The bible says that once a man has rebelled against God, he is capable of doing all kinds of evil to his fellow man. This is clearly seen in the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4: 1-16). Cain was jealous of Abel because Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God and Cain’s wasn’t. The jealousy led to Cain committing murder. The story teaches us a lot about the nature of God. God knows human thoughts and motives. He punishes fairly and cares for the innocent and also, like in the case of Cain, he generously gives people a second chance.…
Genesis chapter 1 begins with creation. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (New International Version). God’s creation is the start of the natural world. The world was created within 6 consecutive days, having a new creation each of those days. We know…
Standing proudly as two of the great pillars of world literature, particularly ancient world literature, the Book of Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh provide a great deal of insight into the nature of early human-animal relationships. In particular, the documentary hypothesis, which persuasively postulates that the Pentateuch is comprised of the writings of four different sources, means that the place and date of authorship of parts within the text (e.g. Genesis 1 and Genesis 2) vary significantly from each other. That said, it is a safe estimate that Genesis 1, which was written by the Priestly source, was composed in approximately 500 BCE by Jewish priests exiled in Babylon (Encyclopedia Britannica). Likewise, Genesis 2, written by the Yahwistic source, dates to around 950 BCE and was produced in Judaea (Encyclopedia…
Adam 's sin, as recounted in the Book of Genesis is sometimes called in Hebrew (translated: the first sin of man, or Adam). The account in Genesis (2-3), implies that Adam and Eve initially in communion with God. God warned Adam not to eat the fruit of "the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" (Genesis 2:15-17). The serpent persuaded Eve, who in turn persuaded Adam, to disobey this commandment. After eating of the fruit, they realised the mistake they had…
In conclusion, the information put forth in Genesis 1 – 11 does not differentiate a specific era, period or age. The Bible is most notably a historical recollection of mankind, written by mankind, who were literally placed on earth by God to do His will.…
Genesis - Genesis, which means "beginnings," begins with the creation of the world and man. The first half of the book also covers the early history of man, the story of Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel. The second half of the book is about the Patriarchs of God's chosen people ... from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. It ends with the story of Joseph and the Israelites moving to Egypt.…
Stories of creation exist in every religion and have been passed down for generations in their respective cultures. Striking similarities are readily seen between the Book of Genesis and the Epic of Gilgamesh of the Hebrews and Sumerians respectively. Both sources include a tale of a great flood that was to clear the earth of its inhabitants. Although the Epic of Gilgamesh predates the Book of Genesis by hundreds of years, the Sumerian text probably had a profound influence over the latter.…
When asked how everything in the world was created and formed the beginning of life, many people will turn to the Book of Genesis in the Bible. This story explains to Christians exactly how God created the world and man. However, this has not always been the go-to response to answer the question of our beginning. Creation myths spring from almost each and every type of civilization and each one brings different ideas and support to back up their theories. The differences between Eastern and Western creation myths are very easy to spot, but what makes them interesting is the fact that they are all trying to explain the same thing. For the ancient Viking folk from the Eastern continents, it was normal to believe in Norse mythology.…
If we trace back to the first appearance of Genesis in written form, in its earliest translation, we arrive at 444 B.C.; In order to fully comprehend the origin of the story we must venture further back in time. We can begin with the father of the Hebrew people, Abraham. We can deduce when he lived, and find that he lived around 1900 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia. If we examine his world and its culture, we may find the reasons behind certain references in Genesis, and the mythologies of Theogony they resemble.…
The story of creation begins with Genesis 1 and 2, it explains how the world and it’s living inhabitants were created from God’s touch. From Genesis 1 we see how the sky, seas, land, animals, and mankind were created. However Genesis 2 focuses more on the first of mankind, known as Adam and Eve and how they are made to be. In this paper I will compare Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and what the main idea for creation is in each one, however in my opinion there is no contradiction between the two. Genesis 2 merely fills in the details that are "headlined" in Genesis 1.…
The Old Testament contains the stories that took place prior to the birth of Jesus Christ. It reads the story of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were the first born of Adam and Eve. “…Eve his wife: who conceived and brought forth Cain….and again she brought forth his brother Abel.” (The Catholic Holy Bible, Gen. 4.1-2). Cain murdered his brother Abel out of envy. Cain's fury was due to God's acceptance of Abel’s offering over his. “Cain offered, of the fruits of the earth, gifts to the Lord. Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel…But to Cain and his offerings, he had no respect: and Cain was exceedingly angry, and his countenance fell.” (Gen. 4.3-5). Out of spite, Cain killed his brother Abel, and in return, was sentenced by God to be, “...a fugitive and a vagabond…upon the earth.” (Gen. 4.12). Cain was forced to become an outcast. Like Cain, Grendel was an outcast, along with his mother, and was filled with…
This is a narrative of the Creation account. I note the obvious theme of “blessing” in 2.3 where “God blessed the seventh day…” I also see an indirect theme of blessing throughout the creation drama as The Lord God sees what he has created as “good” (1.4, 10. 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). There looks to be a poetic genre where God creates woman from man (2.23). This leads into another encounter of blessing backed up with covenant where the two, “become one flesh…and were not ashamed (2.24-25). I also see a level of reconciliation where God in creating man in His own image brings Himself in concert with His creation (1.27). As God placed man in the Garden he was introduced to the tree of good and evil (2.15-17). There we see a promise of judgment should one eat of its fruit.…
With the discovery of texts from ancient civilizations, many people have come to believe that various texts are common to one another. Examples of these texts are the creation stories from the Hebrews found in the Bible, The Hymn of Ra from the Egyptians, and the Enuma Elish stories from the Babylonians. In addition to these stories are the flood stories. These stories have caused many discussions among students involved with religious research.…
The first eleven chapters of Genesis deal with the earth and human race, nature and purpose of humanity, intrusion of sin into God 's good creation,judgement and the hope of redemption. Genesis chapter 12 to Deuteronomy chapter 34 deal with Yahweh Covenant, Abraham posterity, Divine election and blessing, and the grant of a promised land '.…
-Adam and Eve together raised their two sons Cain and Abel, who both offered their own items to God. God respected Abel’s sacrifice of sheep, but I do not understand why He did not respect Cain’s fruit. Either way, it caused Cain to lose faith in God, and he became jealous of Abel, to which he killed. This act is important to the Bible, I believe, because it shows the corruption of man before God, and how early it began.…