The Meaning of the Days of Creation in Genesis One Essay

The Meaning of the Days of Creation in Genesis One A matter that weighs heavily between the science world and the biblical world is the meaning of the ?days? of creation in Genesis 1. Are God?s creative days to be taken as long periods of time, eons, or short periods of time, i.e. 24 hours? We will examine the biblical evidence for possibly applying a long-term definition to the word, ?day? in English, yom in Hebrew, and see that in the Bible; it is all a matter of timing. Remember the article by Pinnock; we must not let our long-standing presuppositions fog our objective look at the issue. After God divided the light from the darkness, ?God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning†¦show more content†¦in English. It can mean the daylight portion of a day, the entire 24-hour period, a time of undesignated length, or a day of celebration. Which usage did Moses intend in the first passages of Genesis? Better yet, what meaning did God intend to convey through Moses? Many have come to believe that interpreting those creative days as long periods is a relatively modern phenomenon dictated by the recent findings of science, i.e. sedimentation rates, radioactive decay rates, a vast and expanding universe, and so forth, but such may not be the case. Some of the early church fathers took their cues from Scripture alone without the benefit of all the scientific information available today. Ross argues that Irenaeus, Origen, Basil, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, to name a few, argued that the days of creation must have been long periods of time solely from their understanding of the biblical text. (1) There are some today, however, who advocate that the creation days in Genesis were strictly 24 hours in duration. Henry Morris in The Genesis Record states, ?... the Biblical record itself makes it plain that the days of creation are literal days, not long indefinite ages, If he (Moses) wished to convey the idea of long geological ages, he could surely have done it far more clearly and effectively in other words than in those which he selected.? (2) Perhaps in anticipation of future misunderstanding, God carefully defined His terms. The very first timeShow MoreRelatedEssay about Religion 111 Study Questions Week 1979 Words   |  4 PagesREL 111 Questions For Review Chapters 3, 4, 5 Chapter 3 Q1. What levels of meaning can be found in Genesis 1.1-2.4a? This passage gives meaning to the first creation story. It gives the order of how God created everything over the first six days starting with light and ending with the creation of animals and humans. Q2. What are the similarities and differences between the biblical and the Babylonian presentations of cosmic beginnings? 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