My guess is that Adam and Eve started their lives
15,000 years ago. Adam's genome contained the potential variations of all the human features that we observe today.
According to Bishop Ussher Adam and Eve lived 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 1:27 we read about how God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
The age we live in began about 13,000 years ago. There seems to be a gradual transition from hunter gather to the food producer civilization we read about in Genesis chapter two.
God created man from the dust of the earth. Genesis 2:7 (ESV):
"Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."
According to this biblical account, God formed the first human, Adam, from the dust or clay of the earth and then breathed life into him, making him a living being. This story serves as the foundational narrative for the creation of humanity in Judeo-Christian theology and is often interpreted symbolically to emphasize the idea of God as the Creator and the source of life.
Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson are two prominent astrophysicists and science communicators who have been involved in PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) programs related to science and astronomy. Both have contributed significantly to science education and outreach through television. Both hosted the PBS program "Cosmos."
The phrase "we are star stuff" is a poetic and scientifically accurate way to describe the origins of the elements in our bodies and the universe as a whole. It's often attributed to Carl Sagan, who popularized this concept in his book and television series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage."
The idea behind "we are star stuff" is that the elements that make up our bodies, the Earth, and the entire universe were formed in the cores of stars through a process called nucleosynthesis. Stars fuse lighter elements like hydrogen and helium into heavier elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and so on. When these stars reach the end of their life cycles and explode in supernovae, they scatter these elements into space. Over time, these elements come together to form new stars, planets, and life as we know it.
So, in a very real sense, the atoms in our bodies and the elements that compose the Earth and everything around us were once part of stars that lived and died long before our solar system was even formed. This profound connection between the cosmos and ourselves underscores the interconnectedness of all matter in the universe. It's a testament to the beauty of science and the wonder of our place in the cosmos.
In the book of Genesis, God promises Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). This metaphor emphasizes the idea of a great multitude.
- Psalm 96:11-12 (NIV): "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness." In this passage, the heavens (which can include the stars) are called to rejoice along with the earth and all of creation.
- Isaiah 44:23 (NIV): "Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel." This verse also calls on the heavens to sing for joy because of the Lord's actions.
These passages are examples of the biblical use of anthropomorphic language, attributing human emotions and actions to elements of creation (in this case, the heavens and the stars) to convey a sense of exultation and praise to God.
