Hymn of Creation
Genesis 1
During the Renaissance and the Enlightenment periods in Western culture, the Age of Faith (commonly called Middle Ages or Dark Ages) was ridiculed as a period of superstition ruled by a belief in miracles and divine intervention. Both Protestant and Catholic Christianity were not immune to this criticism, and, in defense, began an effort to approach the Bible in more rational ways. While not denying the miraculous or divinity of Christ, efforts were made to interpret the stories of the Old Testament as historical accounts rather than more figurative works. This was especially true for the book of Genesis. As a result, Genesis, chapter one was seen as a historical account of the creation of the world in seven days, resulting in conflict with developing scientific theories about the origins of the earth and the universe. Efforts were made to align these scientific theories with the Genesis account like the Day-Age theory that suggested each "day" in Genesis, chapter one represented an eon of time. More recently, Henry Morris and John C. Whitcomb looked for ways to buttress the Genesis account by exploring ways in which science could be used to "prove" a literal historical seven-day creation. Their most notable effort in this regard is The Genesis Flood. All of the various approaches created problems, both in terms of science and with respect to a literal reading of the text. An additional motivation for a literal historical interpretation of Genesis was the theological position that all humans had a sin nature inherited from Adam.
Some scholars recognized that Genesis, chapter one suggests a hymn of creation, similar to other cultures' myths about the creation of the world, but this was rejected because that would suggest the language is meant figuratively and metaphorically, and the scholars were committed, because of the logic of their rational theology, to a literal, historical interpretation. The long term result has been either a blanket rejection of contemporary science or a manipulation of science to fit the story along with a failure to recognize the significant spiritual lessions of the Genesis story.
Repetition is a characteristic of poetry in many cultures, and especially in Middle Eastern poetry. We forget that literature originally was not read--it was seen (drama) and heard (poetry). While we tend to think of poetry as based on rhythm and rhyme, Middle Eastern poetry was based on repetition and metaphor. This use of repetition can still be seen in modern culture in musical refrains, in folk culture with its use of call and response, and in some religious services that feature responsive readings. Many non-Western cultures tell stories in a circular rather than a linear way.
In Genesis, chapter one, this repetition is created through the use of a formula for describing the creative acts of each "day":
And God said, Let there be x: and there was x.
And God saw x, that it was good:
And the evening and the morning were the # day.
A similar pattern can be seen in the story of Enki and Ninhursanga. Enki falls in love and impregnates multiple generations of women. Each pregnancy follows the same pattern throughout the myth:
But her one month was one day, but her two months were two days, but her three months were three days, but her four months were four days, but her five months were five days, but her six months were six days, but her seven months were seven days, but her eight months were eight days, but her nine months were nine days. In the month of womanhood, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, Nintud, mother of the country, like juniper oil, gave birth to Ninsar" (Stifler 243), and then the pattern is repeated as Ninsar is impregnated and gives birth, along with each successive generation of daughters.
Similar repetition can also be found in the Psalms, which are also examples of Middle Eastern poetry:
Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalms 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Significance of the Hymn of Creation
So, what are the lessons to be learned from this Hymn of Creation? While God is all powerful and could have created everything in an instant, the hymn emphasizes his care in creating, the perfection of his work, and his pleasure in the task. James Weldon Johnson's version of Genesis, chapter one in his poem "The Creation" captures the joy that God took in creating the world. While in college, I heard Robert Regal perform a dramatic reading of Johnson's "The Creation," and after each "That's good!" Regal would break out in a huge belly laugh. J. R. R. Tolkien in the Simarillion has the Ainur sing the universe into being while C. S. Lewis has Aslan sing the world into existence in The Magician's Nephew. Pythagoras recognized the connection between the movements of the planetary bodies and the mathematics of music, which, beginning in the Renaissance was called the "music of the spheres." The emphasis on the musical quality of creation reveals its balance and harmony. Isaac Newton also recognized the connectiuons between music, light, and the movements of planetary bodies revealing the cosmic harmony, which he saw as having the perfection of a well-made clock.
It is the difference in genre between the poetry of Genesis, chapter one and the narrative of Genesis, chapter two that best explains the differences between these two accounts of creation in the Bible.
Works Cited
King James Bible. eSword. Software. Rick Meyers. 14.1.0. 2000-2024.
Stifler, Bill, ed. Mythology: Reading Myth by the River. Create, McGraw Hill, 2021.