Chapter 3
Creation, Paradise Lost, and Other Mysteries of Life (Genesis 1–3)
In This Chapter
Meeting the God of the Bible
Discovering the meaning of life
Exploring the wonders of Paradise
Uncovering the origins of evil
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
—Genesis 1:1
T hese are perhaps the best-known words of world literature, appearing in what is arguably the best-known work of literature — the Book of Genesis. Even if the Bible doesn’t inform your own personal religious heritage or belief system, the narratives of Genesis have had a significant impact on you and the world around you.
Consider the following points:
Three of the world’s major religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — trace their origins to the traditions found in Genesis.
The belief that all humans are created “in the image of God,” and are therefore equal, comes from Genesis.
Many of the greatest works of art, architecture, and literature have been inspired by stories found in Genesis.
In this chapter, you explore the opening chapters of Genesis (1–3) — from the Creation of the cosmos to Adam and Eve’s fateful choice to eat from the forbidden tree — in order to better understand the themes and plot tensions that direct the rest of the Bible, as well as to better appreciate the continuing impact of these narratives on our world.
Who wrote Genesis?
Both Jews and Christians have traditionally ascribed Genesis, as well as the rest of the opening five books of the Bible (called the Torah or Pentateuch), to Moses. However, readers of the Bible have long observed that Genesis contains information that both pre-dates and post-dates Moses. For example, Moses wasn’t there when God created the cosmos, and Genesis 36 provides a list of rulers who lived well beyond the time of Moses. Therefore, many scholars consider Genesis through Deuteronomy to be a collection of traditions passed down orally and in written form by a variety of people (including Moses) over a number of centuries. The most prevalent theory describing the origins of the Five Books of Moses is called the Documentary Hypothesis, which postulates a minimum of four literary sources behind these books.
Beginning “In the Beginning”
As the “book of beginnings,” Genesis seeks to answer some of the big questions of life, such as:
Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Is there a God?
If so, how many?
Why do we die?
Why is there evil in the world?
Why can’t we all just get along?
Why are there weeds in my garden? (Really, Genesis answers this question, but unfortunately with no immediate remedies.)
So get ready to begin your exploration of the “book of beginnings.”
What Are We Doing Here? Creation and the Meaning of Life (Genesis 1:1–2:3)
According to the opening verses of Genesis, when God began to create, the earth was “formless and void.” The Hebrew words used to describe this state of affairs are tohu wa-bohu (TOE-hoo va-VOE-hoo). Beyond sounding like a brand of tofu (which, by the way, some theologians think is a fairly close description of what the biblical authors had in mind), these words rhyme, which gives this otherwise “chaotic” state a certain sense of order. Here, then, the biblical authors are already beginning to define their worldview and their view of God differently than how their neighbors perceived such things.
Understanding the six days of Creation
Beyond providing a sense of order, the very words “formlessness and void” provide the outline or “agenda” for God’s workweek. During the first three days, God forms the cosmos; during the next three days, He fills it.
The following table shows the pattern of the Creation account:
| God Forms | God Fills |
|---|---|
| Day One: Light | Day Four: The sun, moon, and stars |
| Day Two: Sky and sea | Day Five: Birds and fish |
| Day Three: Dry land and plants | Day Six: Animals and humans |
Therefore, in this opening Creation account, the Bible communicates not only that God created but that His creation has order and, by implication, purpose. This sense of order is further conveyed by the overall systematic unfolding of Creation (“It was evening, it was morning, the first day,” “It was evening, it was morning, the second day,” and so on).
The “days” of Creation: Literal or figurative days?
One question that inevitably arises when discussing the six days of Creation is, “Are these literal days (that is, 24-hour periods), or are they figurative for long periods of unspecified length (such as “in the day of the dinosaurs”)? As early as the fourth century C.E., Saint Augustine, the “Father of the Church,” asked this very question and then determined that the days of Creation were intended to be understood figuratively, and constituted long epochs of time. Now Augustine was no evolutionist. However, he did believe that the earth was much older than a literal understanding of these days would allow. In addition, Augustine (and others) noted that the sun, by which days are reckoned, isn’t even created until the fourth day.
This isn’t to say that everyone has understood the days of Creation to be figurative (or that they should be understood that way). For centuries, there have been attempts to calculate the exact date of Creation by taking the days of Creation literally and then adding to this the various generations enumerated in the Bible. Theologian and scholar James Ussher performed the most notable example of such “number crunching.” In the seventeenth century C.E., he determined that Creation took place in the year 4004 B.C.E. Bishop Ussher’s work became so influential that his dates were even printed in some editions of the King James Bible, giving them a kind of “divine (or at least “royal”) stamp of approval.”
Seeing the forest-maker through the trees
In addition to establishing that God created the cosmos and everything in it, in this opening Creation account the biblical author seeks to convey important information about God and His relationship with His creation.
Consider the following theological points deriving from Genesis 1:
God is powerful. This point is clear from the very beginning “beginning.” The Bible says that God merely “says the word” and, voilà, things come into existence. (Try this some time; it’s not easy.)
Theologians describe God’s method of speaking things into existence as ex nihilo, which is Latin for “from nothing.” In truth, there is something there, namely the water-covered earth over which God’s spirit hovers, but the point is well taken: God calls into being that which did not previously exist.
God is transcendent. This is a fancy way of saying that God is distinct from His creation. This attribute may seem like a given to those coming from a biblical worldview, but when compared to the worldview of many ancient cultures — where gods were intimately identified with forces of nature, such as the sea, a storm, fertility, and so on — this idea was rather revolutionary.
God is good. Finally, the biblical author presents God as the source of that which is “good” in this world. At every stage of Creation the Bible says “God saw that it was good.” And at the end of His creating, the Bible reports:
And God saw everything He had made and, behold, it was very good.
—Genesis 1:31
The culmination of God’s workweek: Humans
On day six, after God has made everything else, God makes humans. The biblical author isn’t suggesting that humankind is an afterthought in God’s mind. Rather, we are to understand that humankind is the pinnacle of God’s creation. This idea is further emphasized by the notice that humans are made “in God’s image.” So what does it mean to be created in God’s image? The Bible doesn’t say, explicitly, but scholars usually propose two ideas:
Humans bear the physical image of God. There are a number of biblical passages that describe God with human anatomical features. For example, God is said to have arms, eyes, hands . . . even a beard! So some think that being created in God’s image means that humans look like God. Yet, God is also said to guard humans “under His wings,” but few if any scholars think that the biblical authors imagine God with literal wings. So we need to be careful when interpreting passages that describe God’s physical appearance, since the biblical authors are apt to use figurative language to describe God, who transcends human categories.
Humans bear the “spiritual” image (or character qualities) of God. Others feel that when the Bible speaks of humans being created “in the image of God” it is referring to God’s “inner” qualities, such as morality, creativity, compassion, intelligence, and so on. In short, the image of God refers to that which sets us apart from our fellow creatures. Certainly, animals may be said to have intelligence, compassion, and perhaps even creativity, but humans have a higher moral sense (whether we choose to exercise it or not is another question) and greater intellectual capabilities (ditto) than their animal counterparts.
One final observation needs to be made concerning the image of God. According to the Bible, both male and female are created “in the image of God.” Note the wording:
And God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
—Genesis 1:27
Discovering the meaning of life
We discover part of the purpose for which humankind was created in the first command given to humans by God:
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.
—Genesis 1:28
According to the biblical text, then, humans have two main responsibilities: (1) to multiply, which is embodied in the words “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth,” and (2) to manage, which is embodied in the word “subdue.” That is, the purpose of human existence is precisely what we would hope our stockbroker would do on a more consistent basis: multiply and manage.
Other than multiplying and managing, human existence has at least one other “job description” or purpose: relationship. Although it isn’t expressly stated in this first Creation account, humans were created to have relationship with God, with each other, and with the created order. And when things go wrong, the first thing that goes out the window is human intimacy with God (humans hide when they hear Him coming),with each other (humans become ashamed in each other’s presence), and, eventually, with creation (animals are given the instinct to flee the dangers of humans).
Enjoying the first weekend
On the seventh day, the Bible tells us, “God rested from all the work He had done” (Genesis 2:3). In light of this statement, some have asked, “Did God really get tired?” To which we respond, “Wouldn’t you?”
Thus, God rests, and the weekend is established. Therefore, next time you hear someone say, “Thank God it’s Friday!” you’ll appreciate this exclamation in a completely new light.
What it means to have “dominion” over the earth
The command to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” is straightforward enough, and is one that the human race is doing a more than adequate job at fulfilling. (Please consult your sixth grade “biology” textbook if you feel in the dark on this one.) But the commandments to “subdue” and “to have dominion over” the earth and its creatures are less straightforward, and have been misused to, well, misuse the earth and its creatures.
The Hebrew words for “to subdue” and “to have dominion over” are normally used to describe what a king is supposed to do with his kingdom. According to the Bible, good kings rule their kingdoms in a way that promotes the welfare of those under their dominion. Thus, the command to “have dominion over” creation is not an invitation to pollute the earth or hunt animals into extinction, but to take care of creation.
Living in Paradise (Genesis 2:4–25)
If you’ve read the Bible before, or if you’re reading along in the Bible as you read this book, you may have noticed that in Genesis 2, and in particular beginning at Genesis 2:4, there is a second Creation account — with some notable differences.
Taking a second look at Creation
Perhaps the most obvious difference between the Creation accounts of Genesis 1 and 2 is the order in which God creates. Whereas, in Genesis 1, God creates plants before animals and humans, in Genesis 2, God creates a man (Adam), then plants, then animals, and, last, but not least, a woman (Eve). Perhaps you even noticed that the name used for God is different. Whereas, in Genesis 1, God is referred to as, well, “God,” in Genesis 2, God is called “the LORD God.” What’s going on here?
Some scholars have suggested that Genesis 1 and 2 represent two different Creation accounts that were only later brought together by the person compiling the biblical text. By this view, the differences in detail and divine name are the result of different traditions about how the world came to be and, perhaps, who created it (or at least, by which name the creator should be addressed).
Still other interpreters have understood the seeming differences between these two Creation accounts as a literary technique: Genesis 1 provides the overview of Creation, while Genesis 2 provides the details. This shift is evidenced by the change in the word order from “heaven and earth” (Genesis 1:1) at the beginning of the first account to “earth and heaven” (Genesis 2:4b) at the beginning of the second account.
Regardless of one’s conclusion on what interpretation is correct, these traditions have been read together for thousands of years, and it’s the combination of these traditions that has informed many people’s view of God.
Creating Adam and Eve
The earthly perspective provided in Genesis 2 expands on what you know from the heavenly perspective given in Genesis 1 — particularly when it comes to the creation of the first two humans: Adam and Eve.
First, you discover that Adam was formed “out of the dirt of the ground” (confirming that boys are, indeed, made out of “slugs and snails and puppy dog tails”). In fact, the word for “man” in Hebrew is adam, and the word for ground is adamah. Thus, here we have a wordplay because the adam (man or “earthling”) is taken from the adamah (earth).
Second, you discover that humankind is animated (brought to life) by God’s breath or spirit. This confirms that humankind’s divine essence, or image, is primarily internal or spiritual in nature.
Third, and as an example of humanity’s participation in the divine image of “creativity,” you discover that God gave to Adam (humans) the job of naming the animals. This responsibility emphasizes the difference between humans and animals. While animals have “language” (and some animals no doubt have “names” for humans), humankind names, classifies, categorizes and contemplates the world in a way that’s different from our fellow creatures.
Fourth, you discover that humans need each other. God expresses this need when He says, “It isn’t good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). God then performs what is the first surgery, even administering the first anesthetic. God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and while Adam is “under,” God removes a part of his side and forms a woman.
Witnessing the first wedding
After God forms the woman, we witness the first wedding. When the man awakes, God escorts the bride down the aisle in the Garden of Eden (the ultimate garden wedding). God then presents the woman to the man, and performs the “ceremony.”
Enjoying life in the Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden was the place to be. In addition to being a botanical wonder, Eden had no death, no disease, no weeds, no crime, no violence, no injustice, no alienation between humans, God, or creation; it was, in a word, Paradise. Moreover, the Garden was a place to just relax and be yourself. In fact, Genesis 2 ends with the notice: “And the man and his wife were naked and unashamed” (Genesis 2:25). That’s right, according to the Bible, humans were originally meant to walk around in their “birthday suits.” What’s more, they felt no shame in this. Yet, before you sign up for that nudist colony you’ve always wanted to join, hold on, because this idyllic condition of “naked and unashamed” is about to end.
Understanding the two trees
Amidst all the perfection of Eden, God plants “in the center of the Garden” two special trees: the Tree of Life (so far, so good), and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (not so good). Regarding this latter tree, God tells Adam, “You shall not eat from it, for on the day that you eat of it, you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17).
What’s wrong with knowledge? Actually, knowing things isn’t really the issue, because Adam and Eve already know a lot, including language, the names of animals, how to manage the Garden, how to multiply (and all that entails), and so on. Moreover, this verse doesn’t mean they don’t know about good. Good is presumably all they know, because everything that God made is “good.” Thus, the issue isn’t knowing so much as it’s knowing evil — and not just cognitive knowledge about evil, but experiential knowledge of evil. Adam and Eve will soon get both.
Why would God ruin a good thing by planting a bad tree? The text doesn’t say (explicitly), but some theologians have suggested that giving humans a choice between obedience and disobedience — good and bad — underscores a necessary part of being human: free will.
Why a tree? The form probably doesn’t matter, although part of what allures humans to this tree is that “it was good for food” and “a delight to the eyes.” For Freud, however, the form was significant, because eating food is laden with sexual symbolism (of course, for Freud, everything was laden with sexual symbolism). Freud perceived the eating of this fruit as symbolizing sexual awareness, which is why Adam and Eve feel shame after eating. However, according to the Bible, humans already knew about the “s” word. Thus, contrary to Freud, sometimes, a piece of fruit is just a piece of fruit.
He Made Me Do It! The “Fall” and Its Fallout (Genesis 3)
All is well in the Garden of Eden — even with the presence of “the Tree” — until we’re introduced to the arch villain of humankind: the snake.
Falling for a tempting proposition
No one really knows why the slithering, sinuous serpent was selected to be the bad guy. However, the biblical author does provide some light on the subject by saying that “the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). But still, why a snake?
Later reflection on this passage would understand this snake to be none other than the Devil himself. Although Genesis 3 doesn't make this equation, there are some indications that this serpent is more than just a serpent:
The snake tests humankind’s moral fortitude and devotion to God. Not the typical behavior of snakes.
The snake lies. Snakes are sneaky, granted, but they seldom lie.
The serpent can talk. This clue is perhaps the most telling because talking animals are unusual — even for the Bible. (A donkey will talk later in the Bible [see Chapter 7 of this book], but that’s about it.)
With indications like these, later interpreters may be justified in seeing more behind this serpent than just a snake.
The Bible tells us that when the serpent approaches Eve, he poses a question:
Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’
—Genesis 3:1
Before wondering why Eve doesn’t act shocked at a talking snake, keep in mind that she’s new to this whole creation thing herself, and that a talking snake would be no more unusual to her than a dancing rock.
Eve quickly corrects the serpent:
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the Garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the Garden, nor shall you touch it, or you will die.’
—Genesis 3:2–3
The serpent retorts by assuring Eve that she will not die. What God fears, the snake says, is that “your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
What’s interesting is that the humans were already like God, as they were created in His image. Yet the serpent holds out the extra incentive of knowing “good and evil,” which, after all, is what the Tree promises. Therefore, the serpent isn’t a total liar.
After a moment of contemplation, Eve takes a bite of the forbidden fruit and then gives it to her husband, who also eats it.
A malicious, delicious fruit
The Bible simply says that Adam and Eve ate the “fruit,” not an “apple.” The belief that the forbidden fruit was an apple seems to derive from the fact that the Latin words for apple and evil (malum) are identical, the only difference being the accenting of the word. Thus, apple growers the world over can breathe a corporate sigh of relief: The forbidden fruit is unknown.
Watching Adam and Eve’s fateful choice
The effects of Adam and Eve’s indiscretion are important to note, because for the author of this passage, their act of disobedience changed everything. For example, Adam and Eve immediately experience shame at their nakedness. In response, Adam and Eve sew fig leaves together to cover themselves, thus providing the explanation for why humans should wear clothes.
The biblical text then informs us that Adam and Eve hear the “sound of the LORD God as He was walking in the Garden.” Quickly, Adam and Eve hide themselves. This would be the first game of hide and seek, only God had the distinct advantage of, well, being God. Yet, given this advantage, it should strike us as peculiar that God asks, “Where are you?” Does God not know?
Adam does come clean . . . well, sort of. Adam admits that he ate of the forbidden fruit. But when God asks why, Adam says, “The woman, whom You gave me to be with me, she gave me of the fruit and I ate!” Adam’s words are telling. He not only blames the woman, but in case that’s not going to get him out of hot water, he says “whom You gave me.” (Isn’t it a relief to know humans have changed quite a bit since the days of Adam and Eve?)
Surprisingly, God actually turns toward Eve, and asks, “What is this you have done?” Eve, now realizing how this game is played, passes the buck once more. “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” This “blame game” can only go so far, and, beginning with the serpent, God declares His judgment against each of the guilty parties.
Suffering the grave consequences of sin
Although the Bible presents God as merciful, He is no pushover when it comes to handing out punishment. Therefore, in response to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God dispenses judgments or, as the Bible calls them in this particular case, curses.
Making the snake eat dirt
For the serpent, God says, “You will go about on your belly and eat the dirt of the ground.” Some people suggest that this is the Bible’s explanation for why snakes have no legs, and that prior to this, the serpent, and all his fellow snakes, could walk. Later medieval and Renaissance artists, in fact, often depicted this serpent with legs, or even as a serpent-like human. Other interpreters, however, have understood the serpent’s judgment of eating dirt as a way to express God’s ultimate humiliation and defeat of evil.
God also says to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Some have understood this to be an explanation for why humans have an inordinate fear of snakes, though later Christian interpreters understood the statement that “He will strike your (the snake’s) head” as a reference to Jesus’ ultimate defeat of Satan (see Chapter 23).
Making Eve labor
For the woman, God says, “with pain you will give birth to children.” (You can say that again.) Moreover, God says to the woman, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” No one is quite sure what this means. Some have suggested that “your desire will be for your husband” means “you will have the hots for him.” (Yeah, you wish, husbands!) Others have suggested that it means “you will desire to rule over him,” thereby explaining the origins of the “battle of the sexes.” Still others see in God’s words the Bible’s explanation for the distinction between gender roles. The woman will desire (that is, “have relations with”) her husband in order to bear children, and the man will rule over (that is, “take care of”) his wife. The reason Eve didn’t need this kind of “care” before is because childbirth and obtaining food were easier. With the pain now present in obtaining both offspring and food, there is a need for the division of labor.
Making Adam labor
For the man, God curses him with “labor pains” of his own — increased pain when cultivating the land. (Humans already worked, but the idyllic conditions of Eden made work relatively painless.) In fact, the same Hebrew word for pain (‘itzavon) is used to describe both Adam’s and Eve’s labor. God then says that the ground will cause the ultimate kind of pain, which is death. “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Yet, God’s words raise a problem. God had earlier said, on the very day Adam ate of the fruit he would die. However, here God says he will eventually die. Did God lie? Well, it depends on what “dies” means. Several possibilities exist:
Some have argued that when God said Adam and Eve would die “on the very day” they ate the fruit, He meant mortality or the death process would begin.
Some have suggested that a spiritual death took place on the day Adam and Eve disobeyed God, which is evidenced in the damaged relationship between humankind and God (Adam and Eve hide) and humankind with each other (Adam and Eve feel shame toward one another).
Still others have argued that God is mitigating an originally harsher sentence. That is, the fact that Adam and Eve didn’t die immediately after eating the fruit may be an expression of God’s compassion, even amidst His words of judgment.
Whatever the full explanation, death is now a part of life.
Losing the keys to Paradise
After speaking His judgments against Adam and Eve, God makes clothes for them from the skin of an animal. In so doing, some have suggested this marks the first “sacrifice for sin,” as God kills an animal to atone for or, literally, cover Adam and Eve’s sin, as well as their shame. God then escorts the humans out of the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever.
To further ensure that humans don’t return to eat from the Tree of Life, God places armed guards, called cherubs (Hebrew cherubim), at the entrance to Eden. Far from those cute little babies depicted in Renaissance art, biblical cherubim are ferocious, sword-wielding creatures whose job is to protect or guard sacred sites or individuals (see Figure 3-1).
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Figure 3-1: The cherubs of the Bible are probably like this human-headed lion with eagle’s wings that guarded the throne room of an Assyrian king. |
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©Preserving Bible Times with permission of The British Museum
God’s concern that humans might return to Eden raises a final question as we prepare to exit Paradise: According to the Bible, can someone, theoretically, ever return to the Garden of Eden in order to find and eat from the fruit of the Tree of Life? The answer is both yes and no. In the Hebrew Bible, the Tree of Life would later be associated with God’s wisdom, which humans can pursue and achieve if they work at it and are so inclined. In the New Testament, the Tree of Life reappears in the eventual coming “Kingdom of God,” where everything will be restored to perfection. Accessibility to the first tree, however, is out of the realm of possibility, according to the Bible.