Should Genesis 1-11 Be Read as History?

Creationists and literal interpreters of the Bible believe that the text of Genesis reveals the history of the earth, from the creation of the universe and humankind through to the Tower of Babel. Those who follow this belief, subscribe to the idea that the events of Genesis were revealed to someone, usually Moses, who passed it down through either written or oral form. Others choose to regard Genesis 1-11 as meaning something other than what it says – suggesting that it is poetry with theological concerns that supersede history, or that it has metaphorical meanings.

How should we interpret Genesis? Does this crucial Old Testament book provide nothing more than a poetic, allegoric story or does it describe the creation of the world and the earliest days of humanity’s life on earth?

What Kind of Literature is Genesis?

Anyone who has spent any time reading and engaging with the bible will know that it contains a wide variety of literature types in both the Old and New Testaments. These include poetry, parables, epistles, proverbs, historical narrative, prophecy and more. The key to interpreting any part of the bible correctly lies in first identifying what kind of literature it is. If we interpret a piece of text metaphorically, but the author intended for it to be read literally, then we misunderstand the meaning. When Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches” he did not mean that he was made from plant life, and that we are growing from him, about to sprout leaves. In the same way, if we interpret something that is clearly literal, as somehow allegorical, we will misunderstand, and misrepresent that text.

Genesis 1-11 is often singled out, apart from the rest of Genesis because it is a very specific type of literature. Its composition is extremely poetic and structured, leaving people to assume that it isn’t historical. Genesis 1-11 is often called ‘Primeval History’ as it presents a pre-history that depicts origins. It is crucial theologically and is steeped in Hebrew poetry and etiology. Because of its poetic nature, proponents of evolution that accept the bible and Genesis will often relegate the texts of Genesis 1-11 as myth or allegory so as not to align it against their belief in evolution.

We are not looking for meanings which are hidden, or hard to understand. We are looking for the straightforward meanings in Genesis 1-11. As well as being poetry it is also story, since it has characters, narration and dramatic events, and there is no reason for us to believe that this story was not based on real events. Elsewhere in the Bible are examples that provide ample support for Genesis to be interpreted as historical narrative.

Let’s take a look.

How Did Old Testament Authors of The Bible Interpret Genesis?

We know from Mosaic Law that creation week in Genesis 1 was important to God. With his own finger, God commanded the Sabbath, for the following reason;

“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

If the creation week outlined in Genesis 1 was not a true, historical depiction, then this commandment loses all meaning. If one is to argue, as some do, that each ‘day’ equates to a ‘billion years’ then one would also have to suggest that God commands us to work for six billions years and then rest for one billion years.

Old Testament writers also treat Genesis 1-11 as chapters of literal history. This is particularly evident in the careful genealogies kept, particularly the ones in First Chronicles which provide a series of genealogies that trace back to Adam. The author of Chronicles clearly took the accounts of Genesis as historically accurate. If in fact, Genesis was not a historical account then these genealogies have been fabricated. Psalms also credits God as the creator and even cites events which took place during creation week, and, Isaiah cites God’s promise to Noah, another point which would be rendered meaningless if Genesis 1-11 was simply metaphorical.

How Did New Testament Authors of The Bible Interpret Genesis?

The New Testament is very vocal in its portrayal of Genesis as historically accurate. Every single New Testament author either quotes or alludes to Genesis, and over 60 of those allusions relate to Genesis 1-11. For such a small body of literature, this is a staggering amount.

The New Testament opens with Matthew’s genealogies which show Genesis to be historically accurate. If we are to regard Genesis as ‘myth’ or allegory then we also derail Jesus’ bloodline, and conclude that it was either made up or that he descended from a myth, much like Greek mythological characters such as ‘Zeus’ or ‘Hercules’. Paul in particular built a substantial amount of his theology around doctrines that come up in Genesis 1-11. In Romans and Corinthians, he discusses Jesus as the last Adam, who undid the damaging work of the first Adam, and affirmed that it was Eve who was deceived at the fall, not Adam. For Paul, the events of Genesis were a physical reality that were corrected in Christ, not simply an allegorical story. If Adam was a mythical character whose actions only had allegory for sinfulness, then Christ was not needed to rectify the fall. Only real, tangible people can make real, tangible actions which have universal consequences.

Creation and the fall are also deeply woven into the theology of Romans. Paul teaches that the bondage that affected the world at the fall affected the entire cosmos, and tells us that the entire creation is groaning for redemption.

Other New Testament books also utilise Genesis, reiterating the texts in order to form theologies that address certain issues. Peter based some of his teaching on Genesis 1-11, affirming the global flood that affected Noah and his family, as well as Hebrews which cites Abel, Enoch and Noah as heroes of the faith.

Finally, the bible ends with a depiction of the new creation, which once again draws on the original creation as a historical reality which is to come to fruition again. The Book of Revelation and the New Jerusalem are filled with imagery of Eden including the tree of life and the very real presence of God.

How Did Jesus Interpret Genesis?

The historical authenticity of Genesis mattered deeply to Jesus. He used Genesis language when teaching on marriage, when he discusses Abel as the first prophet, Noah and the flood and more. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find examples of Jesus allegorizing this material, but rather the opposite: Jesus always regard these events as straightforward history. He also predicted that the end of time would come quickly like the days of Noah indicating that he believed that the events of Noah’s history were a reality that would be repeated.

Jesus also expended much time and effort into defending scripture and emphasising the importance of taking scripture seriously. In John he asserted that scripture cannot be broken, and in Luke he reprimanded his disciples for not believing scripture.

We cannot get anything from Jesus other than a strong sense that all of Genesis reveals a historical narrative which should be taken seriously, and at face value.

So….Should Genesis 1-11 be Read as History?

We have to regard the texts of Genesis as historically accurate accounts, because that is how the Old Testament authors, the New Testament authors, and Jesus, regarded them. Though the texts employ beautiful literary motifs, are highly structured and address very specific theological concerns, we have no biblical basis whatsoever for taking them as anything but literal.

Choosing to regard Genesis 1-11 as myth or allegory undermines the text in question and the bible as a whole, as well as the biblical authors and Jesus who regarded them as history. It also robs the rest of the bible of its proper foundation.

If we believe that Jesus came to redeem a real, physical problem that existed in real space and time, then we have to believe that that the problem started in a real garden, with two real people. Believing in these real, historical events also allows us to look forward to the very real renewal which will take place on earth when Christ returns. Any other interpretation undermines this message and God’s redemptive purposes for the world.

The Bible is clear. We must believe Genesis 1-11 is real, literal history because Jesus, Old Testament authors and every New Testament author did. We must also believe because these opening chapters of our bible are foundational to our understanding of the bible as a whole. The gospel is grounded in the literal, historical authenticity of Genesis 1-11.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Babel: Was it Real?

What is Babel?

The familiar and slightly mystical story of the Tower of Babel can be found in Genesis 11 and tells the story of the origin of language.

According to the account, humanity was living united in a post-flood world, speaking a single language and building an empire. Scripture tells us that the people had migrated from the East to a place called Shinar, and had begun development there on their city. Amongst their building efforts, was a tower which was being built to reach the heavens and to ‘make a name’ for the new civilisation. Babel was designed not only as a mark of achievement but as a means of preventing diaspora, a plan which backfired.

When God sees the project, he sees that the people are becoming unrestrained in their achievements, and becoming limitless in their abilities. In an attempt to reign them back in, God confounds their speech, and disperses them throughout the world. The plan to prevent dispersion has resulted in exactly that. Because of humanity’s attempts, they are divided linguistically and geographically.

This biblical story is believed by many to describe a genuine, historical event that took place after the great flood, but what is the purpose and significance of the story, and did it REALLY happen?

What Kind of Story is it?

Babel has continued to both captivate and confuse audiences to this day. Historical linguistics has spent much time debating the idea of a single original language and anthropology has long sought to identify if living descendants remain from one race such as the descendants of Noah in this story. Much artwork has also been created in the name of Babel, including Pieter Brueghel’s famous painting, Anton Rubenstein’s opera and the novel Babel Tower. The story of the tower has been used in many different contexts, but the kind of story that it is at its core remains the same: it is an etiology.

Etiologies are stories that serve to explain the origin of something. Every etiology or origin myth functions as a description of how some new reality came into being.

In this case, the story explains the origin of language, and the multiplicity of human language that exists today. Genesis 1 and 2 function in the same sense, with several themes within them. For example, Genesis 1 and 2 serves to explain the origins of human life on earth, as well as the heterosexual relationship, humanity’s relationship to animals, pain in childbirth and more. The story of Babel explains the origin of human language and its variants as well as issues such as the competition between God and humanity. This theme first appeared in the story of Adam and Eve when they unlawfully ate from the tree of knowledge, and is repeated in the story of Babel. First century historian Josephus described Babel as a prideful, arrogant defiance against God and thus mirroring the fall in the Garden of Eden. The story also serves to explain cultural and geographical differences amongst humans and places Babel as the cradle of civilisation.

The Story’s Creation

Traditionally, the first five books of the bible have been attributed to Moses, but more recently a proposal has been made for the documentary hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that the Yahwist source was responsible for the composition of Babel, particularly considering the Yahwist’s use of etiology in other parts of scripture. Use of wordplay including ‘Babel’ and ‘babble’ is also a signature tactic employed by the Yahwist.

The Ziggurat at Babylon is often cited when discussing matters regarding Babel. The Etemenaku was the name of a 200 feet high temple, or ziggurat, famously rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar. Tradition states that the story of the Tower of Babel was likely influenced by the construction of this mammoth Ziggurat which was constructed during the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews.

The account in Genesis appears in other sources, some of which give more detailed accounts about the Tower than the Biblical account. Other sources for the story include the Book of Jubilees, Josephus, The Book of Mormon and the Midrash. Parallels to the story also exist in Sumerian myth, Irish folklore and Central American legend.

Was it Real?

There is a long tradition of material surrounding the Tower of Babel, both biblical and non-biblical. We would expect a wide range of sources from an event that took place in history, as we see in this circumstance. Though the story was composed and presented by sources that had their own theological concerns, there is no reason to doubt that the biblical description of the event did not take place historically as well as theologically, and the existence of material within other ancient civilisations only serves to further confirm the Bible’s authenticity on the matter. Language changes and variations in existence today, ziggurats and tower legends are all more than substantial confirmations of the events that took place at Babel.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

8 Common Creationist Beliefs: Part Two

In our last article, we discussed four of the eight most common beliefs held by those who subscribe to Creation. (You can read the article here).

In this second and final instalment, we take a look at the remaining four beliefs held by Creationists.

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5. That a Global Flood Took Place

The record preserved in Genesis 6 is clear: a catastrophic event took place, which covered the entire surface of the earth, causing extinction for every land-living thing that was not on the ark. An event such as this one is the only way to explain the peculiar location of sea fossils at heights hundreds of metres above sea level such as The Grand Canyon and The Himalayas.

Though geologists argue that rock layers were formed over millions of years, we have no witnesses that can attest to this theory. It is becoming more common now for scientists to acknowledge that sediment layers are mostly formed through a rapid deposit under circumstances such as a catastrophic flood.

6. That Dinosaurs and Humans Co-Existed

Genesis is clear that every kind of animal created was created on the same day as Adam.

Though science tells us that dinosaurs are millions of years old and can now be seen in the evolved form of birds, God claims that he created them at the same time as he created other animals, and human life. This means that dinosaurs could not have been long extinct before humans came into being, but rather co-existed with them before becoming extinct through environmental circumstances. The presence of dragon legends all over the world recorded by humans reinforces the theory that dinosaurs were not predecessors to humans, but rather were co-inhabitants.

7. That Every Race Originates From One Common Race

The Biblical account in both the Old and New Testament is very clear: all of humanity originated from one man and one woman. We are all members of the one race – the human race – which descended from Adam and Eve.

In popular culture we tend to think of skin as either ‘black’ or ‘white’ but in reality this is incorrect. In order for anybody’s skin to have a dark appearance, Adam and Eve must have had DNA that contained brown pigment. This means that every skin shade is derived from one shade: we are all some amount of ‘brown’.

At the scattering of Babel, different groups of people were isolated from one another and probably went onto have offspring within their own groups. This would allow for certain gene characteristics to remain within their group and concentrate into dominant genes. This explains the way in which we still see certain groups displaying distinctive characteristics in their physical appearance.

8. That Death Was Brought About Through the Fall

A common argument made by those who do not accept God is that a kind, good God would not have, or continue to, inflict death or suffering upon the world. However, creationists believe that the solution to this argument is given in Genesis where we see God create a world that is inherently good, but fractured through the rebellion and disobedience of humanity.

By the account of God’s own word, we know that these disobedient actions ushered in the existence of death and suffering. We know from Genesis 1 that after the six day creative week, God looked at his creation and acknowledged its inherent goodness.

It is true that our world is marred by death and is fundamentally broken, but we must understand that this is not through the fault of God but rather through the fault of man who broke God’s perfect creation. Creationists also acknowledge that everyone, including each person who blames God for the fractured state of the world is imperfect. Through Adam’s rebellion humanity was marred with sin. Not one of us is perfect.

Creationists believe that God created everything, knows everything and should be trusted in all matters. The alternative to trusting God is to trust imperfect, fallible humans who are just making guesswork of these important matters. We must stand confidently on the word of God as revealed through scripture.

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

8 Common Creationist Beliefs: Part One

Though there is some diversity in what is believed among creationists, there are a few matters which are common to creationist beliefs. Here are four of the eight most common beliefs held by those who subscribe to Creation…

That The Earth Was Created in Six Literal Days

Genesis 1 describes God’s creation of the world in six literal, 24-hour days. Each day is framed by the indication of the ‘evening’ and ‘morning’ as well as a day number such as ‘fourth day.

A belief in six literal days counters popular scientific claims that the earth was created over millions of years. The original authors of Genesis were not scientists, but rather were writers who wanted to convey an understandable message to their audience. Their language needed to be clear to the common Hebrew person, including their children, so as to get their theological message across. For this reason creationists also reject the idea that the days described in Genesis are to be taken as metaphorical days, or that each day actually represents a longer period of time (such as several million years).

Genesis 1 makes it clear that each day had an evening, a morning and a number – just like the days that we experience. Each day was also given time indicators such as the creation of the sun and moon – this way humanity had a way of measuring days, weeks, months and years. Further to these indicators, is the command given in Exodus 20:8-11 to work six days and rest on the seventh. This commandment was modelled off God’s creative activity over a week. We have no reason to doubt that the account of creation over six literal days is the literal truth, therefore, we must take the word at its face value.

That Radiometric Dating is Unreliable

Radiometric dating is believed by scientists to prove that rocks are millions of years old, but in order to believe this, one has to make strong assumptions about the content of the original rocks and the rate at which that content decays. Because there are no scientists that have been around for millions of years to watch and record the rate of radioactive decay, science assumes that the rate has always been the same as it is now, and base their findings based on this assumption.

The Bible makes it clear through accurately recorded genealogies that the age of the earth is only a few thousand years, thus promoting the theory of a young earth and universe.

God’s omnipotence transcends our human understanding of time so we must trust his word about how old the universe really is.

That a Variety of Kinds Were Created

Genesis 1 tells us that God created separately according to various kinds. We can still see this variety in the world around us.

The account in Genesis tells us that God created every living thing on days three, five and six of the Creation Week. Ten times throughout Genesis 1 we are told that God created according to its ‘kind’. This word is again used in relation to Noah’s Ark.

What does this all mean? It means that despite theories of animals evolving from single-cell organisms, animals are actually all varieties of their own kind. For example, there is a large amount of variety within the existence of dogs in the world. Different breeds of dogs are able to breed and thus create hybrid offspring, but they are still dogs. Dogs and cats are not able to interbreed simply because, God instated several kinds.

For example, donkeys and horses are all from the Equidae family. They can interbreed to produce mules, but they cannot breed with birds – they can only procreate according to their own kind. God placed the potential for variety within the created order, but it was, and continues to be done within the framework of the created kinds. Though God has allowed for variety, every species still belongs, inherently, to its own kind. Dogs are still dogs.

That Man Was a Unique Creation

Genesis 1 tells us that God created humanity in his own image. Men and women do not descend from apes, dolphins or any other mammal. Though we may share some anatomical similarities, we know from scripture that human beings are distinct, and created in the image of God. Claiming the theory of evolution means placing humanity as a consequence of evolution rather than the goal – an idea which stands in sharp contrast to the picture we get in Genesis.

Apart from obvious evidence that humans and apes are distinctly distinguishable, Bible-believing Christians also recognise the other distinctions that the human world has from the animal world – including our ability to be in relationship with our God, to pray, to read his word and to engage in his presence in a very real way.

Be sure to look out for part two of this article, where we look at the last four beliefs that are commonly held among creationists!

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!

Adam and Eve: Matters of Original Sin

It’s the age old question: who actually sinned – Adam or Eve?

When we read Genesis 3, it can be difficult to decide who it was that was really responsible for the fall of creation. Satan was the first to display rebellion and Eve was the first to eat the fruit, yet Adam is placed with the blame throughout the bible. Who was at fault?

Eve

A common argument that Eve was blameless follows from the fact that the command was given to Adam before the creation of Eve;

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Though God did not directly command Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge, it is clear that she knew what the rules were;

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’

Rather than deliberately disobeying, Eve allows herself to be deceived into thinking that she has misunderstood the command;

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Though she wasn’t present to hear the command directly given in Genesis 2, Eve knew what could be eaten and what couldn’t. In a moment of weakness, she allowed herself to be tricked into thinking that perhaps she could eat the fruit after all. The Apostle Paul wrote;

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Eve herself told God that “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Satan

The serpent’s very presence in the garden makes it clear that sin, in one form or another, already existed. We know from prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah that Satan’s sin was steeped in pride and delusions of grandeur that led to his being cast out of the heavenly realm. The difference between original sin and the sin of Satan is the limitations on Satan’s sin. As an angelic being, Satan was never given dominion over creation as Adam was, nor was he ever going to produce any offspring who would be affected by his sin. Satan’s sinfulness affected only himself…UNLESS…he could deceive someone else and cause damage through them.

Satan needed Eve in order to carry out his destructive plans for the created order.

Adam

It is a common idea that Adam was the first sinner, responsible for the consequences of Genesis 3. This line of thinking has come from Paul;

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

Adam is credited with the introduction of sin into the world, and the consequences that follow as a result. Why is Adam to blame?

One argument that Adam was blameless is that Eve took of the fruit while he was not aware. Where was Adam while all of this interaction was going on?

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Right beside Eve. Adam was created from creation itself and Eve was created from Adam. These verses and others from Genesis make it clear that Adam’s role as husband was one of leadership. If Adam was privy to the conversation that took place between Eve and the serpent then he should have exercised his headship and corrected her misunderstanding, instead of passively standing by while she ate and then following in her footsteps. German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once famously declared;

Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.

In remaining silent and inactive, Adam reinforces the serpent’s sin and fails to defend his household from sin. This does not mean that Eve was without sin, or that she does not share in the guilt, but as the head of his household, Adam had a responsibility to exercise this headship.

Adam was also responsible for stewardship over creation, another command given directly to him, and eating the forbidden fruit was surely a failure to live up to this directive. It’s interesting to note that when God calls out to them, he asks for Adam alone;

But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Though Satan initiated the event, and Eve was the first person to actually sin, it is Adam who must answer to God. Adam, as head of his family, was responsible for his own sin, as well as providing adequate protection for his wife – especially given that the account makes it clear he was standing by and watching the scene take place.

With that said, the Bible never regards Adam’s sin as more serious than Eve’s. Both were held accountable and punished for their sin, as was the serpent.

Serpent:

“Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.”

Eve:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children”

Adam:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

To honour God’s creation, be sure to sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday!