William Lane Craig. In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration

Abstract

I don’t think it terribly bold to say up front that William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam is one of the best, if not the best, of its kind—and this for two reasons. First, the clarity, analytic rigor, and attention to detail we have come to expect from Craig is on full display throughout the manuscript, and his nuanced and penetrating treatment of diverse (though interrelated) issues contained therein comes as a breath of strikingly fresh air in a region of Christian theology which, all too often, is decidedly lacking in these scholarly virtues. Secondly, Craig’s book is basically sui generis: an analytic philosopher’s wide-ranging treatment of the most fundamental exegetical and scientific issues pertaining to the question of a historical Adam. It is an ambitious cross-disciplinary work few would even consider attempting; Craig, however, pulls it off remarkably well. These undeniable merits do not by themselves, of course, guarantee the ultimate success of the book’s argument. This latter question will be explored in the second part of this review. First, however, I shall summarize the book’s contents, laying stress on what I take to be the elements—both strengths and weaknesses—most pertinent to Craig’s overall case.