ShouldWeTakeCreationStoriesinGenesisLiterally?

FindingmultipletruthsinBiblicalmyths
RobinNgo06/02/2017(06/02/2017T09:00)

ThisBibleHistoryDailyfeaturewasoriginallypublishedin2016.Ed.

WerethecreationstoriesinGenesismeanttobetaken
literally?

Maybenot,saysBiblicalscholarShawnaDolanskyinher
BiblicalViewscolumnTheMultipleTruthsofMythsin
theJanuary/February2016issueofBiblicalArchaeology
Review.

Ourworldisverydifferentfromtheworldinwhichthe
Biblicalauthorslivedover2,000yearsago.Theancientworld
didnothaveGoogle,Wikipediaandsmartphonesaccessto
informationonhumanhistoryandscientificachievements
developedovermillenniaatthetouchoftheirfingertips.
WhatpurposedidcreationstoriesinGenesis
serve?WeretheyBiblicalmyths?Picturedhereis
TheGardenofEdenwiththeFallofMan(c.1617)by
FlemishpaintersPeterPaulRubensandJan
BruegheltheElder.

ManyscholarsbelievethattheancientIsraeliteshadcreation
storiesthatweretoldandretoldthesestorieseventuallyreachedtheBiblicalauthors,whowrotethem
downinGenesisandotherbooksoftheBible.CreationstoriesinGenesiswereetiological,Shawna
DolanskyandotherBiblicalscholarsargue.1Thatis,thecreationstoriesinGenesisservedtoprovide
answerstowhytheworldwasthewayitwas,suchaswhypeoplewearclothesandwhywomenexperience
painduringchildbirth.

InthefreeeBookExploringGenesis:TheBiblesAncientTraditionsinContext,discoverthe
culturalcontextsformanyofIsraelsearliesttraditions.ExploreMesopotamiancreationmyths,Josephs
relationshipwithEgyptiantemplepracticesandthreedifferenttakesonthelocationofUrofthe
Chaldees,thebirthplaceofAbraham.

CreationstoriesinGenesiswereamongthemanymythsthatweretoldintheancientNearEast.Todaywe
maythinkofmythsasbeliefsthatarenottrue,butasaliterarygenre,mythsarestoriesthatconveyand
reinforceaspectsofaculturesworldview:manytruths,writesDolansky.Sotocallsomethingamythin
thissensedoesnotnecessarilyimplythatitisnottrue.

ScholarsarguethatBiblicalmythsarosewithinthecontextofotherancientNearEasternmythsthat
soughttoexplainthecreationoftheworld.AlongsideBiblicalmythswereMesopotamianmythsinwhich,
dependingontheaccount,thecreatorwasEnlil,MamiorMarduk.InancientEgyptianmythology,the
creatoroftheworldwasAtuminonecreationstoryandPtahinanother.
Likeotherancientpeoples,theIsraelitestoldmultiplecreationstories,writesShawnaDolanskyinher
BiblicalViewscolumn.TheBiblegivesusthree(andwhoknowshowmanyothers
wererecountedbutnotpreserved?).Genesis1differsfromGenesis23,andboth
divergefromathirdversionalludedtoelsewhereintheBible,amythoftheprimordial
battlebetweenGodandtheforcesofchaosknownasLeviathan(e.g.,Psalm74),
Rahab(Psalm89)orthedragon(Isaiah2751).Thisbattlethatprecededcreationhas
theMesopotamianEnumaElishasitsclosestanalogue.InEnumaElish,thegod
MardukdefeatsthechaoticwatersintheformofthedragonTiamatandrecyclesher
corpsetocreatetheearth. ShawnaDolansky

InwhatotherwaysdoBiblicalmythsparallelancientNearEasternmyths?Whatcan
welearnabouttheworldinwhichtheancientIsraeliteslivedthroughthecreationstoriesinGenesis?Learn
morebyreadingthefullBiblicalViewscolumnTheMultipleTruthsofMythsbyShawnaDolansky
intheJanuary/February2016issueofBAR.

BASLibraryMembers:ReadthefullBiblicalViewscolumnTheMultipleTruthsofMythsby
ShawnaDolanskyintheJanuary/February2016issueofBiblicalArchaeologyReview.

NotaBASLibrarymemberyet?JointheBASLibrarytoday.

ThisBibleHistoryDailyfeaturewasoriginallypublishedonJanuary31,2016.

Notes:
1.Forexample,seeZionyZevit,WasEveMadefromAdamsRiborHisBaculum?BAR,
September/October2015MaryJoanWinnLeith,ReViews:RestoringNudity,BAR,May/June2014.

RelatedreadinginBibleHistoryDaily:
TheAdamandEveStory:EveCameFromWhere?

TheCreationofWomanintheBible

HowtheSerpentBecameSatanbyShawnaDolansky

LoveYourNeighbor:OnlyIsraelitesorEveryone?byRichardElliottFriedman
FromtheSeptember/October2014issueofBiblicalArchaeologyReview

TheAnimalsWentinTwobyTwo,AccordingtoBabylonianArkTablet