Did Adam and Eve Really Exist?: Who They Were and Why You Should Care Book

Acknowledgments 9

1 Introduction 11

2 The Shape of the Biblical Story 23

2.a Story and Worldview 23

2.b History, Myth, and Worldview Story 28

2.c Features of the Biblical Story 41

3 Particular Texts That Speak of Adam and Eve 51

3.a Genesis 1-5 52

3.b Adam, Eve, Eden, and the Fall in the Rest of the Old Testament 66

3.c Second Temple Jewish Literature 72

3.d The Gospels 76

3.e The Pauline Writings 78

3.f Elsewhere in the New Testament 90

4 Human Uniqueness and Dignity 93

4.a The Image of God 93

4.b Universal Human Experiences: Yearning for Justice, Need for God 100

5 Can Science Help Us Pinpoint "Adam And Eve"? 105

5.a Does the Bible Connect to History and Science? The Problem of "Concordism" 106

5.b Making Sure We Read the Bible Well 111

5.c Criteria for Good Scenarios 116

5.d A Sampling of Scenarios Examined 121

6 Conclusions 133

6.a What I Think I Have Shown 133

6.b Why I Think It Matters 133

6.c A Concluding (and Unacademic) Anecdote: How to Grieve 135

Appendices

1 Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Genesis I-II 137

2 Review of James Barr, The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality 161

3 The Date of Genesis 167

Bibliography 171

General Index 183

Scripture and Apocrypha Index 189