"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7 (Holy Bible, King James Version). Ever since that first breathe, man has been questioning the ways of the Lord. Laws, teachings, and even the existence of God Himself have been questioned since the beginning. There are numerous opinions on what is thought to be truth, whether it is the creationist who takes each and every word of the Bible for its literal meaning, the followers who believe these words as teachings and not in a literal sense, or the people who deny the Word having any meaning at all. One of the biggest "hot topics" when it comes to questioning the Word of the Lord is the story of Creation, the story of how God came to create the heavens, earth, and finally man. As mentioned before, creationists believe that the book of Genesis is a complete and accurate account of how God created all things. They believe the story is factual in a literal sense and take every word as coming directly from God. However, many scholars believe that much of Genesis is taken from other creation tales from other cultures. Although it is believed that Genesis borrows, the book is still created to act as an allegory, a way of governing the way that followers of God are to behave.
[...] During the time period of Genesis there were some that wanted to speak up and reach the masses. What better way than through a scripture? The only problem is making it a story, and not an exact account of what is going on during the time. Existence Before Creation Knowing about the time period is one of the biggest factors in the story of creation. Most people believe that it was written after the time of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. [...]
[...] However, are the similarities between the creation stories the one way the time period has affected the story of Genesis? It is easy to think this if one doesn't look deeper than just the surface of the story. The story does actually echo the history of the Babylonians and Jews. Comparing the two goes as follows: The four main characters of the creation story are Adam, Eve, The Serpent, and God. Adam represents the Jews, or distinctly King Zedekiah. Eve's role is the most vague and can be either the allies of Jerusalem or the Jews themselves. [...]
[...] We read stories that remind us of our own moments of fracture that constantly rub the wound. If we have been lulled into any kind of equanimity, the Bible comes and breaks up that equanimity. It says, but remember that things don't go the way you would perhaps like them to go (28). While the story of Genesis may not be a literal translation of an actual event, it is more importantly a tale of humanity that teaches the reader to be a better person, a more whole person who can accept what they are given. [...]
[...] In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis New York: Alfred Knopf Bible Gateway. 1995-2006 Carr, David. Politics of Textual Subversion: A Diachronic Perspective of the Garden of Eden Story.” Journal of Biblical Literature 112 (1993): 577- 595. “Creation.” Bible Gateway Reference Dictionary. 1995-2006 < http:> Durant, Will. The Story of Civilization New York: Simon and Schuster “Genesis.” Def The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed Graves, Robert and Raphael Patai. Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis New York:McGraw-Hill Heidel, Alexander. [...]
[...] Historical Next are the authors who gave accounts of the time period that Genesis was written. They focus on the way of life and major events that may have influenced Genesis. Although some do, not all the authors directly focus on the book; many of the sources cover the time instead of incorporating it. David Carr does work in both history and Genesis, by showing what is believed today about what was borrowed and taken to create Genesis. Smith does the same as Carr by showing ways that the story may have borrowed ideas. [...]
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