At what age did
God create Adam?

Q. At what age did God create Adam? Was Adam created to look like a young man or someone older?

(Submitted by: Charlette)

A. You have asked a good question that unfortunately isn't definitively answered in the Bible. That said, we can draw a general age range from inferences made in scriptures and from man's history.

When Michaelangelo Buonarroti sculpted the statue called Slaves in the 1500s he depicted his subjects as young men in their prime at about the age of 30 or so. He also painted Adam in his prime when depicting him on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Archaeologists that have uncovered tombs and mummified remains from the ancient Egyptians have found that most of the statues and masks discovered depict a person as they looked in the prime of his or her life (one notable exception is Amenhotep IV). Was this the pride of man to want to look his best for posterity or was this the inspiration of God to do these art pieces in this manner?

If it was the inspiration of God then we might surmise that Adam, who was the first man sculpted by God out of the red earth of the Middle East, was created in the prime of human life. This prime would be roughly around the age of 30.

When Jesus was killed on the cross he was also in the prime of his life or half way through his earthly lifetime. He is called the Second (or last) Adam in the Bible:

"And so it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being.'  The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." (1Corinthians 15:45, NKJV)

We know that after Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden they were young enough to procreate many, many children. When we study all of the "begets" found in Genesis and elsewhere we see that the first child in each family is usually born when one or both parents are between the ages of 25 and 35. This lends some evidence to the argument that Adam was created in this age bracket.

Creation of Adam, Fresco by Michaelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican
Creation of Adam
Fresco by Michelangelo, 1510 A.D., Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Was Adam fully comprehending and emotionally mature when he was created? Perhaps, but if he had lived longer in the world of wickedness he would have seen the wisdom of doing things the way God wanted them done. Instead he sinned and chose to make his own choices rather than wisely allow God to make his life choices for him. One indication that he was emotionally like an adolescent child is when his sin was discovered. Rather than owning up to it like a mature person and asking for forgiveness he chose to lay the blame on another person (Eve). She, of course, followed his example and laid her sins on the serpent (Satan) who beguiled or deceived her.

How long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden before they sinned is not known. We know that their lives were not subject to death until they sinned. Their life span was counted from that point forward. Did God teach them his laws and educate them in the disciplines he thought were necessary for their understanding? God gave Adam the sole task of naming all of the animals. One would need to know a little bit about biology to be able to do that I would think. This also would take a considerable amount of time. God also gave them the dominion over all of the earth with the express command to dress and keep it. This would of necessity require some knowledge of the physical world where they lived and how to do that properly. God also taught his laws and told them what seasons they would be keeping as annual celebrations. He began by dedicating the Sabbath on the seventh day of each week by resting and teaching his children how to succeed in life under God's own guidance.

In conclusion, given the information we currently have, it would be safe to say that Adam was likely physically created to look like a human being in the 25 to 35 year old age range.

Thank you for submitting your question about what age did God create Adam.

Written by:  Charlotte Grantham
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