Re: imago dei & fall

It seems much more likely that Gen.1:1-2:4a & 2:4b-2:25 are different accounts of the origin of humanity than sequential accounts.

The primary distinction between the man & other animals in Gen.2 is that God commuicates with the 1st & not the 2d.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: jack syme
  To: George Murphy ; ASA list
  Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 9:00 PM
  Subject: Re: imago dei & fall

  Exactly.

  If the end of Genesis 1, and the creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 are actually two different events, or descriptions of two different epoch's of creation, then a possible interpretation is that there were creatures, created in "God's image", before Adam and the garden.

  In 2:7 Adam is formed (yatsar) out of the dust (aphar) of the ground (adamah) when God breathed ( naphac) the breath (n@shamah) of life (chay), which gave him a living (chay) soul (nephesh)

  Is this how Adam is unique?

  It seems unlikely:

  in 1:30 when speaking of the created beasts of the air and earth and those that move on the ground, all the creatures that (KJV) hath (nephesh) life (chay).

  But Genesis 1 clearly indicates a unique creature made in God's image, that was created male and female (sexual dimorphism? ;) ) and was commanded to fill the earth and subdue it.

  This still doesn't solve the problem that Dave and others have pointed out about how can Original Sin from a late Adam be imputed to all humans, ( the unique creatures created in God's image) including those that preceded him and those contemporaries and their descendants clearly not of Adam's lineage.
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: George Murphy
    To: ASA list
    Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 5:27 PM
    Subject: imago dei & fall

    In the "Dick Fischer's 'historical basis' ..." thread several people have referred to the issue of interpreting the "image of God" concept in connection with the Fall. It might help to bear in mind that the two ideas occur in different strands of the biblical tradition. The statement that humanity was created in the image & likeness of God is from the 1st creation story while the story of the 1st sin is part of the sequel to the 2d creation story. (Most biblical scholars would designate the 1st as part of P & the 2d part of J, but I don't especially care about the labels here.) This does not mean that, at a higher canonical level, & even more at a developed theological level, the 2 concepts should have nothing to do with one another. But the fact that they do come from 2 different writers, who speak of humanity in rather different ways, is of some importance.

    Shalom
    George
    http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
Received on Tue Nov 16 22:08:58 2004