' descent, as if it came in the way merely of natural growth and development. The connection, as Agassiz has said in his Principles of Zoology, "is < f a higher and immaterial nature ; it is to be sought in the view of the Creator himself, whose aim in forming the earth, in allowing it to undergo the successive changes which geology has pointed out, and in creating succcs-
' sively all the different types of animals which have
' passed away, was to introduce man upon the surface of our globe. Man is the end toward which the animal creation has tended from the first appearance of the first
\ pnlceozoic fishes."— Ya.ixha.irn, s. v. See Geology.
! The Almighty formed Adam out of the dust of the earth, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and gave him dominion over all the lower creatures (Gen. i, 26 ; ii, 7), B.C. 4172. He created him in his own image [see Perfection], and, having pronounced a blessing upon him, placed him in a delightful garden, that he might cultivate it and enjoy its fruits. See Eden. At the same time, however, he gave him the
! following injunction: "Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat; for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." The first re- corded exercise of Adam's power and intelligence was
I his giving names to the beasts of the field and fowls of the air, which the Lord brought before him for this purpose. The examination thus afforded him having shown tint it was not good for man to lie alone, the Lord caused a deep sloop to fall upon Adam, and while he remained in a semi-conscious state took one of hill ribs, and closed up the flesh ; and of the rib thus taken from man he made a woman, whom he presented to him when he awoke. See Eve. Adam received her, saying, "This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh j she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man." See MARRIAGE.
This woman, being seduced by the tempter, per-
ADAM
ADAM
suaded her husband to eat of the forbidden fruit (eomp. Theuer, De Adamo lapso, divortiwm c. Eva cogitante, Jen. 1759). When called to judgment for this trans- gression before God, Adam blamed his wife, and the woman blamed the serpent-tempter. God punished the tempter by degradation and dread [see Serpent] ; the woman by painful travail and a situation of submis- sion ; and the man by a life of labor and toil- — of which punishment every day witnesses the fulfilment. See Fall. As their natural passions now became irregu- lar, and their exposure to accidents great, God made a covering of skin for Adam and for his wife. He also expelled them from his garden to the land around it, where Adam had been made, and where was to be their future dwelling ; placing at the east of the garden a flame, which turned every way, to prevent access to the tree of life (Gen. iii).— Calmet, s. v. See Death.
It is not known how long Adam and his wife con- tinued in Paradise : some think many years ; others not many days ; others not many hours. Shortly after their expulsion Eve brought forth Cain (Gen. iv, 1, 2). Scripture notices but three sons of Adam, Cain, Abel, and Seth (q. v.), but contains an allusion (Gen. v, 4) to " sons and daughters ;" no doubt several. He died B.C. 3242, aged 930 (see Bruckner, Ob Adam wirk- lich iib. 900 J. alt geworden, Aurich, 1799). See Lon- gevity.
Such is the simple narrative of the Bible relative to the progenitor of the human race, to which it only re- mains to add that his faith doubtless recognised in the promise of "the woman's seed" that should "bruise the serpent's head" the atoning merits of the future Redeemer. See Messiah. Whatever difficulties we may find in the Scriptural account, we accept it as a literal statement of facts, and shall therefore dismiss the rationalistic theories and speculations to which it has given rise. The results are of the utmost import- ance to mankind, and the light that the Bible thus sheds upon the origin of the race and the source of human depravity is of inestimable value even in a historical and philosophical point of view. See Man.
See, generally, Eichhorn's Urgesch. ed. Gabler (Nurnb. 1790); Hug, Mos. Gesch. (Frankf. und Leipz. 1790). Buttman has collected the parallels of heathen mythology in the Neue Berl. Monatsschr. 1804, p. 261 sq. ; also in his Mythologus, i, 122 sq. ; comp. Gesenius, in the Hall. Encylcl. i, 358. In the Hindoo sacred books the first human pair are called Meshii and Meshiam {Zend Avesta, i, 23 ; iii, 84). For the Talmudic fables respecting Adam, see Eisenmenger, Enldecht. Judenth. i, 84-365, 830; ii, 417; Otho, Lex. Rabb. p. 9 sq. Those of the Koran arc found in Sura ii, SO sq. ; vii, 11 sq. ; see Hottinger, Hist. Orient, p. 21 ; comp. D'Herbelot, Biblioth. Or. s. v. Christian traditions may be seen in Epiphan. Har. xlvi, 2 sq. ; Augustine, Civ. He!, xiv, 17 ; Cedrenus, Hist. p. 6, 9 ; see espe- cially Fabricii Codex Pseudepiffrapkus Vet. Test, i, 1 sq. The Vulgate, in Josh, xiv, 15, ranks Adam among the Anakim ; see Gotze, Quanta Aelami siatura fuerit (Lips. 1722); comp. Edzardi, Ad Cod. Avoda Sara, p. 530 sq. See Antediluvians.