Week 5.
1—Genesis—Creation
Questions that Matter
Do I have value? - Why am I here? - Do I have a purpose?
“The purpose of scripture is to tell us who God is, who we are and what God is doing
to restore all things.” - Sandra Richter
ANE Cosmology
Cosmology - An explanation of the universe
The polytheism od the ancient Near East
Multiple gods
The gods are considered part of the cosmic order. the rules applied to
them too
Powerful, Capricious, personi ed, but impersonal
Contrasting Worldviews
ANE Genesis
Polytheism Monotheism
Theogony (system of a group of gods) No theogony
Deities are sexual God is asexual
Power is absolute God is absolute
Magic Magic forbidden
History is insigni cant History is signi cant
Little or no historiography Historiography is central
Hebrews invent the writing of history
How We Got Here
The explanations of origins
Theogony - Origin of the gods
Cosmonogy - Origin of the universe
Creation Myths: Theogony
Recounts birth and succession of the gods, especially the older gods
Language is embedded in time: bygone days, in the beginning
Mythology points beyond itself to the reality of all times (gods & human alike)
Language of sexuality; The gods show up in binary pairs as lovers
Creation Myths: Cosmology
Recounts con ict between old and young deities: (theomachy)
Young gods triumph, establishing kingship among the gods and orderly
government for the cosmos
Human kingship is patterned after cosmic government
Primordial events institute cyclical realities of the cosmos
The gods must come into being before they can bring the universe into being
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How We Got Here: Genesis
No Theogony
Yahweh doesn’t struggle with other gods and emerge victorious to
establish kingship
Yahweh is distinct from his creation
Language of time, “in the beginning”
Binary pairs (heaven and earth, wind and water, darkness and light, etc.)
Pairs objecti ed, de-dei ed, and materialized
Primeval History
Genesis 1:1-11
Earliest part of biblical history
Di cult to access historically
Eyewitnesses to creation
Other creation and ood legends complicate our study
Linguistics
Creation - Genesis 1-2
The Fall - Genesis
Cain and Abel - Genesis 4
The Flood - Genesis 6-9
Tower of Babel - Genesis 11
How Do We Read Primeval History?
Modern History?
Modern Science?
Ancient history?
Ancient myth?
Something else?
When was it written?
The details serve to communicate “big picture” truths
Reading against the background of ancient similar texts
The Primeval History
Author’s intended meaning
Author’s intended genre
Consider the broader context of comparative literature
Creation stories
Flood stories
Does Genesis 1-11 re ect the author’s setting the record straight?
If so, how?
The details?
The theology created by the details?
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Genre Is Everything
Interpretation depends on the genre.
Genre Options for the Primeval History
Each position has strengths and weaknesses
Historiography
Simplest reading of the text
Impacted by the presence of the comparative literature
Easiest way to read the text
Jesus and Paul treated it historically
Con icts with modern positions on science and history
Epic - The narration of heroic events
Revolves around a hero
The Primeval History isn’t primarily built around heroes
Myth - A traditional story about early history and cosmic activities by the gods
that explain a truth or phenomenon
Resolves the tension created by a historical reading
May contain some history, but that history is impossible to determine
Flexible elements allowing for broad truths
Seems pointless and deceitful id not connected to speci c realities
(nature of humanity, sin, etc.)
Allegory - A symbolic story pointing to other truths
Isn’t concerned with history
Truth is in the symbols
Spiritualizes the text
Common interpretive method for most of church history
Cosmogony - An explanation of origins
“A theological reinterpretation of traditional origin stories” - Wenham
Treats the Primeval History as a response to ANE cosmogonies
Works with the big picture and message of the text
Allows for historical elements but not focused on history
Focuses on the “Who,” not the “how.”
Sidesteps a lot of discussion
Is it possible that the category for Primeval History is something
altogether?
Historiography as cosmology?
How would an ancient reader hear the text?
What did the ancient writer intend?
Some Issues…
How we interpret the text
Every position has di culties
Every position has implications for faith
Be aware of what we want from the text
What are the questions we want answered?
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What are the questions the text is trying to answer?
Key Interpretive Principle: Author’s Intended Meaning
How we interact with others who disagree
Implications
The mechanism — the “how” of creation
The nature of humanity
The nature of sin
The security of simplicity vs. the uncertainty of ambiguity
How hard we can lean on the text for doctrine?
The Psalmists did
Jesus did
Paul did
Creation
The Bible assumes a designer
God alone
Ex Nihilo — out of nothing — is the current understanding
A Tale Of Two Creations
Genesis contains two distinct but complimentary creation accounts
Genesis 1:1-2:3 - A highly structured account including bite narrative and
poetic elements. Focuses on creation of the universe and culminating in the seventh
day of Sabbath
Genesis 2:4-25 - A narrow narrative focusing on the creation of humans
Genesis 1:1-2:3
The rst account is built around repeated phrases - “And God said”, “And God
called…”, “And there was an evening and there was a morning…”
The phrase “And God saw that it was good” suggests moral discernment
Seven Days: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
Forming
Day 1 - Separation of light/darkness
Day 2 - Separation of waters (sea and sky)
Day 3 - Separation of land/water
Filling
Day 4 - Sun, moon, stars
Day 5 - Fish, birds
Day 6 - Animals, reptiles
Day 7 - God rested
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Sabbath
Why does God rest?
God builds rest into creation
Seasons
Sleep
Plant life
God models rest for us
Institutes the Sabbath day and year
About us - Genesis 1:26-30
Image and likeness of God
Male and female are emphasized
Free will
Moral capacity
Reason
Creativity
Authority
Value
About Our World…
Empty
Wild
Needs a caretaker
Rule over creation
Stewardship
Utilization
Avoid two extremes
Using without stewardship becomes exploitation
Stewardship without using becomes idolatry
We care for an use the gift we’ve been given
God’s Character and Values
God makes humankind in his image - male and female are di erentiated, but
both are God’s image bearers
Humankind given dominion / stewardship over creation (1:26-28)
God created humankind in his image to make possible communion between
himself and humans
God is benevolent and desires to bless humanity (1:28)
Genesis 2:4-25
Focuses on the creation of humanity
Locates humanity in a garden
The garden was located in the Tigris-Euphrates basin
Humanity given authority over creation
Humanity created as a gender binary
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The Fall
Sin enters the world
The Players
Adam
Eve
The Serpent
Sin
Breaking a divine law
Divine law is rooted in God’s nature
Sin is violating the nature of God
Why Do We Sin?
Self-will
We want to test authority
We mistrust or resent authority (Rebellion)
We believe the Lie - it’s good for us
We enjoy it
A Command and a Choice
Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
The serpent talks to Eve
Eve eats from the tree, then shares with Adam
Adam eats
This event marks the entrance of sin into the world
Known as the Fall
Results of the Fall
The realization and awareness of Sin (Genesis 3:8-13)
Dual nature
Image of God
Fallen nature
Results of the Fall
Damaged personal nature
We weaponize our human desires and emotions
Anger becomes revenge, violence, and murder
Appetites become gluttony and addiction
Sexual desire becomes lust and exploitation
Con dence and self-awareness become arrogance
Pride and low self-esteem: an inappropriate xation on self
Creation was damaged - Romans 8:19-23
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The Curse
Adam - Cursed ground - Hard labor and lots of it - dust to dust
Eve - Pain in childbirth - Desire for husband - Husband ruling over her
Men and women are going to be vying for power
The Serpent - Crawl on your belly - Eat dust - Strife between it and humanity -
You’ll bite her descendant’s heel - Her descendant will crush your head (Get 3:15)
The Coming Solution
God provides a covenant to teach the requirements of holiness
Law
The people can’t keep the requirements
God meets the requirements himself in the person of Jesus (Romans 8:1-11)
Wrapping Up…
Interpreting the Primeval History is connected to conclusions about genre
Genesis’ creation account pushes back against the creation myths of the ANE
Humanity has been compromised by the Fall
God himself will provide the ultimate solution
