Which Adam, Which Eden - Springfield Park Baptist Church
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Which Adam, Which Eden - Springfield Park Baptist Church
Which Adam, Which Eden ? A talk to Springfield Park Baptist Church On Tuesday 7th July 2009 by Gary Auker Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 1 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Adam & Eve by 16th Century German painter Lucas Cranach Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 2 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Adam & Eve story had an oral tradition probably a few thousand years before it was written down • Written form of the Adam & Eve story took shape shape between 1000 to 500 BC • Adam & Eve story in Genesis reached its final form without further editing about 450 BC Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 3 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Ways of reading the 1st few chapters of Genesis • Literalistic view: Early Church Leaders like Origen (185-254 AD) & St. Augustine (354 - 430 AD) did not accept a literalistic reading of scripture but an allegorical one, that is one with a deeper meaning to scripture than just a direct unimaginative reading would convey. Literalism is a relatively recent idea in the church. It gained in popularity after the 16th century Reformation led by Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) & Jean Calvin (1509 –64). James Ussher (1581-1656) most notably used a literalist interpretation in 1650 to work out the date of creation to 4004 BC. Literalistic readings of Genesis appear to make our understanding of God’s Word contradict God’s World which cannot be true. Most theologians do not take a Literalistic reading of Genesis too seriously. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 4 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Ways of reading the 1st few chapters of Genesis • Literalistic view: not a serious option • Mythical view: This view rejects any historical content to the Adam & Eve account in Genesis and views the text as purely a religious picture which conveys important truth’s about man & his moral condition. It is not about the origin of sin but the nature of sin – being cut off from God. The Mythical view which rejects any historical content undermines the concept of redemption (bought back at a price) and the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The Mythical view is not thought to be compatible with Biblical Christianity and is therefore not a serious Christian Theological view. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 5 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Ways of reading the 1st few chapters of Genesis • Literalistic view: makes knowledge of God’s Creation disagree with God’s Word, not a serious option. • Mythical view: undermines Christian redemption, not a serious option. • Historical view: This view says that not every point in Genesis 2 – 4 is to be taken literally (e.g God making Eve from Adam’s rib) but allegory is interwoven with real historical events in time & space e.g Gen 2:10 – 14 for the location of Eden . This view preserves our need for redemption after rejecting God in the Garden without leading to a too rigid reading that leads to conflicts with what is known about God’s Creation from human reason a concern raised by St. Augustine in his 408 AD work “ The Literal Meaning of Genesis” Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 6 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • This talk will use the Historical Interpretation of Genesis 2-4 that combines both allegory & historical information as a guide to see when & were Adam, that is Man came from. • The talk will also use the latest information from science to help illuminate our understanding of Humanity’s Ancestral homeland . Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 7 Which Adam, Which Eden ? What’s in a name ? • Adam is Hebrew for “Man” so the story of Adam is the story of Mankind • According to Genesis 2:7 Adam or Man was created from the earth by God (there is a word play in Hebrew '( ֲא ָדמָהadamah) meaning "earth") • Name Eve is derived from the Hebrew word ( חוהchavah) "to breathe“ or the related word ( חיהchayah) "to live". Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker Which Adam, Which Eden ? Where was Eden ? • The Bible gives information on the location of Eden Gen 2: 10 - 14 • Scholars have attemped to use Genesis 2:10-14 to try and identify the location of Eden. We will now look at 2 possible locations in the Middle East consistent with the account in Genesis 2: 10 -14 Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 9 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Was Eden near Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey ? Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 10 Which Adam, Which Eden ? The Bible repeatedly implies that Adam and his immediate offspring were farmers Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and too keep it." Genesis 3:23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken." Genesis 4:2 And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground." When did farming 1st originate (Adam’s tribe) It is known that agriculture spread from the Middle East to Europe during the Neolithic period starting about 10,000 years ago, but for many years archeologists have debated how this occurred. Evidence of domesticated crops in the core area dates to about 10,000 years ago, while the earliest signs of farming elsewhere are about 9,300 years ago. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 11 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Four Great Rivers in Genesis : "Perath is simply the Hebrew version of Arabic Firat and Greek Euphrates; "Hiddekel is Hebrew for Sumerian Idiglat from which the Greek Tigris derives." Gihon; "... the River Aras, was once called the Gaihun Tuesday 7th July 2009 "Pishon - "Hebrew (West Semitic) name derived from the old Iranian Uizhun Iranian vowel 'U' had been converted into the Semitic consonant 'P‘. Thus we have Uizhun to Pizhun to Pishon. The river Uizhun (the modern Qezel Uzun) - thus identified as the biblical Pishon Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 12 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Zagros Mountains in Iran Eden means Paradise in Hebrew. In Persian Paradise means walled Garden. The mountains surrounding the valley’s in this part of the world act like walls. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 13 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Spread and Evolution of Languages A family tree of Indo-European languages suggests they began to spread and split about 9,000 years ago. The finding hints that farmers in what is now Turkey drove the language boom. After The Flood Genesis talks about people being dispersed with different languages Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 14 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Is Eden now at the bottom of the Persian Gulf ? Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 15 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Persian Gulf stretches from Iraq to the Strait of Hormuz. • Persian Gulf quiet shallow. Average depth ~ 50m ; Max ~ 90 m Iraq outflow of Tigris & Euphrates rivers Kuwait Iran Strait of Hormuz • Persian Gulf was a dry land oasis until 15,000 BC when sea level rose as Ice Age began to thaw • Persian Gulf flooded ~ 9,000BC when sea level rose as Ice Age ended Tuesday 7th July 2009 Saudi Arabia Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 16 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Persian Gulf dry basin 15,000 BC when sea level 115 m below today’s value Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 17 is gr Ti Land of Cush rat ph Eu Gih on ? Which Adam, Which Eden ? Pi sh Eden ? W ad iB ati n found Eden in Gulf ? on ? es Land of Havilah Genesis 2:11-12 Gold, Onyx Riverbed dried up before 5,000 years ago Dr. Zarins claims that the Garden of Eden was situated at the head of the Persian Gulf In ancient times the "source" or "head" of the river is what we would call the "mouth" of the river today. (Hess & Tsumura, 1994, 178-9). Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 18 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Persian Gulf 17,000 years ago would have been similar to Dhofar Mountains, in Oman today, a Green Lush Paradise surrounded by Desert. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 19 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Scientific evidence on were the first people walked the Earth Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 20 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Human Fossil evidence Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 21 Which Adam, Which Eden ? TL dating in 1988 of flints used to make fire found among bones • Modern human fossils in Qafzeh, Israel found to be 87 - 97,000 years old using Thermoluminescence (TL) dating of burnt flints used to make fire alongside the bones Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 22 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Early Modern Man (Homo Sapien Idulta) 154 -160,000 yrs old Herto, Ethiopia, AFRICA uncovered in 1997, Published 2003 Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 23 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Oldest human remains found in the World in 1967 in this valley near the Omo River, Southern Ethiopia, Africa Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 24 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Omo I fossils Dated in 2005 with modern & accurate 40 39 Ar / Ar technique to between 190,000 to 200,000 years old Tuesday 7th July 2009 Omo I & II The high domed skull cap is a defining feature of Modern Humans Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 25 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Traditional Biblical Eden region Oldest Human Fossils found in AFRICA ~ 200,000 years old Oldest Human fossils found to date are from AFRICA. Genesis puts Eden in Middle East. Can we find another way of checking were the first people came from ? Yes we can ! Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 26 Which Adam, Which Eden ? DNA evidence On Human Origins Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 27 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Jeffreys had a "eureka moment" in his Univ. Leicester lab at 9:05 am on Monday 10 September 1984, which unexpectedly showed both similarities and differences in his technician's family's DNA. • The DNA profiling method has become important in forensic science to assist police detective work, and it has also proved useful in resolving paternity and immigration disputes. • DNA analysis has now been used to trace how different people groups are related to one another & to track when & how they migrated around the world. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Sir Alec Jeffreys F.R.S. Invented DNA “Fingerprinting” Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 28 Which Adam, Which Eden ? DNA evidence can the analysed down both: • Male line DNA on a man’s Y chromosome, only directly available to men. • Female line Mitochondrial DNA inherited exclusively from your Mother’s egg that was fertilized to make you. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 29 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • DNA evidence -Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) Male Y chromosomal 60-90 kyrs - MRCA Female mitochondrial (mt) DNA 140 kyrs Difference in Male & Female MRCA possibly due to the Male MRCA (60-90,000 yrs ago) had more than one wife pushing the MRCA in female line back even further in time. - 1st Human’s appeared ~ 200,000 year ago in agreement with Omo I & II fossil age in Ethiopia, Africa Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 30 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Tracing our Human Origin through our DNA • The human population with the greatest genetic variation due to mutations (i.e DNA copying error down the generations) must be the oldest Human population where people have been settled the longest. • If a member of the oldest population then moves to another part of the world they will not carry all the variety of mutations in those that stay in the homeland only a sub-set hence the genetic variation of the new population will have less variation within its members. • The African population has the most varied genetics in the world. Hence people must have come from Africa. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 31 Which Adam, Which Eden ? San bushmen - Africa was the cradle of ALL Humanity DNA evidence shows we are all descended from the San peoples distant ancestors Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 32 Which Adam, Which Eden ? The DNA evidence clearly shows Men & Women came from East Africa and is in agreement with the Human Fossil evidence Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 33 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Humanity’s Timeline Climate (based on Vostok Ice Core data) Warm Period Warm Period Ice Age Glacial Epoch 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 Significant Human Events Oldest Human fossils Omo, Ethiopia 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 120 110 100 90 80 140 130 120 110 100 90 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Reading Genesis Crucifixion indicates farming used by Adam & Great Man Cain, hence dates Pyramids on the built to New Stone Age Moon ~ 10,000 years ago Agriculture Qafzeh cave Human fossils Israel If we accept St. Paul’s view 1 Cor 15:45 – Adam was 1st man would put him living in Middle Stone Age ~ 65 - 200,000 years ago. Thousands of Tuesday 7th July 2009 Ice Age Glacial Epoch Human’s finally leave Africa for rest of World Human fossils Herto, Ethiopia Warm Period 80 70 60 Super Volcano Toba erupts Human’s driven close to extinction 50 40 30 20 10 0 Writing Persian Gulf Floods Black Sea Flood years before present Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 34 Which Adam, Which Eden ? How do we resolve the Genesis Story that points to Adam in Eden in Middle East with the overwhelming fossil & DNA evidence showing Africa is the Ancestral Homeland of ALL People alive today ? • Based on the Historical view of Genesis the geography puts Eden in Middle East but the Adam that lived there was not the first Human being. The Bible itself hints of other people around , Cain’s wife (Gen 4:17) and who was Cain afraid of (Gen 4:14 ) when he was sent away after killing Abel. • Adam not being the 1st Man appears to contradict St. Paul 1 Corinthian 15:45 were it states Adam the 1st man in the context of Jesus being the 1st new man bringing in the Kingdom of God. • Can only reconcile if view St. Paul’s comments as a theological statement of the 1st man (Adam means Man) rejecting God but not necessarily the Adam in the Middle East. The Historical view of Genesis allows both Allegory & History interwoven together. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 35 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Getting a feel for how long ago the first Modern people walked the Earth Human existence scaled into a single Human lifetime, say 80 years Event Oldest known Human fossils - Omo river , Ethiopia AFRICA Herto Human fossils , Ethiopia AFRICA Sahara Desert shrinks allowing Modern Man's 1st attempt to leave AFRICA Human fossils Qafzeh cave, Israel - World drys & cools, Desert returns, 1st attempt out of AFRICA fails Toba super volcano, Sumatra - Human population reduced 2nd attempt to leave Africa via Arabia when sea level 82m (~270 ft) below today's level. Stone tools Oman 60,000yrs old Man sails 90 miles to Australia when sea level 87 m ( ~285 ft) below today's level. Mungo Man fossil 40,000 yrs old Man walks into Europe & Central Asia - sewing needle allows better clothing , aids survial in cold North 14 Man 1st walks into North America: Cactus Hill site, Virginia, USA ( C Cal yrs ~ 18 - 22,000 yrs) Man 1st walks into South America (Monte Verde, Chile dated 14,000 yrs old) Persian Gulf Floods - Ice starts to melt End of most recent Glaciation in Ice Age Agriculture found 1st time in archaeological record in Middle East Black Sea Flood 1st Writing, Sumeria (Iraq), Kish Tablet Sumerian Flood Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt built Man 1st sails to New Zealand Crucifixion of Jesus ~ 32 AD ( based on Total Lunar Eclipse 14 April 32 AD ) Man 1st walks on Antartica (Sealer John Davis 1821 AD) Man 1st walks on the Moon (Astronaut Neil Armstrong 1969 AD) Ice Age Tuesday 7th July 2009 Warm periods Regional Floods Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker Scaled Years Age Actual Years Preof Individual Before Present 80yrs Unit in Years 195,000 78 yrs 2 156,000 62 yrs 18 125,000 50 yrs 30 92,000 37 yrs 43 76,000 30 yrs 50 65,000 26 yrs 54 42,000 17 yrs 63 40,000 16 yrs 64 24,000 10 yrs 70 14,000 6 yrs 74 12,000 5 yrs 75 11,400 5 yrs 75 10,000 4 yrs 76 7,600 3 yrs 77 5,500 2 yrs 78 4,900 2 yrs 78 4,500 22 mo 78 2,000 10 mo 79 1,977 9 mo 79 188 1 mo 80 40 6 days 80 Space Age 36 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Thankyou for listening. Any Questions ? Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 37 Which Adam, Which Eden ? BACK UP SLIDES Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 38 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Who were the Nephilim ? in Genesis 6:4 Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 39 Which Adam, Which Eden ? Nephilim • Nephilim may simply mean "giant," champion, or “strong man”. • Genesis 6:4 states "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days…” • Nephilim were possibly a hybrid race between two distinct but sexually compatible beings. • Is it possible that Neanderthal Man could be the Nephilim of Genesis ? • Neanderthal’s & Modern Human’s are known, from the fossil record, to have co-existed for thousands of years before the Neanderthal’s died out. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 40 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Genesis 6:4 talks of a group called the Nephilim (possibly Giants or Strong Men) • The DNA evidence suggests that there was little if any inter-breeding between Neanderthal’s & Modern Humans. However one skull found in Gibralter & another in Israel exhibit hybrid features of Neanderthal’s & Modern Humans • Base on Neanderthal DNA we know some had red hair & light coloured skin • Most recent Neanderthal’s fossils found to date are about 30,000 yrs old. Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 41 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Neanderthal Man confined to Europe,& parts of Middle East & Asia Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 42 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Neanderthal’s were meat eaters, and based on their bone structure are thought to have been stronger than Modern Humans • Neanderthal’s bones show more fractures than Modern Human’s possibly showing they fought large game in close combat rather than Modern Human’s hunting strategy that seeks to weaken or kill larger game from a distance by using a sling shot or bow & arrow. Neanderthal hunter Tuesday 7th July 2009 Modern hunter Neanderthal man Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker Modern man 43 Which Adam, Which Eden ? • Modern humans Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP’s) variation 0.1 % • SNP variation between Neanderthals & Modern humans ~ 0.5 % so Neanderthal’s were different to Modern Human’s. • Draft Neanderthal genome released 12 Feb 2009, Max Planck Inst. Germany. Neanderthal genome 3.7 Gbp c.f Modern human 3.04 Gbp Tuesday 7th July 2009 Which Adam, which Eden ? by Gary Auker 44