CYOA – Genesis 1 – Smorgasbord

I am not sure what to write about Genesis 1. It is not because I have no ideas, but rather there are too many. I am grateful for Duncan’s palace/temple post, which I just read as I was finishing this because it says a lot and I therefore do not need to repeat that excellent reading of this text. Nevertheless, I find my thoughts scattered as this section of scripture forms and shapes much of my theology, but it seems like too big a conversation to fit into a blog. This is the passage I have spent the most time with of all of the Bible. From the realization in grade three, when we were doing the days of creation, that this is an illogical story (how could there be light without the sun!), all the way to my final college class where I learned to read this text in Hebrew, and everywhere in between this story has been pondered. There is too much to say so this will not be a nice blog to read but a smattering of ideas.
• This text is myth (in the good sense) meant to be read as theological story, telling us about God, not as science, something the text was never meant to convey. (there is much ambiguity around whether day means 24 hour day or “a period of time”…both of which miss the point that it is a story about God and what God is creating “palace/temple” not how or when the world was created.
• The story begins with a title, the first verse is most likely a title, so the plot actually begins with chaos
• Most likely compiled and put into its final form during the Babylonian exile, this texts context depicts a God of order in perceived chaos (exile as essential chaos…can’t have redemption and reconciliation without the lack there of, thus defined by what it is not)
• It tells of a God who is not at war to create (contrary to other ancient creation stories), but creates through ordering, (and intentionally with disorder in sequence, e.g. light before sun)
• Forming and Filling – First three days form, second set of three fill
• Contains ancient cosmology of a firmament between two seas, one above and one below. (I am pretty sure no one believes this is the case anymore, so I find it funny when literalist attempt to state this as science, then claiming the flood was the break or something. This argument totally misses the point of the first 11 Chapters of Genesis, which are all mythical truth (There my cards are out, these 11 chapters are story). It is a story of creation, choice, consequence, care, and God’s guidance as we attempt to move forward into recreation, then poor choice again and the cycle continues) – side note: this reminded me of a C.S. Lewis quote, that God is proud of us even in our stumbles. Like a proud parent watching a toddler take a few steps then fall, not angry at the fall, but ready to help the toddler attempt a few steps again.
• Birds are to bird, creepers are to creep, living beings/souls (animals) are supposed to live. Intentional Hebrew word play for communicating “being” of creation, not necessary purpose or productivity
• God does not like Mondays, the second day of the week was not proclaimed good.
• The stars and moon get little attention compared to their importance of the cultures surrounding Israel
• Intention was that the sea and sky were to swarm swarms, so now that we have effectively killed off the swarms of fish we have really messed that up
• Ambiguity of gender, how do you read it…Male and female he created them, or Male AND female he created them. I would go with this gender in the first chapter is non-important. There are both genders but there is no role in this first chapter. One Jewish reading is that people at this point contained both sexes which were later split.
• Rule and subdue – tend and care for, serve and protect, have dominion and dominate, be a servant of… your choice I guess
• Man in our image…to follow up on Duncan’s post…the last thing done in a temple is the placing of an idol, and idol that reflects the God it images. Reflects in more than appearance but function as well. Thus, humans are the idol of God, we are to reflect God on earth. This also explains why idolatry was such a bad sin in the Bible, it does not only undermine God but undermines humanity’s role in the world, we then are abdicating our position. Things go wrong when we relinquish our position of care giver/authority…ex idolatry of the economic system, things get out of control when they are detached for the humans who are in them.
• Chapter 3 - I had to put this in because it is so intriguing…The words for naked and cunning/crafty are incredibly close to the same word in the Hebrew. A trade occurs naked for the serpent’s craftiness. I think it is a word play. Maybe showing of the intention always was for the people to realize that they were naked?

So there you have it a number of my thoughts. Lots of run-on ideas, I hope it made some sense. Maybe there was even a new nugget of information you picked up. I would love it if you (readers) would post which idea was your favourite/new idea or if you have an idea of your own I did not state, post it in the comments section.