenth Century: Science, Biblical Criticism, and Biblical Archaeology 19
2. When Was Genesis Written? 27
The Problem of the Pentateuch • Two Early Examples • God Has Two Names • Wellhausen and a Postexilic Pentateuch • The Old Testament, the Exile, and Israel’s Self-Definition • The Creation Story and the Church’s Self-Definition
3. Stories of Origins from Israel’s Neighbors 60
Genre Calibration • Genesis 1 and Enuma Elish • Genesis 1 and Monolatry • The Flood, Gilgamesh , and Atrahasis • Israel’s Second Creation Story • Adam and Atrahasis • Reorienting Expectations of Genesis and Human Origins
4. Israel and Primordial Time 91
Israel and the Cosmic Battle • Adam and Israel • Creation and Sanctuary • The Gospel and Primordial Time
Part 2 Understanding Paul’s Adam 111
5. Paul’s Adam and the Old Testament 113
Doesn’t Paul Settle the Matter? • Not Paul’s Adam • Adam and Wisdom
6. Paul as an Ancient Interpreter of the Old Testament 131
Paul as an Ancient Man • Interpreting the Bible after the Exile • Various Adams of Jewish Interpreters • Paul and His Bible • Paul and His Interpreted Bible
7. Paul’s Adam 164
Paul’s Adam: The Historical First Man, Responsible for Universal Sin and Death • Sin and Death without Adam? • The One People of God • The Solution Reveals the Plight
Conclusion: Adam Today—Nine Theses 185
Afterword: Adam, Evangelicalism, and the Metanarrative of Evolution 201
Notes 213
Bibliography 231
Subject Index 239
Scripture and Ancient Sources Index 245
Back Cover 252
Acknowledgments
I am thankful for the many who gave freely of their time to read through the manuscript of the first edition at its early stages and made numerous and insightful comments: Steve Bohannon, Justin Dombrowski, Brad Gregory, Rob Kashow, Daniel Kirk, Nathan Mastnjak, David Vinson, and Brandon Withrow. Others read the manuscript but asked that their names not be included here, and I understand and support that decision. I have benefited greatly from all of their comments; yet, as is always the case, the final product remains entirely my own and does not necessarily reflect their views. I would like to thank Rob Kashow and Steve Bohannon in particular for tracking down various sources for me. Rob Kashow also proofread the final version and compiled the Scripture index. Steve Bohannon compiled the always-tricky subject index. I am deeply grateful to both for their extra work.
Many others were involved in both editions of this project, albeit indirectly. I have had many conversations over the years with scientists of uncompromising Christian faith who either have struggled mightily with how their faith and scientific work can coexist or have given up the synthetic work and grown content to trade their time between parallel universes of faith and science. I also have before my mind’s eye those Christians who are looking for constructive ways forward in the ever-present challenge of being thinking Christians in a modern world. Promptings from these communities encouraged me to write this book.
I continue to be thankful to God for the intellectual and spiritual influences that have crossed my humble path. My seminary and doctoral work helped clarify for me the types of questions the Bible is prepared to answer. My spiritual guides—pastors, friends, coworkers—have helped me remember why we ask those questions at all. I trust that this book will honor them all, some of blessed memory.
Finally, my wife, Sue, and adult child