At times, it seems to me that it is the author of the first three chapters who originally applied logic to Adam’s existence.
First. It is obvious that the author did not live in an “ivory tower.” He was aware that there was plenty of evil in his geographical location. Genesis 3:23.
Second. The author omitted the glories of the Hebrew people in the midst of paganism. According to today’s standards, he should have started with Abraham.
Third.
CCC 388 points out.
**388 **With the progress of Revelation, the reality of sin is also illuminated. Although to some extent the People of God in the Old Testament had tried to understand the pathos of the human condition in the light of the history of the fall narrated in Genesis, they could not grasp this story’s ultimate meaning, which is revealed only in the light of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We must know Christ as the source of grace in order to know Adam as the source of sin. The Spirit-Paraclete, sent by the risen Christ, came to “convict the world concerning sin”, by revealing him who is its Redeemer.
Considering the above three points, how did the author know about the singular human appropriately named Adam?
In my humble opinion, this is a situation where love begets logic.
In Genesis 1:1- 25, the author’s appreciation of the creative actions of a loving God overrides natural science. Yet, when one looks closely at these verses, there is the first principle of the scientific method, which is to observe without prejudice. While not described in modern terms, the basic elements of the universe are observed. I can imagine the Genesis author looking up at the stars and down at the plants soon to be his dinner. He recognizes that only God could have created all of it in the beginning. Genesis 1:1
The problem existed as to how there can be both good and evil when there is only One God as Creator and there are lots of human creatures who apparently have the capability of doing evil. Genesis 2: 15-17, in my opinion, is the beginning of the solution to that problem. These verses emphasize that the relationship between humans and God is not a relationship of two equal beings. Genesis 1: 26-27.
As
CCC 396 points out.
**396 **God created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” spells this out: “for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die.” The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom.
There is a lot more about the relationship between humanity and Divinity; however, for now, I would like to propose the logical solution which flows from God’s love for us.
The author of the first three chapters of Genesis had a realistic view of humanity in that each individual could choose her or his own belief in God.
As
CCC 1730 points out.
Note: the significance of small print is explained in
CCC 20-21.
**1730 **God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. “God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his own counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.”
The following is in small print.
Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.
Not in the *CCC *words, but the above was recognized by the author.
Genesis; 1: 26-28; Genesis 2: 15-17; Genesis 3: 11.
There being only One God Who loved every person, regardless of the person’s choice to love God or not to love God, it was easy for the author to see the logic of creating one humankind. This God did because it is obvious that the human species is peerless among the creatures on earth. Yet, the question remains. How can the oneness of the human species be assured for all humans when humans, themselves, are capable of dividing between good and bad choices in regard to a human relationship with Divinity?
:doh2:
The first created human would naturally transmit, with his spouse, their human nature to their descendants who in turn would transmit the post Fall nature of Adam and Eve to their descendants who in turn …
It is human nature per se which is essential in propagation.
One original human person, in whom was all humanity “as one body of man” became the perfect logical solution to the problem of multiple free thinking descendants. (Information source.
CCC 404;
CCC 402)
Yes, I know that the author of the first three chapters of Genesis did not have the opportunity to read
De Malo 4,1 by St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition, the universal
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, paragraph 404 was not available.Yet, there was the principle that “like follows like.” Ants do not give birth to elephants and neither do elephants give birth to ants.
One first person and his spouse would give birth to descendants who would be loved by God because their first ancestor was loved by God.
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