Looking at William Lane Craig’s Book (2021) “In Quest of the Historical Adam” (Part 4 of 21)

0014 How is the relevant modern science in horrible error?

I already promoted the three masterworks, The Human Niche, An Archaeology of the Fall and How To Define The Word “Religion”.

Perhaps, these are places to start.

0015 Meanwhile, in Part 1, concerning what is at stake, Craig contextualizes the stories of Adam and Eve as Jewish covenantal history.

Is Jewish covenantal history key to the meaning underlying the stories of Adam and Eve?

The Creation Story starts Genesis 1-11.  The stories of Adam and Eve come next.  The Primeval History leads to the rest of the book of Genesis.  Genesis is the first book of the five books of Moses.  The Pentateuch depicts Jewish covenantal history within the world of the Ancient Near East.

0016 What is the presence underlying the stories of Genesis?

Oh, it must be the world of the ancient Near East.

0017 What is the message underlying the stories of Adam and Eve?

May I suggest that one important message is that Adam and Eve originate humanity’s tragic flaw?

0018 What am I saying?

Craig defines the stories of Adam and Eve.

0019 What do I mean by the word, “defines”?

I know that definition fits into a triadic structure, as discussed in A Primer on the Category-Based Nested Form.

The following picture should be familiar to anyone who has read the masterwork, How To Define The Word “Religion”.

Figure 01

0020 The normal context of definition3 brings the actuality of a spoken word2 into relation with the potentials of ‘meaning, presence and message’1.

0021 Craig defines3 the stories of Adam and Eve2 according to the potentials of underlying meaning, presence and message1.

The meaning1 is Jewish covenantal history.

The presence1 is Jewish scripture within the ancient Near East.  Scripture includes Genesis 2.4-11, the primeval history, within the Book of Genesis, and then within the Pentateuch.

The message1 is that Adam and Eve originate humanity’s tragic flaw.

Here is a picture.

Figure 02

0022 What does this nested form imply?

Presence1 touches base with a world within a world, Jewish within Near Eastern.

Does the presence1 of the stories in the Pentateuch influence their meaning1 and message1?

If so, can we connect Jewish covenantal history to humanity’s tragic flaw by way of the ancient Near East?