3074 BC
Adam, the first man created by God, lived for 930 yearsβthe longest lifespan recorded in Genesisβand fathered many sons and daughters throughout his centuries of life. His death at age 930 marks the first recorded death in human history, the tragic fulfillment of God's warning in the Garden of Eden: 'In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die' (Genesis 2:17). Though Adam did not die on the literal day he ate the forbidden fruit, spiritual death entered his experience immediately, and physical death would inevitably follow.
Adam's extraordinary lifespan of 930 years demonstrates both the gradual decay of human nature after the Fall and God's patience in granting humanity time for repentance. The decreasing lifespans recorded in the Genesis 5 genealogyβfrom Adam's 930 years to Noah's 950 years, and eventually to the post-Flood lifespans of around 200-400 yearsβshow the progressive effects of sin on the created order.
The Catholic Church teaches that Adam's death was not the end of his story. Just as Christ is the 'last Adam' who conquers death through His resurrection, so the first Adam's death points forward to the victory that Christ would achieve. All who die in Christ share in His resurrection, undoing the death that entered the world through Adam. Key Scripture: Genesis 5:5; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; CCC 1008