A Theological Inquiry into life before Adam; Tree of life; Block Time

 

The question of whether humans or human-like beings existed before Adam arises from tensions between biblical narratives and modern scientific discoveries. Genesis 1-3 presents Adam as the first man, created in God’s image, with Eve as his partner. However, archaeological evidence, such as hominid fossils dating back hundreds of thousands of years, suggests pre-Adamic populations. How might these align?

• Theological Perspectives:
  • Literalist View: Many traditional Christians interpret Genesis literally, holding that Adam was the first human, created ex nihilo, with no predecessors. Romans 5:12 ("sin entered the world through one man") supports this, implying Adam’s unique role in introducing sin and its consequences.
  • Non-Literalist View: Some theologians, particularly those open to theistic evolution, propose that Adam was either a representative figure or a divinely chosen individual among pre-existing hominids. In this view, pre-Adamic beings could have existed, possessing physical but not spiritual life in God’s image until Adam received a unique covenantal role.
  • Mythological View: Others see Genesis as a theological narrative, not a historical account, where Adam symbolizes humanity’s relationship with God. Pre-Adamic beings might have lived and died, but Adam’s story marks the moment humanity became aware of sin and divine purpose.
• Scientific Context: Fossil records indicate hominids like Homo habilis or Neanderthals existed long before the timeframe traditionally assigned to Adam (circa 4000 BCE in some chronologies). These beings likely experienced physical death, suggesting that death, as a biological reality, pre-existed any biblical fall.

If pre-Adamic humans existed, they may have lived and died without the spiritual capacity or covenantal relationship that Adam received. This leads to the question of death’s role before and after the fall.Death Before and After the FallThe nature of death—whether it entered through Adam’s sin or was part of creation—shapes our understanding of the fall and redemption. Romans 5:12 states, "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin." Traditionally, this is interpreted to mean that both spiritual and physical death resulted from Adam’s disobedience. However, an alternative view, which allows for pre-Adamic beings, suggests that physical death was part of the created order, with sin altering its significance.

• Death Before the Fall:
  • If pre-Adamic hominids existed, they likely died, as death is inherent to biological systems (e.g., cellular decay, predation). Genesis 2:17’s warning (“you will surely die”) could refer to spiritual death—separation from God—rather than physical death’s origin. In this view, death was a natural process, but Adam’s role introduced the possibility of transcending it through communion with God.
  • The presence of the Tree of Life in Eden (Genesis 2:9) supports this. If immortality was inherent, the Tree would be unnecessary. Instead, it suggests that eternal life was a divine gift, accessible through obedience.
• Death After the Fall:
  • The fall (Genesis 3) disrupted humanity’s relationship with God, resulting in expulsion from Eden and loss of access to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:22-24). If physical death pre-existed, the fall’s consequence was not death’s introduction but its permanence as a barrier to eternal life. Sin made death a tragic end rather than a transition to eternity.
  • Romans 5:12 can be read as emphasizing spiritual death or the loss of eternal life due to sin, aligning with the idea that death continued because humanity could no longer eat from the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life and the FallThe Tree of Life in Genesis 2:9 symbolizes God’s provision for eternal life. Genesis 3:22-24 reveals that eating from it would have allowed Adam and Eve to “live forever,” suggesting that immortality was not inherent but contingent on divine grace. The fall—Adam’s sin—resulted in humanity’s expulsion from Eden, barring access to this tree.

• Sin’s Impact: Sin introduced a rupture in humanity’s relationship with God, making death a spiritual as well as physical, reality. Whether death existed before the fall or not, the loss of the Tree of Life meant humanity could not transcend mortality, remaining subject to death’s finality.
• Block Time Perspective: In the block time framework, where all events coexist in a four-dimensional spacetime block, the fall and the loss of the Tree of Life are fixed moments in God’s eternal plan. The Tree’s inaccessibility represents humanity’s temporary exclusion from eternal life, but the plan for redemption—through Christ—is already present in the block.

Jesus as the Last AdamIn 1 Corinthians 15:45, Jesus is called the “last Adam,” a life-giving spirit who restores what the first Adam lost. Where Adam’s disobedience led to the loss of eternal life, Christ’s obedience through His death and resurrection reopens the path to eternity.

• Reversing the Fall: Romans 5:18-19 contrasts Adam’s sin, which brought condemnation, with Christ’s righteousness, which brings justification. As the last Adam, Christ overcomes the barrier of sin, restoring access to eternal life.
• Resurrection and Eternity: Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23) is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection of believers, transforming death into a gateway to eternal life. In block time, this victory is an eternal reality, coexisting with the fall and ensuring God’s redemptive plan.

The Eucharist as the New Tree of LifeThe Eucharist, instituted by Jesus (Luke 22:19-20), serves as the “new Tree of Life,” offering eternal life through communion with Christ. In John 6:51-54, Jesus declares, “I am the living bread… Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” The Eucharist parallels the Tree of Life in profound ways:

• Eternal Life: Just as the Tree of Life offered eternal life in Eden, the Eucharist imparts the divine life of Christ, ensuring resurrection and eternal life (John 6:54).
• Sacramental Participation: In Catholic and Orthodox theology, the Eucharist is the real presence of Christ’s body and blood, a transformative encounter with the divine. Like the Tree, it requires active participation (eating) to receive its benefits.
• Restoration of Eden: The Tree of Life reappears in Revelation 22:2, symbolizing the restoration of God’s kingdom. The Eucharist is a foretaste of this eschatological reality, uniting believers with Christ and preparing them for eternity.

In block time, the Eucharist is an eternal reality, always available as the means to partake in Christ’s life, fulfilling the promise of the Tree of Life lost in Eden.
Please also read
https://madure.blogspot.com/2025/06/eden-as-tabernacle-adams-priestly-role.html

 Synthesis: God’s Eternal Plan

The possibility of pre-Adamic beings, the nature of death, and the roles of the Tree of Life and Eucharist converge in God’s redemptive plan. If death pre-existed the fall, sin’s consequence was the loss of eternal life, not death itself. The Tree of Life offered transcendence over mortality, but sin barred access. Jesus, the last Adam, restores this through His death and resurrection, with the Eucharist as the new Tree of Life, granting eternal life.
In block time, these events—sin, the fall, Christ’s sacrifice, and the Eucharist—are eternally present. God’s plan, set “from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8), ensures that the fall’s effects are redeemed through Christ. The Eucharist, like the Tree of Life, is God’s provision for eternal communion, transforming death into a pathway to eternity.ConclusionThe narrative of men before Adam, death, the Tree of Life, and the Eucharist reveals a cohesive divine plan. Whether death was a pre-existing reality or a consequence of sin, the fall blocked access to eternal life. Jesus, the last Adam, restores this through His resurrection, and the Eucharist, as the new Tree of Life, offers believers a share in His eternal life. In the eternal perspective of block time, these events form a unified story of redemption, culminating in the promise of Revelation 22:2, where the Tree of Life returns, and humanity is fully restored to God’s presence.
Also read
https://madure.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-neanderthal-and-modern-human.html