Adam
the first man
Who was Adam?
- God formed him out of the dust of the ground and blew into him the breath of life. Genesis 2:7
- God placed him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Genesis 2:15
- He ate the fruit God had forbidden, and God sent him out of the garden. Genesis 3:6, 23
- The name
- In Hebrew, “adam” means “human being.” It sounds like “adamah,” “ground,” and God formed him from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7; NABRE note on Gn 2, 5; NABRE note on Gn 2, 7
- Also called
- “The man”: that is what the Hebrew almost always calls him in chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis NABRE note on Gn 1, 26 · “Son of God,” at the end of the list of Jesus’ ancestors (the Douay-Rheims says “who was of God”) Luke 3:38 · “The first man” 1 Corinthians 15:45
- Occupation
- To cultivate and care for the garden; later, to till the ground Genesis 2:15; Genesis 3:23
What the Bible says
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:15
And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.
Genesis 3:6, 23
6And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat. 23And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of Adam
- Before Jesus. God formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. Genesis 2:7
- Before Jesus. God put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and care for it. Genesis 2:8, 15
- Before Jesus. He could eat from every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17
- Before Jesus. God formed the woman from one of Adam’s ribs and brought her to him. Genesis 2:21-22
- Before Jesus. Eve gave him some of the forbidden fruit, and Adam ate it too. Genesis 3:6
- Before Jesus. God sent him out of the garden to till the ground from which he had been formed. Genesis 3:23
- Before Jesus. He was the father of Cain, Abel and Seth, and of other sons and daughters. Genesis says he lived 930 years. Genesis 4:1-2, 25; Genesis 5:4-5
- Afterward. Centuries later, Luke ended the list of Jesus’ ancestors with Adam. Luke 3:23, 38
Words of Adam
“This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.” Genesis 2:23
When God brought the woman to him.
“I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10
When God called him, after he ate the fruit.
“The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:12
When God asked him if he had eaten from the forbidden tree.
What they were like
- When he saw the woman, he recognized her as “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” Genesis 2:23
- After eating the fruit, he was afraid and hid from God among the trees. Genesis 3:8-10
The greatest thing he lived
- God formed him from the dust like a potter, and breathed into him the breath of life. Genesis 2:7; NABRE note on Gn 2, 7
- God created him in his own image, and created him in friendship with himself. Genesis 1:27; Catechism 374
Not to be confused with
- Jesus: Saint Paul calls Jesus “the last Adam.” He is not another person named Adam: Paul is comparing Jesus with the first man. 1 Corinthians 15:45
In the Church today
In art, recognized by: Beside Eve, the tree and the serpent From Gn 3, 1-6; this is how Christian art shows him; The skull at the foot of some crucifixes, because of an ancient tradition that places his tomb on Calvary Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), “Mount Calvary”
What people ask
Did Adam and Eve really exist?
The Church teaches that the account of the fall uses figurative language. But it affirms a real event that took place at the beginning of history: the sin of our first parents. Catechism 375; Catechism 390
What is original sin?
It is the sin of Adam and Eve, and the wounded state we inherit from them. Baptism takes it away. Catechism 404; Catechism 405
How many years did Adam live?
Genesis says he lived 930 years. Genesis 5:5
Did Adam have other children besides Cain, Abel and Seth?
Yes. Genesis says he had other sons and daughters, but it does not give their names. Genesis 5:4
Was Adam saved?
The Book of Wisdom says that Wisdom protected the first man and raised him up from his fall. Saint Irenaeus held that Adam was saved. Wisdom 10:1-2; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 23, 8
Daily life His work in the garden was to cultivate it and care for it. Genesis 2:15 He gave names to all the animals, and the name he gave each…
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