The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-04
ADAM AND EVE A MYTH
REV MINOT j.. SAVAGE RYDICULES
IDEA OF THE FALL OF MAN.
Jews Borrowed the story from Their
NeiGhbors and Intelligent Men
Long Since Discarded 1t.
New York Herald.

lOAh iCidia'
Is the story of Adam and Eve history,
allegory or myth? Where and when did the
story first appear, and when was the doc
trine of the fall of man first taught? Was
there ever a golden age of peace and hu-
man perfection? What part has the story
of Adam and Eve played in religion. and
where is its proper place according TO
modern thought and scholarship? These
questions and others that they necessarily
involve are of deep interest in this age OF
criticism. and the views of Rev. Minot j.
Savage, given herewith, will be found OF
unusual interest:
The story of Adam and Eve is not history
and 1 do not believe ii is an allegory. 1t is
not an allegory. 1 should call it a myth or
a legend. In dealing with the early history
Of any people as the Greeks, Romans or
English you can go back a certain distance
and be sure you are on historic ground;
beyond that some of the names and figures
and traditions may be historic. You cannot
be sure of your facts as you can from that
period down to the present time. So, in the
history of the Hebrews, we cannot go back
with certainty beyond about eight hundred
years before the birth of Jesus. The oldest
writings in the Old Testament are, perhaps,
those of the Prophet Amos and some of the
0N AAAAhAOA PAOPbCl Al ~ "a oCiANSAo
which contains the story of the fall, al
though made up of traditions and docu-
ments older than that time, was not put
in its present state earlier than four or
five hundred years before the time of Jesus.
Inc Older prophets, that is, the earliest
wIiungs that we have of the Hebrews, have
no story of the fall. They do not know
anything about any Adam or Eve, or Eden
or serpent, or ANYTHING of the sort. The
first mention OF the name of Eden is in
the prophecy of Ezekiel, and he lived at
the time OF the captivity. He does not re-
Ter to the fall of man, but shows a famil-
iarlty with this name OF Eden and refers
10 IL as a beautiful garden. So that among
the prophets nothing whatever is made of
always away In the future. There is no
trace, then, of the Eden myth or legend
until the Hebrews came into contact with
the BaDylonianS and PersianS at the time
Oh the captivity; and that, along with a
good many other things, they undoubtedly
borrowed from their neighbors.
T course the upshot of these facts is
that there is not the slightest reason on
the race OF the earth that would be called
reason by. scientific men for believing in
the historic accuracy of any such story
any more than there is in the myths and
legends of the Greeks or Romans. 1t is a
Striking TACT that Jesus makes no refer
ence whatever to the fall OF man; and on
the orthodox theory that he was God and
that he came down to the earth to save
man 1t is a very striking and strange fact
tnat II the fail was the beginning of all
human sin and misery He should not have
SAID something about it.
BIBLICAL CHRONOLOGY.
In the chronology of the Bible we find the
result of Usher's calculations. He dates the
creation of the world 1904 years before
Christ and that is based on the historic
parts OF the Old Testament, that is, the
length of the reigns Of kings-the period Of
the captivity in Egypt. the lives of the pat
rlarchs and so forth. We find it is a calcu-
lation based on the records of the Old Tes-
lament and is accurate so far as the Old
Testament gives any data upon which to
calculate. OF course, we know now that
instead OF the world being created 400
years before Christ, it is millions of years
old. L asked one of the most careful scien-
the men the question not q great while ago
as to what science had found out about the
antiquity or man up to the present time.
and he said that the opinion of those best
htted to nave an opinion was that man has
been on the planet at least $780, 01 years.
RECORDS and monuments have been dis
covered in Egypt and the East which take
ton of the world according to the biblical
chronology.
What change has come about as the re-
suit? In the first place there was a fight
over geology between biologists and theolo-
CLANS. The biologists won the battle all
along the line as to the antiquity of the
earth. Then came the battle as to the an
tlqulty OF the human race, and that has
been won. There is no contrary opinion
this. There is not a man in any civilized
country to-day who is free and whose opin-
ions are worth anything who doubts either
the antiquity of the earth or of the human
race.
Then there is another point. of course.
which has had more to do with the idea of
any such thing as the fall of man than any
other matter, and that is the growth of
: evolution and Darwinism. Herbert Spencer
is the first one i'm the modern world who
propOunded the theory of evolution, though
Darwin by many persons is supposed TO
have ,antedated Spencer. Darwin really fol-
lowed him and dealt With bfnln~x -. ~
, science of life, while Spencer deals with
the whole universe.
Mr.. Huxley, who was one of the most
I competent men in the world. said that evo-
) luton and Darwinism were proved as COM
pletely as the COpernican theory of the
, universe, and along similar lines of argu-
ment.
Darwin's book was published in 1859, and
it met with ridicule and opposition. and
4, there has been a battle going On ever since.
There is not a competent man in the world
: to-day who doubts Darwinism in general
There are contests over subsidiary points,
? but it has won its way among the intelli-
gent thinkers. No one questions the theory
: of evolution. 1t is simply a battle over
I minor matters of detail. The truth has won.
To-day there is not the slightest reason
why any competent intelligence should be.
I lieve anything like the doctrine of the fall
of man. There is no place for il at all in
; the modern universe.
DOCTRINE OF THE FALL.
; I have talked with a large number OF
r ministers on this subject, and 1 know tina
l large numbers of those who still remain in
orthodox pulpits do not believe in the his.
: toric accuracy of the story. In the writ
L ings Of Paul he makes great account of sir
, coming into the world through Adam, and
then in the historic creeds of the church
the Catholic, Greek and Protestant, the
:, trouble and misery of this world are sup.
: posed to date from the fall Of man-ir
= Adam.
l Nearly all the doctrines which make UT
: the orthodox plan of salvation nave come
into existence as parts of a method of saw
t ing man from the fall. In other words, il
= the belief in the fall of man had not existed
2 these other doctrines would not have come
r into existence. The supposed need of a su.
t pernaturally inspired book-revelatior
e springs out of the supposed fact that mans
mental faculties were SO injured by the fal
that he was not able to discover the truth
himself. OF course, through this the doc
trine of a blood atonement has come into
existence. So the whole plan OF salvation
] is simply a method which the churches
/ have in hand for the deliverance of mar
from the results OF the fall. When, then
they once accept the fact that there has
never been any fall, and the ministers anC
churches are logical enough to think the
, matter clearly to its issue, every single ons
= of the great doctrines which make up or
: thodoxy will be discovered to be outgrown
: There is no place for them. Religion won
! be outgrown. churches won't be outgrown
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