Cheryl Schatz

Don,
It appears to me form what you are saying is that the solution would be that eiither one creation account is not true, or Adam was created twice or both accounts are not true. I see no contradiction and I do not see different creations or different accounts. Genesis 2 is merely the viewing of a different angle of the creation account – an account that focuses in on the details of the creation of man. Also the fact is that the word “formed” is not different than the word “created”. “Formed” is the way man was created so that as a subset of creation it is equal to the word creation.

The KJV term “rib” is not a myth as Adam said that Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. It is reasonable to see the rib as the portion of the side that was said to be the “bone” part. Whatever “side” included, it certainly included a bone.

As far as whether one sees “metaphor” or “literal” will have to be defended in the text itself. One cannot arbitrarily choose something to be a metaphor without good cause. Otherwise everyone who has a sin that they don’t like exposed by the bible would yell “metaphor” when their sin is identified. It works for many.