The Great Treasure or Great Book, Commonly Called "The Book of Adam," the Mandaeans' Work of Highest Authority = Thesaurus Sive Liber Magnus, Vulgo " (2 Vols.) (original) (raw)

(Pink, 1972) stated: “Man is notoriously a creature of extremes, and nowhere is that fact more evident than in the attitude taken by different ones to this subject. Whereas some have affirmed the Bible is written in such simple language that it calls for no explaining, a far greater number have suffered the papists to persuade them that its contents are so far above the grasp of the natural intellect, its subjects so profound and exalted, its language so abstruse and ambiguous that the common man is quite incapable of understanding it by his own efforts….” Since the commoner must work between the extremes, and against his own propensity to simply “go along,” then this book is intended to afford the reader the opportunity to consider the First Adam and the Planet Earth in light of a Historical Wholistic Hermeneutical approach to determine for her or himself “the correct use of the Bible in theology and in personal life” (Ramm, 1970).

Book review of a 2016 compilation of essays regarding the historical Adam. Essays range from a variety of disciplines: biology, anthropology, biblical studies, theology, and paleontology (to name a few). The review may also be read at the JBTS website: http://jbtsonline.org/review-of-searching-for-adam-genesis-the-truth-about-mans-origin-edited-by-terry-mortenson/

The life of Adam may not be a common subject in medieval Jewish writings, but it is not totally absent either. This article will start with a quite moving account of Adam at the very moment he has been expelled out of Eden. Adam, finding himself in a strange world, is in despair, repents and prays, and finally receives a book of knowledge as a sign of mercy from God. This account appears in a curious work called Sefer Raziel ha-Malakh, which is essentially a collection of magical and mystical texts. In this article, I will present the prayer account, discuss its textual history and then expand the view into the essential concerns that the text of the prayer ascribes to Adam: his yearning for knowledge in order to cope in the new surroundings and his anxiety concerning the future both of himself and his offspring. In following these themes, relevant passages from other medieval and premodern writings will be brought up. The time period under discussion spans roughly from the 10th century to the 18th century, but it has to be noted that many of the texts are difficult to date, and the dating of the traditions used in the texts is even more difficult.

This paper gives a defense of the position of a literal, historical Adam and its theological importance.