Case markings versus adpostions

Hello, all!

I was wondering about where to draw the line between cases and
adpositions.  Currently, in Eviendadhail, there is no division.  Case is
treated as a subset of adpositions, those that can only describe a verb.
Case and adpositional status are marked by the same method.  That is,
the subject of a sentence is thought to be describing the verb, in the
same way the phrase 'in a box' could be used to describe a noun.

How realistic is this?  Do any natlangs rely entirely on one method for
both of these things?  If not, where do they draw the line?  I know some
natlangs (Finnish?) have a huge (~30) number of cases.  Do they also
have adpositions?

The distinction between the two things seems rather arbitrary.  However,
it seems to occur in almost all natlangs.  Is there a reason for this,
or is it 'just the way things are'?

Thanks!
-M

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