Introduction to the first story of creation notes

Genesis 1:1-2:4a: The First Story of Creation

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The First Story of Creation

 The Bible begins with this
stately hymnlike account
from the Priestly author.
(Collegeville Bible Commentary: Genesis;
Pauline A. Viviano; The Liturgical Press,
Collegeville, Minnesota 1985 p.9)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

 “The story of Creation, or cosmology,
that opens the Book of Genesis differs
from all other such accounts that were
current among the peoples of the
ancient world. Its lack of interest in
the realm of heaven and its economy
of words in depicting primeval chaos
are highly uncharacteristic of this
genre of literature. The descriptions
in Genesis deal solely with what lies
beneath the celestial realm, and still
the narration is marked by
compactness, solemnity and dignity.”
(The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis; Commentary by
Nahum M. Sarna; The Jewish Publications Society,
Philadelphia, PA 1989 p.3)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a

 The first creation account
affirms a cosmic event at the
beginning of history. It offers
neither a literal nor a
scientific description of how
the world was made; rather, it
asserts theological truths
about God and creation in a
symbolic way. (CCC 289)” )
(Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Commentary, Notes and
Study Questions; Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch; Ignatius
Press, San Francisco, CA 2010 p.17)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
 CCC 289: Among all the Scriptural texts
about creation, the first three chapters of
Genesis occupy a unique place. From a
literary standpoint these texts may have
had diverse sources. The inspired authors
have placed them at the beginning of
Scripture to express in their solemn
LANGUAGE the truths of creation—its
origin and its end in God, its order and
goodness, the vocation of man, and finally
the drama of sin and the hope of salvation.
Read in the light of Christ, within the unity
of Sacred Scripture and in the living
Tradition of the Church, these texts remain
the principal source for catechesis on the
mysteries of the "beginning":
creation, fall, and promise of salvation.”

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Enûma Eliš
 “In Enumah Elish human
beings are almost an
afterthought in the work of
creation, and they are created
specifically to labor and serve
the gods, reflecting their
origins in a clot of blood
taken from the rebellious god
Quingu.” (Gods in the Desert: Religions of the
Ancient Near East; Glenn S. Holland; Rowman and
Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2009 p. 127-128)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Enûma Eliš
 “In contrast to the Enumah
Elish, creation does not result
from conflict. There is no
war between the gods, there
is nothing that opposes God.
Instead, we are informed, in a
carefully ordered sequence,
that God creates the world
solely by the power of the
divine word.” (Collegeville Bible
Commentary: Genesis; Pauline A. Viviano; The Liturgical
Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1985 p.9)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Divine Word: Logos
(logos)
 The Divine Word is Christ

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
(logos)
 The Divine Word is Christ
 John 1:1-5

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
(logos)
 "Modifying the first verse of the Book
of Genesis, John began the prologue of
his Gospel with the words: ‘In the
beginning was the Logos.' ...Logos
means both reason and word-- a
reason which is creative and capable
of self-communication, precisely as
reason. John thus spoke the final word
on the biblical concept of God, and in
this word all the often toilsome and
tortuous threads of biblical faith find
their culmination and synthesis. In
the beginning was the logos, and the
logos is God, says the Evangelist.“(‘In the
Beginning’ – A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation
and the Fall; Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), translated by
Boniface Ramsey; William B. Eerdman’s Co., Grand Rapids,
Mich. 1995)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Hints of other creation
Stories
 There are many hints in the
Bible about other creation
myths and stories that
originated in Israel. Some of
the fragments that we have
hint at the act of God
subduing chaos, represented
by the names of primeval
monsters such as
Leviathan, Rahab, and
Tannin. (The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis;
Commentary by Nahum M. Sarna; The Jewish Publications
Society, Philadelphia, PA 1989 p.3)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Sweep of Theological
History
 “…This broad perspective is
most evident in the early
chapters, which encompass
the divine creation of the
cosmos, the formation and
fall of the human race, the
epidemic spread of moral and
spiritual corruption, the
universal flood, and the
scattering of peoples over the
earth (chaps.1-11).” (Ignatius Catholic
Study Bible: Commentary, Notes and Study Questions; Scott
Hahn and Curtis Mitch; Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA
2010 p.15)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
History
 “The first 11 chapters of Genesis
present truths based on historical
facts. There was a creation by God in
the beginning of time, a special divine
intervention in the creation of man,
the existence of the first man in a
condition of friendship with God, a
fall from that condition, an increasing
separation between man and God
brought about by man’s sins, and a
succession of natural catastrophes by
which man suffered the consequences
of his sins. Whereas these are
religious explanations that in most
cases transcend the competence of
modern science, they are at the same
time historical in that they explain
historical events.” (JBC 8:6)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
History
 “The [Genesis] account
should not be interpreted as a
revealed timetable about the
actual historical sequence of
creation, nor should the
author’s pre-scientific view of
the cosmos be mistaken for
divinely inspired teaching
about the physical
constitution of the natural
world.” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:
Commentary, Notes and Study Questions; Scott Hahn and
Curtis Mitch; Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA 2010 p.17)

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
 The framework for the Creation
account in the first Creation
story:

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
story:
 Announcement: “And God
said…”

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
story:
said…”
 Command: “Let there be…”

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
story:
said…”
 Report: “And it was so…”

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
story:
said…”
 Evaluation: “And God saw that
it was good…:

Genesis 1:1-2:4a
The Framework
story:
said…”
 Evaluation: “And God saw that
it was good…:
 Temporal framework: “It was
evening, it was morning…”
 (Collegeville Bible Commentary: Genesis; Pauline A.
Viviano; The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota 1985
p.10)

The scheme of the theological Creation narrative from
the first (Priestly) story of creation:
Group 1: The Resource Group 2: The Utilizer
Day Creative Act Day Creative Act
1 Light 4 The luminaries
2 Sky, leaving terrestrial waters 5 Fish and fowl
3 Vegetation (lowest form of 6 Land Creatures
organic life) Humankind
(Highest form of organic life)

The main teachings of the initial story of creation include
the following:

 1. The entire universe owes its existence to God as Creator and Lord.

the following:

 2. Each and every part of creation is good in the eyes of God.

the following:

 3. God established a hierarchy among created things, as seen in the ascending
movement of the account, from inanimate things to animate creatures to the human race
as the crown of the material world.

the following:

 4. Creation shows forth the power of God, who speaks the universe into existence, the
wisdom of God, who arranges all things into a symphony of natural beauty and harmony,
and the goodness of God, who bestows life and blessing gratuitously.

the following:

 4. Creation shows forth the power of God, who speaks the universe into existence, the
wisdom of God, who arranges all things into a symphony of natural beauty and harmony,
and the goodness of God, who bestows life and blessing gratuitously.
 5. The Creation story exhibits an apologetic interest in countering the mythological
world views of the ancient Near East. According to the pagan myths, a pantheon of
deities existed in the beginning: the gods were embodied in nature and had humanlike
needs and imperfections; the world was born out of a struggle between the gods; and
man was created only to be exploited by the gods. In contrast, Genesis teaches that only
one God exists, that he stands outside of time, that he is altogether distinct from the
natural world, and that he blessed mankind, making man the bearer of his image. In
addition to these considerations, the seven-day structure of the account is best used as a
literary device for communicating the following points.

the following:

 6. Six days of work followed by one day of rest underscores the obligation of man to lay
aside his labor and honor the Creator every seventh day (Ex. 208-11)

the following:

 7. The founding of the world in seven days parallels the building of the Tabernacle
according to the seven commands ((Ex. 40:16-33) and the dedication of the Temple in
seven days (1 Kings 8:65) after seven years of construction (1 Kings 6:38). Also, the
description of God resting on the seventh day (2:2-3) has links with ancient concepts of a
temple, which is considered a place of divine rest (2 Chron. 6:41; Ps. 132:14; Sir 24:11; Is
66:1). The creation week in Genesis thus reflects the belief that the world is a cosmic
sanctuary.

the following:

 7. The founding of the world in seven days parallels the building of the Tabernacle
according to the seven commands ((Ex. 40:16-33) and the dedication of the Temple in
seven days (1 Kings 8:65) after seven years of construction (1 Kings 6:38). Also, the
description of God resting on the seventh day (2:2-3) has links with ancient concepts of a
temple, which is considered a place of divine rest (2 Chron. 6:41; Ps. 132:14; Sir 24:11; Is
66:1). The creation week in Genesis thus reflects the belief that the world is a cosmic
sanctuary.
 8. Seven days of divine speech hint that God established a covenant with creation. Not
only does the Hebrew for “seven” share a common root with the verb for “swearing a
covenant oath” but in later Jewish tradition, God is said to have founded the world
through his oath.”
 (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Commentary, Notes and Study Questions; Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch; Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA 2010
p.17)

Creation is Oriented Toward
Worship
 “[The seven day rhythm of Creation] is itself at
the service of a still deeper meaning: Creation
is oriented to the Sabbath, which is the sign of
the covenant between God and
humankind….Creation is designed in such a
way that it is oriented to worship. It fulfills its
purpose and assumes its significance where it
is lived, ever new, with a view to worship.
Creation exists for the sake of worship. As
Saint Benedict said in his Rule: Operi Dei nihil
praeponatur – “Nothing must be put before the
service of God.” This is not the expression of
an otherworldly piety but a clear and sober
translation of the creation account and of the
message that it bears for our lives. The true
center, the power that moves and shapes from
within in the rhythm of the stars and of our
lives, is worship. Our life’s rhythm moves in
proper measure when it is caught up in
this….The creation accounts of all civilizations
point to the fact that the universe exists for
worship and for the glorification of God.” (‘In
the Beginning’ – A Catholic Understanding of the Story of
Creation and the Fall; Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI),
translated by Boniface Ramsey; William B. Eerdman’s Co., Grand
Rapids, Mich. 1995)

Introduction to the first story of creation notes

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Introduction to the first story of creation notes