Originally published at National Catholic Register
Creation (Genesis 1)
Last week, we broached the doctrine of creation by emphasizing the distinctive teaching of Judaism and Christianity: everything that exists comes from the hand of God. While the question of how God created might be open, that all that exists comes from his creative hand is foundational Judaeo-Christian insight.
The accounts of creation are found in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2-3. Note the plural: accounts. Genesis presents two accounts of creation. Genesis 1 situates the creation of man within the larger picture of the creation of the universe. Genesis 2 places the creation of man front and center.
As we said last week, you need to know the literary genre of what you are reading. The first thing you should know is that, appearances aside, the “Book” of Genesis is not a “book” in the modern sense. Modern books are generally written by one author continuously from beginning to end. Biblical books are often composite works edited together from various authors, each of whom had a particular insight to contribute. The ancient editor, unlike a modern one, did not see those differences as “contradictions” to be edited out. They were unique insights that each deserved consideration for
