Genesis
Stories We Tell...Stories the Bible Tells
Did you ever wonder:
What is the point of telling the creation story twice - in two decidedly distinct and different ways?
This is exactly what the Bible does! And, this telling (and significantly different re-telling) of the creation story is the starting point of our holiest text...Why?! What is the point?!
Not sure that the Bible really does tell the creation story in two distinct ways? Take a look at the text of the story in its initial telling (beginning Genesis 1:1), and then at the second iteration of the story (beginning Genesis 2:4). I like to call the two stories: Creation Story - Take 1; and, Creation Story - Take 2. And, the difference betweeen the two stories is palpable if we compare the details of the two texts. Briefly...
Creation Story - Take 1:
Here, the name of God, the Creator, is "Elohim." Here, we have an ordered, organized, story - replete with literary patterns, distinctions, and categories. We sense a distinct progression as the Bible takes us through each of the seven days of creation: from the most basic elements to the more complex; from the inorganic to the organic; and from form to spirit.
The theme of "dominion" is central to this story. God creates the sun "to rule by day" and the moon "to rule by night." And, approaching the pinnacle of creation, God creates humankind to "rule" the world. Finally, God creates the Sabbath - the holy day of rest.
Notably, in Take 1, male and female are created seemingly simultaneously, by the same word of God. And they are simultaneously blessed by God with words that apply to both woman and man. Most strikingly, at each successive stage of creation, God steps back, looks at the "work in progress" and says: "This is good!"
Creation Story - Take 2:
Here the name of God, the Creator, is "Adonai Elohim." And, in comparison to the Creation Take 1 story, the story of creation surrounding humankind is painted in much broader brush strokes. It is almost as if the Bible is saying: Never mind how everything got here. There was a world. And in that world God created man.
Here, in Take 2, we have the first mention of the Garden of Eden. Here man is given a mission: to cultivate the land and to preserve it.
Here, the creation of animals is only mentioned after the creation of man, and then, only in relation to man.
Take 2 tells us that God realized that it was not good for man to be alone, but none of the animals were enough to satisfy man's need. So, God created woman from the rib of man, to be a companion to man. What a different story!
I am reminded of the stories my brother and I tell about our childhood. We were both there, both part of the same family structure, and we were close in age. Yet, we often recall and re-tell specific events in very different ways. Our stories are told from different perspectives! This is eminently understandable. After all, my brother and I are two separate human beings...But, then, we might wonder: Why would the Bible tell us two such different stories about the creation????
What is the point?!
To me, this is, in fact, the most wonderful way to begin the Bible! The Bible immediately signals to us that there are different ways to look at the world. It reminds us that we, as human beings, can share our different perspectives in peace - side by side! Rather than being threatened by different perspectives, we are taught from the very first teachings that we can learn from one another - that we can be enriched by one another - even if we see the world in a different light.
But, why begin the Bible with the story of creation, rather than with some other story? Here is my take on that...
The Bible was preserved and handed down to us, generation to generation, so that we may be inspired to raise up the holy potential embedded in creation: in our own creation, and in the creation of others; in the creation of human beings and in the creation of the world. That is the beauty of the Biblical telling and re-telling of the story of creation.
And, hovering above us, then and now, is the spirit of God that places before us the light, as a beacon of hope, by day and by night, and at each stage of creation - the spirit that says: "It is good." There is good in the world, even when creation is still a "work in progress."
Bottom line: If we take a cue from the Bible, the different stories we tell as we study the Bible and as we navigate the complexities of our world can be a source of strength and of inspiration...Let the light and the spirit of God be our guides as we tell our stories, share our perspectives, and continue the on-going work of creation!