Beginnings: The Two or Five Creation Stories
The Pillars of Creation - Hubble Telescope
Did you know that the Biblical Creation story is ordered differently in Genesis 2?
In Genesis 1, vegetation is created first and then the humans, while in Genesis 2 it is the other way round.
One explanation is that vegetation in Genesis 2 means cultivated varieties. The Hebrew word translated ‘plant’ is different to the word used in Genesis 1.
Though I think what is more interesting is in Genesis 2 v 4, it says, ‘This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.’
We’ve just seen that said earlier in the same chapter and it seems to also relate to the previous chapter.
Genesis 2 v 1
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
So it appears there are two separate creation stories. They are similar, but not exactly the same.
But in fact, there are even more creation stories mentioned in the Bible.
…Was the Word
The most famous non-Genesis creation story is John 1.
John 1 v 1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomea it.
In this creation narrative, we learn that Jesus was at the beginning, He was with God and was God. He was the Word which created Reality.
Image of the Invisible God
Colossians has another creation narrative.
Colossians 1 v 15-17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Creation begins with Christ, who then creates all things, both the visible and the invisible.
‘Firstborn’ does not mean a created being, but in the sense that the first born son is in charge of the family.
All things are created for Him. Which means everything, both the Heavens and the Earth and everything within them was made for Jesus. He is the reason why all this, the whole universe and its inhabitants, exist. Nothing has any purpose outside of Him.
Also, the whole of creation holds together in Him. Every star in the Universe, every galaxy in the sky, every new born star and every dust cloud formation. In Him they all hold together.
Every cell in our bodies, every family bond, every hug between best friends and every hand shake between former enemies. In Him all these hold together.
Even every string of heart beats, every letter in a word, every vowel in a sentence and every note in a musical phrase. They all hold together in Him.
Yes, when I mean everything holds together in Him, I mean absolutely everything.
God’s Tells All
Job 38
Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?
This is an exert from Job 38. Here we see God is giving a Creation account in the form questions. These poetic phrases give more details about how God created the Earth. This reminds me of the name the Old English texts give to God, the Measurer. He measures out the Universe.
What is interesting about Job 38 is God is talking in the first person, while the other creation stories mentioned here are in the third person.
Other Creation Stories
There are even more creation narratives throughout the Bible. So which one is the most accurate?
In the same way, the four Gospels present different narratives of the life of Jesus, so the different stories complement each other to help us understand Creation.
The different angles on the same event provides deeper insight into Creation, God’s role in making it and our place in it.