Genesis 1:1 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Over the past 200 years, the scientific community and the Bible scholars of Christianity have engaged in battle. Scientists believe they have proved the Genesis account as being nothing more than a myth or legend, being no different from the Ancient Near Eastern Text of the Enuma Elish (“Epic of Creation”). The latter is a story from the eleventh century BCE, which tells of a cosmic conflict between the gods. The young Marduk kills the wicked Tiamat, the mother goddess of the ocean. Marduk then creates the universe out of Tiamat’s remains. Because many people have abandoned the belief in a literal creation account of Genesis, one would surmise the atheistic scientific community has won. Sadly, even some Bible scholars have abandoned the creation account found in Genesis.
It is important we resolve this issue, or we may suffer spiritual shipwreck, falling away from the faith. The entire Bible and its writers view the Genesis account as historically true. Therefore, Genesis is much more than a beginning. It is the foundation upon which all Scripture stands. If it is proven to be nothing more than a myth or legend, it would be next to impossible to take any portion of Scripture as being true and the inspired, inerrant Word of God. Read Genesis chapter one and then we will compare it with creation stories of ancient societies. Are we to believe that Moses, the author of Genesis, simply borrowed from these other accounts?
The Creation of the World
Genesis 1:1-2:4 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
The Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was without form and empty; and darkness was upon the face of the watery deep: and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
First Creation Day
3 And God went on to say, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 And God began calling the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, the first day.
Second Creation Day
6 And God went on to say, “Let there be an expanse[1] in the middle of the waters, and let there be a separation between the waters and the waters.” 7And God went on to make the expanse, and make a separation between the waters, which were under the expanse and between the waters, which were above the expanse: and it came to be so. 8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
Third Creation Day
9 And God went on to say, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God went on to say, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
Fourth Creation Day
14 And God went on to say, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God went on to make the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Fifth Creation Day
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God went on to create[2] the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
Sixth Creation Day
24 And God went on to say, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds, livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 And God went on to say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God went on to say, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all his work which God had created and made.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah[3] God made earth and heaven.
Ancient Creation Stories[4]
As we discussed in our opening paragraph, the main creation story comes from the Ancient Near Eastern Text of the Enuma Elish, “Epic of Creation.”
One of the best-known of the ancient texts, Enuma Elish gets its title from the first words of the text, often translated “When on high.” This text, dated to the end of the second millennium BC, is a hymn commemorating the elevation of Marduk to the head of the pantheon. It includes some of the most detailed information about divine conflict and about cosmology available from ancient Mesopotamia. The first tablet opens with a cosmogony [study of the origin of the universe] / theogony [origin of gods] and introduces Tiamat in conflict with the gods and the slaying of Apsu, interwoven with the account of Marduk’s birth. The conflict escalates in tablet two as Tiamat and the rebels threaten the gods. Marduk is finally selected as the champion of the gods with the understanding that if he wins he will be elevated to the head of the pantheon. All the negotiations and preparations come to a climax in tablet four as Marduk defeats Tiamat and lays out the cosmos [universe] using Tiamat’s corpse. Establishing the functions of the cosmos continues into tablet six and concludes with the creation of people from the blood of Tiamat’s partner, Kingu, and the building of Babylon and a temple for Marduk. Tablet seven draws the piece to a conclusion as the fifty names of Marduk are proclaimed to name his attributes, delineate his jurisdiction, and identify his prerogatives.[5]
Genesis 1:3-31 gives the reader an outline of the six creative days and the basic events and creative activities on those days. Genesis 1:1-2 informs the reader of the creation of the heavens and the earth. God proceeded to prepare the earth for human beings. On the first creative day, God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” On the second creative day, he formed the expanse above the earth, with water both above and beneath the expanse. The third creative day he formed the dry ground, as well as vegetation and fruit trees. After that, on the fourth day, the sun, moon and stars were now discernible so too served “as signs and for seasons and for days and years.” On the fifth day, God caused the waters to “swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” Then, God brought forth the land animals and mankind on the sixth creative day.
The question that begs to be answered is: Does it seem reasonable the Genesis creation account is based on the above-mentioned creation story?’ The comparison of these two accounts ends with some similarities. The creative acts in both accounts are in a similar sequence: firmament, dry land, celestial luminaries, and humans. Both accounts start with a watery chaos and Genesis ends with God at rest and Enuma Elish with the gods at rest. These similarities are not because Moses borrowed from the Ancient Near East, but because they are both based on an actual historical account. The Genesis account is God revealing the true historical events to us, while other creation accounts are an embellishment of those historical events. While we have not read the complete Enuma Elish account, there are numerous differences as well. The almighty God of the Genesis account is nothing like the terrified, quarreling, and vulgar gods of Enuma Elish. There is no evidence the Genesis account is dependent on such stories as the Enuma Elish account, but rather the other Ancient Near Eastern stories are based on the Genesis account, which they have simply embellished, leaving only remnants of similarities.
Old Testament Archaeologist Alfred J Hoerth writes,
Archaeologists cannot excavate remains of creation, but from texts like these [Enuma Elish], they know what other ancient cultures had to say about first things. Archaeology does not show that while the biblical account may not be as complete as some might wish,[6] it owes nothing to other ancient cultures or their myths. The complete Enuma Elish reveals many dissimilarities with Genesis. The omnipotent God in Genesis is very unlike the frightened, feuding, and foul gods of the epic. Necessarily there are similarities, but the Genesis account shows no dependence. The fledgling Hebrew nation should have been thankful when God brought them out from the “bewildering variety” of opinions on their origin and, through Moses, told the story as it happened. Viewed only as a creation story, Genesis is not unique but viewed in comparison with these other stories, Genesis is Lucid and complete. (Hoerth 1998, 187)
[1] Expanse: (Heb., raqia) is the atmosphere surrounding earth the space above the earth that contains the clouds, planets, and stars. It is where the birds fly and the luminaries reside. God began to call the expanse heaven (or sky). The Psalmist tells us ‘The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and the expanse is declaring the work of his hands.’–Gen. 1:6-8, 14-15, 17, 20; Ps. 19:1; 150:1.
[2] Progressive action indicated by the imperfect state
[3] The first occurrence of God’s personal name, יהוה (JHVH/YHWH), which is found in the Hebrew Old Testament 6,828 times.
[4]A myth is a traditional story about heroes or supernatural beings, often attempting to explain the origins of natural phenomena or aspects of human behavior. “It is generally understood that myths are stories in which the gods are the main characters. Since most people do not believe that “the gods” exist, they consider these stories fanciful and fictional.”―John H. Walton. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible (Kindle Locations 367-368). Kindle Edition.
[5]John H. Walton. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible (Kindle Locations 410-417). Kindle Edition.
[6]The Genesis creation account, in fact, the Bible was not written as a science textbook. If God had written exactly how he created the universes, formed the earth to be inhabited, and brought about animal and human life, (1) how many thousands of pages would that have taken, (2) and no one would have understood the science of it for 3,500 years or more, (3) and it would have altered human history.
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LinkedIn Cut off my response to you. Here is An old Irish example of creation In principio fecit Deus Cawlum et Terram, i.e., God made Heaven and Earth at the first, [and He Himself hath no beginning nor ending].
2.He made first the formless mass, and the light of angels, [on the first Sunday]. He made firmament [on the Monday]. He made earth and seas [on the Tuesday]. He made sun and moon and the stars of Heaven [on the Wednesday]. He made birds [of the air] and reptiles [of the sea on the Thursday]. He made beasts [of the earth] in general, and Adam to rule over them, [on the Friday]. Thereafter God rested [on the Saturday] from the accomplishment of a new Creation, [but by no means from its governance].
3.[Thereafter] He gave the bailiffry of Heaven to Lucifer, with the nine orders of the Angels of Heaven. He gave the bailiffry of Earth to Adam [and to Eve, with her progeny]. [Thereafter] Lucifer sinned, so that he was leader of a third of the host of angels. The King confined him with a third of the host of angels in his company, in Hell. And God said unto the Foe of Heaven: [Haughty is this Lucifer], unite et confundamus consilium eius.
4.Thereafter Lucifer had envy against Adam, for he was assured that this would be given him [Adam], the filling of Heaven in his [Lucifer’s] room. Wherefore he [Iofer Niger] came in the form of the serpent, and persuaded [Adam and] Eve to sin, in the matter of eating of the apple from the forbidden tree. Wherefore Adam was expelled from Paradise into common earth.
5.Thereafter the Lord came to them, and He said unto Adam, Terra es et in terram ibis [i.e., of earth was he made and into earth shall he go]. In sudore uultus fui comedes panem tuum [i.e., he shall not obtain satisfaction without labor]. He said further unto the woman: Cum dolore et gemitu paries filios tuos et filias tuas [i.e., it shall be with … insufferable pain that thou shalt bring forth thy sons].
6.The progeny of Adam sinned [thereafter], namely the elder of the sons of Adam, Cain the accursed, who slew his brother Abel … [through his jealousy?] and through his greed, with the bone of a camel, as learned men say. [In this manner?] began the kin-murders of the world.
7.As for Seth, one of the three sons of Adam [who had progeny], of him are the men of the whole world.
Noe s. Lamech s. Mathusalem s. Enoch s. Iared s.
Malalahel s. Cainan s. Enos s. Seth s. Adam
For it is Noe who is the second Adam, to whom the men of all the world are traced. For the Flood drowned the whole seed of Adam, except Noe with his three sons, Sem, Ham, Iafeth, and their four wives Coba, Olla, Oliva, Olivana.
Afterwards, when God brought a Flood over the whole world, none of the people of the world escaped from the Flood except it be the people of that ark – Noe with his three sons, and the wife of Noe, the wives of his sons.
Ut dixit poeta,
A host that a wintry death would not subdue
Noe, there was no hero’s weakness,
A story with horror has been made clear with
keenness
Sem, Ham, and Iafeth.
Women without evil colour, great excellences,
above the Flood without extinctions,
Coba, vigorous was the white swan,
Olla, Oliva, Olivana.
8.Now Sem settled in Asia, Ham in Africa, Iafeth in Europe –
Sem settled in pleasant Asia;
Ham with his progeny in Africa noble Iafeth and his
sons, it is they who settled in Europe.
Sem had thirty sons, including Arfaxad, Assur, and Persius. Ham had thirty sons, including Chus and Chanaan. Iafeth had fifteen including Dannai, Gregus, Hispanius, Gomer. Or it is twenty-seven sons that Sem had.
Thirty sleek sons, a brilliant fact,
they sprang from Ham, son of Noe
twenty-seven who are from Sem,
and fifteen from Iafeth.
9.[With regard to] Iafeth [son of Noe], of him is the northern side of Asia – namely Asia Minor, Armenia, Media, the People of Scythia; and of him are the inhabitants of all Europe.
Grecus s. Iafeth, of him is Grecia Magna, Grecia Parva and
Alexandian Greece. Espanus s. Iafeth from whom are the Hispani.
Gomer son of Iafeth had two sons, Emoth and Ibath. Emoth, of
him is the northern people of the world. Ibath had two sons,
Bodb and Baath. Bodb, who had a son Dohe.
Elinus son of Dohe had three sons, Airmen, Negua, Isacon. As for Airmen, he had five sons, Gutus, Cebidus, Uiligothus, Burgundus, Longbardus. Negua had three sons, Saxus, Boarus, Uandalus. Isacon, moreover, one of the three sons of Elenus, he had four sons, Romanus, Francus, Britus, Albanus.
This is that Albanus who first took Albania, with his children, and of him is Alba named: so he drove his brother across the Sea of Icht, and from him are the Albanians of Latium of Italy.
10.Magog, son of Iafeth, of his progeny are the peoples who came to Ireland before the Gaedil: to wit Partholan s. Sera s. Sru s. Esru s. Bimbend (sic) s. Magog s. Iafeth; and Nemed s. Agnomain s. Pamp s. Tat s. Sera s. Sru; and the progeny of Nemed, the Gaileoin, Fir Domnann, Fir Bolg and Tuatha De Danann. As the poet said,
Magog son if Iafeth there is cerainty of his progeny; of them
was Parthalon of Banba -decorous was his achievement.
Of them was noble Nemed son of Agnomain, unique; of them
were Gand and Genand, Sengand, free Slaine.
The numerous progeny of Elada, of them was Bres, no untruth:
son of Elada expert in arms, son of Delbaeth son of Net.
S. Inda, s. Allda -Allda who was s. Tat, s. Tabarn s. Enda, s.
Baath, [son of] pleasant Ibath.
S. Bethach s. Iardan s. Nemed grandson of Paimp: Pamp s. Tat
s. Sera s. Sru s. white Braiment.
Of Braiment s. Aithecht, s. Magog, great in reknown: there
happened in their time a joint appearance against a Plain.
11.Baath, [one of the two sons of Ibath] s. Gomer s. Iafeth, of him are the Gaedil and the people of Scythia. He had a son, the noble eminent man whose name was Feinus Farsaid. [It is he who was one of the seventy-two chieftains who went for the building of Nemrod’s Tower, whence the languages were dispersed.]
Howbeit, Nemrod himself was son of Cush s. Ham s. Noe. This is that Feinius aforesaid who brought the People’s Speech from the Tower: and it is he who had the great school, learning the multiplicity of languages.
12.Now Feinius had two sons: Nenual, [one of the two] whom he left in the princedom of Scythia behind him; Nel, the other son, at the Tower was he born. Now he was a master of all the languages; wherefore one came [to summon him] from pharao, in order to learn the multiplicity of languages from him. But Feinius came out of Asia to Scythia, whence he had gone for the building of the Tower; so that he died in the princedom of Scythia, at the end of forty years, and passed on the chieftainship to his son, Nenual.
13.At the end of forty two years after the building of the Tower, Ninus son of Belus took the kingship of the world. For no other attempted to exercise authority over the peoples or to bring the multitude of nations under one had, and under tax and tribute, but he alone. Aforetime there had been chieftains; he who was noblest and most in favour in the community, he it was who was chief counsellor for every man: who should avert all injustice and further all justice. No attempt was made to invade or to dominate other nations.
14.Now that is the time when Gaedel Glas, [from whom are the Gaedil] was born, of Scota d. Pharao. From her are the Scots named, ut dictum est
Feni are named from Feinius a meaning without secretiveness:
Gaedil from comely Gaedel Glas, Scots from Scota.
15.It is Gaedel Glas who fashioned the Gaelic language out of the seventy- two languages: there are their names, Bithynian, Scythian, etc. Under poeta cecinit
The languages of the world, see for yourselves Bithynia,
Scythia, Cilicia, Hyreania, Gothia, Graecia, Germania, Gallia with
horror, Pentapolis, Phrygia, Palmatia, Dardania.
Pamphylia, Mauretania, populous Lycaonia, Bacctria, Creta,
Corsica, Cypros Thessalia, Cappadocia, noble Armenia, Raetia,
Sicilia, Saracen-land, Sardinia.
Belgia, Boeotia, Brittania, tuneful Rhodos, Hispania, Roma,
Rhegini, Phoenicia, India, golden Arabia, Mygdonia, Mazaca,
Macedonia.
Parthia, Caria, Syria, Saxones, Athenae, Achaia, Albania,
Hebraei, Arcadia, clear Galatia, Troas, Thessalia, Cyclades.
Moesia, Media, Persida, Franci, Cyrene, Lacedaemonia,
Langobardi, Thracia, Numidia, Hellas (?) – hear it! Lofty Italia,
Ethipia, Egypt.
That is the tally of languages without tarnish out of which
Gaedel cut Gaedelic: known to me is their roll of
understanding, the groups, the manifold languages.
May I suggest a copy of Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth,