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Genesis
1. The Morning of the World
(Genesis 1-2) |
Last
update Dec.
16, 2001
PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) and
.rtf files (rich text format) of these
notes are available on the download
page
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The
Morning of the World (Genesis 1-2)
This introductory paragraph
appears in the reproducible handout for session 1 that comes with the video
series Fretheim Explores Genesis.
Luther
Productions. St. Paul.
2000:
Terence
E. Fretheim
The
first video session focuses on the creation of the world as presented in Genesis
1-2. The Bible begins, not with the chosen people, but with the entire creation.
The people of Israel are not in view until the end of Genesis 11. In other
words, this beginning provides the reader with a universal frame of reference
through which to interpret everything that follows. What happens in the rest of
the Bible is in a basic sense related to the entire creation. God's purposes at
work among the people of Israel and in the person of Jesus Christ have to do
with all of God's good creation. In the words of John 3:16, "For God so
loved the world that he gave his only son."
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Summary
Notes on "The Morning of the
World" (Genesis 1-2)
1.
A Book of Beginnings
2.
The Nature of God’s Creative Process
3.
The Nature of the World
4.
The Nature of Human Beings
5.
The Nature of Law
6.
The Nature of Knowledge
7.
Note on the “Two Versions” of Creation
8.
The Nature of Male and Female
9.
Genesis and Modern Science
References
1.
A Book of Beginnings
Genesis
tells the story of:
-
The beginning of human
beings, animals, sun, moon, stars
-
The beginning of sin (in
chapter 3)
It is also a new beginning
for God. It begins a new story in the life of God.
2.
The Nature of God’s Creative Process
-
Not all of God’s creating
is out of nothing. God also creates new things out of previously created
material.
-
God creates through words.
-
God also creates by
acting, making,
separating, getting down in the dirt, designing.
-
God’s creating is a
process. During this process, God evaluates God’s own work, and decides it is
good -- or not good, as when God sees it is not good for the man to be alone.
3.
The Nature of the World
-
Creation is not haphazard,
but a purposeful, willful, personal act of God
-
Creation is not
God.
-
God evaluated all of
creation to be good. Hence all of creation has value.
-
God intended creation to be
without sin and evil.
-
Although creation is good,
it is not “perfect.” Creation is not fully developed. There is room for
chance.
-
God asks “that which is not
God” to participate in the world’s creation and continue its development
-
Human beings are told to
“subdue” the earth and continue the development of the world. Humans beings are
also asked to evaluate and name parts of creation
-
God lets the earth and the
waters “bring forth”. . .
-
Creation is still on-going.
God is involved and God’s creatures are involved.
4.
The Nature of Human Beings
-
God is a social being. God
is not in heaven alone. Humankind are the product
of a dialog / conversation among a heavenly society.
“Let us make human kind in our image”
-
God made humankind in the
image of God, therefore:
-
Human Beings are social
beings, part of a larger community
-
Human Beings have
responsibilities. Among them: domination over the earth, which involves care
and nurture.
5.
The Nature of Law
-
Law is a good gift of God
that orders creation.
-
A strict association of law
with sin is specious, for law came before sin entered the world
6.
The Nature of Knowledge
-
The Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil represents the difference between divine knowledge and human
knowledge
-
God has a wisdom and
knowledge that we do not. God knows what is in the best interest of human
beings. In not eating of this tree, human beings acknowledge
the difference
between the Creator and their own status as created beings
7.
Note on the “Two Versions” of Creation
-
The Priestly Account (1:1
to 2:4a) and Yahwist Account (2:4b –2:25) have been placed together as a
canonical, theological reflection on creation. We should thus try to read them
together.
-
Chapter 2 can be thought of
as providing more details on the creation of human beings
8.
The Nature of Male and Female
9.
Genesis and Modern Science
References
-
Video
series:
Fretheim Explores Genesis.
Luther
Productions. St. Paul. 2000
-
"The
Book of Genesis. Introduction,
Commentary, and Reflections."
Terence E. Fretheim. In: The New
Interpreter's Bible, A Commentary in
Twelve Volumes,
Volume I. Abingdon Press,
Nashville, 1994.
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