Biblical Studies/Christianity/Christian Theology/Creation

BACKGROUND for the Book of GENESIS account of Creation

GENESIS is the first of the five Mosaic books in the Old Testament which together make up the Pentateuch. The name of the book comes from the greek word geneseos which means 'birth', 'geneology' or 'history of origin'. The name is appropriate as it reflects the main theme of the book: Beginnings.

Genesis was written by Moses, circa 1446 - 1406 B.C. The content and writing style is characteristic of similar manuscripts of that time period. Many similarities and parallelisms in content and lifestyles can be found between Genesis and other important manuscripts such as the Mesopotamian works Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh Epic and Hammurabi's code of Law.

We can estimate the timeframe of writing by referring to the Jewish history in the Book of 1 Kings. 1Ki 6:1 indicates that "In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt,in the fourth year of Solomon's reign...he began to build the temple of the Lord". We know from historical records that the temple construction began circa 966 BC, putting the exodus of Israel around 1446 BC.

Progress in both Archaeology and Literary research substantiates the authenticity of the Book of Genesis.

The Book of Genesis begins with an account of Creation. This account outlines the sequence in which God creates all things. It starts with the Creations of "the heavens' (note this is plural) and over seven days creation progresses through terrestrial objects, the Earth's form, plants, animals and finally Man. This occurs over a period of seven literal days (morning and evening being part of the narrative for each day).

A secular perspective

The Creation in Christianity is based in the book of Genesis. The Christians believe that this book depicts some spiritual concepts about the creation. Genesis is described as inspired by God that illustrates the creation from the point of view of the Jewish culture and its people. It was written around the X century BC. The genesis is not a scientific document, therefore it doesn't explain the creation in scientific words, However it is a religious document that explain spiritual truths based from a religious and spiritual point of view.

Nowadays, there are many different interpretations about the Genesis from many different Christian denominations.