
Since we’re here anyway:
Adam Was the First Human and Genesis 1-11 is Not Mythical
In one of the most confusing articles I’ve read, William Lane Craig—an esteemed Christian philosopher—tells us that Adam is both historical and figurative (or metaphorical)…
Craig: When we turn to the New Testament, we find the figure of Adam widely deployed, most importantly by Paul. Many scholars have attempted to distinguish between the literary Adam and the historical Adam. The literary Adam is a character in a story, specifically the stories of Genesis 2–3. The historical Adam is the person, if such there be, who actually existed—the actual individual whom the stories are allegedly about.
Commentary: There is no such distinction in the New Testament. Every time the “figure of Adam” is “deployed” by NT authors, they are referring to the historical Adam. If you use this admittedly simple reading key, you will save yourself a great deal of confusion and the real possibility of one day investing in one of those “Faith Deconstruction Seminars” that former evangelical personalities now offer for the low, low price of $299.
Owen Strachan, “A Response to William Lane Craig on the Historical Adam” at Substack (September 22, 2021)
If William Lane Craig’s Quest of the Historical Adam. succeeded, would he recognize Adam? Hmm.
You may also wish to read: Kenneth Kemp’s review of William Lane Craig’s book on Adam and Eve. Kemp: An evolved body might be both functional as a mere animal body and capable of receiving the rational soul that would make it human.