S
SeanTom
Guest
THE CREATION STORY
Bible readers fall into two groups. For the sake of simplicity, we may split Bible readers into two primary groups: Literalists and Contextualists. Literalists, also called fundamentalists, interpret the Bible literally, saying it means exactly what it says. Contextualists interpret the Bible contextually, saying we must consider the historical, cultural and literary context in which the Bible was written. This is particularly true of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis, where the stories deal with prehistory, that twilight time between the appearance of people on earth and the telling of their story. Catholics use the Contextualist method of interpreting the Bible.
The first creation story reads like a poem. Each day of creation follows a pattern.
Day 1 God created light and SEPARATED it from the darkness.
Day 2 God SEPARATED the water above (rain) from the water below (sea).
Day 3 God SEPARATED the water below (sea) from the dry land.
Day 4 God POPULATED the sky with sun, moon, and stars.
Day 5 God POPULATED the air with birds and the sea with fish.
Day 6 God POPULATED the land with animals and people.
Day 7 God CELEBRATED; He blessed the day and rested on it.
Thee literary patterns of the Creation story suggests that we are dealing with a special kind of writing. It is not the kind found in eyewitness accounts or in science books. Rather, it is the kind found in children’s books. The authors of children’s books use simple, poetic stories to teach children about life. Such stories are easy to read and easy to remember.
The Genesis writer chose a similar approach to teach about God, because most ancient peoples could not read or write. They learned everything by word of mouth. Thus a poetic story was easy to remember, entertaining, and instructive.
The author of Genesis thought to teach three truths:
FIRST, that there is only one God. (Any other so-called Gods that were falsely worshiped could not be Gods since God, the creator, also created those so-called God’s and therefore they would be subject to God, the supreme ruler of the Universe.)
SECOND, that God planned creation. (Creation did not happen by chance or accident).
THIRD, that God created everything good.
Some readers of the Bible are surprised to discover that the Book of Genesis contains two creation stories. The second story begins in Chapter 2.
Why was this second story added? To answer this question we need to recall that the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah (“instruction”), or Penteuch (“five scrolls”), which were passed on orally for centuries. Only later were they written down. Apparently there were two oral traditions about creation. When the bible writer was inspired to record the Torah, he included both versions. They complemented one another. Both stories agree with the three truths as noted above.
The Second creation story also portrays God as working patiently over the body of the first man, much as a potter works patiently over a vase. This is important as it underscores the close relationship that exists between God and the first man.
Also the second story of creations teaches about the intimacy of marriage. God instructed the couple to be “one body” They are to have an intimacy toward one another similar to the one God has toward them. Thus God indicates that the purpose of marriage involves more than having children. It also involves an intimate relationship of love and support between husband and wife.
In summary, the second creation story complements the first one in two special ways. The second story underscores:
(1) The intimacy between God and humans, and
(2) The intimacy and equality between the sexes.
Some additional information about Genesis:
At a general audience on April 16, 1986, Pope John Paul II said that the theory of evolution is “only a probability, not a scientific certainty.” He went on to say that “the doctrine of faith, however, invariably affirms that a human’s spiritual soul is directly created by God. According to the hypothesis mentioned, it is possible that the human body, following the order impressed by the Creator on the energies of life, could have been gradually prepared in the forms of antecedent living beings. But the human soul, on which man’s humanity definitively depends, cannot emerge from matter because it is of a spiritual nature.”
In other words, God could have fashioned the universe through an evolutionary process. But whether He did it that way or by direct creation, He still must be acknowledged as its Maker. With this basic premise established, the Church encourages scientists and scholars to continue their investigation so that someday we may know with certainty the method God used to bring human beings and the universe to their present state of development. The ultimate answer will involve no conflict between scientific and religious truth, for God is the Author of both.
However, the Genesis account of creation is not to be shunned. Nor is it to be regarded as a scientific and anthropological account of the origins of the universe and the human race. Rather, the beautiful and inspiring passages in Genesis are to be read as religious history in which the author used figurative language and popular descriptions to teach fundamental religious truths about salvation. Some of those truths are that God in His goodness created the universe out of nothing; that everything He created was good; that He created the first humans in His image and likeness; that those first humans lost their state of perfect happiness through the sins of pride and disobedience; that the whole human race suffers from the consequences of their sins; and that one day there will be a Redeemer for fallen humanity.
Bible readers fall into two groups. For the sake of simplicity, we may split Bible readers into two primary groups: Literalists and Contextualists. Literalists, also called fundamentalists, interpret the Bible literally, saying it means exactly what it says. Contextualists interpret the Bible contextually, saying we must consider the historical, cultural and literary context in which the Bible was written. This is particularly true of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis, where the stories deal with prehistory, that twilight time between the appearance of people on earth and the telling of their story. Catholics use the Contextualist method of interpreting the Bible.
The first creation story reads like a poem. Each day of creation follows a pattern.
Day 1 God created light and SEPARATED it from the darkness.
Day 2 God SEPARATED the water above (rain) from the water below (sea).
Day 3 God SEPARATED the water below (sea) from the dry land.
Day 4 God POPULATED the sky with sun, moon, and stars.
Day 5 God POPULATED the air with birds and the sea with fish.
Day 6 God POPULATED the land with animals and people.
Day 7 God CELEBRATED; He blessed the day and rested on it.
Thee literary patterns of the Creation story suggests that we are dealing with a special kind of writing. It is not the kind found in eyewitness accounts or in science books. Rather, it is the kind found in children’s books. The authors of children’s books use simple, poetic stories to teach children about life. Such stories are easy to read and easy to remember.
The Genesis writer chose a similar approach to teach about God, because most ancient peoples could not read or write. They learned everything by word of mouth. Thus a poetic story was easy to remember, entertaining, and instructive.
The author of Genesis thought to teach three truths:
FIRST, that there is only one God. (Any other so-called Gods that were falsely worshiped could not be Gods since God, the creator, also created those so-called God’s and therefore they would be subject to God, the supreme ruler of the Universe.)
SECOND, that God planned creation. (Creation did not happen by chance or accident).
THIRD, that God created everything good.
Some readers of the Bible are surprised to discover that the Book of Genesis contains two creation stories. The second story begins in Chapter 2.
Why was this second story added? To answer this question we need to recall that the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah (“instruction”), or Penteuch (“five scrolls”), which were passed on orally for centuries. Only later were they written down. Apparently there were two oral traditions about creation. When the bible writer was inspired to record the Torah, he included both versions. They complemented one another. Both stories agree with the three truths as noted above.
The Second creation story also portrays God as working patiently over the body of the first man, much as a potter works patiently over a vase. This is important as it underscores the close relationship that exists between God and the first man.
Also the second story of creations teaches about the intimacy of marriage. God instructed the couple to be “one body” They are to have an intimacy toward one another similar to the one God has toward them. Thus God indicates that the purpose of marriage involves more than having children. It also involves an intimate relationship of love and support between husband and wife.
In summary, the second creation story complements the first one in two special ways. The second story underscores:
(1) The intimacy between God and humans, and
(2) The intimacy and equality between the sexes.
Some additional information about Genesis:
At a general audience on April 16, 1986, Pope John Paul II said that the theory of evolution is “only a probability, not a scientific certainty.” He went on to say that “the doctrine of faith, however, invariably affirms that a human’s spiritual soul is directly created by God. According to the hypothesis mentioned, it is possible that the human body, following the order impressed by the Creator on the energies of life, could have been gradually prepared in the forms of antecedent living beings. But the human soul, on which man’s humanity definitively depends, cannot emerge from matter because it is of a spiritual nature.”
In other words, God could have fashioned the universe through an evolutionary process. But whether He did it that way or by direct creation, He still must be acknowledged as its Maker. With this basic premise established, the Church encourages scientists and scholars to continue their investigation so that someday we may know with certainty the method God used to bring human beings and the universe to their present state of development. The ultimate answer will involve no conflict between scientific and religious truth, for God is the Author of both.
However, the Genesis account of creation is not to be shunned. Nor is it to be regarded as a scientific and anthropological account of the origins of the universe and the human race. Rather, the beautiful and inspiring passages in Genesis are to be read as religious history in which the author used figurative language and popular descriptions to teach fundamental religious truths about salvation. Some of those truths are that God in His goodness created the universe out of nothing; that everything He created was good; that He created the first humans in His image and likeness; that those first humans lost their state of perfect happiness through the sins of pride and disobedience; that the whole human race suffers from the consequences of their sins; and that one day there will be a Redeemer for fallen humanity.
Of course Peter’s stay in this mortal coil wasn’t to be until our Lord’s return (please, no dispensationalists, I’m not in an indulgent mood today) so he was comissioned to pass this down by anointing and the laying on of hands in the unbroken succession. No succession, no Church. Your are right about there always having always been many different churches: Gnostic, Adoptionest, Arian, Scientologists, Mormons, Moonies, Unitarian Universalists a whole lot of churches. :whacky: But these churchs and others which have left the Appostolic Succession if not the bounds of sanity are not the Church. :nope: