Genesis 1 In the Beginning …

Genesis 1 – The First Creation Story In the Beginning Before the Beginning (ex nihilo versus ex materia) The Process Creation by Fiat (the 1st Day) Genesis 1:6-8 (2nd Day) Genesis 1:9-13 (3rd Day)

Genesis 1 – The First Creation Story The Importance of Separation Genesis 1:14-19 Day 4 - The First Inhabitants Genesis 1:20-23 Day 5 - The Second Inhabitants Genesis 1:24-31 Day 6 – The Third Inhabitants The Creation Story and Dovetailing into Dietary Restrictions Genesis 2:1-4a The 7th Day

The Creation Story #1 In the Beginning … Read Psalm 136 Read Genesis 1:1-2 Note the following: Darkness Formless void (Chaos; no order, no structure) Seas (Powerful, destructive, merciless, undrinkable!) All Near East universal symbols of evil The JSP version uses “wind” versus “spirit”

The Creation Story #1

Before the Beginning (ex nihilo versus ex materia) Early Jews did not believe in ex nihilo Ex materia provides an answer to the Problem of Evil (God off the hook) Ex nihilo began with 2nd century patristics fathers Finds it’s maturity in Augustine’s Confessions (4th century) Hebrews 11:3, Revelations 4:11 have been interpreted ex nihilo Ex nihilo solves some problems (but creates new ones)

Before the Beginning (ex nihilo versus ex materia)

1138-1204

Before the Beginning (ex nihilo versus ex materia) Read John 17:24, John 17:5, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:20, and Titus 1:2 Even w/ ex nihilo the Trinity existed (more later) Christ, with His glory, was loved by the Father before “in the beginning” Choices were made before “in the beginning”, implying fore thought and free will

The Process Jewish rabbis have never supported 7 day – 24 hour version Focus will be on in socio-cultural contextual meaning How would an ancient Hebrew understood the text? How does the text support their view of the world and their place in it?

Genesis 1:3-5 (the first day)

Genesis 1:3-5 (the first day) Note several things: Creation by “fiat” The action of “separation” (more later) Deals with a symbol of evil (darkness)

Creation by fiat Read Psalm 33:6 & 9; Hebrews 11:3; 2 Peter 3:5 (the word of God) The Big Bang provides little help (where did that come from?) Read Psalm 148:5 – The reason to praise God Read 2 Peter 3:7

Genesis 1:6-8 (the second day)

Genesis 1:6-8 Deals with another second symbol of evil (seas) Note the attempt to “de-mythologize” the text (seas versus sea) The action of “separation” (again)

Genesis 1:9-13 (the third day)

Genesis 1:9-13 Note the following: The last symbol of evil (formless & void) has now been replaced with order and structure This structure consists of places (habitats) for things to go. Accomplished in 3 days (symbolizing perfection) Having dealt with all symbols of Evil, God issues His first “it was good” statement

The Importance of Separation Separation is key distinction in Jewish culture Illustrated in the Creation of Heaven and Earth Illustrated in the Creation of the Hebrew Nation

The Importance of Separation Separation is key distinction in Jewish culture Illustrated in the Creation of Heaven and Earth Illustrated in the Creation of the Hebrew Nation Illustrated in the Creation of the Tabernacle

Genesis 1:14-19 Now God begins to place inhabitants into the habitats

Genesis 1:14-19 (the fourth day) The Hebrews had words for “sun” and “moon”. Why not use them?

Genesis 1:14-19 (the fourth day) The writer is “de-mythologizing” the text The Canaanite words “sun” and “moon’ referred to the associated pagan gods The terms “greater light” and “lesser light” played on the phrase “Let there be light” (literary tool)

Genesis 1:20-23 (the fifth day)

Genesis 1:20-23 (the fifth day) The writer continues “de-mythologizing” the text The Canaanite word “sea” refers to the associated pagan god, so the plural is used

Genesis 1:24-31 (the sixth day) This portion has a two-part execution

Genesis 1:24-31 (the sixth day) Part 1

Genesis 1:24-31 (the sixth day) Part 2

Genesis 1:24-31 (the sixth day) Several things to note: Pluralization of the God Polytheistic issues? (probably not, given the demythologizing) Trinitarian reference (Christian) The “royal we” (King Lear – Act 1, Scene 4) Angels (Jewish)

Genesis 1:24-31 (the sixth day) Several things to note: Pluralization of the gods A vegetarian diet for everyone (1:30-31) Installing inhabitants takes another perfect 3 days

The Creation Story and Dovetailing into Dietary Restrictions (Leviticus 11) The creation of habitats and installing inhabitants is the basis for dietary laws. No plants were declared unclean (not even mushrooms) General Rule for Animals If it clearly fit into a habitat it was clean. It supported the function of separation If it clearly did NOT fit into a habitat it was unclean

The Creation Story and Dovetailing into Dietary Restrictions (Leviticus 11) Examples: Land animals – Cloven hoofs and chew cud Cows (possess both; clean) Pigs (cloven hoofs, but don’t chew cud; unclean) Camels, rabbits (chew cud, but no cloven hoofs; unclean) Water animals – scales & fins (Lev. 10:11; Deut. 14:10) Fish – (possess both; clean) Eels & shellfish (no scales; unclean) Air animals – Two wings for flying (clean) Pelicans/gulls live on both land & water; unclean) Insects (fly & have many-legged operate in two spheres; unclean) Insects [“hoppers” (Ex. locusts, grasshoppers); clean (Deut. 11:21-31)]

The Creation Story and Dovetailing into Dietary Restrictions (Leviticus 11) The major principle is separation The Israelites are to be distinctive Clean animals (for eating and worship sacrifices) fit CLEANLY into God’s created habitats Health concerns were not a issue – that would have made no sense to an ancient Hebrew Note that carnivorous animals are universally excluded (they shed blood)

Genesis 2:1-3 (the seventh day)

Genesis 2:1-4a (the seventh day) Note the following: The awkward chapter break (Stephen Langton, in the 12th century) The use of the word Sabbath is avoided (demythologizing) Sabbath = Saturday = name of god Saturn Allows use of Day 7 signifying perfection and completeness (both spiritual and physical) The 7th Day is now separated from the rest of the week by being Holy

Genesis 2:1-3 (the seventh day) Note the following: God sanctifies TIME Unique in the ancient world Other cultures had sacred places (mountains, rivers, cities, etc.) While the Jews later incorporated sacred spaces, God’s initial act of creation was sacred time God is a God of history (a record of the activities of God)

Discussion Questions Do you think creation was wholly completed by the seventh day? Or is creation ongoing? Never- ending?

Discussion Questions If creation was about God imposing order on chaos, what do you think the balance of chaos and order in our world today? When do you think of your own life as a struggle to make order out of chaos?

Discussion Questions Do we – God’s final creations, the only ones formed in God’s own image – have a role to play in helping to impose order on chaos? Or is everything in God’s hands?

Discussion Questions How does human creativity relate to divine creativity? In the arts? In business? In raising a family?

Discussion Questions One author suggests that the Sabbath is “an antidote to the enormous anxiety we have about the fragility of the world”. What, if anything, do you think you might gain by setting the Sabbath apart?

Discussion Questions To Jews, holiness is based on separation (social, physical, etc). Do we as modern 21st Protestants adhere to this principle?

Discussion Questions How important is the discussion of ex nihilo versus ex materia?