The Historicity of Adam

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Question
Were Adam and Eve historical people?
Answer
Adam and Eve were historical people, and that is the united testimony of both the Old and the New Testaments. When we read the account of the creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, that account is historical narrative, and so we take the events recorded in it as historical events, including the creation of Adam and Eve. When we get into the New Testament we see that the New Testament writers treat both Adam and Eve as historical persons. Jesus does this when he speaks of the institution of marriage in Matthew 19, and then Paul does this in 1 Timothy 2, reflecting explicitly on Adam and Eve, doing so as historical persons.

Answer by Dr. Guy Waters

Dr. Guy Waters is the James M. Baird, Jr. Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary.