The creation stories in Genesis

Comparing Genesis with the theory of evolution

Quotations showing three different interpretations of the Bible:
Bible inerrancy: "We teach that God has created heaven and earth, and that in the manner and in the space of time recorded in the Holy Scriptures, especially Gen. 1 and 2, namely, by His almighty creative word, and in six days. We reject every doctrine which denies or limits the work of creation as taught in Scripture....Since no man was present when it pleased God to create the world, we must look for a reliable account of creation to God's own record, found in God's own book, the Bible...." Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod's doctrine of creation; adopted 1932. 1 Bible accurate on morality, salvation, etc.: "The Bible is not a science text; the scientific method was unknown in biblical times. ...The purposes of religion and science are completely different. Science seeks to describe, explain, and predict. The Bible tries to tell the purpose of creation, and to point the way to morality, righteousness, and salvation. It should not be surprising that their methods are different and even incompatible." David F. Beck 2 Bible not a scientific document: "Looking in the Bible for a scientific account of origins is like looking in the phone directory for a recipe for angel cake." Tom Harpur 3

References to Creation:
There are many apparent references in the Bible to the creation process: The First Creation Story; Genesis 1:1 to 2:3: Historical Christianity taught that the entire Pentateuch -- the five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy -- was written by Moses. Most Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christians continue to follow this belief. Most liberal and mainline theologians and religious skeptics accept the Documentary Hypothesis: that the Pentateuch was written by a number of authors from four different traditions, and who imported some material from nearby Pagan sources. The Hypothesis asserts that the author of the creation story seen in the first verses of the Bible was an anonymous 6th Century BCE writer or group of writers of the priestly tradition (often referred to as "P"). Creation is described in Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 as occurring in six "days": Day 1: creation of light and its separation from darkness. Day 2: separation of the sky and oceans. Day 3: separation of land from the oceans; spreading of plants and grass and trees across the land. Day 4: Creation of the sun, moon, and stars.

Day 5: Creation of sea animals and birds. Day 6: Creation of the land animals. Creation of humanity, "someone like ourselves" (Living Bible). Day 7: God rested. Followers of the Documentary Hypothesis believe this to have been a later addition, 4 placed there to give theological justification for the Sabbath (Saturday as a day of rest). This sequence does contain some problems. Light was listed as being created on day 1, but its source (the sun and stars) did not appear until day 4. Most creation scientists, who generally support the literal interpretation of this creation story, have a solution to this puzzle. Many say that light initially came from God, before he created the sun and stars. Birds were said to be created before other land animals. Paleontologists, who almost universally support the theory of evolution, point out that the fossil record shows the opposite order. Creation scientists discount this belief. Most regard the rock layers containing the fossil record as having been laid down during the flood of Noah; thus, the fossils do not represent the evolution of the species of animals and birds. The most controversial debate over this creation story relates to its time span. Genesis 1 and 2 explain how Creation of Earth's life forms, the Earth itself, and the rest of the universe took six days. Supporters of the theory of evolution find evidence for a universe that has been evolving for about 14 billion years. The Second Creation Story; Genesis 2:4 to 2:25: This is a different description of the creation of earth's life forms. Most mainline and liberal biblical researchers attribute this section to "J," a writer who lived in the 9th century BCE (some say 10th century; others say after the Babylonian exile). Again, religious conservatives trace the authorship to Moses, and generally believe that this is a simple restatement of the earlier creation story. The author of Genesis 2 writes that at first, there were no plants or grain present, because God had not yet sent rain. God made Adam out of earth; this is a belief common to many early Pagan religions in the Middle East. God created plants and herbs, Adam, the Garden of Eden, trees, birds and animals God performed the first surgical operation, removing a rib from Adam and transforming it into the first woman, Eve. Conflicts between the creation stories: There are some apparent inconsistencies between the first and second creation accounts: There may be a conflict over the number of days over which creation happened. Genesis 1:3 and subsequent verses say that God created the universe in six days. In Genesis 2:4, some translations, including the King James Version, imply that it took one day. More details In the first account, God created fruit trees before Adam and Eve; in the second account, God created Adam, then the fruit trees, then Eve.

In the first account, God created animals before Adam and Eve; in the second account, God created Adam. then the animals, then Eve. Genesis 1:20 describes how God had "the waters bring forth ...fowl" ; in Genesis 2:19, God formed them "out of the ground". In the first account, God created the fish on the 5th day; in the second account, the fish of the sea were not created at all. Religious conservatives feel that they they have harmonized these apparent inconsistencies. Exodus 20:11 This verse also refers to creation; it is described as taking six days. Exodus 31:17 God made the heavens and earth in six days. Job 38:4 to 38:7 The creation of the earth is described as occurring on a single morning "when the morning stars sang together." Creation battle: Many ancient eastern Mediterranean religions believed that the creation of the world was the end result of a momentous battle between a deity (typically a storm god) with chaos (typically symbolized by water). Some biblical scholars believe that traces of this belief can be seen in Psalms 74:12-17 and Psalms 89:9-13. Elements of this, with the violence removed, may also be seen in Genesis 1:1 to 2:3. Psalms 19:4 This describes how God placed a tabernacle (tent) in the heavens for the sun. Presumably, this is where the sun was believed to rest during the hours of night. (The writers of the Bible assumed that the earth was flat, enclosed by a rigid dome a few thousand feet upwards from the surface of the earth. The sun and stars were believed to have been pushed across the underside surface of heaven). Psalms 104:2 to 104:3 This tells how God stretched out the heavens like a curtain and laid the beams of his chambers in the waters (seas). Psalms 104:5 This discusses how God laid the earth firmly on its foundations so that it could not be moved. Biblical writers believed that the earth was fixed and unmovable. The stars, planets, moon and sun moved across the underside of the rigid dome, above which was heaven. Some early scientists were executed by the Church because they taught that the earth moved around the sun, in apparent conflict with this biblical passage. Proverbs 8:22 to 8:32 This describes how God first created Wisdom. Wisdom is personified as a delightful female companion of God who existed before the earth was created. She describes being present during creation, which took an indeterminate time.

Comparison of 1st creation story with the theory of evolution:

There are many discrepancies between the first creation story (derived from the Bible) and evolutionary theory (derived from astronomical observations, the fossil records, radiometric dating of rocks, etc.): Item Source Sun Grass, land plants, trees First forms of life Birds Fruit Trees Initial diet of animals Age of the universe Age of the world Age of earliest life forms Where humans came from According to Genesis Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 Created after the world Created before the sun Land plants Created before land animals Created before fish Restricted to plants Less than 10,000 years Less than 10,000 years Less than 10,000 years Created from dirt According to Evolution Theory Paleontologists, Biologists, Astronomers, etc. Present before world coalesces Evolved after the sun Marine organisms Evolved from land animals Evolved after fish Animals evolved as meat, plant eaters, and omnivores. Over 10 billion years About 4.5 billion years About 3.5 billion years Evolved; higher apes and Homo Sapiens share a common ancestor

Comparison of 1st Creation Story with Babylonian Creation Story

The Babylonian creation story is called by its first two words "Enuma Elish." According to archaeologists, it was originally written circa 1120 BCE. It was discovered in 1875 CE. It bears many points of similarity to the first creation story in the Bible: 1 Item Source Date of writing (liberal belief) Date of writing (conservative belief) Author (liberal belief) Author (conservative belief) Creator(s) of the universe Initial state of the earth Ancient Israelite Story Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 8th or 9th century BCE 13th century BCE, the time of Moses "P," authors of the Priestly tradition. Moses. A single God, YHVH. Desolate waste; covered in Babylonian Creation Story Enuma Elish Late 12th century BCE Late 12th century BCE. Unknown. Unknown. A God battling a Goddess. Chaos; enveloped in darkness.

First development Next development Next development Next development Next development Final development

darkness. Light created. Firmament created - a rigid dome over the earth separating the earth and heaven. Dry land created. Sun, moon, stars created. Creation of men and women. God rests and sanctify the Sabbath.

Light created. Firmament created; also perceived as a rigid dome. Dry land created. Sun, moon, stars created. Creation of men and women. Gods rest and celebrate.

The many points of similarity between the two traditions is conclusive proof that one story was derived from the other (or that both were derived from a still older original). According to liberal theologians, the Babylonian account of creation was written in the 12th century BCE, centuries earlier than the Biblical account. According to conservative Christian theologians, the opposite happened: the Babylonian account was written after the Biblical account.

Biblical Interpretation
These Biblical passages can be interpreted in many ways: Many Evangelical and essentially all Fundamentalist Christians believe that the authors of the Bible were inspired by God, and that their text is inerrant (without error). Most interpret the Bible literally, unless otherwise indicated. Most follow creation science and regard the "day" in the first two chapters of Genesis as referring to 24 hour intervals. Many mainline Christians interpret Biblical passages as God's revelations to the ancient Israelites. They were adequate for their understanding in that era, but which are not to be taken as scientific descriptions. "The Bible is considered the 'fallible human rendering of divine inspiration'." 2 Many Agnostics, Atheists, liberal Christians, Humanists, secularists, and others look upon these creation passages as being beautiful myths which were attempts by a pre-scientific society to understand their environment. Some find poetic and spiritual significance in most of the hundreds of creation stories taught by the world's faith groups.

A possible reference in the Bible to evolution of the species:

One visitor to this web site suggested that the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contains "a pretty good statement of evolutionary theory" -- at least it

is as written in the language that would be understandable to ancient Hebrews who lived in a prescientific culture. The visitor's interpretation seems to most closely match the beliefs of theistic evolution, in which God takes an active role in guiding evolution: Verse 1: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Each species evolved from earlier life forms and lived for a season. Most then became extinct. Verse 11: "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." God guided the natural forces of nature to guide the evolution of each new species in their time. But nobody can determine the precise sequence of the evolution of species because there remain many gaps in the fossil record. Verse 14: "I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." As God guided evolution and each new species appeared, the influence of that life form influenced subsequent species. God was in full charge of the process. Verse 15: "That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past." Present species evolved from past life forms. Future species will evolve from present life forms. Verse 18: "I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts." Present-day humans evolved from earlier species of mammals. Verse 19 - 21: "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" " We all share the same fate as the other mammals from whom we evolved; we all return to dust. Verse 22: "Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?" Humans alive today will not see the new species that will evolve from homo sapiens. Other visitors suggest that there is no evidence of evolution of the species here. The passage seems totally grounded in the cycles of life shared by humans and other animals.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
1. Gary Locklair, "Doctrine of Creation," 2004-JAN, at: http://www.cs.cuw.edu/ 2. David Beck, "The Bible: A true and accurate account of creation? Summary," Coalition

for Excellence in Science and Math Education, 1998-APR-13, at: http://www.cesamenm.org/ 3. Tom Harpur, "Creationist arguments are damaging to Christianity," The Toronto Star, 2005-FEB-19, Page L11. 4. H.C. Kee, et al, "The Cambridge Companion to the Bible", Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, (1997), Page 45 to 46