Conflict in Genesis 1:1? (Carter)

In some ancient Near Eastern myths there are accounts of "creation." These accounts typically have some sort of struggle. For example, the Enuma Elish tells the mythical story of Marduk battling Tiamat. After Marduk defeated Tiamat in battle, Tiamat's body was "split like a fish to be dried into two halves, one of which became …

Creation Ex Nihilo – An Essential Christian Doctrine (Bavinck)

The doctrine of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) is an essential doctrine in Christian theology. The church has always confessed that the triune God created all things out of nothing. When God made this world, he did not do so with preexisting matter or materials. He spoke, and it came to be (Ps. 33:9a ה֣וּא …

In The Beginning When God “Began” to Create…?

If you look at the first words in the 1985 JPS (Jewish Publication Society) Tanakh, you'll notice this translation: "When God began to create heaven and earth...." Almost all other English translations - including the 1917 JPS Tanakh - translate Genesis 1:1 something like this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...." …

The [Non-scientific] Focus of the Creation Week (LeFebvre)

 I've been enjoying Michael LeFebvre's book, The Liturgy of Creation.  It's a study of the festivals, feasts, and calendar dates of OT Israel and how those things can help us read and understand the creation week in Genesis 1-3.  I'm not quite finished with it, but so far it has been thought-provoking and insightful. One part …

Ask Creation! (Augustine)

 In the opening comments of Augustine's sermon on John 14:6 he noted that some wise philosophers had some sort of knowledge of God.  He said that they saw the Truth from afar, but because of their errors they didn't know how to attain the Truth or come to possess it.  Augustine based his statements on …