Creation (Genesis 1)

Last week, we broached the doctrine of creation by emphasizing the distinctive teaching of Judaism and Christianity: everything that exists comes from the hand of God. While the question of how God created might be open, that all that exists comes from his creative hand is foundational Judaeo-Christian insight.

The accounts of creation are found in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2-3. Note the plural: accounts. Genesis presents two accounts of creation. Genesis 1 situates the creation of man within the larger picture of the creation of the universe. Genesis 2 places the creation of man front and center.

As we said last week, you need to know the literary genre of what you are reading. The first thing you should know is that, appearances aside, the “Book” of Genesis is not a “book” in the modern sense. Modern books are generally written by one author continuously from beginning to end. Biblical books are often composite works edited together from various authors, each of whom had a particular insight to contribute. The ancient editor, unlike a modern one, did not see those differences as “contradictions” to be edited out. They were unique insights that each deserved consideration for its own merits.

Genesis 1 wants to examine the “big picture,” the creation of all that is, including man. A reader is immediately struck by its structure: there are a series of days on which particular works of creation are accomplished. Each day is divided into parts: (i) God said; (ii) it was; (iii) God indicates a purpose; (iv) God sees it “is good”; (v) the day ends. Only Day 6 and Day 7 will step out of that rhythm.

We must not overlook the first sentence. “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth...” That sentence is revolutionary. It affirms the utter dependence of all that exists on God. It recognizes a “beginning, when.” It recognizes God stands apart from that beginning but is its cause. And, as we read on, it's clear that what has come into being is absolutely chaotic: “The earth was without form or shape, and darkness covered the abyss and the spirit of God was moving over the waters...”

God, who gives all this its beginning, immediately starts putting order into things, as if he has a plan. And the very first thing you do when you enter a dark and discombobulated area is: put on the lights!

As we said, Genesis is about the fact that God created, not the process. The sacred author takes the world as he sees and experiences it, not as a scientist might explain it. Clarence Darrow in Inherit the Wind mocks William Jennings Bryan for believing in the creation of light three days before the sun. But when you understand your world by experience, not astronomy, well — cloudy days are brighter than cloudy nights, even if you don’t see the sun (as Bruce Vawter pointed out).

Again, if you’re looking for the Bible to teach you astronomy, you’re looking in the wrong book. If you’re willing to let it teach its message in its way, you might learn something.

My favorite example is an episode of the old TV series, Family Affair. There’s an episode where Buffy asks Uncle Bill, “Where do babies come from?” At first, the question flummoxes him: how much and what does he have to explain to get a biologically accurate picture? But, in the end, he realizes it’s a lot easier.

“Well, you know, you remember your mommy and dad. Well, you know, they loved each other, and when two people really love each other that much, well, God gave them to you.”

Buffy goes to sleep with a smile and Uncle Bill with relief. There’ll come a day when Buffy will learn the biology. But, tonight, the important lesson — that she is loved and wanted — has been taught. Was it dishonest? No.

God puts on the lights (Day 1). Seeing the disorder, he separates the waters (Day 2). If you live in a desert country like Israel, after trekking 40 years through a desert like Sinai, water is pretty important. Some remain on the ground. Some go to the sky to be rain. And, in this aqueous midst, “the dry land” appears (Day 3).

Now that the “compartments” — land, sea, sky — are in place, it’s time for the tenants. The sky receives the “lights in the dome of the sky.” He then specifies the “sun, moon and stars” whose purpose will be to mark time (Day 4).

Day 5 fills the sea with various sea creatures, specifically mentioning “sea monsters” and “winged birds.” Day 6 puts the inhabitants on the land: all kinds of animals, including those that “crawl.”

When the Genesis 1 author mentions specific creatures like the sun, the moon, the sea monsters, the winged birds or the crawling creatures, it’s not accidental. He knew what Israel’s neighbors worshipped, and he cut their idols down to size. Egyptians might worship the sun, Babylonians the moon, but they are things made by God. Egyptians might embalm winged birds in their pyramids, Mesopotamians worship snakes. Again, they are just creatures.

Each day also ends with the ritual affirmation, “God saw it was good.” Mankind has always had a proclivity to regard material creation as somehow evil or tainted. Genesis refutes that. What is are but creatures, but creatures are good. God did not make evil. There is no dualism in the world.

We’ll come back to the rest of Day 6 and Day 7 next week.

Edward Burne-Jones’ ‘Days of Creation’

Genesis 1 is depicted artistically by the Pre-Raphaelite 19th-century British painter, Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898). The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a movement of painters that sought to recover painting traditions, including bright color and detail, from the 14th-century Italian Renaissance, i.e., before Raphael’s mannerism. That included a recovery of the religious. The Pre-Raphaelites were largely a mid-19th-century phenomenon and Burne-Jones was one of their most important representatives.

The drawings you see are actually individual works that Burne-Jones apparently repeated multiple times. You can find one set at the Harvard Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each panel represents a day of creation. Angels (an important element for the pre-Raphaelites) appear in each painting, their number consistent with that of the day. Each holds an orb featuring the key work of creation of that day, e.g., Day 5 depicts birds. Day 6 completes the panels, five angels at the top with one holding an orb containing Adam and Eve, while the sixth angel at the bottom sings God’s praises for creation.

[For a better view of the individual panels, most in color, see here, here, here, here, here and here.]