Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve, in the Bible and Koran, the first man and woman, progenitors of the human race. Adam (Hebrew ādām, “man”) was made of dust from the soil; Eve (Hebrew ḥawwa, “the living one”?) was created from Adam's rib and given to him by God to be his wife. The story appears in two versions: Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:7-8, 18-24.

In prescientific times, it was commonly assumed that every species of life, the human included, had descended from a pair of aboriginal ancestors who had been created directly by God. In this respect the biblical story of Adam and Eve differs only in details from many other similar myths of the ancient Middle East and elsewhere. Similar motifs also appear in such ancient Mesopotamian sources as the Gilgamesh epic, from about 2000 bc, for example.

In Islam, Adam is God's vice regent and Hawwa (Eve), is his wife, created from potter's clay as recorded in the Koran and greatly elaborated upon in Islamic legend. He is regarded as the first Prophet Messenger (nabi rasul). According to one Islamic tradition, he is the original builder of the sacred shrine, the Kaaba in Mecca.

In some respects the biblical story of Adam and Eve is unique. The early chapters of the Book of Genesis underwent considerable editorial work, and what was at first a straightforward narrative of the beginning of the human species in general was converted into a more sophisticated accounting for the situation of men and women in relation to one another and to their environment. This is evident in the introduction of the theme of a separate creation of woman in Genesis 2:18-24, which, among other things, argues for the complementarity of the two sexes. It can also be seen in the use made of the story to assign to human culpability humankind's habitation of a less than perfect world, one in which the earth yields its fruits grudgingly (Genesis 3:17-19) and woman's social position is inferior to that of man (3:16).

These distinct directions given to the biblical story of human origins constitute its primary claim to consideration as a religious classic. In a precritical age, when the Bible was the only ancient literature known to the Western world, it was considered a historical document handing down authentic information about a relatively recent past in an unbroken tradition from generation to generation. It was taken for granted that the story was nothing less than sober history. This is the position still maintained by some who define themselves or who are defined by others as Fundamentalists, those who view the divine influence (inspiration) on the production of the biblical narratives as a guarantee that everything in them must be accepted as literal fact.

Most present-day biblical scholars, however, accept the story of Adam and Eve for what it appears to be: a Hebrew story of human origins having much in common with the myths of other ancient peoples and also a good deal that is distinctive. The religious values of the story are in no way diminished by this recognition but simply redefined.