Genesis 1-3 in Context: Historical, Literary, and Cultural, Contemporary Perspectives

Michael Goheen

Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Thesis and structure of talk

To properly understand Genesis 1-3 we must place it in its original context

Historical context

Literary context

Cultural context

Then we can draw conclusions for today

Historical context

Moses addresses Israel after calling at Sinai

Who is this God?

What does he want with us?

How can we make sense of our calling?

Literary context

Exodus describes liberation from Egypt (Ex 1-18); encounter with God at Sinai (Ex 19-24)

Genesis functions as prologue to give background and make sense of that narrative.

Literary structure of Genesis

Genesis 2.4-11.265 toledothsNationsTheme: Curse of sin; ‘Great hamartiology’ which reaches pinnacle in Babel—society and culture twisted by human rebellion

Genesis 11.27-50.245 toledothsIsraelTheme: Promise of blessing (Gen 12:2-3 etc.) repeated throughout account

Relating Gen 2-11 and 12-50: Abraham and Israel for the sake of the worldThe whole primeval history . . . seems to break off in shrill dissonance, and the question . . . arises even more urgently: Is God’s relationship to the nations now finally broken; is God’s gracious forbearance now exhausted; has God rejected the nations in wrath forever? That is the burdensome question that no thoughtful reader of ch. 11 can avoid; indeed, one can say that our narrator intended by means of the whole plan of his primeval history to raise precisely this question and to pose it in all its severity. Only then is the reader properly prepared to take up the strangely new thing that now follows the comfortless story about the building of the tower: the election and blessing of Abraham. We stand here, therefore, at the point where primeval history and sacred history dovetail, and thus at one of the most important places in the entire Old Testament. (G. Von Rad)

Approaching Genesis 1

Genesis 1.1-2.3: Preface for whole story of Genesis

While 2.4-3.24 initiates that story [of his dealings with mankind and with the “fathers” of Israel] . . . 1.1-2.3 sets it within its fundamental theological, cosmological, and anthropological context. . . . It supplies the fundamental view of God, humanity, and world within which alone the subsequent narrative makes sense. (J. Stek)

The reason why this chapters is at the beginning of the Bible is so that all of God’s subsequent actions—his dealings with humankind, the history of his people, the election and the covenant—may be seen against the broader canvas of his work in creation. (C. Westermann)

Approaching Genesis 1

Genesis 1.1-2.3: Preface for whole story of GenesisTwo cautions: Ways modern people think of creation vs. way ancient near eastern people think of creation

Human society and culture is focus vs. physical worldMade known by drama or story about origin of human life vs. scientific account

Story about human life

“In religious cosmologies the primary focus is ‘on describing the cosmos from the point of view of what assumptions are necessary if human beings are to live optimally in the world’ and so include a value judgment about what ‘living optimally’ is. However, the physical and biological scientific enterprise is principally directed to describing and making models of or hypotheses about nature, and so empirical reference and feedback are its main aim; it does not place human concerns at the centre of its attention and intention.” (A. Peacock)

1.1-2.3 as backdrop to Genesis

God is God of all nations; creator of all peoples, the whole world; God is God unlike any of the gods of the nations; King and creation is his kingdom

God creates his kingdomCreative words portrayed as royal decreesGod names day, night, sky, land, seasGod assigns spheres of rule to sun and moonGod’s plan to create man is in royal courtHumankind considered vice-regent

Kingdom: God ruling over all creation including the whole breadth of human cultural and societal life. (cf. Mark 1.14-15)

1.1-2.3 as backdrop to Genesis

God is God of all nations; creator of all peoples, the whole world; God is God unlike any of the gods of the nations; King and creation is his kingdom

Focus is creation of human beings to develop society/culture/community that images God (1.26-28)

Creation and human society“To the ancients, human society organized in a particular place was the emergent. To moderns, on the other hand, creation issues in the physical world, typically the planet fixed in the solar system. Community and culture do not come into consideration. If life is discussed in connection with creation, it is usually life in the most primitive biological sense.” (R. Clifford)“The natural world, the realm of human conduct, and the organizational structures of society, were all believed to lie within this one sustaining order of wisdom that had been laid down at the creation of the universe.” (R. Clements)

Human culture, creation order, wisdom

Ancient near east would see all of human society and culture as part of creation“. . . underlying all human cultural activity is a substrate of created reality which both makes possible that activity and sets normative standards for it.” (A. Wolters)To conform to those normative standards for economics, politics, etc. is wisdom“. . . wisdom . . . was wrought into the constitution of the universe” and human wisdom is “ethical conformity to God’s creation.” (J. Fleming)

Creation as home for humankind

World created as habitable for humanity to live in

“. . . the world becomes habitable for human beings; man, male and female, stands for society in nuce.” (R. Clifford)

Literary Structure of Genesis 1

Stage One: Gen. 1:1-2

“In the beginning God created theheavens and the earth.”

“The earth was dark, formless, empty.”

‘Very Good’ CosmosStage Two: Gen. 1.3-2.3

Darkness banished by creation of light (day 1)Formlessness removed by creation of sky, dry land and seas (days 2-3)Emptiness remedied by creation of creatures to dwell in four ‘areas’ (days 4-6)Accomplished by commands of God

Powerful wordGood wordWise word

Then humanity created as climax

Literary Structure of Genesis 1Stage Two: Gen. 1:3-2:3

Forming Filling

Commands Day Creation Commands Day Creation

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 (v. 3) Light

2 (v. 6) Sky

3 (v. 9) Land & seas

4 (v. 11) Vegetation

5 (v. 14) Sun, moon, stars

6 (v. 20) Birds & fish

7 (v. 24) Animals

8 (v. 26) Humankind

God rested

Genesis 1 and book of Genesis

Genesis 1: World way God intended it to be

Genesis 2-11: World as humankind/nations corrupted it

Genesis 12-50: Way God intends to fix it through community

How did God intend world to be?World

Creation of GodVery goodOrdered by God’s wordClimax: Humanity at centre as vice-regents to rule and develop world into society and culture reflecting God’s image

HumankindCreated to know/enjoy/respond to glorious Creator GodAs they care for, discover, and develop creation as stewardsIn communityDevelop society, culture

All for the revelation of God’s glory

Cultural contextMoses’ concerns were exclusively religious. His intent was to proclaim knowledge of the true God as he manifested himself in his creative works, to proclaim a right understanding of humankind, the world, and history that knowledge of the true God entails—and to proclaim the truth concerning these matters in the face of the false religious notions dominant throughout the world of his day. (John Stek)

Genesis 1:

Challenge to or polemic against pagan stories

Pagan myths

gods vs.

humanity vs.

world vs.

Genesis One

God

humanity

world

Creation as kingdom of God

— King

— realm

— subjects

— vice-regents

— decrees

God

world

creatures

humanity

word

Genesis 1:Challenge to or polemic against pagan stories Teaching about God, human beings, world, history

‘To be sure, the function of Genesis 1 is not exclusively polemic . . . But an attentive reading of the whole against the background of the several myths of the ancient Near East discloses a view of God, humanity, and the world that, whatever its more or less incidental affinities with conceptions abroad in Israel’s environment, stands in striking opposition to almost all that those religions had in common.’ (Stek)

Rich teaching of Genesis 1Genesis 1: ‘doctrine in narrative mode . . .that is both consistent with all the accounts of creation in the ancient world and appropriate to the function of Genesis 1 as prologue to a narrative of God’s engagements in human history.’

‘All the myths of creation which may have been known by the author were, in fact “doctrine” in the form of stories’ (Stek)

“Whoever expounds Gen., ch. 1, must understand one thing: this chapter is . . . doctrine.” It is so rich in meaning that “it cannot be easily over-interpreted theologically.” (Von Rad)

Conclusions for today

Genesis 12-50 tells the first part of a story – that will continue throughout the rest of the Bible and finds its centre in Jesus – in which God acts to restore his creation.

Genesis 1 teaches much about God, human life, world

Conclusions for todayGenesis 12-50 tells the first part of a story – that will continue throughout the rest of the Bible and finds its centre in Jesus – in which God acts to restore his creation.Genesis 1 teaches us much about God, human life, worldGenesis 1 (and 2) shows us God’s original intention for his creation.

A weak doctrine of creation subverts Christian lifeCreation meant to be a good home for human beingsHuman culture and society is central to God’s creational purposeCreation is good when human beings conform themselves to God’s word/order or live under decree of King in all aspects of their communal lives (wisdom)Creation includes human society, institutions, culture, etc. and not just non-human creation.

Conclusions for todayGenesis tells the first part of a story in which God acts to restore his creation.Genesis 1 teaches much about God, humanity and the worldGenesis 1 (and 2) shows us God’s original intention for his creation.Genesis 3-11 shows us how human rebellion has polluted, twisted, distorted, corrupted God’s world—especially human society and culture.

Often minimize gravity, scope, and power of human sinScope: idolatry; Rom 1.18ff.

Corporate idolatry

Basic sin of idolatry“ . . . all sin is an expression of the basic sin of idolatry, of putting something else in the place of God.” (Paul Marshall)

Pauline analysis of Roman culture (Romans 1.18-32)

“Worshiped and served created things”: Communal and cultural pursuit of idolatry“God gave them over”: God gives over culture to its idolatry

Conclusions for todayGenesis tells the first part of a story in which God acts to restore his creation.Genesis 1 teaches us much about God, human life, worldGenesis 1 (and 2) shows us God’s original intention for his creation.Genesis 3-11 shows us how human rebellion has polluted, twisted, distorted, corrupted God’s world—especially human society and culture. God chooses a community to embody his original intention for the sake of the nations.

To embody God’s original intention for human lifeAcross the spectrum of human culture/society