Genesis 1-2 Cosmogony

There has been much debate over the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 throughout the years and continues today. The reason for this debate is because of the wording of Genesis 1:2 that the “earth was without form and void” (formless and empty). The real debate is the relationship of this verse to Genesis 1:1. When trying to interpret this text or any text in the Bible one must look at the grammar and structure of the passage – the original Hebrew as well as well as principles of hermeneutics to determine which interpretation is the best fit for the text. This essay will evaluate the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2 especially the view known as the Gap theory in determining whether there is any justification for a long gap of time between the two verses (Genesis 1:1&2). This will be done by analyzing the grammatical-syntactical relationship between these two verses.

To study Genesis in terms of its literary and historical content is not to say that we are in any way being irreverent in our reading of this part of the Old Testament. In other words, it is possible to read Genesis in both a spirit of appreciation for its position as the opening exegetical narrative of the Bible and as a document that reflects literary and historical realities and influences during the time when it was being written down. This paper examines some of the contemporary sources that influenced the two sets of writers who recorded the events of Genesis.

The creation of the Earth, human beings, and all that is existent and nonexistent is a topic that has been discussed and pondered as long as time itself. Cosmologies may contrast greatly from region to region, while some cultures’ beliefs run parallel to each other. The Babylonian creation myth detailed in the “Enuma Elis” and one of the Egyptian creation myths narrated in the “Hymn to Aten” outline the culture’s own religious answer to the working of the universe. The “Enuma Elis” follows the story of multiple gods that, when working with and working against each other, create a greater being which ultimately creates human life. The Egyptian “Hymn to Aten” depicts the power of their god and the nature in which their Earth exists. The

Analyzing texts is one of the most fundamental and key parts to drawing conclusions about them. Upon analyzing the two versions of the Prometheus myth and the consequent chapters of Genesis, it is quite clear that how one views each piece is subject to their previous knowledge. Today, it is much easier to read Prometheus objectively. It would generally be safe to assume that no one in proximity is a worshipper of Zeus. Reading Genesis is fairly different. Everyone in North America, and most other parts of the world, have at least a very general idea of what Genesis says, or is believed to say. In this essay, the understanding of differences in texts that should be similar will be explored. Although the two versions of the Prometheus and Genesis should essentially be the same, there are many differences within their respective plots and in the language used that make them contradictory and forces the reader to rely heavily on interpretation to try to combat these inconsistencies.

Often a topic of debate, there are several different takes on the creation story existent in literature. Dependent on one’s religion, different beliefs about how the world we live in was created may arise. Looking deeper into the literature, one will realize there are also many similarities between creation stories. Based on the strong possibility that Genesis was influenced by the Enuma Elish, there are similarities that stem from the fact that they both describe the creation of a new world as well as differences in their interpretations and approaches to creationism.

Did you know that religious texts are some of our most important documents in history serving as an idea of past. And two famous texts are The first chapter of Genesis and “Creation of Hymn”. These two documents are very similar than they are different, even though they are from different origins. The style, narration, and tone are very different in both texts, but there is a couple of things that they are in common. The idea of emptiness, the description and establishment of darkness, the setting of water, and the origin life.

Evolutions of civilizations can occur because of differences in people’s religion, culture, or geographic setting of the settlement. The relationship between the world of the gods and that of men was perceived differently by the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrew ancient civilizations. This is demonstrated by the way each group viewed the process of creation. They had different thoughts on the creation of their gods, the universe and of man. This essay will discuss the relationship between humans and their gods in three different ancient civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew.

Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *

The symbolic world views of how the world was created can be described through the cosmogonies of Genesis and the Laws of Manu. It is through these theories that one can learn how the universe came into existence. Many individuals consider a certain religion to be their ultimate realm of reality, and it is within religion that these symbolic world views come into play. The cosmogony of Genesis began along a sacred history of time where god created merely by speaking. In contrast, the Laws of Manu involve creation through thought. In Genesis, there is only one god and in Laws of Manu there is more than one god. Both cosmogonies have many similarities as they have

Creation in Ancient Egyptian religion can be much different than the creation account taken from The Bible. Genesis has a set description of “The Beginning” while there are several different versions and variations in Egyptian mythology. The versions range from a “one god” myth (Ptah; see picture) to the more common creator out of Nun, which in itself has several derivations.

Since the beginning of time, societies have created stories to explain the mystery of the origin of man and the universe. In the Babylonian text, Enuma Elish and the book of Genesis-which originated in the same part of the world-one finds two very different stories about the creation of man. These two creation stories contrast the two societies that created them: the chaotic lives of servitude of the Babylonians and the lives of the recently freed Jewish people.

While reading Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, topics about the world and how it was created are discussed. According to Genesis, Earth along with all creation was created in just 7 days, each day corresponding to a new creation (for instance, day 1 God created water). However, in Genesis 2, creation is discussed very nonchalantly and not seeming so step by step compared to Genesis 1. Although there are clear similarities between the two, there are but also many differences. The first major difference between Genesis 1 and 2 is found on the first two pages.

History: Walton begins the chapter with the “rediscovery of Egypt which began in the eighteenth century AD and of Mesopotamia in the mid nineteenth century AD.” There were discoveries of tens of thousands of texts that were excavated, translated and studied. Many of these tablets and texts did coincide with the Bible. Walton outlines comparative study which is the study that attempts to understand things when compared to their broader cultural context. The goal in this case is to understand the Old Testament compared to the ANE. There have

The Book of Genesis is a compilation, and like every compilation it has a wide variety of contributors who, in turn, have their individual influence upon the final work. It is no surprise, then, that there exist certain parallels between the Theogony, the cosmogony of the early Greeks, and the Book of Genesis, the first part of the Pentateuch section of the Bible. In fact, arguments may be made that the extent of this 'borrowing', as it were, is not limited to Genesis; the Theogony has its own roots in Greek mythology, predating the Book of Genesis by a thousand years. A superficial examination of this evidence would erroneously lead one to believe that Genesis is somewhat a collection of older mythology

World behind the text Historical context The Genesis creation narrative is about the creation myth of both Christianity and Judaism. The opening chapter of the Bible says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” . This shows the commotion which was about to happen in the close future, as we are able to learn from the passage that the earth was shapeless, dark and empty, and God’s spirit was galvanised over the waters planning to implement God’s artistic word.