Adam Named ALL the Animals?

How could Adam have named all the animals? I'll allow it's a fair question, but scoffers and under-informed Christians seem to read Genesis 2:19, then use the modern definition of species, see that modern taxonomy has millions of them, and assume it either didn't happen or was simply an allegory. Nobody could have that much time, even the "very good" newly-created man, they might say.

Adam Naming the Animals, Theophanes of Crete, Wikimedia Commons

Of course, it would help if they read a mite further to Genesis 2:20 and they would see that he gave names to livestock, beasts of the field, and birds. (Reading things in context is a good way to guard yourself against false teachings in general.) That rules out a whole passel of species right there. But what really went on? A bit of science as well as Scripture puts things into perspective.

How could Adam have named millions of different species on Day 6 if it was only 24 hours? This is a common objection to a straightforward view of Genesis 1.

One important point is that we cannot be dogmatic on the actual number of species on Earth. Oxford University zoologist Robert May writes:

“At the purely factual level, we do not know to within an order of magnitude how many species of plants and animals we share the globe with: fewer than 2 million are currently classified, and estimates of the total number range from under 5 million to more than 50 million.” [Emphasis added]

There are several factors, which may not be immediately obvious to the casual reader, that need to be considered.

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