A look at the creation narrative of Genesis 1 in its Ancient Near Eastern context as well as within the dialogue between Scripture and Science (cosmology).

1. “IN THE BEGINNING…”
THE STORY
OF THE CREATION OF A GOOD WORLD… A VERY GOOD ONE
THE BIBLE AS STORY # 2
DECEMBER 7, 2017 @ ST. LUKE’S (D-D-O)

2. GENESIS 1
• WHAT IS AT STAKE IN OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF
GENESIS 1?
• THE “INSPIRATION” OF
SCRIPTURE?
• THE TRUSTWORTHINESS/
ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE?

3. GENESIS 1
•2 EQUAL AND OPPOSITE ERRORS TO AVOID IN
INTERPRETING GN. 1
1 – WE “KNOW” THAT GN. 1 TELLS US EXACTLY HOW THE
UNIVERSE CAME INTO EXISTENCE AND THAT MODERN
SCIENTIFIC THEORIES ARE NONSENSE.
2 – WE “KNOW” THAT MODERN COSMOLOGY TELLS US
EXACTLY HOW THE UNIVERSE CAME INTO EXISTENCE AND
THAT THE GENESIS STORY IS NONSENSE.

4. ERROR # 1
THIS ERROR ASSUMES EXTRA-BIBLICAL CATEGORIES
OF THOUGHT; WE ASSUME THAT THE BIBLE GIVES
US THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT MODERNITY
TELLS US WE NEED TO HAVE IN ORDER TO BE
CONFIDENT THAT WHAT WE ARE AFFIRMING IS
TRUE.

5. ERROR # 2
MODERN COSMOLOGICAL THEORIES AND
GN. 1 ARE BOTH STORIES; SCIENTISTS
MUST ASSUME THE PHYSICAL LAWS OF THE
UNIVERSE AS THEY STUDY ITS ORIGINS;
THEY CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR THE LAWS
THEMSELVES OR EXPLAIN HOW THEY CAME
INTO BEING; COSMOLOGISTS CAN ONLY
USE THE LAWS OF PHYSICS TO
EXTRAPOLATE BACK [ALMOST] TO THE
SUPPOSED POINT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE
UNIVERSE.

6. “TO KNOW”
MODERNITY: EMPIRICAL SCIENCE IS
THE ONLY WAY TO “KNOW”
ANYTHING. IF SOMETHING CAN’T
BE VERIFIED BY THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD, WITH RESULTS THAT CAN
BE REPLICATED IN ANY
LABORATORY, IT CANNOT BE
ACCEPTED AS TRUE. (WE CANNOT
“SCIENTIFICALLY” VERIFY THE BIG
BANG!)

7. “TO KNOW”
• THE BIBLE: TO “KNOW”
SOMETHING/SOMEONE IS TO BE IN
RELATIONSHIP TO IT/THEM. FOR
ISRAEL TO “KNOW” YAHWEH, SHE
TELLS THE STORY OF HER
RELATIONSHIP TO YAHWEH –
CREATION, ABRAHAM, MOSES, ETC.
BIBLICAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE
BASED ON “FAITH”, I.E. TRUST.

8. THE « EVIL TWINS » OF MODERN RATIONALISM
SCIENTIFIC
FUNDAMENTALISM
• « ONLY ‘EMPIRICAL’ KNOWLEDGE IS TO BE
ACCEPTED AS ‘TRUE’ ».
• THE MODERN SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS THE
ONLY WAY TO ACCESS ‘TRUTH’. ALL
APPROACHES TO KNOWLEDGE THAT
EXISTED BEFORE THE APPEARANCE OF
MODERN SCIENCE ARE TO BE DISMISSED AS
SO MUCH ANCIENT SUPERSTITION.
• QUESTIONS OF ‘MEANING’ AND ‘PURPOSE’
ARE PURELY SUBJECTIVE AND HAVE NO
PLACE IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE.
RELIGIOUS
FUNDAMENTALISM
• « THE BIBLE IS ‘TRUE’; THEREFORE, THAT
MEANS THAT THE BIBLE PROVIDES US WITH
AN EMPIRICAL ACCOUT OF THE ORIGINS OF
THE UNIVERSE ».
• THE GENESIS ACCOUNT MUST BE
HARMONIZED (MADE TO CONCORD) WITH
SCIENTIFIC COSMOLOGY BY RE-
INTERPRETING THE LENGTH OF EACH OF
THE 7 ‘DAYS’ OF CREATION, ETC.
• BOTH THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE AND
THAT OF MODERN SCIENCE ARE
REFERRING TO THE SAME THINGS… ???

9. “MEDITATION IN A TOOLSHED”

10. THE WORLD OF GENESIS:
THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

11. OUR WORLD
&
THE
ANCIENT
NEAR EAST
???

12. THE WORLD OF
GENESIS:
THE ANCIENT
NEAR EAST

14. THE ANCIENT (NEAR EASTERN) WORLDVIEW
• THERE IS NO CONCEPT OF THE « NATURAL » WORLD IN ANCIENT CULTURE.
THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN « NATURAL » AND « SUPERNATURAL » IS A
PRODUCT OF MODERNITY.
• IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, NOTHING HAPPENED INDEPENDENTLY OF DEITY
(GOD/S). THEN AGAIN, (THE) GOD/S WERE NOT SEEN AS « INTERVENING »
IN A WORLD THAT WAS SOMEHOW OUTSIDE THEIR « PROPER
JURISDICTION ». THE ANCIENTS BELIEVED THAT EVERY EVENT WAS THE
ACT OF DEITY. EX: “SING TO THE LORD …HE …MAKES GRASS GROW ON THE
HILLS. HE GIVES TO THE ANIMALS THEIR FOOD, AND TO THE YOUNG
RAVENS WHEN THEY CRY” (PSALM 147.7-9).

15. THE ANCIENT (NEAR EASTERN) WORLDVIEW
• EVEN RAIN WAS UNDERSTOOD AS BEING THE RESULT OF (THE)
GOD’S/S’ HAVING OPENED OR CLOSED THE « WINDOWS OF THE
HEAVENS » (CF. GN. 7.11; 8.2; CF. ALSO GN. 1.6-8; 2.5; 9.11-15)
• THEREFORE, IN THE ANCIENT (BIBLICAL) WORLD, THERE WERE NO
« MIRACLES »; THERE WERE ONLY SIGNS OF (THE) GOD’S/S’
ACTIVITY.
• SINCE THE ADVENT OF MODERNITY, THE HABIT HAS DEVELOPED
AMONG RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS OF SPEAKING OF GOD’S
« MIRACULOUS INTERVENTION » IN NATURE…

16. GENESIS 1
AS ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN (ANE) COSMOLOGY
THE FRAMERS OF CREATION IN THE BIBLE
INHERITED MANY VENERABLE TRADITIONS
FROM THEIR CULTURAL NEIGHBORS.
INSTEAD OF CREATING THEIR ACCOUNTS
FROM NOTHING, THE COMPOSERS OF
SCRIPTURE DEVELOPED THEIR TRADITIONS
IN DIALOGUE WITH SOME OF THE GREAT
TRADITIONS OF THE SURROUNDING
CULTURES, PARTICULARLY THOSE
ORIGINATING FROM MESOPOTAMIA AND
EGYPT, AS WELL AS THE CANAANITES.

17. GENESIS 1 AS ANE COSMOLOGY
THE FIRST CHAPTER OF GENESIS ACCURATELY PRESENTS AN ACCOUNT OF COSMIC
AND HUMAN ORIGINS IN THE LANGUAGE AND IDEAS OF THE ANCIENT HEBREWS.
THIS TEXT SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM ITS ANCIENT CONTEXT AND READ AS
IF IT REFERS TO THE PROCESS OF COSMIC OR HUMAN ORIGINS IN MODERN
SCIENTIFIC TERMS. IT SPEAKS IN TERMS OF AN ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN
PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD, AND SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITHIN THAT
SETTING. WHEN WE DISCERN THE MEANING OF THE TEXT IN ITS ANCIENT
CONTEXT, WE FIND THAT IT CONSTITUTES A WORLDVIEW STATEMENT ABOUT
GOD AND HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD, AND ABOUT HUMANS AND THEIR
RELATION TO GOD AND THE WORLD. THIS BASIC WORLDVIEW STATEMENT
TRANSCENDS ITS ANCIENT CULTURAL SETTING, AND COMMANDS THE ATTENTION
OF GOD’S PEOPLE IN ALL PLACES AND TIMES.

18. GENESIS 1 AS ANE COSMOLOGY
GENESIS 1:1-3: ORDER OUT OF CHAOS
– “BEGINNING” (RESHIT) = “AN UNSPECIFIED
PERIOD OF TIME IN THE PAST”
– “HEAVENS AND EARTH” (SHAMAYIM VAERETZ) =
SKY AND LAND
– “FORMLESS AND VOID” (TOHU VAVOHU) =
‘WILD AND WASTE’; THESE ARE WORDS THAT
REFER TO A DESOLATE, DESERT WASTELAND
(USED IN DEUT. 32:10)
– “DARKNESS, WATERS” = CHAOS, DISORDER
– “LIGHT” = PERIOD OF DAYTIME, NOT “PHOTON”

19. GENESIS 1 AS ANE COSMOLOGY
THE SEVEN DAYS OF GENESIS 1
I. THE DEBATE OVER THE WORD ‘DAY’ IS MOTIVATED
BY AN ASSUMPTION CALLED “CONCORDISM” – THAT
THERE MUST BE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE
NARRATIVE OF GENESIS 1 AND THE MODERN
ACCOUNT OF WORLD ORIGINS. THAT ASSUMPTION
VIOLATES THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN
COMMUNICATION.
II. IN ITS ANCIENT CONTEXT, THE SEVEN-DAY
STRUCTURE COMMUNICATED TO THE ISRAELITE
READERS THAT THE WORLD IS A COSMIC TEMPLE
FROM WHICH THE CREATOR RULES OVER ALL
CREATION.

20. GENESIS 1 AS ANE COSMOLOGY
III. THE SEVEN DAYS ARE PART OF A
LITERARY-ARTISTIC DESIGN: GOD
BRINGS ORDER AND SYMMETRY OUT
OF CHAOS (VV.1-2).
IV. SEVEN DAYS WAS THE DURATION
OF TEMPLE INAUGURATION
CEREMONIES IN ANCIENT ISRAEL AND
CANAAN, AND ISRAEL’S SABBATH
CYCLE COMMEMORATED THAT STORY.
(CF. 1 KINGS 8.65-66 = SOLOMON’S
TEMPLE)

21. GENESIS 1
AS ANE
COSMOLOGY

22. THE “DEMOTION” OF THE SUN
SEVERAL THINGS STRIKE US AS
INCONGRUOUS IN THE GN. 1
ACCOUNT OF CREATION:
DAY 1: LIGHT WITHOUT THE SUN
(V. 3)
DAYS (TIME) WITHOUT THE SUN
(VV. 5, 8, 13)
DAY 3: EARTH AND VEGETATION
WITHOUT THE SUN (VV. 10-12)
THE SUN IS ‘CREATED’ ON DAY 4
(VV. 14-19)

23. THE “DEMOTION” OF THE SUN
IN THE ANE, THE SUN WAS
WORSHIPPED AS A DIVINE BEING
“THE HEAVENS” (I.E. “SKY”) WERE
BELIEVED TO BE THE ABODE OF THE
GODS, AS POSSESSING A KIND OF
OVERALL “DIVINITY”

24. GN. 1 AS A LITERARY MASTERPIECE
• EACH SUCCESSIVE « STEP » OF CREATION CONSISTS OF DIVIDING
THE PREVIOUS « CATEGORY » INTO TWO:
• DAY 1: ALL CREATED THINGS EITHER LACK PLACE OR HAVE PLACE
(LIGHT).
• DAY 2: AMONG THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE PLACE, THEY EITHER LACK
DEFINITE PLACE/NEED TO BE FILLED (SKY, SEA, EARTH) OR HAVE
DEFINITE PLACE (PLANTS).
• DAY 3: AMONG THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE DEFINITE PLACE, THEY
EITHER LACK LOCAL MOTION (PLANTS) OR HAVE LOCAL MOTION (SUN,
MOON, STARS).

25. GN. 1 AS A LITERARY MASTERPIECE
• DAY 4: AMONG THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE LOCAL MOTION,
THEY EITHER LACK LIFE (SUN, MOON, STARS) OR HAVE LIFE
(FISH, BIRDS).
• DAY 5: AMONG THOSE CREATURES THAT HAVE LIFE, THEY ARE
EITHER NONTERRESTRIAL (FISH, BIRDS) OR TERRESTRIAL (LAND
ANIMALS).
• DAY 6: TERRESTRIAL CREATURES ARE EITHER NOT CREATED IN
GOD’S IMAGE (LAND ANIMALS) OR ARE INDEED CREATED IN
GOD’S IMAGE (MANKIND).

26. GN. 1 AS A CREATION ACCOUNT
CHARACTERIZED BY INTELLIGIBLE HIERARCHY
-IN THE HIERARCHY OF CREATION, MANKIND IS AT THE APEX OF
THE CREATED ORDER; MANKIND IS RANKED « ABOVE » THE
« HEAVENS », I.E. MANKIND IS NOT TO EXIST IN A STATE OF
HELPLESS DREAD OF « THE GODS », BUT IS RATHER
COMMISSIONED AS THE VICE-REGENT OF THE CREATOR AND
GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE « STEWARDSHIP »/RULE OF THE
REST OF THE CREATURES.

27. GN. 1 AS A CREATION ACCOUNT
CHARACTERIZED BY INTELLIGIBLE HIERARCHY
-ALSO, THE CREATION IS INTELLIGIBLE TO
MANKIND; I.E. IT IS DESIGNED IN SUCH A
WAY AS TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO HUMAN
UNDERSTANDING. THE CREATION IS
INDEED A MYSTERY, BUT IT IS A MYSTERY
THAT INVITES EXPLORATION…
-THE GN. STORY IS NOT SIMPLY « A TALE
ABOUT THE GODS », BUT IS RATHER AN
ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE
WORLD APPEARS TO THE HUMAN EYE…