Biographies of Ancient Man: Adam

By Analea Styles

In The Genius of Ancient Man we contrast two beliefs of human origins:

“The naturalistic, evolutionary model depicts the first humanoid beings as brutish creatures evolving out of slime, looking more like apes than humans. Their behavior would be only slightly more advanced than the rest of the animal world from which they were evolving…By going to the Word of God, Christians are able to refute this claim of primitive man with truth that coincides with the physical evidence.“[1]

We want to introduce you to some of the most ancient people of history, men and women created in the image of God, intelligent, creative, strategic and skilled. People whom God chose to tell us about in His perfect, authoritative Word.

Adam: Most Ancient of Men

Adam and Eve as depicted at the Answers in
Genesis Creation Museum in Kentucky

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 NASB)

Adam was the very first human being ever created (1 Corinthians 15:45). God formed mankind (Adam and Eve) as the crown of His creation, made in His own image and likeness, to rule over the earth (Genesis 1:26) and ultimately bring glory to Himself. There were no humans before Adam; he was formed from the dust, with no father except God Himself (Luke 3:38).

Adam became the father of all mankind (Genesis 5:1-5). We know from Romans 5 that we are all descendants of Adam, sharing in his condemnation and sin, experiencing death because death spread to all men through Adam.

If you are interested in studying ancient man, it only makes sense to start with the first man, the oldest of them all!

Was Adam a Genius?

“Genius”: (1) an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work in science, art, music, etc. (2) a person having such capacity[2]

Adam, on the day he was created, was given dominion over the earth. He was commanded to subdue the earth and to rule over every living thing that moves upon it (Genesis 1:28). This was a powerful role in creation. He was also given the task of cultivating and taking care of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:15). God gave Adam these responsibilities and therefore He also created him with the capabilities to fulfill them.

Adam naming the animals, as depicted in the Creation Museum

Adam’s first formal assignment was to name the animals; “and the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field” (Genesis 2:20). This exhibits Adam’s natural creativity and originality. (If you are skeptical of Adam’s ability to name the animals – read this article from Answers in Genesis)

God also provided Adam with language and understanding. He spoke to Adam and Adam understood and was able to communicate as well. Furthermore, when God presents Eve, the first woman, to Adam, he breaks out in poetry (Genesis 2:23)!

“This is now bone of my bones,

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

Adam, created in all the splendor of God’s perfect creation, blessed and loved by God, pronounced “very good” by the Creator of the world, was indeed an incredibly intelligent man. Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis describes Adam this way:

“The first man had no mistakes when he was made—he was perfect. I think we can get a glimpse (looking through a glass dimly, so to speak) of what Adam was like by observing certain people today. I have met people who have photographic memories, others who are brilliant artists. I have read about people who can play musical instruments brilliantly from a very young age, such as Mozart. Others can do extremely complex mathematical computations in their head which even advanced computers take time to accomplish. If we put all these talents, plus much more, into one person, I think we are getting close to what Adam was like. Almost makes you feel depressed, doesn’t it?”[3]

So was Adam a genius? Well this ancient man was the first farmer, the first poet, and the first ruler. He was creative, original and intellectual. He was created without a single defect. You decide if that fits your definition of genius.

Even Geniuses Make Mistakes

And yet, this amazing man, formed by God, created without flaw, made the biggest mistake of all time. In Genesis 3 we read the account of The Fall, where Eve was deceived by the serpent and “when [she] saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (3:6). What follows is the tragic account of a man and his wife trying to cover up their mistake by hiding and blame-shifting.

“As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks for God…’ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10-11, 23). Even Adam, who walked and talked with God; he who was created flawless, perfect in physical and mental capabilities, even he still sinned and fell short of God’s standard. It is an example for the rest of us, flawed and fallen; we can never measure up or be good enough to make it to God through our own strength.

The First Adam and the Last Adam

The consequences of Adam’s sin have been passed down to all generations, even to you and me: “therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). And just as Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, separated from God, we are all in the same position. We are separated from God and destined to die, “for the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). And yet there is hope, such incredible hope!

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:8-10)

“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One, the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) 

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45 emphasis added)

Want to know more about this amazing hope of salvation? Read our post about the Greatest Message of All Time!


Meet more ancient men:

• Noah: Man of Righteousness
• Bezalel and Oholiab: A Tale of Two Craftsmen
• Joseph: Man of God

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[1] Landis, Don. The Genius of Ancient Man. (Green Forest: Master Books, 2012). Pg. 18

[2] “Genius”. dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genius?s=t. Accessed November 18, 2013.

[3] Ham, Ken. “What was Adam like?”. 1991. Answers In Genesis. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v13/n4/adam. Accessed November 18, 2013.