Adam and Jesus in the Gospel

In the Qur'an, Jesus is compared to Adam (Al-i Imran 3:59). This comparative statement

between the two prophets is a central passage with regard to the Qur'an's understanding of Jesus. We are interested in whether the Qur'an in its portrayal of Jesus wants to paint a positive picture, or whether Jesus is primarily used as a warning and corrective example against the view held by Christians. The commentators I have consulted come to the conclusion that the statement in Al-i Imran 3:59 falls into the warning and corrective category based on the following three assumptions - (1) the conception of Jesus by Meryem is compared to the creation of Adam; (2) since their modes of creation are similar, their natures must also be the same; (3) Muhammad with this statement corrected the wrong conception the Christians from Najran held in regard to Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, I ask myself whether there are not possible alternative interpretations of this passage to the generally accepted one presented above.

The Gospel also speaks in various places about the relationship between Adam and Jesus (e.g. Mark 1:12-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24; 44-49; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:6, etc.). The Christians who took part in the exchange with Muhammad were therefore quite familiar with the subject matter and already had certain views on the topic. We are therefore very interested in how Muhammad responds to these existing views, what he confirms and what he tries to correct. Eventually, we want to answer the following question: Could the Christians present in the event described in Al-i Imran 3 really have understood the statements of verse 59 exactly in the way Muslim commentators understand it today?

 To answer this question, we must first find out what prior knowledge these Christians brought to the conversation with Muhammad, based on their knowledge of the Gospel. Looking at the relevant texts in the Gospel, we find the following comparisons between the two prophets, Adam and Jesus:

a) Adam's or Jesus' response to the temptation of Satan:

The first comparison in the Gospel between Adam and Jesus is found in the account of Jesus' temptation by Satan (Mark 1:12-13; see also Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13):

'At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark 1:12-13).1

The name Adam does not appear in the text. Nevertheless, we find here a subtle allusion to Adam. The mention of 'wild animals' and 'ministering angels' recall the garden in which Adam stayed after his creation. However, Jesus is in the 'wilderness', i.e. the place of Jesus' temptation also recalls Adam's expulsion from the garden and from the presence of God (Genesis 3:23-24; Baqara 2:38) and thus Adam's failure to remain obedient to God despite Satan's temptation: in the wilderness with the animals, but in Jesus' case with angels ministering to him (see Mark 1:12-13). Jesus is tempted by Satan, just like Adam in the garden. Jesus' temptation lasts for a whole forty days. Jesus is put to the test in three areas and the parallels with the temptation of Adam, as described in the Quran, are striking: (i) the first temptation concerns eating food forbidden by God. Adem is to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree (Araf 7:20-21); Jesus is to satisfy his hunger with stones, which he would turn into bread against God's will (Mt. 4:3-4; Lk. 4:3-4). (ii) Satan promises Adam that after eating the forbidden fruit he might become like angels and will be able to stay in the garden forever: 'lest ye should become angels or such beings as live for ever.' (Araf 7:20); Jesus on the other hand is promised angelic protection, if only he would throw himself from the highest point of the temple in a stuntman action according to Satan's wish (Mt.4:5-7; Lk. 4:9-12). In both cases the theme of angels is covered. (iii) Finally, Satan promises both Adam (TaHa 20:120) and Jesus (Mt. 4:8-10; Lk. 4:5-8) dominion over an eternal or vast kingdom if only they would submit to Satan's wishes. So much for the parallels, the big difference between the temptations of Adam and Jesus is their respective responses to Satan: Adam allows himself to be tempted and eats of the forbidden fruit (TaHa 20:121; Araf 7:22). In stark contrast to Adam, Jesus resists Satan's temptations by exposing their reprehensibility by quoting verses from the Torah.2 In contrast to Adam, Jesus shows no weakness and finally commands Satan to leave him alone (Mt. 4:10): 'Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!"' Satan leaves Jesus without having achieved his purposes (Mt. 4:11): ''Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him...'3 The present comparison between Adam and Jesus in the Gospel emphasises Jesus' obedience to God's commands and his steadfastness against Satan's temptations, in contrast to Adam's transgression of God's command through Satan's instigation. The comparison contrasts Jesus' obedience with Adam's disobedience. While Satan emerges victorious from the encounter with Adam, in the case of Jesus, he has to retreat defeated. The comparison is in Jesus' favour.

b) Both Adam and Jesus assume a representative role for humanity:

In Romans 5:12-19, Paul compares Jesus to Adam in terms of their representative role for humanity: because Adam allowed himself to be duped by Satan's temptation, death and sin came to all humankind4; In contrast, Jesus, by successfully overcoming the temptation of Satan, made righteousness and eternal life accessible to all people:

'12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— ... 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.'

The fact that the person being compared to Jesus in this passage is Adam becomes clear from verse 14: ''Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.' Paul claims here for Jesus what was already true for Adam: just as Adam played a representative role for humanity, Jesus also acts representatively for humanity. For Paul, Adam is the representative of sinful humanity. Through him, sin and death found their way into human existence. In contrast, Jesus represents God's grace and righteousness. Through Jesus' righteousness, God's grace and forgiveness reach all people. In this text too, the comparison between the two men is in Adam's favour. Jesus the Righteous brought about the divine solution to the main human problem that had started with Adam: Obedience instead of disobedience and thus recovery instead of the loss of righteousness before God.

c) Both are forefathers but in different orders of creation: Adam in the first order of creation and Jesus in the second:

1 Corinthians 15:20-24; 44-49 compares the first place of Adam in the earthly creation with the first place of Jesus in the heavenly creation:

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. … 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.

Here Paul emphasises the nature and role of Adam as the first human creature in the first creation: by nature he is earthly (v. 48), and his role was to choose disobedience against God resulting in the spreading of death among all people (v. 21). This is contrasted with Jesus, but this time not in his earthly existence, but as the first being resurrected into the second creation (v. 20), that is, his existence after his removal from the earth. Jesus was the first human being to be raised from the dead, and thus he is the firstborn of God in the second creation, the eternal world. The nature of his body is therefore no longer 'earthly', but 'heavenly' or 'spiritual' (vv. 44-49). As the firstborn in the second creation, it is his role to bequeath eternal life with God to his descendants (vv. 44-45). Humans still bear the image of the earthly Adam, but the time will come - with the resurrection from the dead - when they will bear the image of the heavenly one (v. 49). The comparison between Adam and Jesus in the present text refers explicitly to their representative roles regarding the comming into existence of humanity, but their respective representations are realised in two different orders of creation: Adam is the progenitor of all earthly humans, he is the first-created on earth; Jesus, on the other hand, is the progenitor of all humans called to eternal life, he is the first-born in heaven (i.e. in paradise). Adam is the progenitor of human beings in their earthly existence; Jesus is the progenitor of humanity in relation to their resurrection from the dead and their existence in paradise.

In the next comparison between Adam and Jesus, the emphasis is on both their earthly existence and their role in the heavenly world.

d) Humiliation through disobedience but exaltation through humble obedience:

Although not everyone agrees5, Paul seems to compare Adam and Jesus in Philippians 2:5-11:

5  Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus, 6  who, although he was existing in God’s form, did not even consider the idea of trying to be equal to God. 7  No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form and became human. 8  More than that, when he came as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, yes, death on a torture stake. 9  For this very reason, God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name, 10  so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend —of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground— 11  and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (New World Translation, Philippians 2:5-11)

The text makes the following observations about the relationship between Jesus and Adam: although both Adam and Jesus existed in the form of God - Adam was created in the 'image' of God and Jesus, as the text does not elaborate, thanks to his extraordinary earthly conception (Genesis 1:27 see Philippians 2:6) - they deal with this position of honour very differently: In contrast to Adam, who was not satisfied with this position of being created only in the image of God but wanted even more, namely to become like God Himself (Genesis 3:5; TaHa 20:120: it is not enough for Adam to rule as God's representative, he wants his own kingdom), Jesus is satisfied with his form. In humility, Jesus even accepts a lower position - 'he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness' -, than he would have been entitled to thanks to his being in the form of God. Jesus therefore voluntarily descends to that lower level, that Adam - and with him the whole of humanity - had to descend to even long before. God commanded this descent as a reaction against Adam's disobedience to God in connection with eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. What had become the involuntary norm for Adam, and with him the whole of humanity, Jesus chose voluntarily. Although Jesus, like all descendants of Adam, lived in 'servant form', he did not turn against God in disobedience, unlike all other humans, but remained obedient to God to the point of death on a cross. In return, God exalts him to a superior position and gives him a name that is above every other name of every creature in the universe (including Adam). From now on, to glorify God, every creature, whether in heaven, on earth or under the earth, must bow in obedience to Jesus as Christ the Lord, just as, according to the Qur'an, when Adam was still with God, all angels and even Satan had to submit to his authority (Baqara 2:34; for the Jewish basis for this concept, see 'Life of Adam and Eve' 13:2-16:1).

In this comparison (Philippians 2:5-11), Adam is again the loser, while Jesus is the successful, positive counterpart to the unsuccessful Adam. At the outset, according to their earthly existence, Adam and Jesus are similar - in the form of God. However, their respective decisions in this state lead to completely different results: Adam rises up in pride against God, and he and his descendants are punished with death for it. Jesus humbly accepts the fallen state of Adam's descendants and does not allow Satan to tempt him into sin, not even once during his entire earthly existence (until his death on the cross). For this he is exalted by God with resurrection to eternal life and the highest place of honour possible. Every creature of the first creation must submit in obedience to the firstborn of the second creation. His name is above every other name, even that of Adam. This idea is presented again in Hebrews 1:6 regarding angels: Just as God commanded that all angels should worship Adam- God's firstborn in the first creation -, due to the fact that the latter was created by breathing God's Spirit into mud and due to Adam's superior knowledge (Baqara 2:34; for the Jewish basis for this concept, see 'Life of Adam and Eve' 13:2-16:1), God issues the same command when presenting the resurrected Jesus, God's firstborn in the second creation:

'And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him”' (Hebrews 1:6).

Conclusions:

The comparison of Adam and Jesus in the Gospel is based on themes such as their reaction to Satan's temptation (points a) and d)), their obedience to God's command (points a), b), d)), their representative role in relation to humanity (points b), c)), and their respective legacy for the rest of humanity (points b), c) and d)). Apart from the comparison of their reactions to the temptation by Satan and their obedience to God's commands (see points a) and d) above), the comparison between Adam and Jesus does not refer to their earthly existence, but to their state with God: Adam, who even as the image of God in paradise decides against his Creator and thus reaps disobedience and death for mankind; Jesus, who, as a reward for his obedience as God's servant on this earth, is the first to be resurrected and raised to God, and thus becomes the forerunner and representative of all resurrected human beings. Contrary to Muslim interpreters, Jesus' extraordinary conception is not once topic of the Gospel's comparing him with Adam. Even in point d) where they both start out in being in 'the form of God', the comparison focuses more on their different reactions to their special state of existence, and climaxes in Jesus being raised to a higher level than the one Adam ever possessed - through Jesus' resurrection. Whenever Paul compares Jesus to Adam (except perhaps at the beginning of point d)) it is about Jesus' state after his resurrection, i.e. his existence after being raised from the dead and his exaltation to the right hand of God. The comparison concerns Adam's role as the progenitor of the first creation and Jesus' role as the progenitor of the second creation. In the Gospel, Adam consistently stands as the representative of man who is separated from God, sinful and at the mercy of death. Jesus, on the other hand, represents man reconciled with God and resurrected by God to eternal life. Adam embodies the problem of humanity: sin, injustice and death, whereas Jesus, in contrast, embodies the solution to that problem: Obedience, righteousness and eternal life. In every comparison, Jesus is presented as far superior to Adam.

The Islamic view of the two men, as is clear from the treatment of Al-i Imran 3:59 by Muslim commentators, differs from this Christian view in the following areas:

(1) When a direct comparison is made in the Bible between Adam and Jesus with regard to their representative roles for humanity, this refers to their respective forerunner roles in two different orders of creation: in the case of Adam it is about his earthly creation, in the case of Jesus it is about the - for all humans apart from Jesus still future - resurrection existence, i.e. about Jesus' role regarding the state humans will gain in the second creation in paradise with God. In contrast, Muslim interpreters assume that the Qur'an 'only' compares the two men in relation to their respective earthly conceptions. In their view, Jesus' conception corresponds to the creation of Adam. (2) While the Bible celebrates Jesus' success in contrast to Adam's failure, Muslims do not recognise Jesus as in any way superior to Adam. In fact, his conception is not quite as marvellous as that of Adam according to the commenators' views. Therefore, Jesus should not be seen in an exalted position over that of Adam's in any other area (i.e. in comparison of their natures). In other words, Jesus is, if there was any difference in position between the two prophets, rather subordinate to Adam. Christians, on the other hand, understand Jesus as being elevated to the highest possible position in the universe. One, that is certainly higher than that of Adam.

The comparison between Adam and Jesus causes totally different reactions among Muslims and Christians due to the scriptures they accept and their interpretations of them. For Muslims, it is an expression of the fight against the exaltation of Jesus' person by Christians, an honour that is not due to him. For Christians, it is an expression of God's exaltation of Christ above Adam and all human beings descendent from him, as well as all other creatures in the cosmos. If the Muslim interpretation of Al-i Imran 3:59 was correct, this verse really would present a fundamental correction of the Christian view.

However, I doubt that the Christians of Najra could have understood the statements in the Qur'an as a correction of their views on the basis of their knowledge. Rather, I believe that they felt confirmed in their Christian convictions by the words of Muhammad in Al-i Imran 3:59. But more about these thoughts in the next blog.

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1 All Bible verses, unless otherwise noted, are cited from the New International Version (NIV).

2 (i) Deut. 8:3: '... that he may make known to you that man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord'. (ii) Deut 6:16: 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. (iii) Deut 5:9: 'You shall not prostrate yourself before other gods, nor commit yourself to serve them.'

3 According to the Qur'anic portrait of Adam, Jesus thus behaves as God would have intended for his representative (Sad 38:72-75). Even though Satan did not bow down to Adam in obedience, he has no choice but to obey Jesus' command in this episode.

4 According to J.D Dunn, there are also parallels to Adam as a representative of sinful humanity in Romans 1:18-23; 3:23; 7:7-11; 8:19-22 (J.D. Dunn Christology in the Making, ss. 101-105).

5 See J.D. Dunn, The Parting of the Ways Between Christianity and Judaism and their Significance for the Character of Christianity s. 254.