Early Christian Beliefs About Adam

Justin Martyr, Hortatory Address to the Greeks Direct teaching

And if you still hesitate and are hindered from belief regarding the formation of man, believe those whom you have hitherto thought it right to give heed to, and know that your own oracle, when asked by some one to utter a hymn of praise to the Almighty God, in the middle of the hymn spoke thus, “Who formed the first of men, and called him Adam.” And this hymn is preserved by many whom we know, for the conviction of those who are unwilling to believe the truth which all bear witness to.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching

2. But this is Adam, if the truth should be told, the first formed man, of whom the Scripture says that the Lord spake, “Let Us make man after Our own image and likeness;” and we are all from him: and as we are from him, therefore have we all inherited his title.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Background

...river flows out of Eden to water the garden. From there it divides into four heads. The name of the first is Pison. It is the one that goes around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good, and there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon. It is the one that goes around the whole land of Ethiopia. And the third river is Tigris. This is the one that goes toward Syria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the Lord God took the man whom He had made and put him in the garden, to work it and keep it. And God commanded Adam, saying, ‘You may freely eat from every tree that is in the garden, but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For on the day you eat from it, you shall surely die.’ And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone. Let Us make a helper fit for him.’ And out of the ground God formed all the beasts of the field and all the birds of heaven, and brought them to Adam. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to all the beasts of the field. But for Adam the

Alexander of Alexandria, Epistles on the Arian Heresy Supporting witness

for, taking the dust from the ground, He formed man out of it, conformable to His image and similitude, and into him He breathed the breath of life, so that Adam became a living soul.

Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh Supporting witness

He says: The first man is of the earth, earthy — that is, made of dust, that is, Adam;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Direct teaching

...d progression of the days—first, second, third—if anyone carefully examines which of the seven days Adam died, they will discover it through the Lord's plan. By summing up the entire human race from beginning to end, He also gathered up its death. It is evident that the Lord agreed to death on the day Adam disobeyed God and died. Adam died the same day he ate. God had said, "On the day you eat of it, you will surely die." The Lord, by including Himself on this day, underwent His suffering on the day before the Sabbath, known as the sixth day of creation, when humanity was made. In doing so, He offered a new creation through His suffering, a creation out of death. Some claim Adam died in the thousandth year since "a day of the Lord is as a thousand years," and he died within those years, fulfilling the consequence of his sin. Whether we focus on disobedience as death, or that they were handed over to death and became indebted to it, or the fact that they ate and died on the same day, which is the day of preparation or the sixth day of the feast, on which the Lord also suffered; or whether we note that Adam didn't live past a thousand years but died within that limit, it follows t

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching

...d into the world, and through sin death came to all men, because all sinned, and death reigned from Adam to Moses, as the Apostle says in Romans 5:12-14, so by the natural necessity of the divine arrangement, death follows generation. And the union of body and soul is followed by their dissolution. But if generation is for the sake of teaching and knowledge, then dissolution will be for the sake of restoration. And just as woman is thought to be the cause of death because she gives birth, so for the same reason she will also be called the leader of life. Therefore she who first began transgression was called Life, in Genesis 3:20, because of succession. And she is the mother of those who are generated and of those who sin, both the righteous and the unrighteous, each one of us either justifying himself or, on the other hand, making himself disobedient. Therefore I do not think the Apostle rejects the life that is in the flesh when he says, “But with all confidence, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if to live in the flesh, this too is fruit from my work, what I shall choo

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

let the judgment of God be pondered, which even in the beginning of the world and of the human race, Adam, forgetful of the commandment, and a transgressor of the given law, received.

Dionysius of Alexandria, Exegetical Fragments Supporting witness

When one thinks of the death which the transgression of Adam brought on us, it is a time to mourn;

Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness

Adam, contrary to the heavenly command with respect to the deadly food, by impatience fell into death;

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness

for, by their showing, death has not been vanquished, which “reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” But the law coming, which was given by Moses, and testifying of sin that it is a sinner, did truly take away his (death’s) kingdom, showing that he was no king, but a robber;

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Background

For as Adam was told that in the day he ate of the tree he would die, we know that he did not complete a thousand years.

Romans 5:14 Supporting witness

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Romans 5:12 Supporting witness

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Genesis 5:5 Background

And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

Genesis 2:17 Background

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Direct teaching

...spiritual." 1 Corinthians 15:46. Just before this, he had said about Christ Himself, "The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit." 1 Corinthians 15:45. Our heretic, however, in the fullness of his folly, would not let the statement remain in this form. He changed "last Adam" into "last Lord," because he feared that if he allowed the Lord to be the last, or second, Adam, we would argue that Christ, being the second Adam, must belong to that God to whom the first Adam also belonged. But this falsification is obvious. For why is there a first Adam unless there is also a second Adam? Things are not grouped together unless they are alike in some way, and share either the same name, the same substance, or the same origin. Now, even among things that are each different, one may be first and another last. Yet they must still have one author. But if the author is different, then that author himself may indeed be called the last. However, the thing he introduces is the first, and only that can be called last which is like this first in nature. It is not like the first in nature if it is not the work of the same author. In the same way, the heret

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Twelve Topics on the Faith Direct teaching

...turned to the earth, while He who became the second man returned to heaven. So we read of the first Adam and the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45. And since it is acknowledged that the second came by the first according to the flesh, for this reason Christ is also called man and the Son of man. In the same way, the testimony is given that the second is the Savior of the first, for whose sake He came down from heaven. And since the Word came down from heaven, was made man, and ascended again to heaven, He is for that reason called the second Adam from heaven.

Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Direct teaching

...ke us into compassion. Therefore, from now on, a joyous festival is established for us, the race of Adam, because the first Creator of Adam has of His own free will become the Second Adam. And the brightness of the Lord our God has come down to dwell with us, so that we see God face to face and are saved. Therefore, O Lord, I ask You to let me depart. I have seen Your salvation. Let me be delivered from the bent yoke of the letter. I have seen the King Eternal, to whom no other succeeds. Let me be set free from this servile and burdensome chain. I have seen Him who is by nature my Lord and Deliverer. May I then obtain His decree for my deliverance. Set me free from the yoke of condemnation, and place me under the yoke of justification. Deliver me from the yoke of the curse, and of the letter that kills (2 Corinthians 3:6), and enroll me in the blessed company of those who, by the grace of this true Son of Yours, who is equal with You in glory and power, have been received into the adoption of sons.

Methodius, Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna Supporting witness

Hence, for the future, a joyous festival is established for us of the race of Adam, because the first Creator of Adam of His own free-will has become the Second Adam.

Tertullian, Against Marcion Background

Christ as the Second Adam Connected with the Creator of the First Man.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness

If, then, the first Adam had a man for his father, and was born of human seed, it were reasonable to say that the second Adam was begotten of Joseph.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness

Now Adam had been conquered, all life having been taken away from him: wherefore, when the foe was conquered in his turn, Adam received new life;

1 Corinthians 15:45 Supporting witness

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:47 Supporting witness

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.

Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching

...rine of providence do so with arguments that should not be despised, so also the matters concerning Adam and his son will be dealt with philosophically by those who know that in the Hebrew language Adam means man, and that in those parts of the story which seem to refer to Adam as an individual, Moses is speaking about human nature in general. For in Adam, as Scripture says, all die, and were condemned in the likeness of Adam's transgression. The word of God says this not so much about one particular individual as about the whole human race. For in the connected series of statements that seems to apply to one particular individual, the curse pronounced on Adam is understood as belonging to all the members of the race, and what was spoken about the woman is spoken about every woman without exception. And the expulsion of the man and woman from paradise, and their being clothed with tunics of skins, which God made for those who had sinned because of the transgression of men, contain a certain secret and mystical doctrine, far beyond that of Plato, about souls losing their wings and being carried downward to earth until they can take hold of some firm resting place.

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

For in Adam (as the Scripture says) all die, and were condemned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, the word of God asserting this not so much of one particular individual as of the whole human race.

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

For as those whose business it is to defend the doctrine of providence do so by means of arguments which are not to be despised, so also the subjects of Adam and his son will be philosophically dealt with by those who are aware that in the Hebrew language Adam signifies man;

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

and that in those parts of the narrative which appear to refer to Adam as an individual, Moses is discoursing upon the nature of man in general.

Genesis 3:17 Background

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

Genesis 2:20 Background

And Adam gave names to all the cattle and to all the birds of the sky, and to all the wild beasts of the field, but for Adam there was not found a help like to himself.

Genesis 4:25 Background

And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, For God has raised up to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Genesis 3:24 Background

And he cast out Adam and caused him to dwell over against the garden of Delight, and stationed the cherubs and the fiery sword that turns about to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 3:8 Background

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.

Genesis 2:23 Background

And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”

Genesis 3:20 Background

And Adam called the name of his wife Life, because she was the mother of all living.

Genesis 3:12 Background

And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me—she gave me of the tree and I ate.

Genesis 2:22 Background

And God formed the rib which he took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam.

Genesis 4:1 Background

And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.

Genesis 2:21 Background

And God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and filled up the flesh instead thereof.

Genesis 3:21 Background

And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.