Formed From the Dust of the Ground: A Biblical-Theological Study of the Relationship Between Man and the Ground in Genesis 1-12

Abstract

This project traces the dynamic relationship between the man and the ground in Genesis 1-12 through the appearance of the adam - adamah motif and its near associations. In so doing, I contend that there is a detectable movement of the human existential state, shifting from bliss to anguish. Consequently, later OT authors utilize the curse of the ground (Gen 3:17-19) as a framework for interpreting the suffering in life. Alternatively, later OT authors also anticipate the removal the curse of the ground, specifically through resurrection. Furthermore, the NT confirms these suspicions by connecting the resurrection of Jesus to the lifting of the curse and thus the end of human existential anguish. Yet, the lifting of the curse is already underway due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.