Luhr 1

Carson Luhr

Dr. Zach Selby

REL 1020.10

25 April 2022

The Literal Symbolism of the Abrahamic Creation Story

In the beginning…a phrase that permeates the minds of nearly every mind on the planet.

Whether it be from a Christian, Judaic, Muslim, or atheist perspective, all those who hear it

imeadiatly associate it with one thing: the Abrahamic creation story. The one in which God

created the heavens and the earth in a matter of six days and then rested on the seventh. Despite

the fact that nearly every person on the planet associates the aforementioned phrase with this

creation story, it is in its interpretation that a large diversity is discovered. Each interpretation

holds validity, given that it [the early chapters of the book of Genesis] is a literary work of great

magnitude rather than simply a historical retelling of events. This essay is not taking upon the

responsibility of definitively proving a singular interpretation of the text, or even yet, a larger

question, the existence of God; but instead it is simply adding another perspective to how the

creation story can be interpreted. Thus, this essay seeks to examine the creation story as a

reflection of ancient Israelite culture, and how it has become one of the most influential works of

literature in all of history.

To begin, it is vital to establish the context in which the first few chapters of Genesis

were written. According to Jewish tradition, the author of Genesis is deemed to be Moses; along

with the following four books which come together to establish the Torah, or Pentateuch

(Bouma). However, there have been claims that refute this tradition, insisting rather that these

texts were not written until a time after the death of Moses; but for the sake of this essay, it is the
 Luhr 2

tradition that Moses did indeed write the book of Genesis that will be used. Thus, it can be

inferred that the book of Genesis was written during a time of exile for the ancient Israelites, as

they has just been freed from slavery in Eygpt and were wandering through the desert for 40

years. It is important to take this observation into consideration as the creation story is analyzed.

Through this method, the attitudes and emotions of the Israelite culture of the time become

evident.

With this context established, we can thus begin to dive into the text, better able to

understand its complexities, symbolisms, and themes. A variety of identifiable characteristics

that classify the text as ancient Israelite literature can be observed; Susan Niditch, a professor of

religion at Amherst College, writes in her book, Oral Word and Written Word: Ancient Israelite

Literature, “All three accounts [of creation in the Bible] use motifs and patterns of motifs found

in the lore of other cultures but more specifically that are popular within ancient Near Eastern

and Israelite tradition” (38). These motifs that Dr. Miditch refers to are instances of similar story

telling devices that can be found in creation myths from other cultures in a similar region of the

globe. Perhaps the most common of these literary devices is the use of water imagery. In Genesis

1:2, it is written that, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of

the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” As it can be seen in the second

verse of the Bible, water imagery has already come to play a large role in the creation story. This

imagery can also be found in the Egyptian creation story, as in that myth it is said that the world

arose from the watery abyss of Nu. Along with the Egyptian creation myth, there are also

similarities between the Biblical account of creation and the Babylonian creation story. Pete

Enns, a professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, lists “In both of the stories, there is a

division of waters above and below, with a barrier holding back the upper waters…” (Enns) as a
 Luhr 3

similarity between the two creation stories. These common characteristics among creation stories

in this part of the world hint towards common attitudes and images between the different peoples

of the time. Some say that these common traits speak to the invalidity of Genesis and the Israelite

creation story; however, I see this as the opposite. The commonality of these motifs in the

Biblical creation story with others of a similar nature strengthen the experience of the ancient

Israelites as members of a larger world that many fail to view them in. Viewing these similarities

adds to the foundational nature of the text as well as speaks to the literary values of the time

period.

Despite the text sharing many similarities with other creation stories, there must also be

unique characteristics that set it apart as the creation story of specifically the Israelites. These

traits can be found to be the result of the attitudes and values of the ancient Israelites during their

time spent in the desert as they made their way to the Promised Land. R. P. Carroll, a past

professor at Glasgow University described the philosophy of the ancient Israelites; “...part of this

orderly structure is the classification of elements of good and bad, clean and unclean, legitimate

and illegitimate, inclusion and exclusion” (Carroll 1). One may ask where this mentality may be

observable most in the Bible, but it is rather evident that it is within the books of law (Leviticus,

Numbers, Deuteronomy) that these classifications are found the most. These books of law, along

with Genesis and Exodus, were authored by Moses (as we established earlier) and thus share

many characteristics among one another. To call back to R. P. Carroll’s statement, the language

of “good and bad” is not only used by Moses in the laws to describe various actions a person can

take, but also within the creation story as well. Genesis 1:25 states, “God made the wild animals

according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move

along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Along with this verse,
 Luhr 4

Genesis 1:31 states, “God saw everything that He had made, and it was very good.” While it may

seem redundant to use a second verse that practically sums up the first one within it, the use of

both of these verses is to call into attention the use of the term “good” in both instances. This

observation is primarily brought into focus in order to support the claim that the time spent in the

desert by the Israelites directly influenced aspects of the creation story, whether that be in a

purely linguistic manner, or an emotion, value based manner. Speaking of the latter, there are

also instances within the creation story that likely take great influence from events within the

Torah or Pentateuch. A common theme not only in the creation story, but also the entirety of the

Bible, Old and New Testaments, is rebellion; primarily rebellion from God. The first instance of

this can be found when Eve eats the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

(another instance of the terms ‘good’ and ‘evil’ or ‘bad’). Could this perhaps have taken not only

divine inspiration, but also inspiration from the events in the desert? In Exodus 32, there is

telling of a statue of a golden calf that the Israelites erected and worshiped during the time that

Moses remained on Mount Sinai. If one were to approach this from an atheistic or agnostic view,

they may say that the story of Adam and Eve’s rebellion may have taken direct inspiration from

this similar act of rebellion. However, from my perspective (a Christian perspective) I find it to

be different; the two events act as amplifiers of one another. While the eating of the forbidden

fruit may not be 100% historically accurate, it does possess a rather simple message: that

humanity has fallen from grace and is bound to repeat its own mistakes. More background

information that is used in my interpretation is that God is omnipotent, thus meaning He is

all-knowing and all-seeing even throughout all of time. Thus, is it not possible that God knew of

this future instance of rebellion and thus told Moses on Mount Sinai of the story of Adam and

Eve in a manner that made it easily understandable to the Israelites in their present circumstance?
 Luhr 5

This instance of not only Israeite, but also what one could call ‘Holy’ moral value, in the desert

adds to the idea that the creation story of Genesis may have taken inspiration from not only

previous oral tradition, but also the events from the Israelites’ time in the desert.

As for my own interpretation of the Biblical creation story, I see it as a combination of a

multitude of varying circumstances, divine inspiration, and cultural impact. Rather than view it

as a historical piece of literature, I choose to see it more as art; not only an Israeite piece of art,

but also a small aspect of the masterpiece that is creation, or God’s work of art. The culture of

the ancient Israelites that set the stage for the language, writing style, and messages used within

the first few chapters of the Bible, in my opinion, only adds to its elegance and magnificence as a

literary work; as it is a reflection of humanity.

In providing one’s interpretation of a Biblical narrative, it is vital that the historical

context, literary structure, and theological concepts be explored in order to fully grasp the text

for all of its characteristics. From there, it is then able to applied to one’s culture, economic or

social position, and most importantly: one’s previous life experiences.

 Luhr 6

Works Cited

Bouma, Jeremy. “Who Wrote the Book of Genesis?” Zondervan Academic, 31 August 2018,

https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-genesis. Accessed 25 April 2022.

Carroll, R. P. “Rebellion and Dissent in Ancient Israelite Society.” vol. 89, no. 2, 1977, pp.

176-204. De Gruyter, https://doi.org/10.1515/zatw.1977.89.2.176.

Enns, Pete. “Genesis 1 and a Babylonian Creation Story - Articles.” BioLogos, 18 May 2010,

https://biologos.org/articles/genesis-1-and-a-babylonian-creation-story/. Accessed 3 May

2022.

Niditch, Susan. Oral World and Written Word: Ancient Israelite Literature. Presbyterian

Publishing Corporation, 1996.