Christ or Adam: The Ground for Understanding Humanity

A common axiom of theological anthropology is that Jesus Christ is the revelation of true humanity and the ground for understanding humanity in general. This claim, however, is never stated outright in Scripture and arguably runs counter to the biblical narrative since the scriptural story begins with Adam and seems to present Adam as the model for humanity. In this study, I will argue that one does find in Paul a theological anthropology that begins with Christ, not Adam, or the Genesis creation narratives. This thesis will be demonstrated by tracing how Paul contrasts Adam and Christ and his discussion of who is the image of God.