Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. Stefan M Wilson. A short summary of this paper. Still others would hold that the biblical creation narrative was derived from the writings of the surrounding nations in ancient times and is not historical fact but is instead a mere conglomeration of myths.
While the purpose of this paper is not to determine the scientific or historic fact of the creation narrative, it is important to mention that these areas of scholarship would benefit from the thesis of this paper. If the creation account of the Bible is merely a derivative of other ancient cultures, it is not to be considered authoritative.
However, if it is found to be unique in and of itself, it must be taken seriously by the academic world as an independent entity that explains the origins of life. This paper will address the creation narrative in the Bible and will survey the creation theology developed throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. It will then address the writings of the Ancient Near East nations that surrounded Israel at the time the biblical creation account was transcribed.
Both the similarities and differences between the creation accounts of the Bible and the Ancient Near East writings will be addressed. This paper will show that the biblical creation account is unique as developed throughout the Bible and is not derived from other Ancient Near East sources. This is a grave mistake and misunderstanding of the implications of the notion that the biblical account is derived from the neighboring nations of the Israelites at the time that the Pentateuch Genesis-Deuteronomy in the Old Testament was penned.
Not only does the uniqueness of the creation account matter within the Christian community, it also matters for the purpose of scholarship in both anthropological and scientific circles. Of first importance is how the uniqueness of the biblical narrative regarding creation affects the rest of Scripture.
Within the context of modern Christianity, the creation account and subsequent chapters Gen. It is within the beginnings of mankind that one finds the fall of man, the fallout of the entrance of sin into the world, and the need for a savior. Without an understanding of the creation account, created order, and the intended purpose of all creation, one would miss the point of the rest of the biblical narrative, specifically, that "in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself" 2 Corinthians ESV , since as a result of the fall " For the creation was subjected to futility For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now" Romans There must be a framework on which to base the reconciliation of creation to God.
Second, the legitimacy of the details within the biblical creation account are significant within the academic community as well. If the details of the account were borrowed from, influenced by, or mere copies of myths from other Ancient Near East nations, the biblical account would have to be challenged in light of the nature of the mythology that had influenced Hebrew thought.
For those in the fields of biology and geology, much depends on the legitimacy of the creation account found in Scripture as well. Within the secular geological and biological communities, various secular theories regarding the origin of life and matter are widely accepted as the explanation of the origins of the Earth and life on Earth, respectively. However, these theories require the existence of something tangible that led to the creation of everything else without the direct influence of an intelligent creator.
The pagan cultures, much like the modern scientific community, imply that there never was a time when matter did not exist. Conversely, the creation theology of the Bible holds that God created the world ex nihilio Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing".
This detail is specific to the 1 Gleason Archer Jr. Chicago: Moody Press, , The first of those terms is that of the biblical creation account, or any variation of that term, which refers to the creation account found in Scripture. For the purposes of this paper, reference to the biblical creation account will refer to the account described in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis.
This account details the beginnings of the form of the earth and all that inhabits the earth plants, animals, people, etc. It should be noted that the creation account as a whole contains two separate accounts: 1 the creation account of all creation, including man and woman Gen.
Both will be discussed in this paper. A second term that should be understood is that of the Ancient Near East. When discussing the surrounding nations of the Israelites at the time the Pentateuch was written, the common nomenclature used for the collective group of nations is the Ancient Near East.
These nations include those of the Mesopotamian region of the ancient world such as the Sumerians, Akkaians, and Babylonians, while also giving consideration to the Egyptians and Canaanites. From these nations, especially those of the Mesopotamian region, come many of the myths that are associated with the biblical creation account with regard to similarities and origin. The concept of myth is a difficult one to define due to the varied use of the term. Within ancient writings, myth often referred to stories about the gods, but the biblical creation account cannot be compared to these as there are not multiple gods to be found within the account and it is arguably as much a story of the beginnings of humanity as it is a story of God himself.
It will be made clear that the creation account in the Hebrew scriptures was important to the Israelites as a people and to their understanding of the God whom they worshipped. Due to length requirements it will not be the function of this paper to explain in scrutinous detail every verse regarding creation in the Bible. Instead, this paper seeks to point out those elements that are crucial to the biblical understanding of the creation account as explained in Genesis and as developed throughout the rest of the Bible.
Bruce Waltke postulates that this verse functions as a summary statement of the narrative that is to follow which details the first creation account. Later in the book of Isaiah, God says, "everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" Is. This opening verse of Scripture, though brief, reveals the unique character of the God of the Bible: he is autonomous and all-powerful.
Additionally, God is not, as mentioned above, multiple gods. In fact, he is One Deuteronomy He is without beginning, thus there is no need to speculate where he had his origins. Though not explicitly stated, the idea of God creating the heavens and the earth ex nihilio is evident in verse 1. The Hebrew word translated "created" Heb. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" Gen. Multiple questions arise as to the state of reality within the context of this verse.
This verse is the first mention following the section summary statement of v. There exists no land, animals, celestial bodies, etc. One finds that there is matter existing, however it is "formless" and "void. One can only see that this is the starting point from which the creation narrative begins detailing how God created the heavens and earth through further creative acts.
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. The implications of these words are two-fold. First, it is crucial to understand that God did not use that which already existed, nor did he struggle with might and resources to create anything.
Instead, God merely spoke and that which he named came into existence. Creation was not a test of will or a battle against chaos for God; God is all-powerful and nothing is difficult for Him. In fact, those very forces are created by God. Second, the fact that God spoke all creation into existence indicates something about the nature of God: he is personal having thoughts and omniscient there is no limit to his knowledge of all things. Bruce Waltke gives insight into this when he writes, Placing word before event implies that the cosmos is created according to the plan of one God, a God who thinks and organizes freely according to his own sovereign pleasure.
It rejects the idea that God is an impersonal force without rational cogitation and debunks the mythic idea that the different parts of the world are emanations of deities. Though creation is not part of [God], it depends on him and is bound to him by his word. This central concept to the nature of the God of the Bible is a key distinction in contrast to the various pagan gods in the time of Israel and will be discussed further later in this paper.
It is not until after the fall of mankind in ch. With regard to the creation of mankind, it is important to pause and observe some theologically significant details in the text. It is no accident that God would speak in the plural, but not in the sense that one might think. This is not a reference to multiple gods having a part in creation. Within the context, it is possible that God is speaking to the heavenly court that surrounds his throne.
Early Christians held to this belief as it is mentioned in various texts from the earliest centuries after Christ. Also, nowhere in Scripture is God said to have a physical form like a man. Instead, image seems to refer to the life that is in mankind, life that was breathed by God and fills the first man from his first breath Gen.
A human being is a person, created by a personal God and possessing feelings, emotions, and desires that are not extended to any other living creature. No other being is given this command except the one which bears the image of God. Man is effectively given authority over the land to subdue it, signifying a transfer of responsibility from God to man for the management of the earth. A survey of the account shows that all that was created had what was necessary for its existence already in place.
One finds in reverse order that mankind was created v. Livestock, land creatures, birds, and sea creatures were only created once land was separated from the waters v. Nothing was made until light and dark, day and night v. Wheaton: Crossway, , Therefore, one can infer that creation was acted out by God in such a way as to provide for and ensure the proper function of all created things in the appropriate order. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
The answer as to why he ceased is evident in the text: because it was finished. The seventh day is the only day in the account that is blessed and set apart as holy and it is the only day in the account in which evening and morning are not mentioned.
This should be seen as significant because in the biblical creation account there is an entire day in which no creation took place, yet it is still considered part of the story of creation. Moving on to the second creation account Gen.
The creation event of mankind in the context of the macro-creation process is found in chapter and is then detailed more in the second account referenced above. In the second account, the process of creating man is revealed. One reads that there was no one to work the land in which plants and life would grow v. The Hebrew bara is used again to convey divine creation from that which previously did not exist.
A unique feature in the account of the creation of mankind is found between the created man, Adam, and his wife, Eve. Scripture says that Adam was given the task of naming all of the animals Gen and God brought them to Adam to aid him in completing this task. However, there was not a suitable helper to be found among all the living creatures. What one finds in this narrative is that the purpose of human relationship is companionship, especially within marriage.
This is evident by the fact that the goodness of the creation of mankind is only seen once man has a suitable mate, a woman Gen. Without a female counterpart, the maleness of Adam would have no meaning or purpose. He acted out of his own power and will, speaking most of creation into existence from nothing. He breathed the breath of life into that which he formed out of matter that already existed, creating life out of nothing aside from himself.
With regard to mankind, he professed that man and woman were to be made in his image, setting them apart from the rest of creation and entrusting them with an extension of his authority. It will be 17 Routledge, Old Testament Theology, This up-to-date revision of a classic work draws on the latest archaeological and linguistic research to fill in the historical realities behind the great stories of the Bible.
Shows striking parallels in the foundational stories told in the Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Hebrew cultures of the time. Leading evangelical scholar John Walton surveys the cultural context of the ancient Near East, bringing insight to the interpretation of specific Old Testament passages. This new edition of a top-selling textbook has been thoroughly updated and revised throughout to reflect the refined thinking of a mature scholar.
It includes over 30 illustrations. Students and pastors who want to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament will find this a helpful and instructive study. Presented in this volume is a collection of the shorter writings of one of the more innovative scholars working on the relationship between the writings of the Hebrew Bible and its ancient Near East context.
Tracing parallels between biblical accounts and pagan cultures of the ancient Near East, Niehaus explores creation and flood narratives; literary and legal forms; and the acts of deities and the God of the Bible. He reveals not just cultural similarities but spiritual dimensions of common thought and practice, providing an overarching view of the story of the Bible. Comprehensive, up-to-date collection of primary source documents creation accounts, epic literature, etc.
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