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Genesis
1. Title
The Title in the Hebrew Bible of Pentateuch came from the first word or words in the book. The Hebrew word "in the beginning" is beresit. English title "Genesis," came from Latin Vulgate which came from the Septuagint translation (Greek translation of O.T 300 yearsB.C.). "Genesis" is a transliteration of Greek , geneseos that translates the Hebrew toledot. This Hebrew word is the key word in identifying the structure of Genesis, and translators have rendered it "account" or "generations" (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2).
2. Date
Many Christians from science believe the earth is millions of years old and human race hundreds of thousands year ago, and understand Scripture in the light of these scientific statements. Most evangelicals who interpret bible literally because of genealogies (Gen 5:10,11) which they understand to be open believe that the earth is not much older than 10, years. A smaller group of evangelicals believes that the genealogies are either "closed" (i.e., complete) therefore the creation of the world and man was about 6,000 years ago. Liberal interpreters have placed the date of composition of Genesis much later than Moses' lifetime. If one accepts Mosaic authorshi p, the date of composition of Genesis must be within Moses' lifetime (ca. 1525-1405 B.C.). This book was perhaps originally intended to encourage the Israelites to trust in their faithful, omnipotent God as they anticipated entrance into the Promised Land from Kadesh Barnea or from the Plains of Moab.
3. Writer
The Pentateuch is an anonymous work. However, the Books do give indications of Moses as its writer: He was ordered to write historical facts (Ex 17:14; Num 33:1-2), laws (Ex 24:4, 7; 34:27ff) and one poem (Deut 31:9, 22) Further, Moses is affirmed as author in the rest of the OT (Joshua 1:7-8; 8:32, 34; 22:5; 1 Ki 2:3; 2 Ki 14:6;21:8; Ezra 6:18; Dan 9:11-13; Mal 4:4)and the NT referred to Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (Matt 19:18; Mark 12:26; Luke 2:22; 16:29; 24: 27; John 5:46-47; 7:19; Acts 13:39; Rom 10:5) In Conclusion, Moses was testified to be the author of the whole Pentateuch in a unanimous way in the Talmud and the church Fathers. What about higher criticism? The aim of higher criticism is to determine the date, authorship, composition and/or unity of the literary works in the Old Testament. Philosophically higher criticism de veloped out of the Rationalism of Spinoza (1670) who rejected inspiration and special revelation. The "documentary hypothesis," which developed from his work, is that Moses did not write the Pentateuch, as most scholars in Judaism and the church until that day believed. Instead, it was the product of several writers who lived much later than Moses. A redactor (editor) or redactors combined these several documents into the form we have now. These documents (J, E, D, P, and others) represent a Yahwistic tradition, an Elohistic tradition, a Deuteronomic tradition, a Priestly tradition, etc. A major difficult with this approach is that it overlooks literary styles and techniques used in narration (e.g., the use of duplications to communicate sovereignty, the use of divine names to teach theology et cetera)
4. Scope
The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1—11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12—50). The history of the patriarchs recorded in this second main division of the text covers a period of about 300 years. The scope of the book progressively and consistently narrows. The selection of content included in Genesis points to the purpose of the divine author: to reveal the history of and basic principles involved in God's relationship with people.
5. Purpose
Genesis provides the historical basis for rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1 —11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12—50 record the covenant and its initial outworking. The Abrahamic Covenant continues to be the basic arrangement by which God operates in dealing with humanity throughout the Pentateuch and the rest of the Bible. Genesis provides an indispensable prologue to the drama that un folds in Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch. The first 11 chapters constitute a prologue to the prologue.
6. Theology
The subject matter of the theology in Genesis is certainly God's work in establishing Israel as the means of blessing the families of the earth. This book forms the introduction to the Pentateuch's main theme of the founding of the theocracy, that is, the rule of God over all Creation. It presents the origins behind the founding of the theocracy: the promised blessing that Abraham's descendants would be in the land. Genesis introduces the reader to the nature of God as the sovereign Lord over the universe that will move heaven and earth to establish His will. He seeks to bless mankind, but does not tolerate disobedience and unbelief. Throughout this revelation the reader learns that 'without faith it is impossible to please God' (Heb. 11:6).
7. Message
The message of the Bible might be the best place to begin our study of the Old Testament. What is the Bible all about? We could state it as follows: God desires to glorify Himself by blessing humankind. The message of the Pentateuch (Torah) is that people can experience God's blessing by trusting Him (believing His word) and by obeying Him (following His initiative). Genesis is in the Bible primarily to teach us this lesson. People can enjoy a personal relationship with God and thereby realize their own fulfillment as human beings only through trust in God and obedience to God. This is the message statement. Genesis reveals that God is faithful to His promises and powerful enough to bring them to fulfillment. Four main things: 1. Genesis reveals that God originally intended people to have an immediate relationship with their Creator. Evidences for this are as follows. 1. God made man as a special creation (2:7). 2. He made man with special care (2:7). 3. He made man in His own image (1:26-27). 4. He regarded man as His son (1:28-30). 5. He consistently demonstrated concern for man's welfare (3:9). God's immediate relationship with Adam was broken by the Fall (ch. 3). In the Fall man did two things: 1. He failed to trust God's goodness with his mind. 2. He rebelled against God's government with his will (3:6).
2. God then took the initiative to re-establish the relationship with man that He had created man to enjoy. He provided a covering for man's sin until He would finally remove it. This temporary covering came through the sacrificial system. Throughout Genesis we see that people in general consistently failed to trust and obey God (e.g., in Noah's day, at Babel, in the patriarchal period). Genesis also records what God has done to encourage people to trust and obey Him. It is only by living by these two principles that people can enjoy a relationship with God and realize all that God created them to experience.
- Genesis reveals much about the person and work of God. This revelation helps us trust and obey Him. It is through His personal revelations to the main characters in Genesis that God revealed Himself initially (e.g., Adam and Eve, Noah, the patriarchs). On the other hand, Genesis reveals much about the nature of man. Not only did God reveal the perversity of man, but He also identified positive examples of faith and obedience in the lives of the godly. 4. In Genesis we learn that faith in God is absolutely essential if we are to have fellowship with Him and realize our potential as hu man beings. Faith is the law of life. If one lives by faith he flourishes, but if he does not, he fails. The four patriarchs are primarily examples of what faith is and how it manifests itself:
- Abraham's faith demonstrates unquestioning obedience. God revealed himself to Abraham and each time Abraham's response was unquestioning obedience.
- Isaac's faith helps us see the quality of passive acceptance that characterizes true faith in God. This was his response to God's two revelations to him.
- Jacob's story is one of conflict with God until he came to realize his own limitations. Then he trusted God. We can see hi s faith in his acknowledged dependence on God. God's seven revelations to him eventually led him to this position.
- Joseph's life teaches us what God can do with a person who trusts Him consistently in the face of adversity. The outstanding characteristic of Joseph's life was his faithful loyalty to God. He believed God's two revelations to him in dreams even though God's will did not seem to be working out as he thought it would. Patient faith and its reward shine through the story of Joseph. Faith, the key concept in Genesis, means trusting that what God has prescribed is indeed best for me and waiting for God to provide what He has promised. A person of faith is one who commits to acting on this basis even though he or she may not see how it is best. The Pentateuch is all about God, man, and our relationship. In our study of it, we will be building a model to show how each new book builds on what has preceded. The key concept in Genesis is faith.
Genesis
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:
“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed” Genesis 12:
Focus
Four Great Events
Four Great People
D I V I S I O N S
Creation
Fall
Flood
Nations
Abraham
Isaac Jacob
Joseph
T
O
P
I
C
Primeval
History
Patriarchal History
Beginning of
The Human Race
Beginning of the Hebrew Race
Locations
East
(Eden to Ur)
West
(Canaan to Egypt)
Time
2, 000 + Years
(20% of Genesis)
About 286 Years
(80% of Genesis)
Genesis contains the plot of the Bible in germinal form and holds the roots of every key biblical topic. It moves through a whole series of beginnings but has no finality. Genesis answers many of the basic questions of life: Where did everything come from? How did man get here? Why is there pain and evil in the world? Behind it all, God is assumed from the beginning. This book is not a history of man so much as the first chapter in the history of the redemption of man. As such, Genesis is a highly selective spiritual interpretation of history. The 10- fold appearance of the phrase “the book of the generations” divides it into 10 sections, but its division into four great events (1-11) and four great people (12-50) is even more basic.
Four Great Events: Genesis 1-11 lays the foundation upon which the whole Bible is built. Because they are so crucial, these 11 chapters have been attached more than any other section of Scripture. (1) Creation: God is the sovereign Creator of matter, energy, space and time. Man is the pinnacle of the creation in Genesis 1-2. (2) Fall: Creation is followed by corruption. In the first sin man was separated from God, and in the second sin (Cain and Abel) man was separated from man. In spite of the devastating curse of the fall, God promised hope of redemption through the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). (3) Flood: As man multiplied, sin also multiplied until God was compelled to destroy humanity with the exception of Noah and his family. (4) Nations: Genesis teaches the unity of the human race – we are all children of Adam through Noah. Because of the rebellion at the Tower of Babel, God fragmented the single culture and language of the post-flood world and scattered people over the face of the earth. These chapters portray darkness and spiritual hopelessness.
Four Great People: Now that the nations are scattered, God focuses on one man and his descendants through whom He would bless all nations (Genesis 12-50). (1) Abraham: The calling of Abraham in Genesis 12 is the pivotal point of the book. The three covenant promises God made to Abraham (land, descendants, and blessing) are foundational to His program of bringing salvation upon the earth. Abraham’s greatest test of faith was the offering of Isaac, his divinely given heir. (2) Isaac: God established His covenant with Isaac as the spiritual link with Abraham. (3) Jacob: God transformed this mind from selfishness to servant hood and changed his n ame to Israel, the father of the 12 tribes. (4) Joseph: Jacob’s favorite son suffered at the hands of his brother and became a slave in Egypt. After his meteoric rise to the ruler ship of Egypt, Joseph delivered his family from famine and brought them out of Canaan to Goshen. Genesis ends on a dismal note of impending bondage with the death of Joseph. There is a great need for the redemption that is to follow in the book of Exodus.
A Walk through Genesis
Human History
1:1-2:3 Prologue
Although written as prose, there is also a clearly poetic dimension to this creational prologue. Part of the poetry is the careful structure of this first “week,”
where day 1 corresponds to day 4, day 2 to day 5, and day 3 to day 6. Notice how the two sets of days respond to the earth’s being “formless and empty”
(1:2): Days 1-3 give “form” to earth (light, sky, dry land), while days 4-6 fill the form with content. Also notice how for the exiles that were entering the land
God promised it would have been a great comfort knowing that God created a land for people to live; if he did it then he can do it now. In the ancient oriental
view the act of giving a name meant the exercise of a sovereign right, and God creates everything by his word naming it as he goes. (Ps 33:6, John 1:1-3)
Day 1 (1:3-5) Light Day 4 (1:14-19) Sun, moon, stars^1
Day 2 (1:6-8) Sky and seas Day 5 (1:20-23) Sky and sea animals
Day 3 (1:9-13) Dry land/plant life Day 6 (1:24-31) Land animals eat plant life
Day 7 (2:2-3) God rests from this work
God blesses what he created, including the material world, calling it all good, human beings, male and female, are created in God’s own image and are given
regency over the rest of creation. That God rested on the seventh day and set it aside as holy (thus setting the pattern of six days of work and one for rest; cf.
Exod 20:8-11, God’s great gift of rest to former slaves, looking forward to the Messiah who would bring ultimate rest). The original Israelite readers of
Genesis would have found encouragement in this revelation to trust God. They would have hoped in Him to transform their national life from chaos in a pagan
chaotic environment (Egypt) to order and blessing in an environment He would create for them (Canaan). God's superiority over forces their pagan neighbors
worshipped out of fear (gods of the darkness, the sun, moon, planets, and stars, the watery deep, etc.) would have strengthened their faith. Their God had also
created them as a nation, and they could look forward to the future with confidence.
2:4 – 4:26 The Account of Human Beginnings
This is the first of the six accounts that make up the prehistory of Genesis 1-11. It falls into three clearly discernible parts, following three present chapter
divisions. It begins (2:4-25) with human beings created and placed in Eden. The names of God show the contrast between the first two chapters. In ch.1 we
meet Elohim, the strong one and are given the universe facts of creation, in Ch 2 we meet Yahweh, the covenant keeping God and are given the facts of human
creation highlighted is his relationship with them. Man is placed in Eden with its centerpiece of the two trees (of life; of the knowledge of good and evil – both
reflecting God’s own being); included is the warning not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the creation of Eve from Adam’s side,
with emphasis on their mutuality and partnership. Companionship replaced isolation. For companionship to be satisfying, however, there must be oneness in
the marriage (cf. 1:26-27). Self-centered living destroys oneness and companionship. The term "helper" does not mean a servant. Jesus Christ used the same
word (the Greek equivalent) to describe the Holy Spirit who would help believers following the Lord's ascension (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). It means one
who supports us in our task of doing the will of God (cf. Deut. 33:7; Ps. 33:20; 115:9-11;146:5; Hos. 13:9). It is not a demeaning term since Scripture often
uses it to describe God Himself (e.g., Ps. 33:20; 70:5; 115:9). "Suitable to him" or "corresponding to him" means that what was true of Adam (cf. v. 7) was also
true of Eve. They both had the same nature. Marriage should mirror God's image, multiply a godly heritage, manage God's realm, mutually complete one
another, and model Christ's relationship to the church. However, the story descends rapidly from there.
Eve is tempted by the snake (3:1-13); she is tempted to doubt God’s intentions, misquotes God’s word 3 times, and then tempted to disregard God’s word,
“God did not say”, then lusts after the fruit and falls. (1 John 2:16 – lust of eyes, lust of flesh, pride of life) Eve and Adam hid from God, and Adam tries to
get away without the blame, however God curses the serpent, land and judges the man and the women (3:14-19) and, after a momentary alleviation (3:21 God
himself provides a covering), there is a loss of God’s presence (3:22-24). It is important to be reminded here that Eden is seen as restored in the final vision of
the Revelation (Rev 22:1-5)! The descent is completed with the story of Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, and Cain’s further banishment from God’s
presence (4:1-18), concluding on the twin notes of the arrogance of Cain’s descendants (4:19-24) and of the birth of Seth, with the hopeful note that at that time
people began to call on the name of the LORD” (4:25-26).
5:1 – 6:8 The Account of Adam’s Family Line
This genealogy stands in contrast to Cain’s line (compare the difference between the two Lamechs at the end of each). Note two important th ings about this
genealogy: First, it begins (5:3) and ends (5:29) with echo’s from the prologue (Seth is in Adam’s likeness; Noah will bring comfort from the curse). Second,
one man in this lineage, Enoch (5:21-24), continues to experience God’s presence. Despite some puzzling details (the Nephilim who were they? A. Fallen
Angels who married women – Response - Matt 20:30 Angels do not reproduce, B. Godly Sehites who married ungodly women, for scripture says godly are
God’s son Ex 4:22 – Response – but Moses had already established the Godly line in the context. C. Strong Dynastic rulers who were control by demons and
married women, for scripture sometimes identifies rulers as gods – Response – Scripture never however regards them as descendants of deities as pagan
ancient Near Eastern literature does, conclusion in context probably B) don’t miss the point of 6:1-8: The utter degeneration of the human race leads God to
act in judgment (6:6-7); mercifully, however, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (6:8). Noah’s name is a play on words, he find favor but he name
backwards means favor.
6:9-9:29 The Account of Noah
This narrative is so well known that you could easily miss its significant features. Note at the beginning how Noah’s righteousness echoes Enoch’s “walking
with God” (6:9). The Flood mirrors the redemption of Israel from Egypt. Observe also how the story echoes the original creation story, so that in effect it
becomes a second creation narrative: The flood returns the world to its state of being “Formless and empty” (1:2), but Noah and the animals provide a link
with the old while yet starting something new. Noah's "altar" is the first mentioned in the Bible. The covenant with Noah is full of echoes from Genesis 1-2 –
the reestablishment of the seasonal cycles (8:22; cf 1:14); the command to multiply (9:1,7 cf. 1:28); humankind in God’s image (9:6; cf. 1:27). Two new
things are added permission to eat animals for apparently people had only eaten plants (1:29), and a mandate for capital punishment, which laid the foundation
for human government. Human government that existed before hand had only human authority, however now divine authority was conferred on human
1 These Hebrew words, very similar in other Semitic languages, are the names of pagan gods. He wanted the Israelites to appreciate the fact that their God had
created the entities their pagan neighbors worshipped as gods.
government to execute justice for those under their jurisdiction. The story ends on a sour note (9:20 -23) – a fall again, leading to the curse of Ham’s seed
Canaan – but it concludes with the blessing of Shem (redemption seed).
10:1-11:9 The Account of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Table of Nations)
Here you find the development of human civilization into the three basic people groups known to the Israelites. Some see in the sons of Noah the three main
branches of all humanity based upon there Hebrew names – Shem – Olive skin, Ham – Dark Skin, Japheth – white skin. However, singled out in particular are
Mizraim (Hebrew for Egypt) and Canaan (10:13-20). The section reveals that it was God's plan to bless the human race by dividing the family of man by
languages, locations, and leaders. Remember that God formerly blessed the earth by dividing the light from the darkness, the earth from the heavens, and the
land from the seas (ch. 1). Capping these accounts is the story of Babel, which reveals the origin of nations, language, shows the sinfulness of man, it
demonstrates that sin against God results in broken relationship among men and leads directly to the Abraham narrative, as the story returns from the scattered
nations to one man who will found a new nation through whom all the nations will be blessed.
11:10-26 The Account of Shem
This list of names isn’t riveting reading, but it gets you from Noah’s son Shem to Abram (Abraham), and thus to the father of the chosen people. Noti ce how
each of the son’s lives compared to Adam’s sons who died.
11:27-25:11 The Account of Terah
You can hardly miss seeing that Terah’s son, Abraham, dominates this family story. Here you can watch how skillfully the narrative is presented. It
introduces Abraham’s family, who have moved partway to Canaan (11:27-32), with a special note about Sarah’s barrenness (11:30). The key moments are in
12:1-9, where God calls Abraham to leave Haran and “go to the land I will show you” (12:1) and promises to make him “into a great nation” and to bless “all
peoples on earth” through him (vv.2-3). After obediently traveling to the land inhabited by Canaanites (vv. 4-5), Abraham traverses the whole land and then is
promised, “To your offspring (seed) I will give this land” (vv. 6-7), whereupon “he built an altar there to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD” (vv.
8-9). In the rest of the narrative, you see these several themes played out in one form or another: The promised land will be given to the promised seed, who
will become a great nation and thus a blessing to the nations – even though the Canaanites now possess the land and Sarah is barren and so Abraham trusts and
worships the God who has promised this.
2
The first narrative is about Abram’s failure in Egypt (12:10-20), has to do with God’s protecting the promised seed. Basically Abram was following a practice
in his day to call his wife his sister apparently in Egypt they did not know the custom, instead of trusting God he followed the custom of his day. The Lot cycle
(chs 13-14) focuses on great nation and promised land while introducing Sodom and Gomorrah, and indicating Abraham’s considerable significance in the
land. (Lot is stolen and Abraham pursues) The back to back narratives of chapters 15-16 (Hagar is given to Abraham by Sarai) come back to the promised seed
from a barren woman (fifteen is important for it highlights the unconditional nature of the covenant with the ceremony and Abram justification), while the
centerpiece narrative of chapter 17 focuses on all themes together as God renews covenant and gives circumcision. The next narrative focuses again on the
promised seed from a barren women (Angelic visitors – have a meal a sign of fellowship – Sarah laughs 18:1-15), which is picked up again in the series of
three narratives in chapters 20 and 21 (Abimelech, the birth of Isaac the promised heir, the expulsion of Ishmael). These narratives bookend the second Lot
cycle (18:16-19:38), which begins with God talking about Abraham becoming a great nation that will be a blessing to the nations (18:18). Here the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah and the incestuous conception of Moab and Ammon stand in contrast to Abraham’s trust in God for the promised land, a theme
picked up again in 21:22-34. From 2 Peter 2:6-9 we know that Lot was a righteous man. Yet he chose to live as, what the New Testament calls, a "carnal"
believer (1 Cor. 3:3). First, he lifted up his eyes and saw Sodom (13:10). Then he chose for himself (13:11). Then he moved hi s tent as far as Sodom (13:12).
Then he sat in the gate of Sodom as one of its judges (19:1, 9). Then he hesitated as Sodom's destruction loomed (19:16). Finally he ended up committing
incest with his daughters in a cave (19:30-38). How far it is possible for a believer to depart from God's will when we keep making carnal decisions.
Four crucial narratives then conclude the family story of Terah. First comes the testing of Abraham as to whether he would be willing to give up to God his
firstborn son (ch. 22). In this crucial and climaxing narrative, be sure to note the renewal of the promises (15-18), Abraham’s obedience and implicit trust in
God throughout and God’s provision of a sacrifice in place of Isaac. Taken together, the deaths of Sarah (ch. 23) and of Abraham (25:7-11) complete the
promised land motif – a piece of the future promised land is purchased so that their bodies can rest there, waiting for the future to be fulfilled! These enclose
the story of Isaac’s marriage, which is included in the Abraham series because it continues the promised seed motif, as does the introduction to the narrative of
Abraham’s death (25:1-6) Note that unwise choices made in moments of shaky faith do not thwart God’s purposes (the Pharaoh and Abimelech stories in chs
12 and 20, and Hagar in ch. 16), while Abraham in his turn believed the Lord and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness (15:6). Thus Abraham’s regular
response to God is worship and obedience (12:7-8, 13:4, 18, 14:17-20; 22:1-19) Twelve crises arise as the story of Abram's life unfolds. Each of these must be
overcome and is overcome by God who eventually does provide Abram's descendants. Each of these problems constituted a challenge to Abram's faith. Is God
faithful and powerful enough to provide what He has promised? In the end we can see that He is. The problems Abram's faith encountered were these; Sarai
was barren (11:30), Abram had to leave the Promised Land (12:10), Abram's life was in danger in Egypt (12:11-20), Abram's nephew, Lot, strove with him
over the land (ch. 13), Abram entered a war (14:1-16), Abram's life was in danger in the Promised Land (15:1), God ruled Eliezer out as Abram's heir (15:2-3),
Hagar, pregnant with Abram's son (heir?), departed (16:6), Abimelech threatened Sarai's reputation and child (heir?) in Gerar (ch. 20), Abram had two heirs
(21:8-11), God commanded Abram to slay his heir (ch. 22) and Abram could not find a proper wife for his heir (24:5).
25:12-18 The Account of Ishmael
This, the briefest of the origin stories, confirms that God fulfilled his promise (16:10) to make Ishmael, not just Isaac, into a great twelve tribe nation.
25:19-35:29 The Account of Isaac
The Isaac story is mainly about Jacob, who represents the chosen lineage. Note how the promises made to Abraham are repeated for both Isaac (26:3-5) and
Jacob (28:13-15). Again, following prayer, the promised seed is born to a barren woman (25:21-26). Esau’s despising his firstborn right (25:29-34) shows his
The covenant takes the form of a grant covenant used in the anicent Near east to ensure the integrity of a gift from one person to another, often form a master
to a servant (a king to a subject). As such, the grant covenant is unconditional, for it guarantees the gift to the master’s servant and his heirs. It does not
exclude obligations from the overall relationship of a recipient to his master,for example circumcision, disobedience may take away the enjoyment of the grant
temporarily, yet it is still passed on when repentance is made. (expically seen in Gen 15)
Appendix 1
The Flood proper 7:11-
There are two views among evangelicals as to the extent of the Flood.
1. A universal flood. Evidence:
a. The purpose of the Flood (6:5-7, 11-13).
b. The need for an ark (6:14).
c. The size of the ark (6:15-16).
d. The universal terms used in the story (6:17-21; 7:19, 21-23). Context must determine whether universal terms
are truly universal or limited (cf. Luke 2:1; Matt. 28:19-20).
e. The amount of water involved (7:11, 20; 8:2).
f. The duration of the Flood: 371 days (7:11; 8:14).
g. The testimony of Peter (2 Pet. 3:3-7).
h. The faithfulness of God (8:21).
This view has been the most popular with conservative interpreters throughout history.
"By and large, the tradition of the Christian church is that the context requires a universal flood, and
many Christian scholars have maintained this position knowing well the geological difficulties it
raises."
2. A local flood. Evidence:
a. The main arguments rest on modern geology and the improbability of a universal flood in view of consequent
global changes.
b. Advocates take the universal statements in the text as limited to the area where Moses said the Flood took
place.
This view has gained wide acceptance since the modern science of geology has called in question the credibility of the
text.
"The principle concern of those advocating a local flood is to escape the geological implications of a
universal flood."
Basically, this controversy, like that involving the creation account, involves presuppositions about the credibility of Scripture
or science and the possibility of supernatural occurrences. The scientific community is more open to catastrophist of some kind
than it used to be.
APPENDIX 2: FIVE VIEWS OF CREATION
Name of
View
Positive aspects Problems of the view Evaluation Modern Advocates
Athestic Evolution – Natural possesses apart from God
- It appears to explain the origin of everything.
- It offers a single explanation for everything that exists: it evolved.
- It offers the only real alternative to creation by God.
- It eliminates God and exalts man.
- It cannot explain the origin of matter. Answer: Matter is eternal.
- It cannot explain the complexity of matter. Answer: Billions of years of evolution are responsible for the complexity of matter.
- It cannot explain the emergence of life. Answer: Primordial life evolved from bio- polymers that evolved from inorganic compounds.
- It cannot explain the appearance of God-consciousness in man. Answer: This too was the product of evolution.
- It rests on a hypothesis that cannot be proven to be true; it is essentially a faith position.
- Its support rests on little historical evidence (only the fossil record) which has many gaps in it and is open to different interpretations.
- It relies on mutations as a mechanism for change. However mutations have not produced new species.
- It is extremely improbable statistically.
- It repudiates special revelation concerning creation.
All non-Christian Scientists and some Christian Sciencitists
Thestic Evolution – Natural possesses Directed by God
- It unites truth known by special revelation with truth known by general revelation in nature and truth discovered by science.
- God seems to work according to this pattern in history interrupting and intervening in the course of events only rarely.
- It presupposes the truth of evolution, which scientists have not been able to validate beyond doubt. Answer: Evolution is a fact or at least an accepted theory.
- God has intervened in history many more times than the theistic evolutionist posits. Answer: In the early history of the universe He intervened less frequently.
- Divine intervention in the evolutionary process is contradictory to the basic theory of evolutionary progress. Answer: The evolutionary process does not rule out divine intervention.
- This method of creation does not do justice to the biblical record of creation. Answer: We should interpret the biblical record nonliterally when it conflicts with evolution.
- It cannot do justice to both the tenets of evolution and the teaching of Scripture.
- It is ultimately destructive of biblical religion.
Some theologians and scientists who have a weak view of Scripture.
Progressive Creationism God created the world through large amounts of time.
- It provides a reasonable harmony between the Genesis record and the facts of science.
- The translation of "day" as "age" is an exegetically legitimate one.
- It is a tentative conclusion and acknowledges that not all the scientific evidence is in and our understanding of the text may change as biblical scholarship progresses.
- There are discrepancies between the fossil record and the order in which Genesis records that God created plants, fish, and animals. Answer: Science may be wrong at this point, or Genesis may have omitted the earliest forms of life.
- Taking the six days of creation as ages is unusual exegetically. Answer: This interpretation is possible and best here.
- "Evenings" and "mornings" suggest 24-hour periods. Answer: The sun did not appear until the fourth day.
- Death entered the world before the Fall. Answer: It took on its horror at the Fall but existed before that event.
This view takes the biblical text quite seriously but adopts some unusual interpretations of that text to harmonize it with scientific data.
Many evangelicals who have been strongly influenced by science hold this view including Davis A. Young, Creation and the Flood (1977). James Boice, Bernard Ramm, Robert Newman, Herman Eckelmann, and Hugh Ross also hold this view.
Six Day creationism God created the world in six days
1. It regards biblical teaching
as determinative.
2. It rests on a strong
exegetical base.
3. It is the most literal
(normal) meaning of the text.
- Data from various scientific disciplines (i.e., astronomy, radioactive dating, carbon deposits, etc.) indicate that the earth is about 5 billion years old and the universe is about 15-20 billion years old. Answer: God created the cosmos with the appearance of age.
- A universal flood cannot explain the geologic strata fully. Answer: It can explain most if not all of it, and the remainder may have been a result of creation.
- Creation with the appearance of age casts doubt on the credibility of God. Answer: Since God evidently created Adam, plants, and animals with the appearance of age He may have created other things with the appearance of age too.
- There is no reason why God would have created things with the appearance of age. Answer: He did so for His own glory, though we may not fully understand why yet.
This view rests on the best exegesis of the text, though it contradicts the conclusions of several branches of science.
Many conservative evangelicals hold this view. See also Robert E. Kofahl and Kelly L. Seagraves, The Creation Explanation (1975).
The Gap Theory: Between gen 1:1-2 there is a gap where there was a pre-Adamic race who were judged and geological ages.
- It rests on an exegetical, biblical base.
- It is consistent with the structure of the creation account itself.
- It is possible to translate the Hebrew verb translated "to be" in verse 2 "become."
- "Formless and void" in verse 2 may be a clue to God's pre- Adamic judgment on the earth.
- It provides a setting for the fall of Satan.
- It is an unnatural explanation since the text implies only an original creation in Genesis 1: and following (cf. Exod. 20:11). Answer: This interpretation is a superficial conclusion.
- The exegetical data that supports this view is far from certain. Answer: These interpretations are possible.
- This theory does not really settle the problems posed by geology. Answer: The universal flood may have produced some to the geological phenomena.
While this view grows out of a high view of Scripture, several of the interpretations required for it rely on improbable exegesis.
C.I. Scofield, and Chafer
