Difference between revisions of "Genesis"

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The book of the Bible dealing with the creation of the Earth. This book is fundemental to the entire study of Creation Science. This is the begining of Genesis:
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[[Image:Creation of the sun.JPG|right|thumb|350px|''[[Creation]] of the Sun'', by [[Michelangelo]]]]
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'''Genesis''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: "birth", "origin") is the "book of beginnings" and the first book of the [[Bible]] written by [[Moses]].<ref>Genesis is also the first book of the [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[Torah]]. The Hebrew for Genesis is בראשית.</ref>  ''Genesis'' recounts the beginning of the [[universe]], living things including [[homo sapiens|mankind]], and [[Society|social]]/[[Culture|cultural]] formations.  ''Genesis'' promises the coming [[Jesus Christ|Redeemer]] and explains modern scientific phenomena, such as [[quantum mechanics]] (creation was from chaos) and the dichotomy between light and matter (created on different days). ''Genesis'' is a wellspring of [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]], such as inducing anesthesia/deep sleep for an operation ({{bible ref|Genesis|2|21}}) and setting maximum lifespan at 120 years.<ref>''See'' {{bibleref|Genesis|6|3}} ("120 years"). Despite modern medicine and technology, the oldest persons live nearly 120 years but not more. There is only one disputed, highly doubtful case of anyone living a bit longer.</ref>  '''''Genesis answers many questions about life and the universe'''''.
  
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'''1:1''' In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
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There are many dozens of references to ''Genesis'' in the [[New Testament]], including direct quotations by [[Jesus]].  Many books, movies and plays (e.g., ''[[East of Eden]]'' and ''[[Hamlet]]'') draw upon Genesis and particularly its [[paradise]].  Rock groups, too, such as "[[Genesis (band)|Genesis]]" itself.
  
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'''1:2''' And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
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The Hebrew word for God is plural, and the creation of man was by a plural form of God ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|26}}: "And God said, 'Let '''us''' make man in '''our''' image, after '''our''' likeness'").  The meaning of the plural form was not fully understood until the emergence of Christianity and the acceptance of the [[Holy Trinity]].<ref>http://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-plural-nouns-pronouns-verbs-adverbs.htm</ref> The Book of Genesis also contains a wonderful Theophany of the Three Divine Persons appearing to men in visible forms, that of the Three Persons in {{bible ref|Genesis|18}}.<ref>It is said the Lord God appeared to Abraham, then that he perceived The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity as Three Men. He adored Them And yet spoke to Three Persons as to One Lord God, and thus the Holy Bible here clearly demonstrates that the Holy Trinity is One Lord God. Gen 18:1: "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,3 And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:"
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<br>In the Eastern Liturgies, it is commonly taken for granted that this was a Theophany (a visible manifestation of the invisible God). For e.g "God in Three Persons appeared to Abraham at the oak of Mambre, and through mercy he was given as reward for his hospitality Isaac. That God we now glorify him as God of our Fathers." Octoechos, Sunday, Tone 3, Midnight Office, Ode 7. [https://www.academia.edu/13190369/The_Early_Christian_Reception_of_Genesis_18_From_Theophany_to_Trinitarian_Symbolism]</ref>
  
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'''1:3''' And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
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Genesis is intended to be interpreted as a plain historical narrative, which [[liberal denial]] pretends is merely poetry or figurative.<ref>Multiple references:
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*Johnson, James J.S. (2011). [https://www.icr.org/article/genesis-history-poetry-exposing-hidden/ Genesis Is History, Not Poetry: Exposing Hidden Assumptions about What Hebrew Poetry Is and Is Not]. ''Institute for Creation Research'' (from ''Acts & Facts''. 40 (6): 8-9). Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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*Sarfati, Jonathan (April 2015). [https://creation.com/genesis-is-history Genesis is history!]. ''Creation Ministries International'' (from ''Creation'' 37(2):50–52). Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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*Batten, Don; Catchpoole, David; Sarfati, Jonathan D.; Wieland, Carl (November 30, 2007). [https://creation.com/is-genesis-poetry-figurative-a-theological-argument-polemic-and-thus-not-history Is Genesis poetry / figurative, a theological argument (polemic) and thus not history?] ''Creation Ministries International''. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
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*Turpin, Simon (May 2, 2016). [https://answersingenesis.org/hermeneutics/is-genesis-1-literal-literalism-or-literalistic/ Is Genesis 1 Literal, Literalism, or Literalistic?] ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved January 18, 2018.</ref>
  
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'''1:4''' And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
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==Name==
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The [[Hebrews]] had called the first book of [[Moses]] by the name of ''bereisheet'', meaning "in the beginning", based on the three words that start Genesis.  The [[Septuagint]], the ancient Greek-language translation of the [[Old Testament]], rendered this title under the name ''he biblos geneseos'', from which came the current title of ''Genesis'', meaning "origin".<ref>Unger, 1966, p.396</ref>
  
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'''1:5''' And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
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==Overview==
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The fifty chapters of the book of Genesis can be divided into two parts: the early, ancient history of man from the [[Creation]] to the fall of the [[Tower of Babel]] (Genesis 1-11), and the Patriarchal History of Israel from [[Abraham]] and his son [[Isaac]], grandson [[Jacob]], and Jacob's sons, primarily [[Joseph]] (Genesis 12-50), although there is a continuous genealogy connecting both parts.
  
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'''1:6''' And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
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===The Creation===
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''For more detailed treatments, see [[creation week]], [[creation story]], and [[Biblical creation account]].''
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[[File:Creation of Adam.jpg|thumbnail|400px|right|[[Michelangelo]]'s ''[[Creation]] of [[Adam]]'']]
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''In the beginning, God [[creation|created]] the [[heaven]]s and earth''.  This is one of the most famous statements in the Bible, and it starts the account of God's creation.  Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 involved the first seven days in history:<ref>Not all Christians accept that the days were literal days.  See also [[Creation Week]], [[Gap theory]], and [[Old Earth Creationism]].</ref>
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*The first day, the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and light ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|1-5}}).
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*The second day, the creation of a "firmament" or ''expanse'', separating the waters ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|6-8}}).
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*The third day, the creation of dry earth and plant life ({{Bible ref|Genesis|1|9-13}}).
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*The fourth day, the creation of the Sun, the moon, and the stars, to mark the seasons ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|14-19}}).
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*The fifth day, the creation of the creatures of the sea and the fowl of the air ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|20-23}}).
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*The sixth day, the creation of the animals of the land, and the creation of Man ({{bible ref|Genesis|1|24-31}}).
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*The seventh day, on which God rested from his task of creating ({{bible ref|Genesis|2|1-3}}).
  
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'''1:7''' And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
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The rest of chapter 2 through to the end of chapter 4 tell the story of Adam and Eve, the [[Garden of Eden]], and Adam and Steve's sons [[Cain]], [[Abel]], and [[Seth]].
  
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'''1:8''' And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
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The fall of mankind into [[sin]] began when the serpent questioned one of God's commands, namely not to eat of the [[tree of knowledge of good and evil]], and convinced Eve to eat the fruit, followed by [[Adam]]. The result of disobeying this command resulted in the driving away of Adam and Eve from the Garden to live a life of subsistence farming, and eventually dying. Eve was additionally cursed with painful childbearing, and to be subservient to Adam. All of these curses were also applied to Adam and Eve's descendants.  {{bible ref|Genesis|3|15}} is cited as being the first reference to the coming [[Messiah]].
  
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'''1:9''' And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
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Chapter 5 is a chronogenealogy from Adam to [[Noah]] and his sons.
  
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'''1:10''' And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
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===The Flood===
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Chapters 6 to 9 tell the story of the [[great flood]].
  
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'''1:11''' And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
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The wickedness of mankind becomes so great that God 'repents' of His creation and decides to destroy it all through a [[flood]].  Only Noah is righteous before God, and He instructs Noah to build an [[Noah's Ark|ark]] to carry himself, his family, and pairs of every creature on earth and in the air.  God then destroys the earth with [[water]], the ark riding the waves until the waters abate and it comes to rest at the mountains of [[Ararat]].  God makes a promise never to destroy the earth by flood again, and shows Noah the sign of that covenant, a [[rainbow]].
  
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'''1:12''' And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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Noah is also the first planter of a vineyard, and during a drunken sleep one of his sons ([[Ham (son of Noah)|Ham]]) sees him naked.  Noah awakes with the knowledge as to what he had done, and places a curse upon Ham's son Canaan, declaring that Canaan and his descendants would be slaves to his brothers [[Shem]] and [[Japheth]].  All three sons would have their names and their descendants listed on the [[Table of Nations]], which is contained in chapter 10.
  
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'''1:13''' And the evening and the morning were the third day.
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Some people argue that the flood account was taken from ancient Babylonian legends. This claim, however popular, is anachronistic. There are two proposed dates for the time Genesis was written, around 1440 BC and somewhere from 539 to 424 BC. The reason the claim that the Genesis flood narrative was taken from Babylonian legends is anachronistic are as follows:
  
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'''1:14''' And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
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If the older date is correct, this means that Genesis was written over eight centuries before the Hebrews made any contact with Babylon that had the potential for Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. Since Genesis was written too early to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings, it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism.
  
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'''1:15''' And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
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If, however, the newer date is correct, this means that Genesis was written after Babylon had been conquered by Persia. Any Babylonian culture and influence would be uprooted and replaced with the Achaemenid Persian culture and influence. Since Genesis was written after the Babylonian culture and influence had been replaced with Achaemenid Persian culture and influence, it was written too late to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. Since Genesis was written too late to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings, it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism.
  
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'''1:16''' And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
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Therefore, if the earlier date is correct, then Genesis was written before any contact with Babylon and too early to have been affected by Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. This means that it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism. If the later date is correct, then Genesis was written after the Babylonian culture and influence had been replaced by Persian culture and influence and too late to have been affected by Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. This means that it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism. Either way, the claim that the Genesis flood account was taken from Babylonian legends is an anachronism. Since a statement cannot be both true and anachronistic at the same time, and the claim that the Genesis flood story was taken from Babylonian legends is anachronistic, it therefore cannot be true.
  
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'''1:17''' And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
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===Abraham===
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[[Image:abraham_sacrificing_isaac.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Abraham Sacrificing Isaac'' by Rembrandt]]
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''See also:'' [[Abraham]]
  
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'''1:18''' And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
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Chapters 11 to 23 and the start of chapter 25 tell the story of Abram
  
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'''1:19''' And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
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Abram leaves the city of [[Ur]] with his wife, Sarai, on a journey towards [[Canaan]], where God has shown him what He was going to do: "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."
  
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'''1:20''' And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
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Sarai, being unable to have children, tells Abram to take [[Hagar]], his [[Egypt]]ian maid, as his [[wife]]. Hagar becomes pregnant with [[Ishmael]], and God makes a promise that the child will be "a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man's hand against him," with descendants beyond number.
  
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'''1:21''' And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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God also makes a covenant with Abram: Abram will have many descendants as well as possession of the land of Canaan. Abram's name is changed to "[[Abraham]]”, and Sarai becomes "[[Sarah]]." A sign of the new covenant is the [[circumcision]] of all males. Abraham is also told that Sarah will bear a son who will be named [[Isaac]], and it is through Isaac and his descendants that the covenant will be established; although Ishmael is to be a great nation, he is left out of God’s covenant.
  
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'''1:22''' And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
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Two [[angel]]s appeared to Abraham and told him that Sarah, barren for years, will bear a son.  They also tell him that the wickedness of the cities of [[Sodom]] and [[Gomorrah]] is very great, and God will shortly punish them.
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Abraham asks if the cities can be spared if so much as ten righteous men are found inside.
  
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'''1:23''' And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
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The two angels are received by Abraham's nephew [[Lot]], much to the consternation of the townspeople who surround the house and demand sexual acts with the strangers.
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The townspeople are blinded, and the angels warn Lot and his family to flee immediately for the mountains and never look back.  Both Sodom and Gomorrah are consumed by [[fire]] and [[brimstone]].
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Lot’s wife turns back to look and is turned into a pillar of salt.
  
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'''1:24''' And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
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Sarah gives birth to Isaac, and at her insistence demands that Hagar and Ishmael be driven into the wilderness. While Ishmael is near dying, an angel speaks to Hagar and promises that God will not forget them, and will make the descendants of Ishmael a great nation.
  
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'''1:25''' And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
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God puts [[Abraham]] to the test by demanding the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham sets out to obey God by carrying out is request.
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But just as he is about to thrust the knife into Isaac, God restrains him and promises descendants beyond numbering.  Abraham dies later, "full of years", and is laid to rest in the Tomb of Machpelah in [[Hebron]], which he had purchased shortly before as a place of rest for Sarah.
  
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'''1:26''' And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
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===Isaac and Jacob===
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Isaac had prayed to God that He would give his wife [[Rebekah]] a child, even though Rebekah was unable to get [[pregnancy|pregnant]].  God grants Isaac's request, and Rebekah gives birth to the twins [[Esau]] and [[Jacob]]
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However, prior to the birth, God predicted division between the two, with the elder serving the younger.  Esau, the elder, despised his own birthright and sold it to Jacob for a bowl of red porridge, allowing Jacob to enter his father’s tent and deceitfully take the blessing intended for Esau.  He flees to [[Haran]], the home of his uncle [[Laban]].  Along the way, he has a dream of a ladder to Heaven, where God tells him of prosperity for himself and his descendants.  Jacob names the spot [[Bethel]] in commemoration.
  
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'''1:27''' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
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Jacob had two wives, [[Leah]] and [[Rachel]], and two [[concubine]]s, [[Zilpah]] (Leah's handmaid), and [[Bilhah]] (Rachel's handmaid).  Together they bore Jacob twelve sons:
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*From Leah: [[Reuben]], [[Simeon]], [[Levi]], [[Judah]], [[Issachar]], [[Zebulun]].
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*From Rachel: [[Joseph]], [[Benjamin]].
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*From Zilpah: [[Gad]], [[Asher]].
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*From Bilhah: [[Dan]], [[Naphtali]].
  
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'''1:28''' And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
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===Joseph===
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Joseph was Jacob's favorite son and was given a special colorful [[coat]], which provoked jealousy in his brothers, who were also angered by Joseph's dreams indicating his brothers would bow down before him.
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So his brothers took the opportunity one day to sell him into [[slavery]] and claim to a distraught Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal.
  
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'''1:29''' And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
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His ability to explain [[dream]]s while a slave in Egypt came to the attention of [[Pharaoh]], who was troubled by a dream of seven skinny [[cattle|cows]] and withered stalks of [[corn]] which ate seven fat cows and healthy stalks of corn.  Joseph interpreted the dream as that of Egypt going through seven years of plentiful [[harvest]]s, followed by seven years of severe [[famine]], and followed it up by recommending that Pharaoh appoint a wise man over Egypt to ensure enough is collected and stored during the plentiful years to act as a hedge against the years of famine.  Pharaoh responds by appointing Joseph himself to this position.
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seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,
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During the famine "all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth."
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in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it
 
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shall be for meat.
 
  
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'''1:30''' And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air,and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
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Jacob, not knowing Joseph was still alive, sent his sons to buy [[grain]] in Egypt. The brothers appeared before Joseph, but did not recognize him. Joseph however, recognized them, and after a series of tests that convinced Joseph their characters had changed, revealed himself to them, convinced them that what happened in the past was God’s plan, and told them to bring Jacob and their families to live in Egypt.
  
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'''1:31''' And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
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Genesis ends with the blessing of Jacob’s children, his death, and the death of Joseph, who exhorts his brothers to carry his bones to the [[Promised Land]] when they eventually reach there.
  
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'''2:1''' Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
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== Authorship ==
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[[File:Prophet Moses.jpg|right|thumbnail|300px|[[Moses]] lead the Israelites out of [[Egypt]].]]
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''See also [[Genesis authorship]]''.
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<br>Biblical tradition within and without the [[Old Testament]], [[Jesus]] in the [[New Testament]], as well as extra-Biblical writers such as [[Josephus]], [[Origen]], the early church fathers and many others, have claimed [[Moses]] as the author of Genesis, written during the time of the [[Hebrew]] wanderings in the Wilderness, between 1440-1400 B.C.  Certainly, Moses was able to have written Genesis in Hebrew, [[Akkadian]], or Egyptian.  He was well-educated and trained in the Egyptian court.  [[Archaeology]] demonstrates that such a man would have had the education necessary to accomplish this during that time in history.<ref>Unger, pp. 35-35</ref>
  
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'''2:2''' And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
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The higher critical view is that [[Moses]] did not write Genesis.  Some biblical scholars identified five separate authors of the five "books of Moses."<ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_tora.htm Who Wrote The Pentateuch, The Five Books of Moses?]</ref><ref>[http://lectionary.org/EXEG-English/OT/EOT01-Gen/Authorship-Genesis%20&%20Pentateuch.html Introduction to Genesis & the Pentateuch]</ref> This idea is called the ''Documentary Hypothesis''. Although unidentified, each of these authors has been given the name of a letter:
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* J who calls God ''YHWH'' (the ''Jehovist'' account), and who possibly wrote in the south of [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], written c. 850 B.C.
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* E who uses ''Elohim'' ('the gods', 'the spirits') as God's name, and possibly wrote in [[Ephraim]], written c. 750 B.C.
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* D who wrote the book of [[Deuteronomy]], about 650 B.C.
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* P who wrote an alternate history in what was called the ''Priestly Code'', about 550 B.C.
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* R who joined the writings of J, E, D and P to form a single work.
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**(Though recent Scholarship has moved toward a four-source hypothesis, with the Priestly writer functioning as the final contributor and editor.)
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Under this hypothesis, looking at the Creation story
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* Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 were written by P.
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* Genesis 2:4 was written by R
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* Genesis 2:5 through 4:26 were written by J.
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This idea has gained popularity among critics since it was first proposed in the late 19th century.  However, it is inevitably a product of modern rationalistic research and the application of literary criteria. Opponents of this research point to the fact that it is difficult to reconcile with the historical, miraculous, and prophetic elements which they claim to be basic to the first five books of the Bible.<ref>Unger, p. 397; Young, pp. 183-276</ref>
  
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'''2:3''' And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
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== See also ==
  
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'''2:4''' These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
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*[[Pentateuch]]
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*[[Sistine Chapel]]
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*[[Dead Sea Scrolls]]
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*[[Midrash]] for the treatment in Jewish literature of the offering by Abraham of his son Isaac.
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*For the rock band Genesis, please see [[Genesis (band)]]
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*[[Genesis (Translated)]]
  
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'''2:5''' And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
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== External links ==
  
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'''2:6''' But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
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*[https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-genesis/ Guide to the Book of Genesis], Bible Project
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*[https://www.bibleref.com/Genesis/index.html Genesis], Bibleref.com (Study material)
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*[https://answersingenesis.org/genesis/ Book of Genesis], [[Answers in Genesis]] ministry
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*[https://creation.com/genesis-the-seedbed-of-all-christian-doctrine Genesis—the seedbed of all Christian doctrine], [[Creation Ministries International]]
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*[http://www.creationapologetics.org/table.html Table of Nations chart]
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*[http://www.creationapologetics.org/creation.html Creation timeline]
  
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'''2:7''' And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
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==References==
  
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2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
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<references/>
  
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'''2:9''' And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
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==Sources==
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*Holy Bible, King James Version (''Thompson Chain Reference''), B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co. Indianapolis, IN 1982.
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*Unger, Merril F. ''Unger's Bible Dictionary'', Moody Press, Chicago, IL 1966.
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*Unger, Merril F. ''Unger's Bible Handbook'', Moody Press, Chicago, IL 1967.
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*Young, Edward J. ''Introduction to the Old Testament'', W.B. Eardmans Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, MI 1949.
  
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'''(Genesis 1:1-31 and 2:1-9)'''
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{{Old Testament Books}}
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[[Category:Old Testament Books| 1]]
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[[Category:Book of Genesis| ]]
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[[Category:Featured articles]]

Latest revision as of 20:03, July 30, 2025

Creation of the Sun, by Michelangelo

Genesis (Greek: "birth", "origin") is the "book of beginnings" and the first book of the Bible written by Moses.[1] Genesis recounts the beginning of the universe, living things including mankind, and social/cultural formations. Genesis promises the coming Redeemer and explains modern scientific phenomena, such as quantum mechanics (creation was from chaos) and the dichotomy between light and matter (created on different days). Genesis is a wellspring of Biblical scientific foreknowledge, such as inducing anesthesia/deep sleep for an operation (Genesis 2:21 ) and setting maximum lifespan at 120 years.[2] Genesis answers many questions about life and the universe.

There are many dozens of references to Genesis in the New Testament, including direct quotations by Jesus. Many books, movies and plays (e.g., East of Eden and Hamlet) draw upon Genesis and particularly its paradise. Rock groups, too, such as "Genesis" itself.

The Hebrew word for God is plural, and the creation of man was by a plural form of God (Genesis 1:26 : "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'"). The meaning of the plural form was not fully understood until the emergence of Christianity and the acceptance of the Holy Trinity.[3] The Book of Genesis also contains a wonderful Theophany of the Three Divine Persons appearing to men in visible forms, that of the Three Persons in Genesis 18 .[4]

Genesis is intended to be interpreted as a plain historical narrative, which liberal denial pretends is merely poetry or figurative.[5]

Name

The Hebrews had called the first book of Moses by the name of bereisheet, meaning "in the beginning", based on the three words that start Genesis. The Septuagint, the ancient Greek-language translation of the Old Testament, rendered this title under the name he biblos geneseos, from which came the current title of Genesis, meaning "origin".[6]

Overview

The fifty chapters of the book of Genesis can be divided into two parts: the early, ancient history of man from the Creation to the fall of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 1-11), and the Patriarchal History of Israel from Abraham and his son Isaac, grandson Jacob, and Jacob's sons, primarily Joseph (Genesis 12-50), although there is a continuous genealogy connecting both parts.

The Creation

For more detailed treatments, see creation week, creation story, and Biblical creation account.

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. This is one of the most famous statements in the Bible, and it starts the account of God's creation. Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 involved the first seven days in history:[7]

  • The first day, the creation of the heavens and the Earth, and light (Genesis 1:1-5 ).
  • The second day, the creation of a "firmament" or expanse, separating the waters (Genesis 1:6-8 ).
  • The third day, the creation of dry earth and plant life (Genesis 1:9-13 ).
  • The fourth day, the creation of the Sun, the moon, and the stars, to mark the seasons (Genesis 1:14-19 ).
  • The fifth day, the creation of the creatures of the sea and the fowl of the air (Genesis 1:20-23 ).
  • The sixth day, the creation of the animals of the land, and the creation of Man (Genesis 1:24-31 ).
  • The seventh day, on which God rested from his task of creating (Genesis 2:1-3 ).

The rest of chapter 2 through to the end of chapter 4 tell the story of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Steve's sons Cain, Abel, and Seth.

The fall of mankind into sin began when the serpent questioned one of God's commands, namely not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and convinced Eve to eat the fruit, followed by Adam. The result of disobeying this command resulted in the driving away of Adam and Eve from the Garden to live a life of subsistence farming, and eventually dying. Eve was additionally cursed with painful childbearing, and to be subservient to Adam. All of these curses were also applied to Adam and Eve's descendants. Genesis 3:15 is cited as being the first reference to the coming Messiah.

Chapter 5 is a chronogenealogy from Adam to Noah and his sons.

The Flood

Chapters 6 to 9 tell the story of the great flood.

The wickedness of mankind becomes so great that God 'repents' of His creation and decides to destroy it all through a flood. Only Noah is righteous before God, and He instructs Noah to build an ark to carry himself, his family, and pairs of every creature on earth and in the air. God then destroys the earth with water, the ark riding the waves until the waters abate and it comes to rest at the mountains of Ararat. God makes a promise never to destroy the earth by flood again, and shows Noah the sign of that covenant, a rainbow.

Noah is also the first planter of a vineyard, and during a drunken sleep one of his sons (Ham) sees him naked. Noah awakes with the knowledge as to what he had done, and places a curse upon Ham's son Canaan, declaring that Canaan and his descendants would be slaves to his brothers Shem and Japheth. All three sons would have their names and their descendants listed on the Table of Nations, which is contained in chapter 10.

Some people argue that the flood account was taken from ancient Babylonian legends. This claim, however popular, is anachronistic. There are two proposed dates for the time Genesis was written, around 1440 BC and somewhere from 539 to 424 BC. The reason the claim that the Genesis flood narrative was taken from Babylonian legends is anachronistic are as follows:

If the older date is correct, this means that Genesis was written over eight centuries before the Hebrews made any contact with Babylon that had the potential for Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. Since Genesis was written too early to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings, it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism.

If, however, the newer date is correct, this means that Genesis was written after Babylon had been conquered by Persia. Any Babylonian culture and influence would be uprooted and replaced with the Achaemenid Persian culture and influence. Since Genesis was written after the Babylonian culture and influence had been replaced with Achaemenid Persian culture and influence, it was written too late to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. Since Genesis was written too late to have been affected by any Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings, it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism.

Therefore, if the earlier date is correct, then Genesis was written before any contact with Babylon and too early to have been affected by Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. This means that it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism. If the later date is correct, then Genesis was written after the Babylonian culture and influence had been replaced by Persian culture and influence and too late to have been affected by Babylonian influence on Hebrew writings. This means that it could not have been taken from Babylonian legends, and the claim that it did is an anachronism. Either way, the claim that the Genesis flood account was taken from Babylonian legends is an anachronism. Since a statement cannot be both true and anachronistic at the same time, and the claim that the Genesis flood story was taken from Babylonian legends is anachronistic, it therefore cannot be true.

Abraham

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac by Rembrandt

See also: Abraham

Chapters 11 to 23 and the start of chapter 25 tell the story of Abram

Abram leaves the city of Ur with his wife, Sarai, on a journey towards Canaan, where God has shown him what He was going to do: "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."

Sarai, being unable to have children, tells Abram to take Hagar, his Egyptian maid, as his wife. Hagar becomes pregnant with Ishmael, and God makes a promise that the child will be "a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man's hand against him," with descendants beyond number.

God also makes a covenant with Abram: Abram will have many descendants as well as possession of the land of Canaan. Abram's name is changed to "Abraham”, and Sarai becomes "Sarah." A sign of the new covenant is the circumcision of all males. Abraham is also told that Sarah will bear a son who will be named Isaac, and it is through Isaac and his descendants that the covenant will be established; although Ishmael is to be a great nation, he is left out of God’s covenant.

Two angels appeared to Abraham and told him that Sarah, barren for years, will bear a son. They also tell him that the wickedness of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is very great, and God will shortly punish them. Abraham asks if the cities can be spared if so much as ten righteous men are found inside.

The two angels are received by Abraham's nephew Lot, much to the consternation of the townspeople who surround the house and demand sexual acts with the strangers. The townspeople are blinded, and the angels warn Lot and his family to flee immediately for the mountains and never look back. Both Sodom and Gomorrah are consumed by fire and brimstone. Lot’s wife turns back to look and is turned into a pillar of salt.

Sarah gives birth to Isaac, and at her insistence demands that Hagar and Ishmael be driven into the wilderness. While Ishmael is near dying, an angel speaks to Hagar and promises that God will not forget them, and will make the descendants of Ishmael a great nation.

God puts Abraham to the test by demanding the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham sets out to obey God by carrying out is request. But just as he is about to thrust the knife into Isaac, God restrains him and promises descendants beyond numbering. Abraham dies later, "full of years", and is laid to rest in the Tomb of Machpelah in Hebron, which he had purchased shortly before as a place of rest for Sarah.

Isaac and Jacob

Isaac had prayed to God that He would give his wife Rebekah a child, even though Rebekah was unable to get pregnant. God grants Isaac's request, and Rebekah gives birth to the twins Esau and Jacob However, prior to the birth, God predicted division between the two, with the elder serving the younger. Esau, the elder, despised his own birthright and sold it to Jacob for a bowl of red porridge, allowing Jacob to enter his father’s tent and deceitfully take the blessing intended for Esau. He flees to Haran, the home of his uncle Laban. Along the way, he has a dream of a ladder to Heaven, where God tells him of prosperity for himself and his descendants. Jacob names the spot Bethel in commemoration.

Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel, and two concubines, Zilpah (Leah's handmaid), and Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid). Together they bore Jacob twelve sons:

Joseph

Joseph was Jacob's favorite son and was given a special colorful coat, which provoked jealousy in his brothers, who were also angered by Joseph's dreams indicating his brothers would bow down before him. So his brothers took the opportunity one day to sell him into slavery and claim to a distraught Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal.

His ability to explain dreams while a slave in Egypt came to the attention of Pharaoh, who was troubled by a dream of seven skinny cows and withered stalks of corn which ate seven fat cows and healthy stalks of corn. Joseph interpreted the dream as that of Egypt going through seven years of plentiful harvests, followed by seven years of severe famine, and followed it up by recommending that Pharaoh appoint a wise man over Egypt to ensure enough is collected and stored during the plentiful years to act as a hedge against the years of famine. Pharaoh responds by appointing Joseph himself to this position. During the famine "all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth."

Jacob, not knowing Joseph was still alive, sent his sons to buy grain in Egypt. The brothers appeared before Joseph, but did not recognize him. Joseph however, recognized them, and after a series of tests that convinced Joseph their characters had changed, revealed himself to them, convinced them that what happened in the past was God’s plan, and told them to bring Jacob and their families to live in Egypt.

Genesis ends with the blessing of Jacob’s children, his death, and the death of Joseph, who exhorts his brothers to carry his bones to the Promised Land when they eventually reach there.

Authorship

Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

See also Genesis authorship.
Biblical tradition within and without the Old Testament, Jesus in the New Testament, as well as extra-Biblical writers such as Josephus, Origen, the early church fathers and many others, have claimed Moses as the author of Genesis, written during the time of the Hebrew wanderings in the Wilderness, between 1440-1400 B.C. Certainly, Moses was able to have written Genesis in Hebrew, Akkadian, or Egyptian. He was well-educated and trained in the Egyptian court. Archaeology demonstrates that such a man would have had the education necessary to accomplish this during that time in history.[8]

The higher critical view is that Moses did not write Genesis. Some biblical scholars identified five separate authors of the five "books of Moses."[9][10] This idea is called the Documentary Hypothesis. Although unidentified, each of these authors has been given the name of a letter:

  • J who calls God YHWH (the Jehovist account), and who possibly wrote in the south of Judah, written c. 850 B.C.
  • E who uses Elohim ('the gods', 'the spirits') as God's name, and possibly wrote in Ephraim, written c. 750 B.C.
  • D who wrote the book of Deuteronomy, about 650 B.C.
  • P who wrote an alternate history in what was called the Priestly Code, about 550 B.C.
  • R who joined the writings of J, E, D and P to form a single work.
    • (Though recent Scholarship has moved toward a four-source hypothesis, with the Priestly writer functioning as the final contributor and editor.)

Under this hypothesis, looking at the Creation story

  • Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 were written by P.
  • Genesis 2:4 was written by R
  • Genesis 2:5 through 4:26 were written by J.

This idea has gained popularity among critics since it was first proposed in the late 19th century. However, it is inevitably a product of modern rationalistic research and the application of literary criteria. Opponents of this research point to the fact that it is difficult to reconcile with the historical, miraculous, and prophetic elements which they claim to be basic to the first five books of the Bible.[11]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Genesis is also the first book of the Jewish Torah. The Hebrew for Genesis is בראשית.
  2. ↑ See Genesis 6:3 ("120 years"). Despite modern medicine and technology, the oldest persons live nearly 120 years but not more. There is only one disputed, highly doubtful case of anyone living a bit longer.
  3. ↑ http://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-plural-nouns-pronouns-verbs-adverbs.htm
  4. ↑ It is said the Lord God appeared to Abraham, then that he perceived The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity as Three Men. He adored Them And yet spoke to Three Persons as to One Lord God, and thus the Holy Bible here clearly demonstrates that the Holy Trinity is One Lord God. Gen 18:1: "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,3 And said, My LORD, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:"
    In the Eastern Liturgies, it is commonly taken for granted that this was a Theophany (a visible manifestation of the invisible God). For e.g "God in Three Persons appeared to Abraham at the oak of Mambre, and through mercy he was given as reward for his hospitality Isaac. That God we now glorify him as God of our Fathers." Octoechos, Sunday, Tone 3, Midnight Office, Ode 7. [1]
  5. ↑ Multiple references:
  6. ↑ Unger, 1966, p.396
  7. ↑ Not all Christians accept that the days were literal days. See also Creation Week, Gap theory, and Old Earth Creationism.
  8. ↑ Unger, pp. 35-35
  9. ↑ Who Wrote The Pentateuch, The Five Books of Moses?
  10. ↑ Introduction to Genesis & the Pentateuch
  11. ↑ Unger, p. 397; Young, pp. 183-276

Sources

  • Holy Bible, King James Version (Thompson Chain Reference), B.B. Kirkbride Bible Co. Indianapolis, IN 1982.
  • Unger, Merril F. Unger's Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, IL 1966.
  • Unger, Merril F. Unger's Bible Handbook, Moody Press, Chicago, IL 1967.
  • Young, Edward J. Introduction to the Old Testament, W.B. Eardmans Pub. Co. Grand Rapids, MI 1949.


v • d • e
Books of the Old Testament
Pentateuch (Torah)
History
Wisdom Literature
Major Prophets
Minor Prophets
Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi
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