Genesis
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The Beginning and the Creation Week
The first distinct section of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis 1:1 to 2:3, describing God's creation of Heaven and Earth, begins with a two-verse introduction describing a mighty wind blowing in dark emptiness over formless and timeless water. Six days of creation are followed by a seventh day of rest corresponding to the Biblical "sabbath" (related to Hebrew שבע sheva' "seven"). Each of the six days of creation begins with God speaking.
- Genesis 1:1 to 2:3
- "before the beginning", the primal sea, God's spirit at work
- the Creation Week and the Day of Rest
Discussion of the Creation account(s)
Creation Texts
- Biblical accounts of creation (Proverbs, Genesis, Psalms, Prophets) — a linked list of creation texts throughout the Bible
- Echoes and Appropriations of Pre-Biblical and other accounts of Creation
- Use of the word "Record" (and the misleading phrase "the Creation Record")
Creation of humankind
- What does being made "in the image and likeness of God" mean?
Personal approaches
- Eden as background to New Testament — Chapters 1 to 5 (N. T. Wright)
- Ways to interpret the Genesis Creation by David Burke
- Theological Interpretation (God is alone, omnipotent, life-giving, law-giving and has a purpose)
- Historical Interpretation (Genesis is a historical account of how the cosmos was created, written in the language of its time)
- Polemical Interpretation (God is superior in every way to pagan deities, creating meaningfully and with nobility)
- R Evans, Genesis in Context — "a personal review of the first eleven chapters of Scripture"
- from Sutherland discussion: Comment on Creation/EC/TE - Bible implications and a personal reply
How many accounts of creation are there in Genesis?
Scholarly view: Two Accounts
Comparing the two accounts of the Creation in Genesis
Genesis 1:1-2:3
- Structure of Genesis 1:1-2:3 — Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
- A Literal Reading of Genesis 1:1 to 2:3
- Non-Literal Readings of Genesis 1:1 to 2:3
- 2:3 — the Creation was created to continue creating itself as — was further creation ruled out?
Genesis 2:4-25 or Genesis 2:4-3:24
- Genesis 2:4-25 — an overview of references to Genesis 2:4-25 in this wiki, including:-
- 2:4-5 — Arguments for literal 24-hour days
- 2:6 — Inundation or irrigation watered the garden that God created in Eden
- 2:7 — Created, Formed and Made, Formed from the dust, The Breath of Life and Where was Adam formed?
- Genesis 2:4-3:24
- Problems with Literal Readings of Genesis 2:4-3:24
Alternative view: A Single Account (1:1 to 3:24)
The case that Genesis from 1:1 to 3:24 is "historical and harmonious" can be found in this discussion particularly from here.
Other references to Genesis
- 1:1-2 — Bereshith
Other references to DAY 1
Other references to DAY 2
- 1:6-9 — The waters above and below the earth
- 1:7 — the waters above the firmament
Other references to DAYS 3 and 4
- 1:11-12 — textual indication that the seven days are not to be taken literally
- 1:11-24 — Baraminology and micro-evolution within the kinds.
- The Four Sources of Light
- The Firmament
Other references to DAY 5
- 1:21 — the Tanninim
- Meaning of "after their kind"
Other references to DAY 6
- The Divine Council
- 1:26 etc The Image and Likeness of God; the significance of the name "Adam".
- 1:26-27 — the creation of humankind
- 1:24-31 how long does it take to replenish the earth? — it takes nine months to make a baby
- 1:27 — New Testament references to "the beginning"
- 1:31 — Meaning of "very good"
Other references to DAY 7
- The Sabbath
- The redundant final word la'asot לעשות
- Was futher creation ruled out?
One Creation account or two?
- 2:4 — See note from Jewish Study Bible here re where the division between the two(?) narratives is.
The Garden in Eden
- 2:6 — Inundation or irrigation watered the garden that God created in Eden
- 2:7 etc See Literal and Figurative Creation in the Bible
- 2:7 — BASF; Breath of Life; made from the dust
- 2:9,17 — Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
- 2:15 — the man, made outside the garden, taken to it
- 2:17 — BASF Clause IV and "Thou shalt not eat thereof..."; Jonathan Bowen; The Two Trees
- 2:17 cf. 3:3 — the first mistake, an example of Adding to the Word
- 2:18-20 — Creation of animals and birds and the search for a partner for the man. Translators' efforts to harmonise the two Genesis creation narratives.
- 2:20-23 — Tardemah ("deep sleep") — Adam's, compare Abram's; Adam and Eve; Biblical Objections to Evolution
"The Beginning"
- 2:24 — See New Testament references to "the beginning"
- 3:2-7, 11-12, 22-23 — verses particularly identified as origin of later Creation Text allusions
- 3:6 — "existence" of the sin
- 3:14-15 — Problems with Literal Readings of Genesis 2:4-3:24
- 3:15-19,22-23 — BASF Clause V
- 3:16-21 — The punishment of Adam (PQRC 8)
- 3:17 - translation — the word Adam possibly used as a personal name (as per Masoretic Text)
- 3:19 — BASF Clause III
- 3:20 — biased translation in New International Version (NIV)
- 3:22-24 — The Tree of Life; knowing good and evil; האדם ha adam driven out of the garden
Genesis Beyond Eden
- 4:13-14, 4:14-15,17,25,17-26,5:3-4,6:1-2 — see Biblical evidence that people are not descended from a single male ancestor
- 5:1-5 — Adam's daughters; the first time adam is a proper name ("Adam") - see "adam" the common noun
- 5:3-4 — Does the text say Adam had daughters before he begot Seth?
- chh 7 - 9 — The Flood
- 6:1-3 — The Breath of Life
- 6:4 — cited by C C Walker as possible support for evolution of birds
- 6:17 — The Breath of Life
- 7:4 — Theistic Meteorology analogous to Theistic Evolution
- 7:11 — The waters above and below the earth & "the fountains of the great deep"
- 7:22 — נשמת־רוח חיים Neshamah Ruach hayyim "the spirit of the breath of life"
- 7:21-23 — all died in the Flood
- 8:2 — The waters above and below the earth
- 8:21 — entry of sin and death into the human world
After the Flood
- 9:19 — the earth overspread by the sons of Noah
- 10:5 — Languages, families and nations of Gentiles living in their territories
- 10:20 — Families, languages and nations of the descendants of Ham living in their countries
- 10:25 — Division of the earth/land in the days of Peleg and Joktan
- 10:31 — Families, languages and nations of the descendants of Shem living in their countries
- 11:1-9 — The "Confusion of Tongues"
- 12:3 — part of a composite New Testament reference.
- 13:14 — Zaphon
- 13:14-17 — BASF Clause XXI
- 14:18-22 — El Elyon, the most high God
- 15:5-6 — respecting the witness of the natural creation
- 15:12-17 — Abram's Tardemah
- 18:25 — Asking the hard questions
- 18:27 — BASF Clause IV
- 22:18 — part of a composite New Testament reference; BASF Clause VII
- 24:16 — "very good"
- 28:12-13 — The Image and Likeness of God
- 36:31-43 — a passage of Genesis not written by Moses, according to Robert Roberts.
- 46:15 — Compressed Genealogies
- 48:16 — guardian Angels
- 49:14-15 — the meaning of נָטָה (natah)
See also
- The Temple as a microcosm of the world — see at Exodus 39:32,42-43