jgreen44

In another thread maryhelena commented, "All a mythicist position is about is that Jesus of Nazareth is a mythological creation, a symbol, a figurative man."
In order to harmonize their faith with science, modern Christians insist that Adam is a mythological creation, a symbol, a figurative man. However, such Christians, whether they know it or not, are arguing for the non-historicity of Jesus of Nazareth.

Romans 5:12

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

12 ...sin entered the world through one man

1 Corinthians 15:22

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:45

So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

Paul clearly taught that Adam was the early counterpart to Jesus of Nazareth, that both Adam and Jesus committed ther actions and lived their lives on the same plane of existence. Therefore, according to Paul's theology, either both Adam and Jesus of Nazareth historical people or both of Adam and Jesus of Nazareth were mythological creations, symbols, figurative men. The only alternative is for Christians to believe that Paul taught that the behavior of a mythological man (Adam) was being atoned for by the actions of an historical man (Jesus of Nazareth).

Romans 5:18

...just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

If Adam's trespass was not a literal and historical event performed by one specific man then Jesus' act of righteousness was not a literal historical event performed by one specific man. Again, the alternative is cognitive dissonance. In order for Christians to be consistent and maintain the unity of scripture, there are only two choices:

1) Both the Jesus and Adam stories are literal history

or 2) Both the Jesus and Adam stories are non-historical.

ApostateAbe

I think Biblicist Christians would generally choose option #1 with no reservation. The Christians of the more liberal variety, such as Catholics, may point out that Paul was speaking figuratively and allegorically, just as Adam may have been only figurative, and it isn't necessary for both Jesus and Adam to be on the same plane of existence in order for Paul to make his points.

Those quotes of Paul may be spun into an effective argument of what Paul believed about Jesus. If Paul believed that Adam was a historical human being--and all Jews of the time period really did believe such a thing--then it seems to follow that Paul believed Jesus to be an equally historical human being (as if there should be any doubt). The likelihood that Adam never actually existed would not bear on this argument.

maryhelena

3) Paul probably thought, being a man of his time, that Adam was a historical man that brought death through his trespass of eating the fruit from the tree that Eve gave him. Paul's 'man', his Jesus, a feature of his vision on the Damascus road, is not a historical man. His Jesus is purely a theological construct - and not a historical man. How can Paul compare apples with oranges? Well now, that's the beauty of theology - it's magic wand will do the trick very nicely!

Today, with our evolutionary insights - Paul's Jesus and Adam are squarely in the same mythological box. So, your option 2) is correct for our day. Sure, we can still play theology if that is our thing - but even Paul says that he saw only in a mirror dimly...
..
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

aa5874

1. Both the Jesus and Adam stories are literal history.

Well, on the face of it choice 1 seems the only choice for Christians but when the implications of being a Jewish man under the Law is thoroughly examined, choice 1 must be rejected.

Once it is claimed Jesus was just a Jewish man he must operate under the Laws of God.

Once Jesus was just a Jewish man he blasphemed the name of God in the NT Canon and deserved to be executed.

Jesus as a man was BORN in Corruption, his death is a result of his own corruptibility.

Choice 1 cannot be true if Jesus was just a man, Jesus was a BLASPHEMER.

2) Both the Jesus and Adam stories are non-historical.

That is the only real choice for Christians.

Both the Jesus and Adam stories were written at least decades after the supposed events so that Christians were DUPED or DECEIVED into believing the stories were true since as in the case of the Jesus stories the name of the original authors were concealed and the actual date of writings were NOT revealed.

And it must be noted that there are Christians today who have rejected the stories of Adam and Jesus as found in the Bible.